Page 16 of What the Doctor Ordered

S imon

As soon as the words fell from my lips, I could feel Kiley stiffen in surprise.

“What?” she asked, dumbfounded.

I chuckled and pulled away slightly so that I could look down at her. She looked so cute cuddled up against me. I couldn’t bring myself to unwind my arms from around her just yet.

“A date,” I repeated calmly, grinning and tucking a loose strand of her fiery red hair behind her ear. “I still owe you a dinner date from back when you were sick.”

Kiley blinked a couple of times, clearly trying to remember a dinner date we were supposed to go on. When her eyes flashed with understanding, she rolled them. “That wasn’t going to be a date,” she pointed out. “That was for your work, remember? It was a company dinner.”

I frowned at her. “What it was for doesn’t change the fact that it was a dinner that I owe you,” I pointed out. “We were supposed to go and something came up that put a wrench in our plans. I will be taking you out. Tonight, if you happen to be free.”

Kiley’s mouth opened but no words came out for a moment.

“I am free,” she breathed, but then shook her head hard as if to clear it.

“But that doesn’t matter. You don’t owe me anything.

That dinner was just part of our agreement.

I’m sure there will be others that you would like me to attend with you. ”

“Most likely,” I agree with a nod. Then I pinned her with a stern look. “You seem to be missing my point, however. I have decided that I will be taking you out on a date.”

Kiley just stared at me, looking even more confused. “But why?” she asked, seeming to be genuinely confused.

I took her chin in my hand, forcing her to look me right in the eye. “Because I want to,” I said. “There doesn’t need to be any other reason.”

I was about to dish out another spanking threat until Kiley smiled shyly and nodded. “Okay,” she said. “Thank you.”

Something bloomed in my chest, and I pressed a kiss to her forehead. “You’re welcome,” I said.

“How am I going to guess where you’re taking me if you won’t give me a single hint?”

That must have been the tenth time Kiley asked that question over the duration of the hour-long drive to our destination. I could feel my amusement growing. Kiley had her arms crossed over her chest and her lower lip was poking out in a definite pout. She looked like a miffed child.

It was fun being with her without the pressure of our agreement. She was already starting to open up a lot more, becoming more playful and relaxed. I found that I liked this side of her very much.

“You don’t need any hints to guess,” I pointed out but then I patted her knee consolingly. “You can stop attempting to guess, though. We’re almost there.”

Kiley jumped a bit when I touched her, causing me to frown. “What’s wrong?” I asked.

Kiley bit her lip but averted her eyes, looking out the passenger window so I couldn’t see her expression. “Nothing!” she assured me quickly. “Sorry, I’m just a bit jumpy for some reason. I’m probably just over-caffeinated or something.”

I narrowed my eyes suspiciously but she didn’t notice since her face was turned away from mine. Something that I learned quickly about Kiley is that she wasn’t good at hiding her emotions; she wore them on her sleeve, even when she wasn’t trying to.

I decided to let it drop for now. I was taking her out on an actual date and didn’t want to sour the mood. There would be plenty of time to figure out what was bothering her after. Perhaps this little outing would even loosen her up.

Kiley looked around in confusion as she stepped out of the car. “Where are we?” she asked.

I couldn’t blame her for her reaction since this did look a little sketchy. We were downtown, which was known for its hills and hidden shops, most of them tucked away and not visible from the street. The location of this place made it that much easier to surprise Kiley.

I just took her hand, leading her down the hill. “Trust me,” I said.

Kiley nodded and I was surprised to see determination cross her features as she followed me down a narrow alley.

When we emerged out the other end, we were met by a crowd waiting in front of a colorful door made of stained glass. Upon closer inspection, we could see that the patterns on the door were in the shapes of different animals.

Kiley searched for a sign but found none. “Are we going in there?” she asked, gesturing at the long line of people waiting to get in.

“Yes,” I replied, grinning, and I took her hand before pulling her to the front of the line.

A young woman gave us an annoyed look. “The end of the line is back there,” she griped, gesturing behind us.

“My name is Simon Vale,” I said.

The girl’s eyes immediately widened, her jaw dropping. “My apologies, Dr. Vale,” she said, ducking her head. “Right this way.”

I kept my eyes on Kiley’s face as we entered, wanting to take in her reaction.

This was a new animal cafe that opened up just a few weeks ago.

It wasn’t just themed around animals, though.

Here, you could enjoy a fine meal while watching animals in their enclosures.

There were cats, dogs, rabbits, and even some less common pets like adorable little hedgehogs, playful ferrets and chinchillas, tropical birds, and reptiles.

Kiley looked around in awe, pausing when a fluffy orange cat came up and rubbed against her leg, purring up a storm.

“You can pet him if you want,” the hostess said with a grin at Kiley. “Most of our pets love being petted and cuddled.”

I had made our reservation for the cat room, where fluffy felines roamed free while guests ate their meals.

“They are all pretty well-behaved for the most part,” the young woman told us as we sat down at a booth.

“But if one of them is a bit pushy and tries to get at your food, just let one of us know and we’ll boot them off for you.

We just ask that you use hand wipes before and after petting them while you’re eating. ”

“Thank you,” I said.

She nodded, set down a large container of wipes, and left us to peruse the menu.

