Paging Dr Scott Read online

  Darcy felt his cock stir in his pants at the suggestive tone in the older man's voice, and the way Sheridan looked at him was making him feel things he hadn't in eight years.

  “I wouldn't know.”

  “Oh, don't be so coy. A beautiful man like you must have had his fare share of risky exploits.” Sheridan grinned.

  “You don't know the first thing about me and don't presume to either. Just because I let you buy me a drink doesn't mean I do this all the time,” Darcy said, his voice hard as he tried not to lose his temper at the assumption. He knew Sheridan was only flirting and going by the way he'd reacted to the attention, but still.

  “Whoa, down, boy. I wasn't insinuating anything,” Sheridan said holding his hands up in surrender. “Hey, let's start over, shall we? We seem to have gotten off on the wrong foot. My name's Sheridan and it's a pleasure to meet you.” Sheridan reached out to shake Darcy's hand if he would allow it.

  “Darcy,” he said taking the offered hand and again feeling the spark of something as the older man shook it.

  “Sheridan's an unusual name.”

  “I could say the same for yours. But I'm guessing your parents had a thing for Pride and Prejudice. The honourable Mr Darcy, I suspect,” Sheridan said with a wink as he relinquished his hold on Darcy's fingers before taking his orange juice.

  “Was after the ballet dancer actually, Darcey Bussell. My father was a fan and, well, my mother liked the name and said it would give people something to remember me by, because, after all, there are far too many Toms, Dicks, and Harrys in the world already.”

  “It's a lovely name and one that people won't forget in a hurry.”

  “What about yours? Sheridan's not really a common name,” Darcy said before taking a sip of his wine. His eyes flicked over Sheridan's strong chiselled cheekbones, up to the eyes that sparkled as they regarded him over the top of his glass.

  “I wish there was a story to tell, but sadly I don't know. My parents both died when I was very young. It's all I have left from them. I don't even know if I look more like my mother or if it's my father who gave me my stunning good looks,” Sheridan said with a laugh as he returned Darcy's gaze.

  “Oh, God, I'm sorry,” Darcy said, instinctively reaching out with his free hand to touch Sheridan's exposed forearm. “That was really insensitive of me.”

  “Hey, you couldn't have known. Besides, it was a very long time ago. I've come to terms with it now.”

  “What happened to them if you don't mind me asking?” Darcy couldn't help wanting to know more about Sheridan. He was drawn to him like a moth to the flame; he just had to get to know more about him. He'd not been this interested in another man since Grant.

  “It was a car accident. They had been out to a New Year's party and on their way home they were involved in a head-on collision with another motorist. They were killed outright. I'm told they wouldn't have felt anything and it would have been quick. There was no time to save them. The other driver was three times over the limit,” Sheridan explained.

  “I'm so sorry. You must have been really young when it happened.”

  “It's okay; it's not your fault. I was almost one when they died. It's been nearly thirty-eight years so it's not as painful as it could have been and, well, I never really knew them.”

  “So that makes you what almost thirty-nine? You don't look it,” Darcy said, a little shocked by the revelation that Sheridan was so much older than him.

  “Is that a problem that I'm older?”

  “God, no. You know what they say about older men being more experienced,” Darcy said quickly, his eyes darting away as he felt his cheeks flush with embarrassment.

  “Is that what you're here looking for, Darcy?”

  Sheridan asked as he glanced downwards, his gaze lingering on the healthy bulge in Darcy's jeans. He was clearly attracted to him.

  Darcy turned to look at Sheridan. He'd already shown he wasn't really into him after his earlier outburst, but the man seemed insistent on trying to ease more and more information out of him. Biting his lower lip nervously, he warred with his emotions, he wanted to get up and walk away; the fear of being hurt again was fresh on his mind even though it had been eight years since Grant.

  But Sheridan's eyes were blue and he couldn't help but fall into them as he looked at him.

  Pulling his gaze away, he took another sip of his wine and realised that he was almost out of alcohol again.

