Mistress (15 page)

I went to the office to face Dr. Norris early to avoid seeing patients. I’d grown attached to them. She was probably going to fire me. I couldn’t say I didn’t deserve it, but I lost my temper on a touchy subject. I tapped gently on her door. “Dr. Norris?”

“Come in,” she responded, taking her glasses off. “Good morning.”

“Alex, I’ve been calling you for days. Why haven’t you returned my phone calls?”

“Family crisis is the reason, to sum it all up. Look, I just want to apologize for my behavior a week ago. I shouldn’t have gone postal in front of you or the other patients. I’m going to get my things out of the locker and be on my way. It’s been a pleasure working with you. I was hoping you can keep this matter between us and not tell my professor.”

“Now why would I do that?”

“You’re a nice person. Nice people give people like me breaks.”

“Ms. Gibbs, the only thing I’m upset about is you not returning my phone calls. I was concerned about you. To be honest, my husband has cheated on me, so I feel your pain. To find out about your father that way was horrible. There’s no need to apologize, but I’m going to have to tell your professor.”

“I understand your position. A fourth-year resident should be professional at all times.”

“The only thing I’m going to tell Professor Hicks about is what a fine doctor you are. I received your test results the same day you stormed out of here. I was calling to tell you the good news. I didn’t want to say it on your voice mail.”

“What? Are you sure I passed? What was my score? With all that’s been going on, I haven’t even thought about the test results.”

“You received a ninety-five percent. Congratulations! I love your bedside manner. My patients seem to agree as well. I would like to offer you a position here, starting salary two hundred and fifty thousand per year. I’m glad you’re going to take your things out of the locker because you need to move into the office next to mine. I mean, that’s if you accept my offer.”

“Of course, I accept your offer. This is a dream come true. I’ll start today,” I said, giving her a hug.

“No, that’s all right. I want to give you some time to sort things out with your parents. Besides, Ms. Philmore is coming in for a follow-up appointment. I’m not trying to get sued. I don’t make enough money for the legal fees and damages that would occur. I want to see you back here at eight Monday morning.”

“Yes, ma’am.” I headed to the door. “Oh, Dr. Norris?”

“Yes, Alexis?”

I smiled. “Thank you so much for this opportunity.”

“There’s one more thing I forgot to mention. I finished Ms. Philmore’s exam that day you stormed out of here. After I reviewed her test results, she’s pregnant.”

“Before you get upset, she’s having an abortion. I wanted you to hear it from me first.”

“Whoa!” I walked out of the door.

I decided not to mention this to Ma. How could Pop not use condoms with these women?
At a time like this, I wish I had another father.
I fumbled through my handbag for my keys.

* * *

Two months later, it was still hard to get out of bed in the morning. I missed Jarrad Simmons so much, and a part of me wondered if I’d made the right decision.
Maybe I should have waited patiently. Maybe I should have never given him a chance, and I wouldn’t be feeling this way.
I was still in love with him and in desperate need of his dick. I wanted to call him and found myself dialing the numbers and hanging before the call went through.

It’s going to be a long day.
I saw charts for eleven patients sitting on my desk. First up was Gina Duncan, a retired housewife who would tell anyone about her successful children. Her daughter was a famous chef in New York City, and her son held a high position at the NASA space center.

I knocked on the door.

“Come in,” she responded.

“Mrs. Duncan, how are you feeling today?” I closed the door and walked over to the sink to wash my hands, dry and brittle from so much washing.

“Dr. Gibbs, I’m on eggshells. I just want to know my test results from the biopsy. I’d like for you to meet my daughter Emily.”

“Hi, Emily, it’s nice to meet you. I feel as if I know you because your mother is always talking about you.”

“Likewise.”

“The next time I’m in New York, I’ll be sure to come in and try your Cajun shrimp at the Fish Exscape.”

“Thank you,” Emily said.

“Now where is Mr. Duncan? I thought he was coming as well?”

“He any my son are sitting in the waiting room. This has taken a toll on both of them. It would be hard for Mitch to see me sick or, worst case scenario, dead.”

