Chapter 5
Chapter Five
No way. No freaking way.
The universe had a sick sense of humor.
Standing before Jasmine was none other than Max, her one-night stand, who also happened to be Dr. Santana, the ‘wonderful, brilliant’ new physician her father had gushed about months ago.
He’d been beyond excited to have a younger doctor on the team, a man coming to work at Bright Futures Pediatrics when he clearly would have had better, more lucrative offers after his residency at Boston Children’s Hospital, the number one children’s hospital in the country.
She could still hear her father’s excited chatter when Maxwell had accepted the offer. I don’t know what I said to convince him, but I’m not asking questions. He accepted my offer, and that’s all that matters.
“I need you to put him through orientation—show him around, get him his badge, put him in the system—”
“Dad, I know what to do,” Jasmine gently interrupted with a smile. Her father was acting as if Maxwell was a rock star. In a way he was, for their small practice.
You’re going to love him, Jay. That young man is sharp as a tack, and I can tell from his answers to my questions he’ll have a wonderful bedside manner. The patients are going to love him, too, and he’ll fit in perfectly.
Her father’s enthusiasm had been mildly annoying since she usually played an integral role in hiring staff.
She had offered input on their part-time pediatrician who doubled as the in-house nutritionist, Dr. Kathy Park.
She’d participated in the hiring of the two medical assistants and the receptionist, Keisha.
The only person she hadn’t been involved in hiring—other than Maxwell—was Patricia, the billing specialist, who had been working there before Jasmine came on board.
Jasmine’s father smiled at her. “Of course you know what to do. And I’ll leave you to it. You’re in good hands.” He patted Maxwell on the arm.
Jasmine resisted the urge to roll her eyes, watching as he walked out. When they were finally alone, silence rested in the room—heavy and awkward.
“Well... I didn’t expect to see you again.” She made light of their encounter despite the annoying knot in her stomach.
“Yeah, this is... interesting.” Maxwell rubbed the back of his neck, the sleeve of his shirt tightening around his biceps.
After a toe-curling night in his arms and his disappearance the morning after, she couldn’t believe he was standing there with one hand tucked casually into his pocket. He looked too good, from the top of his head down to his feet.
His black curly hair was cut shorter on the sides than the night they met, but as thick and shiny as she remembered.
His dark, heavy-lidded eyes held a slumberous quality that had captivated her the moment they looked into hers.
The kind of eyes that made eye contact feel deliberate and intimate, impossible to dismiss as casual.
Then there was his facial hair—a full beard connected to a mustache, framing enticingly full lips. She had woken up the next morning longing for the gentle scrape of those hairs on all the sensitive parts of her body.
A little over six feet, he looked delicious in a white shirt that contrasted nicely against his toasty-brown skin. Along with the tie and slacks, all of which conformed to his fit body, he appeared polished and devastatingly handsome.
Begrudgingly, she had to admit to thinking about him way too much, a mildly inconvenient truth she’d been working to curtail.
Though she could be honest and admit that the sex was disturbingly, spectacularly, unreasonably good, they’d only had sex.
Nothing more. Her memory was simply annoyingly detailed about their time between the sheets.
“Well, um... why don’t I show you around, introduce you to the staff, and then we can get started on your paperwork.”
Her statement seemed to throw him, a line of confusion creasing his brow. She understood his reaction. She’d never been in such a situation before and wasn’t exactly sure how to behave. Her default was to pretend this was normal, as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening.
“Sounds... perfect,” Maxwell said.
“Good.” Jasmine added a chipper note to her voice.
“Okay, then.”
They both spoke stiffly and awkwardly stared at each other for a moment before she grabbed a tablet for the usual walk-through she did with new employees.
Of course, her process hadn’t accounted for Dr. Maxwell Santana, so this walk-through would be a tad bit different.
A little uncomfortable. But she could handle it.
She had nerves of steel and had been the backbone of this business—her father’s words—for years.
With her most professional facial expression, Jasmine led the way out of her office.
“Our staff consists of a part-time pediatrician, who you’ll meet tomorrow—Dr. Park. She’s only here Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. We have two medical assistants—”
“I’m familiar with the employees you have on staff, and I met Keisha already,” Maxwell said.
“Okay. If there’s anything else you already know, tell me.
I don’t want to bore you by repeating information you already know.
” Jasmine pushed open the door to one of the exam rooms. “We’ll start the tour in here.
Each room is set up the same, so you shouldn’t have to hunt for anything you need during an appointment.
