The Doctor on Call

Chapter 4

Nyla

I get home and immediately undress as I walk to my shower. Under the hot water, I moan as the stress of the day runs of my skin. Despite taking my sweet precious time in the shower, I manage to get clean and out just before the hot water runs out.

I wrap a towel around myself and go into the kitchen pulling a frozen dinner out popping it in the microwave. The sofa pulls me in and I plop down on it. Somehow I manage to doze off quickly, not even waking up when the microwave goes off.

I must have been sleeping for about an hour when suddenly someone is banging on my front door. I jump up and my wet hair is still clinging to my damp skin. The beating continues as I secure the towel around me before getting to the door.

Before I can touch the knob, the person is banging even harder. God, where’s the fire. I swing the door open ready to give out a good tongue lashing when my breath hitches at the person in front of me.

"W..what are you doing here, Dr...I mean Leo?" I stare up at him and his eyes pull me in like always. His face is hard and I can tell he is angry by the redness in his neck. When the realization hits, my eyes widen.

"Oh crap! I forgot I text you. I'm sorry. By the time I got home, it had slipped my mind"

Leo's face doesn't soften "Nyla when I tell you to do something I expect it to be done. I was worried and I specifically told you that If you didn't text I would come over."

"I know. Sorry, you had to leave work to come to check on me. I'm fine though"

I nod and we stand there awkwardly. Behind him, I see two women walking by staring at us.

"Um Leo, do you want to come in because I can't stand here with my door wide open when I'm wearing this"

I motion my hands over the towel wrapped snug around my body. I stand back as he walks in and I close the door.

"Uhh, I'm going to go put on some clothes" I laugh nervously and run upstairs.

I don't have too much privacy in my own bedroom because it's an open loft. I can see straight to the living room from my bed and vice versa. Thankfully Leo doesn’t take notice as he paces around my living room silently. Opening my drawer, I pull out an old softball t-shirt and a pair of small short, putting them on before retreating back downstairs. When I get down there, I don’t see Leo anymore and I look around until I see him standing in my kitchen. I walk over and stand in the doorway as he opens my microwave

"What is this?" he points inside.

"Well, it was a chicken pot pie, but I fell asleep." I shrug and he picks up the plate and shakes the burned meal into the trash.

"I'm going to order pizza"

"Oh no, Leo, you don't have to. I'm fine. I will find something to eat" I plead for him not to but he whips his phone out and begins dialing.

"Please, Leo, you really don't have to"

Leo ignores me and I feel myself pouting. I didn't want my boss buying me food out of pity or anything. I am more than capable of getting my own food. He may control me during work but he is in my home and well......he is just as controlling as a chicken on its last day. I stand in front of him as he orders a large pizza. His eyes fall on me for a second before telling the person on the phone my address. When he hangs up he simply walks past me and sits down.

"So Nyla, how have you been liking California?"

"It's okay. I miss home, but my parents insisted that we needed a change so they uprooted my life and came here. I was still underage so I don't quite have a say so on my life." I shrug "Sometimes I wish I could just take a break from all the madness of the city though. I'm not used to the pace."

Leo smirks "Yeah. Sometimes I need a break myself. It can get pretty stressful being a controlling doctor"

I c**k my head to the side "You don't say" I giggle and Leo chuckles and I finally see a full smile from him

"Don't be a smart ass, Nyla. I'm only that way at work. I'm a pretty chill guy off the clock but I can't let everyone know that."

"Chill? That I find hard to believe with the way you’ve been treating me, but I understand. My dad was kind of the same way except he never stopped being serious until I got older. Then he mellowed out." I shrug.

"What did he do for a living?"

"He was a small town lawyer, but he did a lot of out of state work too. He retired a while back." My eyes scan over Leo's mouth for the fifth time and it beginning to become all I think about. We continue to talk and when the pizza comes, Leo still insists on staying.

"So what were you like in high school?" He asks taking a huge bite of pizza. I sigh hard and frown "Lost"

"What do you mean?"

"I was really shy growing up and when I got into high school a popular guy noticed me. I changed for him. I started smoking weed and drinking because I thought it would keep his interest. Then in my junior year, he cheated on me with a sophomore name Maggie because I wouldn't have s*x with him. I was alone and didn't know who I was for a long time"

I nibble on my pizza fearing judgment from Leo. He probably thinks I'm some i***t. It hard to put my trust into anyone nowadays in fear that I would get hurt again. Which is why I haven't been in a relationship since.

"Hmm" Is all he says and it makes me wish I could read his mind. I pick up my plate and head into the kitchen to put it in the sink. Standing at the sink, I feel foolish for sharing something like that. It's just something about Leo that makes me let my guard down.

