Chapter 8
Francesca
What the heck was a doctor doing here?
“Mr. Sovrano, when you said your wife was having an emergency, I left immediately.” The doctor looked at me and smiled. She stuck her hand out and introduced herself. “Mrs. Sovrano, I'm Dr. Vitale. It's so nice to meet you.”
I shook her hand and said, “It's nice to meet you, too, Dr. Vitale. Thank you so much for coming.” I mean, I wasn't sure why she was here—but I had a good idea why Stefan had called her. And I didn't need to be rude to the poor woman because he was an idiot.
“Shall we go into a room and discuss what's wrong?” she asked.
I glared over at Stefan before I answered, “Actually, I'm fine. As you can see. My new husband has a tendency to exaggerate. But thank you so much for coming all this way.”
Stefan cut in and squeezed my hand. “Actually,” he said in a firm voice, “I'd like you to check my wife over. Let's go upstairs.” His grip on my hand tightened, and he walked us in the direction of the huge staircase.
“I don't need to see a doctor. I'm completely fine,” I said under my breath. I was more certain now than before about why Stefan had called the doctor. And I was ready to kick my new husband directly in the shin.
“I disagree, wife. You're in pain, and you need to see a doctor.”
My cheeks began to heat because, yeah, I knew exactly why the doctor was here. And I was completely mortified.
“That is not a reason to call a doctor,” I whispered to him even though I knew darn well the doctor could hear me.
But Stefan was insistent. “Yes, it is a reason to see a doctor. And you're seeing one. Now.”
Oh.
My.
Gosh.
A large part of me wanted to push my new husband down this very, very long staircase.
“You've lost it, Stefan. Like, completely lost it.”
We arrived at the second floor, and Stefan took a left. The hallway was so grand. And tall. I couldn't believe this place was real. And that Stefan lived here. That was just crazy.
He walked us down to the very end of the hallway—which took about a year. We passed by so many rooms, I'd lost count.
He stopped in front of two huge doors and pushed one open. “This will do,” he said, pulling me inside. There was an enormous four-poster bed to the left—that apparently, we were going to. “Show the doctor—” he started ordering, but thankfully the doctor took over.
“I'd like to talk with your wife first, Mr. Sovrano. If you don't mind.”
Stefan stopped his fast pace to the bed and nodded.
“Of course. Whatever you feel is best in this situation.” He cleared his throat and started explaining my—predicament.
“Last night was our wedding night. My wife was a virgin,” he cleared his throat again, but continued, “and she's experiencing severe discomfort today.”
That.
Was.
It.
I was full on blushing now.
And angry.
How could he do this to me?
“Losing your virginity is not a reason to see a doctor!” I slipped my hand out of his and rolled my eyes. “This is all so ridiculous. I can't believe you just told the doctor that.”
Dr. Vitale stepped in. “Okay, I've got a better picture of what's going on now. Thank you, Mr. Sovrano. I can take it from here. We’ll come downstairs and find you once the exam is done.”
Stefan gazed from me to the doctor—then back at me. “Are you okay with being alone with the doctor?”
I let out a sarcastic laugh. “I much prefer the doctor to you.”
Stefan clamped his mouth shut—and left the bedroom.
After he closed the door, Dr. Vitale stepped over to me and put her hand on my arm. “Shall we sit down?” She nodded to a large sitting area by the windows.
I nodded and apologized to her as we walked. “I'm sorry. My husband shouldn't have called you. And he sure as heck shouldn't have told you it was an emergency. I'm fine. Really.”
She grinned at me. “I've known your husband for years. And this behavior doesn't surprise me.” She sat down on a beautiful black and white baroque-patterned chair, and I chose to sit on the matching one across from her.
“All right. I think you’re correct, and I likely won't have to examine you because you've lost your virginity. So instead, can you please describe the discomfort that you're feeling?” She had a soft, kind, tone and she seemed a whole lot more levelheaded than Stefan right now.
So—I told her how I felt. And she asked quite a few more questions.
I answered them honestly even though most of them were embarrassing.
I hadn't worked in healthcare for very long, but I still was around long enough to know what doctors saw during the day.
This wasn't a very hard case for a doctor.
And I was sure she had come across weirder things than a woman losing her virginity.
“Okay, one last question. Are you on birth control?”
I bit my lip and shook my head. “No.”
She nodded with absolutely zero judgment in her eyes. “Did you use any protection?”
Again, I shook my head. “No.”
She reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a pad of paper. “Do you want to be on birth control?”
I nodded and took a deep breath. “Yes, I think so. And would it be possible to get the morning after pill as well?” We talked for a while about the various options available. When I finally decided on a method, she wrote furiously on her pad for a few minutes.
