Why was she in a corner by herself?
After grabbing a plastic container with a turkey on rye, he paid and headed in her direction.
The closer he drew, the more his heart skipped and his palms grew sweaty. He was a grown man, for shit’s sake. A surgeon. A sadist. Not some sappy boy who mooned over a girl. Yet every time he clapped eyes on Heavenly, that’s how he felt. Even now, his blood pumped as if he were doing a hard-core workout. What he’d really like to work out was a dozen ear-piercing screams from this woman who had yet to notice him as a man.
Beck headed toward her, searching for something witty to say. As he weaved past a couple of tables, Dr. Richard Manning, a.k.a. Manning-the-Manwhore, plopped his tall frame in the chair directly across from Heavenly and leaned close.
If you touch her, you’ll die a slow, painful death.
Heavenly blinked at the plastic surgeon. Beck tensed. She wasn’t actually attracted to that soul-sucking pustule, was she?
He didn’t know, and that pissed him off. Manning-the-Manwhore had plowed through most of the nursing and administrative staff. He’d definitely planted himself in Kathryn’s “seat” more than once. Marcella’s, too. The fact that he didn’t look like a troll and was smoother than an oil slick made it easy for him to lure women to the nearest flat surface.
Now he had Heavenly in his sights.
Gnashing his teeth, Beck quickened his steps and ate up the distance between them.
“…It’s the hottest new restaurant in the city. The view is amazing. The food is to die for. And you’ve never been?”
She shook her head. “I only moved here a few months ago.”
“Ah.” Manning smiled, pretending to give a shit. “Well, you’ll have to let me take you to dinner there as a welcome to the city. The ambiance is almost as stunning as you. Let’s go Friday night. I’ll pick you up around seven.”
Beck wanted to throttle the asshole, especially when Heavenly lowered her lashes and pink climbed up her cheeks. Was she actually buying this sack of shit’s polished lines?
“Well, I—”
“Heavenly, don’t disappoint me again. We’ll have a good time. I’ll open doors for you…”
Beck nearly crushed the sandwich container in his grip. It was either that or bash the bastard’s head in.
Instead, he stepped up behind her and tossed his sandwich on the table between them. When she gave a startled jump, he cupped her shoulders and positioned himself in Manwhore’s line of sight. “Hey, Manning. I don’t usually see you in the cafeteria. Oh, but you’re here because you’re trying to sweet-talk Ms. Young into bed. Don’t you think it’s a little soon after the last nursing student you banged? I heard you gave her the clap.”
Heavenly gave a startled gasp.
Manwhore smiled acidly. “You’re a better surgeon than a comedian, Beckman.” He tossed Heavenly a placating stare. “He’s joking, of course. And doing it very badly.”
Heavenly stiffened. Beck had no idea what she was thinking. Hell, he might be overstepping boundaries, but unless she told him to fuck off, he wasn’t backing down.
“Actually, I’m not joking at all,” Beck said. “Since Ms. Young has already turned you down, you should leave her alone. But hey, I’ll bet Kathryn would do you in the janitor’s closet again. Sounded like you two had fun. The whole floor thought so, anyway.”
“Beckman!” Manning glared at him while maintaining a smile for Heavenly’s sake. “Ms. Young doesn’t appreciate your sophomoric humor. If you’d like to belittle our feminine co-workers and stoop to the maturity level of fart jokes, we can no longer be friends.”
“Oh, we were never friends, tool.” He maintained an affable smile, voice low. “I simply want Ms. Young to understand who’s asking her out.”
“She’ll get to know me on our date. Now we’re having a private conversation…”
“Were. It’s over.” Beck bent lower, barely shuttering the rage in his eyes. “If you’re having trouble comprehending the word no, I’ll spell it for you: N-O. It means she’s not interested.”
Manning stiffened. “If that’s how she feels, she has a mouth. She can use it.”
“Not on you. Maybe you should try thinking with the head up top for a change.”
The other doctor leapt to his feet, chair scraping against the tile. “This is absurd, and I’m highly insulted.”
“Stop harassing her, or I’ll insult you more by slamming my fist in your face.”
Manwhore’s mouth opened and closed in silent shock. “Are you threatening me with violence? I’m sure the hospital administrator would love to hear about this…”
“Now I’m joking.” He flashed Manning a smile that said one thing: Not.
“I can only think of one reason you’d tell Ms. Young these lies about me. You want her for yourself.”
Well, aren’t you perceptive, asswipe? Someone get the guy a prize…
For the last two weeks, Beck had masturbated to thoughts of Heavenly—all dimples and pigtails, big eyes and sweet pleas. What he wanted from her was probably far dirtier than anything Mr. Missionary-Position fantasized about. Sure, that made him a hypocrite. But he’d protect her from the skirt-chasing pricks of the world, even Seth, whom Beck had liked until the shitbag’s eyes had glued themselves to Heavenly’s ass.