Surviving Doctor Vincent: The Good Doctor Trilogy Book 2
Read Surviving Doctor Vincent: The Good Doctor Trilogy Book 2 Online
Authors: Renea Mason
Tags: #Psychological, #Medical, #Doctor, #Mystery, #Bdsm, #nage, #Bondage, #polyamorous, #erotic, #bisexual, #Mé, #Sex, #Suspense, #Menage, #Erotica
“Sexy, fun and so creative it makes my head spin! I’d read the damn phone book if Renea Mason wrote it.”
~NYT and USA TODAY bestselling author ROBYN PETERMAN~
Curing Doctor Vincent – Book #1
Winner of the Shameless Book Club Awards – Most Original Plot
~ Reviews for Curing Doctor Vincent, Book 1 of The Good Doctor Trilogy ~
“Renea Mason has once again stripped a genre and built something completely unique and magnificent!”
~ Robin, Book Reads and Reviews
“This book is SO MUCH MORE than an erotic romance. Of course, the sex is smokin’ hot, and kinky... but the story behind it all? THAT is what kept me reading page after page. I couldn’t put it down.”
~ Ashley, Book Junkie: Not so Anonymous
“The Doctor will consume you, leaving you breathless, with an insatiable need for more. The story is well crafted, the mystery of the doctor is compelling, and the men are mouth-watering. Another five-star read from Ms. Mason.”
~Nicole, Books N Pearls
“Fast paced and interestingly HOT.”
~ Beckey, In the Pages of a Good Book
“Hot and sizzling... move over Mr. Grey... Dr. Vincent is in!!... This story, while very hot and at times unconventional, is at its heart about love, healing and growth. If you enjoy any of these elements, along with a healthy dose of spicy eroticism, then this story is very much for you.”
~ Amy, My Crazy Book Addiction
“Renea Mason has a way of taking the erotic and turning it into a spectacular story. There is plenty of hot sex in this one, but it is more about self-realization and life-changing discoveries. It is beautifully written and the Parisian backdrop only enhances the eroticism. If you like your smut with a little more substance, this book is perfect!”
~ Amanda, A Bookaholic’s Fix: Feeding the Addiction
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Surviving Doctor Vincent
The Good Doctor Trilogy – Book Two
Copyright © 2015 by Renea Mason. All rights reserved.
Published by
Secret Hungers Publishing
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and events are entirely fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Except in the case of brief quotations for the purpose of critical analysis or review, this book may not be reproduced in any form (print, electronic, audio or any other format), in whole or in part, without the express permission of the author.
This includes uploading the book in whole or in part to Internet sites that distribute pirated materials. In these cases, perpetrators may be subject to penalties for copyright infringement and other laws intended to protect the integrity of published works. Stop book pirating by only purchasing and downloading books from major reputable retailers.
Cover Designed by
Alchemy Book Covers
Edited by Nancy Cassidy at
The Red Pen Coach
Print & E-Book Interior Layout by
Ryan Fitzgerald
First eBook edition – October 20, 2015
First print edition – October 27, 2015
First audio book edition – Coming soon...
Due to the dynamic nature of the Internet, website links contained within this book may be outdated and/or no longer valid.
Revision: October 2015
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~ Dedication & Acknowledgement ~
This book is dedicated to my husband Steven—the most wonderful and supportive man in the world. None of this would be possible without him.
To my fellow authors and mentors who have given me support and sage advice on this journey.
As always, thank you to my wonderful family and friends, who have been patient through my insanity.
I’d like to thank the Mad Ones who rocked beta-edits to help make the good doctor behave. They have my undying gratitude for their continued support—The Mad Masons beta-readers – Tiffany Dover, Lisa Errion, Elizabeth Robbins, Ashley Bodette, Beckey White, Sky Tillery, Crissy Sutcliffe, Amy Habel, Nicole Ulery, Robin Malone, Sharie Robinson, Tammy Becraft, Libby Sinclair, Tamera McIntosh, Lauren Luman, Dina Alexander, Christa Hins, Dawn Stewart, Julie Ayling, Hazel Lewis, and Amanda Miller. This story wouldn’t be the same without them!
Distance
“H
e asked me to marry him.” My sister, Gretchen, placed her hand on the table. The breathtaking, emerald-cut diamond ring sparkled in the midday sunlight that streamed through the restaurant window. James, Gretchen’s soon-to-be husband, didn’t only have great taste in women.
“Oh my God, I’m so excited for you!” I wanted my declaration to hold true, but my own selfishness stood in the way. Gretchen was my only family. In recent weeks, I had come to depend on our weekly chats. I should be content with her news—happy even. My issues were my own. It wasn’t her fault I fell in love with the man responsible for saving her life—the great Dr. Xavier Vincent—only to find my love unrequited. The declarations he made in my office, after our week in Paris, proved to be nothing more than fiction.
“The ring is gorgeous.” I grasped her fingers and lifted her hand to examine channel set stones accenting a center gem. “Have you set a date?” Silently, I hoped her life away from me would be decades from today. Even though she was old enough to attend college, I would always consider her my baby sister.
Her bright smile and rounded face radiated happiness. She exuded joy. After trapping a stray auburn strand of hair behind her ear, she blurted out, “Christmas. We’re going to get married at Christmas.”
I didn’t mean to sound incredulous, but the words escaped before I could pull them back. “That’s less than a year.”
