Page 12 of What the Doctor Ordered

S imon

I was still stewing as Sicily disappeared through the crowd of people. I could feel a vein pulsing in my temple. This couldn’t be good for my blood pressure. I tried to unclench my jaw and took a calming breath to bring my heartrate down.

“Are you alright?”

I looked down in surprise at Kiley, who was looking up at me with her eyebrows furrowed in concern.

I blinked at her. “I should be asking you that,” I countered. “Sicily was extremely nasty to you.”

Kiley nodded. “Yes, she isn’t the most pleasant person, is she?” she asked rhetorically but then she laughed. “It’s fine. She didn’t hurt my feelings. She did kind of annoy me with the way she was openly ogling you, though.”

I startled. “Ogling me?” I repeated incredulously.

Kiley nodded. “She was openly flirting with you too,” she declared. She tilted her head. “You really didn’t notice?”

I shook my head. I did notice that Sicily seemed to be trying to butter me up but that was after she knew she had made me mad. It had been like that when we were kids growing up together as well. She would only be nice after she had irked me and I had to snap at her.

“Men really are dense,” Kiley quipped with a light laugh. “How do you know her, anyway? Did you go to medical school together or something?”

“No,” I answered. “Our fathers were actually good friends. We are about the same age, so we played together a lot when we were little.”

“Ahh, so you’re childhood friends,” Kiley said with heavy understanding. She glanced around before leaning toward me. “I’m a little surprised that you didn’t ask her to help you out with your current predicament.”

I winced at the image of making this kind of agreement with Sicily Alcott. “She is most definitely not well-suited for this,” I said. “She is far too eager, and she is rather close to my mother. I couldn’t trust her not to tell her or to try to make it a permanent arrangement.”

Kiley seemed unsurprised by this information.

I offered her my arm. “Come on,” I said. “I’m going to introduce you to a few more people, and then we can enjoy ourselves again.”

I said that but I found that I was already having a good time just by showing Kiley off to a few of my colleagues.

Kiley was a natural at speaking to others.

She was sweet and personable, and I could tell that everyone was taken with her.

She was practically glowing as she shared her passion for veterinary medicine.

Honestly, she was far better at socializing than I was.

A subtle but noticeable music change had me turning toward the ballroom. The dancing was in full swing now, people laughing and twirling beneath the glowing moon-colored lights.

I took Kiley’s hand and tugged her toward them. “Alright, I think we’ve socialized enough,” I said. “Let’s go dance.”

Kiley giggled and I wasn’t sure why until I saw mischief in her eyes when I looked down at her.

“Are you trying to hide from your colleague’s, Dr. Vale?”

“I wouldn’t call it hiding,” I said, pulling her along behind me. “Considering that we’ve been mingling with them for the past couple of hours.”

Kiley’s eyes rounded as we stepped into the lavish ballroom. Her dress seemed to glitter and glow beneath the glowing chandeliers. I watched her for a moment before pulling her into my arms, seamlessly leading us into the dance. Wrapping my arms around her waist, I tucked her against my chest.

Kiley’s cheeks bloomed with color. She was a little uncertain at first, her movements slightly stiff but I doubted anyone noticed. She looked extremely graceful, her steps light as we glided across the white marble floors.

“Did your friend help you choose that dress?” I asked, breaking the silence that stretched between us.

Kiley looked puzzled by the question. “No,” she said. “I actually chose it on my own. Lily has been pretty busy lately.”

“You made an excellent choice,” I told her. “This one really brings out your eyes.”

Kiley looked away shyly. “Thanks,” she said. She glanced around, as if looking for inspiration to change the subject.

I frowned. I hadn’t expected her to have trouble taking compliments. She was generally a very confident person, but it seemed comments like these caused her to become nervous.

I decided then that she needed a distraction. “You’re doing very well tonight,” I said. “Everyone has enjoyed speaking with you, my mother most of all.”

“I’m glad,” Kiley said. “I was worried because I’ve never been to a function like this. I’ll be more prepared for the next ones you invite me to.”

“I’ll look forward to it,” I said. I ducked my head slightly so that no one else would hear us. “You were treading on thin ice at the dessert bar but other than that, you’ve been pretty well-behaved. Keep it up, otherwise I’ll have no choice but to take you back to my place tonight to punish you.”

Kiley’s jaw dropped and I watched with satisfaction as she looked around self-consciously. “You shouldn’t say things like that in a place like this,” she hissed quietly.

Her nervousness just spurred me on, and I couldn’t help but lean down even more so that I could place my lips right at her ear.

“If you weren’t so sassy with me at the dessert bar earlier, I wouldn’t feel the need to give you a thorough warning now,” I pointed out.

“Sometimes, I suspect you act out on purpose so that I will turn you over my knee, yank down your panties and spank that bottom of yours until it’s bright red. ”

Kiley gasped, her face darkening even further. I couldn’t even hide my wolfish grin at her reaction. I raised an eyebrow when I noticed her breathing quicken and her green eyes glaze over.

I hummed inwardly, realizing that she just might be excited by the thought.

