“Damn, Nick, I want you in my mouth.”
“Yeah, and I want my dick inside of your wet pussy for the rest of the night, but baby, this needs to be quick. It’s a fast release for the both of us, to be continued again later in our bed, okay?”
“Whatever you say,” she said.
“I say. Wrap your legs around me. Don’t make a sound.”
She scoffed and then gave me a sexy wink in return. With her mom and girls upstairs, we knew we had to keep it quiet. I slid in easily to her body. She was ready for me. I placed my hands under her bare ass and held her close to me. I thrusted and thrusted, and then she whispered how close she was. I was on my way and then Karen went first, and since she couldn’t scream, she bit down on to my shoulder until I cried out my own orgasm. She grabbed a hand towel that was near the machine and stuffed it into my mouth. Together, we rode out our orgasms and were blissfully sated until we could be alone together once the kids were in bed.
“I needed that. Thank you, Nick,” she said. With her head leaning on my shoulder and kissing the bite mark she left, she whispered, “I love you. It’s been a crazy few weeks, and I want one day that I don’t have to worry.”
“I know, baby, and it’s not always going to be like this. I don’t know, is this our test or something? Who knows? No matter what, I am not going to allow anything to happen to you or your girls. You have to believe me, baby. I would die for them before that happens.”
“Don’t even talk like that. Way to go calming me down, babe. Look, I took today to really think about everything. I will do anything you want if it means finding Alex and securing the girls’ safety. I know you are worried about me, but my concern is for them. So I will not fight you anymore. I trust you, Nick, with everything I have.”
I kissed her softly, and then we ate dinner together. Once we finished, we spent time with the girls. Trinity had me read Beauty and the Beast and made sure I did all the voices. It was a perfect ending to a crappy day. In such a short time, these girls had come to mean so much. I couldn’t even begin to know just when my heart shifted and allowed Karen in. I no longer cared about the past. I wasn’t one to tempt fate and question it. It was time for us to get a win and be happy. For now, we were all okay, and tomorrow would be another day to figure it all out.
By the time I reached Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, my hand was blown up like a balloon and a lovely shade of blue and purple. Carter was going to flip out when he saw my hand. What will he freak out more about? My possible broken hand? Or how it came to be this way? I say both.
I called Sally, and once again, she came through for me in a big way. She not only covered for me tonight, but also handled Stan as well. I knew I was running out of time holding Carter off, but if I could take care of this on my own, it would be one less thing he had to worry about. Yeah right! He is not going to take this well, Thea, and you are the one that is delusional if you think you can hide this from him.
He called me non-stop, and I just kept letting his calls go to voicemail. I had Sally stall him for a while until I could get my hand looked at. Luck was on my side again when Sally told me that her uncle, Dr. Paul Avery, was one of California’s best rated orthopedic surgeons. She called his office, and he was happy to see me on such short notice. Now if it was just that simple keeping Carter calm, I would be golden.
If I had gone to the emergency room, who knew how long I would have waited to be seen, and I needed to get to Carter before his asshole father found him. After I checked in with Dr. Avery’s office, his nurse took all my information and then ordered x-rays on my hand and wrist.
She asked, “You have quite the rainbow of colors going on there. What happened, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“I punched a brick wall, or rather my future father-in-law’s jaw.”
“Now that I wish I could have seen. Do any damage?”
“A facial laceration, thanks to my ring here, busted lip, and probably a bruised ego.”
“That’s enough. Okay, Thea, keep your hand still and let me snap a few pictures.”
Once the tedious task of x-ray after x-ray was over, Dr. Avery entered the room. I took one look at him and nearly swallowed my tongue. Um…Sally sure had some explaining to do. This guy looked like Joe Manganiello. I was waiting for him to do his best “Magic Mike” dance for me. Okay, that is enough drooling, Thea. You have a gorgeous man waiting for you at home.
“Hi, Thea. I’m Paul Avery.”
