Naughty Neuro, page 1
Naughty Neuro
Copyright © 2020 by Karen Deen
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in either, electronic, paper hard copy, photocopying, recorded or any other form of reproduction without the written permission of the author. No part of this book either in part or whole may be reproduced into or stored in a retrieval system or distributed without the written permission of the author.
This book is a work of fiction. Characters, names, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual events, locations or persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
The author acknowledges the trademark status and owners of products referred to in this fiction which have been used without permission. The publication and use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with or sponsored by the trademark owners.
Published by Karen Deen
Formatted by Opium House Creatives
Edited by Contagious Edits
Cover Design by Opium House Creatives
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Karen Deen has been a lover of romance novels and happily-ever-after stories for as long as she can remember. Reaching a point in her life where she wanted to explore her own dreams, Karen decided now was the time to finally write some of her own stories. For years, all of her characters have been forming story lines in her head, just waiting for the right time to bust free.
In 2016, Karen put pen to paper for the first time, with Zach and Emily being the first characters fighting to have their story written. From that first word, she hasn’t been able to stop. Publishing Love’s Wall (her first novel in the Time to Love Series) in 2017 has ignited her passion to continue writing and bring more of her characters to life.
Karen is married to her loving husband and high school sweetheart. Together, they live the crazy life of parents to three children. She is balancing her life between a career as an accountant by day and writer of romance novels by night. Living in the beautiful coastal town of Kiama, Australia, Karen loves to enjoy time with her family and friends in her beautiful surroundings.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Firstly, a big thank you must go to you, my beautiful readers.
You continue to encourage me to write and show my characters love by reading my books. For this I will always be grateful. I write to make people feel good and take time to relax in a world where you can laugh, smile, and sometimes cry (hopefully for good reasons). The book world is a safe place for us all and can be whatever you want it to be. Thank you for choosing to live in my FF world for a while. It is a pity we can’t all live there permanently!
To my husband – you are my leading man, and it has always been you. Thank you for loving me and standing next to me on my journey.
To my three children – My dream is for you to live your dream. Keep searching because sometimes it’s where you never expected it to be. Just like your mother who never thought she would ever get to live this dream.
Linda and the team at Foreword PR and Marketing, you rock! Thank you for helping me show the world my stories. Along with calming me in those freak-out moments and then kicking me along when I am stalling. I could not do this without you. From the bottom of my heart, I send you my gratitude.
My beta girls catch me when I fall. Thank you to Vicki, Linda, Shelbie, Di and Nicole. You make me laugh and keep me from crying. The messages we all have at such weird times of the day and night about things that would let people know how crazy we really are if they saw them. I love all our crazy as much as I love you girls!
To my special friend – grateful for you and your guidance every single day. For the snort my water over my desk laughs and the shoulder that you give me to cry on. You are such a genuine, beautiful soul, and I am blessed to have you in my life.
Thank you is never enough for the wonderful work from my editor Lindsay at Contagious Edits. She has the patience of a saint and always manages to help me get over the line with her encouragement. Plus, she never complains how many commas I miss and words I love to repeat. As much as I am sure she would love to.
A special thanks to Nurse Kevin who made sure my medical lingo was as close as it could be within reason in a fictional story.
My covers make me swoon, and I love every single one of them. Thank you to Sarah Paige at Opium House Creatives for your awesome work designing them. Also, for your proofreading and formatting to make the books look the best they can. Your job at making me look good is hard, I am sure, but you pull it off every time.
To my friends and family who are so patient with not seeing me when I get so far buried in my writing there is only time to eat and sleep. Your support means the world to me. Just remember, I am less crazy when I am writing, so I am actually doing you all a favor. Love you all.
Lastly, thank you to all the fellow authors, bloggers, promoters, and anyone in the book world who shares my work, gives me encouragement, or helps me along the way. Together we are stronger and lift each other to fly together.
I hope you are enjoying my other FF boys, and I am looking forward to bringing you more.
Thank you all for reading Naughty Neuro and watching Tate and Bella find their way.
Remember, sometimes love is messy, but it is still your kind of love.
Happy Reading
Karen xoxo
CONTACT
For all the news on upcoming books, visit Karen at:
www.karendeen.com.au
Karen@karendeen.com.au
Facebook: Karen Deen Author
Instagram: karendeen_author
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
EPILOGUE
Dedication
To all those who work in the medical world and spend their lives saving ours.
I will always be grateful.
1
Tate
“YOU’RE A PRICK, you know that?” she yelled as I closed the door behind me.
