Page 6 of A Very Cheeky Christmas

“Not exactly, but I don’t have a good track record with blood. It makes me queasy.” He lifts his head a little. “Probably makes me a pussy, huh?”

“No, it doesn’t. I’ll get you cleaned up, but do you happen to know when the last time you got a tetanus shot was?”

“Uh, should be in my medical records. We have to keep all of that on file because of the union.”

“Okay, I’ll check in a minute. Hold still for me.” I proceed to clean out the wound and I try so hard to be professional. I am a doctor, for fuck’s sake, or nearly a doctor anyways. So my eyes stray periodically to the perfectly sculpted ass within reach. I could grab it. With both hands and give both cheeks a squeeze. Or I could lean forward and just bite into one of those firm looking globes.

Seriously, what the fuck is wrong with me?

“Definitely going to need a tetanus shot. Maybe a stitch or two, but that’s probably going to depend on doctor or patient’s preference. The wound isn’t that deep, and the edges are relatively clean.”

“Maxine,” he hums my name. “Why won’t you go out with me? You’re not low-hanging fruit or whatever you called yourself that day. I’ll put in whatever effort you want me to, but you gotta give me a chance. I can’t stop thinking about you, sweet thing. And goddammit if having your hands on me right now even in a clinical way, isn’t turning me the fuck on.”

“That’s just the Xanax you took.”

He chuckles and my traitorous pussy floods with arousal. “I’m pretty sure we both know that’s patently false.”

“You are a flirt.”

“I’m actually not. I am friendly. I’m from Texas, I grew up waving to strangers from the front seat of my daddy’s pick-up truck. But I don’t flirt. Especially here. Since I’ve been here in California, I’ve been on exactly three dates, one of which was an awards ceremony, and I took my baby sister with me.”

“The other two?” I find myself asking.

“Never made it past dinner on either of them.”

I swallow thickly, then move over to the laptop the studio provided me for the medical records. I roll over to him on the stool, still determined to keep my eyes off his perfect ass.

“How did you even get into this line of work?” I ask him while I click around on the trackpad trying to find his records.

I had done some modeling and it was not my thing. I wanted to do stunts. That was my training, mostly with horses, but evidently that line of work is harder to break into. I was up for a big modeling campaign.” He’s laying with his head on his crossed arms and this his eyes tilt up to me. “It was for tighty-whities. Anyways, one thing led to another and the next thing I knew I was asked to do a butt scene in a huge blockbuster and let’s just say it was the butt that launched my career.”

“But you never had any desire to act? With like your face, or whatever?” I laugh. “That sounds weird, but you know what I mean.”

“I do and no. I never wanted to be an actor. I just came out here to have a bit of an adventure for a little while.” He glances over his shoulder at his injury, then gives me a little grin.

“I’d say you’re doing it.”

chapter four

Maxine

I call my friend Shayla from the car. Shayla was a couple of years ahead of me in med school, and just started working at one of the top plastic surgery centers in the area.

Yes, I know. A plastic surgery center in LA. Seems pretty clichéd, right?

But Shayla is an excellent doctor, who worked her ass off. Since she came from a family who couldn’t afford to pay for her schooling, I figure I can’t blame her for going into an industry that will shower her with money so she can pay off her student loans.

Rather than calling the office, I call her private number, assuming she will let it roll to voicemail. This isn’t the kind of place you can get a last-minute appointment.

To my surprise, she picks up.

“Hey, sweetie. How’s it going in the slums of the movie industry?”

“It’s as horrible as you can imagine.” I clear my throat. “Speaking of my job…”

She laughs. “What can I do for you?”

I quickly fill Shayla in on the situation with Andrew. She clucks her tongue in amusement when I describe his injury and immediately sees where I am going with the phone call. “I can’t squeeze him in for an appointment today.”