Future Investment: (Taboo Romance Series) (Forbidden Fruit Book 2) Read online

  "Dr. Crawford, we're having a code blue and they need you now." She moved back as I jolted from my seat and took off down the hall behind her.

  "Why the hell didn't they use the intercom system? How long did it take you to get down here? Shit." I growled my response, not caring about anything but saving whoever was going under.

  "The wiring is messed up from the storm last night. It's almost fixed. I'm sorry. I..."

  I moved past her, ignoring her as I rounded the corner that led to the ER. I sprinted the rest of the way, stopping by the OR as Peter stepped out of a room and shook his head.

  "He's gone." He let out a sigh and moved past me as I jogged into the room.

  Max Burns was on the table, his flesh pale and body lifeless.

  "No. Wait." I moved toward the table and pressed my hand to his chest as I scanned the machines around him. "Talk to me. Tell me what happened. There should be something we can do."

  "We've been trying to bring him back for twenty minutes. They couldn't remember which room you were in." Karen, one of my favorite nurses, reached out and touched my chest. "He's gone, Doctor. I'm sorry."

  I pursed my lips and moved back. "Right. Has anyone spoken to his wife?"

  "She left about ten minutes ago. Said she couldn't deal with everything." Karen shook her head. "I hate this part of our job. It seems like there's always five deaths to two lives saved. Why is that?"

  There were no words to offer, so I didn't try. "Call my cell if you need me to talk with Mrs. Burns. Something tells me that she'll be back up here."

  "Alright, Doctor. Take care, and we'll see you back down here tomorrow." Karen gave me a sad smile. "You're running the ER tomorrow, right?"

  "Yes. It's my turn." I walked out and pulled my phone from my pocket, wishing I had a brother or sister that I could call. I just needed a quick pep talk to be reminded that everything I did was for the greater good. At times it felt the exact opposite.

  Darkness worked to settle around my heart and drag me into a pit of despair, but, as always, I pushed against it and forced myself to put one foot in front of the other.

  Max Burns wasn't a friend, or family, or anyone I even really knew, but he was my patient. A life I'd lost because I didn't have a solution to fix the damage his younger years had done to his heart. Now, at forty-one, he was gone.

  "We weren’t cheating." One of the comical, jock-type guys in the back called out as I walked back into the classroom. They all chuckled and I gave him a cocky smirk, faking my way through the performance like I did in front of almost everyone.

  "Yeah, right. The only way you're going to pass is by cheating, Vinny." I clapped my hands. "Time’s up. It's almost seven o'clock. We've had a long day. Turn your test in and get out of here."

  They groaned and got up, some of them still scribbling furiously. I moved to take my seat again and gave up on trying to force anyone to bring their tests up just yet. I didn't have anywhere to go or anyone to see. I could stay there all night, and most likely would. Peter would have my ass for picking up extra shifts, but the other doctors on staff had families to go home to, wives to make love to, and kids to tuck into bed.

  "Thanks for doing this today. You were brilliant." A young female doctor stopped by the desk. The look in her eyes was one I'd seen too often in my time at St. Mark’s.

  "Thanks. I'll have these back to you guys by tomorrow afternoon." I took her test and nodded. "Good evening."

  "I was talking with some of the other doctors on a break today, and they said everyone was getting together at Johnny K's tonight for a few beers. Do you want to maybe join us?" She nibbled at her lip as she shifted from foot to foot. She was cute, but off-limits.

  "No, but thank you for the offer. I'm old, if you guys hadn't noticed." I gave her a cheeky grin and turned my attention to a guy who moved up to hand me his test.

  "You're not old. That's silly." She leaned against the desk and cleared her throat. "I think it would do you some good to get out of here for a while. Word on the street is that you basically live here."

  I glanced up at her. "Is it now?"

  "Well... I mean…"

  "Good-night, Ms. Vant; thank you for the offer, but I'm not interested." I pulled the tests toward me and ignored her soft huff as she walked out of the classroom. The last few doctors dropped off their tests, and I sat there in stony silence for a few minutes. Going home to a glass of wine and my couch sounded great, but so did stopping by my favorite bar for a beer. I could find a pretty woman to take back to my place and then spend the night making love to her like I cared. It was a pipedream, but it was bliss while it lasted.

