Stephanie Pt 01

CHAPTER ONE

It’s been over three years since my husband James left me. I don’t think I’ve recovered from the devastation of the man I thought was the love of my life abandoning me for a younger woman, if you can call her a woman, she was more of a child.

James and I met in Junior High, he was my first and only boyfriend, I was 12 he was 13. We went to the same college and married my senior year. We made it through 8 years of college, residency and internships, I thought it would last forever, I was wrong.

The day after my 31st birthday he informed me he was in love with his business partners’ daughter, Angelina, (she was 16) and he wanted a divorce. It took over a year to finalize everything, we had no children but we had a substantial life and it took a long time for him to realize that he couldn’t just walk away with everything we both worked hard to achieve.

His business partner Alex was not too thrilled with James’ choice of a new bride and he bought James out for a very reasonable price. After the divorce James was left with next to nothing, I had secretly hoped he’d see she wasn’t worth losing everything for, but he wasn’t exactly thinking with his brain at that point.

I received the house and it’s furnishings (minus his belongings) and our boat as part of the settlement, he got the 4-bedroom vacation house in Telluride, the jet skis, our two rental properties and the six cars I didn’t want (I kept my ’68 Chevy Camero and my brand new Dodge Viper). I make a good living, money is not and never was an issue in our divorce; I have my own money and didn’t want a penny of his.

Unfortunately James lost most of his money trying to keep me from getting the house I paid for and keeping the cars I bought. He lost his business as a result of his affair; some people didn’t really find an attorney sleeping with a minor to be a trustworthy person, so they chose his ex-business partner, Alex, to handle their business.

Alex is an amazing man; he has been so good to me. His wife, Judy, passed away during my divorce and we’ve sort of clung to each other during the past 3 years after James walked out. We are just friends, nothing sexual has gone on between us, I don’t see him that way and I don’t think he sees me that way either. We both live alone, when Angelina moved in with James it broke Alex and Judy’s hearts and they cut her off from their lives. It’s been over three years and Alex hasn’t seen or spoken to Angelina once.

Alex and my two employees/friends are all I have in life. I love them like family and we are very close. They all stood by me during the divorce and have stuck by me these past three years. The gals in my office think Rick is an obvious choice for a lover but I can’t seem to look at him that way, he’s like my brother.

I guess the reason I’m telling you this is because I’m lonely! It’s been well over 3 years since a man has touched me and I’m beginning to think I wouldn’t know what to do if a man tried to. James was my first and only sexual partner; I’m terrified of being with another man, what if he thinks I’m a lousy lover?

I have to admit that there is a man I’m attracted to, I’ve never spoke to the guy but I find myself thinking about him more and more, especially when I’m alone at night. I don’t know his name but I see him everyday on my way to work. I’m assuming we live in the same area because we seem to meet up at the same time every day at the same traffic signal. Is it fate or just coincidence? I don’t know; I stopped believing in such things as fate 3 years ago.

I noticed him a month ago, he drives a red ‘69 GTO ragtop, it’s in perfect condition, and you’ve got to appreciate a man that knows his muscle cars, well, at least I do. It was a warm September morning and this guy in a red GTO pulled up next to me. He looks to be in his thirties and has blond hair and a tan. I can’t see his eyes because he’s always wearing sunglasses; from the look of it he spends time in the sun. I live about 15 minutes from the beach so perhaps he does as well. It doesn’t really matter as long as I get to see him every day.

It’s been 4 months now and I see Mr. GTO at 6:57 each morning on my drive to work. He’s caught me staring at him a few times, I don’t know his reaction because I’m so embarrassed I look away immediately, I feel like a schoolgirl. I get butterflies every time I see him; he has such a beautiful profile, I love to watch him.

I haven’t told my friends about my secret crush, I’m afraid they would think I’m crazy for developing feelings for a man I’ve never spoken to. One of these days I may get the courage to smile at him although for now I’ll settle for just looking at him.

The more I see him the more I think about him, it’s to the point that I’m dreaming of him, I guess you could call them fantasies. I see him in my dreams lying next to me in the dark, his perfect profile accentuated by the moonlight. I admit, that’s a pretty tame fantasy, but for a woman that’s spent her entire sexual life with a man only willing to make love in the dark in the same position…it’s pretty risqué.

