Chapter 2
A few days later, Marshall was looking through his email, checking all the applications he had received for his job posting. Most of them were older women who no longer wanted to work in the fast-paced environment of a hospital. He quickly deleted these candidates from his email with a frown on his face. He was sitting on the couch, a cup of hot coffee on the table in front of him.
“How’s it coming along?” Allen asked as he walked in, sitting down on the nearby loveseat with his own cup of coffee. He turned on their TV and laid back, enjoying the day off. He lived for the weekends when the clinic was closed and they had some time to themselves.
“No one suitable yet.” Taking a sip of his coffee, Marshall kept looking through the emails, his disappointment deepening. He had hoped for at least one cute nurse to make her appearance in the pool of applicants, but things didn’t look promising.
“I don’t believe you. You’re not denying people based on their looks alone, are you? This isn’t some dating site for your own, sick pleasure and gain,” Allen chided as he got up, about to look at his roommate’s laptop.
As he approached, however, Marshall moved away, keeping the laptop from his grasp. “You promised you would be good about this! Why did I believe you?” Allen shifted his disappointment to himself, something he did often when he got into arguments with Marshall.
“I am being good! I only want the best nurse for our clinic,” Marshall said, trying to defend his exclusive nature. It was true that he wanted a well-qualified nurse, but what harm would it do if she was good looking as well? As he got sidetracked, daydreaming about it, his guard dropped for a moment and Allen snatched the laptop.
As he sat down with it, his thumb flicked over a button and all of a sudden, the picture of a beautiful young woman appeared on the screen. Allen stared at her a moment. She looked to be of mixed race: white and Asian.
Her skin was light and fair. She had shiny, black hair, cropped to a shoulder length that framed her face, making her high cheekbones even more pronounced. In the picture, her thin, pink lips were upturned in a delicate smile that made Allen’s heartbeat quicken in his chest.
Before he could read about her, Marshall managed to steal the laptop back. “Oh! I like this one.” He grinned, walking into the kitchen. He placed the laptop on the kitchen island and leaned against it as he stared at her. With a smirk on his lips, he scrolled down, reading her credentials. She was perfect.
She was a native of the small town, who had recently completed her nursing degree. While Marshall had wanted someone with a little more experience, she still seemed to have a vital work ethic. Her resume was filled with various projects, classes, and volunteer work that had kept her occupied during college.
“I think we should hire her,” Marshall called out, even though Allen was already behind him, his eyes fixed on the beautiful woman. Her warm, brown eyes seemed to be staring into his own, even if it was just a picture.
“I agree.”
***
“So, Miss Klien, why do you think you are qualified for this job?” Allen sat behind his desk, looking at the woman, as she sat across him, dressed rather classy. She looked a little nervous, but at the same time, she appeared confident in her abilities.
“Well, as a native of this town, I have a special interest in your pool of patients. I am also a hard worker and am willing to put in the time and extra effort while working with yourself and Dr. Morris.” Her answers were always short and to the point, something Allen already liked about her.
As he was conducting the interview, Marshall showed up, his coffee mug in his hands as usual. His eyes shined with excitement as they fell upon the slender girl before him. She was even more exquisite in person. His lips curled in anticipation as he made his way over to her.
Allen’s fingers tightened around the pen as he watched his partner make way toward the would-be nurse, an almost predatory stance in his every movement. Marshall was always like this. He was never afraid of making a move, of getting intimate with others, despite any possible consequences.
In this manner, he was Allen’s opposite. Allen, due to his almost fear of approaching others and expressing his feelings, had remained single for many years now.
“Hello, Hazel. I’m your new boss.” Marshall said informally as he held out his hand. Hazel slowly got up to shake it in response. As she reached out her small hand, Marshall moved forward, wrapping his arm around her and pulling her into a firm hug.
Hazel’s eyes grew large as one of his hands moved down, giving her ass a firm squeeze. She jumped and blushed deeply at the interaction, before looking between the two men, trying to figure out how she should react.
Allen shot Marshall a glare, who in turn grinned and offered a shrug as if he had done nothing wrong. A moment of awkward silence filled the room, wrapping itself around the trio until Marshall spoke up. “Welcome to the team.” He winked in her direction before turning around, leaving Hazel and Allen alone.
“I apologize for my colleague,” Allen said quickly, trying to reassure the woman.
“Don’t worry about it. Both of you seem very nice and it will be my pleasure to work with you.” Her voice was sweet and her smile even more so, as she gave a small bow of respect in Allen’s direction. With that, she started to make her way out of the clinic. Allen watched her go, a bittersweet feeling of longing lingering in his chest.