Page 39 of Flirt

“That would be great if I actually cared enough to want to listen to you, which I don’t.” I walked to the door, pulled it open, and headed toward the bank of elevators. Hopefully, I would be able to hold it together long enough to make it to my car. It wouldn’t take much more to have tears flowing.

One set of elevator doors slid open, and I stepped in, not even looking to see if it was continuing up or headed down. All I thought was,not much longer,as the doors started to close. When a hand appeared and stopped the progress, I briefly forgot about the tears I was holding off. “Do not get on this elevator. I don’t want to talk. I don’t want to listen. Damn it, I don’t want to look at you right now. And lastly, I don’t want to make a scene, but I will if I’m left with no choice.” My voice broke at the end, and whatever he had planned to say to me, he kept to himself. With one last look into my eyes, Max stepped back and let the doors close.

Thankful that the elevator had been on its way down, I hurried out when the doors opened and exited the hospital in anticipation of reaching my car before I broke down. Instead, life wasn’t quite done with me for the day it seemed.

“Hey, I’ve been thinking of you, and here you are,” Dr. Chad Booker, aka the doctor every woman wants, at least by his account, said as soon as I made it to the sidewalk.

Ugh, so close to escaping. And so not in the mood to deal with him. I had met my quota of the day dealing with assholes.

“Well, nice running into you...”NOT“...but I’m in a hurry,” I said, and he grabbed my arm as I tried to step around him.

“Your practice must really be keeping you busy. I’ve even tried to get in touch with you a couple of times by phone. You’re not picking up or returning my calls.”

I looked down at the hand that still held my arm, then back at him. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure fifty-plus calls isn’t remotely close enough to be considered in a couple of times range, Chad. Now let go of my arm, I have to go, and I’m sure there are patients in the ER waiting to be seen.”

The phone calls I received from him probably numbered closer to a hundred. After listening to the first five messages, I just started deleting the other messages he’d left.

We’d had one date over six months ago, for God’s sake. It had been two hours across a dinner table and more than enough time for me to realize I wasn’t interested in a second date. Heck, there wouldn’t have been the first date if I’d had any inkling of his reputation prior. I figured by now he had run out of female nurses and doctors to hit on, at least until any new ones were hired.

“I wouldn’t have to keep calling if you’d quit playing hard to get, Brie. It’s getting exhausting.”

What the hell? Talk about exhausting. And where were the people who were constantly milling about outside the hospital? It seemed as if I couldn’t catch even a tiny break.

I hated being rude or mean. Sometimes though, it was the only way to get through to certain people.

“Since you didn’t take my nonresponse as I’m not interested, let me see if I can put it plainly enough for you to understand. I am not interested in you, Chad. Stop calling because you are wasting your time if you think I will change my mind. There’ll be no more dinner dates...nothing. I don’t even want to stand here and talk with you. Buy a vowel or get a clue, whichever you want. But I am done. D.O.N.E. Now, release my arm.”

“You are gonna want to listen to the lady.” Chad’s hand dropped away as I swung my head around to see who had spoken.

I had definitely been focused on dealing with Chad because I hadn’t heard the men approach us. I felt a marginal amount of relief when I recognized them. I had been introduced to them when I had been at the Black Hawk’s compound, and they’d stopped by Sami’s house looking for Speed and the others. Even knowing their names, their club names anyway, I couldn’t remember which belonged to which man.

“Dr. Agassi and I are having a private conversation. And it isn’t any of your concern,” Chad replied in a superior tone. One I heard throughout our dinner together, and part of the reason for my lack of interest to have any further personal interaction with him. There wasn’t much I could do about it professionally since I held privileges at the same hospital, and frequently we ran into each other if I was on call in the ER.

I watched one side curve up on the man’s mouth who stood in front of the others. “You made it our concern when you didn’t remove your hand when the lady asked,” he replied, then glanced at me. “Brie, right?” I nodded, and he asked, “Are you coming or going?”

“I was on my way home.”

“I’ll walk you to your car,” one of the other men volunteered.

“You know these...men?” Chad asked, and I didn’t have to look at him to know his face more than likely was distorted to match the disgust his voice carried.

“Yes, I do,” I answered with no intention of telling Chad I didn’t know the men all that well. Instead, I shifted my eyes and answered the man who had spoken last, “I would appreciate the escort to my car.”

“We’ll finish our conversation another time, Brie,” Chad said, glared at me, then turned toward the entrance.

“Not if I can help it,” I replied and got the satisfaction of watching Chad storm through the doors as they slid open.

The men laughed as the one who offered to walk me to my car stepped forward and placed his hand at the small of my back.

“I won’t be but a few minutes, brothers,” he said to the others as he led me to the edge of the sidewalk and we stepped off onto the pavement.

“We’ll meet you at the elevator, Romeo. Probably be a good idea to swing by the gift store if it is open and snag something for Sami and Luna,” one of the men said, then the four turned and went inside.

“I’m sorry for holding you up. Please, you don’t need to walk me to my car. Go see the babies,” I rushed on, feeling a little embarrassed since Chad went inside, and I had a few seconds to digest everything that had happened. To include what these men must think of me after the little episode they witnessed. As if I hadn’t already been humiliated once today. Now it seemed I was two for two.

“The babies aren’t going anywhere. Where did you park, honey?” the man beside me asked as we headed toward the parking lot.

I sighed. “It’s over there,” I said and pointed.

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