by Lilly Atlas
Snake wandered through the stylish luxury apartment until he located the master bedroom. The door to the connected bathroom lay open and steam filtered into the bedroom from the running shower.
With a smile of anticipation, Snake settled himself against the doctor’s headboard and hefted his booted feet up onto the white comforter. Damn, that was pretty comfortable on his sore leg. He drew his Glock from the waistband of his pants and rested it next to him on the bed.
Two minutes later, the water cut off and the shower door slammed shut. Michaels strode out of the bathroom, buck-ass naked, rubbing his damp hair with a towel. His nose was swollen and dark purple bruises rested under each eye from the shot Snake got in yesterday. Must have been fun to explain that away at work.
He saw Snake, and his steps faltered.
“Holy fucking shit!” he yelled as he stumbled backward and dropped the towel to dick-level. “What the fuck are you doing in my house? Are you psychotic?”
Snake picked up his gun and held it in his lap. “There’s a good chance I am, but that has nothing to do with why I’m here.”
Michaels smirked. “That bitch got her hooks in you, didn’t she?”
Pretty damned cocky for a naked man with a gun trained on him.
Snake said nothing and Michaels’ grin grew bigger. “Pretty top rate pussy, huh? But come on, man, you have to admit she’s quite a bitch. You really going to let her twist you up this way?” He waved the hand not holding the towel at Snake. “You realize you’re risking jail time for her by being here, right? Breaking and entering, threatening me with a weapon. That’s some hard time, man. Who the hell are the cops going to believe? A respected physician or some thug who had his ass beat and should have died? How about this, you just get up, walk on out of here and we’ll call it even. Then we can both try to forget about that bitch, huh?”
Snake had remained quiet and allowed Michaels to blabber on, but it was his turn to smirk. Michaels was small time. An asshole. A little boy who couldn’t deal with a woman rejecting him. Snake played for the majors. “Can’t recall that I’ve said or done anything to threaten you since I’ve been here.”
Michaels scoffed. “Uh, you’ve got a gun pointed at me, man.”
“Hmm,” Snake said as he glanced at his lap. “Looks to me like the gun is just resting there. It was uncomfortable against my back while I was lounging. But if you’re going to play it that way, I might as well live up to the accusation.” He rose from the bed, schooling his features so he didn’t wince at the pain in his thigh, and trained the gun on Michaels.
Any cockiness that had been there disappeared along with the color in the doctor’s face, leaving behind a chalky complexation and wide eyes.
“You have any idea how easy it is to get away with shit like this, doc? Any idea how many people are willing to look the other way for surprisingly little money? Even those who promise to serve and protect.” He chuckled and walked toward the doctor. “This ain’t my first rodeo, Doc. I’ve gotten away with much worse, so I suggest you listen up and take what I have to say pretty damn seriously. Drop the towel.”
“E-excuse me?”
“Drop. The. Towel. Pretty simple, Doc.”
Michaels sighed and let the towel slump to the ground. Exposed, he glared at Snake with a hatred that was almost palpable.
“Huh, looks like Amanda was pretty on par.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
“Well,” Snake said. “She was telling me about the other day at work, you know, after you assaulted her in the stairwell at the hospital, remember?”
Michaels just stared at him.
“I asked you a question, Doc.”
“Yes. I remember.” Michaels spoke through clenched teeth.
Damn, this was the most fun he’d had in a while. Okay, second most fun. Fucking Amanda to exhaustion definitely topped the list. “After she told me all about that chicken shit move, she also told me you had a tiny dick. Looks like she wasn’t far off the mark.”
“Fuck you,” Michaels said.
“Speaking of. You like fucking, Doc?”
“What?”
Snake rolled his eyes. “Shit, Doc, you sure you went to medical school? I thought you doctors were supposed to be smart. Why are you having so much trouble understanding my simple questions? Do. You. Like. Fucking. Yes or no?”
At his sides, Michaels’ fists clenched and released repeatedly. Snake could practically feel how much the man would love to ram one of those fists into his face.
