"No," she says flatly. "I can get there on my own."
"I'll get a car to take us." I walk over to the table where I left my phone. I'll call Bill. He'll be here in less than ten minutes.
"I ordered an Uber." She waves her phone at me. "He's around the corner. I have to go now."
I don't want this. Her fingers are dancing all over the front of her neck which means she's already regretting what happened on my sofa. The nervous energy bouncing off of her is palpable.
"Let me come with you so we can talk in the car," I offer because desperation is settling in my gut and I need it gone now. I won't let her walk out of her thinking she's made a mistake.
She bows her head to look at the phone's screen. "He's almost in front of the building."
"Ad." I take a step toward her. "We need to discuss what happened."
She slips her backpack over her shoulder. "We don't. It was a game. We were playing a game."
"Don't." I exhale in a rush. "Don't say it was just a game. You know that what happened was more than that."
Her intense blue eyes skim over my face. "I don't have time to talk about this."
She didn't completely shut me down. I take that as a win right now. "When can we talk?"
She inches backward toward the door. "Tomorrow?"
"When? What time?" With every measured step she takes, I match it with one of my own.
"I have to work."
"After work then?"
She nods. "I'll be done at five."
"I'll be outside the clinic at four-fifty-nine."
The frown that covers her lips eats at my heart. "I'll go now."
I ache to follow her out, but I don't. I stand in silence as she opens my apartment door and walks out alone.
***
I sit back in my chair and listen intently as the manager of our flagship store explains away the staffing issues that she has yet to get a handle on.
"Miriam," I interrupt, because excuses have no place in my office. The people who work for me know this. I don't have the time or the inclination to listen to the mundane details of why something unacceptable has happened. "Clearly, you're not manager material."
She blows out a rush of air. "I disagree, Crew."
Of course she does. This is the third time in as many months that she's been sitting across from me giving me some bullshit reason for why we're running through sales staff at warp speed. "Explain to me why you've had three sales associates quit this month."
"I was explaining that." It never fails to amuse me that just because a person is older than I am, that they believe that's an automatic pass. Miriam is fifty-five. She came highly recommended by her last employer, a competitor whose annual sales are less than a quarter of ours.
Taking her on based on her stats on paper was a no-brainer. She's proving that I need to rethink the hiring process. "You were making excuses; poor excuses."
"What do you want from me?" She slides forward a touch in her chair. She's not going on the offense. This is a defensive move all the way.
"An explanation."
"People quit their jobs all the time." She rests her hands in her lap, a sign she's feeling somewhat confident that she'll be walking out of here with her job. I'm much less optimistic.
"Turnover has increased more than seventy-two percent since you took over the store." Statistics are my closest ally when I'm taking someone to task for their underperformance. "You're going to need to do better than trying to blame it on the fickle nature of your employees."
I'm getting to her. I sense it in the way she keeps looking at my closed office door. It's her escape route. She has no idea that I have to be out of here within the next three minutes in order to make it to where I need to be at five o'clock.
"I increased sales quotas, Crew. You had the bar set so low that virtually anyone could meet their monthly requirement. "
"You did what?"
She sighs heavily. "I gave them the choice to resign or be fired when they couldn’t make their number. Obviously, the majority of them made the right choice and resigned. The rest I had to let go. If you're not pushing those girls to work harder, you'll never see an increase in your bottom line."
"Did I miss the memo that gave you the authority to change those numbers?" I glare at her.
"I did it over at Emblem Cosmetics. No one there seemed to mind one bit."
"Then I'm sure they'll be glad to have you back on board." I stand and button my suit jacket. "You'll be given a month's severance, Miriam. Your last day officially ends in twenty minutes. Leave your keys with my assistant."
"I'm fired?" She huffs out a humorless laugh. "You're seriously firing me for trying to improve your sales numbers?"
"I'm firing you for chasing away some of the best sales associates we've had."
"Of course you'd think that." She stands and slams her hands on the top of my desk. "Every man in this business thinks with his dick first. I bet you've slept with most of the women who left. Is that what this is about?"
"I'm going to ignore that," I say calmly, although I'm anything but. I keep my hands off the women who work for me. That's a powder keg that I want no part of. "Leave, Miriam."
"Fine." She pulls the store keys from the pocket of her black pants and drops them on my desk. "I'll go work for your father. He offered me a managerial position at one of his sales offices a month ago. I should have known then that he was the only Benton worth answering to."
"Godspeed, Miriam," I quip as she walks out of my office. "You're about to enter the lion's den."
Chapter 16
Adley
Crew said he would be waiting for me outside the clinic at five o'clock. He didn't tell me that he wouldn't be alone. Ellie is next to him with Jonas holding tightly to her hand.
"Hey, Bean." I approach where the three of them are standing. I look down at Jonas. For a five-year-old, the kid has some major height. "What are you two doing in this part of town, kiddo?"
"Aunt Adley, you know why we're here." He rolls his eyes.
I have no idea why they are here. None.
