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“Miss Taylor.” Tony steps up, forcing Steve and me to look at him. He is a big man, much bigger than Steve, and I watch Steve taking him in as he immediately retreats. I have never had anyone step in for me. Steve doesn’t know what it is like for anyone to have my back. I’ve always been alone. “Everything alright here?” Tony asks me, and I swallow.
“Everything is fine, big man. Isn’t that right, Kitty Cat?” Steve says from the side, where he continues to step backward. I can no longer see his girlfriend, as she obviously left the scene pretty quickly.
“Thanks, Tony. Everything is fine,” I say, my voice shaking, and Tony doesn’t look like he believes me. I look back at Steve, but he is already gone. Slipped back into the night like the ghost that he is.
“Let’s go,” Tony says, walking me to the car, opening the back door for me to slip inside. I take a few moments of peace to stare at the roof of the car, willing the tears not to fall.
I need to get out of this situation. I need to put a stop to Steve and his constant threats for money. Because if I don’t, then there is no future for me.
I might as well be dead.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN - EDDIE
Ipush my body through the water, feeling my lungs burn and my muscles move. I wasn’t lying to Katie when I told her I swim here often. It is where I come to relax. The Harborside building has the best swimming pool in the entire city. I come here at least a few nights a week just to unwind. While my mind usually continues to race, the movement expels the energy running through my body enough for me to sleep.
As my freestyle glides through the water, I think about the week. We had a new building opening in Singapore. The tenants we have moving in are all loving it, and my team, who I have on the ground there, are managing it well. Then I think about my mother. I haven’t heard from her since she stalked into my office. Her thinly veiled threat is still filtering in my mind, though. There is no way I am even going to go on a date with a woman she chooses, let alone entertain one as a wife. The thought runs through me, making my arms pump even faster. I think I hear a door slam, but I am too focused on my strokes, so I pay little attention.
Then my mind moves on to Katie. I have stayed away from her this week. Not to be an asshole, as we have still either spoken or texted every day. But the guilt of not telling her who I really am is starting to eat at me. That, coupled with the fact that I just want to see her all the time and get to know her more, has those two feelings colliding like a ship in the stormy seas, ebbing and flowing, just waiting for it to sink. The outcome of my little secret I already know is not going to be great. That thought sits in the pit of my stomach.
But she is who I have been thinking about the most. She is something. Last I saw her, I wanted to completely devour her, strip her naked, and make her mine. But I really don’t want to fuck this up.
Also, getting involved with someone is not ideal, considering my mother’s history. While I may want that perfect family dream, I know what my mother is capable of, and I do not want that for me or my partner of choice. I swore to myself I would stay single, at least for a few more years. It’s been easy up until now.
I pop up at the end of the pool and grab on to the side, heaving in some air as I look at my watch.
“Training for the Olympics?” a voice asks from beside me, and I nearly jump out of my skin.
“Shit!” I gasp, looking up and around wildly until I find the source of the statement. Pink hair, a black swimsuit, and a scattering of intricate tattoos up her arms.
“Katie?” I pant out, taking off my goggles, wondering if I am dreaming. I have thought of her and her wet t-shirt for weeks, but looking at her now, I get a whole other vision. Her pink hair is coiled on top of her head, and she sits on the edge of the pool with her feet dangling in.
“Sorry… I didn’t… mean to… scare you…” she starts to say, but she is giggling at me so hard, she can’t even get her words out. Her hand covers her chest like she is now finding it difficult to breathe. She is stunning.
“I think you shaved a few years off my life,” I joke, relieved and pleased as I grab on to the side of the pool near where she sits.
“You’re a pro. Such a great swimmer,” she says, her laughter now subsiding.
“I normally don’t see anyone else here,” I say with a stupid grin. Any thought I had earlier of pushing her from my mind has now died. I need my lips on hers again.
“How was work today?” I ask as I tread water in front of her. It is night outside, so the large windows give us an amazing view of the sparkling lights of Baltimore, while the low lights inside glow from behind her, illuminating her like a fucking angel sent from heaven.
“Ahhhh.” She cringes as she slips slowly off the side and lowers herself into the water. Her body moves fluidly, slinking down from the edge, right in front of me. She goes all the way under before she bobs up again. “It is good, but I am a hundred percent positive that my boss hates me.” Treading water along with me, we stay close to one another.
“Why do you say that?” I question, not sure how anyone could hate this beautiful woman.
“He is near retirement and has worked in the field of cardiology for years. While he is well respected in the industry, he doesn't go easy on me. Nurses usually don’t get a lot of respect from our doctors. The older they are, the less respect we get, and my boss is ancient,” she explains.
“So it was a tough week, huh?” I say, trying to keep my eyes on her face and not her amazing tits as they float on top of the water, her bathing suit barely containing them.
“Each day keeps getting better and better. The nursing staff are great, and I have made friends with the nursing unit manager, Shelley. It’s just the doctor…”
“What’s the doctor's name?” I ask, because chances are I will know him. Maybe I can put in a word.
“Dr. Colin Wilson. Old guy. Been there for decades.” I swallow. I know Dr. Wilson. All too well, unfortunately.
“Could you move to another doctor?” Dr. Wilson is the last person Katie needs to know. He is friends with my mother, so I don’t trust him as far as I can throw him.
“Maybe in time. At the moment, I need to see out at least three months with him before I can request a change. This water is so nice. No wonder you come here,” she says, laying her head back and taking a few breaths. This woman is killing me and doesn’t even know it.
