waiting room at the oncologist’s office was surprisingly comfortable. Light gray walls. Soft lighting. A large saltwater fish tank took up almost an entire wall.
I’d spoken with my dad’s doctor when we’d first arrived. I wanted to make sure there wasn’t anything Dad had been keeping from us regarding his illness or treatment plan. He hadn’t been. His prognosis was good, his course of treatment what I expected.
I flipped through my messages on my phone while I waited. I’d left the office early so I could come to his appointment, but it looked like I hadn’t missed much. Everly had things well in hand. In fact, she’d probably gone home for the evening.
Everly. My gaze slipped from my phone screen, my eyes losing focus. She was so perplexing. At work she was as competent as ever. Smart, punctual, efficient. But she wasn’t just my assistant anymore, and the change was seriously fucking with my head.
She padded around my condo barefoot, in tank tops and shorts that showed all kinds of skin. Hair up off her neck, tempting me. She happily wished me good morning, or good night, always in that bright, cheery voice. Always with a smile. She sat in her hideous yellow bean bag chair with a book or drank wine with my dad, their laughter carrying to every corner of my home.
Moving her in with me had been my idea, but I hadn’t counted on her presence being such a mindfuck. She was everywhere, a constant distraction. Flitting through my thoughts in those tantalizing pajamas. Sleeping next to me, making my sheets smell like strawberries.
“Shepherd?”
I blinked, glancing up at my father. He raised his eyebrows and I had a feeling he’d been trying to get my attention.
“Finished?” I asked.
“Yes, finally. Sorry, son, I didn’t think we’d be here this long.”
I stood and pocketed my phone. “It’s fine.”
We went out to the parking garage and got in my car. I glanced at my dad a few times as we headed home. He’d been uncharacteristically quiet this afternoon. The appointment with his doctor had gone fine. Perhaps things were already cooling off with Svetlana—that could account for his solemn mood.
What if he was about to end things with her? Or she with him? That would mean an end to the charade with Everly. That thought was oddly alarming.
“Are you all right?” I asked. “You seem quiet.”
“Yes, I’m fine,” he said, in a voice that indicated he was anything but.
“Dad.”
“All right. I’m concerned about my financial situation. I’m not getting any younger, and I lost a lot of money. I can’t keep living with you indefinitely.”
So it wasn’t Svetlana that was bothering him. I didn’t know whether to be frustrated or relieved.
“Look, we’ll figure it out,” I said. “We have a plan to get you back on your feet.”
“I just wish I hadn’t put you in this position.”
“There’s no need for you to feel guilty. You took some risks and they didn’t pay off. The timing could have been better, all things considered, but you’ll be fine. You always bounce back.”
A slow smile spread across his face. “Thank you, son. I appreciate that.”
By the time we got back to my building, he was his usual cheerful self. We rode the elevator up to my penthouse. Dad thanked me again for taking him to his appointment before disappearing down the hallway toward his room.
I was already distracted by Everly.
She was here. I’d seen her car in the parking garage—in the spot next to mine—but that wasn’t why I knew. My skin buzzed with electricity, the hairs on my arms standing on end. Where was she? Curled up on the couch, texting her friends? Flitting around the kitchen making a mess? Maybe soaking in the bath again?
I paused just inside the door, imagining Everly naked in my bathtub. Her tits floating in soapy water. Her knees gently tipping open, the water lapping against the sides of the tub.
A voice in the other room jolted me out of my momentary fantasy. A voice I did not want to hear. Svetlana. “How nice.”
Who was she talking to? I couldn’t see her from where I was standing. It sounded like she was in the hallway near my office.
“I thought so.”
Oh no. That was Everly. Why were they together? They must not have heard us come in.
“There’s something I need to say, woman to woman,” Svetlana said. “Whatever it is you think you have with Shepherd, it isn’t real. He’s not capable of a real relationship. At