A very special thanks to my editor!
*
The day had been physically and emotionally exhausting for Charmion. It was 2:00 and she had finally gotten a break for a quick lunch. After her short conversation with Aiden, they had hardly spoken to each other. Charmion would catch herself sneaking sidelong glances at Aiden, but quickly chided herself for her lack of focus. 'Why was she so fascinated by him? After all, he had tormented her for a solid year. He had scarred her for life. She had worked her butt off to overcome the damage he had done. She grimaced as she thought of the endless hours she had spent studying, working out in the gym, and modeling. She couldn't help but wonder if she had been subconsciously preparing herself for him. 'NO!' she stated resolutely; everything she had worked for was for herself and to challenge herself. She would think of Aiden as any other road block; she would acknowledge the frustration and then she would calmly and logically think of an alternative route. She had to admit that she was surprised to find out that Aiden had become a doctor. A doctor needed to have compassion and she thought Aiden was one of the few people who lacked that. Yet, following him around, observing his patients, and listening to him direct other doctors, she was impressed by his efficiency, intelligence, and obvious love for his work. In fact, everything that Aiden had, Charmion aspired to. She, unfortunately, had to admit that she was incredibly lucky to work with Aiden.
She sighed, got out some work, and began to eat her lunch. Her feet ached and she knew that she had made a stupid mistake wearing such stupid shoes her first day at work. She slipped them off and put her feet on the chair in front of her. She began to read one of Aiden's research papers. It was dense, filled with advanced vocabulary and terminology she didn't understand. She focused and began taking notes on his research. It really was fascinating what Aiden could do and she admitted that she was envious. 'Don't forget what he did to you...' She repeated this mantra in her head every few minutes or so. Charmion was not one to forgive such blatant acts of cruelty and torture.
Aiden rubbed his eyes and heard his stomach rumble. He was starving. He hadn't eaten breakfast and he had been at the hospital since 7:00 a.m. He finished speaking with his anesthesiologist and walked towards the work room. What he saw took his breath away. Charmion was reading one of his research papers. Her shoes were off and her long legs were propped up on a chair. Her position had caused her skirt to ride up a bit and he could just make out some lacy garters. He felt his cock stir and he quickly got a hold of himself. He was a professional man and he was not going to involve himself with a student. Besides, she may look gorgeous, but isn't she still the same nerd that he tortured in high school? Sure, she maybe a great fuck, but there were plenty of those to be found. He coughed loudly and grinned as she jumped. God, could she focus. He wondered what else she could focus on.
"Do you always sneak up on all people like that?" Charmion gritted out.
"No, just the extra special ones. So, are you impressed or what?" Aiden said with a shrug.
"Impressed with what?" Charmion asked confused.
"My research," Aiden stated.
'Pompous asshole,' thought Charmion.
"Sure, it's really cutting-edge, though not quite as advanced as Dr. Albertson's team in New York. I really wanted to work with him, but he was swamped, and school is here in Boston," Charmion said. She didn't know what possessed her to be so disrespectful and rude, but she knew men liked to compete, especially surgeons. She knew her off-hand comment would piss Aiden off. Charmion realized that she really enjoyed pissing him off.
"Is that so? Let me remind you that you are a student, I am your boss, and if you do not respect that, then I will see to it that your life is hell," Aiden bit out. The idea that Charmion could have been working for another man angered Aiden. He didn't know why. 'She's mine,' he thought, 'even though she doesn't know that yet.'
"Is that a threat? It doesn't scare me. You've already done that once before. Do you remember your senior year of high school?" Charmion almost shouted. How could he have forgotten? She hadn't meant to sound so personal.
Aiden winced. She was right. He had tortured her in high school. But now, she was beautiful and he sensed that she was the perfect woman for him. He just needed to show her, to prove to her that she was his. He didn't know how he was going to do that, but so far he wasn't off to a good start. He watched her nose twitch. 'God, she was cute.' He wondered what she did for fun.
"Sir, I think that we should get back to work."
"Right," said Aiden. He quickly finished his sandwich and grabbed his work. He would think of Charmion later.
