Without a word, and without telling myself to do it, I grab my purse and launch off the island, and turn for the door where I dropped my overnight bag. Picking it up, I hook it over my shoulder then look behind me to see Harlen has moved to the mouth of the living room, his dark, heated eyes on me. Swallowing, I pull open the door and leave, knowing I’m playing with fire.

***

“Harmony,” Dr. Hofstadter says, startling me as I walk out of one of my patients’ rooms. I stumble over my own feet, falling into him and letting out a squeak when he grabs hold of my hips to steady me. “Didn’t mean to scare you.” He laughs, squeezing my waist pulling me against him, and I fight back a shiver of revulsion as I push against his chest to free myself from his embrace.

“It’s okay.” I quickly take a step back out of his space. “Did you need something?”

“Did you read over the details I left for Ms. Robinson?” he asks, referring to my patient who had hip surgery early this morning.

“I did. Has there been a change made to her care plan?” I question, looking over her information on my cart, and I feel him get close to my side. Too close, so close his body brushes mine.

“No, actually, I’m just using that as an excuse to speak with you alone,” he says, and I look at him, feeling my stomach drop as he dips his chin and lowers his voice. “I wanted to see if you’d like to get dinner with me tomorrow.”

Shit.

“I… um… That’s really sweet, but I can’t. I’m sorry.” I shake my head, watching something shift in his gaze, that something making the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

“If it’s about policy, I won’t tell if you won’t,” he whispers, and the soup I had for lunch turns in my stomach.

“Harmony,” Mimi calls loudly before I can tell him that I have a boyfriend, and I turn my head to look at her, hearing Dr. Hofstadter let out an audible huff of frustration from my side. “Do you mind helping me?” She asks.

“Sure.” I smile at her then turn to look at Dr. Hofstadter, and mutter, “Sorry, I gotta work.” I drop my gaze from his, lock up my cart, and head down the hall toward Mimi, who doesn’t move until I’m at her side. “Thank you,” I murmur under my breath once I’m close.

“I see you’re having trouble staying off his radar,” she whispers back, and I let out a sigh. “What did he want this time?”

“He asked me out,” I tell her as we enter her patient’s room, and she takes hold of my arm, stopping me along with her just outside view of her patient.

“You should tell HR about that.”

“Tell them what? That he makes me feel weird and that he asked me out?” I shake my head.

She looks over my shoulder toward the open door before meeting my gaze once more. “I think you should make a formal complaint so it’s in your file. That way, if anything happens, you’re protected, and it’s not his word against yours.”

“I just started working here. I don’t want to make enemies,” I explain gently, and she shakes her head, reaching out and grabbing my arm again.

“Promise you’ll go to HR if he doesn’t stop.” She pleads.

“Is there something I should know?” I ask, seeing the look in her eyes, and she shakes her head.

“I’ve just heard rumors about him,” she whispers, holding my gaze. “What I’ve heard, I don’t like very much.”

My heart plummets. “What rumors?”

“Just that he’s played a few nurses and they’ve ended up losing their jobs while he kept his.”

“Really?”

“We’ve been here the same amount of time, which isn’t long. I don’t know any of those nurses or if those rumors are true. All I’m saying is be careful when it comes to him.”

“I’ll be careful,” I promise her, and she nods, still looking worried, but there is nothing I can do right now to assure her that things will be okay. “Did you really need my help?”

“Yeah, I need to start a catheter,” she mutters, and then without another word, she leads me into the room and introduces me to her patient. Once I’m done helping her, I go back to my cart and finish passing out meds. After that, I finish up my charts until it’s time for me to go home, and thankfully, I don’t see Dr. Hofstadter again.

***

Pulling up in front of Harlen’s apartment at twenty after eleven, I park in the empty space next to his bike, and before I even have a chance to shut down the engine, I watch Harlen come out of his apartment on the first floor. The moment our eyes lock through my windshield and I see the look in his, my stomach fills with butterflies and my mind swirls with doubts about my play this morning. I should have kissed him before I left. When he opens my door, I hold my breath as he reaches across me, skimming my nipples with the back of his hand before unhooking my seat belt.

“Hand me your bags,” he orders, keeping his eyes locked on mine.

I swallow from the intensity in his stare. “Harlen—”

“Hand me your bags, baby.” Blindly, I reach over and grab my overnight bag, purse, and lunch sack from the passenger seat, handing all three to him. “Come on.” He holds out his hand toward me and I hesitate. “Harmony.” I hear the warning in his tone, so I place my hand in his, allowing him to pull me from the car. The second I clear the door, he slams it closed and drags me with him toward his apartment.

“Harlen, I…”

I stop speaking when his eyes come to me, and he growls, “You made your choice this morning. Now I get to play.” He opens the door to his apartment, and before he even has it shut behind us, he presses me against the wall, his big body pinning me in place. Absently, I hear my bags hit the floor as his mouth crashes down on mine, and I whimper as he takes hold of my wrists, dragging them high above my head, so high I’m forced to stand on the tips of my toes. Taking both my wrists in one of his big hands, he holds them there while his mouth devours mine. His free hand squeezes one breast then the other before sliding down my stomach, straight into my panties.

The moment two of his fingers thrust into me, I whimper into his mouth, “Please.”

“Haven’t even gotten my mouth on you and you’re already drenched and begging for it.” He nips my chin, then my neck while working me over, two fingers thrusting deep while his thumb circles my clit. My head thrashes and my legs start to give out from under me as my pussy starts to convulse around him. “No,” he growls, removing his fingers and cupping my sex, and my eyes fly open.

“I—” Before I can say anything, his mouth captures mine again and his fingers thrust deep, sending my back sliding up the wall.

“Fuck, do you know how much I love this fucking pussy?” he asks against my mouth, and I moan, digging my head back against the wall. “I’ll be working, and all of a sudden, I’ll think about it—how tight it is, how wet it is, how fucking good it tastes, and I have to fight myself from going hard.” He groans, and my pussy starts to clamp around his fingers once more, and just like before, he removes them, making me cry out in frustration.

“Harlen, please,” I beg, and his eyes lock on mine. “Please make me come.”

“How do you want me to make you come, Angel?” he asks, and I swallow.

“However you want,” I whisper, and he smiles a scary smile at me then pulls me from the wall and picks me up. Carrying me down the hall to his room, he sets me on my feet at the side of his bed, and orders, “Clothes off, on the bed, and spread those legs for me.” Studying him, my chest rising and falling quickly, I hesitate while I watch him get undressed. “Now,” he commands.

Pulling off my top, I drop it to the floor, kick off my sneakers, drag off my pants and panties, and then reach back to take off my bra. Once it’s added to the pile on the floor and I’m completely naked, I sit on the bed then pull myself back with my hands behind me, lying back.

“Open up for me,” he growls. Swallowing, I watch him wrap his hand around his cock as I spread my legs, and his eyes drop to my center, turning even darker. “Fuck, but you really are beautiful everywhere. Even your pussy is pretty.” He reaches out one finger, sliding it over my clit and causing my hips to buck into his touch. “Your clit is just begging me to play with it,” he says thickly, holding me open and blowing across my wet sex.