CHAPTER TWO

Today started just like the others, I woke up, showered, dressed, ate breakfast (toast and juice) and headed to my office. I expected to see him at the usual time, but he wasn’t there and my heart sank. I know it sounds strange but he has become an infatuation and I couldn’t help but feel disappointed that he wasn’t there.

I drove to work feeling bummed, I walked in the office expecting to see my front office assistant, Georgia, sitting at her desk but she wasn’t there. Instead there was the most gorgeous man I had ever seen sitting in the waiting room. He looked just like my GTO man but better because I could see all of him (that body!) and his crystal clear blue eyes. I felt my heart skip a beat as he rose from his chair and walked to me.

“You must be Dr. Chase?”

His voice was so mellifluous I could hardly breath.

I cleared my throat and said, “Yes, I am.”

“I’m your 8:00 o’clock appointment, I guess I’m a little early.”

I didn’t know what to do; here he was, standing in my office, waiting to see me!!

“Great”, I said extending my hand and shaking his (it was soft and warm), “I’ll be with you in about 15 minutes.”

“Thanks!” He flashed the most gorgeous smile I had ever seen. My knees went weak and my stomach did a flip, I felt like I was going to lose my breakfast.

I smiled back and walked slowly to my office glancing back at his rear-end as he bent over to pick up the book he was reading. WOW! What a great physique.

I caught Georgia on the way to my private office wanting to find out his name.

“What’s my 8 o’clock appointments name?”

“He’s fine isn’t he?” she said, her cheeks were flushed and she was carrying a glass of water to the reception area.

“He’s a patient Georgia, I can’t look at him that way. Besides, we’ve seen all sorts of good looking people, he’s nothing spectacular.” I lied.

“Oh yeah? Then why are you blushing Steph?”

I reached up to touch my face.

“Ha, gotcha! I knew you thought he was hot!”

“What? Oh get out of my way, I have things to do.”

“Uh huh, I bet you do.” She teased as she passed me to take him the water.

I stepped into my office and cranked the A/C to 65 degrees. I didn’t want him to see me flushed and excited. I was worried he might notice my attraction to him, if Georgia noticed…then again I’ve known her for over 11 years, she’s the closest thing I have to a sister.

There was a knock on the door, my nurse Peggy poked her head in.

“Hey boss, should I call your appointment to room 1 or 3? The A/C in 2 is still on the blink.”

“Umm, 1 is fine, thanks Peggy.”

What was I going to do? In a few minutes I’d have this man half naked sitting on a table in front of me and I’d have to be touching him! I had to summon all my training (not to mention ethics!) and focus on the fact that I was a doctor and he was a patient. It was a mantra I repeated over and over. In my years of practice I had never been attracted to a patient, this was going to be difficult.

I took some deep breaths, slipped into my lab coat and stepped out of my office. I walked down the hall to exam room 1 and pulled his chart from the slot on the door.

Vincent Chapman, his name was Vincent. He is 36 years old, 6’4, 228 lbs., his blood pressure and temp were normal.

Here I go…

CHAPTER THREE

I rapped softly on the door and entered the room. There he was, wearing nothing but his underwear (navy blue boxer-briefs!) and a huge smile. His body was beyond perfect; his muscles were big but not huge. Before I knew what I was doing my eyes drifted down to the bulge in his underwear. My heart skipped a beat and I felt my cheeks flush again.

“Are you warm Dr. Chase? You look flushed.”

I looked up and he was still smiling at me.

“Umm, yes, it’s a little warm in here.”

“Well, considering I’m almost naked, I’m pretty comfortable. Would you like me laying down?”

“What?! Yes, oh, umm not yet.”

I felt like an idiot! I was stumbling over words and blushing like a 15 year old with a crush.

“What brings you to my office Mr. Chapman?”

“I injured my knee 6 years ago and had surgery, it’s starting to bother me again. I figured you could help with that being you specialize in sports injuries.”

“What sport do you play?”

“Well, I do lots of things; I surf, ski, play basketball, football, tennis…”

Oh God, he’s perfect!!!

“You’re a busy man. How did you injure your knee prior to your surgery?”

“Football, I took a bad hit and twisted it. I had arthroscopic surgery and it was fine but it’s been bothering me the past several and I thought it was about time I came to see a doctor about it.”

He flashed that amazing smile again.

“I see, well let me take a look at it before we send you across the hall for tests.”

His skin was smooth and warm; my hands were trembling as I began the examination. After several minutes it became a routine exam and my nervousness began to subside.

