The creak of the locker room door has Jon pulling away from me instantly, and I jump into one of the open showers to hide behind the opaque, black curtain.
“Hey, how’s it going?” I hear Jon catching his breath, thenmuttering some expletives to himself, as he greets whoever just walked in.
I stay behind the curtain until I hear some more rustling of clothing, and then the slamming of a locker. I peek my head out from behind the curtain and realize Jon ditched me. I storm to his locker and notice he took all of his stuff, except for one thing.
“Looks like I’ll be paying you a visit…Doctor.”
7
JON
I’ve brushedmy teeth three times, showered twice, and changed my scrubs. I still feel her. I still taste her. Fuck, I stillwanther. Margeaux is the most enchanting woman I’ve ever met, and I had no business kissing her.
I have a girlfriend! Nicolette is going to kill me if she finds out about this. It’s just nerves. I’m just acting out because Nicolette and I are getting more serious, and my subconscious wants to act out and cling to independence. It was a heated moment of weakness. A one-time fantasy.
It was a mistake. A horrible, sexy, dick-hardening mistake. The good news is that I should be able to avoid Margeaux while she’s in town. If she goes to the gym early in the morning, I’ll go after I leave the hospital, or I’ll just run at Draper Park. The good thing is that nobody saw us together. So, I have no reason to be so paranoid. It was just a kiss. It was a mistake.
“There you are!” Nicolette sings from down the hall. My body seizes and I swear, I feel like she knows, somehow. She seems happy, though. If she knew I made out with a real-life tattoo Barbie, she’d be losing her shit.
“Hey, babe,” I say pleasantly, scooping her up into a big hug. Myhands grip her thighs, which are so thin compared to Margeaux’s. I only got a short grip on her ass, but damn. She has the perfect combination of curves and muscle.
“Oh! So happy to see me?” she asks, fluttering her eyelashes at me.
“Always. Why wouldn’t I be?” I ask, trying my best to stay cool.
I feel like Nicolette is part bloodhound. She can smell the slightest hint of parsley in her food. She can hear if the volume is just a drop too loud. She can sense that I made out with a sexy, tall, tattooed, badass in the gym locker room. Her smile never fades and I keep telling myself that I need to relax.
“I’m happy to see you, too. I have great news!” she chirps, looping her thin arms around my neck. She’s so dainty. I was able to slam Margeaux against a locker earlier, and grab her roughly, earning moans of approval. I could never do that with Nicolette. She likes me soft, gentle.I thought I liked that, too.
“Oh? What is it?” I ask, refocusing on Nicolette– the woman Ilove?
“I found a few places for us to tour next weekend. Jon, they’re gorgeous! They’re absolutely stunning. They’re in the newest Cruz Montez development. All of the hot, young professionals will be buying units in this building,” she says.
Cruz Montez is a self-madebillionaire—a real estate developer—and his buildings are one of a kind. I’m sure his newest development will come with an expensive price tag. I prefer more modest living. The longer Nicolette and I have been together, the more I learn about her expensive taste, and her quest to carve out a place in high society for herself. That’s never been my goal. I don’t really care about money. I mean, I’d like to have enough to live comfortably. I truly just want to be the best doctor for my patients, provide them with the best care. I don’t need a lavish lifestyle to show off for people.
“Those places sound great, babe. But do we need something so fancy? I mean, between your work schedule, and my hours, we’re never home. We just need a simple place,” I say.
She scoffs, fixing my hair into a side part style. It’s how she prefers I wear it. “Don’t be silly, babe. You know once we’re married that I’m quitting my nursing job. I just want to be a mom. And managing ourhouse while you’re working as a doctor will be a full-time job on its own for me. We need to start thinking ahead, Jon.”
The invisible noose around my neck starts to tighten, and I feel myself getting sweaty around my lower back. Marriage? Babies? This is so much to process after the morning I had.
“Nicolette, I don’t know. This sounds like everything’s happening really fast,” I grumble softly.
“I know. It feels sudden. I’m nervous about it all, too, babe. But we love each other. It’s like ripping off a band-aid. I’ll make sure we’re happy,” she says, and I believe her. Iwantto believe her. That I’m not alone in my hesitancy.
“I’ll send you the calendar invites for the viewings.” She presses up onto her toes and gives me a quick kiss on the cheek. “I love you,” she says.
“I love you, too,” I say as if it’s a programmed response, some type of Pavlovian trigger. I do love Nicolette. I mean, I wouldn’t be with her if I didn’t, right?
It’s lunch time and I make my way to Sammy’s room. This morning has gone by quickly, and I’d like for it to continue going by fast. I need to get home and burn my gym clothes from earlier. I smelled them during a break and Margeaux was all over them. I can’t have that. I can’t have her bombarding my psyche when I’m weeks away from moving in with my girlfriend.
This morning was a weak moment for me. I acted on an impulse, and I never do that. Margeaux is bad news. Literally, another news story just popped up on my phone about her. I didn’t know she was some type of wrestler. Makes sense with how in shape she is. Thinking about this whole thing, it’s probably just one big publicity stunt. She’s probably just trying to get more attention and causing a scene helped her fan-base grow. She’s just a distraction.
“Dr. J!” Sammy cheers my name as I walk into his room. He’s wearing a goofy smile today, and his blue eyes are bright. These kindsof days are rare, so I’m so happy to soak up the energy and hang out with him before he falls asleep from all the excitement.
“What’s going on, Champ? Haven’t seen you in a couple days,” I pull up my chair next to his bed.
“Did you hear? Did you see who is in Paramount?!” He reaches for his mom’s tablet on his end table and pulls up the news app. “Look!”
