car, when a steel grip encloses around my wrists. I let out a ragged gasp, pain tearing through my arm. My back is suddenly slammed up against my car, and when I see who it is, the words die on my lips.
“What the—”
“We need to talk,” Travis grits out, his hand still gripping my wrist like a vise.
“Travis, what are you doing? You’re hurting me,” I hiss through the pain.
“I’m trying to talk to you, Olivia, dammit. You’ve been avoiding me, and I want to know why.”
“Because of this!” I snap, wrangling my wrist free. The skin is red and chafed, burning from his bruising grip. I can even see the imprints from his fingers. “We have nothing to discuss outside of work, Travis. This is beyond unprofessional.”
“Unprofessional?” He scoffs, color rising to his cheeks, in his bout of anger. “Want to know what’s unprofessional? You being a cock tease.”
My eyes widen, and I choke, as if the air has been knocked out of me. “A cock tease? Are you insane?”
“You led me on. Then you left me, for him, leaving me high and dry.”
“He’s my boyfriend! You and I have never even shared a kiss, Travis. You’re out of your mind!”
His hand slams against the car behind me, stunning me silent. A ball of dread knots in my gut. I swallow thickly and press my back into the metal, wishing it would swallow me whole.
“You wanted me!” he growls. “What changed?”
The look in his eye turns my stomach. Gone is the sweet guy I met when I first started working at the clinic. He’s no longer put-together. His hair is in disarray, and he looks like he’s been drinking.
“Nothing changed. You’re my boss.” My voice trembles, revealing just how frightened I am.
“We both know I’m much more than that, Olivia. I want you. You’re so blinded by him that you can’t even see what’s right in front of you.” Travis leans into me, and I cringe, jerking my head to the side, trying to get away from him. Glancing around the parking lot, I search frantically, praying someone will walk by and put a stop to this.
“I don’t want you, Travis. Please stop this. I don’t want to speak with your father, but I will.”
I feel his body tense. My words have set something off inside him. “Who do you think he’s going to believe, Olivia? You or me? You realize I could’ve had you already if I really wanted to.”
Slowly, I glance up at him, letting his words sink in. That ball of dread in my stomach only gets bigger. My gaze narrows, and my lungs clench, restricting air.
“Did you break into my house, Travis?”
He leans into me, causing bile to rise in my throat. He invades my space, and when his hand grips my chin, jerking my face toward his, I react. With my heart in my throat, I swing my knee up, and though I don’t connect with his privates, I do hit his inner thigh. Travis lets out a grunt of pain, and I shove against his shoulder, causing him to stumble back.
With my heart pounding in my chest, I throw myself into the car and shove the keys into the ignition, peeling out of the parking lot. My vision swims with tears, and the road blurs before my eyes. I have to coach myself on how to inhale deep breaths. I suddenly feel like the road is shaking. My head is pounding, and my heart is beating so irregularly, I know I need to take my medication.
A sob rips from my chest, and I pull over, trying to get ahold of myself. I wish I could call Roman and tell him what happened, but I can’t. He’d lose it. He has more than himself and me to worry about now. He has Ryder. And not to mention, bringing up anything about my heart condition, is absolutely out of the question.
By the time I get home, it’s already getting dark, and I’m sure the food is cold. Grabbing the bags, I hurry inside the house and head straight for the master bathroom. I throw open the cabinet, rifling through bottles, until I find the one I need. I swallow the pill down dry and slam my eyes shut, willing the pain that’s ebbing and flowing through my chest to ease.
The sound of the front door opening and closing, then the hard thud of footsteps, catches me off guard. My heart jumps into my throat, and