  "Hey. What're your plans?" Parks banged out a rhythm on the door as he gave me a quirky smile. His spiky black hair and green eyes had him front and center for female attention, but I was glad for him. It took it off of me.

  "I was thinking a bubble bath and glass of chocolate milk. You?"

  "Fuck that. You were not." He lifted his hands. "Wait. If you really were, please don't tell me that shit. I already have very little respect for you."

  I stood up and laughed. "Oh yeah? Why is that?"

  "I can't stand a man who's smarter than me. There's a reason you're so smart." He walked into the room as his eyebrow lifted. "Did you sell your soul to the devil?"

  "Um, no, but if I did, then I got gypped. Smarts aren't worth the trauma of burning in hell forever… at least not in my opinion." I tucked the tests and remaining training guides into my briefcase. "And stop being intimidated by me. Just because I can run circles around you, and my dick’s four times the size of yours, doesn't give you the right to be upset all the time."

  He laughed loudly and clamped his hands down on my shoulders. "I don't know why I hang out with you. You're one fucking insult after another."

  "I bring the ladies your way. You're using me. Everyone does." I chuckled and walked to the door. "I'm not going to have beers at Johnny K's. Hanging out with these people that I just spent all day ignoring does not sound like a good time waiting to happen."

  "Awww... come on. There are some beautiful nurses who were just hired. I'll let you pick first if you just come." He caught up to me as I walked down the hall.

  "Nope. Thanks, though." I walked into my office as Parks stopped at the door.

  "Alright. What if I admit that you’re dashingly handsome and that I'm jealous?"

  "Still no date. Get out. I'll see you tomorrow, and no boning the new nurses." I glanced up and smiled at the guy. He had far too much personality; I alone enjoyed it. It often overshadowed his potential in the eyes of our colleagues.

  "You're no fun. You know that?" He walked out of the office as I nodded. I was well aware of my lack of fun status. It was purposeful and kept me safe in my bubble of indifference to my own pathetic love life.

  I walked through the hospital with my head tucked down, pretending to be on my phone as if I had anyone to text. No one would know the difference, and it would save me from having to deny everyone who requested my presence at the bar.

  My car was at the front of the parking lot, and I got in before letting out a soft growl. I wanted to go to the bar, but not the one where everyone knew me. I needed to find a new place to hang out where I could be a nobody; unimportant and unneeded like the rest of the world. It was ridiculous, seeing as how I'd worked my whole life to matter, to serve, but now that I was important it was exhausting.

  I stopped by the bar near my house and was glad to see a few girls I'd taken home before. It was easier than leading some poor woman on. Taking a seat at the bar, I was greeted by the bartender, who was new to me.

  "What'll it be tonight, sir?" The guy leaned down and dropped a cocktail napkin in front of me.

  "He likes Jack and Coke. Double shot. On the rocks." Lily slid onto the seat next to me and leaned close. "I've missed seeing you around, Doc."

  "It's been crazy, but you've been missed as well." I let my eyes run down her scantily- dressed form. She was a pretty girl, and would hav
e been a beautiful lingerie model, but she lacked confidence and class. I wasn't one to judge, though. I was a doctor with several million dollars in the bank, sitting at a rundown bar, looking for someone to fuck for the night. It was so far out of my persona that it was humorous, and yet there I was.

  "Oh, yeah? Need some company tonight?" She touched my arm gently.

  "I'd love some. You free?" I took my drink from the bartender and drank it down quickly, enjoying the burn. I would need at least two more to loosen myself up enough to sleep with the wild woman next to me. It was a good thing I was willing to burn a few liver cells in order to feel the high of gripping Lily's hair tightly as I fucked her hard from behind.

  "For you? Anytime." She got off the stool and moved just behind me, pressing her hands to my back and rubbing softly before she slid her arms around me and pressed her chest to my back. "I have to be somewhere at eleven, though. You wanna just have some fun here?"