  He tried to regain his composure.

  “Darcy, what are you here for?” Sheridan asked again.

  Darcy had to try not to pull away as he felt the man's large hand settle on his back. Even through the layers formed by his jacket and his shirt, he could still feel the warmth of the touch against his back.

  Darcy bit his lower lip as he tried to make a coherent response to that question. Why am I really here?

  What do I want out of tonight? Do I even know? Grant really had screwed with his mind when they'd been together and he had never been able to get beyond allowing someone else to buy him a drink ever since. The only people he'd come close to letting in were Mike and his partner Nick, and although there had been discussions about having a threesome with him, he knew that there was no pressure from them. Whatever he was comfortable with was all they wanted, and so far that had just been a good friendship.

  “Here, drink this and relax a little. It's okay. I promise I won't molest you unless you want me to,” Sheridan said as he pushed another glass of red wine in front of Darcy.

  “Thanks,” Darcy mumbled as he picked up the glass and took a sip. He glanced across and saw the concern in Sheridan's eyes and he felt a little guilty that he had caused that look.

  “So, tell me more about yourself, Darcy.” Sheridan clearly wanted to move the conversation onto something that might make Darcy feel more at ease.

  “There's really not much to tell. I'm a pretty boring guy really.” Darcy looked at him and smiled softly. He knew he really ought to stop drinking but he couldn't just get up and leave. For some reason he was incredibly attracted to Sheridan who had the most gorgeous blue eyes he had ever seen. “I'm an only child and my parents don't even know I'm gay. I'm scared of hurting them, you see?

  It'll be the final nail in the proverbial coffin, so to speak. It's not enough that I didn't want to become a lawyer like my father, and his father before him. No, I had to go that one step further and break their hearts with no grandchildren and it's all because their precious little boy likes to take it up the arse,” Darcy said bitterly before taking another sip and turning away to regard the youths on the dance floor once more. He really was getting drunk here and he ought to leave before he did something he was going to regret.

  The last thing he needed right now on the night before his physical was to do something so monumentally stupid that it might jeopardise his chances of getting yet another clear record for his health.

  “Does it scare you that they won't accept you for who you are? Is that why you haven't told them?”

  Sheridan's voice sounded understanding.

  “I don't know about you, but my parents are devout Christians. Why would I want to tell them that I'm attracted to men and have sex? Why the hell would I tell someone who thinks I'm an abomination because of the way I feel?”

  Darcy turned around and stared at Sheridan. He wanted to be angry. Sheridan was clearly trying not to pass judgement on him because he was still in the closet, but his body language suggested otherwise. “Please don't pity me. I get enough of those looks at work. I don't come to a place like this to find someone to pet me and tell me that it's okay to be gay and hide who I really am.”

  “Then tell me why you're here. What it is that you truly want, because right now all I'm seeing is a gorgeous young man who's alone and afraid and if you were any farther in the closet you'd be in Narnia.”

  Darcy couldn't help the smile that crossed his lips at that comment. Looking away, he sighed. He really wasn't sure what he wanted. All he knew
was that there was something about Sheridan that drew him.

  “I want to be wanted, to be loved. Is that too much to ask for?”

  Sheridan leant in closer to Darcy, running his fingertips lightly along his forearm. He smiled when Darcy sighed and tilted his head to the right, allowing him access to his throat.

  “I'd really like to get to know you a lot better, Darcy,” Sheridan said. His voice was filled with arousal and he nipped at Darcy's fleshy earlobe while his other hand slid up Darcy's thigh towards his crotch.

  “Please…” Darcy whimpered. His eyes drifted shut while Sheridan's hand ghosted across the heavy bulge in his pants. He could feel his breath catch as his arousal built at the not unwelcome touch combined with the husky way Sheridan's voice caught on his name.

  “Please what?” Sheridan asked as he gently squeezed Darcy's shaft through the soft denim. Darcy pressed up against his palm, trying to gain more contact.

