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“Ow, I’m not an idiot.” Alejandro winked at Saoirse, who was laughing, obviously enjoying the show of them tormenting Santi.
Dante snorted and Rafe rolled his eyes while Alejandro grinned at Santi, who was busy shooting daggers at him.
“Well, I guess we should be happy he kept speaking Spanish after Mami and Pappi died,” Dante groaned. “But does he have to upstage us?”
Alejandro winked at Dante. “Always, old man. Always.”
He left the bodega before his older brothers started a brawl. He waved to Carmelita, who’d run the business since he was eleven. She waved back, but was focused on her work.
Outside the bodega the heat was oppressive, which was strange for a spring day. It was always hot in Miami, but this was like summer. Moist, sweltering heat. Palm trees lining the street of the old neighborhood were swaying, but the wind didn’t suppress the cloying heat. A storm was brewing to the south.
Fitting.
He’d heard people refer to Dr. Bhardwaj as the Wicked Witch of the East, so it was only fitting her arrival be marked by a storm.
As he walked to his motorcycle a group of boys playing soccer in the street kicked a ball toward him and he kicked it back, waving at them. He knew most of the kids because their parents were people he’d gone to school with. People who had never left the old neighborhood, which comprised a tight-knit community of people from Heliconia, a small island nation in the Caribbean. He’d never been there as his parents had fled the country because of the horrible conditions long before he’d been born.
Only that didn’t matter. Everyone here in this neighborhood was family. Everyone stayed together.
Only he had left.
His apartment was in South Beach. He was disconnected from this place because it reminded him of his parents dying, his brothers sacrificing so much of their youth for him.
It was also the place he’d first met Ricky at a scuzzy samba bar where he’d danced with lonely women. Ricky had started in the more lucrative exotic dancing, just so he could make his own way in the world.
Don’t think about it. That’s all behind you. Focus on now.
He had to keep his head in the game. He’d worked hard to become an attending in pediatric transplant surgery at Buena Vista Hospital. There was no way he was going to let some new head of pediatric surgery force him out.
He usually wouldn’t be so worried, but apparently Dr. Bhardwaj wanted to make changes.
And changes meant cuts. He had no doubt the arrival of Dr. Bhardwaj was down to Mr. Snyder, current president of the board of directors. Ever since Snyder had taken over he’d been looking for a way to cut every single department’s pro bono fund.
It was a fairly easy ride from Little Heliconia to Buena Vista. The only change was the darkening clouds rolling in.
Yes. Definitely a storm.
“Where have you been?” Dr. Micha asked the moment Alejandro walked into the attendings’ locker room.
“My brother Santi just got married,” Alejandro replied casually. He didn’t really want to engage in conversation with Dr. Micha today.
“Mazel tov,” Dr. Micha said sarcastically. “The witch is on her broom, by the way.”
Alejandro cocked his eyebrow. “Oh, yes?”
Usually he ignored Dr. Raul Micha’s gossip. The man was a paranoid worrywart and thankfully worked far from Alejandro, in Pediatric Dermatology, but for some reason Raul thought he and Alejandro were best friends forever.
“She’s made cuts to my program already.” Dr. Micha shook his head. “Cuts, can you believe it? Snyder is behind it, I’m sure. Snyder was friends with Dr. Bhardwaj’s mentor up in New York, Dr. Vaughan.”
Alejandro was impressed as Dr. Vaughan was a world-renowned pediatric surgeon. So at least Dr. Bhardwaj should know what she was doing, but then he recalled the word that sent a chill down his spine.
“Cuts?” Alejandro’s stomach churned. This was exactly what he’d been afraid of.
“Yes. She’s slashed all I’ve worked for.”
“Buena Vista is a wealthy hospital. It’s not like Seaside. Why is the board making cuts?”
“Buena Vista was wealthy,” Raul said in a snarky voice. Then he peered out the door. “Oh, man, here she comes. You’re on your own.”
Alejandro rolled his eyes as Raul slipped out of the locker room. He pulled off his street clothes and pulled out his scrubs. Before he’d slipped his scrub top on the door to the attendings’ locker room opened. Alejandro glanced over his shoulder and then did a double take as he stared into the dark eyes of the one who’d got away.
Kiri.
His one and only one-night stand from his days as an exotic dancer was standing right in front of him. He’d finished the private show five years ago and she’d kissed him. Alejandro knew he should’ve pushed her away, only he’d been unable to.
“Please, don’t think badly of me, I’ve never done this,” she whispered. “Never slept with a man I just met.”
“I don’t do this either.” He ran his hands through her hair. “You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve seen in a long time.”
Her mouth was open, her eyes wide behind those dark-framed glasses she still wore. She recognized him. This was bad.
“What...? I...” She was at a loss for words.
“Sorry,” he apologized, slipping on his scrub top. He held out his hand. “Dr. Bhardwaj, I presume?”
He was going to pretend he didn’t know her.
Which was a lie.
He knew every inch of her. It was still fresh in his mind five years later. The taste of her skin, her scent and the way she’d sighed when he’d nibbled her neck just below her ear.
This was bad.
“Uh. Yes.” She was still staring at him like he was a ghost, an unwanted ghost at that. She took his hand and shook it quickly before snatching it back. “Yes, I’m Dr. Bhardwaj.”
He nodded. “I’m Dr. Valentino. Senior Attending on the pediatric transplant team.”
