"This." He waved his fork between us. "He can't give you this. With Amisha, you might get a decent job; perhaps your breasts will look decent, maybe even straight." He put his fork down and sipped his drink. With a laugh he said, "I know I am not the only one that feels this. This is what you want." I could feel my pulse racing.
"I think you are full of yourself, Bullet Steinmann" Whoa! That got his attention! For a minute, I thought he would get up and walk away. I continued, "You know you are good at what you do but you don't care. You do not care about the people you work on. You did not care enough about me to be honest with me from the beginning. Sure, I may have gone somewhere else but at least you and I could have had some kind of friendship. But you have ruined that and I'm not the kind of girl that forgives and forgets quite so easily."
"If I did not care, I would have done what you asked and we wouldn't be here today. If I did not care, I would not have told you the truth. If I did not care, I wouldn't be sitting here right now — I would’ve never called you. However, here we are, here I am, and here you are. I cannot help but believe that you are here for more than just an apology, Lilly Brightwood. You want something from me, don't you?"
Chapter Two
Bullet
The expression on Lilly's face was priceless. "I'm not sure I know what you mean."
"I think you know exactly what I mean. Let's stop playing with one another. What I did was wrong, even if I had only the best intentions. Like I said, it should never have happened." Suddenly, I decided to take a bold approach. She was a direct woman; I'd be direct with her. All she could do was walk away, right?
"Do you think I like being at your mercy? Do you think I like the fact that you are the only woman I have been interested in for the past few years? Since I am no longer your physician, I feel comfortable telling you the truth. I find you addictive, Lilly. I cannot deny that I am sexually attracted to you. From your hair to your eyes to your body, there is not a thing that I would physically change on you and believe me, I never say that." I took a long sip of my drink. Her expressive green eyes told me everything she was thinking.
"How am I supposed to respond to that? Are you kidding me?" Her feigned abhorrence made her feel superior. I got that but I knew that was not how she truly felt. Her face told me everything. I was skilled at reading the tiny muscles, all the little "tells" that a woman sends when she's interested in me. I could see four or five of them without even trying. The quivering lip. The touching of the hair. The catching of her breath. All of these were signals that she was interested in me. They were signals I would not ignore.
"I don't expect you to do anything but listen. You don't even have to agree with me right now." I felt a smile creep over my face. I was happy that she was still here. "I have a proposition for you Lilly Brightwood. I'm going to make my proposition and ask you to think about it. If you refuse me, you will not hear from me again, ever. But if you say yes, well..."
Lilly undid the belt on her stylish, headed trench coat, her eyes never leaving my face. I know she heard me because she nodded as if to say, "Go on."
"As I have confessed here, you interest me. I like women who interest me — you are such a rare find. I tell you what, I will do this surgery for you, no questions asked, no convincing you otherwise, and no cost, if you agree to go away with me for a weekend. I have a lakefront cabin that I would love to show you." There! I put my cards on the table. Let's see what happens. I hadn't even planned to go to the cabin right now but if it meant getting away and being alone with Lilly then why not?
With a seductive tilt of her head, the gorgeous blonde frowned at me. "Why would I do that? I do not need free surgery. I am not a charity case, Bullet. Nor am I so lacking in confidence that I would find your offer appealing. As flattering as you may think it is, I could care less that you find me interesting."
I laughed aloud and she appeared shocked. "I never said you were a charity case, Lilly. I just thought perhaps you might welcome a change in your routine, a distraction maybe—a challenge. I am still the best, most qualified physician for you. I am young, at least compared to Dr. Amisha and familiar with the latest techniques and trends in breast surgery. Unless you want a pair of breasts that look like Barbie's you better stick with me. Just think about it and let me know by Thursday. If you agree, we would leave Friday afternoon and return Sunday night. All you have to do is keep me interested. That shouldn't be hard for someone as beautiful as you." I decided now was the time to leave. I slid some cash out of my pocket and placed it on the table. I reached for my jacket and paused for a moment. I gazed at her flawless, golden skin and her tiny, invisible dimples around her mouth. I knew they were there, if only she would smile, I would see them. Impulsively, I reached out and touched the wayward strand that she had worried with a few times during our conversation. I slid it behind her ear. Just touching the softness made me feel aroused. This girl had such control over me and she didn't appear to care. Funny how that worked.
"Call or text me and let me know what you decide. If you don't contact me by Thursday, I will take the hint. Goodbye, Lilly." I left her sitting in the cafe and strolled out of the restaurant and into my car. I could feel her watching me as I drove away but I didn't acknowledge her. I had put my proposal out there. Now it was her turn. I hardly knew what to expect but naturally, I felt confident that she would see things my way. If she didn't, well, that would be that, just as I promised.
My assistant called to inform me that my next appointment had to postpone but I didn’t care. I needed time to think about Lilly, time away from the wrinkled upper lips, drooping asses and saggy breasts. I decided that I needed a massage. I dialed the office of Executive Massage and made a quick appointment. Those girls were always ready to work out my kinks and I did not have to worry about them talking. I slid into the closed parking garage and walked to the side door. Tapping in the pass code I received in my email confirmation, I walked and was greeted immediately by a friendly masseuse. In less than ten minutes, I had shed my clothing and lay on a padded table wearing nothing but a sheet.