“Mom, don’t say those things.”

I opened up her chart to reread her test results. “Mrs. Duncan, the biopsy results on your left breast are benign.”

“Are you sure?”

Emily and her mother embraced each other with hugs. Then they hugged me.

“Thank you so much for getting Mom through this,” Emily whispered in my ear. “I’m going to get Dad and Thomas.”

When she said the name, chills went down my spine. “Mrs. Duncan, I still want to regularly see you getting checked for cancer.”

“Will do, doc.”

Her husband and son gave me bear hugs.

“Thanks, Dr. Gibbs.”

“Thank you all for your patience waiting for the biopsy results. Mrs. Duncan, go out and celebrate, because you’ve got a long life ahead of you,” I said and walked out the door.

“Dr. Gibbs, Ms. Simmons called and misplaced her birth control pills. May I call in the order for her?” Nurse Waters suggested.

Suddenly, the room started to spin. I was getting hotter by the minute, and my vision was blurry. “Sure, you can call it in. Thanks,” I slurred. The room went black, and I fell to the door.

I awoke to Dr. Norris standing over me.

“Shh. Don’t talk. You just got out of surgery. You had me worried for a while. I think of you as one of my daughters. Your fallopian tube erupted. I called Dr. Morales to get an update on your health history. He couldn’t have done the surgery because he’s out on vacation. I know you were given the abortion pill, but it didn’t work because you were too far along. Please just nod for me.” She asked, “Were you feeling any pain in the last thirty days?”

I nodded.

“Unfortunately, Alexis, I couldn’t save your Fallopian tube, but the other one is intact and working. You can still have babies. In a couple of days, I’ll release you from the hospital, depending on how you’re doing. You’re not allowed to come back to the office for another week because I want you to heal properly. Dr. Ringo and myself will divide up your patients for the time being. I contacted your parents, Charlotte, and Maria. They’re all in the waiting room. Are you up for some company?” She gently rubbed the side of my face.

I nodded again.

“All right. I’ll tell the troops to come on in.”

“Can I have a glass of water please?”

“Sure.”

Ma, Pop, Jason, Grandma, and Maria came into my room. I managed to sit up, and everyone gave me hugs. “Please, don’t make up a fuss over me. I’ll be good as new in a couple of days.”

“I want you to come stay with us till you get your strength back,” Ma ordered.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Did you want me to call Jarrad?” Maria asked.

“No. The only thing he’s good for is paying the bill. Last week, I closed out our joint checking account with around seven thousand in it, so I use that money to cover any expenses that my health insurance doesn’t pick up. I just want to get better, put this all behind me, and get on with my life. Right now, my life is my patients, but I’ll find love again someday. By the way, where’s Charlotte at?”

“I don’t know,” Maria said. “I left her a message on her cell and home voice mail letting her know I was coming to the hospital. She probably is tied up.”

After everyone left, Charlotte and Bobby came strolling in. She gave me a hug, but it felt forced. “How are you feeling?” she asked.

“I’m very sore, but it should pass in a few days.”

There was a knock on the door. “Alexis, I’m Beth Saunders, your night nurse. Please feel free to let me know if you need anything.”

“Thank you. All I need is grape juice.”

“I’ll be right back.”

“Thanks for coming.”

Charlotte asked, “Can you have children ever again?”

“Yes. I still have one fallopian tube working. I don’t know, I may have children one day. Right now I’m still not ready.”

“Well . . . Bobby and I have dinner reservations. I’ll call you tomorrow to check up on you.”

“Thanks for coming,” I said.

Charlotte rolled her eyes and walked out with Bobby by her side.

I looked down at my Movado watch for the date: May 15th. It’d been ten months since breaking off with Jarrad. It wasn’t easy, and he didn’t make it any easier. I beat him to the punch with the obvious tools of communication by changing my home phone number and cell phone number. Every day, he was sending through FedEx black, brown, yellow, and pink teddy bears and Godiva chocolate hearts to the office, and each day, I crushed up the chocolate and cut off the bear’s head, then wrote
Return to sender
on the box. The delivery guy just couldn’t understand why I was demolishing such thoughtful gifts.

