Page 3 of Temptation and Tyranny

“How’s she taking it?”

“She’s shocked, but I think she’s excited.

“How about you?”

“I’m…I’m a bit of everything, honestly. Excited, nervous…scared as hell. Worried about Ashlynn’s health already. I can’t lose her.”

“It’s not the middle-ages, Steele. We have modern medicine.” I smirked, finding his anxiousness almost laughable.

“Just wait until you fall in love, Cooper. You’ll feelthe same way.”

“Never gonna happen, man.”

Steele just gave me a condescending look, which pissed me off again. But I didn’t want to ruin his excitement, and he was in a bit of a better mood now that he’d shared his news. I wouldn’t want to be tied down with a wife and a screaming infant, but I guess that was Steele’s deal now. Ashlynn had changed him completely, and it was hard to reconcile this new version of him with the ruthless man I had known before.

“So…” he started, and I knew we were instantly back to our earlier conversation. “I need you to stop this arms shipment.”

“Steele, I can’t. Money has been exchanged, hands shook. It’s a done deal.”

“I hope to god you know what you’re doing.” He raised his eyebrow in a quiet challenge.

I was sure I did.

Chapter Two

Allegra

I looked at my patient schedule, smiling at the names as I traced my finger down my morning lineup. Three of my favorite patients were on my schedule this morning. They were sweet and willing to work hard, and even though life had handed them some rough times, they still maintained their positivity and took everything in stride.

My brow wrinkled when I saw Cooper Moreau scheduled for this afternoon. For a split second, I contemplated faking some kind of illness and going home after lunch.

I’d been dealing with Cooper for about a month, and he was an absolute pain. He refused to listen to me, his own pride getting in the way of everything I asked him to do. Every single stretch was a struggle, every instruction a battle. He was a naturally fit man, compounded by the fact that he must work out at the gym constantly. However, I’d tried to tell him that fitness was completely different from rehabilitation and physical therapy, but he’d dismissed me. I had him pegged for a misogynistic womanizer and the worst kind of playboy. Probably here on daddy’s dime.

I sighed, squaring my shoulders in resolve as my professionalism kicked in. I wouldn’t let Cooper Moreau ruin what was otherwise going to be a lovely, sunny day.

I relished in the unusual heat wave that was currently plaguing the city. Whereas the average Parisian felt it stifling and uncomfortable, I enjoyed the sun on my face and the warmth cocooning my body. It brought me back to my summers at the vineyards in Italy. My mother was Italian, but she’d died, leaving me in the care of my French father, who wasn’t well equipped to deal with a young child, especially given his…career. So, I’d spent many summers with my grandparents and among the grapes, learning to appreciate the soil and the heat, along with the bugs and the rain.

I missed Italy so much now. When my grandparents had passed away, I couldn’t afford to keep the vineyard. I could have asked my father for the money, but I didn’t want anything to do with his line of work and was better off on my own. Instead, I had used what little inheritance I had and decided to go to school for physical therapy. I enjoyed my job, enjoyed the ability to help people regain the skills they needed to get through everyday life. My grandfather had been in an accident when I was in middle school, and I’d watched with rapt attention when the physical therapist put him through stretches and exercises, helping his body come back to life. Even as a preteen, I knew it was the career for me.

My morning patients seemed to fly by, and before I knew it, it was lunchtime. I walked out of the clinic, down the street towards a little bakery. The owner smiled at me, handing me my usual before I even opened my mouth.

I made the journey back to the office slowly, enjoying the last little bit of my lunch break. When Iturned the corner and saw Cooper’s car, an ostentatious black sports car, I seriously reconsidered my earlier plan of playing sick.You love your job, I reminded myself, opening the clinic door and entering the office.

I shared the space with eight other therapists and a program director, who acted as the liaison for the hospital our clinic was attached to. It was an arrangement that worked well. Whenever one of us was on vacation or sick, we could cover for each other. We shared the rent and the cost of the receptionist’s salary. I wasn’t wealthy by any means, but my job provided me with a comfortable littlepied-à-terrethat boasted a beautiful view of the city. I didn’t own a car and preferred to walk everywhere, so my expenses were minimal outside of my home.

Joanna, our receptionist, smiled at me when I passed her desk, and she nodded to the corner of the waiting room where my next patient sat.

Cooper Moreau’s dirty blonde hair fell carelessly across his forehead as he fixed me with that sour expression of his. Despite myself, my eyes traced the defined muscles of his arms, visible beneath his fitted shirt. No wonder the other female patients whispered, and the younger therapists snuck glances when he did his exercises. Even with a limp, he moved like someone who belonged in a fitness magazine. But his movie-star good looks couldn’t mask the arrogance radiating from his rigid posture, and the way his jaw clenched as if he was annoyed with me and everyone around him.

As if I had a sixth sense, I already knew how this session was going to play out. He’d be full of his usual cocky attitude, acting like he knew more than any actual physical therapist, and I’d be submissive andkind, trying not to set him off.

I walked right past where he sat and headed to my small office. Grabbing his file, I looked over his treatment plan, noting his stalled progress. I instantly became irritated at the plateau. I usually possessed a slow temper, but after the willingness I’d witnessed from my other patients this morning, I was in no mood to put up with his crap. I flicked my hair over my shoulders, then changed my mind and pulled it back into a tight ponytail. This was serious. Cooper Moreau was going to shape up or ship out.

I moved out of the small room and back towards the receptionist area.

“Mr. Moreau.” Nodding towards him, I turned my back so he could follow me down to our gym. I could hear him shuffle behind me, sighing a bit as the cane eased his trek. I slowed my walk, feeling a bit guilty as he struggled to keep up with my brisk pace.

Being a hard-ass wasn’t usually my thing. But I felt like this particular patient needed some tough love. I rehearsed my speech in my head as I approached the end of the hall, my stomach already in knots.

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