by L. A. Witt
And what if he went after Samir? He didn’t seem like the kind of guy who’d give up easily. He’d left last night because I’d been an unexpected variable. He knew as well as I did that I couldn’t always be there to protect Samir, and all he had to do was wait until I wasn’t there. So basically…any time. Tonight. Tomorrow. Now.
Maybe he’s already been there.
I shivered, nearly dropping the dumbbell. Fuck. To hell with my set. I put the weights on the rack and hurried into the locker room. It took three tries to get my locker combination right, but it finally came open, and I fumbled with my cell phone.
I scrolled to Samir’s number. I was halfway through a frantic text when I froze. If Jesse hadn’t fucked with him, all I’d do is freak him out. Maybe start with something a little more benign. Feel him out. Just because I was in a panic didn’t mean he needed to be.
Hey, you doing ok today?
That wasn’t so bad. Hopefully he’d see it and, at worst, think I was a one-night stand without a clue, roll his eyes, and ignore it.
After the message had sent, my blood turned even colder.
What if Jesse was with him now? What if he saw the message? What if he freaked out?
Oh, shit. I stared at my phone, wishing I could will the message to unsend.
But then a reply came through:
Better than I’ve been in a long time ;)
I was so relieved, I laughed out loud. Someone a few lockers over glanced at me, but I ignored him.
Before I could regain my bearings and decide what to do next, Samir messaged me again:
Any chance I could talk you into meeting for coffee?
I blinked. Then stared. Seriously?
Well hell. Why not?
I work at seven tonight. Free before that. LMK.
Chapter 6
Samir
“His stitches are healing up nicely.” I gave Barry, the gray-muzzled little dachshund, a gentle pat. “Another two days in the cone, and I think he’ll be fine.”
Mrs. Hain nodded. “He won’t be happy about the cone, though.”
“They never are.” I chuckled and made a quick note in Barry’s chart. “I’ll send Vanessa in to finish up, and you’re both good to go.”
She smiled. “Thank you.”
I gave her a quick smile, stepped out of the exam room, dropped Barry’s chart in the rack outside the door, and changed the blue flag to yellow so my tech Vanessa would know it was her turn. Then it was on to the next room—Mirage, a Siberian husky following up after I’d removed an infected tooth.
Before I went in there, though, I checked my phone. Elliott and I had been going back and forth, attempting to make plans for coffee, and just as I’d hoped, I had a message from him.
Sounds great. See you at 5.
It was a block or so away from Wilde’s, so he wouldn’t have far to go to get to work, which meant we wouldn’t have to rush.
Grinning to myself, I pocketed my phone, then went in to check on Mirage.
As soon as I stepped into the room, she started wagging her tail, thwacking it against her owner’s leg.
“Well, someone is in a good mood.” I crouched to let her lick my hand. “We’re feeling much better, aren’t we?”
Her owner, Kelly, laughed. “She was pretty pitiful for a couple of days, but after that, she’s been back to her old self.”
“Good. That’s what we like to hear.” I patted the big dog’s neck, and she kept wagging her tail.
Her mouth was healing nicely, so aside from finishing the antibiotics I’d prescribed in the beginning, she was good to go. She even crunched happily—if carefully—on the treat I gave her, which was a vast improvement from being unable to eat a week ago.
I left the exam room and dropped her chart in the rack for Vanessa, changed the flag color, and was on my way to the next exam room when Julio, the receptionist, stopped me.
“Hey, Dr. Ramezani.”
I turned, and between his tone and his tense expression, my stomach lurched. Either we had a really horrific patient on the way in—he had as tough a time as I did with the really bad cases—or someone in particular was waiting for me at the front desk.
“What’s up?” I asked.
He gestured over his shoulder. “Uh, Jesse’s here.”
Oh fuck. Just what I needed.
I swallowed. “I’ve…” I glanced down the hall. Three exam rooms had blue flags. My schedule was packed today, and I did not have time for this. But if I didn’t see him now, he’d make a scene. Quite likely in front of patients who were waiting. That would upset the animals, and also lead to some not-so-great reviews from their owners.