* * *
Dr. Valentino? His name is Valentino?
Kiri had never known her Latin god’s last name. Of course, she hadn’t stuck around after her one indiscretion in Las Vegas.
A stolen night of passion that had led to a pregnancy, even though they’d used protection. And then that had led to a late miscarriage at twenty-three weeks, which still hurt all these years later. Staring up at the father of her lost baby boy reminded her in an instant of all the things that could’ve been.
Even though the pregnancy had been an inconvenience, she’d wanted her baby. She’d wanted to be a mother so badly. It hadn’t been how she’d planned to start a family, but she’d been thrilled at the prospect of motherhood. And she’d tried to track down Alejandro, but when she’d called his number she’d learned he’d quit and the agent, Ricky, had refused to give her any information about Alejandro’s whereabouts.
Alejandro reminded her of pain.
Yeah, lots of pain. And the wound of losing their child was fresh and raw again.
And he clearly didn’t remember her, which was like a slap across the face.
What did you expect, sleeping with a male stripper?
“Yes, sorry, Dr. Valentino. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Come on, Kiri. Get it together.
She was still in shock.
Alejandro smiled, that charming, sexy smile that had melted down her walls and inhibitions five years ago.
“A pleasure to meet you too. Well, excuse me, Dr. Bhardwaj. I have a consult.”
He wants to finish changing in privacy.
“Of course. Perhaps after your consult we can arrange a meeting to discuss the expectations of your department.”
“Yes. It would be my pleasure.”
“I want you,” she whispered. “And I’ve never wanted a man like this before. Please take me.”
“My pleasure.” And he ran his lips over her body, kissing her in places no one had ever kissed her before.
Kiri turned on her heel and got out of that locker room as fast as she could.
Ugh. You’re the head of the department.
Kiri was angry at herself for turning tail and running. When she’d miscarried she’d promised herself she’d never run from the father if she ever saw him again.
She’d tell him everything she was thinking. Those dark thoughts she’d had as she’d recovered from her loss. Everything that had crossed her mind when she’d learned that her baby was gone.
Turn around.
Alejandro was leaving the locker room. He looked so different in scrubs and a white lab coat. Given that she’d had her one-night stand with him five years ago and he was an attending in pediatric transplants, no less, in a world-class hospital, it meant that he must’ve been a doctor when he’d been dancing.
Which made her angry.
Why had he been doing that? Disgracing himself?
“Dr. Valentino, a moment, if you please.”
He turned.
Ha. You can’t get rid of me that easily.
“Yes, Dr. Bhardwaj?”
“I’d like to join you on your consult.”
He frowned. “Why?”
Good. She had him on edge. She had the power back.
“Why not? I have no patient load yet and I’d like to see how you run your practice. The chief told me you are quite the star when it comes to pediatric transplants.”
Which was true. Though she had a hard time believing it until she saw it for herself. Perhaps because she’d learned long before she’d met Dr. Alejandro Valentino that you really couldn’t depend on anyone but yourself.
And she wanted to throw him off his game.
One thing she had learned while going through her department’s finances when she’d first arrived in Miami had been that Alejandro’s department had a lot of pro bono cases. It was admirable, but the board had made it clear to her in no uncertain terms that the pro bono cases had to stop. The board wanted Buena Vista Hospital to be for the elite of Miami.
All those who couldn’t afford to be a patient at Buena Vista had to be moved to Seaside or County. The aim of the board was to cater to the rich and famous. The “beautiful people,” as one board member had put it.
It was a shame, but she understood that Buena Vista wanted to be at the cutting edge of health and it was a dream Kiri wanted to share.
Perhaps once they had that distinction she could convince them to open up their pockets to pro bono cases once again. Although Mr. Snyder had made it clear that pro bono cases were finished. And she almost wondered why she’d taken the job, because since her arrival it had been a headache dealing with the board of directors. In particular Snyder.
Then again, she’d have felt a bit guilty if she hadn’t taken the job her mentor had put her up for.
“Kiri, this is an opportunity of a lifetime. At your age, you won’t get a position like this in Manhattan. Buena Vista is a world-class hospital. Take the job I trained you for. Snyder is a friend of mine and I know he runs a good hospital and you’ll be treated right.”
She snorted at the memory, because it had been too good to be true.
“Of course. If you want to follow me, you can meet with my patient,” Alejandro said.
She nodded and followed him down the hall. It was awkward walking beside him, both of them pretending that they didn’t know each other. Of course, they really didn’t know each other, other than intimately.
Kiri could remember clearly what he looked like naked. How he tasted and how he felt buried deep inside her. Yet he acted like they were strangers.
He should have some recollection of her.
He’s forgotten you.
She had after all probably just been a forgettable experience for him.
Kiri knew that she wasn’t particularly memorable to many men. Which was probably why she didn’t really believe in love in the traditional sense. Even though her parents loved each other, but that was rare.
All Kiri believe in was science and medicine.
Her work.
Although science and medicine had failed her that night five years ago when she’d lost her baby. That pregnancy was the closest she’d ever gotten to love and it had been snatched from her in a cruel twist of fate.
Don’t think about that.
Alejandro grabbed the patient’s chart from the nurses’ station, smiling at the women behind the counter. She could see the effect he had on them—there were a few dreamy expressions—but as he walked past a male nurse he received a fist bump from the man.