"Where do you want me to start? On the front or the back?" My masseuse slid her veil of dark hair behind her shoulder and worked the oil into her hands. The an
swer became obvious when I slid the sheet off my body so she could see the area that needed the most work. I sat up on the bed as she approached me. Since her hands were oily, I obliged her by pulling down the zipper of her skimpy uniform. Oh yes, these were natural. I gently squeezed them and she didn't object. I hated for her to get oil on her clothing.
Forty-five minutes later, I walked out of Executive Massage, feeling relaxed but I knew it was only a temporary fix to my problem. I needed Lilly. I wanted her. I thought about her the rest of the day. I checked my phone a few times between consultations in the hope that she came to her senses immediately and decided to take me up on my offer. What would I do if she said no? I pushed that thought away. I knew she would say yes. I called the housekeeping service I used and requested service at the cabin. I also made a few more calls, service for the pool and I booked my personal chef for the weekend, leaving the details of the menu up to her.
I sat in my office, wrapping up the details of my clients' files and sending dictation files to my hardworking nurse. Once all my cases were buttoned up, I sat daydreaming about Lilly, reliving every moment of our conversation. My phone rang—I half believed it would be her but it was Rafe, a professional connection and sometimes acquaintance. We had met when I began my practice; Rafe owned a medical equipment supply chain. I had spotted Rafe a couple of times at social gatherings, then later on some play dates. He always had a petite woman on his arm and he liked to put on a show for anyone who would watch. His antic didn't bother me; I didn't mind watching him and his friend fooling around. I suddenly had an idea.
"Rafe! Glad you called. How have you been, man?" A few minutes later, I was calling my personal chef and housekeeper, asking them to make provisions for four instead of two. This weekend it would be Rafe, his new friend Eve, and of course, Lilly. This was shaping up to be an exciting event. I wondered what Lilly would think about Rafe and his shenanigans. I couldn't wait to see.
Chapter Three
Lilly
I left the restaurant and immediately called Kate. Naturally, she wasn't available. That was happening more and more frequently now that Kate and Riley were planning their wedding.
The clouds had burned away—the sun beat down on me and I felt hot and sweaty in my jacket. I slid it off my body and threw it in the car. I turned the key and backed out of the parking area. I had a lot to think about. I went to this lunch meeting prepared to tell Bullet off and make him feel as badly as I did but things didn't go quite as I planned. I did not want to admit how attracted I was to this man and how disappointed I was that he had lied to me. Well, it was mostly about the lie but it was also about the control. After all I had been through, I never wanted to relinquish control to someone else like I had with Evan. Honestly, I knew my issues were deeper than Evan or even Bullet but I refused to think about it. My controlling father was gone now. Wasn't it better to leave the dead in peace?
I searched through my favorite satellite radio stations, finally settling on a throwback 80s station. Blondie sang her out heart out about "Rapture" and I tried to focus on the road. I was tired, it had been a long night — a long restless night. I had wondered what I would say to Bullet and what he would say to me. Of all the scenarios I imagined, what I heard today was not in that equation. Basically, he was blackmailing me. No, that was not it. He had made a proposal of sorts. He knew he was the best at what he did and so did I. In fact, so did just about everyone in the city that could afford to pay for the best. I had no idea how talented Dr. Amisha was but anyone I talked to always recommended Steinmann over anyone else. Now he wanted me to go away with him. The sad thing and the point that aggravated me the most was that I was considering it.
It was time for some self-talk." Okay, Lilly. Think logically for a minute. He may be the best but he lied to you. You may be physically attracted to him but he lied to you. You might want something to happen but he will always want to control you. Are you so desperate for a date that you would be willing to give him a second look? Sure, he has a body that just will not quit. Yes, his face looks like it is chiseled out of granite. But what does that have to do with anything? Get a grip!" After a quick trip by the market, I went home to my safe spot where I could mull over Bullet's proposition. As I put my groceries away, I continued my discussion. "On the other hand, he seems to be honest about his attraction to me. I mean, why would he bother to try and come clean if he wasn't seriously interested in me?" I put away the soup cans in my tiny pantry and selected one for my evening meal. "Isn't it kind of nice that he likes my body just like it is? I mean, he is a professional. If anyone knows about body shapes it would be Bullet Steinmann."
I heated up my soup and changed into more comfortable clothing. I was glad to ditch my heels and dress in favor of some clean socks, t-shirt and yoga pants. The rain had finally come in and slid against my window in sheets. I checked my phone again — nope, nothing. I guess Kate would call me when she could. As my soup heated up, I grabbed a bottle of water and flipped open my notebook. I felt like I had been talking to myself for half the day and was still no closer to having answers to my questions. What was I going to do? I only had a day to give him an answer- that is, if I wanted to see him again. Geez! Talk about giving someone an ultimatum. When all else failed I could rely on my blog to give me insight or at least clarity of mind.
I had started this blog a couple of years ago and had quite a nice following. Of course I used a pseudonym and always made sure to use pseudonyms for the people that I wrote about. I decided to take my problem to the Internet. I was sure my fans would know what to do. Of course, ultimately, I would do what I wanted to do but it might be helpful to get someone else's opinion. I pulled up a new blog post and begin to type.
I had an interesting proposition today and not one that I expected. Without giving too many details, (you know I like my privacy) I was asked to do something that I am not totally comfortable with. Of course, it involves a guy. I feel comfortable telling you that I am attracted to this guy, he is a doctor by the way, but I am not sure he is on the up and up.