Fling with the doc next.., p.17
Fling with the Doc Next Door, page 17
Inhaling a lungful of dusty air, she reminded herself in the side mirror that this was a chance at a new start, a new beginning.
‘I noticed your name, Kaya, means restful place in Zulu,’ Arno said now, thoughtfully. ‘Interesting, considering you chose a profession that doesn’t offer much rest.’
‘What?’ His observation broke into her daydream.
‘Still, I can’t see you in a library,’ he continued, ‘or an ashram. Not if your résumé is anything to go by.’
Kaya laughed nervously. Having someone she barely knew admitting to thinking about her and her history felt a little uncomfortable. But he was her mentor and employer, so, of course, he’d have some questions. And she’d do well to try and at least seem open. Something in his eyes as he looked at her sideways had her nerves rewiring the whole way up her arms.
‘What do you do for fun?’ he asked now.
That was an interesting question she didn’t quite know how to answer. There hadn’t been much fun for her, for a while.
‘I’ve done Pilates for a while. Kickboxing too,’ she replied carefully. ‘And you know how the Dutch love a peaceful bike ride.’
Arno laughed. A nice laugh. A laugh she wanted to hear more of, even though it administered a sharp shot of self-loathing that calmed her hummingbird heartbeat in a flash. How was Arno to know she still took the bus everywhere at night, instead of hopping back on her bike, as the Dutch did by default?
The ability to go anywhere alone after dark had abandoned her long ago. What if another faceless male vulture tried to steal her dignity, along with her belongings, like that guy...the one who got away? The one who had never been caught.
She hadn’t been able to prove a thing. The assault and the injustice had ruled everything for years, ruined her relationship. Pieter wound up cheating, saying he was forced to, because she wouldn’t let him near her, but could he really blame her after having a stranger almost rape her in a park? Just the smallest touch, or brush against her arm in a crowd, by anyone, not just him, had flooded her with panic and self-loathing.
She only hoped no one else came along and tried the same thing with her. Maybe this time they’d succeed in getting further than a handful of her breasts and a feel of her...
No, God, no...
‘You OK?’ Arno was looking at her in concern now and she drew her chin to her chest. ‘I know it all probably looks a little different from what you’re used to, and getting the wrong bus might have thrown you, but no harm will come to you on my watch. I can promise you that.’
Kaya turned to look at him. His last statement...that had sounded serious. As if he knew what she’d been through to get here—as if he possibly could.
‘That’s good to know. And thanks, I’m fine,’ she replied, noting how her heart was thudding wildly again in her chest, like a satellite that for years had been floating silently in space, and was finally now picking up a signal.
Copyright © 2023 by Becky Wicks
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ISBN-13: 9780369731470
Fling with the Doc Next Door
Copyright © 2023 by Alison Roberts
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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Alison Roberts, Fling with the Doc Next Door
