Dr. Do-Right (Occupational Hazards)

1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Happy birthday, Kitten.

Surprise!

I stared down at the note in my hands. The masculine, angular script was as familiar as my own. I could probably forge it, if I really wanted to. The words were cryptic, though. What surprise? This package was the least surprising thing to happen to me today. It had been delivered right on time, like clockwork.

“So, did we decide on how many twinkle lights is too many? Like, what’s the line between disco and desperate?” Sonia’s voice traveled down the hallway, coming closer. My heart leaped into my throat.

I spared one glance at the note and the box it had been delivered with: a sleek, black package containing what looked to be a truly spectacular silver vibrator. I shoved both hastily behind the purple velvet chair in my room, spinning to check myself in the mirror as the door opened. Whew.

“Because I won’t lie. I want to do more,” Sonia continued as she breezed in, platinum hair perched in curlers on her head.

She had her gold under-eye masks on and was wearing an old, paper-thin sleep shirt that showed off her generous curves. Somehow, even with Medusa hair and blobs on her face, she was too beautiful to seem real. Her face was all angular features and sharp green eyes that still intimidated the hell out of me when she got pissed off.

A sharp stab of guilt prickled my gut. Don’t look at the box . I swallowed the uncomfortable feeling down.

“It’s my birthday, Sonnie. More is more.” I checked myself one last time in the mirror, trying to calm my heart rate. It had been pounding ever since I’d seen the plain brown package sitting innocuously on our counter, which meant Sonia had gotten it from the mail room before I’d had a chance to grab it.

My reflection, at least, looked more collected than I felt. I’d worked some magic on my usually unruly hair, the dark, nearly black strands falling in big bouncy waves around my shoulders. Black liner and purple shadow emphasized my brown eyes.

“That’s what I was thinking, but I am getting seriously concerned about blowing a fuse.” Sonia glanced suspiciously at the walls.

“We were fine when we rented that bounce house for Thanksgiving last year,” I reminded her, moving to my small walk-in closet.

Clothes hung haphazardly off hangers. My mother would have a coronary if she saw it, but she’d never even graced my apartment building with her presence, so I tried not to worry about that too much.

My outfit, thankfully, had been picked out for days: cream silk bustier with a stretchy black mini skirt. The issue, though, was the shoes. Wasn’t that always the issue?

On one hand, my purple Louboutins made my legs look miles long and would make my outfit pop. On the other hand, we were planning a rager. Did I really want to be teetering around on 6 inches after a few margaritas?

Did I really want to vamp it up when the one person I wanted to look good for wouldn’t even be here?

“That’s true. And at least with the lights, we don’t have to move all the furniture.” Sonia paused for a moment. I could hear the gears turning all the way from the closet. “I’m gonna go for more lights.”

“Wait! Before you leave. What do you think?” I presented the Louboutins and a pair of sparkly flip-flops for her consideration. She didn’t hesitate to tap the purple patent leather.

“The red bottoms, obviously. It’s your birthday, and I specifically told everyone to bring cool, single dudes,” she clasped my shoulder, leaning in closer to stare into my soul. “This dry spell of yours has gone on for too long, friend. Time to get laid.”

“Ha!” My fake laugh was a little too loud. I sounded like an enraged donkey. “We’ll see. You know work has been just… bonkers.”

It was a weak excuse, even if it was true. I was a nurse practitioner in the cardiothoracic surgery unit at Cedar Hospital, so intense pressure was pretty much always the name of the game. Between sprinkling in a new class of residents and the mentoring initiative I’d taken on, the free space in my brain quickly filled.

But even when it was hectic, nursing was a good gig. I worked long shifts, but it meant I had a few days off a week, and most nights. There wasn’t really a reason for my dating life to have dried up like it had. At least, not a reason Sonia could know about.

I kept my gaze on hers, forcing myself not to look at the purple chair.

“Too bad Mal couldn’t make it tonight. He always loosens you up.” She brushed a curl of hair off my shoulder.

Do not look at the chair. Seriously .

I tugged my heels on, casting an eye around my room to avoid her. There was a small wrinkle in my emerald green duvet cover. I pulled it smooth. “He’ll be here later this week,” I responded, looking at everything but Sonia.

“He told me he had a surprise for us.” She tilted her head this way and that in the mirror, giving her best duck face. “I’m thinking a red lip tonight. What do you think?”

“A surprise?” That word, the note…

Happy birthday, Kitten. Surprise!

What game was he playing, and why was he involving Sonia? It was very, very against the rules. I reached into my makeup drawer for my tube of NARS lipstick in her favorite red shade. I needed to do something with my hands.

She rolled her eyes when she plucked it from my fingers. “No clue. You know how dramatic my brother can be. Maybe he’s flying us to Cancun? Maybe he got us a new blender to replace the one he broke last month? Who knows?”

Do. Not. Look. At. The. Chair.

I huffed, mindful not to bray a laugh like before. “Let’s hope for Cancun.”

“For sure. Okay, I’m going in for more twinkle lights. If I go quiet in there, I’ve been electrocuted.”

“I’ll come help you in a sec!”

My sigh of relief was on the tip of my tongue, but she whirled around before she got to the hall.

“Did you see that package from earlier? Birthday present?”

In my imagination, the box behind the chair suddenly poofed into flames while neon arrows blinked and a giant sign unfurled, reading, “Look at me! I’m a secret box!”

I suppressed the audible gulp that rose in my throat. “Nah, it was just some shampoo I ordered from an Instagram ad a few days ago. Nothing fun.”

“Ooh! That new viral one with the green tea? Can I try it?”