Her smile faded. “I know, but since I’ve learned that time isn’t guaranteed, I don’t want to waste any.” She sat up straight and adjusted the pink and gray blouse that added to her youthful appearance.
How could I argue with her? The cancer almost took her from me once. I smiled, brushing my uncertainty for the future aside. “Of course, and James is a great guy. I couldn’t be happier for you.” I took a sip of water from the clear glass. “Why Christmas?”
“We wanted a winter wedding—he’ll be done with school and December is the only time his family can make the trip here from Alaska.” She clutched her fork in her hand. “Speaking of Alaska...”
I chewed the bite of salad, swallowed, and wiped my lips with the napkin, giving her my full, but apprehensive, attention.
She sipped her coffee then stared into the mug as she spoke, “After the wedding, we’re going to live with his parents.”
It took all my resolve not to yell. She couldn’t leave me. I needed her right now. She was all I had left. “You’re moving to Alaska?” The question sounded petulant when it hit the air.
She reached over and grabbed my hand. “Elaine, you can come visit. You can even stay with us. Their house is huge from what James has told me.”
The conversation made enthusiasm impossible. I pushed the leaves of lettuce around my plate.
She was always the optimistic one. “Look, Elaine, I know you think me being married will make things difficult. I won’t let it come between us. I really love him, and I love you too. It isn’t a choice. I have enough for both of you.” She patted the back of my hand.
Her statement amplified the childishness of my actions. “I’m happy for you. I really am. I’ll just miss you.”
“I’ll miss you too, but we barely see each other now. I’m always at school. Life won’t be any different. You can still call me to talk. We can even video chat.”
My world would change. I would be officially alone. There was a long awkward silence as I stared at my food. My last tie to anything normal—gone.
“So, I told you my big news, what have you been hiding during our phone conversations?” She arched an eyebrow. Her expression filled with anticipation.
I folded the napkin on my lap. “Nothing.” I was irritated with her; I had no right to be. She deserved to be happy after all she had been through. My mood, a direct reflection of my inability to move past the doctor, was my own stupidity—my own heartache. I shouldn’t have allowed myself to fall in love with someone so larger-than-life, so truly untouchable. With the wounds still fresh, the last thing I wanted to discuss was Xavier...or Paris. Gretchen’s wedding announcement deepened the void I had been falling into for the past several weeks. What a mess. Could I even explain what transpired? I should never have boarded that plane to France and pretended I was capable of handling the disappointment. I had accepted that it was my choice to indulge in his proposal—the sex. But falling in love with him had been the unwelcome side effect. He returned my affection, but his abrupt departure only served to deepen the wound. Fucking hope.
Gretchen groaned. “You’re going to make me pull the information out of you, aren’t you? Come on, any sexy men at work?”
I sipped my water, allowing the liquid to swish in my mouth while I considered the best answer. Careful, I didn’t want to lie. Not to her. “At work? No.”
“You went to Europe and have said next to nothing about the trip. Surely, there is something worth telling.”
Busted. I’d mentioned the excursion the night the doctor’s invitation arrived. I’d called Gretchen to see if she could take care of Prince—the marble tabby I’d inherited when a neighbor abandoned him after moving. However, after receiving the doctor’s offer of a weeklong tryst in Paris, featuring him and two other men, I’d shut the rest of the world out, including Gretchen. Sure, we’d engaged in small talk, but I’d focused the conversations on her. My time was best spent trying to forget Paris ever happened.
“It was...interesting.” I glanced at the table beside us when an old man with a bad toupee let out a loud chuckle of laughter.
Gretchen’s focus didn’t waver. “Interesting? Art is interesting, a foreign city...that’s exciting. Didn’t you go sightseeing?”
“I saw a few landmarks.” And some more than stimulating art—the gallery. The Rainmaker. Images of Marco, Sebastian and the doctor, making a meal of me in Le Jules Verne, came flooding back. Xavier’s surrender on his knees in the Opera House still haunted me. I sighed and leaned my head to the side, trying to dislodge the thought.
“Like?” she asked, pulling me from my reverie.
“The Eiffel Tower and the Opera House.” Better to leave out the details. I placed a fork full of lettuce in my mouth while I prepared to change the subject.
“What about Dr. Vincent? Did you get to meet him? You said he was the one who invited you.”
I choked on leafy greens, coughed, and covered my mouth with the napkin I’d had draped across my lap. What would she think of me if I told her exactly what had happened? About how I went to Paris, had kinky sex with three strangers and fell in love, only to be led on by one of the most powerful men in the world. Should I tell her about how I’d acted like a ridiculous schoolgirl since then, hoping he’d call?
Thinking about my time with him caused heat to flood my cheeks, fueled by both desire and frustration. How would I ever be able to explain my indiscretion? That week was all I dreamed about—the good and the bad of it all.
She swirled the water in her glass. “Elaine, what’s wrong? You’ve been edgy ever since I got here.”
“Gretchen, it’s not you. I swear. I’m so excited for you.” I forced a faint smile in an attempt to show the happiness I wanted to feel for her.
“You don’t seem excited. It’s not like you to hide things from me.”
I sighed, placing the napkin back in my lap. “I’d tell you, but I don’t want you to think less of me.”
She smiled. “Elaine, I love you. You can tell me anything.”