Can't Make This Up

by C. Morgan

  “Yeah, he was and he was hot.”

  “What about that guy you were lusting after?”

  Alysha snickered. “I wasn’t lusting after him. It was all in good fun.”

  I couldn’t listen anymore. I turned and went back to my office. I was going to lose my shit if I heard details about her and another man kissing or fucking. I had no claim to her, but I wanted one. I wanted to claim her, and she didn’t want me to claim her. We had sex, and a day or two later, she was out on the prowl looking for her next conquest.

  I was a fucking moron. I felt like calling Ryan and telling him exactly what I thought about his advice. He was trying to get me all twisted up. I sulked in my office, only leaving when I had to see a patient. I manage to avoid looking at her most of the day.

  “Ryker?” someone said.

  I turned to see Alysha coming my way. “Yes?”

  “I just got a call from someone named Bobby,” she said with a strange look on her face. “He said someone wanted you at the park. I have no idea what that means. He called the front desk.”

  “That’s the athletic director’s assistant,” I told her. I was finally smiling. I had a good excuse to leave the clinic. “Thanks.”

  “Will you be taking Trinity with you?”

  “No,” I answered too quickly. “I’ll let her know I’m leaving.”

  “She’s in the breakroom.”

  “Thanks.”

  I walked into the breakroom, hoping she wasn’t regaling anyone else with tales of her weekend trysts. “Trinity?”

  Her head popped up. “Yes?”

  “I’m heading over to the park to check on a player.”

  “Oh,” she said and closed her laptop.

  “I don’t need you.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “I don’t need you to come. You can stay here or go home. In fact, you may as well go home. I won’t be coming back today and there’s no reason for you to stick around. I’m sure the others would appreciate having the breakroom back.”

  She looked like I had slapped her. “I didn’t realize I was taking over the breakroom.”

  I shrugged. “I’ll send over the file once I’m done. You can add it to the player’s file.”

  “You don’t need me?”

  “No. I don’t need you. I can handle this.”

  “All right then. Should I come in tomorrow?”

  That was an odd question. “Yes, why wouldn’t you?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t know. No reason. I guess I’ll just go home.”

  “Great.”

  I went back to my office to grab my things and headed out the back. She was still in the breakroom. I happened to catch Alysha walking in just as I was leaving. They were probably talking about her next hookup.

  I left the clinic in a hurry. I didn’t care if the entire staff thought I was hungover. They could think what they wanted. Once in the safety of my car, I turned up the music and let it blast. I wanted it to carry me away. I headed down the road and decided the source of my frustration needed to be told just how much he had screwed up my life.

  “Thanks for the advice,” I growled when Ryan picked up the phone.

  “What advice?”

  “You actually made me think I could have something with Trinity. I can’t have anything with her because she was really just using me. She only wanted sex. You put some stupid ideas into my head and made me think I had a chance at this whole relationship thing. She doesn’t want that from me. She only wanted to fuck me. That’s it.”

  “Woah, man, you’re going off the deep end again. Did she tell you that?”

  “No! She doesn’t have to tell me. I’m not an idiot. I’ve been in her shoes before. I’ve gotten a girl hooked on me by accident. I’ve been the one that runs in the opposite direction.”

  “Are you saying she ran in the opposite direction when you told her?”

  “I haven’t told her because she can’t even look at me!” I said.

  “Ryker, I know Trinity and she’s not the kind of woman that sleeps around.”

  I snorted. “Bullshit. She is already out prowling for her next man. I think she actually already found one.”

  “Really? Naya never said anything.”

  “Do you expect her to tell Naya every detail of her sex life? You’re married now. Single women do not talk to married women about that kind of stuff.”

  “How in the hell would you know that?”

  “Because I know. I’ve been around enough women to know these things. That’s not the point. I’m pissed at you. I’m blaming you for my current dilemma.”

  “Why don’t I have Naya talk to her?”

  “No! Chinese wall. This cannot be a thing. That’s part of the problem. Trinity does not want Naya involved in whatever happens between us. I shouldn’t even be talking to you about this.”

  “I won’t tell her,” he said. “Just take a deep breath. Talk to her.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea. I overheard her talking to someone at work. She’s got men calling her. It’s probably for the best I didn’t say anything. She is a damn good assistant and it’s better if we just leave things alone. This will just complicate things. I got ahead of myself. I’m over it.”

  “Uh, I don’t think it works like that, but more power to you.”

  “Whatever. I’ll talk to you later.”

  I ended the call feeling just as miserable as I had before I called. I had to accept the fact it was doomed from the beginning. I needed to dismiss her from my thoughts and move forward.

  Chapter 21

  Trinity

  “What are you doing?” Alysha asked me as I stuffed the remaining paperwork into my bag.

  “I’m going home.”

  “But it’s still early.”

  I shrugged. “Ryker is gone for the day and he suggested I work from home and let you guys have your space back.”

  She frowned and shook her head. “You are not taking anyone’s space.”

  “All the same, I should get out of your hair. You guys probably want your breakroom back. I get it.”