I always tell them how it is, straight up before the clothes come off. They agree, I’m all about consent, and it’s great.
Then… we finished.
The look in her eyes told me she hadn’t listened to a word I said.
Her body language telling me it’s time for me to move. She was snuggling in for the cuddle and then the words would follow. ‘Stay the night with me.’
I tell them and tell them.
I don’t do sleepovers!
Why can’t they just see it for what it is. A good time. No strings attached, no commitment. We both get what we want or need. It feels great, relieves stress. No one gets hurt.
But no, they always want more.
If they thought about it before the post-orgasm glow, they would realize I’m not boyfriend material. Not even close.
I’m a player. I can’t deny that.
I don’t always want to be this way. My life isn’t currently cut out for the ties that come with being in a relationship. That’s not to say I don’t want one. For the right person things would be different, I’d be different. I don’t even need to search for her, because she’s so close it hurts, yet I know I can never touch her. Instead, I bury my torture by sleeping around.
Working as a neurosurgeon at Mercy Hospital, my life is not always my own. A negative that comes from being one of the best in the business, or so they keep telling me.
I’m in demand and not in a good way. I get the cases that others won’t attempt.
Others say I have a big ego, but I need to be cocky to even brave some of the surgeries I do. My success rate speaks for itself.
Climbing into my Porsche, I sit for a moment leaning against the head rest, contemplating why women chase me.
Is it my job and the prestige, or my money? I know my reputation of being good in bed is well-known and totally true. It just comes from years of experience. But what is it that has them all wanting more?
Do any of them even bother to look past my big cock, the way I can use it, and then the lifestyle that can go with it?
Starting the car, I shift into gear and pull out of the parking spot. Imagining Clarissa inside messaging her friends, telling them what an ass I am. Nothing I don’t already know.
Time to head home to sleep. I never know what tomorrow brings in my world. I always need to plan for the best and be prepared for the worst.
~
My morning hasn’t been too bad. Besides the death stare from Clarissa as I walk onto the unit to do my rounds.
It’s nothing new. I’ve dodged plenty of daggers before now. Best way to handle it is to put on the charm and further piss them off. They move on quickly enough.
I don’t go out of my way to hurt them, totally the opposite. By making them understand I’m not worth it, it saves them from feeling any pain.
“Morning, ladies.” I give them the charismatic Tate smile and wink as I pass.
As expected, I hear the ‘love’ from the three female nurses huddled around Clarissa, two of whom I have previously slept with and the third one is gay so she’s happy to join the Hate Tate party today. Kevin, my only male nurse ally on the unit today, falls into step beside me to help with my rounds.
“Wow, you’re popular here again this morning, Doctor M. Feeling the love, are we?” Kevin laughs as we enter the first room.
“Oh, definitely. I’m sure they’re all comparing notes as we speak. Now, let’s get onto some more interesting things, like how Mrs. Spinelli’s brain is feeling this morning, shall we?”
Picking up her chart, we both switch into professional mode. We can all joke and carry on between each other, but when it comes to my patients, I’m deadly serious. Even if Clarissa had to assist me today, I know without a doubt she too would be professional the whole time until we walk out of the room.
“I’m really pleased with your progress, Mrs. Spinelli. If things continue like this, we’ll have you home in no time, cooking for the family and all the bambini grandchildren.”
She smiles up at me through tears at the mention of her family, and I see her husband, who never leaves her side, squeeze her hand with all the love he has. He doesn’t say much, but I know his life would stop if something happened to his wife of fifty-three years.
“Just no dancing on the tables yet, okay?”
“You didn’t say anything about the chairs, though.” She laughs with her cheeky smile.
“I have to watch you, don’t I? Keep an eye on her, Kevin, otherwise she’ll be having a dance party in here tonight.”
We all have a laugh as I move on to the next room.
~
“Thanks, Kevin, I’ll be back later to check on Mr. Chester, but page me if there’s any change in his temperature.” I leave the unit to head to my office and wink at the ladies again just to keep my asshole status going. Sitting at my desk, I open my laptop. So far, today has been a normal day—well, as normal as it can be.
Until…
That one email that turns my day to shit with just two words! It’s the rotation roster for my next group of interns. Six future doctors who think they’ve got what it takes to become a specialist doctor or a neurosurgeon, which are at the top of the doctor chain, in my eyes.
We are the ones that all junior doctors, at one point, want to be. We work on the brain, for god’s sake. How damn cool is that? Every day I pinch myself that this is my life. Saving people’s lives by operating on one of the most important organs in their body.