"I thought you'd change before you left the clinic." Ellie scrunches her nose as she looks at my scrubs. "I guess this means you want to stop by your place first?"
I look at Crew for any hint, but he's silent and staring at me. Great.
It's been a long day. I'm cranky and tired. On top of that, I'm still trying to wrap my head around what happened between Crew and me last night.
The kiss was exactly what I wanted until we were interrupted. By the time I'd finished with the call from the clinic's answering service, the weight of what we'd done hit me full force. I jeopardized one of the most important friendships I've ever had. It was reckless. It can't happen again, even if my lips still feel tender and the ache for him has only intensified.
"We ran into Crew down the block." Ellie pats him on the back. "I'd invite him to join us, but he has to sit this one out since I only have three tickets."
Three tickets to what?
I scroll through my memories trying to latch onto anything that will clue me in to what the hell I had planned for tonight.
"You're obviously in a good mood," she says sarcastically when Crew doesn't make the expected comment about being left out in the cold. "Did you fire someone or something?"
"I did." He answers without taking his gaze off of me. "Miriam."
"You fired Miriam?" There's no mistaking the shock in Ellie's tone. "Does Nolan know? He loves her."
"He'll get over it."
She shakes her head. "He won't be happy."
He finally turns to look at her. "He will get over it, Ellie."
"So you haven't told him yet?"
Crew folds his arms across his chest. "I'll go to your place now and tell him face-to-face since it seems that my plans for this evening have fallen through."
"Can we go, Mom?" Jonas jumps in place. "I need to use the bathroom."
I jerk a thumb at the clinic. "Use the one in t
he waiting room."
Ellie takes a step forward before Crew stops her with a hand on her shoulder. He squeezes it. "Have fun tonight, Bean." Then he crouches and extends his closed fist to Jonas who goes in for a hearty fist bump. "I'll bring you some pretzels this week, Joe."
"Those chocolate covered ones?"
He messes Jonas's blonde hair before he stands upright. "An entire bag just for you."
With that Ellie scoops her son's hand back into her own and they head into the clinic leaving me alone with the man I've thought about all day.
***
"It's the circus," I mutter after seeing a taxi top display for the big top as a cab waits at the red light on the street in front of the clinic. "We're going to the circus."
"I'm glad she didn't get me a ticket." He steps closer to me. "I'm not a fan."
I'm not either but I remember four or five months ago when tickets to a fundraising circus in Brooklyn went on sale. Jonas was on board immediately, and since May had no interest in going, he invited me personally during a phone call. My heart melted and I agreed straightaway.
"I take it you forgot about your plans with them tonight," he goes on. "I'm disappointed, Ad. We need to talk."
We do but I have to admit that I'm grateful for the reprieve. I haven't had a chance to take a breath since I was called in late last night. Dr. Hunt had to perform emergency surgery on a Bassett Hound that was struck by a car. I assisted and by the time we were done, the clinic was opening for the day.
I could have left early but I need the overtime so I stuck it out.
"I know," I say quietly. "We'll talk, Crew. It just can't be tonight."
His jaw tightens. "I don't want to put this off. This is important. I can stop by your place once you're home."
I'm too tired for this. I have to think through what I want to say before we have a discussion of this magnitude. I want to salvage our friendship. That's my main goal at this point.
I turn toward him and shrug. "I don't know what time it will be over. I think we should agree to talk tomorrow night."
"I have plans tomorrow night," he says curtly. "I can make it at lunch if that works."
Although I want to ask about his plans, I don't. This is the very reason why last night should never have happened. My emotions will get tangled in knots if we take things any farther. The idea of him with another woman is already tugging on my last nerve. I can't imagine hanging out casually at Ellie and Nolan's place with him after we've fucked and decided to try to be just friends again. It won't work.
"I can't do lunch." I look over when the clinic door opens and Jonas bounces out with Ellie right behind him. "We're having a going away party at noon tomorrow for one of the lab techs. It's her last day."
I don't know why I explain that to him. He didn't elaborate on his plans.
"Are you ready to go?" Ellie wraps her arm around my shoulder. "Someone is super excited to have some popcorn."
"I'll call you tomorrow, Ad," Crew says with a sigh. "I hope the three of you have a blast."
"We will," Jonas answers for all of us. "See you later, Crew."
"Later," he responds without looking at Jonas.
I still feel his eyes on me as we start off down the block to the car and driver waiting for Ellie and Jonas. I want to turn back, but I don't. I'm scared that if I do, he won't see his best friend. He'll see just another conquest and that's not who I am.
Chapter 17
Adley
I was roused out of bed just before one o'clock by the clinic's answering service again. This time it was a cat that had gotten itself into a sewing kit. It wasn't pretty.
The woman who owns the cat was frantic by the time I met her at the clinic. Dr. Hunt arrived shortly after I did and once again, we took care of the emergency side-by-side.
"Did you get any sleep at all, Adley?" He walks into the exam room that I'm prepping for his next patient. "Not to be rude, but you look like you haven't slept in a week-and-a-half."
