Chapter 22: Flirtation
The student’s eyes went wide.
Hart’s hand paused over the bandage she was unwrapping. Her shoulders stiffened.
’Oh we’re doing this. We’re really doing this. No backing out now, genius.’
"The view, you mean of the infirmary? right?"
"No? I mean the view of you bending over that examination table."
The student made a choking sound.
Hart straightened slowly. The ruined bandage dangled from her fingers. She turned to face me but her eyes didn’t quite meet mine.
They landed somewhere around my shoulder. The white coat hung open. Her cream blouse had the top two buttons undone.
Pink bloomed across her cheeks. Her free hand came up to fidget with the edge of her coat.
"Excuse me?"
’She’s blushing...but pissed at the same time."
"You heard me." I pushed off the doorframe and walked into the room. "I’m just being honest. You’ve got a great ass and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t looking."
The student was staring at me like I’d grown a second head. His mouth hung open. Poor kid probably thought I was about to get murdered.
He wasn’t wrong.
Hart’s eyes darted to mine for half a second before looking away. The pink in her cheeks deepened to red. "You have ten seconds to leave my infirmary before I throw you out."
Her voice shook slightly on the last word.
"Come on." I stopped a few feet away from her. Close enough to smell her perfume. Something floral with a sexy edge. "We both know you wore that skirt for a reason."
"I wore this skirt because it’s professional attire."
"You are not wrong. You are professionally catching my attention."
The flush spread down her neck. She bit her lower lip. Her hands trembled as she tried to unwrap the new bandage.
’She’s into this...’
"You’re unbelievable." She kept her eyes fixed on the student’s arm. Wouldn’t look at me. "Ignore him. He clearly hit his head during his last two fights."
The student nodded quickly. Too quickly. He was trying very hard not to look at either of us.
I moved closer. Hart was rewrapping the student’s forearm but her movements were less smooth now. I watched the way her shoulders shifted under the blouse. The way the skirt pulled tight when she leaned forward. The way she kept glancing at me from the corner of her eye.
"You know what I think?" I kept my voice low. Just loud enough for her to hear.
"I don’t care." The words came out fast.
"I think you like my attention."
Her hands stopped.
Hart looked at me over her shoulder. Her eyes met mine for a real second this time. They were dark. Flustered. Something vulnerable flickered across her face before she looked away again.
"You think I like being catcalled while I’m trying to work?" Her voice was softer now. Almost breathless.
"I think you like knowing that I can’t stop looking at you."
The air in the room changed. The student was holding his breath.
Hart finished tying off the bandage. Her fingers shook. She patted the student’s arm without meeting his eyes. "You’re done. Keep it dry. Come back tomorrow if there’s any swelling."
The kid practically fell off the examination table. He grabbed his bag and bolted for the door without looking back.
Before he left the door, Hart stopped him. "Jason...if any news spread about this. I will kill you."
The E-Rank student named Jason nodded his head like a chicken, "I-I swear I won’t."
The door swung shut behind him.
We were alone.
’The rewards are still not here...it’s still not enough. This is either the best or worst decision I’ve ever made.’
Hart turned to face me but her eyes went to the floor. She crossed her arms under her chest. The movement pushed her ample breasts up against the blouse fabric. I could see the outline of her black bra through the blouse. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other.
"You just sexually harassed me in front of a patient." Her voice was quiet. Almost a whisper.
"I complimented you in front of a patient."
"That’s not a compliment. That’s harassment." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Still wouldn’t look at me.
"Would you prefer I lie and pretend I wasn’t staring at your ass?"
"I’d prefer you act like a normal human being with basic social skills...at least infront of others." The words came out without any real heat behind them.
I grinned. "Where’s the fun in that?"
She finally looked up. Our eyes met. The silence stretched between us like a rubber band about to snap.
Then Hart laughed.
It was short. Flustered. She covered her mouth with her hand like she was surprised at herself. The blush on her cheeks was impossible to miss now.
"You’re insane." She shook her head and looked away again. "Completely insane."
"Maybe." I took another step closer. "But you’re smiling."
"I’m not smiling." She bit her lip. Looked down at her shoes.
"You were. For like half a second."
"That was a grimace of disgust." Her voice was so quiet I almost didn’t hear it.
"Sure it was."
She uncrossed her arms. Picked up the soiled bandages and tossed them in the medical waste bin. When she turned back she was fidgeting with the hem of her coat. Still avoiding eye contact. Still blushing.
"Why are you really here, Ash?"
"I told you, I will visit you everyday from now on. Remember?"
"Right." She walked to her desk and pulled up something on her tablet. Her fingers moved across the screen but I noticed the slight tremor in her hands.
"For the record, you’re still an asshole."
"Noted."
"And if you ever pull something like that again while I have a patient, I will actually throw you out." She tucked another strand of hair behind her ear. Still not looking at me.
"Also noted."
"Good." She gestured to the examination table without meeting my eyes. "Now get on the table and shut up so I can do my job."