  “No one is mad you are working in the breakroom. It isn’t like we spend a lot of time in there. Don’t feel like you have to go. I understand if you want to go. I think Ryker must have had a rough weekend and he is a little on the cranky side.”

  That caught my attention. “A rough weekend?”

  “Yes, I’ve seen this before.”

  “What have you seen?”

  “He probably went on a bender. He likes women. I don’t know if anyone told you that about him, but the guy likes to party, and he likes to party with women. He’s never let it interfere with his job, but I know the signs. The bleary eyes and unshaven face say he had a long weekend. The attitude and inattentiveness say he slept very little the last couple of nights and he is in need of a long night of rest.”

  My ears were buzzing. I had seen the signs. I knew what I saw but I had convinced myself it was something else entirely. “Poor guy,” I muttered.

  She laughed and waved a hand. “Yes, the poor man. How awful it must be to party like you’re twenty-one with beautiful women hanging off you.”

  I was going to be sick. I had no reason to be jealous, but I was. He was exactly who everyone said he was. Naya warned me away from him. I should have known better. I did know better. I went after him anyway. This was what happened when I played with fire. I got burned.

  “All right, well, I hope he is better tomorrow,” I said. I couldn’t wait to get out of the office. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Are you okay, hon?”

  “I’m fine. Great.”

  “Okay. Take care of yourself. You don’t look so good either. Maybe you and Ryker picked something up while you were out of town.”

  I smiled. “Maybe.”

  I left the office and went directly home. The only thing I had caught was a case of the regrets. I put my work stuff on the table and flopped down in a chair. I had
a feeling he was going to fire me. This was on me. I couldn’t really blame him. He didn’t want an assistant that was going to cramp his style. He probably enjoyed these little weeks away. Fresh meat and all that.

  My skin crawled at the thought of him sleeping with another woman just days after I had him. I didn’t want to think about him kissing another woman and doing all of the other things to her. It hurt and infuriated me at the same time. I didn’t get to act like the jealous girlfriend. This was none of my business.

  “Fuck that,” I hissed. I was his assistant, and although I couldn’t ask him about who he was banging on the weekends, I could ask him what his problem was. If he was going to fire me, I wanted to know. I wanted to know why and when. I was not going to roll over and play dead. He was going to have to explain my sins in gory detail.

  The next morning, I dressed like I was going to battle. I was going to confront Ryker and make him tell me just what it was I did that pissed him off. He was going to have to tell me to my face he was going to fire my ass.

  I walked into the office with my head held high. I saw his car out front and knew he was already in. I stomped straight to his office. I knocked once before barging in. “We need to talk,” I said and closed the door behind me.

  He glanced up from his computer, and he looked like his old self. He was clean shaven and he looked rested. I supposed that meant he’d gone to bed alone last night. “Okay,” he said like he didn’t know why I would want to talk to him.

  I sat down in the chair and looked him directly in the eyes. “Are you going to fire me?”

  “What? Why would you ask that?”

  “Because you told me to take the day off on Friday. Then you sent me home yesterday instead of taking me with you. You’ve barely said two words to me. If you are going to fire me, I would appreciate a heads-up.”

  “I’m not going to fire you.”

  “Then why do you keep avoiding me?”

  “I didn’t need you Friday, and after working for four full days and being away from home, I thought it was a nice gesture. Yesterday, I didn’t need you. Unless you’ve recently learned how to do my job, there was nothing you could do. But I’m not going to fire you.”

  I weighed his response and decided he sounded sincere. Mostly. “Okay, fine,” I snapped.

  There was an amused expression on his face. “Is that it?”

  “No, actually, it isn’t. You’ve never told me how much I’m getting paid. I got a paycheck on Friday and I would like to discuss it.”

  He cocked an eyebrow. “Is it not acceptable to you? I suppose I can negotiate your salary. There might be some wiggle room but I felt like I was more than fair.”

  “No. I mean, yes, it is fair. More than fair. Why is it so much? I’ve been working as an assistant for years and I’ve never been paid that much.”

  “It’s a base salary plus the travel wages.”

  “Travel wages?”

  “When I keep you away from home, I need to pay you for your time. Everyone is paid for their time.”

  “So that was two weeks of pay?” I clarified.

  “Yes.”

  “But I didn’t work Friday.”

  “I told you it is a salaried position. You are paid whether you are in the office or not.”

  I tapped my finger on the armrest. He was acting like it was no big deal. Like he hadn’t just paid me twice as much as I earned. “Did the other assistant make that much?” I questioned.

  He smirked. “She made what she deserved.”

  “More or less?”

  “Trinity, I’m not going to discuss the wages I paid someone else. Do you feel you are being paid what you deserve?”

  That was a loaded question. “Yes,” I answered. I wasn’t going to reject the money. “Assuming I am earning it for the work I’m doing and not for something else.”

  He knew exactly what I was talking about. He didn’t answer for several seconds. “Are you suggesting I’m paying you for sex?” he asked in a low voice.

