Page 26 of Deal Takers

“What did you say?!” Veronica shrieks.

Huh?I look down and see her glaring at me like she’s about to punch me in the dick. I instinctively cover myself and step to the side. Fuck, whatdidI say that pissed her off so badly? I think about it for a few seconds, but I’m coming up empty.

Veronica gets to her feet and grabs her purse off the hook. “You don’t even realize what you did. Do you?”

“Uh…”

“You called me Rainey, you asshole!” she screams.

“What? No, I didn’t.”

Did I? I replay the events in my head one more time.Oh fuck.

I tuck myself back into my pants and go into damagecontrol mode. “I said,Ronniebaby, notRainey. Ronnie is short for Veronica. People call you that, right?”

“NO ONE calls me that!” She throws her hands up. “This is bullshit, Brody. I can’t believe you were thinking about that slut while your dick was in my mouth! What the hell is so special about that bitch anyway?”

Oh, hell no. NowI’mpissed. There’s no way she’s getting away with calling Rainey names.

And fuck you very much, Veronica.Everythingis special about Rainey.

I open the front door. “Get out of my house.”

“What?!” she asks, incredulous. “You’re kicking me out? You have no right to be the angry one in this situation!”

I open the door wider. “Get the hell out of my house and do notevercall me again. I’m done.”

A slap reverberates across my cheek.Should’ve seen that one coming.

“You’re an asshole, Brody.I’mthe one who’s done. You can fucking have Rainey all you want now.”

Yeah, if only I could convince her of that.

CHAPTER 18

Rainey

Traffic was really light, so I got to the hospital a little faster than usual. Since I had a few minutes to spare, I decided to pop into the ER to see if Adam could sneak away for a quick kiss. When I got there, the head nurse said he was on his lunch break, so now I’m making my way down to the cafeteria. I text him.

Me

Hey baby. I have about fifteen minutes to spare before I clock in. Can you sneak away for a few minutes with your fiancée?

I’m watching my screen as I ride the elevator, but he hasn’t responded. I peruse the cafeteria, but I don’t see him sitting at any of the tables. I walk through the grill area one more time before heading to the third floor to see if he’s taking a nap. That would explain his lack of response.

I reach for the knob toouron-call room, but the door swings open before I have the chance to grab it. Adam startleswhen he sees me but recovers quickly with a smile, closing the door behind him.

“Hey, gorgeous. What are you doing here?”

I look around to make sure the hall is empty before reaching up to give him a quick kiss.

“I didn’t want to start my shift without getting that first.”

He smiles while he’s smoothing his bed head down. “Well, I’m happy to oblige.”

I nod toward the door. “We should duck inside so I can give you a better one.”

Adam shakes his head. “Sorry, baby. Another physician is in there sleeping.”

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