Pulse - Part 3 (Pulse 3)

Chapter 18

"I was wondering if it was possible for me to get tomorrow night off?" This is the first time I've asked for a night off from work since I've started. It's a special occasion though. Rebecca just got a promotion and a group of people she works with are celebrating. I want to be there for her.

The kitchen manager smiles at me as she looks at the schedule on the wall. "Sure, I don't see any reason why not."

I almost reach over to pull her into a tight embrace. "This means so much to me."

"What does?" Drew's voice echoes in the air behind me.

"I'm taking tomorrow off." I'm going to do this in front of the kitchen manager so he can't twist things around and fuck it up for me.

"That's not going to work for me." His voice is harsh and unyielding. "We'll be too busy."

"I'll come in early and do all my prep." My words are meant for the kitchen manager although my eyes never leave his.

"We're good, Jess." She pats me on the back. "Take the entire day. You've been working really hard."

Drew stands in stunned silence as we both watch her walk away.

"I need to get back to work." I pivot on my heel to turn back towards the stack of cucumbers I've been assigned to julienne.

"Where are you going tomorrow night?" His breath is on my neck.

I move to the side. "It's none of your business, Drew."

"Are you going out with the lawyer?" There's no denying his distaste for Nathan. "Is that why you needed a night off?"

I turn sharply and tap my finger against his chest. "Back off, Drew. My life is none of your business."

"You're actually going out with him again?" He's so smug.

"I'm going to a party with my roommate. I'm not going out with him."

"When you kissed me that night, you wanted me, not him." It's meant to provoke me and it does.

"Shut up."

"You would have slept with me when we went out for dinner that night, but then he showed up at your place before I got there." The mention of that night hangs in the air, thick and heavy, between us.

"Maybe things would have been different if he wasn't there." It's a small offering. It's the truth. I was so fucked up then that I can't be sure what I would have done if Nathan hadn't appeared in my doorway.

"He's going to dump you." His eyes rake me over. "I'll be waiting."

"Don’t hold your breath."

***

"You should have invited the cute chef to come with you." Rebecca smiles at me across the table.

I pull my hand through my hair, wishing I had tied it up for the night. "That makes perfect sense." I don’t even try and hide the sarcasm in my voice.

"Drew is

so angry because he's so horny," she tempers her tone as she gazes at her coworkers who are seated around us.

"Do you still work for Cassandra now that you're promoted?" I noticed almost immediately that she wasn't in attendance. I was grateful given the fact that I still carried so much guilt about what happened between her, Nathan and me.

"We're colleagues now." She pulls air quotes around the words. "I get to travel, and wine and dine clients and I get an expense account."