Total pages in book: 117
Estimated words: 115186 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 576(@200wpm)___ 461(@250wpm)___ 384(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115186 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 576(@200wpm)___ 461(@250wpm)___ 384(@300wpm)
“Think about what you just said. Coulda told me the problem when I asked. Now it’s costin’ me. Doin’ this for you, Maddie, not me.”
“If it’s costing you, that’s on you, not me, because I asked you not to get involved. You should’ve respected my request to stay out of it.”
“Stubborn.”
Hold up. He was calling her stubborn? “Huh.” Trying to avoid more verbal sparring, she took a bite of her peach. Riper than she expected, the juice ended up dribbling down her chin. She should’ve grabbed a napkin or two. Or ten. Her mistake.
Since she didn’t want to use her sleeve, she turned to head back to the kitchen to grab one. Romeo jerked her to a stop by grabbing her arm, making her very aware of her messy face. When she went to clean it off herself, he batted her hand away and wiped the sticky juice away with his thumb. He kept his heated gaze locked with hers when he plugged that thumb into his mouth.
Holy shit. It wasn’t just the action but the way he did it that made her weak in the knees and regret avoiding his bed lately.
Why did this particular man make her so damn weak? Why couldn’t it be anyone else?
When he pulled his clean thumb from between his lips, his voice was low and grumbly. “Haven’t been over lately.”
“Did—” She cleared her tight throat and tried again. “Did you miss me?”
He grabbed his crotch but didn’t hold onto it long enough for anyone to notice. Other than her, at least. “Hard not to think ‘bout you and that pussy.”
Her peach ended up forgotten in her hand as they stared at each other.
Chuck came rushing over. “Thank you, Maddie. I got it from here. Come with me, Mr. Carter, and we’ll get you started.”
Romeo just got her “started.”
Resist, Maddie.
She hoped like hell that Chuck did not hear the last thing Romeo said.
“Are you okay? You look really flushed. Are you having a hot flash?” Chuck asked.
“I’m not old enough for a hot flash.” She pressed a hand to her hot cheek. “I’m just a little warm.”
“Maybe you should cancel the rest of your appointments and go home and rest. You might be catching something.”
She caught something all right.
When she heard “Mad!” yelled through the building, she actually thought Chuck’s suggestion might be a good one. Because that voice only belonged to one person.
A quick glance at Romeo showed her that he was searching the room for the one bellowing her name.
“Mad!”
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
She heard a muffled growl—that did not come from Chuck—over the sound of her gritting teeth.
She needed to find Roger before he found her. And before he continued to spew shit loudly. Maybe she could head him off and quiet him down.
It turns out she didn’t move fast enough.
Roger beelined over to where they stood, appearing out for blood. Only she worried it wouldn’t be her blood spilled.
“Your patient is waiting for you. What are you doing?” His eyes dropped to the peach. “Not only making your patients wait but eating out on the floor? You know that’s not allowed. Besides, it’s piggish. Are you a pig, Mad?”
She waited for him to start oinking. He had done it before when someone spilled their snack.
“You know the rules. I’m going to have to write you up for that. That’s your third write-up this month. You know the three-strike rule, now I’m going to have to dock your pay.”
This was nothing new. Roger purposely looked for excuses to write up his employees. Even for the most trivial reasons so he could dock their pay. That put more money back in his pocket.
Greedy asshole.
“Remember me, Roge?”
Oh shit.
When a searing heat hit her back, the fine hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Roger had awakened the beast. The whole reason she wanted Romeo to stay out of it. If he handled this badly, she could lose her job and, knowing Roger’s pettiness, he could blackball her everywhere.
This could turn into a complete nightmare.
“Mr. Carter… How could I forget? Hopefully, your therapy is proceeding nicely.”
“Would be if I wasn’t so fu— disturbed with how you speak to your employee. Makes me wonder if I made the right decision comin’ here.”
“We have rules, Mr. Carter. Just as I’m sure your employer does, too. Without rules, it’s mayhem.”
Oh good lord.
“It’s a fuckin’ peach, Roge.”
“While it might only be a peach this time, if I let it go, what about next time? I maintain strict rules for a reason. If Mad can’t follow them, then she doesn’t belong here.”
Maddie jolted forward slightly when Romeo’s chest bumped her back. “Her goddamn name is Maddie. Or Madison. Or even Ms. Goddamn Goodson. It ain’t Mad.”
Roger blinked at Romeo’s unexpected fury. “If she doesn’t like me calling her that, she would’ve told me.”