“Nurse.” Judah says curtly, barely glancing at me. I deflate a little at his brush off.
“Prez.” Garrett censures respectfully, “Priscilla is very important to me, you will be seeing her quite a bit from now on.”
I shrink back at the glare aimed my way by Judah. “You have quite a bit on your plate, Eph, you think now is a good time to get distracted by pussy. High-class as she may look—”
Garrett releases my hand to wrap it in the shirt of his president, stepping awfully close, they are almost nose to nose. “Never again will you speak of her in that manner, you won’t even think of her like that again.”
“Eph, no gash—”
“B’shert.” Garrett spits out in a snarling whisper. “She is my b’shert. And even if she wasn’t, we do not talk about women like that, regardless of the shit you have been through. President or not, you will apologize to Priscilla or you can get the fuck out.”
I will admit that I am royally pissed off and my first impression of el presidente does not lead me to believe that he and I will be close. No woman, not even Tantric Taylor, should be spoken to like that, especially when you don’t even know them. However, overriding that anger, is desire and lust and an overwhelming urge to knock Garrett to the ground and bounce on his cock like a pogo stick. I have never done such a thing, but its appeal is certainly understandable given the display I just witnessed.
Judah shakes his head, sighing heavily while looking at his boots. “You’re right, Garrett. She was back again yesterday and I’m sorry I let it get the better of me.”
Garrett let’s go of Judah’s shirt, smoothing it out and lightly slapping his president’s face. “Some are past saving, especially if they don’t want to save themselves. Priss?” He calls to me and I round the desk slowly, going to Garrett’s outstretched hand.
“Let’s try this again, President, this is my b’shert, Priscilla Pipilini. Priss, this is my president and good friend, Judah.”
“Pipilini?” Judah’s head snaps up at that. “Do you know Primo Pipilini?”
I smile wide, “I sure do, he’s my daddio.”
“Holy shit, that would make you…Principessa?”
“One and the same.” I lean into Garrett’s side, enjoying the heat from his body as he pulls me close. “Let me guess, daddio built some intricate machine for you?”
“My dad actually. We still use it at the shop. Small fucking world.” He smiles in memory for a moment before sobering up. “I’m sorry for my behavior, Priscilla. It was uncalled for and truly not an accurate representation of my character. Uh…any chance,” he runs his hand up the back of his neck nervously.
“You treat me right from here on out and I won’t tell my daddio or my giant uncles.”
His shoulders relax as Garrett starts chuckling. “If he can instill fear into prez, he must be one hell of a guy.”
“Not fear, per se, just a lot of respect. I would also hate to see what type of machine he comes up with to torture anyone who hurts his Principessa.”
“Word.” It’s true, daddio is a big marshmallow, but he is a big marshmallow with vicious teeth and a mind for nefarious machinery if anyone messes with his family.
An alarm sounds from the computer system behind me, reminding me that I am at work. “Gotta go, babe.” I kiss Garrett’s cheek, ignoring his look of surprise at my action and my own blush, I scoot towards pod 3. “Don’t forget to have him wash up!”
Ephraim 8.
“He’s…so fucking tiny.” Judah says in a low, reverent voice. “It’s hard to believe someone so small came from that big bastard you call your brother.” His laugh is tinged with sadness.
“I don’t know what his mother looks like, you know how Man was, free-spirited—”
“You mean free with his cock.” Now his laughter is genuine. He’s not wrong, my brother loved the ladies and the ladies loved him, just never longer than it took to climax and redress. It was one of many things that was different about us.
“I can’t say I’m complaining now, though. He’s has left me with the most precious piece of him.”
“And introduced you to the girl of your dreams in the process?”
“It was…instantaneous. Like being hit by lightning. I saw her sitting by him, speaking softly, wanting to better his life anyway she could and being sad that it would be out of her hands once he left here. Then…she looked up at me as I spoke and her eyes, it was like looking at my own soul.”
“Wow.” Judah clears his throat. “You sound like a pansy-ass poet.” He laughs, and I let him, because I know he isn’t ready to discuss “feelings”. I don’t need him to, I just need him to know that she will be my ol’ lady and my wife and the mother of all my children.
“Wait till it happens to you, my friend. It’s the scariest, most profoundly grounding moment of your life. To find your tether to this world, your reason for existing, your reason for surviving when everyone else has left you behind.” I look at Elead, resting peacefully in his incubator. “To discover that there is two of those reasons and to find them together…I’m surprised my heart and head didn’t explode when I walked in this room that night.”
“That probably would have startled the nursing staff and pissed them off, giving them something else to clean up.” He deadpans and I smack his shoulder. “I’m happy for you Ephraim. I thought I had found that before, but to hear you describe it, I know that what I had before was a cheap imitation.”
“It was practice for the real thing, prez. You know better than most, some have to experience rock bottom to appreciate the rise to the top.”
“Enough of that emo shit. The guys have been working on the
