Alejandro cocked his eyebrow. “Oh, yes?”
Usually he ignored Dr. Raul Micha’s gossip. The man was a paranoid worrywart and thankfully worked far from Alejandro, in Pediatric Dermatology, but for some reason Raul thought he and Alejandro were best friends forever.
“She’s made cuts to my program already.” Dr. Micha shook his head. “Cuts, can you believe it? Snyder is behind it, I’m sure. Snyder was friends with Dr. Bhardwaj’s mentor up in New York, Dr. Vaughan.”
Alejandro was impressed as Dr. Vaughan was a world-renowned pediatric surgeon. So at least Dr. Bhardwaj should know what she was doing, but then he recalled the word that sent a chill down his spine.
“Cuts?” Alejandro’s stomach churned. This was exactly what he’d been afraid of.
“Yes. She’s slashed all I’ve worked for.”
“Buena Vista is a wealthy hospital. It’s not like Seaside. Why is the board making cuts?”
“Buena Vista was wealthy,” Raul said in a snarky voice. Then he peered out the door. “Oh, man, here she comes. You’re on your own.”
Alejandro rolled his eyes as Raul slipped out of the locker room. He pulled off his street clothes and pulled out his scrubs. Before he’d slipped his scrub top on the door to the attendings’ locker room opened. Alejandro glanced over his shoulder and then did a double take as he stared into the dark eyes of the one who’d got away.
Kiri.
His one and only one-night stand from his days as an exotic dancer was standing right in front of him. He’d finished the private show five years ago and she’d kissed him. Alejandro knew he should’ve pushed her away, only he’d been unable to.
“Please, don’t think badly of me, I’ve never done this,” she whispered. “Never slept with a man I just met.”
“I don’t do this either.” He ran his hands through her hair. “You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve seen in a long time.”
Her mouth was open, her eyes wide behind those dark-framed glasses she still wore. She recognized him. This was bad.
“What...? I...” She was at a loss for words.
“Sorry,” he apologized, slipping on his scrub top. He held out his hand. “Dr. Bhardwaj, I presume?”
He was going to pretend he didn’t know her.
Which was a lie.
He knew every inch of her. It was still fresh in his mind five years later. The taste of her skin, her scent and the way she’d sighed when he’d nibbled her neck just below her ear.
This was bad.
“Uh. Yes.” She was still staring at him like he was a ghost, an unwanted ghost at that. She took his hand and shook it quickly before snatching it back. “Yes, I’m Dr. Bhardwaj.”
He nodded. “I’m Dr. Valentino. Senior Attending on the pediatric transplant team.”
* * *
Dr. Valentino? His name is Valentino?
Kiri had never known her Latin god’s last name. Of course, she hadn’t stuck around after her one indiscretion in Las Vegas.
A stolen night of passion that had led to a pregnancy, even though they’d used protection. And then that had led to a late miscarriage at twenty-three weeks, which still hurt all these years later. Staring up at the father of her lost baby boy reminded her in an instant of all the things that could’ve been.
Even though the pregnancy had been an inconvenience, she’d wanted her baby. She’d wanted to be a mother so badly. It hadn’t been how she’d planned to start a family, but she’d been thrilled at the prospect of motherhood. And she’d tried to track down Alejandro, but when she’d called his number she’d learned he’d quit and the agent, Ricky, had refused to give her any information about Alejandro’s whereabouts.
Alejandro reminded her of pain.
Yeah, lots of pain. And the wound of losing their child was fresh and raw again.
And he clearly didn’t remember her, which was like a slap across the face.
What did you expect, sleeping with a male stripper?
“Yes, sorry, Dr. Valentino. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Come on, Kiri. Get it together.
She was still in shock.
Alejandro smiled, that charming, sexy smile that had melted down her walls and inhibitions five years ago.
“A pleasure to meet you too. Well, excuse me, Dr. Bhardwaj. I have a consult.”
He wants to finish changing in privacy.
“Of course. Perhaps after your consult we can arrange a meeting to discuss the expectations of your department.”
“Yes. It would be my pleasure.”
“I want you,” she whispered. “And I’ve never wanted a man like this before. Please take me.”
“My pleasure.” And he ran his lips over her body, kissing her in places no one had ever kissed her before.
Kiri turned on her heel and got out of that locker room as fast as she could.
Ugh. You’re the head of the department.
Kiri was angry at herself for turning tail and running. When she’d miscarried she’d promised herself she’d never run from the father if she ever saw him again.
She’d tell him everything she was thinking. Those dark thoughts she’d had as she’d recovered from her loss. Everything that had crossed her mind when she’d learned that her baby was gone.
Turn around.
Alejandro was leaving the locker room. He looked so different in scrubs and a white lab coat. Given that she’d had her one-night stand with him five years ago and he was an attending in pediatric transplants, no less, in a world-class hospital, it meant that he must’ve been a doctor when he’d been dancing.
Which made her angry.
Why had he been doing that? Disgracing himself?
“Dr. Valentino, a moment, if you please.”
He turned.
Ha. You can’t get rid of me that easily.
“Yes, Dr. Bhardwaj?”
“I’d like to join you on your consult.”
He frowned. “Why?”
Good. She had him on edge. She had the power back.
“Why not? I have no patient load yet and I’d like to see how you run your practice. The chief told me you are quite the star when it comes to pediatric transplants.”
Which was true. Though she had a hard time believing it until she saw it for herself. Perhaps because she’d learned long before she’d met Dr. Alejandro Valentino that you really couldn’t depend on anyone but yourself.
And she wanted to throw him off his game.
One thing she had learned while going through her department’s finances when she’d first arrived in Miami had been that Alejandro’s department had a lot of pro bono cases. It was admirable, but the board had made it clear to her in no uncertain terms that the pro bono cases had to stop. The board wanted Buena Vista Hospital to be for the elite of Miami.
All those who couldn’t afford to be a patient at Buena Vista had to be moved to Seaside or County. The aim of the board was to cater to the rich and famous. The “beautiful people,” as one board member had put it.
It