This week, I’d decided to get creative and give the teddy bears to the maternity ward for the new arrivals and have the chocolate as refreshment for my patients as they waited to be seen.

After eating four pancakes with powdered sugar and maple syrup, I had a burst of calories that needed to be burned off. I headed to the park for a Sunday run. It felt good to by myself, relax, and enjoy the beautiful weather, spring being my favorite season because everything is new again.

I had a new life now. The music of Stevie Wonder, Glenn Lewis, Mary J. Blige, and Yolanda Adams consoled me when my spirits were down. Since I chose to stay in a dead-end relationship for so long, I painfully realized I wasn’t too much of a victim.

I ran around the lake several times. My mouth was bone dry, so I made a pit stop to the concession stand. As I was waiting, I couldn’t help but notice a family of four feeding the ducks. I longed so much to have one to call my own. At times like these, a part of me regretted having the abortions.
I wonder if my fallopian tube not able to be saved is some sort of karma for the two previous abortions I had.

“How may I help you?” the cashier asked.

“Let me have a Dasani water, please.”

“Your total is price is two dollars.”

I can buy a six-pack of them at Farm Fresh for two fifty
. I handed her the money.
If I’m going to waste money, I might as well spend it on me.

My cell phone rang. (It was the hospital probably calling about Mrs. Ruckson. This was her seventh child.) “Dr. Gibbs, speaking,” I answered.

“Hello, Doc, this is Barbara Sonfield calling for your patient Ms. Ruckson. She has all ready dilated two centimeters, and her water broke. I wanted to call you before the action starts.”

“I’ll be right there. Give me thirty minutes.”

“How can I get on that line?” a man asked.

“You can’t, because it just got disconnected.” I wiped the sweat from my face.

“Nice comeback.”

“Thank you.” I laughed.

“Do you come here often? I recently moved into the area and a park like this is great for me to run in.”

“Yes, I do run here frequently, Mr. . . .”

“I apologize. I was raised with manners. My name is Xavier Sanchez.”

“I’m Alexis Gibbs.”

Xavier was of Latin descent, had smooth caramel skin, brown eyes, and jet-black curly hair. I couldn’t help noticing a tattoo on the left side of his chest that read LOUPE.

“It’s nice to meet you, Alexis.” He kissed my right hand.

My guard was looking up and down at this man.
He probably comes here to scope out potentials
. I wasn’t falling for any of his games.

“Would you like to go for a bike ride? They are renting out pretty fast. We may want to move over there as soon as possible.”

“I’ve got to get to the hospital in less than fifteen minutes. One of my patients is ready to bring an eighth addition to the family.”

“Wow! You’re a doctor? Well, don’t let me keep you. May I—”

“Excuse me for one moment.” I answered my cell phone. “This is Dr. Gibbs speaking.”

“Dr. Gibbs, this is Barbara again for Ms. Ruckson. Dr. Walker is giving our floor a hand. He just checked Ms.Ruckson and she’s got a long way to go, another six hours to be exact. Dr. Walker wants to speak with you,” she blared out.

“Hello, Dr. Walker. I thought you despised the maternity ward.”

“I do, but I like to lend a helping hand when I’m available. Don’t come in until about seven o’clock this evening. Ms. Ruckson should be more than ready to push by then.”

“Will do,” I responded and ended the call. “Is everything all right?” Xavier asked.

“Yeah, my patient isn’t ready to pop, so I’ll take you up on the bike ride offer.”

My firm belief is the best way to get over a jerk is to get acquainted with a potential one. However, I was aware that I could still be wrong about my new “south-of-the-border” friend. After careful scrutiny of Xavier’s intent, he turned out to be a decent man. He was an accountant-turned-model, making an honest living modeling for major department stores.
As long as his ass doesn’t ask me for money, we’re all right.

