Letting us fall on to the bed, I teased her neck with a quick nibble before answering, “I’m not sure. Maybe if you were actually wearing something more revealing … I could be inclined to go a few rounds.”
Rolling us, she perched herself on top and lifted her top over her head. “Someone needs to be persuaded, huh?”
“That’s some pretty strong persuasion,” I managed to say before her lips landed on mine.
Even though I was able to escape to San Diego tonight, instead of waiting until tomorrow, I still had work to do. So after I’d gotten enough of her to hold me over, she let me get to work. Fortunately, midnight was the cut off time. Thank God for online assignments.
Problem was, I had zero ability to control myself. Leeann was stretched out diagonally across the bed while I leaned against the headboard. She was lying on her stomach, knees bent, feet in the air and crossed at the ankles. The angle she was at allowed me to see the expressions that flitted across her face as she read her book. There was the occasional sigh, she nibbled on her bottom lip in concentration at times, and there was even the periodic eye widening in surprise. She was one hundred percent enchanting … I couldn’t help myself. I had to touch her again. Preferably at that little spot of exposed skin where her waistband sat low and her shirt rode up. Setting my sights on it, I moved quietly.
“Hey!” she squealed as my lips touched the soft skin of her hip. “That doesn’t feel like you’re doing your work.”
Chuckling, I pressed my lips to another spot, higher up. Until Leeann, I’d had no idea a low back could be so damn sexy. “Glad you picked up on that, or I’d have thought I was doing something wrong,” I said between kisses.
She tensed when my lips came closer to her ticklish hip. This time I teased her a little more with the tip of my tongue. She let out a long breath as she relaxed and clearly tried getting me back on task with a chastising tone, “Jonathan…”
Even my name sounded sexy coming from her lips. Moving up her back, I nudged her shirt higher as I went. “What? Don’t blame me. It’s your fault I’m distracted.”
She quickly rolled to face me and defend herself. Anticipating the move, I positioned myself above her and smirked down at her surprised face. A moment later, she asked, “How is it my fault you were distracted? I didn’t do anything.”
I buried my face in her neck and teased the sensitive spot below her ear, pulling a sigh from her.
“Sure you did. You’re doing it right now, and it’s too sexy to ignore.” She gasped as my teeth grazed her skin.
“What could I have possibly done to distract you so thoroughly?” Her breathy voice had me smiling, my body responding further. Kissing her neck once more, I lifted my head to find her eyes and confessed, “Breathe, Leeann … all you have to do is breathe.”
“Damn,” she said low and under her breath. It was possible she didn’t mean to say it out loud, but I smiled at it. She managed to gather her thoughts before saying more, “You really know how to say the best things, you know that.”
Placing a quick kiss to her lips, I smiled. “What can I say, I’m gifted,” I joked, fearing the heavy emotions that began to fill the space around us. It was getting harder and harder to contain them, especially now that we only got to see each other on weekends. I wasn’t sure if the distance heightened the way I felt about her, or if the distance allowed me to feel it more acutely. Nevertheless, it was there, threatening to spill out.
She chuckled. “I’d say so.”
But the serious look on my face caught her attention, cutting her off. Her eyebrows scrunched together as she watched me, clearly trying to figure out what was going on in my head. When her fingers tenderly stroked over my cheek and then ran through my hair, I decided it was time. Time to tell her.
“It’s really not hard to say the things I say. In fact, there’s barely any effort involved. It would be more of a challenge to keep me from blurting them.” My tone was serious, but affectionate. I needed to convey the sincerity of my words when we were accustomed to jokes and sarcasm. When she didn’t say anything, I pushed on and dove headfirst. “Which is why it’s so easy for me to tell you … I love you.”