  “No!” That was exactly what I was suggesting but there was no way I was going to admit that.

  “I’m not. It’s what I pay a good assistant.”

  I nodded, accepting the answer. “Okay. Thank you. I’m glad we’ve cleared that up.”

  “Anything else?”

  The way he posed the question suggested he expected me to have something else. “I don’t think so. You look better today. I hope that means you got some rest.”

  “I did. I hope you did as well.”

  I wasn’t sure what that meant, but I wasn’t going to analyze every comment. “Is there anything you need from me today?”

  “I don’t think so. We’ll be leaving town on Thursday. Have the arrangements been made?”

  “Yes. I’m working on some final scheduling details. I will have everything ready to go.”

  “This trip will be different than the last. We will be there days before the game to make sure all of the players are in good shape. This is the part when I might get a late-night call to do an adjustment or crack a neck.”

  “Crack a neck?” I asked with horror.

  “Not literally, but after a workout, some of them are stiff and need a little loosening up. They call it cracking their necks.”

  “I’ll take your word for it.”

  He looked at me and I thought he was going to say something else, but he just looked at his computer. The tension between us was still there, but it wasn’t as bad as yesterday. “Is there somewhere I can work that I’m not in the way?” I asked him.

  “What?”

  “Yesterday, you implied I was in the way in the breakroom. Where am I supposed to work from?”

  “I didn’t say you were in the way.”

  “You said they wanted their breakroom back. I’m not sure where I fit in. I’m not technically working at the clinic. I’m your personal assistant. Rachel handles your appointments and your clients through the clinic. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. Should I work from my car? The coffee shop?”

  “I didn’t mean to imply you were in the way. You can work in here.”

  I shook my head. “No thanks.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “This is your space. I’ve got a lot to do today and you don’t need me in the way. I’m going to go across the street to the park. You can text me if you need me.”

  “Wait! You don’t have to do that.”

  “It’s fine. I would prefer it. I’ll get more work done over there anyway. I don’t want to be in the way and I have a lot to get done.”

  “You can work at the reception desk.”

  I forced a smile. “No thank you.”

  I collected my bag and left his office. Alysha was just coming out of Nick’s office. “You’re here!” she exclaimed.

  “You didn’t think I would be?”

  “I wasn’t sure. You seemed upset yesterday. Is everything better today?”

  “Yes. I’m going to be working at the park across the street for a while.”

  She gave me a strange look. “Why?”

  “Because I like the fresh air and it will give me some space to spread out.”

  She sighed. “This is about the breakroom thing.”

  “No. A little. I just don’t feel like I have a role here in the clinic.”

  “Why don’t you share my office?” she offered.

  I shook my head. “No, it’s fine. You need your space to take care of Nick’s stuff. I really don’t mind working in the park. It will be nice. When it gets hot, I’ll retreat to the breakroom.”

  “Why don’t you work in his office?”

  “No thanks.”

  She laughed. “Is he still in a rough mood?”

  “No. He looks recovered. I would just prefer not to be in his way. I will get a lot more done.”

  “Okay, do you need anything?”

  “I will coordinate schedules with you. We leave Thursday morning.”

  She nodded. “I have it noted.”<
br />
  “Thanks. I’ll talk to you later.”

  I left the office and crossed the street to claim the picnic table. It was a little awkward but I felt even more awkward in the clinic. I just didn’t know where I fit in. Maybe it was better if I looked for another job.

  I had a sneaking suspicion Ryker hired me out of pity. He wasn’t really in need of an assistant hanging around all the time. The stuff I was doing could be handled on a part-time basis. I didn’t want to be a charity case. I didn’t want to be getting paid for work I wasn’t doing.

  The first week had been chaotic, but now that I had everything organized, there was little for me to do. I sighed and looked over at the clinic that was already filling up with patients coming in for their appointments. I didn’t really feel a part of anything.

  I felt alone. I felt like I was drifting. I needed something to ground me. Ryker was not going to be it.

  Chapter 22

  Ryker

  I was feeling much better about things. I hoped she was as well. It felt like it. The tension seemed to be subsiding and I was hoping to have a nice trip away with her. We’d be busy, but we would be busy together.

  “You are my favorite person in the whole world,” I told Alysha.

  She laughed. “Today, I am.”

  “Seriously, thank you for doing this for me.”

  “I’m doing it for her. I don’t like her thinking she doesn’t belong. We all like her and we all want her to be comfortable.”

  I pushed a box of copy paper out of the way and looked around the storage room. There was a small window in the space that had been covered forever ago. I had torn down the cardboard to let some natural light in.

  “It’s going to work,” I said with a nod. “It’s small but it’s better than that park bench.”

  “She’s going to love it. I will have it all done and ready for her on Monday when you guys get back.”

  “Remember, don’t hold back on the expense. I called that painter. He should be here tomorrow morning.”

  She nodded. “I get it. I’ve already ordered office furniture. I’m coming in on Saturday to get it all done. That will be enough time for the paint to dry.”