“Here you are, my lady, a cherry, Sprite, and fruit punch Slurpee with a purple straw, as you requested.” Xavier closed the driver’s side of his black Lincoln Navigator.

“Thank you.” I gave him a peck on the lips and lay back in my seat.

“How was your workload this week?”

“It was quite grueling. Two of my days off, I was on call, so I haven’t had much sleep,” I said, yawning.

“How many hours do you work each shift?”

“It depends on when the babies are ready to come into the world. I never work over fourteen hours. For one, I’m too tired. With that being said, I may not make the right decision. My worst fear is to be driving home late after a fourteen-hour shift and get into a car accident because I fell asleep on that wheel, injuring others or myself.”

“I’m going to take your mind off of work. Have you ever been to a shooting range?”

“No.”

“It helps me relieve stress.”

“Let’s go. I like to try new things. But I don’t have a gun.” I stretched out my arms and knocked over my Slurpee onto Xavier.

“Whoa! It’s chilly down there,” he blared out, trying to keep his eyes on the road.

“Sorry about that.” I wiped the crotch of his pants with at least ten napkins, catching glimpses at his bulge.

He raised an eyebrow. “If you like what you see, I could show it to you so you won’t have to peek.”

“Umm . . . as I was saying . . . I don’t have a gun.”

“I figured you didn’t, so I brought an extra one of mine.” He laughed and pointed to the bag in the back seat.

“I didn’t know shooting at a figurine could relieve so much stress. I feel like a new woman.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed yourself even though you fell on your ass the first time you shot.” Xavier chuckled as he turned his key. “Come on in. Welcome to my home.”

I strolled through his condo, which was nicely decorated with the posh crème leather couch and loveseat set, recliner chair, and the countless pictures of his family displayed.
Not bad
. I could tell he was a neat freak.

There wasn’t a magazine out of place, a crumb lingering on the counter, or a shirt having a permanent spot on the carpet.

“I got to ask because this has been on my mind for a while. Do people, especially women, approach you with the notion that you favor the actor Blair Underwood?”

“Yes, all the time, but with a Latin twist. Matter of fact, about three years ago, I was strolling in the mall heading toward Nordstrom’s for a new suit and an older woman stopped me dead in my tracks and said, ‘Sugar pie, your hot ass should be on a billboard strutting yourself in boxers, briefs, and those tight T-shirts. I insist that I would buy the one of your sculptured body.”

We both busted out laughing.

“I didn’t know whether to say thank you or no thank you. Needless to say, she put the bug in my ear to show my stuff, and I’ve been doing it ever since.”

“I’m shocked an older woman would make those remarks.”

“They’re far worse than the younger ladies. Would you care for something to drink?”

“Yeah, I’ll get it myself. What would you like to drink?”

“Just grab a Corona out of the fridge for me. I’m going upstairs to change my shirt and get out of these sticky pants.”

“I’ll be up in a second,” I stated, heading for the kitchen.

As I gulped down a bottle of Fuji water, I walked upstairs with my raspberry Smirnoff and his Corona in my hand. I caught a glimpse of Xavier’s total package. I paid close attention to his muscular physique and his huge dick, wanting to take it for a late-afternoon ride.

“Thanks, baby.” He reached for the bottle.

“No problem. What did you want to do for the rest of the day?”

“Well, I figured we could watch a movie, and later on I’m taking you to a little quaint Greek restaurant.”

“Sounds good to me. What DVD’s do you have?”

“Come crawl into bed with me. The movie is about to start. Oh, I almost forgot. I have something for you.”

“What is it? Hand it over, please,” I suggested, laughing.

Xavier reached into a plastic Target bag and gave me a DVD. It was the DVD of the second season of
Grey’s Anatomy
. He knew how much I enjoyed the show. I tried to buy it the other day, but Wal-Mart was sold out.

“Thank you.” I hugged him.

“You’re welcome. Now the movie is about to start. I have kettle corn popcorn in the pantry. Would you like some?”

“No, thanks.” I was too excited about my new DVD.