Leeann’s eyes widened, and she sucked in a gasp. Silence stretched between us for a few moments, but it wasn’t awkward. I could see her processing, and I knew she might need to do just that, but I refused to give her space or distance to do it. So with our gazes locked, I waited for her response. It didn’t have to be an I love you, although that would be great, but I would accept anything that wasn’t her running away. Even when her eyes filled with tears, I waited, barely breathing. A tear trickled from each eye, out the side and into her hair, and I fought the need to chase them down and comfort her. I didn’t want to look away because I needed to see her expression when she accepted it.
Then the corners of her lips lifted slightly and began to form the sweetest smile I’d ever known. My breath caught in my throat as hope overwhelmed me. When a small, hesitant laugh escaped her, I almost died from the fear she’d refuse me. But instead she said, “Is it cheesy or cliché for me to say, I love you too? Because I do … love you.”
When my breath finally dislodged, it escaped in a huff as I smiled down at her. Shaking my head, I replied, “I don’t think so. Unless you don’t mean it, that is.”
Her smile stretched and lit up her face. The tears that had gathered in her eyes now escaped freely as she stared up at me. “No, I definitely mean it. I love you, Jonathan.”
“Thank God,” I joked on an exasperated sigh before sealing my lips over hers, thoroughly, completely, and happily distracted from the work I was supposed to be doing.
My schedule was strangely light today, and I found myself with nothing to do. Being as it was a Monday, I was curious about my schedule the rest of the week. Sometimes, when patients finished their prescribed treatment plans, there was a short gap in time where they were waiting for approval to continue care. This could be one of those times. It didn’t occur often, and I decided to take the opportunity to go around and restock supplies.
Smiling to myself, I thought about the past weekend with Jonathan. It’d been two weeks since he’d told me he loved me, and I still couldn’t get over how giddy it made me when I thought about it. From luststruck to lovesick with three little words. Well, that wasn’t true. The love I felt was obviously there before he’d startled me into realizing it was okay to say it back to him. Maybe that made me a bit of a coward, but I preferred to think of it as cautious. Yeah, that sounded better than coward.
I’d just finished replenishing the new electrode packets when my manager suddenly appeared at my side. “Hey Lee, you got a minute?”
Startled, my hand flew to my chest on a gasp. “Rick, I didn’t hear you come up behind me.”
Rick gave me a sheepish smile and looked behind him to where the treatment bay was littered with patients and therapists in various states of work. “Sorry, didn’t think that was possible in a room such as this.”
I huffed a laugh as I stood from the stool. “You’d think so, but I guess I was so engrossed in what I was doing.” Or daydreaming about my boyfriend.
It was Rick’s turn to laugh as he gave me a knowing look and shook his head, fully aware of my sarcastic nature. A second later he schooled his expression and admittedly looked a little flustered. “Listen, Lee, we need to talk. Let’s go down to my office.”
Rick gestured in the direction of his office, and I immediately didn’t like the feeling of anxiety that crept into my chest. “Um, sure,” I said hesitantly, setting down the box I was using to carry stuff.
This doesn’t sound good, I thought as I watched Rick lead the way out of the treatment area. This felt remarkably similar to the time I was summoned to the principal’s office in fifth grade. Except I didn’t just shove Casey Scott to the ground for taking my lunch.
Examining his face, I noticed his typically relaxed demeanor was nowhere to be found. In its place was a mixture of anxiety and di
scomfort. This, in turn, made my anxiety return full force.
“Take a seat,” Rick said as he closed the door. Bosses only closed doors when they didn’t want people to hear what was going on inside. And if he didn’t want people to hear, that meant it wasn’t a good thing.
“You know…” I paused to swallow and wet my suddenly dry mouth, “I’ve concluded that closing the office door is never a good thing for the employee in these types of situations. So maybe you could leave it open?” My voice was a little shaky, but I was pleased with the joking manner in which I delivered it.
It was when Rick gave a sympathetic look that my stomach bottomed out. Something unpleasant was definitely about to happen. “All right, Rick, you’re scaring me here. What’s going on?”
