Chapter Nineteen Jennifer
Chapter Nineteen
Jennifer
Although I know exactly how Daniel would react to this situation, I force a polite smile at the man who’s given me an inexplicable sense of dread since the moment I met him.
Julian. I don‘t know him, I truly don‘t.
And yet, he only has to look at me for a second and I feel a wave of anxiety wash over me
It‘s so different from the feeling I get when I look at Daniel.
Julian strolls into the room, his suit sharp but his smile sharper, as if he owns the place.
Everyone here knows who truly does. His swagger reeks of arrogance, and his eyes gleam with a calculating amusement that makes my stomach churn. Not in a good way, I‘d like to add.
“Nurse, I need some help here,” he says casually, sitting down on the narrow hospital bed, despite my comment to not sit down yet, as it‘s not sanitized yet.
This asshole won‘t even let me do my job right.
Thank God Daniel wouldn‘t fire me. If this would‘ve happened at the hospital and my boss would‘ve noticed, I‘d get fired before I could say the word but.
No excuses, even if it was a shitty person who simply didn‘t listen to basic instructions.
Wait a second suddenly turns into go ahead. For Julian, at least.
I‘m so glad the rest of the guys who came to see me were chill, or else I might lose my shit. “Sure,” I reply, keeping my tone professional despite the unease creeping up my spine. “What happened? How can I help you?”
I’ve only met Julian twice—once when he introduced himself on my first day here, and another time when we briefly crossed paths in the hallway.
But something about him sets me on edge.
His presence feels like a warning sign, flashing red in my mind.
Maybe it‘s because I know how Daniel feels about him.
It‘s probably making me dislike him as well.
“Well,” he starts, leaning back like he has all the time in the world, “Daniel dumped another one of his shitty tasks on me, and, unfortunately, I got hurt. The guy I was meeting to hand off the drugs? Totally stoned out of his mind.” I nod, my polite mask slipping slightly as he continues.
Daniel, or actually, no one here ever tells me these kinds of details—why is Julian so eager to share them?
“What exactly happened? How did the guy hurt you?” I ask, focusing on staying calm and professional.
Julian chuckles, the sound grating on my nerves.
“Tried to stab me. You don’t know anything, do you?
” he laughs at me. Or, is he laughing about me?
“What do you mean?” I question, unsure of how to continue.
Why can‘t he just get to the point already? “The doctor who worked here before at least knew what to do in this case. But you? Jesus. I told Daniel putting a woman in this position was a mistake, but he wouldn’t listen.” I bristle but keep my voice even.
“What do you expect me to do? Did he seriously injure you? Did he stab you with a needle? Inject something in your body?”
Julian wears that typical villain smirk you’d see in a movie. “Nah, not really. Just scared the shit out of me.”
I groan, not hiding my resentment anymore. “Then why are you even here? I‘m not the one to go to if you‘re mentally unwell. You got somebody else for that, don’t you?” I ask, my patience fraying despite my best efforts. I‘m really not a rude person. But my hatred for him gets worse every second.
His stupid grin widens as if he can sense my irritation. “Maybe I just wanted some company. That a crime, sweetheart?” It really is not, but maybe in his case, it should be considered one.
Before I can respond, the door opens, and my savior walks in. Daniel. Oh, thank God. His presence fills the room, commanding and unyielding. “Jennifer, I was—” His soft gaze hardens the instant he spots Julian. His jaw tightens, and his voice drops
“What are you doing here?” He‘s scary when he‘s mad. But in this moment, he makes me feel the safest I‘ve ever felt around him. He makes me feel protected, and that‘s all I need right now. Protection. Safety. Care.
Julian smirks at him, clearly enjoying the tension. “Getting some help. Your nurse here is very attentive.” I glance between them, unsure of how to diffuse the situation. “I was just—”
“Jennifer.” Daniel looks at me. I sigh, frustrated of everything going on. “I’ll get to you as soon as I’ve taken care of Julian, I promise.” The annoying man on my right laughs. “Yeah, Daniel. She needs to take care of me first, you know.”
Finally, I don’t bother trying to hide my true feelings towards him and scoff. He might be my patient right now, but later, I’m not even going to look into the direction of this asshole.
“Get out,” Daniel growls, cutting me off before I can say something I’d regret later.
His tone leaves no room for argument. And besides that, I don’t think I want to make Julian my enemy.
He’s scary enough as it is. Though I’d usually never let anyone disrespect me, the last thing I’d want now is a man like him who I could count as my enemy. Absolutely not.
Julian stands, still smirking as he shakes his head, and looks down at me before leaving.
“I’ll be back when I actually need something,” he says, his voice dripping with mockery.
