“So you’re choosing surgery.”
“I’m choosing to do the work I love instead of managing people who do the work I love. Webb spent years climbing that ladder. Now he’s retiring because he’s burned out and tired and he can’t remember why he wanted to be at that level in the first place.”
I shook my head. “I know a lot of people want that for me, but I don’t want that for me.”
“What did he say when you told him no?”
“That I was making a mistake. That I’d regret not taking this opportunity to guide the next generation. I think I can guide the next generation better on this side of the table.”
“Do you think you will? Regret turning it down?”
I let the question hang for a minute, actually pondered it, because my answer to Dr. Webb had been quick, a knee-jerk response.
“Honestly? I don’t think so. Webb didn’t support me like I thought he should. He chose hospital politics over doing the right thing. I’m not interested in becoming that version of a leader.”
Harper was contemplative for a moment. Then she said, “I almost turned down the VP appointment.”
I pulled back to look at her. “What?”
“When they first offered it to me, I thought about saying no.” She bit her lip. “It felt like they were promoting me to make themselves feel better about what happened between me and Dr. Rice. And to keep me from calling Vincent Cross, honestly. It felt like a ploy to cover their asses, create better optics.”
“But you took it,” I reminded her, eyes wide. “Because you deserve that appointment.”
“They can give me the job for whatever reason they want, but I’m going to do the job the best way I know how for the right reasons. I can make sure no other staff member feels like this hospital doesn’t have their back. I can protect people instead of protecting the hospital’s reputation. And I can be a guiding light to young Black medical professionals coming up through the system.”
I grinned, beaming with pride. “That’s an aggressive agenda, Ms. Sutton.”
Harper scooted closer, tucking herself in under my arm. “I’m an aggressive woman, Dr. Vaughn. We’re both stubborn as hell, you know that?”
“Oh, yeah,” I replied. “It’s why we work so well. We’re not in the habit of backing down from doing the right thing.”
“Quiet as it’s kept, we don’t back down from doing each other, either.”
“And neither of us are kept quiet. That’s exactly why I moved you to this house.”
Harper laughed, then kissed me with her whole soul, like she was trying to memorize my very being. I groaned, slipping a hand up the inside of her thigh. She was already wet and so, so warm it made my dick twitch.
I teased her, running my fingers over her clit, back and forth, slow and hypnotic. Harper whimpered a tight little sound, barely there, like she was trying to hold it in but it escaped.
She hated being teased. Butlovedbeing teased.
I slid one finger, then two inside her and fucked her slow until she began to buck in rhythm to my strokes. She pushed out a loud, sensual hiss as her hips rolled in time.
“You shouldn’t start shit you don’t plan to finish,” she whispered.
“We just talked about not backing down. I’m not that type of guy. Besides,” I said, rolling us over so she was pinned beneath me, legs spread and ready. I positioned myself, heaving a relieved sigh as I entered her, like it was the first time I’d ever entered her. “I said we’re not done celebrating.”
We languished in the bed, reveling in the sound, touch, and taste of each other until we had both come completely undone and then some. I was still breathing heavy when Harper took advantage of my sated state and flipped me over onto my back.
I laughed as she straddled me. This woman was something else. A dream come true for real.
Later, we’d get up, pick through some boxes, put more of her things away. We’d shower and dress and drive to her parents’ home for Sunday dinner, where her mother had become accustomed to bossing me around her kitchen. We’d eat too much and laugh too loud, then drive home with leftovers we couldn’t refuse. We’d have a glass of wine and something sweet Ms. Patricia had left for us.
Then fall into bed and do what we did for each other better than anyone.
And it would be exactly what we’d almost run away from but couldn’t deny.
Love.
