He turned back around and gave me a slight smile, but it was obvious it wasn’t genuine. Whenever he was being sincere, his eyes lit up too, and they didn’t now. “If I were in a different time in my life, I would take that offer in a heartbeat. But…I’m just not. I’m pretty fucked up and I’m going to be fucked up for a really long time, and you deserve better than that.”
All I could do was digest that disappointment and really feel it, feel my joy disappear. I’d been rejected before, but it had never hurt as much as it did now. I’d downplayed my affection for him because we were worked together and he never seemed interested, but now it was obvious how much I really wanted him. It’d only been six weeks since Vince, but I was ready to at least try.
He studied me for a moment, probably seeing the disappointment plastered on my face like a neon sign. “See you around.” He turned around and walked off, walked out of my life without turning back, without a hint of regret.
I was the one who felt all the regret because I knew that man was one in a million, a shooting star that you rarely saw, an eclipse that only happened once in a millennium. And just like a shooting star, he came and went in an instant—and all I had left was the memory.
Cleo wasn’t warm like she usually was.
She was quiet, contemplative, saying very little, and never showing off her smile.
I wondered if it was because of Dex.
I shouldn’t ask, but I couldn’t help it. “What happened with Dex?”
She was staring at her computer with her fingers on the keyboard, but she wasn’t typing, like she was in a daydream. She cleared her throat before she pulled her hands from the keyboard. “He put in his two weeks.”
“He told me he got a job at a lab.”
She nodded. “Yeah, he mentioned that.” She bowed her head, as if she was overwhelmed with sadness. She inhaled a deep breath like she was trying to keep it together.
“You okay?” I asked gently.
“I…have a lot going on right now.” She cleared her throat again.
“Dex told me he wasn’t going back to medicine, so I guess your idea isn’t happening.”
She shook her head and continued to look at her computer. “Unfortunately.”
“I asked him out… He said no.”
Cleo turned to look at me for the first time. “I didn’t know you felt that way about him.”
I shrugged. “I didn’t either. But when he left without saying goodbye to me, I just felt so sad. That was when I realized how much I would miss him, how much I want him in my life. Most of the available men out there totally suck, and I can tell that Dex is special. Even before I knew he was a doctor, I knew he was special. After the way Vince hurt me, I didn’t think I was ready to date, but I had to make my move because Dex is one of a kind.” I sighed as I remembered the last time I saw him. “But he said he wasn’t interested, so…that’s that.”
She stared at me for a while, as if she wanted to say something but couldn’t decide if she should.
Then her husband walked up to her desk, his bag over his shoulder, and he looked down at her with the same lifeless expression, like he was just going through the motions to make it through the day.
She acknowledged his presence with a look.
He continued to stare, unblinking, his eyes heavy.
Wordlessly, she grabbed her things and walked off with him, not holding hands like they usually did. There were several feet between them, their affection nonexistent. I barely knew either one of them, but I’d watched their interactions since the day I started here, and I could tell something was wrong.
Really wrong.
Without Dex there, my job felt totally different.
My coworkers were great and my boss was the best, but a bit of sunshine had disappeared when Dex walked out. I didn’t even have his number to ask how he was doing, if he liked his new job.
Maybe it was better that way.
Toward the end of the workday, I pushed the cart to the residence and unlocked the door so I could carry the groceries inside and into the kitchen. My feet were killing me in these heels, so when no one was around, I kicked off my shoes and did everything barefoot.
“Can’t blame you.”
I jumped several feet into the air when I heard his deep voice. “Oh geez…” I turned to see Zach standing there in just his sweatpants, his ripped physique all tanned and hard. His hair was a little damp like he’d just gotten out of the shower. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea you were home. I would have knocked—”
“Don’t worry about it,” he said with a chuckle. “It’s a nice surprise—a beautiful woman bringing me food.”
I gave a polite smile then put the heels back on.
“Don’t do that for me. You could be naked, and I still wouldn’t care.”
Cleo warned me this would happen, that some of the tenants would hit on me, and she was right on the money. There were quite a few young billionaires in the building, playboys who were always looking for a good time. Zach was super handsome, so he didn’t need to hit on his concierge, but it was still flattering when he did. “Well, I’d be cold, so…”
“Ooh.” He waggled his eyebrows. “Even better.”
I smiled then got back to work, putting away his groceries.
He continued to stand there and watch me. “How’s your day?”
“Good. Yours?”
“If it wasn’t good, would you tell me?”
No. “Probably not.”
He smiled, showing that handsome smile. “Got to leave the office early today, so my day was really good.”
“Have any plans tonight?”
“Football.”
“That sounds nice.”
“You know what sounds really nice?” he asked. “Us getting dinner.”
I rolled my eyes as I put away the last of his groceries. “I’m sure you have plenty of other women on your hook to take to dinner. You don’t need me.”
“Yeah, but they don’t have that smile and those gorgeous eyes…in addition to all your other gorgeous features.” He leaned against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest, showing that sexy, brooding nature I liked.