Shit.
Julio shifted uncomfortably. “What should I tell him?”
God, I hated putting my employees in this position. I’d told Jesse a thousand times not to come to the clinic, but why should he start listening to me now?
I sighed. “Tell him to wait for me in my office. I’ll be along when…” I gestured at the blue flags.
Julio nodded, and headed back into the reception area. Poor kid. I seriously owed him. Running interference with my idiot boyfriend—ex-boyfriend—was not part of his job description, and Jesse made Julio really nervous. I’d have gone out and talked to Jesse myself, but I had a feeling that he’d lose his shit as soon as he saw me. So unfortunately, I had to rely on Julio to do a little damage control.
He and everyone in this clinic are getting huge Christmas gifts this year.
Then I continued into the next exam room to take care of my patient.
Once I was finished with my three waiting patients, I checked with Julio to be sure there were no emergencies.
“No.” He skimmed over the list of pets who’d checked in. “I can have Vanessa handle all of these if you need her to.”
I scanned the list. They were all fairly minor—a cat with a small abscess that needed to be drained, a recently-spayed ferret in for a routine follow up, and three dogs here for checkups and vaccines. As much as I hated pawning things off on my techs, Vanessa could handle these in her sleep.
“Have her do what she can,” I said. “Hopefully I won’t be very long.”
Grimacing, Julio nodded.
“And, um…” I cleared my throat. “I’m sorry you had to deal with him.”
“It’s okay.” He smiled, but it was obviously forced. “Just doing my job.”
“No, it’s not your job. And I shouldn’t put you in that position.” I nodded toward my office. “Hopefully this is going to be the end of it, though.”
Julio’s eyes widened. “You dumped him?”
“Yeah. Not hard enough, apparently, but…”
The smile really came to life, and he looked as relieved as I’d felt when Jesse had left last night. “That’s great. I’m glad you’re—” His teeth snapped shut, and the relief turned to horror. “Uh. I mean. It’s…”
I laughed halfheartedly. “It’s okay. It was long overdue. Anyway, let me go get him out of here, and then it’s back to business as usual.”
Julio nodded. The phone rang, so while he answered that, I headed toward my office.
Outside the door—Jesse had closed it—I stopped for a deep breath. I could do this. Elliott wasn’t here to hold my hand or kick the asshole out, but having him there last night had given me enough courage to say what needed to be said. All I had to do now was stand by that.
“Hey doc.” Vanessa’s voice turned my head. She was in the middle of pulling her brown hair up into a ponytail, her scrubs bunched around her shoulders, and her expression reminded me of Julio’s uneasy grimace. Especially when she glanced at the door I hadn’t opened yet. “Everything okay?”
I swallowed. “It will be. Are you, uh, okay with handling everyone until—”
“It’s fine.” She adjusted her ponytail, then lowered her hands. “This is what you pay me to do.”
I sighed. “I know. I just…” I gestured at the door. “Hate having you all deal with the tensio
n and…”
“Something tells me it’s worse for you than it is for us.”
“It’s also my choice.” I pushed my shoulders back. I gave the door a long look, then shot her a significant one.
She got the message, and hurried toward the exam rooms.
Leaving me. With the door. And Jesse on the other side.
I took one more deep breath, told myself I could do this, and stepped into my office.
Jesse was leaning against my desk, feet crossed at the ankles and arms crossed over his chest. He had on his usual Dallas Cowboys baseball cap, which cast a menacing shadow over his Samir fucked up and I’m pissed off face.
Which meant I needed to get and keep control of the situation before he did.
“You need to leave.” I ignored the fear brewing in my gut. Standing up to him was terrifying, but I told myself over and over he’d never be stupid enough to take a swing at me here. “Go.”
He didn’t move. “We need to talk about—”
“No. We don’t. You need to leave, and I need to not see you again.”
