Chapter 8 - Temptation

Arik was just telling the girl to get changed when his phone rang. He took his phone out from his pocket and looked at the caller ID. It flashed “Sir”. shoot. He was going to get it now.

“Sir,” he said, trying to sound cheerful. “What a—”

“Channing,” the boss barked down the phone, interrupting him. “Was she injured when you took her?”

Oh boy, here it goes. “No, sir.”

“Did I not give specific orders to not hurt the girl?”

“I’m sorry, sir, I—she—” Arik struggled to explain, but his boss interrupted him again.

“If you harm one more hair on her head, your goose is cooked, understand?”

Goose? Seriously? “I understand sir, I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”

“Also, how can she not know what she’s doing here? You better tell her fast.”

It wasn’t like he had a choice. “Yes, I’m sorry.”

“I trust this won’t happen again, Channing,” his boss was saying.

Didn’t he hear it when he said it less than ten seconds ago? “No, sir.”

“One more mistake and I may have to take away all your badges and even kill your mother,” his boss continued smoothly. “So you’ll be a good boy from now on, right?”

shoot. Was this guy serious? She was just a girl. How important could she be? Very, apparently. “But—I…yes sir.”

“Oh, and stay with her at all times, and I mean at all times. Don’t want to lose her.” His boss hung up.

Arik sank down onto the bed, still stunned by what he had just heard. He had always known his boss was just using his mother, but to kill her? And take away his badges?

This was not good. He needed to calm down. He opened the door to the girl’s fridge and took out a beer. After opening it, he went to the bathroom to check on the girl. She was standing in the middle of the bathroom, trying to take off her dress. She looked up when he entered.

“Uh, hi,” she stammered.

He hesitated. “Do you need help with that?” he asked, gesticulated towards her dress.

She nodded, and he went over to unzip her. As she undressed in front of him, he wondered whether he should have sex with her. He definitely needed to get his mind off things, and getting laid usually did the trick. But then he remembered that the boss would have his head if he so as much harmed a hair on her pretty little head, so he decided against it.

The girl blushed when she saw him looking her up and down and hurriedly pulled on her shirt and shorts, and turned away from him to brush her teeth. Arik looked away himself, annoyed. He had a girlfriend, for God’s sake; he shouldn’t be eyeballing other girls.

Maybe he should break up with Mandy.

He hurried to help support the girl as she limped out to her bedroom and lifted her onto the bed. “Uh, my boss has given me specific instructions not to leave you. At all.”

“Oh.” She looked sleepily up at him with her honey coloured eyes that had tints of gold in them, her unruly black hair framing her face and tumbling down her back. He felt a familiar stirring. Damn.

“I’m just going to go…use the bathroom,” he stuttered.

He rushed off and slammed the door behind him. He checked in the cupboard for a spare toothbrush and as he brushed his teeth, he made a mental note to bring the rest of his things over tomorrow. He rinsed his mouth with water and after washing his face, he headed back to the bedroom.

The girl was already half asleep, slumped against her pillow. Arik gently—taking care not to wake her—slid her between the sheets and took his place on the couch after turning off the lights.

After many hours of tossing and turning, he still couldn’t fall asleep. His brain kept flashing him images of his boss killing his mother. As much as he hated his mother, he didn’t want to mourn over her in her funeral. Yet.

If only the girl wasn’t so difficult. He finally started to feel sleep, and he closed his eyes gratefully.

***

When he woke up in the morning, Arik discovered he was tucked into a blanket, with a pillow under his head. He turned to look for the girl, and saw her sitting in the chair he was sitting the day he was waiting for her to come into her consciousness.

“So you’ve finally decided to wake up,” she taunted him, using his exact words.

He rolled his eyes, hiding a grin. A girl with looks, brains, compassion, and a sense of humour. She reminded him of Sitara. At this rate, he was definitely going to have to break up with Mandy.

Which was going to be hard, considering that she was his boss’ daughter. He knew he shouldn’t have had those last few drinks at the pub that night two months ago.

Damn. Somehow, these things always kept coming back to bite him in the @$$.

What was he thinking? He couldn’t have a relationship with his trainee. It’d be unprofessional. Not that he was a professional yet, but still. He shook away all the inappropriate thoughts. “How long have you been up?” he asked the girl.

“Long enough to see you shivering with cold in your sleep,” she replied.

It must’ve taken her a long time to drag the blanket from her bed to the couch, what with the bad ankle and all. “Um, thanks.”

“So what are we going to do today?”

“I’m going to have to move my stuff from my room to yours, then I’m going to have to apologise to Mandy.” He shot her a baleful look.

She grinned. “Hey, it isn’t my fault she’s so dumb that she doesn’t even know who Dr. Who is.”

Arik frowned. “What does that have to do with it?”

Kerri grinned and shrugged. “You’re going to have to ask her then, won’t you?”

Arik shook his head. This girl was crazy. “We’ll start your training after lunch,” he said. “For now, you’re going to help me pack.”

“Why the hell would I do that?”

“My orders.”

“Oh, and I have to do your bidding now, is that it?”

“Oh, that reminds me,” he walked over to her. “Bow your head.”

She stared at him as if he’d grown another head. “What?”

He waited patiently. “I need to take a look at your neck.”

She frowned. “Why—hey!” her question turned into a protest as Arik grabbed her head and yanked it down.

“You could have broken my neck, you jerk!”

“You’re immortal. You can’t die.”

“Wait, that’s so cool. I can’t die?”

“Okay, I lied. You can. Now shut up.” He parted her hair so that the nape of her neck was showing. Then gently he placed his hand over it. “This is going to feel a bit weird, so stay still,” he warned her as his hand started to glow.

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