Travels by Michael Crichton Read Free Book Online

if you want to fuck her. Just don’t do it.”
    “I won’t.”
    “Good. How old are you?”
    “Twenty-four.”
    “How long have you been married?”
    “Two years.”
    “Happy?”
    “Sure.”
    “Sex life okay?”
    “Sure. Great.”
    “So you wouldn’t be tempted in the first place.”
    “How do you mean?”
    “I mean, since your marriage is happy and your sex life is good, you wouldn’t be tempted by this girl in the first place.”
    “Well, I mean … No, of course not.”
    “She’s pretty?”
    “Yes.”
    “Sexy?”
    “I guess.”
    “I bet she knows how to maneuver men.”
    “Probably.”
    “I bet she knows just what to say and do, to wrap men around her little finger.”
    “Well, I’m sure I can handle it,” I said.
    “I’m glad to hear that,” Dr. Geller said. “Because that’s going to be your job.”
    “How do you mean?”
    “The only way this girl knows how to relate to men is sexually. She gets everything—friendship, warmth, comfort, reassurance—from the sexual act. That’s not a very good life strategy. She needs to learn there are other ways of relating to men, that she can get the warmthand approval she wants from a man without having sex with him. She’s probably never had that experience before. You will be her first experience.”
    “Yes.”
    “As long as you don’t end up fucking her.”
    “No. I won’t.”
    “I hope not. Good luck with her. Let me know how things go.”
    My conversation with Dr. Geller struck me as helpful. Although he obviously had some fixed idea I wanted to have sex with this girl, that didn’t worry me in the least. I was quite confident that I wouldn’t. I knew that, in becoming a doctor, I was assuming special responsibilities. This was the first of them.
    In fact, far from worrying about sexual temptation, I was eager to see Karen, and begin our work together. I went immediately back to the floor and introduced myself to her.
    She was very tall. She came up to my shoulder when we stood side by side. She had a lean, athletic body, and clear green eyes that looked at me steadily. “You’re my doctor?”
    “Yes,” I said. “I’m Dr. Crichton.”
    “You’re very tall.” She moved closer, until her forehead touched my shoulder.
    “Yes.”
    “I like tall guys.”
    “That’s good.” I stepped back a little. That seemed to amuse her.
    “Are you
really
my doctor?”
    “Yes. Why are you smiling?”
    “You look too young to be a doctor. Are you sure you’re not just a medical student or something?”
    “I’m your doctor, believe me.”
    “What kind of a name is Crichton?”
    “It’s Scottish.”
    “I’m Scottish, too. What’s your first name?”
    “Michael.”
    “Is that what they call you? Michael or Mike?”
    “Michael.”
    “Can I call you ‘Michael’?”
    “ ‘Dr. Crichton’ would be better.”
    She pouted. “Why? Why are you so formal?”
    “We’re here to work together, Karen, and I think we should keep that relationship in mind.”
    “What does that have to do with what I call you? ‘Dr. Crichton.’ Ugh. I hate ‘Dr. Crichton.’ ”
    “I just think it’s better, is all.”
    I found myself nervous, standing next to her this way. Her physical presence was very strong. It left me a little shaky. As part of the workup, I had to begin by drawing bloods for routine chemistries, so I took her into the little examining room. We were alone.
    “Aren’t you going to close the door?”
    “No.”
    “Why not?”
    “It’s fine the way it is.”
    “Afraid to be alone with me?”
    “What makes you say that?” I asked. I felt very clever and psychiatric, saying that. Giving her a question back.
    “Do I have to take off my clothes?”
    “That won’t be necessary.”
    “Really? But don’t you have to examine me? My body and everything?”
    “Just draw some blood.”
    She ran her fingers across the examining couch. “Mind if I lie down on this bed?”
    “Go ahead.”
    Having finished my neurology