Page 13 of Egotistical Jerk
I wanted to find out, boy did I ever. But I wanted to keep my job more. With a steadying breath, I pushed to my feet and balanced my fingers on the edge of his desk.
"If that's all? Mr. Fisher's lab results are ready, and I would very much like to deliver the good news to him and his wife."
Dr. Ryker's mouth opened and closed before he pressed his lips together. I got the impression that the words he spoke a second later were different from what he'd initially wanted to say.
"We're done."
For reasons beyond me, I wanted to stand there and yell at him to speak his damn mind, but my dad had always advised me to choose my battles wisely. I gave him a brusque nod before spinning on my heel and marching out of his office.
I was extremely proud of myself when I didn't even slam the door behind me. My brain, however, chose that moment to hit replay on the conversation I'd just had, and fire spread through my veins. How dare he tell me what to do on my day off? He wasn't my damn boss outside of this building.
"Uggghhh! Infuriating piece of—"
"Whoa! What's crawled up your butt?"
My gaze snapped to the side to find Ginny grinning at me like someone who'd just won the lottery. "Your stupid Dr. Stormy needs to be struck by lightning. Repeatedly."
"Uh-oh." Her eyes widened. "Sounds like you need to blow off some steam."
I nodded furiously. "Ireallydo."
"Meet me at the front entrance after your shift, 'kay?" She didn't give me time to respond before she rushed off.
***
"What's this one called again?" I knocked back the milky green shot, enjoying the slight burn as it slid down my throat.
"Big O." Ginny grinned.
"Mhm, I could use one of those." Clearly, the alcohol was loosening my tongue.
"Me too," Bridget chimed in. Just like Ginny, she was one of the nurses at Memorial. I'd met her when I'd been called in to help with an emergency in the ER. And as with Ginny, we hit it off immediately. It was only while we had lunch together a few days later that I learned she was married to Dr. Hogue.
"Oh, hush you." Ginny nudged Bridget's shoulder. "You probably have one every night thanks to that British hunk of a husband of yours."
Bridget's eyes sparkled with mirth. "More than one, actually."
"You're such a showoff." Ginny rolled her eyes dramatically. "I need more booze if you're going to start bragging about your sex life."
In one swift motion, she slipped out of the booth and disappeared into the crowd.
"So," Bridget drawled a few seconds later. "Simon tells me you're keeping Sebastian on his toes."
Shaking my head, I let out a very unladylike snort. "I am? Pressing his buttons sounds more like it, if you ask me."
"Really?" She seemed genuinely shocked. "Why do you think that?"
"He's not very friendly toward me at all. He never smiles when I'm around and the only time he speaks actual words to me is when he's chewing me out."
And now I sounded like a whiny teenager. Another sign that I had enough to drink for the night.
She let out a little laugh and placed her folded arms on the table; her fingers drumming in time with the tune sounding from the wall-mounted speakers. "Sebastian is…" eyes narrowed, she tilted her head to the side, "Intense."
"You think?" I muttered.
"Once you get to know him, you'll see he's a nice guy. He just takes his job very seriously."
I rested my folded arms on the table and leaned forward. "But that's the thing, there's nothing about my work that he can fault. Other than literally bumping into him on my first day, I haven't set a foot wrong. And yet he treats me as if I have the plague." I shoved a few strands of my hair behind my ear, cursing myself for opening my big mouth in the first place. Waving my hand through the air, I said, "Don't mind me, it's been a long day. Hell, it's been a long week."
