Page 67 of Embrace
I sighed briskly, pressing my lips together, annoyed by the way he was icing me out. “So we’re not on good terms right now, are we?”
“Fuck!” he shouted, wringing his hands.
I leaned away from him. “What the hell, Asher?”
“He lied to you, Penina. Every step of the way. And you put yourself in a dangerous situation. He’s bigger than you. And if he wanted to fuck you, there was no way you could stop him. When a guy goes to those lengths to get you alone, he won’t stop until he gets what he wants. So don’t ever do that again, Penina. Understand?”
I was speechless. Part of me wanted to defend Greg and the budding friendship I’d thought we were building. The other part seriously heeded his warning.You snooze, you lose.That was what Greg had said.What would he have done when I got into the shower naked?I would’ve locked the door, of course. I would’ve locked the room door when I went to bed as well. But my plans to keep myself safe said something about how much I hadn’t truly trusted Greg. That look in his eyes when we were in the elevator said it all. He was a man on the hunt. Asher had ruined his endeavor to fuck me.Shit. What was I thinking?
“I understand,” I was forced to say to the man who might one day be my husband if that indeed was what he’d meant by his perplexing comment.
He nodded graciously. “Thank you. And as far as treating your patient goes, you did exemplary work, Dr. Ross.”
Asher told me three other team members had reported the same symptoms as Greg. Another had been involved in a car accident late that afternoon. While he was driving, he had forgotten where he was and what he was doing. Other than whiplash, he was okay. But he was also taking the supplements.
“Wow,” I said.
“Yes. Team management is grateful for our efforts, which is why we’ll be working together in the future. We’re going to have an informal in-flight meeting on the way back.”
His pause and the penetrating way that he looked at me made me nervous.
“What?” I asked.
“Julia will be part of that call.”
My mouth fell open, then I had to remind myself to breathe.
* * *
Finally,we made it to the airport. Asher opened my door and took my bag and my hand, and we walked to the terminal for private flights. I was glad we’d finally made skin-on-skin contact, even if it was just our hands. That meant he was less angry with me.
Greg met us at the gate shortly after we arrived. His grimace moved from Asher and me holding hands to my bag hanging from my boyfriend’s shoulder. He cut his eyes away from us and stomped down the ramp to board the airplane. Asher muttered something about Greg not having the class to wait until the owner of the aircraft boarded first. I didn’t have to be a brain surgeon to grasp that they hated each other, but I refused to believe I was the reason why. No way. Their egos were the culprits.
The inside of Asher’s airplane was as roomy as a regular 747. It was something I’d thought I would never see or experience in real life. The setup reminded me of the penthouse. It had two expensive-looking white sofas, one on each side of the cabin. On a platform was a large table with four reclining chairs around it, two on each side. But there were so many little details too, like appropriately placed smaller tables and single sitting benches.
Greg had taken a seat on one of two large chairs set in the front of the aircraft. Asher and I sat at the table. There were two flight attendants, both friendly and pretty and happy to flirt back with Greg.
“Sorry, Mr. Carroll. Alcohol will not be served on this flight,” said the flight attendant who’d asked what he would like to drink.
“What the fuck, Christmas!” Greg boomed. “A fancy airplane with no drinks.”
Asher pretended not to hear him as he continued programming a panel on the table. “Once we’re in the air, you should come over here and join the meeting, Carroll.”
“What meeting?” Greg asked.
“The one Jerry’s going to be in.”
Greg didn’t respond, but it was clear he understood where he would be sitting once Jerry was on the line. I recalled what Greg had revealed to me about his father as Asher continued doing whatever he was doing to prepare for the in-flight call. It was as if the fastest way to convince Greg to comply was to mention Jerry. And I was sure Asher knew it, which was why it was the second time he’d used Jerry to get Greg to do what he needed him to do.
The flight attendant asked what I would like to drink while staring at Asher, who was paying no attention to her whatsoever.
I wanted to snap my fingers and say, “Hey, eyes on me, not him.”
“She’ll have sparkling water with lime,” Asher said without looking at either of us.
Greg scoffed. I assumed it was his reaction to Asher ordering for me.
“Thank you, and you, sir?” she asked.