It annoys me, but I choose to stay quiet until he finally gets out of my sight.
Once he is gone, the room feels smaller, the air charged with unspoken words.
“What was that?” Daniel asks, his voice low but filled with restrained anger. “What do you mean?” I counter, meeting his intense gaze. “The way you looked at him. Like you wanted to hop on his dick right in front of me.” I scoff, crossing my arms.
“Are you serious? I was doing my job, Daniel.” His eyes darken, and he steps closer, his presence overwhelming. “Your job is to treat him if he’s hurt—not flirt with him.”
“I wasn’t flirting!” I snap, heat rising in my cheeks.
“What am I supposed to do? Ignore him when he’s hurt just because you don’t like him?
He’s a patient here like anybody else, whether you enjoy it or not.
If you expect me to work for you, then let me.
And stop being so...” Jealous? Possessive? Obsessive? What is it, exactly?
“Listen, pretty. What you’re supposed to do is serve him if he is hurt, that’s right. Not make a show out of it and make him believe he has a chance to fuck your cunt.” I scoff, not believing the words he just said to me. He’s unbelievable. Really.
“Jealous because Julian has a bigger chance of fucking me than you do?” He doesn’t.
He never would. But Daniel doesn’t know that.
And for some fucked up reason, it excites me to see how Daniel reacts when I get him mad.
When I push him. Just like I did before.
“Trust me, pretty. I could fuck you on this little desk of yours right now if I wanted to.”
Something about his words makes me squeeze my legs together, heat puddling between them. However, instead of playing it safe, I challenge him even more, refusing to let go of the heat that’s lit up between us so suddenly.
“You’re so sure about yourself, aren’t you?” I question him. “If you think you could, try it. Come on.”
His eyes close as he tries to control his breathing, while I smirk at the fight I’m about to win.
“Don’t lie to yourself. You wanted to rip that dress off me that evening, didn’t you?
That’s why you left as soon your driver parked the car in front of the mansion.
” I step closer to him, challenging both him and me.
I have no idea where my confidence comes from, but for some reason, I enjoy this.
Teasing him. Bringing him to his limits, knowing damn well what the consequences could be.
“Isn’t it true, Daniel?” I ask, looking up into his eyes.
His brown eyes light up with a hint of uncertainty, probably unsure of what to do.
If he should teach me manners or if he should make sure to not overstep boundaries written in our work contract.
Screw that, who am I kidding. I doubt that work contract is even legal.
In either case, I don’t think that this work contract is something he cares about.
It’s just another illusion to make me feel like I’m in control of the situation, though we both know I never was.
His gaze drops to my lips, and the tension between us becomes unbearable.
“You’re playing a dangerous game here, pretty girl,” he murmurs.
Something about his tone makes my knees weak. But I refuse to back down. “And what game are you playing, Daniel? Because if you think you’re going to scare me off, think again.” He leans in, his breath warm against my skin.
“You think you can handle my world, Jennifer? You think you can handle me?” I swallow hard, the heat between us igniting something reckless inside me.
“Try me.” “You don’t know what you’re asking for,” he says, his voice rough.
“Maybe I do,” I reply softly, my eyes never leaving his as he leans closer, scanning my every move.
The heat of his gaze almost feels like a flame on my skin.
“Yeah? Even Julian couldn’t even handle one simple task, huh?
” he mumbles. “And you seriously think you could? Could you live with me, knowing about all the shit I’m doing?
” he continues. “All the lives I took from men. All the men I tortured, stabbed or the endless number of bodies I shot until I was sure they were dead, at last?”
I gulp, thinking back to the night I challenged him for the first time.
The night he left me after we arrived back at the mansion. If he really was as sexually frustrated like I thought he was, or if he just didn’t want to harm me with the truth, I still don’t know until this day.
“I could,” I answer truthfully. “I’ve seen it all, Daniel. Just as you said.” His right hand lifts to my cheek, stroking it softly as he whispers against my lips. “My pretty girl. You should know your place. Please don’t make this harder than it already is for yourself,” he groans.
For a moment, I think he’ll close the distance between us. His hand brushes my cheek, a gesture so tender, it’s almost too cruel for my soul to endure. But then he pulls back, and unexpectedly, his expression remains guarded as he puts some distance between us.
He looks completely different from the man who was about to kiss me just seconds ago. I sigh internally at the absence of his touch, the sudden distance leaving me frustrated.
“Are you a scaredy cat?” I ask.
He shakes his head.
“If I’m the cat, you’d be the mouse I’d catch and devour for dinner.” And with that, he turns and leaves, leaving me alone with the lingering heat of his presence and a storm of emotions I can’t quite sort through.