  I finished my drink and lifted my glass to the bartender. "Another, please."

  "You sure?" He lifted his eyebrow.

  "I asked for it, didn't I?" I stood up and turned in her arms, wrapping mine around her shoulders and leaning down as I pressed my lips firmly to hers. She tasted like liquor and peppermint, which teased my senses. "Here's good."

  "I'll be in the back. Come find me." She nipped at my lips and moved back. Her nipples were budded, and my body woke up at the thought of flicking my tongue across each of them rhythmically, while she cried out from the pressure I was going to apply to her pliable, tight body.

  "Right." I turned and took the glass, pressing it to my lips and lifting it to drain it in three gulps. I let out a long growl and pulled out my wallet, dropping a twenty on the bar and walking toward the back.

  The image of Elizabeth moved in front of my vision, and I groaned. I wanted to find out just who this girl was who had everyone at the hospital buzzing. Was she shy or outgoing? Funny or dull? Needy or content?

  "In here, handsome." Lily stepped out of a small closet and grabbed my shirt, pulling me in with her. It was pitch-black and I was grateful. I could let her be anyone I needed her to be.

  She worked on my pants, reaching my cock with efficiency. I leaned against the wall behind me as she ran her hands over my erection at first, and then the warmth of her mouth wrapped around me.

  The small whimpers she made were cute at first, but quickly got on my nerves. I let her suck at me for a few more minutes before pulling her up. The liquor caused my blood to boil, my skin to warm, my body to crave carnality.

  "Tug your dress up and press your chest against the wall." I leaned over and pulled a condom from my pants pocket before working it onto my swollen flesh.

  "Come here." She reached for me, trying to press a kiss to my lips, but I spun her around and gripped her hips tightly before impaling her.

  "No. You come here." I pressed my mouth to the side of her neck as I worked myself in and out of her, the power in my thrusts lifting the tiny thing off the ground as she cried out in pleasure-filled moans. I couldn't take too long with her, or she'd beg me to stay the night with her no matter if she had somewhere to be or not.

  "More," she groaned and bent over a little.

  "Yeah, you need more." I slid my hand up her back and grabbed a tight handful of her hair as I fucked her harder, losing myself in how good it felt to be with someone. My body tightened as my orgasm drew closer, but I couldn't seem to force myself over the edge.

  She pressed back on me, crying out as I worked in just a little bit deeper, and still... nothing.

  I let out a frustrated growl and shifted my thinking to the pretty resident who would belong to me soon. How badly I wanted a woman who understood me, who really got what I was up against every day. Elizabeth wasn't deserving of my wanton sexual needs, but for that moment I let Lily become the pretty college grad who still played along my mind's eye.

  My body exploded, heat bursting from my center and wrecking every part of me. I came harder than I had in months, if not years. I was going to have to watch myself. Hopefully the girl was taken. If she was married and belonged to someone else, I would be perfectly fine.

  If not... we were both in trouble.

  Chapter 5

  Elizabeth

  I spent the rest of the day trying to clean up the house and keep my mind off my first day at the hospital coming up entirely too fast. After sleeping like shit, I woke up and forced myself into the shower. Stephanie was in the kitchen, hovering near the coffee pot when I walked in. The sight of her caused a chuckle to rise in my throat.

  "That bad?" I got a mug out of the cabinet and moved up beside her.

  "I didn't sleep at all." She glanced over at me, and I could see the exhaustion sitting in dark circles under her blue eyes. Her pixie-cut blond hair was a hot mess, and her face was washed out.

  "What time is your group meeting at the hospital?" I nudged her out of the way and pulled the coffee pot out, only to quickly put my cup in its place.

  "I hate it when you do that. Just wait until it's done." She turned and walked to the refrigerator, her tone not matching her command at all.

  "Hush. When is your tour and interview?" We hadn't ended up in the same residency group, which was good and bad. We needed to have our own space, but Stephanie often hated to start anything new unless I was right beside her. She'd make friends so fast that it would leave both of us dizzy, but it was the walking into a room filled with strangers that got to her.