I smooth my hair back and when I turn around he is there. I gasp softly and his hands fall on my waist. Suddenly, Leo is pressing his lips against mine. My lips part and he quickly finds my tongue with his causing me to moan. My thoughts swim around and I place my hands in his chest, pushing him back gently.

"Leo, I can't."

He looks down at me and my breath hitches softly. I eye his lips and all my control comes crumbling down. I kiss Leo hard and he lifts me onto the kitchen counter. His large hands spread my thighs apart roughly and I can't help but moan against his warm mouth. He catches my bottom lip between his teeth and I immediately feel myself getting wet for him. I want him to have me so badly and at this moment, I'm willing to give myself to him. As he sucks on my neck, I realize what I'm really doing and begin to freak a little. I push him back.

"Leo, stop, please" I plead, breathing hard.

"I'm sorry, Nyla. I just couldn't help myself." A look of disappointment flashes over his face. He isn't the only one feeling down about this.

"You're my boss. If this ends badly, you could fire me" I slide off the counter.

"I would never do that." He frowns

"How do I know that? You fired me once already" I cross my arms. I can't let myself become vulnerable. This job is all I have going for myself right now. If I lose this then I will be forced to go running to my parents. I worked hard to prove to them that I'm mature enough to take care of myself and that's what I intend to do.

Leo eyes me for a moment "I should get going"

I nod and walk him to the door. I open it up and turn to look at him "Thank you for checking on me. I appreciate it."

"No problem. I'll see you at work tomorrow." His tone is a bit cold. He walks out and I close the door, leaning against it. "Damn it"

Just as I'm cleaning up out of frustration, my mom calls and asks how everything is going. I give her the cookie cutter version, telling her how much I just love my job. I don't want to give her any reason to think that I'm unhappy at the moment.

That night, I lay in bed and all I can think about is Leo. I know he is just used to women falling in his lap and I don't want to be a part of it. Aggravated, I roll into my side and force myself to go to sleep.

That next day at work, it is beyond awkward seeing Leo. He pretty much avoids me all day and only talks to me when he is spewing orders. I remain professional even though I want to throw something at him. Rose notices my tense appearance and while we are sitting behind the desk, she takes it upon herself to pry.

"So, Dr.Pryce went to see you yesterday. How did that go?"

I shrug "It was fine. He just checked on me and left"

She gives me a look "He was gone for almost 3 hours. I think he did more than checking up if you ask me. Do you have a thing for him?"

"For Pryce? No way!” I whisper, looking around to see if anyone else is listening. "He is my boss and a total jerk. Why would I have a thing for him?"

"Because he is handsome and he came to your house to check on you. He has been very easy on you today compared to last week. What happened when he came over? Spill, Nyla" She gives me a stern look and I can't fight against her gaze. I roll my eyes.

"We kissed, okay? Is that what you want to hear? Jeez" I smirk as she bounces in her seat.

I shake my head "No, it's not a good thing. It's so unprofessional and plus, I saw that nurse totally throwing herself at him the other night. I don't want to be like that"

Rose's face softens "I've known Pryce for a long time and yes, he is a bit of a player. I can’t say much but he is a little different with you. He cuts you a lot of slack for some reason. I actually think he likes you"

"Stop trying to butter my grits, Rose" I shake my head and she frowns "What does that even mean?"

"It means stop trying to justify me having feelings for him. It's not going to happen and that's final." I slap the desk and suddenly Leo is standing there. I pray that he didn't hear anything.

"Nyla, I need you to go down to pediatrics and give this to the head doctor." He hands me a folder and I nod "Yes, sir"

As I stand, Leo eyes me and I can feel Rose analyzing the situation. I wonder how well she knows him. Maybe she can find out how he really feels. Not that I care because nothing is going to happen. Nothing. Not even an intimate gaze with be going on between us.

My inner pep talk lasts the entire elevator ride until I get to the 10th floor. When I get to the front desk, I am greeted by Bennett. "Well hello there, pretty lady. Came all the way up here to see me?"

I roll my eyes "Stop fooling yourself. I came to give this file to the doctor."

He takes the folder and sits it on the desk "I'll give it to him when he comes out of the exam room. So how have you been? Heard you had a tough day yesterday"

"I'm fine, thanks for asking." I give him a smile and Bennett eyes me. "So when are you going to let me take you in a date?"

"Never. I meant what I said about not wanting anything serious right now. I should get going. Pryce will be pissed if I'm gone too long."

Bennett places his hand over his chest and pretends to be hurt "You wound me, Nyla. I just want to court you so we can get married and have little Bennett Jr."

"You really know how to serenade a girl" I shake my head laughing as the elevator doors close. When I get back to my floor, Rose tells me that Pryce wants to see me in his office. Walking to his door, I knock softly.

