With an indrawn breath, which she released in a rush, Jassi straightened from the lockers.
“I have two months left then the marriage is over,” Jassi confided. “I’ve already talked with human resources about getting a transfer to another hospital within a bigger city. After my divorce, I’m not staying here although I’m going to miss friends like you.”
Jassi saw the look that crossed Dana’s face before she gave her a hug. “I’m going to miss you too,” she told Jassi who hugged her back.
“Hey, I still have two months left and that’s if they can transfer me,” Jassi scolded her gently getting a laugh.
“You’re a good nurse, not better than me, but a good one,” her friend teased.
Jassi laughed shaking her head before she asked in a low voice, “You don’t mind if I stay with you for the night.” She hesitated briefly before continuing. “My husband, Waren, told me to call him when I got off but…”
Dana wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Jassi, you’re hiding from him and although I understand, I don’t think you can do it until your divorce.”
“I know,” Jassi spoke in a whisper, but her mind was whirling with questions and no answers
Her friend sighed nodding her head and they walked out of the hospital ten minutes later unaware at that precise moment, Jassi’s supervisor was talking to her husband on the phone.
“I’m sorry, sir, but Miss Parks left once her shift ended,” she was telling Waren on the phone in a harassed voice since she was supposed to have been off over two hours ago herself.
She hung up a few minutes later aware that the man on the other end wasn’t very happy with her answers, but she shrugged her shoulders walking away to head home.
Waren scowled staring down at his phone before he threw it on his couch before muttering, “Damn you, Jassi, I told you to call me before leaving.” He frowned slightly his words echoing at him and he thought about Jassi’s look when he dropped her off. “I wish you had still called me.” This was spoken softly with a hint of disappointment.
He shook his head going over to pick up the phone and dial his father’s number getting Siria who picked up on the second ring.
“Siria, when Jassi comes home, have her call me,” he requested when she answered and asked ‘why’. “Just have her call me, please, Siria.”
“All right, Waren,” Siria relented although she was still wondering what was going on. “When she comes in, I’ll have her call you.”
Waren was polite and thanked her before he hung up walking into his kitchen noting absently how sporadic it looked.
“Almost as if nobody leaves here,” he uttered shaking his head walking over to the refrigerator and pulling it open to see what he could have for dinner before sighing and closing it.
“I guess I’m ordering out,” he remarked heading over to the phone and calling a local pizza place he ordered from frequently.
By midnight, there was no call and Waren was seething with anger which he used to ignore his worry. He went to bed intent on going to the family home early tomorrow morning to talk to Jassi.
Unfortunately, the next morning things were chaotic from the early phone call from a friend to his secretary informing him when he arrived that there had been a mishap at one of the construction sites. It wasn’t until early in the afternoon that he had a free moment and he used it to call home when his secretary went out to get lunch for the both of them.
“Hi, Siria,” Waren greeted wearily running a hand through his hair. “Did you give Jassi my message? Was she too tired to call me back?”
“Um,” Siria began in a hesitant voice getting Waren’s immediate attention. “Jassi didn’t come home last night so I called her cell phone this morning. She spent the night with a friend and was on her way to work.”
“What time does her shift end?” Waren asked brusquely grabbing his pen and a small notepad jolting a note down when Siria answered his question.
“Okay, thank you,” Waren absently said grabbing his daily calendar to check if he had any meetings planned for that evening. “Did she mention if she asked for the weekend off?”
“She said something about doing it today before shift ended,” Siria replied her voice slightly distracted that Waren realized she must be busy working.
“Thanks again, little sis,” Waren teased getting a grunt from Siria before she hung up.
“Waren,” Ms. Chester called out coming into the office studying a piece of paper in her hands, “that mishap this morning…”
Waren listened to her with his full attention although he occasionally glanced down at his jolted note before pushing it next to the phone and giving her undivided attention while they worked through the problems one by one.
Around five, Waren sat back in his chair on a long sigh while Ms. Chester collapsed in her seat closing her eyes.
“As long as I’ve worked for you this is the first time that you’ve pushed yourself to be done by five,” she stated no complaint in her voice but a smile lurked around her mouth. “One of these days, you need to bring your wife in because I would love to meet her.” Walking to the door, she shot a parting remark. “Besides, I really have to meet the woman who can get you away from the office for almost a whole day.”
Waren gave her a hooded look although he conceded, “Maybe one day I will” before straightening in his seat when the phone on his desk rung.
The scowl that settled on his features told Ms. Chester that he wasn’t happy with whoever called him and she leaned against the door listening without being subtle
“Pricilla, I can’t tonight. I have something planned,” he spoke lightly over the phone but his eyes narrowed with anger. “I can’t talk right now. Goodbye.”
He smiled grimly when he put down the phone still hearing her whining tones in his ears before commenting to Ms. Chester. “You don’t seem to mind listening to my private conversations.
“Only when it concerns her,” she told him smartly straightening from her leaning position. “Now if your wife called, I wouldn’t even dare to listen in because that’s between husband and wife.”
