by Dale Mayer
Ice nodded. “It’s not very far to drive there and come home here, is it?”
“No, but it feels odd. It’s not my home.”
Ice settled back and patted Bailey’s leg. “Okay, you can sit up again.”
Bailey sat up slowly. She was in the medical clinic with Ice to change the dressing yet again. She lowered her shirt.
Ice said, “How happy are you with your job?”
Bailey looked at Ice in surprise. “It’s okay. It’s not my favorite, but it’s a job that pays the rent.”
“Are you happy working with Alfred?”
Bailey’s face lit up. “I love working with Alfred.” And her smile fell away just as quickly. “But being here as a guest versus being here as an employee and not part of the company … Now that wouldn’t be the same thing.”
Ice tilted her head. “I don’t understand how it could be different.”
“Because I wouldn’t be eating with you at the table … I don’t know. It would just be different.”
“You certainly would eat with us at the table, just like Alfred does. You would be one of us in all ways. You would have to train for when we had emergencies. You would be given specific jobs to do when we had security breaches, like everybody else. Everyone has a station they are responsible for. When you’re here, it doesn’t matter whether the work is in the kitchen, flying helicopters or working on weapons training. You would still be part of the company.”
Bailey stared at her in surprise. “Really?”
Ice nodded. “However, I don’t want to make you uncomfortable in terms of you and Dakota.”
Bailey winced. “Dakota thinks I’m not ready for a relationship. He thinks I’m still mourning my husband.”
“Are you?”
Bailey looked at Ice. “That’s one thing about you. You’re very direct.”
“It makes things simpler,” Ice said comfortably. “Now no dodging the question. Are you?”
Bailey shook her head. “No, I don’t think so. I really want to move forward in a relationship with Dakota, but he’s friend-zoned me.” She ended that statement with a laugh. “Maybe he doesn’t care.”
Ice nodded. “Maybe you just need to find out for sure.”
“Maybe. That’s not necessarily who I am.”
Ice picked up the empty packaging and turned to clean up. “That’s who you were. Who you are now that you’ve started this whole new life is someone very different. It’s up to you to decide what part of your personality that you’ll keep.” Ice walked to the exit and smiled at her. “Think about it.”
“Think about what? Working with Alfred or Dakota?”
“Both.”
The next day was Monday. And her first day back at work. Dakota had offered to drive her as her car was still in the underground parking of her apartment building.
It was early when they arrived at her car. She got out. He checked that everything was okay, and then they said a quick good-bye. She got into her car and drove to work.
It felt better to have her own wheels. It gave her some independence again. She walked most of the time when she lived in the apartment, but now that she was so far out of town, it was nice to drive. Although it felt odd resting her back on the seat. It would be another four or five days likely before her stitches could come out. Until then the strings and bandages would irritate. But as the situation could be much worse, she didn’t feel she could complain.
She walked into work and headed for her office. That was one of the things about this job; it was very isolated. She had her own office and rarely did people stop by to see her. She got emails, invoices, requisitions and receipts and spent a lot of her day on the phone. She sat down and reoriented herself to the change in her world again.
Of course, after a week away, she had an awful lot to catch up on. She slowly moved through the backlog. By noon she still hadn’t seen anybody else.
She picked up the phone and called HR to let them know she was in the office. They noted it on her chart, but no one said anything else. Several hundred people were employed by the company, making her just a number. It made her realize she was nobody here. Someone who filled a job description, did certain duties and carried on. She wondered if anybody had noticed she hadn’t been here for a week.
By the time the end of the day rolled around, she was tired and stressed. There was a lot of work to be done here. Not only had nobody stepped in to do any of the work but customers were angry because Bailey hadn’t answered their emails. The company hadn’t so much as set up a Vacation Response on her email, saying she would be gone for a week, nor had anybody stopped by to post something on her door to let her coworkers know of her temporary absence.
She’d had to deal with several irate people when they realized she hadn’t gotten back to them or hadn’t ordered what they had assumed she’d ordered just because they’d sent an email.
When she walked out at the end of the day, she was tired, frustrated and wondering why she’d chosen a job that isolated her so much. It was amazing how angry people could be in an email. And she’d had several of those today.
She got into her car and slowly made her way to the compound. The drive was roughly fifty minutes. It would get slightly faster when she understood the routes and was comfortable with the road. But when she considered how tired she was, it added to her already long day.
She parked outside and walked in. When she checked her watch, it was 4:45. That meant Alfred had been working in the kitchen alone all day. She hurried in to see where he was. She found him, industriously mashing potatoes. She quickly set her purse and keys on a side counter and stepped into his place. “You are not doing all this by yourself.”
He glanced at her in surprise and then, with a pleased smile, said, “I figured you’d be too tired.”
“I am tired, but this is hardly work.”
She quickly finished off the mashed potatoes, put the lid on them and turned to see what was next. He was a little bit behind, but she quickly helped him catch up.
