Page 12 of Once Upon a Star

I thought about making her sweat a little. It would be fun to watch her squirm but I didn’t want to piss her off any more than I already had. I had tried to be patient with her and hoped she would come to me. I had hoped she would give me the courtesy of at least thanking me for the gifts I sent her and her co-workers. At the very least, I thought she would yell at me to stop doing it and to leave her alone.

That she hadn’t done either told me I was affecting her more than she wanted. It also showed she knew exactly what I was doing. It annoyed me that she knew me so well that she could manipulate the situation. But she wasn’t the only one with that power.

I needed to talk to her, I wanted to spend time with her. I hadn’t wanted to use my name, my influence, or even my money to get what I wanted. But Ara had left me no choice. If I needed to go to extreme measures so she would talk to me, then I would.

“Yes, we were having a lovely talk. Dr. Conrad was telling me what a wonderful and gifted doctor you are. She thinks you would be the perfect candidate for me to shadow for my next role,” I said.

“A new role? Are you leaving the city so soon? But you just got here,” Ara said.

There was a fake pout as she looked at me. The smile was gone but there was a mischievous look in her eyes. She knew there was no role and I had only said that to spend time with her.

“It’s in the preliminary stages and wouldn’t begin until after I had finished my run here. If I ever do,” I said.

“Are you hoping to make New York your home? How wonderful,” Dr. Conrad said.

I hadn’t expected her to catch on to my veiled comment but I knew Ara had. While Dr. Conrad had been thrilled by the idea, Ara was not. It only reiterated that she thought I was going to be in town for a finite period and therefore not worthy of her time or attention.

“It’s also in the early stages. But I’m optimistic that everything will work out.” I held Ara’s gaze as I spoke but eventually turned to look at Dr. Conrad as I added, “But please don’t tell anyone. Can it be our little secret?”

She blushed like a school-girl and even giggled. I didn’t have to look over at Ara to see that she was rolling her eyes. I knew how to charm people when I needed to and Dr. Conrad had been an easy target. It helped that she and her daughter were huge fans of my work. While we waited for Ara to arrive, I had called and left a voicemail on her daughter’s phone.

“Of course, No. It will be our little secret.” Dr. Conrad even went so far as to pretend to lock her lips closed.

I smiled and laughed at her antics. Ara was not pleased and cleared her throat. I slowly turned to look at her and gave her the same dashing smile I had given her boss. Too bad Ara was immune to it.

“You two seem to be having a lovely time. I can catch up with Sebastian later. I’m sure he could follow you around instead of me. I really should get in.” Ara stood up as if to leave but Dr. Conrad stopped her.

“Sebastian specifically asked for you. Plus, I couldn’t do it. I have meetings most of the week. It would be too boring for him. And I can’t ask anyone else.”

“I have a very full load. I wouldn’t be able to give Sebastian the time and attention he needs. I wouldn't be able to answer any questions he might have or explain things to him in the manner he deserves. Plus, he will be a distraction to the patients. With all due respect, Dr. Conrad, I don’t think I’m the right person for this job.”

“Dr. Thomas. you’re the most talented resident we have in the program. There’s no one better who could juggle the demands of the job and make our guest feel welcome. It’s the little things that we all do that can make the biggest impact,” Dr Conrad said and gave Ara a knowing look.

Her comment had the desired effect as Ara shoulders fell as if in defeat. The comment about little things and big impact sounded like something that Dr. Conrad said a lot to her residents. It was good advice and I was glad that Ara was taking it. I also was even happier that it meant she was hopefully going to agree to work with me.

She looked over at Dr. Conrad and said, “Before I agree to this, could I talk to Sebastian alone? I just want to make sure we’re on the same page here,” Ara said.

“Yes. Of course. Sure. He and I have already gone through the orientation and got him cleared with HR. So, when you’re ready, you can start your rounds. I will be around if you have any questions. Sebastian, it was wonderful meeting you. I know you’re in very capable hands,” Dr. Conrad said and quit her office.

Ara didn’t say anything until Dr. Conrad had closed the door. Then she turned and glared at me. “What the fuck do you think you are doing?” She put her hand up and stopped me before I could answer. “Don’t. I know exactly what you’re doing. I know you can be a little thick-headed and you don’t always get the subtleties. So, let me be perfectly clear, I don’t want you here. I don’t want you in my life, I don’t want you coming to my job. I don’t want you sending me gifts. I don’t want you to cater my office’s breakfasts.

“What I do want you to do is what you’ve done for the last seven years, three months and two days. Leave me alone.” Ara spoke the last words slowly, getting louder with each word.

“No,” I said.

I wasn’t going to but when she threw back the exact time I had been away from her. It told me the comment had stuck with her. She wouldn’t have remembered it otherwise. She had missed me, too. It was just going to take her longer to admit it than me.

“You don’t get to say no. I get to say no, not you,” she said.

“If you do, you might piss off your boss and you don’t want to do that if you want a good recommendation.” I crossed my arms and smiled at her.

Ara stepped forward and put her finger in my face. “Don’t you dare try and imply that I need to do this for my career. I’m about this close to screaming and starting a whole bunch of problems for you.”

“Why would you do that?” I asked.

“Because you’re causing a shit ton of problems for me.”

“You don’t think this last week has been difficult for me?” I sat up and looked up at her. She was sexy no matter what she did, but she was even sexier when she was angry.