It was ironic that this place was crawling with handsome eligible bachelors, but they were all off-limits—including Dex. “I actually have a date tonight.”
He shook his head. “You could have a better date…”
I chuckled slightly then closed all the pantry doors. “I’m flattered, but not gonna happen.”
He covered his heart with his big hands, making a cringe like a bullet pierced his flesh. “Oh baby, you’re breaking my heart.” His smile returned, his eyes playful.
“Come on, you don’t get your heart broken. You’re the one who breaks hearts.”
He lowered his hands and gave a shrug. “You got me there.”
“I already had my heart broken recently, and I’m not eager to do it again so soon.” I left the kitchen and headed to the front door.
He followed me. “What happened?”
I opened the door and turned back to him. “Found out he was married…with two kids.”
He cringed, and this time, it seemed sincere. “What a dick. Same thing happened to me one time. I was dating this woman, and I found out she was married when her husband jumped me as I walked out of the building.”
“Oh geez…”
“Yeah.” He shook his head. “Don’t get married if you aren’t going to be married, you know?”
Maybe this guy wasn’t as much of a player as I thought. “Yeah.”
“Well, thanks for the groceries.” He gave me a wink before turning back into his residence. “And if you ever change your mind, you know where to find me.”
A guy asked me out at the grocery store. I was running an errand for a client, and we stood in line together at the checkout counter. He was handsome and easy to talk to, and he made a few jokes about the items in my cart, so I agreed to it.
It was time to get back on the hor
se.
We met at a bar, something casual and cheap. He told me about his contracting business, though he talked about himself a lot. But he was nice enough and had a nice smile. He was no Dex but still worth my time.
I must have been thinking about Dex more than I should because my eyes flicked across the bar, and I saw him sitting there at a table, talking to a couple guys. I blinked a few times and narrowed my eyes, thinking my mind was playing tricks on me.
But nope. It was him.
He sat across from them with a dark IPA in front of him, wearing a long-sleeved olive-green sweater that fit his sculpted shoulders nicely. There was a smile on his lips, but it wasn’t the bright and vibrant one he used to wear. He dropped his gaze a lot but inserted a laugh when it was appropriate. Maybe he fooled his friends, but from where I sat across the bar, he didn’t fool me.
“My dad wanted me to work in an office, but I’d rather do stuff with my hands. And I like being my own boss. I don’t think I could ever work for someone else.”
I took a drink of my wine and watched Dex turn his gaze out the window, looking into the darkness, the neon lights from the shops across the street, intermittently blocked by the traffic passing on the street. I didn’t know Dex that well, but I used to see him at work all the time, so I was accustomed to the different expressions he made. When I had a hard time, he comforted me, and now I wanted to do the same—but I suspected he didn’t want me to.
My date looked over his shoulder to follow my gaze. “You know him?”
I didn’t realize my stare was so obvious—and rude. “Yeah, we used to work together. He’s going through a hard time.”
He turned back to me and took another drink of his beer. “So you, like, wait on the rich and famous?”
“Yeah, something like that.”
“What kind of famous people?”
“You know, actresses, directors, people like that.”
“I mean specifically.”
“Oh, I’m not allowed to say.” If I ever shared that information, it would probably never be traced back to me, but I would honor the NDA I signed. I liked my job and would never jeopardize it.
“Come on. Who am I gonna tell?”
I shrugged and glanced at the table. Dex said goodbye to his friends, exchanging those bro-like hand clasps. Then the guys left their beers and cash behind and walked out of the bar. Dex didn’t join them and chose to stay behind—even though it looked like he didn’t want to be there.
My date noticed my stare once more. “You want to go over there?”
My eyes shifted back to him, and even though I was being so rude to this guy, I couldn’t help it. “Do you mind? I’m sorry… He’s a friend of mine.”
“Sure.” His tone indicated it wasn’t fine at all, and he threw his money on the table without saying goodbye to me. It probably wasn’t fun to have a date with a woman who kept looking at another guy—a super-hot guy. So that was fair.
After he walked away, I grabbed my glass of wine and headed over to Dex.
That was when I noticed another woman headed his way—clearly to make a move.
Damn, she didn’t waste any time.
I raced her to the table and purposely cut her off so Dex wouldn’t be able to see her behind me. “Mind if I join you?”
He turned away from the window and looked up at me, and a nice smile spread over his lips, the first genuine one he’d shown that night in the bar. His eyes lit up too, even though it didn’t last long. “Please.”
The woman behind me released a loud and exaggerated sigh so I would hear her before she walked away.
I ignored her and fell into the chair across from him.
He looked me over before he took a drink, as if he were checking me out but didn’t care if I knew what he was doing. “Here with some friends?”
“A date, actually.”
He nodded slowly. “I’m guessing that date didn’t end well.”
I shrugged it off. “He wasn’t my type anyway.”
“What is your type?”
I stared at him for a few seconds, looking into those stunning rich brown eyes, seeing the inherent kindness in his gaze, his good heart. “Um…a good person.”