By the time the oven dinged, and he pulled out several pans full of roasted chickens, she realized how much nicer it was to come home and not be by herself but also to have proper meals again. She had let herself go so much in the last eighteen months. It was such a joy to be here and to enjoy real food eaten with a crowd of wonderful people.
Alfred announced dinnertime, while she set up the dining room table. By the time everyone arrived and stepped in to help, Alfred was already bringing out trolleys of food.
After dinner was served, Ice asked, “Bailey, how was your first day back?”
“Overworked, underpaid and lonely.”
There was silence as everyone looked at her. She gave a sheepish grin. “I said I worked alone. I have an office where no one stops by. Nobody knew I was missing, and I had several angry emails and angry phone calls, because the people who sent orders by email without getting a confirmation from me had assumed I’d taken care of everything. But I was gone for the week, and nobody even knew.”
More silence.
Rhodes said, “That’s not good.”
“Well, it was good for a long time. But it felt kind of strange going back there today.”
“And then you would have just gone home to an empty apartment, right?” Sienna asked.
Bailey nodded. “It was kind of an eye-opener to see how much I had isolated and insulated myself from the rest of the world, by picking a job where I never saw anybody else and by living alone in a place where I didn’t know any of my neighbors.” She gazed around the table and smiled. “I know more about you guys already than I know about anybody at work or in my apartment building, and I’ve only known you all for one week.”
She caught Ice and Levi exchanging glances. She didn’t understand what was going on, but she decided to ignore them. She quickly finished her meal and sat back. “I have to admit it was a pretty exhausting day.”
“Time to go rest,” Ice said firmly. “We can get the dishes done.�
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Too tired to argue, Bailey slowly got to her feet, grabbed her purse and keys from the kitchen, made her way through the dining room again and headed for the elevator. When the doors opened, she stepped in and punched the second floor.
Just as the door was about to close, Dakota joined her. She looked at him and smiled. He opened his arms, and she stepped into them. He might want to just be friends, but she was pretty damn glad to have him in her life in any capacity. He hugged her close.
When the door opened, he walked with her to her room. “You don’t have to hide away in your room, you know, just because you’re tired. There is a TV room, a living room and other lounges.”
She nodded. “But it still feels like I’m a guest, so …”
“You are a guest, but you aren’t a guest. You’re filling a unique role here now,” he said with a big grin.
“I forgot to ask at dinnertime. Any updates?” She wandered into her room, tossed her purse and keys on her bed and sat down on the edge. She shifted to the headboard with the propped up pillows and tried to get comfortable while she waited for him to answer.
“Both men are talking to the police. The mayor was hurt pretty badly. They will be charged, and we’re certain the mayor won’t be the mayor again.”
She nodded. “Lots of death. But in a way, there’s so much life here too.” She glanced at Dakota. “I definitely have friends here.”
He gave her that special smile that had surprised her when she’d first seen it because it made her heart race, something she hadn’t felt in so long. She stretched her legs and said, “We’re friends, right?”
He nodded. “Yes, of course.”
“There’s no of course,” she said. “I’m trying to figure out what our relationship is.”
“Friends,” he said in confusion. “What were you thinking we were?”
Remembering Ice’s words of wisdom, she took a deep breath. “I was hoping we were more than friends.”
He sat down on the bed beside her and patted her on the leg. She knew he didn’t mean it in any kind of demeaning way, but it was a friendly pat when she wanted so much more.
She sighed. “We’re really only friends, aren’t we?”
“No,” he said in confusion. “I don’t understand.”
She turned to look at him and smiled. “I’ll tell you what. You give me a proper kiss, and then we’ll know.”
He reared back and asked cautiously, “Kiss you?” He frowned, assessing the abrupt change in her demeanor. “I know you’re still getting over your husband. I didn’t want to push it,” he said honestly.
“I’ve been getting over my husband for a long time. The fact is, I got over him a long time ago.”
He looked at her. “If you’re sure.”
But she could tell he didn’t believe her. “You still haven’t kissed me.”
He chuckled, wrapped her up gently in his arms and gave her a kiss. It wasn’t passionate, but it was more than friendly. When he lifted his head, he said, “Have a good night.” He got up and walked out.
She stared at the door as it closed and groaned. “Well, that was a strikeout.”
She thought about it for the rest of the evening, and the next morning she got up and didn’t see him until she left for work. He stood outside her car, waiting for her. “I can drive myself now,” she said, pointing to her vehicle.
He nodded but tilted her chin up and gave her another kiss. It felt the same as the one the night before … no passion, just a loving kindness. Maybe he was scared. That thought surprised her but delighted her too; she smiled good-bye and headed into work.
And she followed that routine for the next few days.
She didn’t understand what to do or how to make him realize she was ready for more.
By the time Friday night rolled around, several of the gang had returned, and she was inundated with more strangers. There were lots of long looks shared between partners—some took off for the weekend; some stuck around for a bit, then disappeared. Dakota asked if she wanted to watch a movie.
She thought about it and nodded. “Sure.”
