Even though I had already decided I wasn’t a fan of Monique, I found myself giving her some props for trying to protect dear Mrs. Phillips. On the other hand, she could be pretending she was concerned about the patient to try and capture the doctor’s attention, but who could blame her?
I leaned slightly to the left and saw Dr. Bennett looking out the window as he spoke. “I’m not sure why you pity her. Narcissistic people who are obsessed with their looks only get what they deserve. The woman got exactly what she asked for.”
I frowned and felt the temperature of my body rise a couple of degrees out of anger. The man didn’t give a rat’s ass if Mrs. Phillips blew up her lips to the point that it starved her. How was he even a doctor?
“I smell something fishy,” Monique whined as she looked around at the tables in the center of the cafe. “Someone is eating tuna. I hate tuna.”
I looked down at my sandwich and rolled my eyes. Of course, it would be my sandwich that blew my cover. I sucked at sleuthing. When I looked back up, Dr. Bennett was staring in my direction.
“Where is that smell coming from?” Monique continued turning her head to look over her shoulder at where I was sitting.
Thankfully Dr. Bennett pulled her attention back towards him. “Monique, it’s a sandwich. Let it go,” He snapped.
I took it as a sign that my research work was done for the day. Scooting to the edge of the booth, I picked up my car keys and cell phone and stood while my eyes mapped out a path to the front door.
The quickest way to the exit was past their booth. Refusing to look at the couple, I began to move. I had almost cleared past them when my keys slipped from my hand and clattered to the floor. The Polish Magazine keyring I had received after the completion of my first year landed face up, ridiculing my attempt at suaveness. With an embarrassed huff, I leaned over to pick them up when a large hand reached out and snatched them from in front of me.
I yelped and squeezed my eyes shut.
I didn’t want to look at the owner of that hand. I really, really didn’t but knew I had no other choice. Opening my eyes, I looked out of the bottom corner of my sunglasses as I tried to judge the distance to where my keys were being offered on the palm of Dr. Bennett’s hand.
With my hand trembling, I hesitantly reached out. My fingers had barely touched the cold metal when his fingers snapped closed, trapping mine.
It only took a brief glance at how small my hand looked in comparison to his for the panic to kick in. I jerked my arm back pulling against his grip but he didn’t let go. A soft noise escaped my throat, but it was overpowered by Monique’s annoyed snort.
With his eyes silently drilling a hole into my face Dr. Bennett, released his grip.
I didn’t waver once. I all but ran out the front door, eager to put space between my shuddering frame and whatever was sitting in that booth.
Chapter Four
Ciaran
“What were you thinking?” Brenda exclaimed.
I couldn’t see her face due to the wall that separated our work areas but I could definitely hear the disapproval dripping from her voice.
“I was thinking I would observe him from a distance so I could find a way in without getting a fist slammed in my face.”
“From a distance? One booth over isn’t a distance.”
“Yes, but I was in disguise,” I explained scowling when my reasoning sounded ridiculous to my own ears.
I had hoped after a good night’s sleep I would feel like less of a failure but as I recapped the majority of what happened in the café to my best friend that hope evaporated.
“Oh sweetie, you have been watching one too many crime shows again,” Brenda sighed.
I mimicked the sound. I was bothered, annoyed, and achy in places that shouldn’t be achy and it left me seriously cranky. All I wanted was to utilize my investigative skills so I could approach Dr. Grump and find a way to speak to him. Instead he sent me running like a scared child.
“If I walk right up to him and say ‘hi, Dr. Bennett, my name is Ciaran and I want to interview you for an article in Polish Magazine,’ what do you think he is going to say?”
“He’s is probably going to say he’ll do it if you strip for him,” Brenda quickly replied. “He has that reputation to keep up with.”
My scowl was completely wasted since I was still hiding on my side of the wall. No matter how hot Dr. Bennett was, I wasn’t interested in tangling naked with him. His callous and cold attitude towards people rubbed me the wrong way. I wouldn’t allow someone like him to ever touch me.
“Brenda, knock it off. I’m serious. The man is a rude, egotistical and not my type whatsoever.”
“Sex god is not your type?” she threw back.
I couldn’t tell if Brenda was being sarcastic or not, so I got up and walked over to her cubicle.
She was scrutinizing her computer screen with the tip of her tongue peeking out from the corner of her mouth and her eyes huge. I glanced at the monitor to see what had her so captivated.
On the screen were several small images of a shirtless Dr. Bennett. My blood pumped as I quickly scanned them and spotted one I wanted to see enlarged.
“Brenda click on that one, click on that one,” I demanded, my voice at a higher pitch than normal.
“Shit, girl. Do you think you could shriek any louder?”
Ignoring her I tapped the image of Dr. Bennett’s chest with my finger. “I want to see that one.”
Brenda double clicked on the picture. The screen filled with an image of Dr. Bennett scaling a rock wall in nothing but a pair of sweatpants.
My mouth immediately ran dry.
Trying to swallow spit that wasn’t there I absentmindedly tapped Brenda’s shoulder.
“Holy shit. Look at the definition of his back,” she whispered, leaning closer to the monitor.
I definitely was looking. I couldn’t stop looking.
“Yup,” I answered. “What does it say on the rock wall above his head? Your big noggin is blocking the screen and I can’t make out the words.”
“Stone Fitness,” Brenda read. “Hey, I know this gym. My friend Alex works at the membership counter.”
“The guy you went out with last month?”
“Yeah, I bet he would be willing to give us some information. Maybe we can find out when the doctor works out and you can resume your stalking.”
“It wasn’t stalking. It was research. And I thought you said it was a stupid idea?”
“I never said it was stupid. I just think it has the potential to end in a clusterfuck. But who knows? You may be on to something. I’m going to call Alex and see what I can find out.” Brenda picked up her cell phone.
Prying my eyes away from the computer, I left and returned to my desk.
Part of me felt guilty for not telling Brenda the entire story about my encounter with Dr. Bennett. I was embarrassed about how I reacted to him. I was also bothered by how I continued to rehash the incident in my head for a good chunk of the night. This morning when I finally rolled out of bed, I made up my mind not to waste precious time by giving it more thought than it warranted. A man like him didn’t deserve emotional space in my head.
I knew that the key to surviving in this world was to not let your emotions rule you. I was seven when Melany began to run off with whatever man was current in her life. She would disappear for days at a time. I quickly learned tears did not solve problems because no one was around to sooth them. I’d had to pull myself together if I was going to make it to the next day. And miraculously, I did. But with each new morning, a new set of fears tried to overpower me. What if someone found out I was home alone and tried to take me away? I was terrified so I never asked for help. I bathed when there was water and got dressed to the best of my ability in whatever was the cleanest. I would walk down the block to the elementary school where the scrutiny of the faculty, parents and often my classmates followed me in whispers. I kept to myself in order to not draw attention.