“I’m a man. Of course I like fucking.” He answered with the attitude of a rebellious teen being questioned by his parents.
“Watch the tone, Doc. But that’s good to know. Here’s how this is gonna go.” Snake hardened his voice and dropped all signs of teasing. He lowered the gun until it pointed at Michaels cock. The strangled sound the doctor made was music to Snake’s ears.
The man really wasn’t that small, but he stood scared and naked in an air-conditioned room, which didn’t make for an ideal situation cock-wise.
“You’re gonna grab your phone off that dresser and call the hospital. Tell them you had some kind of emergency. It’s terribly tragic, but you’re going to have to leave the area. Permanently. Move to be near family.”
“What? Are you fucking crazy? I’m not quitting my job! That’s not even a possibility. You have to be out of your—”
“Hey!” Snake slapped an open palm across Michaels’ cheek, snapping the man out of his tirade. “You ever want to be able to fuck again, you’ll do what I say. I ain’t ever shot a dude’s dick off before, but I saw it done once. That was some messy shit. You’re a doctor, so I’m pretty sure you know how it would end. You gonna let me finish my instructions now?”
Beads of sweat dotted Michaels’ forehead and he nodded in earnest. His complexion wasn’t quite as pale as it had been moments before. In fact, he looked a little green.
“After you quit your job, you’re going to pack up all this fancy shit and get out of town. Way out. I’ll be by tomorrow night to make sure you’re gone. All the way gone. You don’t quit your job, I’ll shoot you in the dick. You don’t leave town, I’ll shoot you in the dick. You come back to town anytime soon, I’ll shoot you in the dick. I see you anywhere near Amanda…well, you get the picture. And before you tell me you’re going to call the cops the minute I leave, I’ll clue you in. I’m a master at this shit. I can find you anytime, anywhere and I’ll never serve a second of jail time for any of this shit. That is a fuckin’ promise.”
Michaels looked like he swallowed a bag of fire ants. His face was red and the anger nearly smoldered off him. But there was fear, too. His eyes were full of it. Snake hadn’t been kidding. He’d shoot the guy in a heartbeat to keep him away from Amanda. Really, he was a bit surprised by his restraint. A few months ago, he would have shot Michaels no questions asked, maybe even killed the bastard.
Something held him back this time. No, not something. Someone. Amanda. Even though she wasn’t here, she was in his head. The idea of her finding out he killed someone, even to protect her, didn’t sit well. Probably because he knew in his bones, she’d never condone it. Not for any reason. She’d spent the night with Nick and wouldn’t touch Snake with a ten-foot pole.
She was turning him into a fucking pussy.
“Fine. I’ll do it. Can I put some fucking pants on first?”
Snake smirked. Tormenting this asshole was just so much fun. “No. Make the call.”
Michaels grabbed his phone and called the hospital. The story he made up about why he had to tender his resignation effective immediately seemed to do the trick although whoever was on the other end of the line was clearly distraught. The doc spent a good few minutes apologizing and soothing ruffled feathers.
“Fuck,” he said as he ended the call and threw the phone on the bed with more force than necessary. “It’s done. Happy?”
“I’ll be happy when I swing by tomorrow and find an empty apartment.
Better get packing, Doc. Can’t say it’s been a pleasure.” He sauntered from the room, leaving the doctor to his tasks.
Once outside, he rolled his shoulders and took a cleansing breath to rid any lingering tension. Part of him wanted to go back upstairs and actually hurt Michaels. Another part of him, the part that seemed to be winning more and more these days, wanted nothing more than to go home and see Amanda. She wouldn’t be home from work for hours.
But when she did come home, it would just be the two of them again tonight. His dick hardened at the thought of another night like the previous night. Would she be receptive to that? She didn’t come across as a one-night stand girl, and Snake had no idea how to do anything but one-night stands, yet he couldn’t get her off his damn mind. Maybe one more night and he’d be able to fuck her out of his system.
One thing was for sure, he’d spend the afternoon counting down the hours until she got home like some kind of lovesick fool.
