Chapter 29

29

Lila (Nala)

" W ell, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in."

I rolled my eyes as I turned to face Samuels, the nurse who faithfully interrupted my morning meditation. He wore a huge smile on his face with a single rose in his hand.

"I see much hasn't changed in my absence," I said.

"Come on, now. I wouldn't be me if I didn't work your nerves." He handed me the flower then pulled me in for a hug. "It's so good to have you back, Lila."

"It's good to be back."

He pulled away and grabbed my hand. "I'm so sorry for your loss."

For a moment, I almost forgot the lie I told when I was finally able to contact my job.

"Thank you, Samuels. I appreciate that."

"Guess who's back and has been asking for you?"

"Please don't tell me it's Mr. Jenkins."

He grinned. "Yes."

"What is he doing here?"

"Well, between you and me, I think something is going on at home. Somebody isn't caring for him properly because he came back with another infection. Latrice made an anonymous report, so somebody is being sent to the home to investigate."

"Good." I closed my locker and put on my nametag. "Let me go speak and make my rounds. Again, thank you for the warm welcome, Samuels."

I left him with a smile as I exited the locker room. I made it just in time for Latrice to begin our morning meeting and hand out assignments. She gave me a warm welcome and I was greeted with hugs and well wishes. Once the pleasantries were over, I located and headed for Mr. Jenkins' room.

When I tapped on the door, he looked over at me with a big smile.

"There you are, beautiful."

I smiled as I grabbed some sanitizer. "You just couldn't stay away from me, could you?"

"You know I love seeing your pretty face. Where have you been?"

"I had a family emergency, but it's all good now." I grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "What are you doing back here, Mr. Jenkins?"

"This old leg of mine got another infection."

"You know we teach you and your caregiver the proper way to care for it while the wound heals. Did something happen?"

He sighed. "Truthfully? The aide the company sent me doesn't do much. She's a bit squeamish."

I frowned. That was what I hated about some of these companies. They hired anybody with a little bit of training, not knowing if they were truly qualified for the job. Being a home health aide was not for the faint of heart. You had to care for these clients just like you would care for a family member. If you couldn't or weren't willing, it wasn't the job for you.

"Squeamish? Did she not know what she was getting into?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. She gags every time. I don't wanna get her in trouble, you know? She's a young girl just trying to make a living."

I sighed. "I understand that, Mr. Jenkins, but we can't play with your care. That infection can spread to other parts of your body, and it could be fatal. That leg has to heal properly before you can be fitted for your prosthetic. I'm personally gonna see to it that we get you a new aide that's competent. I don't wanna see you back here unless it's a follow up visit."

He smiled. "You always take care of me."

"And I always will."

"How about that date?"

I giggled. "I don't think my boyfriend would like that very much, Mr. Jenkins."

He placed a hand on his heart. "Boyfriend? You went and got a man on me?"

"It's a long story, but yes, I have a boyfriend."

"Well, he's a lucky man. If he ever drops that ball, I got you."

"I'll remember that. I have to go finish my rounds, but I'll be back to check on you later, okay?"

"Okay, beautiful."

I left him with a smile as I exited the room.

After making my rounds, I got paged to scrub in on a surgery that took about five hours. By the time we were done, it was time for my lunch. I headed toward the locker room when I caught sight of something that made me smile. There was Ahmad with a bag in his hand. He smiled as I approached him. I went straight into his arms for a hug and peck to the lips.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" I asked.

"I brought you lunch."

"Awww! Baby, that's so sweet. Thank you. We can go down to the cafeteria."

Grabbing his hand, I led him to the elevator. Since we were the only people on it, I took full advantage of the privacy. I backed myself into the corner and pulled him along with me. Our lips and tongues intertwined in an intense lip lock. His free hand gripped my ass through my scrub pants.

He told me he loved the way it looked in this fabric. Since confessing our love for each other, the level of affection had been on ten. I'd gone from Bunny to Bunny the Body. Every time he called me that, I had to laugh. I appreciated his appreciation of my body. There were some days I didn't like what I saw when I looked in the mirror. After years of being shamed for the very body I met Slim with, I guessed I still had to get those words out of my head.

"I've missed you," I said, peering up at him.

"I've missed you too, baby."

