Page 189 of The Sidekick

I never thought it was a big deal when they stole my breaks.

“Trevor,” Sal yells again.

Max kisses me again, and I surrender to it. Forget her and jobs in general. I’m happy right where I am.

Someone starts banging on the door demandingly.

Max pulls his lips from mine with a scowl. “You’d think she’d take the hint, but she never does.”

“Enough,” Trevor yells, and I leap away from Max in pure reflex. I turn to face Trevor, standing stiffly with my arms at my sides.

He looks at me in confusion before a scowl overtakes his features. He stands and walks toward me while my eyes drop to the floor. The tension in my body is enough to cause my muscles to lock up. Trevor passes me and opens the door to lean out.

“Do not ever knock on this door that way again,” he says grimly.

“But Max-”

“Is speaking with me. Go back to work before I write you up for this.”

There’s a moment of silence that stretches my nerves thin before the door is closed softly behind me.

“Tera?” Max asks in concern.

I don’t dare look at him. My brain has realized Trevor wasn’t yelling at me, but my body thinks I’m in deep trouble. The more attention I pay to Max, the angrier he’ll get. I thought it would be ok for us to be like this in front of him. I was wrong.

“Have a seat, Tera.”

I hurry to a chair and sit down on the edge. I’m way too stressed to sit back.

Trevor pauses behind me and braces his hands on the back of the chair. I can feel his attention on me, almost like he’s touching me.

“Do you understand that I’m not mad at you?” He asks softly. His voice still carries a dark tone, and I swallow hard as I try not to fidget in the chair.

“Yes, sir.”

“And you know I don’t care what you do with Max?”

I chew my lip, stuck for an answer.

“Three.”

“No, sir?” I squeak out while my eyes widen. I don’t want him to say any more numbers. I’d like him to forget that numbers exist for however long this interrogation lasts.

“I don’t care what you do with Max. I don’t care what you do with Asher. Do you care what she does with me, Max?”

“No, sir.” Max’s voice comes out sickeningly sweet, and my eyes narrow. I know he’s making fun of me.

“Do you care what she does with Asher?” He continues without calling him on it. It makes my eyes narrow more. He’s not in trouble? Why am I the one in the hot seat?

“No, sir,” he answers happily. “But I do want to know how he convinced her to use her old soap and wear a dress. If this is a strategy, I want in.”

Dang, you, Max!

“Tera?” Trevor asks in a silky dark tone.

How do I get out of this? I don’t want to share details with them. That was my time with Asher.

“Two.”

---