I kept walking, ignoring the feeling building up inside. I didn’t want to feel anything. Not for him. He wore his arrogance like a blanket, and I knew there was something about him that screamed heart-breaker. I wouldn’t go down that road again. It was easier to keep disliking him than realizing I liked him too much.
Walking out into the setting sun was a relief. The breeze was cool and the sun didn’t blind me. There were people milling around, all doing their own thing. This town wasn’t huge, but it was still homey. I already liked it and hoped I’d be staying.
* * * *
I went to the local supermarket, knowing I’d need food and lots and lots of wine. By the time I made it home, I knew there was no way I’d be doing much work around the house. It was a mentally exhausting day and after driving for hours I needed to decompress. My cell phone lit up, and I sighed when I saw Jesse’s name. I hit ignore, but that didn’t stop him. Less than two minutes later, he sent a text. It was much like the others:
Baby I miss you pls take me back
Ignore. Yep, I was done and I didn’t know why he didn’t get it. I’d told him I hated him and I packed up and left to get away from him. I hadn’t changed my number, because I didn’t want to go through the hassle of contacting everyone, but if he didn’t stop soon, I would have no choice.
My phone lit up again and I groaned thinking it would be him, but it wasn’t. It was my mom.
“Hey Mom,” I said, and felt the tears blurring. What was it about hearing a mother’s voice that brought out the emotions in people? I hadn’t talked to her much.
“Hi baby. Tell me, how did it go?”
I laughed. “It was terrible, actually.”
“Why?”
I nibbled my lip, wondering if I should spill it all. “Well—I accidently saw my boss.”
Silence. “Okay? I’m not sure where there is a problem.”
“Naked. He was in his office and I walked in without knocking—stupid, I know—and he was, uh—pleasuring himself.”
My mom’s laugh didn’t make me feel better at all. “He was doing that at work?”
“I guess so, but after that, it sort of made things a little tense to start. He’s kind of a jerk, and his personality doesn’t seem to match the praise I’d heard before accepting the job.”
“Honey, give the man a break. You saw something you certainly shouldn’t have. Did you freak out?”
“Well yeah, it’s not like I planned on walking in on him.”
“So you bruised his ego?”
“How?”
“Well you probably ran off right?”
“Yeah.”
“So because you didn’t peek, like a man would have, he assumes you found something unappealing about him. Makes sense. He probably is one of those men that expect a woman to pant after him.”
I groaned. “Well, he is worthy of some panting. I did see that he’s very attractive.”
“Don’t go there. He’s your boss.”
“Duh, Mother. But I need to go. I’m tired, and I hope tomorrow is better.”
“Good luck, sweetheart.”
“’Night.” Then I hung up and sighed.
She was right. I covered my face and ran away. He probably was offended. Then I gave him a hard time. Yep, I’d screwed myself. He’d never like me now. But what did I care? I didn’t want him to like me, did I?
Chapter 4
Kendrick made sure he locked his door, even though he wasn’t doing anything questionable. He didn’t want a repeat of the day before. After he’d gone home, he realized he couldn’t get his new employee out of his mind. He actually worried she found him unattractive. She didn’t react to him like most women did. If anything, she seemed to care less about his physique.
Then he went into asshole mode and treated her like shit. He’d be lucky if she even showed. It would serve him right. He already had a plan. If she didn’t come to work, he’d go to her house. If she did, well, he’d buck up and apologize for being a prick. All of the patients commented about how sweet she was and that she was knowledgeable and had a great bedside manner. He needed to keep her.
The fact that he’d ended up jacking off to her face was a bit off-putting. She wasn’t his usual type. Not that he didn’t find curvy woman attractive—he did—but it was more because of their conflicting personalities. He found himself thinking about her all day, after work, in his sleep, and first thing when he woke up. That wasn’t him. He didn’t think about women. It was why he kept everything separate.
Tapping his foot, he found himself watching the clock, waiting for her to show up. And after ten minutes, he pushed out of his chair and pulled open his door, wondering if he’d lost her. When he went into the waiting room, he looked out and saw her car. How did he not hear her come in? Instead of staring, he stalked down the hall and then he found her wiping down the counters in one of the rooms.