His eyebrows jumped so suddenly his baseball cap lifted a bit. Then his expression softened. Since he wasn’t succeeding at intimidating me, time for plan B. Letting his arms fall to his sides, he sighed. “Samir. Come on. We’ve got too much history to just—”
“For you to be rooting around in some kid’s pants at a night club?”
Instantly, his features hardened again. “Says the man who didn’t wait long to get into that fucking meathead’s ass.”
I jumped, blinked, and instantly regretted it.
He sneered. “I knew it. You fucking slept with him, didn’t you?”
Narrowing my eyes, I set my jaw. “It’s none of your business, actually.”
“But you did sleep with him.” He didn’t wait for a response before shifting back to semi-pathetic. Stepping closer to me, he said, “Samir, we both fucked up, okay? We both messed around with other people, and we—”
“No, we did not!” I took a step back to put some more space between us. “I didn’t lay a hand on anyone until after I’d told you we were done. Which was after I caught you with that kid. Don’t try to lay this on me. You cheated. I didn’t.”
Angry again. Lips pulling into a thin line, he closed that distance I’d created. I tried to take another step back but misjudged how much room I had. When my shoulders hit the door, my heart dropped into my feet.
Jesse got right up in my face. Inches away from me. Not touching, but close enough he could if he wanted to. “Enough of this bullshit. Let’s just forget last night ever happened, and—”
“What makes you think last night is the problem?” My voice shook despite my clenched teeth. “I’m done, Jesse. I want out.”
He laughed like he always did when I got pissed, and shook his head. “Baby, you just need to calm down. Okay?” He reached up and touched my face, and his caress turned my stomach.
Calling on courage I wasn’t entirely sure I actually had, I grabbed his wrist. “Stop.”
His expression darkened again. Fear coiled in my gut. If this had been just a few weeks ago, I’d have let go, broken eye contact, and begged him to forgive me. We probably would’ve had makeup sex right there over my desk again.
But I was exhausted. I was so fucking done. If he took a swing at me now, even with my colleagues and employees nearby, then whatever. Bruises healed. Teeth could be fixed.
I swallowed hard. “Get out, Jesse. I don’t want to see you again.”
“Bullshit you don’t. What will you do without me?”
The sarcastic laugh came out before I could think twice. I shoved his wrist away, then gave his chest a push so I could have some fucking breathing room, and I was genuinely shocked when he stumbled back a step. That I’d made him back off.
I moved away from the door and gestured at it. “Get out. Now.” In the back of my mind, I heard the manager’s voice at Wilde’s the other night. Maybe I didn’t have what it took to sound quite so murderous, but I managed to repeat the words: “And if I see you here again, I’ll call the cops.”
Jesse blinked. So did I.
I had the upper hand. If I lost it, I wasn’t getting it back.
“Leave,” I said again. “Now.”
His lips thinned into a straight bleached line. Then he stabbed a finger at my chest, and damn it, I jumped. I fucking flinched. He smirked and kept that finger in the air as he growled, “You’re going to regret this, you know.”
“No more than I regret the last three years.”
I was almost certain I’d just earned myself, at the very least, a backhand across the face. Quite possibly worse, given the situation.
Instead, he made a disgusted noise, muttered something about me crawling back to him, and stormed out of my office. He slammed the door so hard behind him a few pictures rattled and a dog started barking.
I cringed, hating that my patients and everyone who worked here had to be subjected to this. And as much as I just wanted to stay in there and pull myself together, I had to be sure he actually left and didn’t stop to harass any of my people.
So, shaking all over, I followed him out of the office.
Wisely, Jesse didn’t bother anyone. He stalked down the hall and across the reception area, and though he tried, the front door was specifically designed not to slam. As he stomped down the steps to the parking lot we shared with a few other businesses, the door slowly hissed shut behind him. It would’ve been comical if I hadn’t been trembling so badly.