He grabbed his bottle and took a drink. “Good answer. I don’t hear that often.”
After sleeping with a married man, I had very different priorities. “How are you? How’s the lab?”
“It’s fine.” He took another drink. “Normal hours and good pay.”
It didn’t sound like he enjoyed the job at all. “No plumbing problems?”
He chuckled, his expression relaxing at my joke. “That’s a major upgrade.”
“What kind of lab work do you do?”
“Chemical titrations, mixing solutions for medical-grade products, just a bunch of mindless mumbo jumbo.”
That didn’t sound mindless to me at all, but I thought it was sexy that he never took himself too seriously. My date acted like he won a Nobel by opening his own construction company and couldn’t stop bragging about his success, but Dex was interested in topics outside his livelihood. He was the humblest guy I’d ever met. But a lion didn’t know they were a lion, right?
“It’s not the same without you.”
“Cleo will find my replacement overnight. Hopefully, the residents lay off the viruses for a bit before that happens.” He grabbed his beer and took another drink, his eyes slightly melancholy like something popped into his head. Underneath his collar, a thick vein ran up his neck, like everything underneath his clothes was so hard and tight that veins bulged everywhere.
“She’s been down lately.”
He lifted his chin and looked at me again, his eyes freezing on my face. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. Really down. I didn’t ask her what’s wrong because it’s none of my business, but she’s not herself. I think it’s something personal because when her husband comes to her desk, they hardly say two words to each other. They just aren’t the lovey-dovey couple they usually are.”
He released a quiet breath before he turned his head to look out the window, his expression blank but his eyes pained. He held that position for a long time, looking into the night as if I weren’t there anymore.
Watching him made me realize I was missing a piece of his puzzle, that there was more to him I’d never noticed before. Cleo asked me to work for him if she could convince him to go back to his practice, but I just assumed she was invested in everyone she cared about. Now I wondered if that wasn’t the case. “She’s more than your boss, isn’t she?”
He turned back to me, to look at me head on.
And that was when I saw it—those features and the hint of a smile that I’d seen in another face.
“She’s my mom.”
I felt a quick moment of humiliation that I processed in private, thinking about what I’d confessed a few days ago. I’d even told her that Dex was hot…like an idiot. She seemed cool with it, but it was still a bit embarrassing. “Why did you keep that a secret?”
“She didn’t want people to suspect nepotism.”
“But if you grew up in that building…”
“Matt is the only one who knows because he’s worked with my mom forever. Everyone else is relatively new.”
When Tony screamed at Dex and me, and Cleo put him in his place, I realized that really was a mama bear coming out with teeth and claws. I remembered the way she would smile at Dex in a special way, the way he would run over to help her with anything remotely heavy so she wouldn’t have to carry it. “That’s sweet that you guys are so close.”
“Yeah…” He dropped his gaze again.
“You quit your job because of her.” It started to make sense now. Cleo’s sadness, along with her husband’s, came from Dex’s decision to leave the building.
“Yeah.” He grabbed his beer but didn’t take a drink. “When I quit medicine, I asked if I could work with her. I wanted an easy, stress-free job. Dad said no, but my mom caved. I enjoyed the job. I enjo
yed spending more time with my mom. I enjoyed seeing my dad every day when he came home from work.”
Now I knew exactly where Dex got his hotness from because Cleo’s husband was one good-looking guy. He had to be in his fifties or sixties, but he looked like he was in his thirties. It was amazing how you could preserve your youth if you worked hard at it. And it didn’t look like he got Botox or plastic surgery.
“But they’ve always been disappointed in my decision to leave my field.” He swirled the beer in his bottle, his elbow resting on the table. “It’s always been a source of tension. Then my father crossed the line a couple weeks ago. We haven’t spoken since. I left the job because I realized I couldn’t see either one of them regularly.”
When I looked at our interactions in retrospect, it was obvious how close he was with his family. They were a tight-knit group. It was heartbreaking to think that had changed permanently. “What did he do?”
He stopped swirling his bottle and looked at me. “Some woman emailed me and asked me to operate on her husband. I informed her I was no longer practicing medicine. She went to my dad’s office and somehow convinced him to ambush me in their condo. She sobbed her eyes out and pleaded until I agreed to take his file.” He dropped his gaze and looked at his beer. “It was just a betrayal…”
I couldn’t believe he’d told me because he’d always been so private, but now that we weren’t coworkers anymore, there was no reason to keep his life a secret.
“We got into a fight…” He shook his head. “Said a lot of bad shit. But I’m just so frustrated that my father won’t accept my decision. He’s never going to accept me as I am until I do what he wants.”
I didn’t offer an opinion or advice on the matter because I didn’t know any of them well enough. I just sat in silence and let him vent his pain.
After a long silence, he turned his pretty eyes back on me.
I stared back, seeing a man so handsome that he took my breath away all the time.
“You have nothing to say?” he asked quietly.
The Doctor Who Has No Ambition (Soulless Book 9) Page 13