by Grey, Helen
“Okay, Jax,” I said. “And you should’ve known better too. I’m going to need to take a look at that, clean it up, and see if you’ve pulled a stitch out.” I turned back to the stove, shook my head, and wondered what the hell I was even doing here.
“It doesn’t hurt,” he protested. “But if you want to—”
I spun around and open my mouth to speak when Stephanie interjected.
“Surely there’s nothing wrong with us making love,” she said.
Her innocent look made me want to scream. She knew full good and well that what she had done could have irreparably damaged Jax’s recovery. It was at that moment that I realized she didn’t really care. She was a selfish, snobby bitch who apparently wanted to get her own way in everything, regardless of who it hurt. All of a sudden I didn’t have the energy to argue. I merely shook my head, stared at Jax for a moment, and then gestured to the stove.
“The eggs and bacon are done. Stephanie can get your plate.”
With that, I walked out of the kitchen before I said something I would regret. I was walking a fine line here, with my patient’s interests on one side and his personal and sexual freedom on the other. Jax was a big boy. He knew when he was not being compliant. It wasn’t all Stephanie’s fault, and I knew I shouldn’t blame her totally.
I made my way through the living room and, keying the alarm code off, stepped through the French doors and into the back yard. I made my way slowly to the pool, where I just wanted to sit and recover my emotions. I needed to settle my thoughts, get my head on straight. It was not my place to get involved in Jax’s personal life. My job, my only job, was to take care of his wounds and try my best to ensure that he was compliant with his treatment plan.
It was painfully obvious that Jax was going to do what Jax wanted to do, regardless of what I thought. I sat down on one of the lounge chairs, staring down into the pool, wondering if it would just be best if I told Nancy that Jax was stubborn, noncompliant, and that the services I was providing were nothing more than that of a cook and a sex partner. Of course, I wouldn’t tell her that part, but what was the point of me being here if on a medical basis, I was superfluous? Not only was it a waste of his time, but mine as well.
The money was good, sure, but what good did it do if a live-in nurse could not even get her patient to comply with even the minimum of expectations? I shook my head, thinking that I should just leave. Between Jax’s noncompliance and the threats and dangers surrounding him, there was no good reason for me to stay.
I had never backed out of the caregiving situation before. This was definitely a first. Still, I was nothing if not logical. Perhaps I should go back inside and let Jax know that—
“How dare you!”
I turned to find Stephanie standing at the shallow end of the pool, her hands on her hips, her eyebrows drawn down in anger. “It’s none of your damn business to get involved in Jackson’s personal affairs—”
I stood. “As I told you before, my interest in Jax—Mister Andrews—is purely medical. My job is to make sure that he heals and heals properly so that he doesn’t have any disabilities due to his injuries. It was stupid and foolish of you to make him hump you like that—”
“How dare you speak to me that way!” she snapped. “I want the name of your agency, and the name of your supervisor. I’m going to report you!”
“Ask Mister Andrews,” I said, keeping my voice calm and professional. “He’s my patient. If he wants to file a complaint against me, he’s perfectly welcome to. You’re not.”
She took a step closer to me. We were only standing a couple of feet apart. For a moment, I thought she was going to slap me or push me into the pool. I took a step back, my eyes not leaving hers. She didn’t intimidate me. She was nothing but a snob, and a stupid one at that.
“I know you have eyes for him,” Stephanie muttered. “Don’t even think about it. You’re not getting anything from Jackson. If you think you’re going to wiggle your way into his life like some slutty gold digger, you’ve got another think coming.”
I stared at her in dismay. “Gold digger? What are you talking about?”
“Oh, I’ve seen your kind before, pretending to be all caring and compassionate, and then you want to gouge him for everything he’s got. Well, I’m telling you right now that you’re not going to get anything but your nursing fees.”
I frowned. “I still don’t know what you’re talking about, Stephanie,” I said. “I’m here to do a job. Nothing less and nothing more. I don’t expect anything from Mister Andrews besides my fee. You can accept that for what it’s worth, but I really don’t care.”
Stephanie stared at me for several moments, and I wondered what Jax had ever seen in her. She might be beautiful, but she was ugly inside. At that moment, I glanced up toward the house. To my surprise, I saw Jax standing in my bedroom window. He stared down at both of us.
I turned back to Stephanie. “I’m a nurse, Stephanie, and I’m going to do my job. Nothing less and nothing more. If you don’t like it, you can leave.”
