“Ava,” Dr. Wilcox said, stopping for a moment before he went back to his office. “I’ll get the track credentials for you. You’ll need them to get in later today.”

I nodded and placed Dyson’s chart down on top of the station.

“Okay.”

Actually, it sounded so not okay.

The last thing I wanted to do was see Dyson Vix again. He was probably the rudest, crudest, most inappropriate man I’d ever met. An obvious playboy, desperate for women to notice him. I shook my head at his ridiculous behavior and scanned the area for my coworkers, when one of them, Amy, appeared from one of the large rows of standup files behind the station.

“Hey,” I said, pointing my finger at her. “Thanks a lot.”

Amy frowned. “What’s wrong with you? What did I do?”

I swung my arm in the direction of Dyson’s exam room, still pointing.

“The race car driver. The Russian girls?”

“Ohhhh…” She nodded, smiling at the same time. “Wasn’t he yummy?”

Before I could reply, Ginger appeared from behind her, carrying an armful of files.

“Who’s yummy?”

Amy turned her head in Ginger’s direction.

“Ava is talking about the guy in exam room three.”

“Oh yeah, oh he’s hot all right,” she said. “Did you see the other one?”

“Other one what?” I asked.

“His teammate… Marco.” But then, almost as soon as she said it, Ginger touched her index finger to her chin, remembering something. “Oh that’s right, you came in late. You missed him.”

I scoffed, shaking my head for emphasis.

“Well, if he’s anything like Dyson Vix, that’s fine by me.”

“What are you talking about?” Amy said. “He is H.O.T. Hot!”

I couldn’t deny she told the truth about him, in a physical sense.

However, looks were the only thing he had going for him. In fact, I was more than a little disappointed in the shallowness of my coworkers. I had no idea they were so superficial.

Okay, well, maybe some, but not this much.

“Did you get a look at him?” Ginger asked.

Being a nurse, I didn’t have to wonder what she meant by ‘get a look’. I shook my head in disbelief.

“I’m not going to answer that question, Ginger.”

The two of them looked at each other and giggled like ridiculous high school freshman. Over the next minute or so, they asked me a number of probing questions about my interaction with him. I held them off with a series of one-word answers until Dr. Wilcox mercifully reappeared.

He walked towards me, holding an oversized badge in his hand.

“Here you are, Ava,” he began, extending the credentials towards me. “There are directions to the track in here. The pass will get you VIP parking and admission to the pit area. Once you’re there, you’ll need to deliver the lab results to the team manager, Darren Blocke. He’s a huge man. You can’t miss him.”

I took them from him, nodding. “What time will the results be ready?”

Dr. Wilcox glanced at his wristwatch. “Hmm I’d say any time after two o’clock in all likelihood.”

“All right, then,” I said, dreading my fate. “I’ll take care of it.”

“Excellent. Thank you, Ava.”

“Dr. Wilcox,” Ginger interrupted, passing a file folder towards him. “Your next patient is waiting in exam two.”

He took the stack of paper from her and tucked it under his arm.

“Thank you, Ginger.”

Before he walked away, he looked at me again. “You’re a lifesaver, Ava.”

“Not a problem, sir. I’m happy to help.”

And where Dr. Wilcox was concerned, that was true. He was a terrific doctor and an even better person. How it was that someone of his character could be even remotely associated with a ‘man’ like Dyson Vix was still a mystery.

After he walked away, with Amy following behind him, I made my way around the other side of the nurse’s station to catch up on some of my paperwork. I had no idea how much time had gone by when I sensed a presence hovering above me on the other side of the desk. I glanced up to see Ginger standing there with a look of concern on her face.

“Yes?” I said.

Ginger gestured with her head, back down the hallway, towards the exam rooms. “I need to get Dr. Wilcox’s next patient into number three.”

“Um, oookay,” I shrugged. “Why are you telling me? Go ahead.”

She hesitated.

“What?” I asked.

“Well, that’s just it—I can’t.”

I placed my pen down on top of my desk and looked up at her once again.

“I’m really busy right now, Ginger. I’ve got to catch up on all of these records and then turn around and get down to the race track for Dr. Wilcox later today.”

“I’m sorry,” she began. “Ordinarily, I wouldn’t bother you, but…”

“But?”

Ginger exhaled a long breath. “They never came out.”

“Who? Who never came out?”

“Um, Mr. Vix and those two women. They’re still in exam three.”

I pinched my eyes shut and shook my head. I opened them once again and looked at the clock on the wall. Disgusted, I turned my gaze back towards Ginger.

“You mean to tell me they’ve been in there for twenty minutes?”

Ginger chewed her lip. “Yep.”

Without thinking, I slammed my palms flat on the surface of the desk and shoved myself into a standing position. Marching around the corner of the nurse’s station, I headed straight for the exam room, readying myself for any spectacle I might encounter.

The nerve of this man.

I licked my lips and moistened my mouth, preparing to unleash a tirade on them. But, just as I was about to reach the exam room, the door opened. I stopped dead in my tracks as Svetlana and Anastasia emerged with some of the wildest just been fucked hair I’d ever seen.

Soon after, Dyson sauntered out, smiling and pausing in front of me.

“So, sounds like I’ll see you at the track later, Ava?”

I crossed my arms and glared at him until he turned and started to walk away, arms interlocked with the two girls. I glanced in Ginger’s direction and shook my head.

Unbelievable.

AVA

A little after three o’clock that afternoon, I arrived at the racetrack and parked in the VIP section. Honestly, I was a bit overwhelmed by the size of the place.

As soon as I got out of my car, a high-pitched, thundering wail caught my attention and startled me. After the initial shock, I realized it was the sound of a car’s engine, but not like any I’d ever heard. I continued inside, following signs and asking the occasional passerby for directions while I walked. Eventually, I made my way to the pit area, where teams worked on the cars when they weren’t out on the racetrack.

Not long after I arrived, I found the team Dyson drove for and walked up to the largest man of them all. Easily more than six foot five inches, I guessed he was my guy and so approached him and cleared my throat.

“Excuse me? Are you… Darren?”

The towering figure turned and looked down towards me.

“I am. What can I do for you?”

Reaching inside my purse, I pulled out the final test results for Dyson and his teammate. I extended the folder in his direction.

“My name is Ava Walters, and I’m here on behalf of Dr. Wilcox to deliver the results for your drivers.”

Without saying a word, or hardly changing his expression, the man took the folder from me. Just then, another car screamed down the track. Still not accustomed to the sound, I covered my ears until it passed by.

Darren never flinched.

Afterward, I removed my hands from my ears and continued, “You’ll be pleased to know that there are no health problems, and both men tested negative for both recreational and performance enhancing drugs.”

He tucked the folder underneath his arm.

“Thanks. That’s one less thing that I have to think about.”

I nodded.

“Also, Dr. Wilcox wanted me to send his apologies for not being able to make it down to the track himself. However, he wanted me to reassure you he will be here on race day.”