Chapter Nineteen
“Hey, sweetie,” Amanda said as she held her cell to her ear.
“Hey, girl! You’re on your lunch break, right?” Kat asked.
“Yep. Perfect timing. How’s the trip going?”
Kat was on a fact-finding mission somewhere in South Dakota, posing as a biker chick just looking to party for a few days with an MC as she passed through town. It didn’t matter what logic or reason Amanda had thrown at her, Kat was determined to see this through. So determined, she’d quit her job at the local news station and was living off her savings.
“It’s, um, good. Kinda intense, but, uh, that’s pretty much what I expected,” Kat said.
Amanda frowned. Kat’s voice held a false note of cheer. It wouldn’t be obvious to most, but as someone who’d known Kat twenty years, Amanda knew all her tells. And something was always wrong when she used that fake, chirpy voice.
“Do you feel safe, Kat? Why don’t you come home? We’re both well overdue for some time off. Let’s take a few days and make a road trip to Salt Lake. We can stay at that spa we’ve always wanted to check out.” Anything to entice her friend back home and away from danger.
“Amanda, I didn’t call so you could talk me out of this. I’m here and I’m staying until I get what I need. So if all you’re going to do is be negative about this, I’ll just go.”
“No!” The last thing she wanted was to push Kat away. They’d been friends forever and she couldn’t imagine not having Kat in her life. “So, uh, John Michaels came by the house yesterday.”
She crossed her fingers as a few seconds of silence ticked by, but then Kat caved at the change of subject.
“Really? What did that creeper want?”
Amanda filled her in on everything that had happened over the past few days beginning with the traumatic stairwell encounter and ending with the sort of fight between Nick and Michaels.
“Holy shit, girl! You’ve been busy. You better report him now. He’s gone beyond asshole and crossed the line into dangerous.”
Amanda sighed. Calling the hospital and filing a report with HR was on her to do list for the day yet she kept bumping it for every other menial task that came her way. It wasn’t going to be pleasant and it wasn’t going to be pretty. “Yeah, I’m going to.”
“Do it, girl. It’s too bad Nick isn’t back in tip top shape yet. I bet he could have wiped the floor with Dr. Douche if this happened a few months ago.”
If the man wasn’t in top shape now, Amanda was almost afraid to see him in action at the top of his game. His body was…something else. She shifted in her chair and grimaced at the tenderness between her thighs. No sex for a year, then she went and had the most intense, roughest, most powerful sex of her life. Yeah, she was pretty damn sore today. And the problem was, that soreness kept her thinking about Nick. All. Day. Long.
Had they really had sex outside, against her front door, when it wasn’t quite dark enough to be hidden in the shadows? No, they’d fucked. Nick’s favorite word, but that’s what it had been. By the time he’d caught her and backed her against the door, she was dripping for him all over again and he was as hard as steel. The second time was no less intense than the first. No one would have ever guessed that they’d just finished the first round of mind-melting sex just fifteen minutes before.
He’d had her just as forcefully as he had the first time. She’d loved every second of it, crying out into the night and begging for more as though they weren’t out in the open. When she came, it was just as hard as the first two times and she didn’t even try to censor her cries. She just screamed her pleasure into the quiet night.
Then they’d stumbled into bed and passed out wrapped around each other. Amanda had never felt so safe in her life. She slept like the dead until the feel of Nick’s fingers probing her soft folds, seeking entrance, woke her a few hours later. She’d opened for him immediately, despite the soreness. There was no denying him, not when she knew this might end at any time.
He’d made her come two more times, first with his fingers then while buried deep inside her. She wouldn’t call it making love since they hadn’t even had a conversation about what they were to each other, but there was an undeniable deep connection brewing. She just hoped she wasn’t the only one to feel it.
“Hellooo?” Kat said. “Did I lose you?”
“What? Oh sorry, my mind wandered off for a few seconds there.”
“Hmm, did it now? Where’d it go? Anywhere good?” Humor laced Kat’s questions.
“Uh, no. Just work stuff.”