She waved a hand walking out of the office not seeing the brief flash that went across Waren’s face at her words or the smile that came afterwards as he gathered his things to leave for the day.
He walked out of his office briefcase in his hand. “Go home and spend the evening with your family. I’m going to actually spend the evening with my wife if you can believe it.”
“It’s about time,” he heard her grumble gathering her things and he only chuckled heading for the stairs.
“Good night,” he called back hearing her answer absently before the door to the stairway closed behind him and he hurried down checking his watch.
Once he exited the building, he hurried over to his car only to be stopped by Pricilla who stepped from her own vehicle and he held back the expletive that came to his tongue.
“I’m sorry, Pricilla, I need to get going,” Waren told her opening his car throwing his briefcase in the passenger seat not hiding his anger at her sudden appearance.
“Waren, honey,” Pricilla cooed reaching out a manicured hand to grab his arm. “I only need a few minutes of your time.”
Waren glanced down at his watch again before he turned to her. “You’ve got five minutes.”
Pricilla pouted again her eyes glinting with ire when Waren merely put a hand on his door and stared at her waiting for her to speak.
“I thought maybe we could go away this weekend,” she suggested softly. “My parents are arriving in town and they want to see you again. They’ve missed you, Waren.”
Waren stopped himself from smirking. “I have plans for this weekend, but tell your parents that I will gladly have lunch with them sometime next week.” Mentally shaking his head, Waren wondered if Pricilla thought he was stupid or he didn’t remember anything about their past. Pricilla’s parents had disliked him on-sight especially since he hadn’t known that they were mee
ting them and he had worn comfortable clothes which had offended her mother. They lived beyond their means while spoiling Pricilla to no end and he recognized that even then although he had been smitten with her.
Pricilla’s mouth dropped open when Waren glanced down at his watch again telling her. “I have an appointment so I need to get going.”
With a nod of ‘goodbye’, he slid into his car shutting the door on her gawking before starting his car and pulling out of the parking lot. He didn’t see the way her eyes shifted with a devious light before she climbed into her own car pulling out after him.
He frowned checking the time on his dashboard and he shifted gears putting his foot a little harder on the gas pedal.
“I gave her more than five minutes,” he muttered with a scowl.
He pulled up to the hospital just as Jassi and her friend walked out of the building, and he was out of the car heading toward her before she saw him.
“Jassi, did you need a ride home or…” her friend was saying when Waren approached them.
“She has a ride, but thank you for taking care of my wife,” Waren immediately intervened grabbing Jassi by the arm smiling at her friend.
Jassi was startled when he spoke but even more when he gripped her arm speaking directly to Dana. “I need to talk to her about something so if you excuse us…”
He left the sentence hanging although he was already walking away and Jassi’s friend watched them leave with hooded eyes although she called out. “Jassi, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Jassi threw her a disgruntled look but nodded her head mouthing ‘thank you’ a second before Waren put her in the car.
“I thought I told you to call me when your shift ended yesterday,” Waren told her pulling out of the parking lot of the hospital.
Jassi played stupid mentioning, “You also said that you had to go to work when we had breakfast.”
Waren threw her a glare before he changed lines going on the highway which had Jassi getting nervous asking, “Where are we going? I thought you were taking me back to your father’s house.”
“We need to talk.” Waren spoke brusquely taking the first exit arriving in a downtown area that Jassi knew about but rarely visited.
“I live here,” Waren commented a few minutes later when he pulled into an underground garage.
“Really,” Jassi remarked sarcastically when Waren parked in his normal parking space.
“Sarcasm doesn’t become you, sweetheart,” Waren mocked watching a blush settle on her face at his words although she spun her head around ready with a comeback.
Waren took advantage of that moment to kiss her passionately feeling his wife’s surprise and shock at the action.
“Now we got that out of our system,” Waren whispered his breath drifting across Jassi’s heated skin and she blinked her eyes to clear her mind from the chaos that had occurred from the touch of Waren’s lips.
“Why,” she stated her voice shaking and she cleared it before beginning again. “What do we need to talk about?”
“For starters,” Waren began drawing back to study her, “I’m hungry. It’s been a long day at the office.”
He climbed out of the car closing his door before walking around to open the door for Jassi who studied him with confusion before she exited the car.
Waren sighed shaking his head sadly. “I think my reputation as a gentleman is taking a big hit.”
Jassi just rolled her eyes at his words, but he saw the slight smile that lifted the corners of her lips.
“And we need to discuss our plans for next weekend,” Waren continued as they headed for the elevator and he put a light hand on Jassi’s lower back feeling her tense at his touch.
His eyes flashed when she didn’t pull away and he ushered her into the elevator when it opened to admit them.
“I requested next weekend off as promised,” Jassi revealed pushing her braid back over her shoulder not going to mention how the nurse supervisor along with others had asked if she wanted to use a few more days since she had accumulated so many.