“I would shake your hand, but as you can see, it’s pretty swollen.”
“Yeah, and pretty broken too.”
“Seriously? I was hoping for just a bad sprain,” I said.
“Yeah, no such luck. Here, let me show you.”
He took one of my films and popped it into the holder. When the light came on, it was clear where the break was. Fuck! This was all I needed. Damn my temper. If I would have just walked away and not allowed Lennox to get to me, I would not be sitting here in a hospital with a broken hand.
He said, “So I am sure that is not the news you were hoping for, but sorry, it needs to be casted. Your hand is too swollen for it tonight, so you are going to have to come back in a couple of days depending how quickly the swelling decreases. At that point, I will put you in a cast for the next 4 weeks and hope for the best.”
“How bad is my hand?”
“You shattered your metacarpal bones. Normally I would not recommend a cast, but as you can see here on your films, it’s a clean break, and I would rather allow it to heal in a cast than risk more injury treating it as a bad sprain. The cast will protect it, and hopefully once you are healed, there will not be any deformities to your hand. It really comes down to a wait and see.”
“What about surgery? Can’t you reconnect the bones somehow?”
“Not for this injury, I’m sorry. Right now, I can give you some injections to help with the swelling. Follow the icing instructions, and I will set it in a temporary brace for now until the majority of swelling goes down. I know you are a friend of my niece, so here is my private number. Call me in a few days. As I mentioned, if the swelling is down, I will have you come back and then I will cast it.”
“Thank you, Dr. Avery.”
“It’s my pleasure, and please, call me Paul.”
Oh shit! Please do not ask me out.
He said, “So…would it be too forward to invite you out for coffee? That is, before I prescribe the painkillers.”
Oh, he’s adorable and a player, but I already have one of those and need to get home to him before he tracks my phone and bursts through his door.
I said, “I’m flattered, but I am happily engaged to be married.”
“Just my luck. Struck out again. Okay, did you drive here on your own? Because if you did, I would not recommend driving again. You injured your right hand, and once I set it in the brace, you are going to have difficulty.”
“I can leave my car here and just call for an Uber.”
“How about I drive you home? As a favor to Sally.”
“I don’t know, Dr. Avery.”
“It’s Paul, and once we finish here, I am done for the night. Really, Thea, it’s no bother at all.”
This man was pulling out all the stops, but this girl is no shrinking violet. I don’t think my ring and mentioning of the fiancé has swayed him one bit. No, it would be wrong to accept a ride from him, and Carter would certainly have a problem with it.
“Thank you, but I will be fine on my own.”
“Okay, suit yourself. I will be right back with the injections and then you can be on your way.”
As I waited for the very accommodating Dr. Avery to return, my phone buzzed again. This time it was Sally.
“Hey, Sal, what’s up?”
She whispered, “Where are you, Thea? I thought you would be back by now. Carter is losing his ever-loving mind. After his broadcast, he stormed out of here and didn’t return for a long time, and now he is back, and hell hath no fury when it comes to findi
ng you. He looks as if he wants to kill someone, and right now I am in his line of fire.”
“Sally, didn’t you cover for me with what I told you?”
“I did, but he doesn’t believe me. I am not sure how long I can hold him off.”
“Do you know where he went once he left the station?”
“Not a clue. All I know is that he came back much worse than before he left. I saw Stan talking with him for a few minutes, and then I thought I was in the clear, but then I saw Stan leave his office with the door slamming behind him. You need to call him, and now.”
“Is that Thea? Hand me your phone, Sally,” he enunciated very slowly in the coldest tone I had ever heard from Carter.
“It’s not Thea. It’s my uncle,” she said.
He’s not going to buy it, Sally. You don’t lie very well.
Just then I heard some rustling, and then Sally screamed, “Carter, how dare you? Give me my phone!”
“Your uncle? Yeah right, that’s why it says ‘Thea.’”
“Carter, hand me back my phone. This is totally inappropriate,” Sally cried out.