The movie began to play. It was
Love Jones
. “This is my favorite movie.”

“I know.”

“How did you know?”

“By carefully listening to you.”

Funny, I didn’t remember telling him that fun fact about me because Jarrad and I watched that movie plenty of times. I couldn’t bear to be reminded of him in any way.

My sexual drive was on the rise owing to the buzz from the Smirnoff.

“
Love Jones
gives me everything, you know, the laughter, love, and pain.” I sighed and rolled onto my back while the credits played.

“I don’t want to cause you hurt and pain.”

“What do you want?”

“To bring you laughter and love. Right now, I want to make our own piece of history.”

I giggled in surprise as I felt a sharp tingle down my spine.

“Do you like it?” Xavier rubbed a soft feather against the back of my legs.

“Yes.” I giggled again.

“You won’t be laughing for long.” Xavier turned me over and slowly removed all of my clothes. “Your feet are so soft.”

To show his admiration, he sucked my toes, and an even bigger chill went to my vagina. After ten years of wondering, I finally got my toes sucked. Next, his fingers massaged my scalp. I loved his strong and firm hands.

He paused for a moment. “I feel more comfortable naked,” he whispered in my ear and slowly removed all his clothes. Xavier’s body was packed with all sorts of goodies as my eyes were fixated on his muscular chest and six-pack abs, just to name a few. He continued on massaging my scalp in sensual circular motions.

Lauryn Hill’s “Sweetest Thing” played as he rubbed the inside and outside of my hot spot with the feather. I was ready to get dicked down. Almost about to explode, Xavier almost made me beg for it.

Next, he slid the feather down my nipples over and over again.

I couldn’t take it anymore. I wrestled him down to the carpet, grabbing his huge cobra and sucking and licking as if it was a green apple Jolly Rancher stick. After saddling up for the ride, I locked my legs on his sides and ferociously pounded up and down until both of us exploded.

“Now, it’s my turn,” Xavier said in a determined tone. He picked me up and landed me on a tilted cushioned stoop that raised my butt up and made my orgasm so intense, I screamed in ecstasy, impatiently desiring another go-round.

After two and a half hours of intense sex, Xavier and I had worked up a sweat. He joined me in the shower. I couldn’t stop thinking about when he rode me from behind up against the wall and rubbed my thighs the whole time. My thighs was one of the many “spots” that I had on my body. I thought my knees were going to give out on me after I came.

We ordered take out from the Speedy Gonzales Mexican Restaurant and settled to watch an all-day marathon of
Law & Order: Criminal Intent.

Xavier gave me just what I needed. He kept hitting my G-spot, touching, licking, and sucking me in the right places. The clock on the mahogany chest read 3:15 in the morning. I awoke to use the bathroom and couldn’t feel the warmth of Xavier’s body next to me.

After washing and drying my hands, I walked out onto the terrace with a blanket hovered over me. I saw Xavier’s head pointed down and both of his hands tightly affixed to the rail.

He greeted me with a warm embrace. “I could smell your perfume a mile away.”

“Kenneth Cole White does it every time. What are you doing out here?”

“Just thinking about my mother. I miss her so much. I’m surprised you haven’t asked me about the tattoo on my chest.” He pointed to it.

“Well, I have noticed. So I guess this means Loupe is your mother. May I ask, what happened to her?”

“The night before my family and I were supposed to leave Puerto Rico to come to the States, there was a terrible fire. Many lives were lost. We searched for a month in every crevice of our town. She never showed up at any of the hospitals or relief aid stations. After a year of waiting for any clues or answers, we left. The day we departed a piece of my heart died. My father made me go kicking and screaming. I love my mother so much. I didn’t want to leave her. We were inseparable. Call me what you want, I’m a true momma’s boy as you Americans would say,” he said, his voice shaky.

I rubbed my fingers through his hair. “How long has it been since you left Puerto Rico?”

“Twenty years,” he cried, a tear coming down his left eye. “Today would have been my father’s and her twenty-fifth wedding anniversary.”