Chapter Sixty-three Estera Roberts’ POV (Present Time)

I was scared. I was scared shitless. The very thought of seeking Evan out after everything frightened me. And so I put it off and kept procrastinating. Ashley and Ameera encouraged me to get it over with, but they didn't understand. If I seek him out, we will have to talk extensively and I will ask him why he didn't come after me, and even though he told me in that hotel room that he loves me, I was scared of the stack reality of our journey. He married the woman his father wanted him to marry after I left. He went on with his life. His mother knew where I was for all those time at Harvard, so he should have known too, but still, he didn't come for me, not once, not even a letter.
I'm not going to lie. That hurt like hell even far more than what his parents did to me. Because I had expected it. I had expected him to come for me and he never did. Maybe whatever he felt for me wasn’t as strong as I imagined and my marital status was just some clerical mistake. I just didn’t want to probe too far and get exactly what I feared.
Thankfully, our lives went back to the boring routine, and we looked forward to ending our internship. I overheard some of the other interns discussing leaving Memorial hospital for other equally reputable hospitals. Ashley and Ameera hadn't made up their mind yet. And I decided to leave it open, mainly because of Doctor Cole Foster. I really enjoyed working with him and my other colleagues, but then his expectations in regards to our relationship somewhat made hanging out with him a little awkward now. Unlike before when I wasn’t quite sure what he wanted and we were just enjoying the undercurrent attraction simmering between us. Then Evan had shown up, reminding me, that no other man could compare to him. And now I’m in constant conflict of whether to continue to wait for him or give Cole a chance at least.
Cole invited me for dinner four weeks after the strip gig, and I decided to honor the invitation. He was hush-hush about the venue and I was blown away when I discovered it was at the mayor’s house. I was glad I had listened to him when he said to dress fancy. He wore a black slim-fit suit that molded his manly frame so beautifully. I was so proud to be his date. I swore I could see almost all the women there giving me a jealous glare. And I loved the way he kept introducing me as Doctor Roberts; one of the best doctors at Memorial hospital. I later understood why he was doing that, about four private hospital directors were present and he even got one to invite me to assist in a particular delicate surgery. The mayor must have heard us talking because he joined us and Cole introduced me immediately.
“She is one of the brilliant minds we were lucky to recruit three years ago, she will be finishing her internship in two weeks now. I doubt Memorial would want to lose her—”
“Such glowing praise and from one of the best Surgeons in the world, Doctor Roberts, you are so lucky!” the mayor said, beaming at me.
“Believe me, I have bruises to show for those reviews—” I said, giving him a side glance. The others laughed. Cole merely smiled, not looking my way and when he did, his eyes were dark and intense. ‘Christ! He is such a beautiful man!’ I thought to myself. A slow grin tugged the corners of his lips as if he could see through me and knew my thoughts. I swallowed and looked away.
“I’m certainly looking forward to working alongside you and doctor Foster, we are always on the lookout for new and brilliant doctors, perhaps we could convince you to join our team—-my apologies doctor Foster, for poaching your protégée right under your nose,” one of the director’s said. Cole chuckled.
“It’s only fair, I would have done so myself,” he replied, taking a sip from his wine.
The night went beautifully and when we got back to my apartment, and he asked if he could come in, I said yes. Ashley and Ameera had separate plans of their own and I was glad to have the apartment to myself, albeit temporarily.
Cole took off his suit when we entered my room and I stepped out of my heels.
“This is small but nice, maybe next time I will show you my place before dropping you off—”
“You live in Manhattan, right?”
“Yes,” he said.
“I bet it’s one of those fancy apartments with rooftop swimming pools—”
“Don’t hate, Roberts,” he replied with a chuckle I picked one of my throw pillows and threw it at him. He dodged it, causing it to fall uselessly on the floor. He picked it up and stalked towards me.
I screeched, running to a corner of the room. He caught me, holding me by the shoulders, as he used the pillow to hit me repeatedly on the face.
I couldn’t stop laughing, especially when he said, “You should learn to respect your elders, Dr. Roberts. Now say uncle—” I fell against his front laughing, and he didn’t stop hitting me in the face. Catching him unaware, I snatched the pillow from him and used it to hit him on the chest and then in the face. He lifted me off of the floor, and I clung to him. He walked to the closest wall to pin me against it, so he could retrieve the pillow from me and when I realized I was cornered I threw it over his head to the bed. He levelled a laughing gaze at me and I lean forward to press my forehead on his chin, giggling. When I raised my face, I realized the position we were in. My back was pressed to the wall and my legs were wrapped around his hips with his groin pressed against the apex of my open legs. His eyes suddenly went very dark and I swallowed. My eyes lowered to his lips, and he leaned forward to take my lips. I shut my eyes and let him seduce me.