“Duh.” I made a mental note to order a bottle on rush delivery when I got the chance. The longer this charade continued, the harder it was getting. This wasn’t the first time Sonia had innocently questioned one of Malachi’s little deliveries. It probably wouldn’t be the last.

“Unless you end it with him. Put both of you out of your misery. Stop lying to your best friend,” a little voice inside my head whispered. I accepted the wave of guilt that washed over me. I never hid anything from Sonia, ever. Except this.

After six months, I still wasn’t used to the unease slithering around my belly. I felt torn in two, half of me rushing after Malachi, the other half clinging to Sonia, my best friend in the whole world. From the rift in the middle, guilt surged, bubbling over to trap me like a fly in sticky, inescapable fear.

I couldn’t lose her, but I knew I’d always regret it if I lost him. I was caught in between them and unable to make a decision either way.

I carefully placed the Louboutin bag in my closet as she walked away to find more lights. A silent sigh gusted out of me. I listened to her footsteps, making sure she was all the way in the living room before I grabbed the note and the box. I clutched them to my chest, fingertips brushing across the edge of the cardstock.

He’d held this in his hands. Thought of me while he penned it.

Ugh. I was ridiculous. That still didn’t stop me from carefully placing the note and box underneath the Louboutin bag on my shelf. I folded the cloth over reverently. I’d come back for it tonight.

Later, lights hung, guests arriving any minute, Sonia clicked her glass against mine.

“To my bestie. Long may she reign.”

“Here, here! What am I the queen of, again?” I took a sip, the lime and tequila hitting just right.

“Amazingness. Badassery. Looking hot.” She grinned when I snorted, looking me up and down. “This is, by the way. Very hot. Boiling. ‘Project get Rija laid’ is definitely a go.”

I glanced down at my clothes. I’d picked them out when I’d thought a certain someone would be attending my party. But celebrity business has a tendency to pop up unexpectedly. I understood why he’d had to bail, but now I wished I’d worn something more casual. I wondered if it was too late to go grab those flip-flops, or if changing my shoes would make Sonia suspicious.

After all, I was supposedly wholeheartedly bought into this getting laid plan.

“It’s been a while for you. Do we need to go over the rules?” Sonia leaned against our kitchen counter. It was gleaming white. Sleek. Just waiting to get buried in bottles and Solo cups and lime wedges.

“Ah, yes. Don’t mix liquors after midnight. Always use protection. Code word is papaya if some dude is getting too weird and clingy. And…of course…” A burr stuck in my throat. “Hands off your brother.”

“Memory like a steel trap, this one.” Sonia applauded while I hid my grimace with another taste of margarita. Right on cue, a knock sounded at the door. “Dry spell ends tonight, baby!” She grinned, swinging open the door to reveal a handful of our nursing school friends. The first in an endless wave of partiers who’d help me ring in a new year of life.

I fixed my smile on my face, running through the rules again in my head, repeating the only one I’d ever had trouble with.

No mixing after midnight.

Use protection

Code word is papaya.

Hands off Malachi.

Hands off Malachi.

Hands off Malachi.

***

It was after midnight. I had not mixed liquors, and I’d used papaya three times.

Sonia glared as she walked number three over to the karaoke machine, having rescued me from the most boring conversation known to man. There was only so much I wanted to hear about cryptocurrency.

She thought I was being too picky. She wasn’t wrong. I had very specific tastes in men these days.

Tall, dark, and untouchable pretty much summed it up.

I stopped to chat with people on the way to the kitchen, accepting all the hugs and happy birthday wishes my little heart could handle. After a few drinks, I was on the tipsy side of buzzy. My wits were still about me, but I was loose and warm and happy, surrounded by all the people who loved me. Well, most of them.

I was chatting with one of Sonia’s friends from the hospital when a shrieky gasp cut through the apartment. I’d know that shrieky gasp anywhere. Sonia was excited about something.

“Ri! RiRi!” she yelled. I left my glass on the counter, grinning while I yelled back, our voices carrying over the thumping sound system.

“I’m coming, I’m coming! Please tell me you hired a stripper.”

“Not my day job, but I’ll make an exception for the birthday girl.” That voice stopped me in my tracks. Low, lilting, humming with barely suppressed laughter. My favorite sound in the world.

I gasped, staring at Dr. Malachi Dobrev as he walked through my front door. “I thought… I thought you had work?”

“ Surprise, ” he whispered in my ear, pulling me in for a tight hug. My arms wrapped around him on instinct, pulling him even closer. His belt buckle dug into my belly.

“Isn’t that the famous TikTok guy? The therapist?” someone muttered behind me. But I was focused on another, more pressing question.

“What are you doing here?” My voice was muffled by his shoulder. He still hadn’t let go. I didn’t either. He felt too good, all of him pressing against all of me. The type of contact we rarely had. I savored it.

“You don’t think I’d let something as stupid as work keep me from my favorite girl on her birthday?” He finally pulled away, eyes roaming across my face, cataloging it like we’d been apart for years, even though I’d just seen him last month. “Don’t tell Sonia I said that,” he whispered, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. It dragged through my lip gloss. His eyes followed.

“Ri, look what he brought you!” Sonia was doing the shrieky thing again. A flash of a resigned smile crossed his face.

“It’s not for you. He’s for me. But you can hang out with him if you want.” Mal stepped backwards to take something out of Sonia’s arms. Standing like that, close to the door, in travel-rumpled clothes, he looked so much like the night I’d met him, it sent an aching throb through my chest.

That silky dark hair. Teasing smirk. It was all the same now as it had been that night two years ago.

Except this time, he held a squirming puppy in his hands.

“Happy birthday, Rija.”