I watched as he dropped into his chair like the weight of the world was on his shoulders. He sighed and scrubbed his hands over his face. When they fell to his lap and he fixed his gaze on me, he looked overtired. “Lee, there’s been a complaint made against you.”
“Excuse me? What kind of complaint?” I asked with an indignant tone, letting my defensiveness show on my face. Perfect I was not, but complain about me? Oh hell no!
Rick put his hands up, motioning for me to settle down. It was annoying and had the exact opposite effect. My nostrils flared as I took in a deep, slow breath, giving him the impression I was calming down, when in fact I was trying to contain my irritation. He continued, and the words he said next shocked the shit out of me.
“A sexual harassment complaint has been made against you,” he said in a resolute tone.
My eyes went wide and my body went stock still as I let his words soak in. This was not a good thing at all. I mean, I’d never been in a situation like this and had no idea what it meant. Suddenly I wished I’d paid closer attention to that video about sexual harassment they forced new employees to watch. Though I was pretty sure it only mapped out inappropriate behavior and how to report such things if you felt threatened. Funny, I was feeling a little threatened at the moment.
Realizing I needed to say something, defend myself, anything except sit there and look like an idiot, I shook my head. This had to be a joke. Right? I latched onto that idea and a delirious sounding laugh escaped me. “Ha, very funny Rick. You really had me going there for a second…”
My words trailed off when he didn’t laugh with me, and his sympathetic look remained. He didn’t say anything, just sat there and waited. All the air left me, and I slumped in my seat as I whispered in a weak, pathetic voice, “I don’t understand.”
Rick leaned his arms on the desk and said, “I know. It’s a complicated process and there are rules and procedure I have to follow when this happens. It’s not personal.”
Not personal? Hello, this is about me, so it sure as hell doesn’t get more personal than that!
“Okay,” I offered as I waited to hear what wasn’t personal to him.
“Your schedule for the afternoon has been cleared, and I’ve been instructed to send you home.”
“What? Wait a second … by who?” I blurted. If I was sent home, how the hell was I going to defend myself? Rick’s hands annoyingly hushed me again. Clamping my mouth, I held back and let him speak.
“I can’t answer that. But when a complaint such as this is filed, you are asked to leave the office immediately so an investigation can be made. They can’t very well do that while you’re here, can they?”
“I guess not.” My tone was a little less than a growl, and my teeth were clenched as I spoke. At this point, I could give a rat’s ass whether it was inappropriate behavior. But the thought of leaving and letting my career hang precariously in the balance, it was beyond unsettling.
“I know you’re worried, but it has to be done this way.” Rick’s attempt at reassurance was shit.
Searching for the words that wouldn’t throw me further in hot water, I finally said, “I really don’t see how sending me home is in my best interest. Surely I should be allowed to defend this ridiculous accusation. I can’t just leave!”
My voice started out sturdy and rose with each word as my anxiety of the unknown began to climb. My heart was a bass drum in my chest, and my stomach felt like it couldn’t decide if it was going north or south. I quickly scoped out the nearest trashcan, just in case. Stressful situations always had that effect on me.
Rick picked up a packet of paper from in front of him and turned it toward me to read. “This is the contract you signed when you were hired. It maps out what your rights are in this situation and what the process is. Your coworkers will be interviewed and statements will be taken, before a committee will make a decision on the complaint.”
Sweat beaded on my skin as the warmth of the office registered. This couldn’t be happening, and I begged Rick to see how wrong this was. “Rick. Please … you have to know this isn’t true…”
His face showed a little more compassion as he cocked his head to the side. “I can’t say what the company’s position is on the matter, but I, for one, don’t believe it, and my statement will reflect just that.” He sighed and added, “Just go home, Lee. Try not to think about it and wait for my call.”
Shaking my head, I asked, “I’m not allowed to come back until this is settled then? What about my patients? Who’s going to take care of them...”