I feel like I haven't.
The circus was over by nine, but instead of going home to bed, I hung out on Ellie's sofa. We drank virgin daiquiris and talked about our high school days. It was fun, and I needed the time to unwind with her, but I didn't get into bed until shortly after eleven so the unexpected wake-up call was rough.
"It's not considered rude if it's the truth, Donovan."
"Do you want to head home?" He stands back and looks me over. "You can take the rest of the day off."
It’s a generous offer, but my pay is based on my presence in this place. I can't just leave. If I do that, I'll lose out on enough money to feed me for a week. "I can stick it out."
"We'll compromise." He turns to look at the cabinet that's against the wall. "You'll stay for Kim's going away party and then you'll clock out at five."
How is that a compromise? My shift ends at five.
I watch as he picks up a small bottle of vaccine before he places it on the metal tray next to the exam table. "You forgot to scan your security badge when you left today, Adley. I'll make a note on the schedule that I send to payroll that you didn't leave until five on the dot."
I get an afternoon off with pay.
"I'm forgetful like that." I bite back a grin.
He doesn't hold back as his mouth curves into a smile. "Next week let's meet to talk about school. You up for that?"
I nod. We circle this same topic every couple of months. I knew he'd bring it up any day now. He hasn't made a secret of the fact that he assumes I'll take the same path as Antonella, a woman who used to work here and will be again in two years. She left as a vet assistant and will be returning as Dr. Javier.
"Let's get our patient in here so we can give Kim the farewell party she deserves." He scans the tablet in his hand. He has no idea that a big part of me wishes that goodbye cake in the lunchroom had my name written on it.
***
"You scared me." I rub the ache in the middle of my forehead. "Never do that again."
Crew takes a step back. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. Your reaction scared the hell out of me."
I was walking toward my apartment listening to music with my earbuds in when two large hands grabbed my shoulders from behind. A knee to the groin was part of my instinctive reaction to protect myself. The quick drop of his hands to cover himself was part of his.
There's no way I could have known it was Crew behind me. The man has a stronger work ethic than I do. I would never have expected to see him in the middle of the afternoon, especially in front of my building.
"I hope I didn't hurt you." I wince.
He looks down at the front of his gray pants. It's hot out today and yet he looks cool and collected in his suit. The black button down shirt underneath and the sunglasses still resting on his nose give him just enough of an edgy look to draw the attention of most of the women passing by us on the sidewalk.
"It's still in workable order."
He's referring to the fact that he's semi-hard beneath his pants. I can see that for myself.
How do men do it? How do they wander through their day with their cocks springing up to say hello whenever they damn well please?
"I called out to you." He fingers one of the earbuds that I pulled out when I realized who I was trying to maim. "When you didn't answer I thought a tap to the shoulder would do the job."
"What job? To get yourself killed?"
He laughs a little. "I have no doubt you could kill me if you wanted to, Ad. I hope that it's not part of your agenda after the other night."
The other night. I'm still trying to process that. An afternoon nap would help me do that.
"The only thing on my agenda right now is sleep."
"You're not making a pit-stop here? You're skipping work to take a nap?" He takes off the sunglasses and his eyes cut through me. "Are you feeling all right?"
"I was called in again last night." I pull the cord from the earbuds out of my phone. "Dr. Hunt let me leave early today."
>
He stalks closer, the expression on his face indecipherable. "Are you busy tonight?"
"You have plans," I point out.
"With my sister," he explains with a sigh. "I can be free of that by ten. If you sleep now, you'll be up by then, right?"
I feel like I could sleep for a week, but I know I won't. I'll get in a few hours and that will be sufficient until late tonight.
"I just want to talk, Ad. We can meet for a drink. You pick the place."
I'm surprised that he didn't immediately suggest his club but that comes with a myriad of complications including all the women he intimately knows who hang out there on a regular basis.
They've never scared me away before and since we are still just friends, I see no reason to shy away now. "Veil East at eleven?"
His left brow twitches. "I'll be there. I'll have the manager close off the VIP area for us so we can discuss things in private."
I'm game. I don't like this awkward energy that's flowing between us. I want him to joke with me, kiss my hand and look at me the way he did before we played Truth or Dare.
"I'll see you tonight." I don't move from where I'm standing.
A slow smile blooms on his lips. "I'll count the hours, Adley."
Once he walks away, I turn back to my building. I catch Sydney walking out just as I'm about to walk in.
"Did you quit your job?" Her jaw drops. "You did it, didn't you?"
"No." I shake my head. Sometimes it's easier to tell an almost stranger your dreams and fears than it is those closest to you. I did that with Sydney early on and her confidence is something I know I can rely on. In some very narrow ways, she knows me better than Crew does, or even Ellie.
"I got the afternoon off," I go on, "I'm heading to bed for a well-deserved nap."
Her eyebrows lift. "You're in a surprise when you get up to our place, Ad."
"What surprise?" I ask suspiciously. I don't care what it is as long as it doesn't get between my bed and me.
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