Page 116 of A Dark Duet

He gives me a sexy smirk and nods, with a caress on my cheek with his index finger before he takes a boxer’s stance. His arms are up, and I notice he is putting more effort into his left shoulder. When he turns his hips to strike slowly, he rotates his wrist to connect with the bag and right before he lands the punch, he grimaces in pain. My chest constricts at the pain he is in when he freezes, his arm in position.

“Right there. It hurts like a motherfucker right at this point,” he says with a hard grimace.

I quickly move and feel the tension on his joint near his shoulder. It must be swollen and inflamed.

“Okay, relax.”

He grips his shoulder and I know he is in a lot of pain.

“Giselle, hand me my phone and get me the number to the closest twenty-four-hour pharmacy.”

Giselle nods and doesn’t hesitate and hands me the phone with the number. I unlock my smartphone and punch in the number for the pharmacy to speak to the head pharmacist.

Jaden looks at me with curiosity, placing his hand over his left shoulder in obvious pain. The phone rings and the head pharmacist is on the line.

“Hello, yes, this is Dr. Briana Jameson. I’m a physical therapist and I need an urgent prescription filled for my patient. I need a corticoid steroid shot and muscle relaxant you have on hand.” I rattle Jaden’s birth date and my medical license number and settle the dosage with the pharmacist. The look on Jaden’s face is of shock and admiration. I can hear whispers and mumbled conversation behind me.

When I get off the phone. Everyone just stares at me, except for Giselle. She has a knowing smile that screams my best friend is a badass.

“You’re a doctor?” Jaden asks.

“Yeah, I was celebrating with Giselle and a friend tonight. I was just given my title and license to practice physical therapy. I just have a patient at the center whose treatment I have to complete and then pay the remainder of my fee when I’m done. I have to find a permanent position after so I can quit the club but that is my plan so far. We were hanging out tonight and then Nate called, and you know the rest.” I clear my throat. “We need to get the shot and meds I ordered for you at the pharmacy so I can administer it. After I give you the shot, you can’t train until the day of the fight. It will reduce the swelling, but it won’t be effective if you keep aggravating the area.”

I bite my lip and look at the guys nervously. I’m embarrassed for some reason at giving him orders but I’m only trying to help him.

“That is badass. You’re a fucking doctor. You’re really smart, huh?” Brian says.

“I’m not smart, just determined. I worked hard with no sleep and studied a lot.”

“You’re the smartest and bravest woman I know. I’m very proud of you and I want to thank you for what you just did,” Jaden says.

There is an audible gasp behind him, and when I look over, I see it came from Janine. “She hasn’t done anything. She just ordered some drugs because she can.”

“Get out!” I roar, pointing to the exit of the gym.

She places her hands on her hips. “Or what?”

“Or I’ll drag your ass out of here and I’ll have your dead body thrown in a ditch somewhere. Trust me, no one is going to miss a desperate masseuse with the sole purpose of delivering happy endings after every session.”

“Coming from a whore that dances for money and fucks rich men. It is a well-known fact.”

I laugh sarcastically. “Aww, Janine. You sound jealous. You are a little too concerned about my pussy and who it fucks,” I snarl, standing inches from her and lowering my voice. “This is how it is going to go down. You are going to find someplace else to work and live. You will move out of Jaden’s apartment and not set another foot in this gym or around Jaden. Do you understand me?”

Janine looks at Jaden and then at Nate. “You heard my girl. She doesn’t want you here. I told you if you made her feel uncomfortable, you were gone. There is nothing between us and stop trying to make it seem like we were fucking. I have never touched you since I met Brie. Even after Brie, I never touched you. You have made this thing up in your head. I felt bad because you were crying when you pleaded with me that you needed a job and a place to stay. You rent the apartment as a tenant, and you work here as an employee. I have had to put up with your sexual advances and innuendos and I have told you over and over that I want nothing with you in a nice way, but you obviously don’t get it. I made a mistake when I fucked you. It was wrong and I made a terrible mistake that day and regret every minute of it.”

Janine looks around, mortified, with tears in her eyes as she storms out of the gym.

“Good riddance. It is about time,” Nate chimes in.

“For real, I hate that girl. What the fuck were you thinking, Jaden?”

He swipes his hand over his face, keeping his shoulder in place.

“I have no idea. I’m sorry, I should have never agreed for her to work here.”

He turns to look at me.

“I’m sorry for disrespecting you. I’m sorry for everything I said to you that day. You were right to question me that day and I was wrong for speaking to you that way. I should have never let you walk out that door. I should have stopped you and apologized. I should have fought for us. I’m an asshole and I don’t deserve your forgiveness. I don’t deserve you, Briana.”

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