When she finally looked up, she asked, “Is there anything else you'd like to discuss, Mrs. Sovrano?”
She had been so patient and kind to me. And I felt so much better for having spoken with her. I guess Stefan had been right after all. “Um, no. I think that's it. Thank you.”
She stood and stuffed the white pad into her pocket. “Very well then. I'll have everything you need delivered shortly.
“If you think of anything or have any questions, don't hesitate to call me. Your husband has my number.” She held out her hand, and I took it. This time, Dr. Vitale held onto it longer. “And congratulations, Mrs. Sovrano. I'm very happy for the two of you.”
I smiled and said, “Thank you. That's very kind.”
She let go of my hand and grinned. “Let's go find your husband. He was quite worried about you when he called, you know.”
She turned around and led me out. We walked what felt like a mile down the hallway, down the stairs, and back to the front door. Stefan strode out of the living room and met us. “Is everything okay?” His eyes moved from mine to the doctor's many times, like he was awaiting bad news or something.
“Nothing to worry about, Mr. Sovrano.” The doctor gave him a professional smile. “All’s well with your wife. I'm going to have a few things sent over soon, though.”
Stefan's eyes landed on mine for a moment before he looked me up and down.
Good grief.
“Thank you for coming on such short notice. It was lovely meeting you,” I said to the doctor while trying to ignore Stefan.
She nodded, and I opened the door for her. Stefan finally unglued his gaze from me and said, “Yes, thank you, Dr. Vitale.”
I closed the door and leaned against it.
“What did she say?” he asked the question I knew he would.
I shook my head. “She said you broke my vagina.”
The look of shock—and horror—on his face tugged at my heart in a way I was completely unfamiliar with. I pushed away from the door and stepped up to him. “I'm joking, Stefan.” I set my hands on his chest, feeling his heart pounding underneath my palms.
His arms wrapped around me and pulled me in. “That's not funny,” he said as I started to laugh.
“You should have seen your face.” I giggled and let my head fall back. He sighed and kissed my neck. “I was worried.”
My hands slid up to his shoulders and behind his neck. “I know. Thank you for calling her. You were right.”
His lips halted on my neck for a long moment. “Excuse me?” he asked against my skin.
I laughed again and ran my hands through his hair. “I said thank you.”
He lifted his head and looked at me. “After that.” He was laser focused on my face.
“You were right. She said I should take pain relievers if I need to.”
Stefan's shoulders slumped slightly, and he leaned in to kiss my lips. “What else did she say to do?”
I shrugged. “Um, a hot bath. And to use some kind of cream she's sending over later.”
He hugged me tight to his body, holding my head to his chest. “That's all?”
I nodded and hugged him back. “That's all. It turns out that losing your virginity isn't terminal like you thought.” I laughed quietly to myself. “Have you freaked out like this every time you've taken a woman's virginity?”
He immediately let go of my head and let me look at him as he answered, “No.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Then why did you freak out on me and not those other women?” I tilted my head a little to the side as I waited for an answer.
“There were no other women, Francesca.”
I laughed loudly, shaking in his arms. “What? I know you've slept with other women before. Lots of them, I'm sure.”
His eyes scanned my face as I kept laughing.
“Yes, but I've never taken anyone's virginity before. You were my first virgin.”
My poor brain felt like it was spinning out of control.
What did he just say?
He did not just say that I was his first—virgin.
Oh.
My.
Gosh.
I instantly stopped laughing and took stock of this moment. Because this was absolutely a bottle moment. I quickly stuffed it into an imaginary bottle and stowed it away with the others.
“How can that be?” I said in a whispered voice that I could barely hear.
“Never,” he answered before he took my lips in the most delicious kiss. I moaned into his mouth and felt my lower belly heat with need.
“How long did she say we should wait?” he mumbled against my lips.
“For what?” I asked, not understanding what he was talking about.
“Until we can make love again.” His hands slipped down to my behind and squeezed.
“Never,” I said in a confident voice.
Now it was Stefan's turn to laugh.
And laugh.
And laugh.
“What?” I asked and lightly hit his chest. But he still wouldn't stop laughing. “I'm serious. I'm not having sex. Ever again.”
That just made him laugh even harder.
Good grief.
This man was ridiculous.
“Stefan, I'm not kidding.” My voice rose, and I frowned at him.
He kissed me gently. “Okay, Wife. Whatever you say.” His lips lingered longer, and he kissed me deeper—until my toes started to curl. “Are you still hungry? Or should I run you a nice warm bath?”
It didn't take me long to tell him my choice. “A bath.”
He smirked and kissed me one last time before taking my hand. “Then a bath it is.”