The medical assistants ensure they’re all stocked with the essentials. ”
She went through the layout, showing him the supply drawers, equipment, an intercom to the front desk, and a docking station for the tablets. Afterward, she took him to the second exam room, and he nodded his understanding when she pointed out the same items.
“Exam room three is a little larger. Because of its size, it’s perfect for when we have both parents in attendance.”
She showed him inside the room. Then she led him down the hall and opened a door.
“This is our main supply room. There’s a smaller one on the other side of the building, between our offices. Keisha is in charge of keeping them stocked. If you notice any items running low, let her know. She has a system in place and will raise holy hell if you disrupt it.”
“Understood. I figured she’d be someone whose good side I needed to be on,” he said with a cute smirk. Oh, those lips.
Why am I noticing his lips? Jasmine thought with disgust. “You figured that out this morning?”
“When I came in for my interview six months ago. I’m a quick study.”
Yes, you are. He certainly figured out quickly what she liked and didn’t like in the bedroom.
Jasmine cleared her throat. “My father probably already told you that we have a lab but outsource tests that are beyond the basics.”
They continued moving through the facility, and he was introduced to the medical assistants and Patricia in billing.
She was surprised by Keisha’s reaction to him when they stopped at the reception desk.
She didn’t typically like anyone right away, but she gave Maxwell a full-on smile when they stopped by. What was that about?
She walked him through the filing system, explained how to log in to the network, and briefly discussed some of the internal procedures.
Finally, they returned to his office, which was two doors down from hers because of the supply closet between them.
“We’ve covered everything. I just need you to fill out some forms for me, which I’ll email to you in a bit.
You’ll start training on the EHR system tomorrow, and you should be ready to take your first patients in two weeks.
Any questions?” Jasmine glanced at her calendar on the tablet.
After this orientation, she had a few phone calls to make.
“I do have one question.”
Something in his voice made her look up. He was leaning back against the edge of his desk with his arms crossed loosely over his chest, his biceps prominently displayed. His expression, with his brow slightly furrowed, suggested that whatever he was about to ask was deeply serious.
“Go ahead,” Jasmine said, cautiously.
“Are you good?”
She frowned, not understanding the reason for the question. “Um... yeah. Sure. Are you okay?”
“I’m good. I...” He inhaled deeply and let out the breath. Lowering his voice, he continued. “Listen, I want to apologize for leaving the way I did. I should have said something before I ducked out of your apartment.”
“Don’t worry about it. I was sleeping, and I would have been pissed if you woke me up to say goodbye.”
“Still, leaving like that was inconsiderate. I didn’t leave a note or anything. I don’t usually move like that.”
Huh. He had delivered the words with the right amount of sincerity, his voice filled with contrition.
He even seemed a little embarrassed, but she was no fool.
She was knowledgeable about this type of behavior.
What fascinated her was that it was obvious he thought she might have caught feelings.
That’s why he was bothering with his little apology.
Jasmine bit the inside of her lower lip to hide her amusement. “No need to apologize.”
He waited, clearly expecting more.
“We’re good,” Jasmine added.
His expression shifted. He was definitely expecting more.
Maxwell straightened. “I want you to know that I wasn’t—”
“Max—or do you prefer Maxwell?” She had called him Max because that’s how he had introduced himself at NV Lounge. Back at her place, she had used his name quite often.
Max... oh god, yes, Max, right... there. Max… Max…
“Either,” he said slowly, sounding confused.
“I’ll call you Maxwell, since that’s your name,” Jasmine said, keeping a pleasant tone and hugging the tablet to her chest. “We’re good. Seriously. I’m not upset, and you don’t have to explain anything to me.”
He looked at her in utter bewilderment. “But I left, without saying a word, after we had sex.”
“Right, and like I told you at the club, I’m not looking for anything serious. I enjoyed our time together, but it was just sex, right?”
“Yeah. Right.” He answered quickly, but his frown deepened.
“Alrighty then, if there’s nothing else, I’ll head to my office to get that paperwork for you. Give me a few minutes.” Jasmine headed toward the door.
“That’s really it?”
His voice stopped her, and she turned around. His expression had changed from confusion to curiosity.
“Yes.”
“You’re not... pissed?”
“Why would I be pissed?” Was that what he was used to? Women having a meltdown?
“You’re fine?”
Jasmine smiled. “Yes, Maxwell. I’m fine. Like I said, it was just sex,” she said, with a little laugh.
He stared at her in disbelief, which made her stop laughing. He was not amused.
“So you just used me for—for the night?”