“Good,” was all Waren said watching her closely seeing a brief flash in her eyes that was gone before he could identify it, but he had a feeling that she was holding something back from him.
Neither said another word during the elevator ride and when the elevator stopped on his floor, the hand on her back urged her forward causing Jassi to throw him a weird look.
A few minutes later, they were striding into his apartment when a sugary voice called out. “Waren, you’re home.”
Waren froze anger vibrating through him hearing Pricilla’s voice and Jassi asked in a low voice. “May I use the bathroom?”
Waren turned to look at her seeing eyes that were blank and he swore loudly watching her lovely eyes widen before a flicker of laughter flashed in them.
“Down at the end of the hall,” he told her a scowl on his face trying to cover his own laughter.
Jassi nodded her head and started in that direction while Waren watched her before entering his living room.
“I’ve been waiting for you,” Pricilla stated when he stopped in the doorway observing her quietly.
She wore a tight fitting dress with a slit up the side ending at the top of her thigh and she smiled when she noticed him checking her out.
“I have a party that I was invited to tonight and I would like you to be my escort,” she told him with a coy smile. “I can wait until you get ready.”
She casually flowed down onto the couch her dress rising with her movement and Waren lowered his lids anger flashing in his eyes at her words.
“I do believe that we already had this conversation today,” he remarked walking through the living room towards the kitchen ironically wondering how she changed so fast to get over to his place since he saw her more than twenty minutes ago.
Hearing a soft sound, he asked without turning around. “Do you like Chinese?”
Pricilla laughed although there was a sharp sound to it before she replied, “Waren, I know it’s been a long time, but you should remember that much about me.”
“I wasn’t talking to you,” Waren chided turning his head to look at her before turning his eyes to Jassi standing in the doorway. “We will talk while we eat so do you like Chinese or not?”
Pricilla swung her head around eyes widening when she caught sight of Jassi in the doorway eyes on Waren a look of confusion flickering in their depths.
“I love Chinese,” Jassi admitted in a low voice tilting her head to the side staring at him.
Waren smiled at her look. “Anything particular or…”
“Whatever you want to order,” Jassi told him walking over when he waved her toward him.
He nodded his head stepping aside so Jassi could enter the kitchen before him and Pricilla watched them in stunned silence.
“Waren,” she stated sharply standing up quickly from the couch. “What about the party…”
“As I’ve told you, I have plans to eat with Jassi so we can discuss our weekend,” Waren reminded her turning his head to look at Pricilla. “I hope that you have a good time.”
“Waren…” Pricilla started in stunned disbelief but Waren overrode her.
“Let me escort Pricilla to the door, and then I will order our dinner,” Waren told Jassi putting a light hand on her shoulder giving it a squeeze.
Jassi, still confused, nodded her head watching when Waren turned to Pricilla and with a slight incline of his head urged her toward the front door.
Pricilla picked up her purse with a scowl throwing Jassi a hard look before sauntering to the door turning to Waren with a slight pout.
“Waren, how about…” she began.
“Goodnight, Pricilla,” Waren interrupted opening the door and escorting her out. With a nod of his head, he closed the door on her surprised look and walked back to the kitchen where Jassi waited sitting at the table.
“You don’t eat in much, do you,” she commented when he reentered the kitche
n and headed for the phone.
“I’m a terrible cook,” Waren conceded in a rough voice shooting her a sharp look.
Jassi didn’t make a sound but he thought he saw the corner of her lips turn up at the corners before she turned away to scan the kitchen.
Waren made the phone call to order their food and after hanging up, he poured them both something to drink, tea for Jassi and a beer for himself.
Jassi glanced at the beer but she didn’t comment taking a sip of her drink.
“I thought we could leave Thursday night,” Waren remarked turning the bottle around in his hands. “I’ve already talked to Craig and his wife, Delilah, who will have a room ready for us although the party isn’t until the following day.”
“So we will return on Saturday night,” Jassi asked her mind already deciding to go away once they returned only for that thought to be put on hold when Waren shook his head.
“No, we won’t return until Sunday evening at the earliest.”
At those words, Jassi widened her eyes at him and Waren smirked taking a swig of his beer.
“But…” Jassi began only for the phone to ring interrupting her.
Waren stood up and answered it giving her a brief look. “Hello.”
He frowned with whatever being said on the other end and with a glance at his wristwatch, he said, “I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
He hung up the phone and with a grimace told Jassi. “I have to go back to the office. When the food arrives, just have them charge it to my account.”
“I will call a friend to take me home,” Jassi offered standing up only for Waren to grab her arm stopping her when she went to leave the room.
“No,” he said shortly. “I will take you home when I get back, but first eat. I have cable or some books in my room if you want to read, but stay here until I get back.”
“But Waren,” Jassi started only stopping when he muttered something under his breath before leaning down and kissing her roughly.
“I’ll be back soon,” he told her in a raspy voice giving her a hooded look.
Arranged Marriage, Wanted Wife Page 6
