Chapter 6
I sat at the table in the employee lounge, taking a break since I didn’t feel like going out to get lunch.
I was still full from the breakfast I had this morning.
Nashton and I met for breakfast before we went to work.
Then he laid a kiss on me so good I almost told him to strip me naked and make good love to me.
Nashton was a great kisser, and I’d never tire of the way he laid his lips on mine.
I flinched when something was slapped on the table next to my face. If it had been a few inches closer, it would’ve hit me in the face, which caused my blood to boil. I quickly jumped up to see an angry co-worker glaring down at me. Little did he know, I matched energies around here.
“That could have hit me!” I hissed, narrowing my eyes at Patrick.
He picked the files up and thrust the paper in my face. “What the hell is this? Where are my files?” he barked, slapping the paper back down on the table. I didn’t even know what the hell I was supposed to be looking at.
I reared back, not liking the tone he took with me. Patrick had a lot of nerve to even step to me like that.
“How the hell am I to know?” I yelled back. This was my job, and I needed it, but I be damned if I ever let someone talk to me like they’ve lost their mind.
“My files are missing, and you’re the only one who’s always in the file cabinet. You either tell me where they are or—”
“Or what?” I cut him off, folding my arms across my chest. If he thought to threaten me, I’d turn this place upside down. “Don’t you ever in your life try to accuse me of something I didn’t do. You’ve lost your mind with that!” I growled.
“Then where’s my file?” Patrick screamed in my face.
I drew my hand back, ready to slap him, but I was pulled away. Whoever that was who pulled me back just saved me from losing my job. I turned and saw that it was Kaye. I’d have to remember to get her something for her birthday or buy her lunch.
“He’s not worth it, Kenzlee,” she stated.
I nodded slightly and sighed deeply. “I’ll be taking the rest of the day off.”
Saying nothing to anyone else, I went to get my stuff from my locker. I walked out with my head held high. When I got home, I’d call Kaye to let her know what happened.
As soon as I got in my car, my phone rang in my purse. I set the purse in the passenger seat and took out the phone. It was Kaye calling.
“Hello?” I answered, starting my car.
“What happened back there? We had patients, and they heard y’all.”
I closed my eyes and leaned my head on the headrest. “Damn. It wasn’t my fault. He came in there screaming in my face, thinking I was scared of him. I don’t care if he’s a surgeon there. That didn’t give him the right to talk to me like that.” My blood boiled with fury at what took place.
“I’m glad I walked in when I did. If I hadn’t, you were about to hit him. Patrick always wants to be the big man when the boss is not here.”
I smacked my lips. “He had the wrong one today.” I stared out the dashboard window, and the clouds were gray. I hoped we weren’t getting any rain.
“Well, I need to get back to work. Are you coming in tomorrow?”
I nodded. “Yes. I’ll be here.”
“Okay. Talk to you later.”
I set the phone in the cup holder and put the car in reverse and backed out of the parking spot. I’d be going to the gym today. After what happened at work, I needed to use the punching bag as a way of working out my anger.
I put as much power into each punch I gave the bag, picturing Patrick’s head as the bag.
It had been a while since I had felt this way before.
Fury simmered through me, putting me in a chokehold.
It bothered me that he did that because no man had ever raised their voice to me like that.
Even when Jonathan and I were in a relationship, he never yelled at me the way Patrick did.
I wiped my forehead and sighed deeply as my chest heaved up and down.
Although I got tired, I needed this workout.
It put me in a better mindset than I had been in earlier.
“Whatever the bag did to you, it’s sorry,” a voice teasingly said.
I smiled and held the bag before I stepped away from it. I didn’t want it to hit me when I tried to move away. Removing the gloves from my hands, I set them on the floor.
“There you go, sneaking up on me again.” I wiped my forehead and glanced around for my water bottle.
Nash chuckled before he came to embrace me. I went to him willingly and rested my head on his chest. I needed this hug from him. Having him close to me like this was a joyful feeling.
“I didn’t mean to scare you if I did. What has you beating up the punching bag?” he asked, rubbing my back soothingly.
“This man at work being an asshole.”
Nash tensed up and stopped rubbing my back to pull me away from him slightly. He had a frown on his face as he stared at me with narrowed eyes. “What do you mean he was being an asshole?”
I thought nothing of it as I told him what had happened at work.
“Patrick slapped the paper on the desk, nearly slapping me in the face. He then yelled in my face as if he were right. I didn’t like that at all.
No man had ever handled me like that before.
I almost slapped him, but I was pulled back.
If I had to put my hands on him, I’d lose my job, and I didn’t want that to happen. ”
As I talked about what happened at work, I was still in disbelief at the way Patrick acted. He falsely accused me of something I didn’t do.
“Is he at work now?” Nash asked in a hard tone.
I nodded, nibbling on my bottom lip. “Yeah. He should be.”
