PIERCED - A Stepbrother Romance by Maya Hawk Read Free Book Online Page A

if the bond we’ve had has just been partially severed. I’m beginning to realize I don’t know James the way I thought I did. And maybe all those times I thought he was so calm, he was hiding how he really felt?
    I loosen my fingers from his and slip them into my purse, pretending to search for my cherry Chapstick. I need a reason to let go of James’ hand. It suddenly doesn’t feel the way it used to.

 
 
 
 
 
SEVEN – SUTTON
     
    “How do I look?” I pop the collar of my white lab coat as Lauryn unloads brochures, pamphlets, and logo’d pens and stacks them neatly along the table at the convention center that Monday morning. “Say it, Lauryn. I look like a sexy doctor.”
    She pauses for a moment, refusing to look anywhere other than into my eyes, and chokes on her spit. “Get over yourself.”
    Oh, how I’ve missed messing with her. “You need some help?”
    She shakes her head, grabbing the last of the brochures and slamming them on the table. “I’m good now. Fifteen minutes ago, I would’ve said yes.”
    “I’ll get here earlier next time.”
    The conference center’s main doors fling open and staff members secure them as throngs of lab coat and scrub wearing medical professionals stampede into the space. Everyone loves an excuse to leave their post, and everyone loves free stuff. Drug reps are notorious for giving out gobs and gobs of free stuff. Oh, and there’s a free lunch catered by one of the top Cuban restaurants in town that books out for weeks at a time. That must be the draw.
    “So basically, we just stand here and wait for people to come up and ask us about Arovag,” she explains. She stands back, her arms folded across her lower belly.
    “You should uncross your arms,” I say. “Makes you appear more inviting.”
    Lauryn shoots daggers my way as her arms fall to her side. “I know what I’m doing, Sutton.”
    A lovely Latina doctor in a long white coat and candy apple red heels floats up to our table. Her shiny lips curl into a seductive smile as her dark eyes lock into mine. She’s a woman on a mission, like many before her. “Hello.”
    “Hi,” I say, squinting to read her name take. “Dr. Ortega.”
    “Yes,” she says, tracing her finger along the dip of tanned skin that peeks through her jacket. “And you are?”
    “Dr. Pierce,” I say. “And this is my esteemed colleague, Lauryn Hudson. Lauryn here-”
    “Dr. Pierce,” she says, rolling the ‘r’. “Yes, yes. I’ve heard of you. You’re a hospitalist who refuses to work at a clinic.” She says it as if she’s amused, as if I’m the first OB-GYN in the history of the world to refuse to work in a clinic setting. “I believe my boss tried to get you to come to Women’s Health Group. We offered you a pretty penny.”
    “It’s not about money, Dr. Ortega.” I offer a polite smile and lift a brochure, spreading it wide and pointing to the words. “So this is a great new drug for older women suffering from a minimized libido. They can be pre or post menopausal, and the drug is even approved for women as young as twenty-five.”
    She doesn’t seem interested in the drug. “Would you consider coming to the clinic for a private luncheon? Perhaps you can give our staff a lecture on the benefits of this new…drug?”
    I turn to Lauryn who’s standing slack-jawed, trying to fight a smile, and watching the entire exchange. If she could talk, I’m sure she’d be saying, “Who’s the amateur now?”
    My mind instantly imagines copious scenarios of Lauryn being hit on by doctors during her visits, and a twinge of jealousy heats my body.
    “Lauryn here is the representative for Arovag.” I grab her by the crook of her elbow and drag her in closer. Dr. Ortega still won’t pay attention to her. She only has eyes for me.
    “Do you have a card, Dr. Pierce?” Dr. Ortega asks. She rubs her lips together and smiles, tilting her head to the side. I think she’s trying to flirt with me. I glance over her