I didn’t seem to be able to finish my sentences. There were so many thoughts bouncing around in my head that it couldn’t track a single one. I stood, not knowing what else to do. Rick followed suit and circled the desk.
Rick motioned toward the doorway as he said, “Don’t worry about your patients. I volunteered to treat them personally. They’re in good hands.”
That was only slightly reassuring. I knew Rick was good with the patients, but that didn’t stop me from making sure he knew a few things. “Okay, just make sure you start out gentle with Mr. Turner. If you start with too much pressure, he just tenses up and it makes things more uncomfortable for him. And Mrs. Sykes—when you put the ice packs on her, you have to start out with the towel folded in two because you have to ease her into the cold. Then after three minutes switch it to the single layer. I’ve found that works best for her.”
He nodded at my rambling, but I was happy he was listening. “Oh, and you have to keep a close eye on Mr. Jenkins when he’s doing his exercises because he cheats and always does less than he’s supposed to.” Rick put a hand on my shoulder and leveled me with a stare.
“I promise to take very good care of your patients until you get back,” he said with determination. As if he was waiting for me to respond, his eyebrows went up in question. I blinked twice, then nodded in acknowledgment. I knew they were in good hands, but they just weren’t in mine, and that bothered the hell out of me. Thank God Jonathan had already gone back up to school. He would not be happy to get rubbed on by Rick.
Together, Rick and I went to my desk and collected my purse. He waited to escort me from the office, like I was some sort of criminal. Of course, he could’ve been doing it because he was a nice guy, but the accusation only made it seem like the former. I avoided eye contact with my coworkers, not wanting to know if they knew. How embarrassing to think that they would soon. Heat crept up my neck and found its permanent resting spot on my face. I watched as the elevator doors closed and Rick disappeared from my view. When the elevator doors opened, I practically lunged for the restrooms across the lobby, dodging a few people in the process.
Once I was rid of my lunch, I slumped back against the stall wall and closed my eyes. The thought that I was even in this type of situation was ridiculous. I wiped the sweat off my forehead with the back of my hand as the anger began to set in and my mind began to process all the possibilities. Who the fuck would file such a claim, and how the hell am I going to protect myself against it?
Looking up from my current mundane reading assignment, I smiled when I saw Leeann’s picture pop up on my screen. Glancing at the clock, I noticed it was early for her to be calling since she was stil
l supposed to be at work. Answering with a teasing voice, I said, “Hey you, did you ditch work to call me because you just couldn’t wait any longer?”
When I heard a pained laugh come through the line, I knew something was wrong. “I wish that were the case.”
Sitting up and giving her my full attention, I asked, “Hey, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”
She sighed. “I’m fine, at least physically.”
“I don’t like the sound of that. Do you need me? I can be there in less than two hours if I leave now. Traffic shouldn’t be a problem yet.” Even as I said the words, I was up and pulling on a pair of jeans. I hadn’t planned on going anywhere the rest of the day since I had tons of work to get done, but if Leeann needed me, that was different.
“No, I don’t need you.” There was a pause and then a small laugh as she added, “Wait, that sounded bad. I mean, I don’t need you to come down. Although I know a hug from you might help, I know you have lots of work to do.”
Sitting down with my pants hovering around my knees, I asked, “What’s going on? I don’t like the sound of your voice.”
Another sigh reached my ears, but this time it was a little shaky, and I feared there were tears coming with her words. “I was asked to leave work today.”
“What do you mean leave?” My tone was gentle as I probed. Having seen her at work, I discarded the thought that she’d been fired as quickly as it came.
Her voice was definitely thicker when she spoke this time, “Someone filed a complaint against me…” I knew she wasn’t done yet so I just waited for her to finish. I could hear she was sniffling now and it did nothing for my patience. It was not a cool feeling knowing she was so upset and I could do nothing to comfort her. For the first time since coming back to school, I didn’t believe my past encouragements that we could have a strong relationship over a short distance. For the first time, I questioned how important it was for me to finish school up here and not where she was.
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