Lindsey burst out laughing. “I know I’m great company and all, but even I know that I’m not what Pie is after.” She was wondering if Pie even knew who he was after.
“And what is Pie after? Maybe he wants a slice of your sweetness.” Marie winked at her.
“Hardly.”
“How are my two favorite ladies?” Richard Strong asked, entering the room.
He truly believed he was God’s gift to women.
“Here you go,” Marie said.
“Is she all set?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, Dr. Strong. I saw what you did, and they look so stunning,” Tiffany said. She pressed a hand to her chest and was batting her eyelashes.
“Who is on the front desk?” Lindsey asked.
“Does it matter?” This came from Tiffany.
That was Lindsey’s point to leave. Besides, she didn’t like Richard, never had. The first day there he’d told her she was beautiful but that he could make her better.
“Tiffany, I was talking to Lindsey. You need to start doing something around here, as otherwise I’m going to have to find someone to replace you,” Marie said. “Wait, Lindsey, we haven’t finished.”
Tiffany scoffed and turned toward Richard, who simply held his hands up. “Don’t look at me. She’s the boss.”
Of course that wasn’t correct. Marie was the one who interviewed them and had in fact been the one to interview Lindsey when she first started. Marie wasn’t the boss, but she was the best nurse they could find and she put up with their shit as well.
Tiffany huffed and glared at her on the way out.
“So, what were you and Lindsey talking about that was so important?”
“Lindsey’s hot date.”
“Please, it wasn’t that hot.”
“Oh, come on, it totally was, and you know it. Totally hot date. Hot everything,” Mary said.
“Is that why you’ve been turning me down, sugar?” Richard asked.
“Nope, I turn you down because I have no interest there. I’m going to head back.”
“We need to catch up,” Marie said. “I’m owed some me time. How about in a couple of weeks? We can go and have a couple of drinks, hang out, have some fun.”
“Sounds like a party,” Richard said.
“I’ll think about it.”
Lindsey didn’t linger and made her way out toward the front desk. Like a child, Tiffany was making a mess of all of her organized work. The rest of the day went by without much event. Clients came in. Several outpatients had their work checked over, and at the end of the day, Lindsey was tired and just wanted to get home.
Grabbing her bag from her locker, she spun around to see Richard standing in the room. Forcing a smile to her face, she hiked her bag up on her shoulder. The staff room was vacant, and most of their colleagues had gone home.
“I’ll see you Monday.”
“You know, if you were nicer to me I could make your life here a hell of a lot easier.”
“I’m not interested in making changes to myself, Rich.”
“I’m not talking about changes. Girls like Tiffany are a dime a dozen. They want to get on their knees, suck your cock, have you work them rough.”
She didn’t like this. Richard was her boss. There had been a few advances and overtures. If it wasn’t for how good the money was, she’d have already quit.
Work was hard to find, and, seeing as she had to leave Vale Valley to make the hour trip, that was saying something. The money more than made up for it.
“Well, I’d be careful with someone like Tiffany. Young women like that start getting ideas.”
“You’re not young though, are you? You know how this works.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Yeah, you do.”
She gritted her teeth but refused to budge. Right now was not the time to lose her shit. She needed to keep her focus.
He entered the room and closed the door, giving them privacy.
Her heart started to race, and she didn’t like this sick feeling building within her.
This man was her boss.
“Well, good night.”
“Not just yet.”
She made to brush past him, but he caught her arm, holding her in place. She tensed up as he reached out, stroking some hair back behind her ear. His touch repulsed her.
Still, she didn’t do anything.
Tilting her head to the side, she said, “You’ve got your assessment eye on again. Not interested, remember?”
“I’m in the market for making women look better than what they were and I know I can make you stunning, but I also love your confidence. Some of the women on my table are fucking morons that think getting their tits ballooned up will make a man crave them. You know what makes a man hot though, don’t you?”
“That’s eno—”
“Having our dicks sucked and balls emptied by a dirty fucking whore.”
The door opened, and Lindsey didn’t waste any time, ducking her head so she didn’t see who had come in but was thankful all the same. She left the office and took the stairs, heading down to her car.