Wild - Jaci Burton
one
Abby lawson stood outside the door to dr. mike Nottingham’s office and raised her hand to knock, then stopped.
Okay, dumb ass. He called you to his office for a reason. If you’re going to make a decent veterinarian, you’ve got to stop quaking in your boots every time one of the docs wants to see you.
She should have had an orgasm this morning. Now she was a jumble of pent-up anxieties. Okay, she was always a jumble of pent-up anxieties, but today more than usual.
It was all her ex-husband’s fault. If Chad hadn’t been such a lying, cheating, whoring son of a bitch, she might be a satisfied, happy woman. Instead, she was embarking on her first career, scared shitless and perpetually horny because she had no man in her life, no prospects for a man, no time for a man, and no desire to ever repeat the mistakes she’d made in the past. Too bad her sex drive didn’t understand the no man part. Her libido wanted a man in the worst way.
It wasn’t going to get one. Right now she had to concentrate on her career, not sex. And career meant focusing on what Mike wanted to talk to her about.
It was time for end-of-semester evaluations. Maybe that’s why he wanted to see her. The two semesters she’d spent at Silverwood Veterinary Hospital had been damn near perfect. Silverwood Vet Hospital was one of the best in Oklahoma. Hell, she’d love to work there permanently if she didn’t have a driving ambition to set up her own practice after graduation.
Jumping the gun was a really bad idea. For all she knew, Mike was going to tell her she had no future as a vet when she stepped into his office.
Quit being such a baby, Abby. Did she leave her self-esteem at home today? If her friends Blair and Callie could hear her thoughts, they’d smack her.
That’s what she needed right now. A good slap in the face from her two best pals. They were great at pumping up her ego when she needed a boost. And she sure needed one at the moment. Or a swift kick in the ass, anyway.
Knock on the freakin’ door! She rapped lightly.
“Come on in,” Mike called out.
She stepped in and closed the door behind her. Mike was on the phone and motioned her to one of the chairs in front of his desk. She slipped into the chair, and as Mike turned to the side, she admired his profile. He wore his black hair a little long, and it curled at the ends. Thick, she itched to grab hold of it and run her fingers through the shiny darkness. He was tall, about six two, she’d guess. Not overly bulky, but more like a runner, all lean muscle. He wore jeans and a polo shirt that showed off his well-toned pecs and arms. Always relaxed, casual, and smiling. And tan.
Maybe he laid naked by his pool and worked on beautifying his already gorgeous body. Her pussy twitched. Great, Abby. Good idea to launch a fantasy while sitting in the boss’s office. Might as well just slip your hands between your legs and start masturbating right now. I’m sure he won’t notice. Ugh.
Career, remember? Not men. And definitely not this man.
She occupied her wayward mind by looking around his expansive office. Pictures of dogs, cats, lizards, birds, and horses filled the wall space. Behind his desk was an aquarium overflowing with exotic fish. Abby was mesmerized watching the colorful fish dashing through coral and around undulating sea grass.
“Sorry. Thanks for waiting.”
Turning her attention from the hypnotic aquarium, she folded her hands in her lap and looked at him.
He winked a steely blue eye at her, his smile comforting.
Okay, so he was smiling. A good sign. “Not a problem.”
“You didn’t start without me, did you?”
Abby half-turned in her seat. Mike’s partner, Seth Jacobs, stepped through the doorway, closed the door behind him, and flopped down in the chair next to hers. Just as casual as Mike in jeans and polo shirt, Seth grinned and brushed a lock of sandy brown hair away from his face. Abby warmed at his smile. Like Mike, Seth always made her stomach churn, though he was completely different in looks. Where Mike was the epitome of tall, dark, and handsome, Seth radiated boyish charm. Just under six feet tall, Seth was solid muscle, built like a warrior, yet one of the most gentle men she’d ever met. And he cracked