He pecked my lips once more as the door opened. We stepped off and headed for the cafeteria. Seated at the table, he distributed the food in front of me, but I noticed he didn't have anything for himself.

"You're not eating?"

"I had lunch with Rabbit."

I smiled. He'd been accompanying me with drop-offs and pickups with her during my time off. With me going back to work, I added him as an approved person to pick her up just in case Tiffany had anything unexpected pop up.

"I bet she loved that."

"She did. She had to show me her classroom and introduced me to her friends, and anybody else we came in contact with."

I laughed. "Not her showing you off like show and tell."

He chuckled. "It was cute. How's your first day back been?"

"Pretty good. I actually just came out of a surgery."

"You do that a lot?"

"It depends on the day. I like surgery, though. The body fascinates me. I actually thought about going to medical school, but I'd hate to be away from my baby with those long, grueling hours."

"I get that. Is there anything else you'd want to do?"

"You know something… I think I figured that out this morning while visiting a patient. I want to start a home health aide company with reputable nurses and CNAs. There are so many people who don't get the proper care once they leave a hospital setting. It makes a difference in life and death."

Ahmad nodded. "We can make that happen."

"What?"

"I said we can make that happen. Whatever you need, I got you."

"Baby, I can't let you do that. I can invest the money I have—"

"Nah. Keep your money. Save it for Kari or a rainy day. I don't care. If you want this business, we can make it happen. I'll even make sure it's all in your name so you have nothing to fret over. Don't look at it as me giving you money or paying for you to start a business. Think of it as an investment. What kind of man would I be if I didn't invest in you?"

I poked out my lip. "Baby… Ahmad. I don't know what to say."

He cupped my chin as he leaned in closer to me. "Tell daddy thank you."

I grinned. "Thank you, daddy. You can at least let me pay you back in other ways."

He smirked. "I know a few ways to collect payment. One…" His hand dropped to my throat where he gave a gentle squeeze. It then slid down my torso until he cupped my pussy in his hand. "Two."

I fought the urge to moan. Thankfully there weren't too many people in here at this hour.

"I-I can do that," I whispered.

He chuckled lowly. "Oh, I know you can. You can start tonight. I still have to pay you back for that stunt you pulled on our date."

I laughed. "You got me that night."

"Not good enough. I kept thinking about that damn house and wondering how clean it was."

"Baby… seriously? You really should get help with managing your OCD. It only gets worse."

"I'm handling it, Nala."

I raised my hands in mock surrender. He was doing better in some areas, but at times I found it making its way into my house. The man had completely rearranged my pantry and kitchen cabinets. I could admit that the way he did it made sense and made things easier to find, but that wasn't the point.

"I wanted to ask you something," he said as I continued eating my food.

"What's that?"

"I wanted to invite you and Kari to my home for a few days."

My eyes widened. "Really?"

"Yes, woman. I'm always at your place. I figured it's time you came to mine."

"Well… it would have to be a weekend since you're so far from my job and her school."

"I'm cool with that. You're off this weekend, right?"

"Yes, Saturday through Monday. Monday is a school holiday, too."

"Bet. I'll get everything ready for you."

I raised an eyebrow. "What all do you need to get ready? I know that house is in pristine condition. I'm almost afraid to come over."

He playfully kissed his teeth. "I'm not even that bad."

"Lies you tell! Have you met you?"

"Whatever. Just don't come in my house on some petty shit thinking you're gonna cure my OCD with exposure therapy or some shit. I tried that once years ago and I almost put a bullet in that woman before she left my house."

"Ahmad!"

He laughed. "I'm dead ass. She had my damn blood pressure up. I said never again."

I shook my head. "I promise I won't mess up anything… at least not intentionally. I'll leave the petty at home."

"I got something for your petty."

"Oh, yeah? What is it?"

"You'll see when you get to my house."

The smirk on his face told me that I was in for a treat. What could he mean? An idea of him having one of those sex dungeons crossed my mind. The thought excited me just a little. I wouldn't be opposed to him tying me up or blindfolding me just once. Yeah, I had to have loved him to even think about willingly allowing this man to tie me up and fuck me. I was beginning to think being kidnapped might have bred a kink.

"What are you thinking about so hard?" he asked, eyeing me suspiciously.

I smiled to myself as I forked a helping of food into my mouth. "Nothing, nothing."