“You liar!” Kat laughed. “That was way too long a pause to be work related. That’s a sexy-thought pause. Are you thinking about—oh my God, did you have sex?”
“Well, I, uh…” Amanda glanced around the break room. Thankfully she’d taken a late lunch and was the only one around.
“It was Nick! You slept with Nick, didn’t you? Damn, you hussy!”
What the hell? Was Kat a mind reader? “You’re the one who is always telling me I need to get laid more and now I’m a hussy?”
Genuine laughter filtered through the phone. As embarrassing as the conversation was, it was nice to hear Kat sounding more like herself than she had moments ago. “Don’t keep me in suspense. How was it?”
“It was, uh, well, I’d call it, um…”
“Holy shit girl. You can’t even speak. It was some damn good fuckin’ wasn’t it?”
Amanda snickered. Nick and Kat hadn’t had much time to get to know each other, but they’d get along swimmingly if the amount of swearing they did was any indication. “Kat, it was about a million times better than damn good fuckin’.” She lowered her voice for the last few words.
Kat whistled. “You go girl. How’s your cooch feeling today?”
“Ugh,” Amanda said with a groan. “Did you really just ask me that? I’m not answering that question.”
“What? Oh yeah, uh, sure, baby. I’m coming.” Kat’s voice was muffled as though she was holding a hand over the phone.
“Kat?”
“Hey, girl. I gotta run. Be home in a few days, okay? You enjoy the hell outta that man.” The falsely happy tone was back.
“Oh, yeah, okay. Be caref—” The line went dead and Amanda sighed. Maybe she should have taken a few days off and made the trip with Kat for no other reason than to keep her friend out of trouble.
What did it say about her as a friend that she was glad she never made the offer? It would have meant missing out on the night with Nick.
This morning she’d overslept, worn out from the hours of sex. Quiet as a mouse, she’d showered and dressed for work. Nick had remained asleep the entire time, so they never had a chance to talk. She had no idea what she’d be walking into when she returned home. For all she knew, one night was all she’d get.
It was an unbelievable night, that was undeniable, but she’d be lying to herself if she said she wouldn’t be disappointed if that was all it was. And unfortunately, it wasn’t just the return to celibacy that would be disappointing,
it would be losing the connection she felt to Nick.
Three more hours and she’d be done with her shift. Two unpleasant tasks awaited her attention: the phone call to report Dr. Michaels, and the inevitable awkward conversation with Nick.
She groaned and lifted her phone. One of those tasks would have to wait. The other she could deal with now. No time like the present. At least it would be done and over with.
Her stomach rolled as she waited for, Liz, her human resources contact, to answer the phone. After a few moments of pleasantries and small talk, Amanda got down to business and filed her complaint. Just as she was about to give a verbal two weeks’ notice, the HR rep cut her off.
“Amanda, I’m so sorry that happened to you, and normally I’d pass your complaint up the chain, but you should know Dr. Michaels quit this afternoon.”
Amanda opened and closed her mouth at least three times. What the hell?
“Amanda, you there?”
She blinked and refocused. “Um, yeah, sorry. I’m just stunned, I guess.”
“As were we,” Liz said. “It was so sudden and unexpected. No notice or anything. Pretty unprofessional if you ask me, though in light of what you just told me I shouldn’t be surprised. You just never know about people. Anyway, Amanda, I really suggest you file for a restraining order. There isn’t anything we can do here on our end since he’s no longer an employee of the hospital.”
“Yeah, thanks for the advice, Liz. That’s a good idea. I’ll look into it.” It was hard to concentrate on the conversation with her brain running a mile a minute.
“No problem, Amanda. Have a good day.”
She disconnected the call and flopped into a chair. The day, and her life, had taken more than a few unexpected turns over the past few months and she was beginning to feel like she was drowning in all the changes.
What the hell would have made him quit so abruptly like that? Could it be remorse for the way he’d treated her? It didn’t seem likely that he’d change his tune overnight and go from giant asshole to so overcome with guilt he’d quit his job.