“And where do you work again?”
I gave him the name of the vet clinic, not thinking anything of it. He kissed my forehead and took a step back away from me again.
“Are you going to be home after you leave the gym?”
I nodded, now a little confused about the way he acted. I lifted my eyes to peer at Nash. He had a mean mug on his face with his fists balled up at his side and appeared to be ready for war.
“Are you okay?”
He gave a curt nod. “Yeah. I’m good. I’ll talk to you later.”
I frowned. “Wait. What? Why? Where are you going?”
“To handle something.” Nash turned on his heels and headed out of the punching bag area.
It then dawned on me everything I told him, and the color drained from my face.
“Oh shoot! Wait!” I called after him, but it fell on deaf ears. I had to go get him because I knew if he went up to my job, I’d be losing it for real. “Nash, wait!” I called and jogged to keep up with him. He walked too fast. “Please!” I begged.
That caused him to stop walking and turn to me. I felt eyes on us, but I only had my eyes on him. The look on his face caused my heart to ache.
“We can talk outside,” I told him and walked closer to touch his arm. He flinched before he relaxed. That was a good sign. When we were outside, I turned to face him. “Please don’t do what I think you were about to do. That’s my job, and I’ll end up losing it if you go up there.”
“So? I’ll take care of you,” he growled.
That touched my heart, but that wasn’t the point. I shook my head. “No, I love what I do. I can handle Patrick. I don’t want you to get in trouble because of me either.”
“It’ll be worth it,” he snapped.
I blew air through my nose, knowing I wasn’t about to get through to him.
“Please, just let it go... for me?”
“To know that a man talked to you like that doesn’t sit right with me. Then he did that without caring that you were a woman. I don’t like to see a woman getting mistreated by a man at all. That’s not cool,” Nash ranted as he paced back and forth in front of me.
I pressed my hand to my mouth in a prayer stance. “It’s not cool, but that’s how people are in the world. You can’t change that.”
He nodded in agreement. “You’re right, but those types of people need their asses beat.”
I slapped my hand across my forehead and threw my head back. Why did he have to be so difficult?
“I’m okay now. I left work and came to get a workout in. I’ve already forgotten what happened.” The look on his face told me he didn’t believe me. “Okay, I’m trying to get over it.”
Nash pulled me back into his arms. “If something like that happens again, I don’t care what you say. I’m going off. If you need me to take care of you, I can do that too. You’ve been through a lot, and I’ll be damned if anyone else causes you problems. They’ll have to answer to me.”
I wrapped my arms around him and held him just as tight. I rested my forehead on his chest and breathed in his manly scent. He smelled so good, even with him being in the gym.
“Thank you for having my back.”
“Always, beautiful. I’m going to make sure nothing or nobody ever hurts you again.”
I believed Nashton’s words and snuggled closer into his embrace. It felt like I belonged there, locked in his arms.
“Are you in bed yet?” Nash’s deep voice enveloped me as I laid my head on my pillow.
“Yes, I’m just getting into bed. What about you?” I asked, fighting back a yawn.
“Yeah. This is early for me, but I know you get in bed early, so I tried catching you at a good time.”
I smiled. “What? I’m always in bed by ten o’clock. That’s not early. That’s late for me.”
“That’s early for me. But for you, I guess I’ll lie in bed too.”
I rolled my eyes as if he could see me. “You didn’t even have to do that. What does my being in bed have to do with you?”
“I want you to picture something for me. Although we’re on the phone, let’s block that out. You’re on your pillow, I’m on mine, and we’re talking in bed. I just want to feel close to you.”
I closed my eyes and visualized everything he had said to me.
My heart warmed at the thought of Nash being close to me.
We’ve only been talking for a short amount of time, but I felt connected to him in a way.
I loved his loyalty to me. He showed that when he was ready to go to war against one of my coworkers.
“When you put it that way, thanks for getting into bed with me.”
He chuckled. Even his laughter was deep and sexy. “Now you get it. This might even put me to sleep. If it doesn’t, I’ll turn on a Harry Potter movie.”
My eyes snapped open and widened. “What do you know about Harry Potter?”
“What do you mean, what do I know about Harry Potter? Since I was first introduced to the movies and books, I was hooked.”
A man after my own heart. He loved something else I loved. “Same here. I still have to get the books, but I have all the movies.”
“I see I gotta put you up on game.”
I smiled and snuggled deeper into my covers. I’d be going to sleep soon, but I wanted to hold off for as long as I could.
“Yeah, you do that,” I said, laughing.
“Your laugh is pretty,” Nash stated.
“I’ve never heard that before. Thanks.”
“No need to thank me, beautiful.”
We continued talking throughout the night. Whenever I tried going to sleep on Nash, he’d change the subject to something else. By the time we hung up the phone, it was after two in the morning.