  It had been a long time since he'd been touched so openly. “Oh, God,” Darcy moaned. His eyes opened as he turned to look into Sheridan's eyes when the man pulled away almost as quickly as he had moved in to his life.

  “I'm sorry but I have to go,” Sheridan said as he pulled a pager from his pocket.

  “W-was it something I said?” Darcy asked, hating the way his voice sounded, like he was needy, despite having only met Sheridan.

  “No, never. I just have to be somewhere and it's an emergency.” Sheridan reached out and ran his fingers lightly down Darcy's cheek. “I want to see you again.” He let his fingers glide away before he picked up one of the business cards from the table and scribbled his number on the back of it. “Call me anytime.” Pressing the card into Darcy's hand, he returned Darcy's smile.

  “Thank you for the drinks,” Darcy said as he stood up, his hand going out to touch Sheridan's arm.

  “It's all right. It was my pleasure. Now as much as I could stand here and gaze into your beautiful face all night, I really have to be somewhere,” Sheridan told him before leaning in to place a soft but gentle kiss on his lips. It was a chaste kiss but it made Darcy's body tingle with anticipation. “Promise me that you'll call.”

  “I promise,” he whispered as he watched the sandy-haired man move away, smiling when he disappeared into the darkness of the club in search of his coat in the cloakroom.

  Turning back to the bar Darcy picked up his glass and finished the rest of his wine before deciding that he really had had more than enough to drink for one night. He really ought to go and rest or at least try to before he had to face going through all his sexual history with the new doctor. That was the worst thing about moving house. It meant that he had to re-register with a new practice.

  Darcy really couldn't believe his luck as he stood at the taxi rank waiting for a free cab. Things like this didn't happen to him and he really couldn't quite believe that he had been hit on by anyone, let alone someone as sexy as Sheridan. He'd probably drunk more than he should have but right now he didn't care; he was on a high from the attention. The knowledge that the beautiful older man wanted to see him again was enough to make everything so much more special.

  Chapter Two

  Darcy sat in the waiting room with his right leg bouncing nervously as he waited to be called. He really hated having his medicals but he knew it was a necessary evil. Plus, if things went the way he hoped they would with Sheridan, then maybe he would have a reason to make sure he was in good health and clean of anything. Not that he'd had unprotected sex or anything because the last time anyone had come anywhere near him he had been twenty-five so that was almost eight years ago.

  He'd been in the waiting room for almost twenty minutes now; Dr Scott was apparently running slightly late.

  Darcy had thumbed through the two copies of Top Gear and Men's Health that lay on the table in front of his seat and he was now staring at the plasma screen on the wall trying to read the news ticker tape. He really hoped that he wasn't going to have to sit here too long because there was only so much more he could stand to read about the current economic situation.

  “Darcy Reed?” a young female nurse called as she appeared near the plasma screen.

  Darcy got to his feet; he was relieved he wasn't going to have to wait much longer. He crossed the waiting room and smiled nervously at the dark-haired girl. Had he been into women she would have been just his type; she had bright blue eyes and a short dark bob, with slices of vibrant red thrown in. She was cute and all smiles as she led him around the corner and through a door. “Hey, you don't have to be nervous. You're in great hands. Dr Scott is one of the best doctors we have here. He'll take good care of you.”

  “Thanks. You know how it is, though. Performance anxiety and the like, never know if they're going to tell you something you don't want to hear,” Darcy said. Nervous laughter escaped as the nurse opened the second door down the corridor and led him into an examination room.

  “Really, you have nothing to worry about. Now if you'd like to go behind the screen and get into the gown, Dr Scott will be along shortly to do your physical. I'll be right outside if you need anything.”

  “Thank you, Kim,” Darcy said, having read her name tag.

  He glanced nervously around the room. The exam table was already set up in the centre of the room; white tissue paper covered the padded leather surface. He moved around the bed to the tall screen, his heart hammering in his chest as he looked at the tray of medical implements on the counter beside what looked like his file. He really hoped that all those implements wouldn't be needed for what he had been told was going to be a routine medical.