“Well Mr. Chase, other than the possibility of scar tissue I can’t really find anything out of the ordinary. Have you lost any range of motion?”

“Nope!”

“Go ahead and get dressed, I’d like you do a couple of range of motion tests for me.”

He smiled again and rose from the table. I was gathering his chart so I could exit the room when I noticed him walking over to me, still in his underwear.

“Dr. Chase, I need to be honest with you.”

He was standing less than a foot from me; I had to look up because he was so tall.

“Is there something wrong Mr. Chapman?”

“Not really. Well yes, there is.”

“What is it?”

“I’m not here because of my knee.”

“I’m not sure I understand Mr. Chapman.”

“I’m here because of you Dr. Chase.”

“I understand that, you just told me about your injury.”

“But that isn’t why I made the appointment.”

He cleared his throat and began to speak very rapidly.

“I spotted you several months ago and I wanted to meet you. I did a little research and discovered you were a doctor. I really did have knee surgery and I figured it would be a great way to meet you. It took me 4 months just to call, I was afraid you’d think I was a stalker or something.”

I was speechless! He was standing so close to me, I could feel the heat from his body and smell his cologne, it was intoxicating and I began to feel lightheaded. I wasn’t sure what to say or do.

“Are you okay? You look like you’re about to pass out, did I frighten you?”

“No, I’m surprised, that’s all. That and the fact that you’re standing in your underwear.”

He looked down and so did I, he was getting what looked to be the beginnings of a hard-on, at least I hoped it was, it was huge!

“Oh sorry, I’ll get dressed then.”

I wanted to scream, “NO, don’t!” but I refrained. I began to leave the examination room when he reached out for my arm.

“Would you like to have lunch with me?”

“It’s not even 9 o’clock.”

“Okay, would you like to have breakfast with me?”

Before I could stop myself I said “Sure!”

I walked out of the room so he could get dressed and raced down the hall to find Georgia.

“I know, I know, cancel your appointments for the morning.”

“What?”

“You were going to ask me to cancel your appointments, weren’t you?”

“Yes, but how did you know?”

“When he called to make his appointment he told me why he was making it.” She giggled and handed me a cup of water, “Here, you look like you need this Steph.”

“Why didn’t you say something? How could you let me walk into that?!”

“It was easy! After you got your heart stomped on I figured you could use a nice stud. Besides, he sounds like a great guy! I already gave him the third-degree when he called and again this morning when he got here 45 minutes early for his appointment. He waited in the hall till I got here.” She giggled again.

“Really? Did he say why he was here so early?”

“He didn’t have to say! He was nervous you big dope! He wanted to make a good impression. Speaking of which, how does he look in his underwear?” She smacked me on the butt, “Lighten up Steph!”

“He looks amazing Georgia! I’m scared; I’ve never been on a date with anyone but James. I’ve never seen a man as gorgeous as this guy, what should I do?”

“Be yourself, have fun, don’t be nervous, he likes you! For God’s sake Steph he tracked you down months ago and it took him 4 months to come in here!”

“Thanks Georgia! I should be back in a couple of hours.”

“I certainly hope not!”

“What?”

“Have fun for once in your life. Take the rest of the day off, you don’t have many appointments, they can reschedule.”

I turned to walk to my office and he was exiting the examination room. He looked amazing with clothes on (better in his underwear I thought). He had a deep tan which made his blue eyes stand out even more. I wondered what it would feel like to be in his arms.

“Let me put my coat away and grab my purse, I’ll be out in a minute.”

“Okay, great!” There was that smile again, my heart leapt in my chest.

As we passed each other he reached out and took my hand.

“I’m really looking forward to this.”

“Me too!”

In my office I freshened my makeup and hung my lab coat, I grabbed my purse and was heading out the door when Peggy walked in.

“I’m so excited for you boss lady! He is FINE!!!”

She gave me the thumbs up and walked out of my office. I work with two great ladies, I love them and I’m so grateful to have them in my life. I smiled at my good fortune as I headed for the door.

When I walked out I saw him standing with Georgia and Peggy. The girls were looking pretty intense and I overheard Peggy say, “you better be good to her!” as I walked up.

They all smiled at me as I approached them.

“Have fun boss!” Peggy winked.

“See you tomorrow Steph.” Georgia picked up a file and pretended to ignore me.

