Pulse - Part 2 (Pulse 2)

I look into her green eyes and I see a cast of worry over them. "I didn't know," I mutter. I couldn't have known. He didn't tell me that part.

"I was struggling when we met and he offered. No questions. I wanted it to be a loan, but he refused. He just gave it."

I can't respond. What am I supposed to say to that?

"He helped me for a few months before I asked him out. We went on a few dates." She inhales sharply. "The sex wasn't spectacular, but you can't have everything right?"

I feel a blush course over my face. The sex is spectacular. It's beyond that.

"I can't keep taking money from him after the other night."

"Yes," I mutter. Of course she can't. He dumped her royally on her ass right in front of me. How can she keep taking anything from him after that?

"I can give you two days a week." She shifts in obvious embarrassment. "If you find something better, I'll send you on your way with a great reference."

I nod. Two days a week? It was better than nothing.

***

"Is Mr. Moore in?" I quiz the gorgeous brunette sitting behind an almost bare industrial looking desk.

"Who are you?" She pushes the question at me without even the slightest hint of pleasantness.

"A friend."

"No." She taps a few buttons on a phone on her desk. "Your name? What's your name?"

"It's..." I begin before she turns her attention to the call.

"There's a girl here." Her deliberate use of the word girl isn't lost on me. "Name?"

"Jessica Roth."

"Jessica Ross," she snarls into the phone. Maybe she just has a lisp.

"Jessica." Nathan appears in the doorway of one of the many offices lining the area behind me. "What a surprise."

I walk towards him, my heart racing. Showing up unannounced at his office was bad enough. Trying to walk on this plush carpet in stilettos was making me feel not only unbalanced but awkward too.

"I just wanted to talk," I say wearily. It has taken all the courage I had to search for his office address, to get in a cab and to ride the elevator up, all without knowing how he'd react.

"Inside." He motions to the doorway of a large office with a glorious view of the city.

"I..." my voice trails as he slams the door shut behind me and pulls me into a tight embrace.

"I didn't think you'd ever answer any of my calls or texts," he interrupts, his eyes scanning my light yellow dress. "You're a vision."

"I came to talk about something." I look over his shoulder. It's a tactic I learned years ago when I didn't want to make eye contact with Josh.

"I've missed you." He pushes my hair back from my shoulder.

"No, please don't." I pull on my hair to move it back into place. "I can't see you anymore."

"Jessica." There was a pause. "I'm sorry about the Cassandra bullshit. I didn't want you dragged into that."

"Bullshit?" I push back from his arms. "It's not bullshit, Nathan. It's my life and it's her life."

"You've worked for her for what, two weeks now?" He turns back towards his desk. "Quit the job and move on if it's that bad."