The heart specialists will argue that point… but they’ve got nothing on the brain. My eyes start skimming down the list. Six interns in total for me to torture over their six months of trying to impress me.
John Bricker – that’s an unfortunate name to grow up with. Too close to dick or prick. I hope he doesn’t live up to that name.
Scott Lowen – I’d heard about this guy in the hospital. Thinks he’s a hot shot. Well, this’ll be fun. I’ll take that chip off his shoulder.
Molly Hollo – This is her last rotation before she graduates, so she should be full of knowledge. Let’s see if she has the edge she needs for this specialty. I love to see the passion in new doctors.
Andy Lawson – First time in rotation. Will either want to impress or fly under the radar. Remains to be seen.
Stuart Finn – Another know-it-all. Plus, from what the ladies tell me, he is trying to work his way through the female nurses, without much success. There are only a few of us who have that talent.
Arabella Garrett – Fuck! Just fuck!
Those two words!
They are bound to cause me a world of pain.
My best friend’s little sister.
I knew this day might come, but I’d hoped she would be teamed with one of my colleagues.
Grayson’s going to kill me!
I’ve known Arabella since she was just older than a baby. Watching her toddling after Gray and us boys when we all became friends in high school. She was a super cute little sister to us all. Then when their mom died, we all stepped in to protect her from the outside world of hurt. She had been through enough, and we made a pact ensuring she would never be so broken again.
Gray warned Lex, Mason, and me the day she turned eighteen. Arabella wasn’t the little girl we left behind when we were all away at college or forging our careers. She was off limits for anything except being his sister. No looking, touching, kissing, flirting, and definitely no fucking.
Taking one look at her in the skintight white dress she wore to her eighteenth birthday party was enough to know that fulfilling Gray’s rules was going to be hard. Hard being the word of the day! I remember that night like it was yesterday. It was the first time I thought about her in ways you should never think about a sister. Even if she is a pretend sister!
Now, staring at my email, I know it’s too late to have her swapped to another doctor without offending her. Bella would have her notification email already. If I tell her I don’t want her under me, I know what she’ll think.
Shit! That’s not a vision I need to be thinking about. Snap out of it, you horn dog. By assigning another doctor, she’ll think I have no confidence in her. Which is totally the opposite of how I feel. She is doing amazing as an intern. All the reports I’ve seen show what natural talent she has. I know neurology is not where she wants to focus her career, but it’s such an important part of any doctor’s training. Knowing how the brain affects the body can help a diagnosis.
Bella is a born pediatrics specialist. I’ve seen her with children on the unit, talking and treating from teenagers down to the little ones. They respond to her, and you can see the light in her eyes while she’s with them. I need to discuss this with her and see if she’s okay working with me. Maybe it’s not my decision to change this. The thought of her changing actually worries me more than putting up with seeing her every day.
The more I think about it, I actually don’t want her working with my colleague. Because if she’s not with me then she ends up on Dr. Zoran’s list, and that’s not an option. He considers his female interns’ fair game to seduce. I might be a man-whore, but I never abuse my power in a relationship or any work position.
There have been times I’ve felt I needed to report what I suspected, then he changes his tactics at the last minute and I have to back out. He runs a fine line between what is acceptable and what’s not. It just seems too much of a coincidence that every night shift he works, he rosters on a single female intern to work with him, on her own. Why it is never a male is just a little obvious to me.
I have other emails to sort through, trying to push my thoughts of Arabella aside, I know full well it won’t leave my mind until I deal with it.
My phone rings. I look at the name lighting up the screen.
Well, can the day get any better?
“Hey, you in your office?” Gray’s voice booms down the phone.
“Yeah, why?” I’m still distracted by my emails and want to avoid the topic of the one I keep going back to.
“Just letting you know I’m off this afternoon so won’t be running to the court with you. Meet you there.”
“Okay, man. You’re obviously just afraid I’ll show you up. At least I won’t have to take it easy on you by slow jogging so you can keep pace.” I can’t help but chuckle.
“Whatever, you idiot. Got to go. About to get busy, you know, helping bring a human into the world. The most important thing in this hospital. Being a real doctor.” I hear him laughing as he hangs up the phone.
He has to be kidding. Sure, being a Gynecologist/Obstetrician is impressive, it just doesn’t compete with operating on brains.
Grayson is one of my best friends, and although we give each other shit, every day all day, I couldn’t live this life without him, Mason, or Lex. It’s just the way it is. We function as a unit. There’s something about your friends, you can’t put it in words easily. Well, I can’t. I just know that they have my back and I have theirs. It’s that simple.