About eight of them watched a movie in the big living room. When it was done, she headed up toward her room. Things were still odd here.
Ice promised Bailey that she could stay until she made it to her doctor’s appointment. The trouble was, she hadn’t any thoughts as to where she would move after this. She had to find another place to live, and she just hadn’t done anything about it.
Because she didn’t want to. She wanted to stay here. Ice also hadn’t brought up any more suggestions about a job with Alfred. Bailey didn’t know if Ice had just been testing the waters or had been joking.
Bailey went to her room, leaving the door open, and just propped herself up on her bed with her tablet. Trouble was, she was restless. She wanted so much more from Dakota than he was willing to give. More than he thought she was willing to give.
Communication was the key to everything. Part of the reason she hadn’t looked for an apartment was because she wanted to stay here, and the reason she wanted to stay here was because of Dakota. Knowing that the doctor’s office was open on Saturday and that she would get her stitches out then, she also knew she had no more excuses or reasons not to move out. It was time for her and Dakota to talk.
She got up and knocked on his door. At his call to come in, she turned the knob and entered.
He was on his laptop behind a small desk. He turned to glance at her. “Hey.”
Friendly, unassuming and not pushy. She walked over and stood right beside him, grasped either side of his face, bent down and kissed him with all the passion she’d kept bottled up inside, searching for a response, needing to know if anything was between them. She’d never known anybody with such self-control, and, if that was what it was, then that was fine because she would destroy it in a big way. But, if nothing was between them, that was a whole different story. When she came up for air, he stared at her, a glazed look in his eyes.
All he murmured was, “More.”
She chuckled, lowered her head and kissed him again. She stroked her hands through his scalp, softly massaging as she gently explored his mouth, her tongue tangling with his, and yet he didn’t put his arms around her or hold her in any way. When she lifted her head the second time and stepped back, he stared at her. She could see the passion clouding his gaze.
“So why, if you felt like that,” he whispered, “haven’t you let me know before now?”
“I tried to,” she said earnestly. “But it seemed like you were always holding me at arm’s length.”
He stood up and held her in his arms carefully. “Because of your husband. Because of your back. Because your life was a mess and you were attacked.”
She reared back to stare up at him. “And none of that had anything to do with you.”
The smile dawned in the back of his eyes, and he whispered, “No, just the rescuing part.”
“All heroes are supposed to rescue damsels in distress.”
He chuckled. “I’m not hero material.”
“You absolutely are,” she whispered. “This is the band of heroes here. I can’t believe how many men—good men—live in this place.”
“Any man in particular?” he asked with a mock glare in his eyes.
She chuckled. “Just one.”
“Which one?” he asked, but this time his eyes were twinkling.
“Oh, no you don’t,” she said. She slowly disentangled her arms and stepped back.
He reached out to grab her gently. “You still have stitches.”
“Are you telling me that you can’t figure out how to make that work for us?” She shook her head in amusement. “And here I thought you guys were the best of the best.”
She didn’t make it to the door before he was there, his arms wrapped around her, holding her close against his chest. From his erection prodding against her pelvis to her breasts flattened against his chest, he held her tight.
&n
bsp; “I was waiting to make sure you had healed.”
She chuckled. “That’s nice. I’ve healed in so many ways. If my back needs an extra day or two to catch up, that doesn’t matter either.”
He lowered his head and whispered, “Are you sure?”
She whispered back, “Yes.”
She didn’t think she’d have to coax him into bed. Once he had determined that her husband was no longer an issue, he was right there.
Within moments she found herself wearing only the bandage on her back. She looked down in surprise. “How the hell did you do that?”
His chuckle was low and deep as he quickly divested himself of his clothing. “Remember, I’m the best of the best.” He arched his eyebrows at her.
She smiled, walked over to his bed and flipped back the covers on both sides. As he walked toward her, she glanced at him. “Prove it.”
And with a laugh he pulled her with him to the bed. And there followed one of the most enjoyable hours of her life. Just the sheer enjoyment of knowing they could be together, spend time together like this, exploring each other’s bodies, caressing, hugging, touching—it was extraordinary.
She found herself unexpectedly greedy. Unable to stop touching, tasting. She’d never thought she’d want another man as she had her husband. Never thought to feel the sensations rippling through her heart and soul. For a long time she’d been afraid her life was over. That there’d be no recovery. No future. She’d finally realized something would of course be down the road for her, but the exact nature had always been dark, dismal.
Now life opened up with hope. Joy.
Tears burned in the corner of her eyes, but, instead of wiping them away, she embraced them, letting them pour because they were no longer tears of pain but of letting go. Saying good-bye. And a rejoicing of being where she was now, finally at this point in her future.
“You okay?” Dakota murmured from above her, easing off her overheated skin.
Instinctively she reached up, wrapping her arms around his neck to hold him tight. “Never better.”
He gazed down at her, worry lurking in the dark depths of his eyes.
She smiled up at him. “Tears of joy. I never thought to feel this way about another man. You are so very special.”