"Come in" He mumbles. I open to door and walk in, taking a seat. "You wanted to see me?"

"Yes, I need to do work overtime this evening. The head of the state health department is coming in the morning and I want everything in place" He doesn't look up at me, he just types away.

I frown, wanting to tell him no and to kiss my southern sass but over time means a little extra in my check. "Sure, I'll stay."

He nods once "Good. That's all I wanted."

I stand up and leave him be. A part of me feels weird that he didn't even look at me but it's what I wanted, which is nothing. Be careful of the eggs you put in your basket, I guess. Or at least that's what my mama use to say when I regretted my decisions. Do I really regret it? Do I like Pryce?

I throw my head back in frustration as I take my seat behind the desk. Rose looks at me but I hold my hand up "Not now please."

She turns back to her computer "Country girl and City boy" she mumbles.

That night, everyone is gone and I'm left stocking and cleaning everything from head to toe. I have my earbuds in listening to 'Drunk on You' by Luke Bryan and I fall into my own little world. I wipe down all the exam beds and sterilize the equipment before moving on to stock all the rooms.

Pryce is still in his office doing whatever as I'm walking from one room to the other, I see a woman step out of the elevator. She has on a tight red dress and black heels. Her blond hair is flowing down her back and I can already tell she is one of those snooty tootie woman. I watch her enter Pryce's office and a part of me feels a little jealous. All this time he has been pushing up on me, he has had a woman in his life. I turn my music up trying to drown out my anger. Leave it to some high-class Yankee doctor to be a total player.

I walk past the office, taking out an earbud and I hear them talking.

"Baby, please, I just got back into town and I want to go out to dinner. That new Italian place opened and I have reservations. I haven't seen you in two months. I've missed you" Her proper voice makes my nose scrunch.

Pryce clears his throat "I can't I have importable people coming in the morning and plus I still have an employee here working late"

The woman whines "Who is she? Just tell her to leave"

"Please, Bonnie. I have work to do"

"Is she pretty?" Oh, I definitely want to hear this.

There is a pause. "She is decent. I just hired her about two weeks ago."

Decent? I was more than decent when he was in my house yesterday trying to have s*x with me. Ooo the nerve of that man. Mama didn't raise a fool. I refuse to fall for his ways anymore. I quickly finish stocking and when I'm done, I push his office door open. The woman's head whips around to me and Pryce frowns.

"Nyla."

"I'm done with everything. I think I did a...decent job. So I'm going home. Goodnight" I turn quickly and leave them be. When I'm inside the elevator, I cross my arms and watch the number lessen as I reach the parking garage.

On the way home, I stop at a fast food place, deciding to pig out a bit. As I'm sitting at the table on my phone and sipping a milkshake, I check my messages. As I'm texting back Bennett and Rose, a number I don't recognize texts me. I open it up.

We need to talk -Leo

I stop drinking the milkshake and stare at the texts for a moment. What does he want to talk about? Probably that woman he was with. It's really none of my business what he does in his personal life. It's not like we are together. He doesn't owe me any explanation. I set the phone down as my burger and fries are brought to me. I sit in peace eating as it gets later. By the time I finish, it's 10:45.

When I get home, I strip out of my clothes and run myself a bubble bath. While soaking in the water, another text comes in from Leo.

Please, can we talk?

I sigh and text him back telling him that there was nothing to talk about. I just work for him. Why does he feel like he needs to explain himself? I just don't understand that man.

Not wanting to be immature and not talk to him, I call him.

"Nyla" His tone sounds as if he is relieved.

"Yeah, I don't know why you feel the need to explain anything to me. It's none of my business what you do in your personal life"

"Bonnie isn't my girlfriend or anything. We just have...relations."

"Oh, relations. So if we had s*x, that would be relations too?" The line falls silent for a moment.

"Look, Nyla. I don't do relationships."

"You say that like I'm asking for one. I’m not. I don’t need relations or a relationship with my boss" I roll my eyes as I run my fingers through the bubbles.

He sighs hard into the phone in frustration. "I don't even know why I try"

"Me either. Let's just keep this professional and let it go. Okay?"

A part of me wishes I wasn't so stubborn. I should just tell him that I want him but I don't want this so-called relations. He just jumps from woman to woman without commitment. Am I supposed to go along with that? I mistakenly hit the water, causing it to splash a little.

"Are you in the bathtub?" He asks with a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Yes, if you must know."

"Mmm"

"Goodbye, Dr. Pryce. It was nice talking to you. See you at work tomorrow"

"Fine. Good night." He hangs up and I set my phone down, shaking my head. I bathe and fix myself a glass of wine before heading to bed. I just want to sleep without the thought of Leo swimming around in my brain.