Page 71 of Seduction
Jake Sparrow/Asher Christmas
My adrenaline was through the fucking roof. I slammed my palm against the wall. “What did you say to her?”
Gina had to comprehend the cruelty of what she had done. I was falling in love with Penina fast and hard. And one interaction with Gina, and my relationship with Penina was back in the shitter.
Gina shook her head as if she was stunned. “Why do you care?”
My muscles quivered. “Why do Icare?” I bellowed.
When Gina jumped, I knew I’d gotten through to her. “I told her this was my house. Because it is!” she shouted.
“She knew that already. What else did you say?”
She closed her eyes as she looked away from me. “That I was your girlfriend. I’m sorry, Ash. I just… I don’t like her.”
I shook my head. “What else?”
Gina frowned as though she didn’t know what else to reveal.
“Did you tell her my real name?”
Her mouth tightened as she crossed her arms. That was my answer.
We had nothing else to say to each other after that.
I turned my back on her and smashed the elevator’s down button. “When I get back, I want you gone.”
“You bought this penthouse for me, remember?” she yelled at my back. “Don’t you want to know why I’m here?”
“Not really.”
“I’m sorry, Ash,” she whined.
I got into the elevator and pushed the closed button. My anger expanded as I watched the doors slide together, taking care of getting her out of my sight. Plus, she didn’t sound sorry. I hadn’t seen Gina in six years. How she’d chosen to blow up my relationship with Penina was one of several reasons why I’d put distance between us. She was bad for my life. I’d heard she was a swim coach for young girls and had been successful at it, and I’d thought her new legitimate status in society would’ve changed her, but what she had done to Penina, she had done for sport.
People would see me getting out of a hired car in front of Penina’s building and knocking on her door at night, but I didn’t care. I had planned on officially asking her to be my girlfriend anyway. I wanted to take her out and show off our new relationship at Nurse Peters’s Midsummer’s Eve party the next night. She would be my date.
I told Kirk to stay parked in front of the building. I’d tried to call Penina several times on the way over but was sent straight to voicemail. I’d never taken her for the avoidant type. When I tried to freeze her out of my surgeries, she remained persistent. I liked that about her. I thought for certain she would be fair enough to hear my side. That was why I was surprised she wasn’t answering.
A handful of people were waiting for the elevator. I couldn’t stand still while being flanked by a group of strangers, so I opted to run up the stairs, taking them two, sometimes three steps at a time. I knew what condo she lived in because when I learned we worked in the same specialty, I looked her up in the system.
I pushed the door open to the third-floor hallway and stamped down it, observing the apartment numbers until I found hers.
“Penina?” I kept knocking and calling to let her know it was me.
A door opened nearby. “Dr. Sparrow?” a female asked in a highly curious voice.
I glanced behind me then did a double take. “Dr. Agate?”
She shook her head. “Just Zara. I’m not a surgeon anymore.”
I furrowed my brow. I knew Zara Agate’s father, Dr. Arush Agate. He was a brilliant cardiothoracic surgeon. I had been looking forward to working with her, especially if she was even half as brilliant as her father. “Oh, sorry to hear it.”
She folded her arms and shrugged. “Don’t be.”
“Zara,” I said, garnering firm eye contact.
She leaned away from me then slightly turned her head to eye me cautiously. “Yes, Dr. Sparrow?”