“And you can get the hell out of here!” she snarled. “That’s it. You can pack your bags and leave, within the hour.”
I shook my head. “The only person that can fire me is Mister Andrews,” I informed her.
“We’ll see about that.”
I decided that standing here arguing with Stephanie served no purpose. I suddenly felt weary to the bone. Dealing with Jax’s noncompliance was trying enough, and added to that were the threats on his life, getting run off the road, and now dealing with his bitchy ex-wife after watching him have sex with her. It was too much. Giving her a wide berth, I headed back toward the house. When I glanced up at my bedroom window, Jax was no longer standing there.
I made my way up to my room, but it was empty. Only the lingering scent of his cologne remained.
“Jax!” I called out.
“In my office,” came the reply.
I left my room and strode to the doorway of his office. I didn’t hear Stephanie anywhere in the house. “Jax, I need to look at the incision.” My voice brooked no argument. “I can do it in here or in your bedroom, or downstairs. Pick a place.”
He stared at me for several moments, and then I saw the twitch of his lips. “We can do it in here, Angie,” he said. He slowly stood and moved from behind the desk toward the window. He turned his back to me so that I could have access to the bandage.
I stepped closer to him, and then carefully peeled off the surgical tape that held the bandage in place. “Crap, it looks like you’ve pulled a stitch.”
“And?”
“Well, I should take you to the doctor’s office and he can put a new one—”
“No, is it really necessary?”
I sighed, tired of arguing. “I suppose I could put a butterfly on it—”
“Do you think it would hold?” he asked, glancing over a shoulder at me.
I took a closer look. A butterfly bandage was like a Band-Aid, but was designed to bridge a cut, holding the edges together without a stitch. “The stitch you pulled is in the middle, so the stitches the doctors put in are both above and below the one that got pulled loose. I might get into trouble, but a butterfly strip might be okay for now.”
He turned around just as I was reaching to pull the bandage completely off.
“I don’t want you to get into trouble, Angie,” he said.
His chocolate eyes looking at me with concern. My heart trip-hammered.
“If you think I need to go to the doctor’s office, I will.”
I glanced up at him, surprised. Why the sudden urge to be compliant? Maybe he felt bad that Stephanie and I were butting heads. He seem to read my thoughts. Glancing briefly through the open office door, he shrugged.
“Stephanie can be difficult at times.”
I stared at him. What could I say to that? “Let me try the butterfly strip. If it doesn’t hold, I’ll have to take you in.”
In less than ten minutes, I had c
leaned up the incision and taken care of the butterfly bandage as well as replaced the gauze over the incision. I felt beat down and depressed. “If you need anything, I’ll be in my room.”
Without waiting for Jax to reply, I left his office and returned to my room, softly closing the door behind me. I felt like a fool. I blinked back a sudden surge of tears. I had thought that Jax really liked me, but now I had to seriously wonder if I’d just been fooling myself.
Since when did sex mean a relationship? For someone like Jax, it was nothing more than that. Just sex. Just because it meant something more than that to me was beside the point. I sat on my bed, depressed, uncertain. I was more unsure of myself than I had ever felt before.
It hit me like a ton of bricks. I don’t know how it happened, or what I could do about it, but I realized that I had really done it this time. I had allowed myself to fall in love with Jax. I had no doubt whatsoever that I was going to end up with a broken heart. It was breaking already.
I lay down on my bed and counted all the ways I was a fool.
A door slammed, drawing my attention from my misery. Listening closer, I heard the sound of raised voices.
Curious, I stepped to my window and saw Jax and Stephanie down below, clearly arguing. She was making slashing motions with her hand and pointing to the house, her face distorted into a mask of rage. She was obviously talking about me. She wanted me fired.
And Jax?
What did Jax want?
That was the million-dollar question, wasn’t it?
End of Part 3
To Be Continued in Part 4…
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Helen Grey is the author of the hot alpha military romance series "Serving the Soldier".
Her passion is to write steamy erotic romance and she loves hot billionaire bad boys. Lucky for her, these two go perfectly together... Find out how in her books!
Table of Contents
The "Serving the Soldier" Series
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Book Description
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Part 4 is Now Available
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About the Author
Table of Contents
Copyright and Disclaimer
Copyright and Disclaimer
This book was a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2015 Helen Grey
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.
The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of the trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