“Yeah, and so is lying to me when I asked you a direct question. You will get your phone back once I talk to my fiancée,” he said curtly.
I was sure Sally backed off after that.
“Baby, where are you?” he painfully asked.
I was freaking shaking now. I guess I was coming down from the adrenaline, and my hand was beyond throbbing. The shift in Carter’s tone was not helping my anxiety. He went from raging tiger to calm kitty cat.
“Carter, please don’t take your anger out on Sally. She was just doing what I instructed her to do.”
“And what might that be? Lie for you, Thea? Because all I know is that you should be here at the studio with me. You left here hours ago, and it doesn’t take that long to complete what I asked of you, unless something else happened that you are not telling me.”
Oh shit! He knows, or he wouldn’t be saying such things. I kept myself in check and said nothing in return. He was doing enough of the talking for the both of us.
He asked, “So where are you? Because I can tell you where you are not, and that is here!” he shouted again. “You have ignored every call I placed to you today. Why is that? Now, one last time. Where are you? And don’t even fucking think of lying to me anymore than you already have. Your accomplice has already left the room.”
As I was about to answer him, Dr. Avery stepped into the room and said, “Okay, Thea, ready?”
Carter shouted, “What the fuck! Who’s with you?”
I moved my phone away from my ear, and Dr. Avery looked confused and wasn’t sure what to say next. I held up my good hand and asked him for another minute. He left the tray of medicine and excused himself. Damn, this guy did me a huge favor today by seeing me on short notice and now he overhears my crazy fiancé screaming at me through the phone.
“Thea! Are you there?” Carter called out.
“Yes, I’m here. Please stop shouting at me. Before I tell you, will you promise to calm down and hear me out? I mean it, Carter. If you don’t, I am hanging up.”
I knew he was probably pacing the office right about now. I can only imagine his level of frustration. My phone showed an incoming pic message. It was coming from another phone I kept at my office. Sally captured a pic of Carter, and sure enough he looked a wreck. This was my fault. I should have never argued with his father. I should have never hit his father. I should have never ignored Carter today. Of course, he was going mad waiting for me to return. The last time I had seen him was after our staff meeting this morning. He just looked broken as he sat behind his desk at work, and I pushed him to let me help him.
I said, “Carter, have you calmed down? Did you count to one hundred?”
“Don’t patronize me, Thea, and yes, I counted but not nearly high enough. Please, baby, I need you. Tell me where you are, and I will come and get you.”
“Let me just say before I tell you that, I am fine, and please do not drive like a crazy man to get to me.”
“Now, Thea! Tell me.”
“I am at Cedars-Sinai.”
“What!” he roared through the phone. “Are you sick? Hurt? Talk to me? I swear to God, if that bastard did anything to you, he is a dead man.”
What? But how? Did his father already get to him? I shouldn’t be surprised. When it came to me, Carter loved me madly, and as much as I tried to keep him in the dark, he knew no bounds and found out anyway.
“Thea?” he shouted again.
“I had a little accident with my hand, but I will be fine. Sally’s uncle, Dr. Avery, is fixing me up. I should be ready to leave by the time you get here. Hello? Carter?”
I looked down to my phone and saw that the call had ended. Seconds later my phone rang again, and it was Sally.
“Thea, I am so sorry. I have never seen Carter so angry in all the time I have known him. Are you going to be okay with him?”
“Oh, Sally, whatever you are thinking, please erase it from your mind. Carter would never hurt me, not ever. He’s not in a good place right now and with me pulling a disappearing act today, it’s no wonder why he is so upset. I promise you, I will be fine.”
“Okay, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have thought that.”
“No, it’s fine. You were a great friend to me today, and I won’t forget it. Okay, Dr. Hottie has to put some injections in my hand now.”
“Ha! Yeah, again, I’m sorry. I guess I should have warned you about him.”
“Yes, you should have, but I made it clear I was only interested in having him as my doctor.”
