Thank goodness, it wasn’t hard trying to find a Dr. Ian Crain. He mentioned living near his clinic in West Philly, so it was easy enough to narrow down where he lived. Well, at least I hoped he lived there. I saw a truck that looked like his in close proximity to the house, so I knocked.
A few moments later, the door opened to a surprised Dr. Ian Crain. Instead of all of the niceties, I pushed past him, went inside, and began to set up the food for him on his actual four-seater table.
Well, it was good to know he wasn’t a complete bachelor and was eating off magazine tables, like me. Quickly taking in my surroundings, I noticed he possessed a pretty nice couch, with a matching love seat, hardwood floors, and drapes.
Wow. I had the blinds that came with my place. Maybe there was a woman in his life.
Wait.
Stopping in mid-air while I was taking out the soup container from the bag, I turned and asked, “Wait, you got a woman?”
The good doctor was still at the door with a blank look on his face. There were no glasses on resting on his nose, and all he had on was long pajama, plaid bottoms, with no shirt.
Holy crap.
His abs were like something out of a magazine. Photoshopped. People didn’t really look like that. Well, except Dr. Ian Crain. Blinking away so I didn’t get distracted by his obvious sexiness, I repeated my question since he didn’t answer.
“Do you have a woman?” I asked and, for some reason, jerked my free hand towards the drapes.
This caused him to curl his eyebrows as his attention moved towards the window.
“The drapes . . .” I clarified, answering the unspoken question on his confused face.
“No,” he finally spoke in a hoarse voice. “Unless the stalker woman who just barged in my apartment is trying to fill the vacant position.”
“Sit your ass down,” I scoffed. “You’re supposed to be sick.”
“I’m fine. I sneezed a few times, and there’s a rule at the office, so I’m home.” He finally closed the door and moved into the apartment. “What’s all this?”
“I went by your job to let you know that I didn’t appreciate your behavior at my apartment. Your insinuation that I was trying to take advantage of you in some way. It was furthest from the truth.” I pointed at him. “Plus, why does your voice sound so hoarse? Could it be that the good doctor is getting sick?”
“No,” he quipped back and sat down at the table. “So you’re, in turn, having drunch with me?”
“Well, yeah.” I shrugged. “But I brought myself a sandwich because I’ve had enough soups to last me a lifetime. I don’t even like soup.”
This caused him to chuckle, but that led to a cough.
“Doctor, Doctor.” I shook my head. “It looks like you need to take your own advice. Eat something and get some rest.”
At that point, I unpacked the rest of the food and then sat down, where I began to eat my sandwich. Ian shook his head, then chuckled.
“You’re funny, you know that.”
“You’re one to talk,” I quipped back and took a bite of my sandwich.
We ate in silence, but he did eat the soup, bread, and crackers that I offered.
“Did your boss give you a hard time?” he asked once he was finished.
“Nope, just the side-eye, which was fine by me.” I laughed. “He doesn’t want a lawsuit, and I need a job, so it’s a win-win. Thank you again, by the way.”
“Yeah, not a problem.” He nodded and began to get up and gather the containers.
“Go lie down, sir.” I shooed him away. “I got this.”
“Fine. You’re bossy.” Ian shrugged and moseyed to the back.
He must have had a bedroom or something in the back, but after I cleaned up, I explored.
Yup.
The man had a large bedroom with a king-size bed. He was in it and under the covers.
“Okay, Ian,” I called to him so he wouldn’t be startled. “I’m headed out. Do you need anything else?”
He sat up in bed and gave me a smirk. The man really was super cute, but he was sick, and I had no business thinking about him with no shirt, those knowing looks, and his proposition of filling in for any vacant positions, including being his woman.
“You coming tomorrow?” he asked.
“Will you be sick tomorrow?” I asked back.
“Sure.” He coughed, but it was obviously fake.
“Then, I’ll see you tomorrow. Hope you feel better.” I nodded and turned to leave.
“Thanks, Ivory,” he called.
In the next three days, sure enough, the good doctor was sick. He said it wasn’t the flu, which would slam you. I knew that was the damn truth. His seemed to be the common cold, according to him. He looked miserable, though, with a few things to help relieve his symptoms.
Still, I came by every day for three days until his symptoms started to clear up. We’d eat and talk, share some surface-level things, and then I’d leave.
This day, he decided to ask me the same question that he had before.
“So what’s the plan for next week?” he asked while we both sat on the couch.
This was around the time I usually left, but he wanted to show me something funny on YouTube.
“Ian, are you trying to ask me something?” I finally blurted. “Because you said that shit last week, and I thought it was something else.” I flung my hand out at him to gesture for him to spit it out.
“You bother me,” he started to say, then stopped himself. “No, I mean, you puzzle me. Like, I don’t know how to approach you. I know many things in life. How to be a doctor, how to run a clinic, but you. I just have never wanted someone who would be willing to square off with me. It’s a bit exciting, but to be honest, out of my league. I’m used to more docile women.”
This admission caused me to laugh more than I wanted. Like, I was doubled over in laughter.
“It wasn’t meant to be funny.” He shrugged, but I was trying to catch my breath.
“I’m sorry . . .” I cleared my voice. “Are you saying you’re used to submissive women and not ones that are aggressive back, even when you become an asshole?”
“I’m not that much of an asshole,” Ian clarified with a side-eye.
“Oh?” I quipped. “You basically badgered me because I didn’t get the stupid flu shot. Literally, I was a sick patient, and you nearly go on a tirade about a shot when I’m sick as a dog.”
One shoulder of his went up as if he knew this or at least his staff informed him of this trait.
“So that’s asshole behavior,” I followed up with him. “I cannot even imagine your poor patients that simply submit to that foolishness.”
“They know they are wrong.” Ian chuckled. “Unlike you. Nope, you just stand up, strong and wrong, and square up to me. It was sexy as shit.”
Uhhh.
I turned to face the television, then looked around to make sure I heard right. He was talking to me, right?
He laughed a bit, then reached over and grabbed my hand.
“You heard me right.”
Lord, the man was touching me. At least he had on a shirt, and those pecks weren’t showing. However, the heat that was scorching my skin from his touch was clouding all of my good sense. It literally went flying out of the window, along with why I was even there.