  Hell, it got to me too.

  "It's at ten. I guess I could go lie back down for a little while." She yawned loudly and lifted a carton of orange juice toward me. "You want a glass?"

  "No. I'm good. My meeting is at eight. I don't have time for anything but a cup of coffee." I filled up my mug, fixed the liquid gold to taste like a dessert, and screwed on the top. "Wish me luck. My mentor is supposed to be a god from Harvard, with a sexy smile and horrible attitude."

  "Most gods don't exactly like peons. Good luck with that," she snorted, and tugged at my bun. "I like the professional look. Don't wear lipstick."

  "What? Why?" I walked to the door and paused.

  "Because you're sexy without it, and stunning with it." She wagged her eyebrows. "Dr. Hottie is going to be in for a treat."

  "Whatever." I rolled my eyes, grabbed my bag, and walked out of the apartment. The hallway was open on both ends and created a wind tunnel that had the ability to wreck my hair like nothing else. I'd not look hot or sexy, which was fine by me. I was just praying that I didn't look like the mess that I was most days. It would have been nice to say that I had my life together at my age, but that would be a lie. The only thing I could tout was my unwavering dedication to my education and future career.

  I got in my car and drove to the train station a few miles away. There was no point in trying to fight traffic to get into Manhattan where the hospital was. I'd be insanely late, and make the kind of first impression that would land me with catheter duty for a few days, no doubt.

  "Not happening." I pulled into the train station and made sure to check that I had my latest romance novel. I gathered my stuff and walked toward the large locomotive as it pulled up. The ride to the hospital would be forty-five minutes of hell if I didn't cloud my mind with something. Reading a sexy story about a hunky fireman probably wasn't my best bet, but it would do just fine.

  I snuggled down into my seat after getting onto the train, and decided to try to find a little more information on my new mentor. Unfortunately, I lost the signal on my phone and figured that the fireman was more interesting anyway.

  Besides... it was more probable that I would land a date with him than an attractive doctor who understood my drive and had a deliciously wicked wild side.

  "As if," I mumbled and left my imagination to work out the rest of the scenario.

  *

  A strict-looking woman in a dark blue business suit was standing in the lobby with a handful of people around her when I approached. She gave me
a tight smile and lifted her clipboard.

  "I assume you're Elizabeth Jenkins?" She glanced up.

  "Yes. Am I late?" I glanced around at the others, hoping that I would know someone from my graduating class at NYU, but I didn’t recognize anyone.

  "No, but you're only three minutes early. Everyone else was here with fifteen minutes to spare." She tapped her clipboard and lifted her eyebrow.

  "Well, there's no reason to not be right on time, which I was." I squared my shoulders. I wasn't a jerk by any stretch of the imagination, but I'd learned the hard way to make the first impression count. This chick was supposed to help me if I ever had a problem with someone at the hospital. She needed to know that I wasn't a pushover, nor was I easily intimidated.

  "Right. This way. We'll stop by our human resources department, where you will fill out your paperwork. Your mentors will pick you up from there and give you a tour. They have your schedules, and should be able to answer any questions that you might have." She walked down the hall languidly, which caused most of us to stack up behind her uncomfortably.

  A goofy-looking guy with a mop of black hair extended his hand to me. "I'm Freddy. Nice to meet you."

  "I'm Elizabeth. Same here." I glanced down the hall and breathed deeply. Most people couldn't stand the smell of a hospital, but I loved it. It reminded me of cleanliness. Of life.

  "If she's the H.R. rep, then I'm almost scared to see these mentors." Freddy shivered and gave me a cute grin.

  "Right? It's almost intimidating, but my mother told me something a long time ago that I keep with me when I meet new people, especially really important ones."

  "What's that?" We paused by the elevator, and everyone stood in stony silence but us.

  "That the hole they get in the ground looks just like ours. Respect the person when they earn it, not their position. Some people don't deserve the spots they’re in." I shrugged and got onto the elevator, suddenly feeling like we were being herded around like cattle.