Page 30 of Auctioned to the Billionaire Surgeon

“How’s it going, little man?”

He grinned up at her, and I froze. I’d never seen him connect with someone before. “Pretty good, Jelly.”

He knew her name.

“That’s great,” she gave him a fist bump. “Are you ready to get your butt kicked in checkers again?”

“You wish,” he said a little shyly.

“Mama,” she turned to the frazzled lady. “You sit down and look through this,” she reached for something beside her and handed it to her. “It’s the newVogue.” She leaned towards her. “No office germs yet. You’re the first to read it.”

“Are you sure?” the mom asked, looking like Jelly had offered her a free Hawaiian vacation.

“Absolutely. Kick back and relax. I’ve got these two cuties.” She quickly ran the woman’s insurance card and driver’s license through the system and handed them back. Then she came out from behind the reception desk and wheeled the patient over to the checkerboard. She sat down and the two of them talked and laughed while they played checkers together. The baby gurgled happily on her lap, and the mother was starting to look more composed as she got a break from her stressful life.

The sales rep and I just stared as this happened.

“I think I’m in love,” the rep said, not bothering to whisper. “Is she single?”

Jelly looked up, startled. She hadn’t realized we were there.

“She has a boyfriend,” I lied in a voice that I hoped was low enough not to carry.

He sighed. “Of course she does.” He turned to me and shook my hand. “Okay, doc. See you next week. I’ll bring lunch. How many should I buy for?”

“There are six of us in the office.”

He nodded, making a note in his phone. Heturned back to stare at Jelly. “What, um, does the receptionist like to eat?”

“Italian,” I said grudgingly.

“Got it. See you then.” He wheeled his case behind him, giving Jelly a wave on his way out.

Instead of going back and having my nurse call the patient back, I just did it while I was there.

The mom stood, somewhat reluctant for her break to be over. Jelly handed over the baby, and the mom automatically kissed his head. “I’ve got this big guy, though,” Jelly said, pushing the wheelchair back to the exam room my nurse was waiting in front of.

I waited by the door to the reception area for her to come back. “That was really nice what you did.”

She shrugged. “It was no big deal.” She went immediately back to work on some files she was organizing. There was something in the way she said it that made me believe her. Jelly seemed kind of tough, but she wasn’t. She’d made that family’s day so much easier, so much brighter, and it was just something basic for her.

I watched her work without realizing I was doing it.

“What are you doing?” she hissed out. “You’re being weird.”

“Sorry.” I came out of my Jelly fog and started to head back to the exam room.

“Oh, and Idon’thave a boyfriend, by the way. And how did you know Italian is my favorite?”

I felt myself blush, and it startled me. I couldn’t remember the last time I blushed. Second grade, maybe? “Lucky guess,” I said softly and went about the rest of my day.

That night at Sugar, I watched her some more, of course. There she was, her gorgeous body on display for men to leer at like she was some doll, just some sexy toy they could try to lure into the VIP room.

But she was so much more.

I watched as she navigated tables, expertly dodging hands that lingered too long on her ass and looking back at those menwith a flirty smile that didn’t reach her eyes. I saw how she bent over enough to let the men see just how fantastic her tits were, but not so low they basically popped out of her corset top. She was a pro.

I saw what the men thought of her, too. Sure, they wanted to fuck her. Who wouldn’t? But it was more than that. They enjoyed her company—the way she said what she thought and didn’t overly protect their fragile egos, her sense of humor, her intelligence.