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a piece of advice.” She paused. “There is nothing wrong with you dating Lex Makarov.”
    “What?” I sat up in my chair, shocked.
    “Even though he’s the CEO, he is not your boss in any direct way and he has no power over your job, so there is no conflict of interests. However, I would like to warn you that the gossip across the department—and maybe the entire hospital—will be incessant. Just prepare yourself.”
    “I don’t understand,” I replied, still in shock. “I’m not seeing Makarov. Not romantically. And I have absolutely no desire to. I’m helping him out by going over the old cases, like he asked me. But that’s it. Strictly professional.”
    I could feel myself beginning to hyperventilate. Why did Dr. Grimes think that Makarov and I were seeing each other outside of work? Was my desire that transparent?
    “Calm down, Michelle,” she said as she came around her desk to kneel by my chair. “I’m sorry I was mistaken. There’s just been a bit of hearsay going around lately. I know better than to believe rumors. I shouldn’t have said anything.”
    “No,” I replied, finally able to catch my breath. “I’m glad you did. I needed to know.”
    “If you think so,” Dr. Grimes replied, though she didn’t look convinced.
    After promising her I was okay, I hurried out of her office and made my way towards the locker room to splash some water on my face. I passed Julia and Kyle in the hall, who simply raised their eyebrows at me questioningly, twin smirks on their faces.
    That was where the rumor came from, I realized. I bypassed the ER lockers and headed up to the surgeons’ lounge. If I were lucky, Lori would have time for a quick drink after her shift that evening. Boy did I need it.
    “They are just so horrible,” I complained to her a little later, a martini in my hand as Lori looked at me compassionately.
    “They’re just jealous. You’ve been here just over a month and you’re already getting singled out—in the best way possible. You were asked to help in surgery. You presented at the M&M conference. Now you have a special project working with the CEO of the hospital.”
    “You make it all sound so awesome,” I replied. “It’s not, I assure you.”
    “It’s a little bit awesome,” Lori countered. “I’ve been at the hospital for twice as long as you and I haven’t gained that much experience outside of the surgery department.”
    “It’s not experience. It’s punishment. It would be one thing if the rumors were true—but they are the furthest thing from the truth. The man is horrible. He is Satan. He’s only given me this extra task to get back at me for the things I said that night after the conference. I think he’s secretly trying to get me to quit my internship here.”
    Unfortunately, Lori’s company was not the boon I had been hoping it would be. As I continued to talk, I grew angrier and angrier. After Lori excused herself to get home to her daughter—and away from my crazy ranting, I assumed—I sat alone and downed another martini.
    The combination of alcohol and rage boiled in my bloodstream, and before I realized what I was doing, I was marching back through the hospital doors towards the elevators, committed to going upstairs and giving Makarov a piece of my mind.
    It was late—past seven in the evening—but I knew Makarov would still be there. He was always in the office. His secretary had gone for the day though, so I knocked and barely waited until I heard a muffled “come in” before barging through the door.
    I opened my mouth to tell Makarov exactly what I’d been thinking, but the sight before me caused me to stop in my tracks.
    Makarov was at his desk, looking more disheveled than I had ever seen him. His jacket and tie were draped over his desk and his white oxford shirt was unbuttoned, revealing a sliver of lean, tanned skin. His hair, usually just a tiny bit mussed up, was shooting up in every direction, and there was a