  Taking a deep breath, Darcy slipped behind the screen and noticed the chair. He sat down and kicked off his trainers before removing his socks and stuffing them inside. Letting out his breath, he stood and tugged his T-shirt from his waistband and pulled it up over his head before dropping it onto the chair. The chill of the room caused his nipples to harden and he glanced behind him. He was relieved to see that Kim couldn't see him from where he stood. He reached for his belt and carefully unfastened it before tugging it free. He eased the zip of his jeans down before sliding the well-loved denim down his thighs. He was relieved he had worn his white boxer briefs and not his usual boxers. Not that anyone was going to see him in his underwear, but the renewed interest he'd had after the encounter in the bar the night before had given him a reason to make more of an effort with his appearance rather than to just sling on the first pair of comfortable boxers he could find.

  He stepped out of his jeans before bending to pick them up and lay them over the chair along with his T-shirt.

  He picked up the pale blue gown and slipped it on. Darcy tried to calm his nerves as he knew that the sooner he relaxed the sooner this would be all over and he could go on his way. Darcy was relieved to find that he wasn't hard.

  The first time he'd come for a physical he'd been with Grant and he'd tried to help him relax in the car before going in and it had had the opposite effect on him. He would never live that first time down. Thankfully he was seeing a new doctor this time around, and if Kim was to be believed, he was the best there was.

  He slipped his boxer briefs off and took a shuddering breath in a last-ditch attempt to calm himself down as he heard the door open. That must be Dr Scott. He rounded the corner and moved past the man, who had his back to him as he flicked through his papers. Darcy couldn't help but feel that he somehow knew the man, yet he had never met him before in his life. It was his first visit to this practice and he'd never before been inside the clinic.

  “Now, Mr Reed, if you'd like to come and sit on the bed, Kim will take your blood pressure.”

  Darcy felt his heart beat a little faster as he crossed to the table, and moved to sit down, his body trembling slightly. The familiar form of Sheridan turned round to face him; a smile filled his face as he gave Darcy the once-over.

  Darcy was at a loss for words as he stared dumbly back at Sheridan, his gaze roaming over the lean lines of the man's b
ody. He wore tight black pants and a bright blue shirt that was open at the collar, revealing a tantalising glimpse of his smooth chest and his long neck. And it was all topped off with a white lab coat and a stethoscope slung around his neck.

  Darcy's gaze was interrupted when Kim stepped up to his side and reached out for his left arm before sliding the blood pressure cuff around his bicep. He glanced down at his lap as he tried to get himself under control. His heart thumped in his chest. He felt himself blushing as he realised that his cock had taken a renewed interest in the fact that the man from the bar the night before was his doctor.

  “Come on. It's all right, sweetie. Try and relax for me,” Kim said as she began to inflate the cuff on his arm.

  “According to your notes, you have a pretty active lifestyle and are otherwise healthy in all your normal pursuits,” Sheridan said as he read the file.

  “Blood pressure is slightly elevated at one-forty over eighty, but given you're a little nervous, it's understandable,” Kim said as she removed the cuff. Darcy rubbed at his arm where the cuff had been. “I'm going to take some blood next. They did tell you it would be a fasting test, didn't they?”

  “Yeah, I've had nothing since about half ten last night. I had a couple of drinks in a bar, but nothing since,” Darcy said as he watched Kim prepare a swab and clean his left arm. He turned away as he saw her pick up the needle.

  Catching Sheridan's eye, he felt himself colour slightly as he remembered the way the older man's hand had felt against his groin the night before.

  “Small prick.”

  Darcy couldn't help the nervous laugh that escaped at Kim's attempt to distract him as she slid the needle home to take the blood. He closed his eyes and bit his lower lip nervously so he wouldn't have to look at either the blood or Sheridan. Darcy had never felt so exposed in his life and he knew that the thin gown left nothing to the imagination.