“I must warn you that you’re not going to like it if I have to correct you,” I murmur in a low voice.

I tightened my hold on her, making sure she could see and feel how serious I could be.

“It wouldn’t be an enjoyable spanking if you chose to disobey me.

It would hurt immensely. You wouldn’t be able to sit down for hours afterwards. ”

She scowled at me, but her cheeks were still tinted pink. “Why are you threatening me?” she demanded. “You just said that I have been well-behaved.”

“And you have been,” I assured her. “But I know that, while you tend to be a good girl for the most part, you also have a naughty streak that likes to rear its ugly head from time to time. I haven’t had to punish you lately so I thought a warning would do you some good and could possibly save you from being given a hot bottom. ”

I watched her expression carefully, noting how she looked away shyly, ducking her head so I could no longer see her shimmering green eyes. It didn’t matter though. She couldn’t hide her desire from me. I already knew that being punished excited her. And it excited me immensely to punish her.

I decided to stop torturing her and led her through another dance without teasing her. It was difficult to resist, though, now that I knew her upper cheeks colored as readily as her bottom cheeks. It was far too much fun to get a rise out of her.

“Don’t look now,” Kiley said suddenly, looking past me. “But it looks like your little childhood friend is on her way over.”

I grimaced and spun us around so that I could discreetly glance in the direction Kiley had indicated, trying not to make a sour face when I saw that Sicily was indeed striding over to us purposefully.

“It would probably be too obvious if we suddenly left the ballroom,” I mumbled, regretfully.

Kiley giggled but the sound was sympathetic. “I could accidentally spill some punch on her if you’d like.”

“You will do no such thing,” I replied sternly.

Kiley looked hurt. “Sorry,” she muttered. “I didn’t think you would want to defend her since she annoys you.”

“It’s not that,” I said, quickly. I calmed myself so that I could explain better. “I don’t want her targeting you. She was one of those girls who sought revenge on other girls who she felt wronged her. She made quite a few girls in our high school miserable. I won’t risk that happening to you.”

Kiley blinked, clearly surprised by my words. “I appreciate your concern,” she said. “But I’ve dealt with mean girls in my own high school. I can take care of myself.”

“You will not goad her,” I told her roughly, gripping her upper arms. “Just let me handle it. I’ve been dealing with Sicily Alcott virtually my whole life. You will not anger her. That is an order.”

Kiley’s lower lip poked out, but she nodded reluctantly. I was relieved because it allowed me to turn and face Sicily calmly.

“May I help you, Sicily?” I asked.

Sicily smiled at me, batting her eyelashes. “I was hoping that you saved a dance for me, Simon,” she purred. “You know, for old time’s sake.”

I gave her a pitying look and shook my head. “My apologies, Sicily, but I have already promised Kiley that she would be my only dance partner this evening. I’m sure you can understand that.”

Sicily frowned, her eyebrows knitting together. “No, I don’t understand, actually,” she snapped, her voice taking on a distinctly unpleasant whine. “I was far too busy to attend the gala tonight, but I decided to come because I heard you were going to be here. Please dance with me, Simon!”

“I will not,” I said firmly. “Please don’t make me tell you again, Sicily.”

I glowered at the young woman that I have had the displeasure of knowing for most of my life, pinning her with the only look that she seemed to understand.

Sicily scowled. “I don’t know what this girl has done to you, Simon,” she complained, gesturing angrily at Kiley.

“You used to be such a gentleman. She’s obviously not good for you, but there’s clearly nothing that I can do to save you.

” With that, she turned on her heel and stomped away, her nose high up in the air.

“Did you really have to be so harsh?” Kiley asked as we watched Sicily leave the room in a huff.

I shook my head in wonder. Kiley was really too kind for her own good. Here, Sicily had openly insulted her not once but twice and yet, she still felt sorry for the mean-spirited girl.

“She’ll be fine,” I assured her. “Harsh is the only language that Sicily is fluent in. And besides, you didn’t deserve that. Again.”

Kiley shrugged. “I told you that it’s fine, Simon. You don’t have to defend my honor or anything. This isn’t the sixteenth century, you know.”

“I know that,” I assured her. “But just because it isn’t the sixteenth century, doesn’t mean I can just stand by while you’re disrespected. You are just as valuable as anyone else here, maybe even more so.”

Kiley stared up at me in wonder, her lips thinning as she pressed them together, and then averted her eyes from mine. I watched her thoughtfully. Maybe it wasn’t just compliments about her looks that flustered her. I would have to remember that.

“Would you like to take a break?” I asked, holding out my hand for her to take. “I think I could use a drink after that delightful little interaction.”

Kiley nodded and together, we made our way off the dance floor. She seemed relieved to be away from the huge crowd of people as well. It was much quieter in the buffet area. I smirked to myself, realizing that I would have to keep Kiley from finding her way back to the dessert bar.

“Good evening.”

Kiley and I both jumped at the annoyingly familiar voice. I smiled tightly at the newcomer, placing a possessive arm around Kiley’s shoulders as we faced the man.

“Hello, Kramer,” I said.