I started to protest but she held up her hand.

CHAPTER FOUR

Vincent took my hand and led me from the office; his hands were warm and soft. Even though we just met I didn’t mind him being so bold, I loved feeling his touch. I could feel the familiar stirrings of arousal, just like in my dreams.

We walked to the elevator and stepped in, we rode in silence down to the visitor-parking garage and then to his car. We walked to an unfamiliar car, it was a beautiful hunter green Jaguar. He opened the passenger door for me and I slipped inside.

I watched him walk around the car and climb in behind the wheel. He put the key in the ignition but didn’t start the car.

It had been several minutes and neither of us had said a word. I’m not sure what reason he had for his silence; I know mine was because I was so incredibly nervous I didn’t dare open my mouth to speak.

“Do you realize that we haven’t used each others first names?” He flashed me that amazing smile again. “I’m Vincent, I’m sure you know that from my chart.” He smiled again, “I found out your name from your drivers license.”

“Speaking of which, how did you find that out?”

“Didn’t Georgia tell you?”

“No, she didn’t say much other than have fun.”

“She seems like a great girl.” He smiled, I felt like I was melting in the seat. “Well since she didn’t tell you I guess I should. I’m a private investigator, I have my own firm downtown.”

“Downtown, as in downtown Los Angeles? If you work downtown why were you driving in this area every day?”

“You’re going to really think I’m a stalker if I tell you that.”

“Well now I have to know.” I smiled even though I felt extremely nervous.

“I was in the area meeting with a client several months ago, I spotted you traveling in the opposite direction and couldn’t believe such a beautiful woman existed. I had to see you again, so I spent the night at a local hotel and drove up and down PCH till I saw you again. I checked the time and saw you were in area the same time as the previous morning.”

“You’re saying you drive from downtown Los Angeles every morning just to see me drive to work?”

“No, well, not exactly.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I rented a house in the area so I could see you every day!” He blurted it out so fast I wasn’t quite sure I understood what he said.

“You rented a house out here just to see me driving to work?”

“I knew you’d think I was nuts. If you’re not comfortable going to breakfast with me I understand.”

“I still want to have breakfast with you, I’m just totally blown away that you did that for a woman you’ve never met!”

“I don’t know what possessed me to do it, I just knew I had to see you. It’s like my day wasn’t complete until I saw your face every morning.”

I was shocked! How could a man this gorgeous be interested in me? I couldn’t believe he went through that just to see me!

“I don’t know what to say Vincent.”

I heard him let out a soft sigh. “That’s the first time you’ve called me Vincent, it sounds great coming from your lips.”

I’m not sure what was going on at that moment but my body was reacting to this man in ways it never did for my ex-husband.

We sat for a short time in silence before he spoke again.

“Would you like to have lunch and dinner with me Stephanie?”

The way he said my name made my heart ache.

“I’d love to Vincent.”

He started the engine and we drove out of the parking garage.

CHAPTER FIVE

At that moment I didn’t care where we went, I couldn’t think about food because my stomach was filled with butterflies. We drove in silence; I didn’t really pay attention to where we going and before I knew it we were pulling into the driveway of a house that was walking distance from the beach.

“This is my rented house, I hope you don’t mind having breakfast here.”

“I don’t mind at all.”

“Just in case you’re nervous of being alone with me I’ve compiled a report on myself.”

He chuckled and handed me a file. I opened it; in it was his life story. I looked at him and raised my eyebrows.

“Please, read it. I want you to know something about me before you venture into my house.”

I scanned through the file. I already knew his age, height, weight…this file contained some very personal information. Divorced, father of one…actually as I read on, it appeared his child passed away at the age of 3…leukemia. Apparently he and his wife divorced shortly after that. That was 6 years ago.

I looked up at him and he spoke softly.

“Her name was Marie. She was the light of my life; Jackie couldn’t deal with her illness and crawled into a bottle shortly after Marie was diagnosed with leukemia. I spent my time caring for Marie and trying to sober up my wife. I guess Jackie had enough of me, once Marie died…well, she spent her time with other men and I couldn’t deal with that. I divorced her.”

“I’m so sorry Vincent.”

“It’s been a long time. I still miss Marie, I think about how old she would be today, the things we’d have done…you know, stuff like that. I can’t dwell on the past though, I spent over a year in my office working 20 hours a day 7 days a week to try and forget my baby girl.”