“Well, he has been known to make house calls.”
“I am hanging up now. Good night, Sally.”
“Good night, Thea. Feel better.”
A few moments later, the door slowly opened and Paul said, “Hey, is it safe to come in now?”
“Yes, of course. Thank you for being so understanding.”
He shrugged, “Don’t worry. Okay, let’s begin. Now, Thea, this is going to hurt quite a bit, but once the steroid begins to take effect, you should feel some relief. Just follow the instructions to the letter, and come back in three days to air on the side of caution.”
I was so focused on Carter that I hardly felt the burning sensation from the injection. He hit a few different spots on my hand, and then his nurse returned to assist him in wrapping it. My saving grace was that it would be covered by the time Carter arrived, and at least that part of the story I could hold off on explaining.
Yeah, right! Once he takes a look at my hand, it’s all going to be about the questions and probably go on for many hours. I think I will pop a pain pill now so by the time we get home, I will be knocked out.
“Okay, Thea, you are all set. Only take the brace off to shower and sleep. Keep it on for everything after that. We want to keep it as stable as possible.”
“Thank you so much.”
I was going to say more when Carter came through the door, not looking any better than the picture Sally had sent me.
He completely ignored Dr. Avery and rushed over to me, taking me in his arms. His hands were rubbing all over my back, and he deeply inhaled the scent of my hair. I wanted to just cry because this was my Carter in complete pain. I didn’t dare move. He hugged me tighter and tighter until I finally nudged him a little to loosen his grip. His hands moved to my face and cupped my cheeks, his eyes focused on mine.
“I’m fine, babe, I promise,” I told him,
He swallowed hard and said, “Let’s go home.”
He reached for my good hand and gently pulled me along with him.
I already had my follow-up appointment with Dr. Avery, and there wasn’t anything more to say. I tried not to be embarrassed by the way Carter handled me through his office, but I also knew I was partly responsible for the mood he was in.
I tried to reassure myself that this was Los Angeles, so I was sure they saw quite the clientele walk through here from ti
me to time. He treated half the LA Lakers, and I was sure I was not the only melodramatic patient he had seen. Well, I hoped not.
We walked through the parking garage toward my car. Once he spotted it, he opened the door for me and helped me inside. Carter had taken an Uber over, knowing I had my car with me. We drove in silence, with Carter focused entirely on the road. Once we arrived back at my condo, he helped me inside, and I braced myself for one hell of a conversation.
But he opted for a shower after he ordered a late dinner for us. My pill was beginning to work, and as tired as I was, I knew I had to stay awake to talk with Carter. While he was in the shower, I texted Sally to tell her thank you again for all she did today and referring her uncle. Aside from his shameless flirting, he was very professional and did show genuine concern for my injured hand.
I changed out of my clothes and threw them onto the dry-cleaning pile. I kept my panties on and just wore one of my silk robes that Carter enjoyed seeing me wear. With his ever-changing unpredictable mood, I was prepared for everything. If he wanted to make love, we would make love. I gave him some space and went downstairs to wait for our dinner arrival. Tasty Thai was our go-to restaurant, and with their late hours, it suited us perfectly.
I turned on my iPod that was charging on its station. I chose to play Andrea Bocelli. He was one of Carter’s favorite tenors ever since he had the pleasure of meeting him backstage at one of his concerts. It was beyond soothing, and that was the mood I was going for tonight with my man.
Dinner arrived, and I set our food up near the fireplace. With the mood set, all I needed was Carter. I waited a few more minutes and still he didn’t come down, so I went to him. When I found him, he was outside on the balcony staring out to the night sky. He knew I was there. It was something we both had the ability to do when the other was near. I wanted to touch him, but it would break my heart if he rejected me.
“Carter, are you coming downstairs to eat?” God, I sound so small. Please don’t go silent on me. I could take anything but that. “Okay, I can see you want to be alone, so I will be downstairs. When you are ready, you know where to find me.”
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