I looked up to find that Kiley was absolutely glowing as she looked around the large room, a beatific smile spread wide across her face. She wasted no time in bending down to stroke one of the cats that had taken a liking to her, winding its way between and around her ankles.

I smiled at her. “You already have to wipe your hands,” I told her, thoroughly amused.

Kiley looked sheepish but then grinned cheekily. “I just can’t help myself,” she laughed, plucking a wipe from the package. “I was like this as a kid too. If I went to a birthday party, I spent more time with any pet that was present than I did with the other children.”

“I can imagine that pretty easily,” I told her.

I found myself watching Kiley throughout our time at the cafe.

She could hardly sit still long enough to take a few bites before she was leaping out of her chair to go pet another cat.

The dominant in me wanted to grab her and order her to finish her food first but I couldn’t bring myself to do that.

This was the first time for me to see Kiley completely carefree and unguarded. I could feel my chest warming as I watched the way her bright green eyes shimmered and she seemed to dance as she skipped around the cafe.

“I had so much fun,” Kiley exclaimed as we were leaving.

“I did too,” I told her sincerely. “I was never much of a cat person but they kind of grew on me today.”

Kiley laughed but then nodded seriously. “Cats are so misunderstood,” she said before grinning up at me. “They honestly kind of remind me of myself. I can be shy and guarded sometimes, but if you’re nice and gentle with me, I can be friendly.”

That took me by surprise. “I would have to disagree,” I replied.

Kiley looked affronted. “How come?” she asked, a slight tone of demand in her voice.

I pursed my lips and chose my next words carefully. “I don’t think you come off as guarded at all,” I said. “When I met you, you were standing up for yourself and exuding a strong sense of confidence, more so than I have seen in most people.”

My chest warmed even further when Kiley’s cheeks bloomed with color.

I longed to run my finger across her skin so I could feel just how much it had heated.

I leaned forward to do just that, brushing my thumb lightly across her cheekbone, marveling at the warmth there.

The color deepened at my touch, and I couldn’t help but drop a kiss to the heated flesh.

I could suddenly feel my own skin heating as well and I cleared my throat, gesturing ahead of me. “It’s getting late,” I said gruffly. “I should probably take you home.”

I thought I detected a flash of disappointment in Kiley’s gaze, but it was gone before I could be sure. “Thank you again for today,” she said. “With everything going on lately, this was the perfect escape.”

I opened my mouth to respond in kind, but I could feel a rift forming as something warned me to back off.

I was starting to care about Kiley far too much and with our current situation, I needed to tread carefully.

I couldn’t fight the pleasure that filled me when I learned that Kiley was developing feelings for me but I also knew that things weren’t simple enough for me to just accept them.

I had been hurt too many times to just accept them.

The drive home was silent, and I regretted it as I watched Kiley walk up to her apartment building after I dropped her off.

“I don’t see what the problem is, man. You obviously like this girl.”

I gave Theo a dark look. My best friend was sitting beside me at the bar, calmly sipping on a beer while I mulled over my situation.

“I’m painfully aware of my growing affection for her,” I said through my teeth. “That is exactly the problem.”

Theo set his glass down. “Isn’t this what you wanted?” he asked. “You needed someone to play the part of your fiancée, but did it ever occur to you that the two of you might decide you want to stop pretending?”

I scoffed and gripped my own glass, then sighed and let it go before I shattered it in my hand.

“This isn’t some chick flick, Theo,” I said.

“My and Kiley’s situation is delicate. If we were to enter into a real relationship, it would be built on the foundation of a business transaction and that can’t be good. ”

Theo was generally a patient man. It’s what made him a good doctor and a good friend. I could tell that I was wearing on even his endless patience, however.

“Look, Simon,” he said. “Even if you might not have met Kiley in the conventional way, that doesn’t mean that you can’t go on to have a healthy relationship. I’ve heard of couples who met at funerals, for crying out loud!”

I frowned and looked down at the bar table, considering his words. Could I really make this work with Kiley, even after I had treated her like an employee I wanted nothing more than sex from?

I had my doubts. I knew what it was like to try and make any relationship work, let alone one with the complex dynamics Kiely and I share.

Having to live with the repercussions of failure after the fact is a familiar and unwanted experience, but something tells me it would be so much worse to fail at a relationship with Kiley.

Theo let out a heavy sigh, pinning me with a look.

“I haven’t seen you this laid back and happy since we were in college,” he said.

He punched me in the shoulder, the way he used to back in our dorm room.

“Look, I get that you’ve been burned by other girls in the past, but it’s pretty clear Kiley isn’t like those other women you dated.

So you better not screw things up with this one.

She’s good for you, I can already tell. If you mess up, I might just have to come in after you and steal this Kiley girl for myself. ”

I felt a growl building up in my throat at the thought.

Theo laughed but put his hands up in surrender.

“I’m just joking, man,” he said with a wry chuckle.

“But seriously, though. If you’re so worried about her being unsure about you because of this deal you made, you’re just going to have to prove to her that this isn’t just about obtaining your father’s company.

Show her that you actually care about her. Unless you really don’t.”

I blew out a breath, grabbing my glass again to take another swig. “I do, Theo, but it’s easier said than done,” I muttered.

Theo just laughed, grabbing his glass as well and gesturing to the bartender for another round.

“I never said it was going to be easy,” he pointed out. “But the things that are truly worth it in life rarely are.”

Amen to that. Damn.