The whole place was silent except for Julio’s MP3 player, which played some quiet R&B in the background. Even the cats sitting in carriers at their owners’ feet didn’t make a sound while their owners exchanged uneasy glances.
I cleared my throat and forced a smile, which probably didn’t convince them and definitely didn’t convince Julio. There was no point in trying to explain what had just happened. Anything I said would only make it worse.
So, I settled on, “I’ve just got a couple of patients ahead of you ladies. Shouldn’t be too long.”
They both nodded but said nothing.
I turned on my heel and went back into the hall, and once I was alone, I stopped and rubbed my temples with both hands.
It was over. Well, kind of over. I highly doubted Jesse was done with me yet. He was much too stubborn to give up. The fact that I’d dumped him probably meant this would go on for a while—Jesse was the kind of man who broke up with people, not the other way around. Anyone with the audacity to initiate a split was in for a long, bumpy aftermath.
For months, I’d tried to provoke him into cutting me loose for that very reason, but he just wouldn’t take the bait. So now that I’d made the decisive move, he was going to make sure I regretted it.
But this confrontation, at least, was over.
“Hey.”
My head snapped up, and I turned to see Vanessa watching me. “Uh. Hey.”
“You all right?”
I nodded. Gesturing past her, I cleared my throat. “Anyone I need to see?”
“No. The abscess was an easy one, the dogs all took their shots like champs, and the ferret is bitchy but fine.”
“Good. Good.” I leaned against the wall and exhaled. At least none of my patients had been neglected.
Vanessa glanced over her shoulder, then came a little closer. “You sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah. Just…kinda rattled is all.”
“To the surprise of exactly no one.” Her brow pinched. “The next few appointments look pretty easy, too. If you need some time, I can handle them.” I had no doubt she could. Even if they were serious injuries or illnesses, any animal was in good hands with Vanessa. Vet techs like her were worth their weight in gold.
But I wasn’t pawning off my afternoon workload so I could feel sorry for myself in my office. Shaking my head, I said, “No, I’m fine. Actually I think focusing on the animals will be good for me.”
Vanessa studied me skeptic
ally, but then shrugged. “Okay. Well, offer’s open if you need it.”
“Much appreciated. Thanks.”
~*~
My patients kept me busy right up until I closed the clinic at four. Then it was time to go pick up Shouka at doggy day care, run home, make sure the cats hadn’t destroyed anything, and get myself cleaned up so I could—
I froze with my hand on the car door handle.
So I could go meet Elliott.
For coffee.
I gulped. On autopilot, I got into the car, but now my brain was going a million miles an hour. Why were we meeting up, anyway?
Because I’m stupid. That’s why.
When he’d texted me earlier, I’d been so thrilled to hear from him, I’d jumped at the opportunity to see him again. Because… Because…
Because I’m stupid. Obviously.
I let my head fall back against the seat, and exhaled. Getting involved with someone right now was a mistake. Whether Jesse was an asshole or not, he’d been my boyfriend for a long time. I needed to move on from him, and hadn’t I learned the hard way that another man’s bed was not the place to get over an ex? Especially not an abusive one? That was how I’d ended up with Jesse in the first place. After I’d finally gotten away from Ollie for good, Jesse had been the first guy to come along and charm my brokenhearted ass into bed, and… Well, here I was.
I hadn’t lasted ten minutes after Jesse walked out the door before I’d thrown myself at Elliott. And I didn’t regret it—the sex had been amazing, and it really had given me hope that there were decent men out there who could find me attractive.
That didn’t, however, mean it was a good idea to latch on to Elliott. I wasn’t sure my relationship with Jesse was something that needed to be mourned, per se, but I did need to catch my breath.
Plus there was the small detail about Jesse still being a presence in my life. Part of me wondered if I should’ve just stuck it out and kept trying to convince him to dump me. At least then it would’ve been a clean, final break. That was a hell of a lot more appealing than subjecting myself to months—possibly years—of him trying to reinsert himself into my life until he was good and ready to let me move on.
