No Attachments - By Tiffany King Page 0,33

as he could keep his word, we could have our fun and then go our separate ways.

***

The chirping of a new text on my phone woke me the next morning.

I smiled when I read the text message from Tressa.

"Give me all the deets Ho."

"Can't. It would take forever to type all the deets."

"OMG you dirty Ho. Too many deets? I think I need to take a cold shower."

"Don't be a perv." I typed, laughing.

"Takes one to know one. Now dish the juicy deets."

"Can't I have to run an errand. I'll call you later after I get off work."

I was anxious to go, and hurried off to the bathroom to get ready. I wanted to convince myself that my nervous energy was just because I had to hurry and pick him up and get back in time for work, but the truth is I wanted to see him again. The magnetic pull we seemed to have taunted me with its insistence. Thoughts of the kiss we had shared the night before flashed through my head as I showered. How good it felt to have his hands on me with his body flush against mine. The desire flowing through me was overwhelming as I allowed my fantasy to continue. My hands followed the path of the warm water cascading down the curves of my body. I felt myself swaying as I imagined Nathan's tongue on my skin. "Okay, I don't have time for this," I said aloud, snapping myself back to reality. I switched the water to the coldest setting to clear my head and finished my shower. The bathroom felt chilly as I wrapped the towel around me and hurried to my room to dress.

Ten minutes later, I was backing Nathan's SUV out of my driveway, headed for the hospital. While I sat at a traffic light about five miles from the hospital, curiosity got the better of me, and I couldn't help snooping around his vehicle. The middle console held nothing but loose change and a container of orange Tic Tacs, which I found cute. The light changed before I could further my search. Only when I was parked in the visitor lot at the hospital was I able to continue snooping. I was a bit disappointed when the glove compartment yielded nothing but an insurance card, registration and a vehicle owner's manual. I don't know what I was hoping to find. Maybe a picture or something that would give me insight into his life.

I began to feel guilty about looking through his stuff, especially considering I had set the rules for our relationship. Deciding to give it a rest, I climbed from the vehicle and headed toward the entrance of the hospital. Nathan's room was up on the third floor. When I reached his room, I paused outside his door when I heard him talking.

"It was a dead end," I heard him say. I realized the silence that followed his comment meant he was on the phone. Feeling intrusive, I started to back away when his next comment stopped me in his tracks.

"It could take several weeks. I'll backtrack to see if I can catch what I missed."

Several more moments of silence followed before he harshly responded again. "You can certainly do that. I don't see them yielding any different results, but it's your money."

More silence.

"I think that's a wise decision. I'll call you in a few weeks when I have something solid to report," Nathan said.

Pushing open his door, I was surprised to find him already dressed and sitting on the foot of his bed. His expression was sullen until he spotted me in the doorway. I felt bad that his boss was giving him a hard time.

"Your boss being a douche?" I asked, indicating the phone in his hand.

Nathan eyed me warily for a moment before sighing heavily. "He's not pleased with the story I'm currently working on," he said, studying me intently.

"Does that mean you're leaving?" I asked, acting like it didn't matter either way.

He smiled at me, looking relieved. "Not on your life, sweetheart. He can suffer it out," he added with sudden steel in his voice.

"Will he fire you?" I asked.

"If he does, there are other jobs. I'm not worried," he said, sliding an arm around me and guiding me out of the room.

"Don't you need to wait to be discharged?"

"Already done. I could have gone home last night. I woke up around two feeling completely normal. Of course, the doctor kept me waiting