Romance: North: (Hot New Adult Bad Boy Romance, Alpha Male Rock Star Rebel Romance) (Contemporary Mystery and Romantic Suspense Short Stories) Read Online Free PDF

standing, quickly pulling her clothes on. The tattoos disappeared behind denim, cotton and lace; her gorgeous tits became nothing more than a silhouette. “Remember, Alex,” she said, smoothing her hair back off of her face. “One word of this and we’re both out on our asses.”
    I nodded, too spent still to talk.
    “Get dressed, and be out in the common area in fifteen minutes. The door locks automatically.” She turned on her heel and I heard the clack-clack-clack of her shoes on the floor as she walked quickly away from me.

****
    I walked into the Administrator’s office and immediately I saw Mary, seated off to the side in front of the huge, polished desk. The middle-aged man who ran the rehab facility, Dr. Farber, looked up as I came in. “Thank you for joining us, Alex,” Dr. Farber said, smiling in a way that immediately set off my bullshit alarm.
    “Not like I have a hell of a lot to do,” I said, taking the other seat in front of his desk.
    “We all have choices, every day,” Dr. Farber said in his sanctimonious tone; I’d heard that little homily enough times to want to puke, but I kept my face straight. “In fact, today we need to talk about choices.”
    Mary was carefully avoiding looking at me. It had been a day and a half since our little break in the art room; she had been like a ghost ever since. Flitting through the room, not even looking at me. But God did I look at her. Any time she appeared, I pictured her tattoos, the way she’d looked on top of me naked, and remembered the way she’d felt, the way she’d smelled.
    “Alex?”
    I looked at Dr. Farber again. “Okay, choices,” I said, keeping my voice level. “What about them?”
    “You and Mary have both made some…bad choices recently,” Dr. Farber said. Although I could tell he was going for ‘regretful disappointment’ by the tone of his voice and the way he twisted his plastic surgery-carved face, his bottle-green eyes gleamed.
    “Have we now?” I stared him down. You can’t bullshit a bullshitter, man. I know what you’re playing at.
    “It’s come to my attention that the relationship between the two of you is no longer…strictly…patient-counselor.” Dr. Farber smiled slowly. “I heard reports about noises in the art room.” I clenched my teeth together. “Of course, I’m sure you know, there are cameras at the ends of all the hallways. It wasn’t difficult to figure it out.”
    “We were just talking about my recovery,” I said, shrugging. “You got some perverts in here. Isn’t Mackenzie in for sex addiction?”
    “It wasn’t Mackenzie who came to me, or I would probably have dismissed it,” Dr. Farber said. He took a breath and exhaled a gusty sigh. “Unfortunately, I can’t have the two of you here if you’re going to disrupt the good work we’re doing, helping people get clean and sober. You understand, right Alex?”
    I swallowed. “You’re being paid really fucking well to keep me,” I pointed out. “You kick me out and that money goes away.”
    “There are a dozen people who’d take your bunk before midnight,” he said. “And I can’t have either of you jeopardizing my reputation.” Dr. Farber looked from Mary to me. “You have an hour to gather your possessions and be discharged. Mary, you will leave with him, under Tom’s supervision. My decision is final.”
    Dr. Farber pressed a button on his desk. “John, please come escort Alex to collect his things. He’s being discharged.”
    I stared at Farber; there was no arguing with him.
    I was fucked.

About an hour later, I stood outside of Recovery Now, my suitcase at my feet. At least I’ve got my fucking phone back. Of all the things I’d had to hand over when I checked in, turning off my phone and handing it to the front desk woman had hurt the most. I had about half a battery charge left on it—or at least I had when I’d turned it off and handed it over. I sat on a bench, waiting for Mary to show up; she had her own