The Biker's Fate Chapter 670

Waverly

The next morning, I headed to work after a night without sleep. I had a packed schedule and honestly didn't know how I was going to manage, but after bailing on Gio yesterday, I had no choice but to work today. I couldn't afford to take another day off.

By lunchtime I was fried. I was working with an elderly client in the main room, helping him with his balance after a fall. He'd had a hip replacement, so we were working on getting him more mobile without his walker. All fine and good until a commotion out the window caught my eye.

"Jim, can you give me just a second, please? Keep doing those stretches."

I stepped over to the window and let out a quiet, "Shit."

Gio Rossi was climbing out, or rather, attempting to climb out of, what looked like a ride share car. And he was currently losing a valiant battle with the door.

"Um, sorry Jim, I'll be right back." I had one of the other therapists take over for me and rushed out to the parking lot. "Gio!"

I watched as he raised his head and frowned, and I made my way to him.

"What are you doing?" I demanded.

"A little help here?" he begged.

"Give me a second," I said, and went back inside to get a wheelchair.

I helped him into the chair and then wheeled him inside and into my office. Closing the door, I crossed my arms and shook my head. "What's going on, Gio?"

"No, we're not doing that. What the fuck happened yesterday?"

I took a deep breath. "I'm very sorry. That was so unprofessional. I'm embarrassed to admit, I had a panic attack. It came out of nowhere—"

"Bullshit. You panicked when you saw that biker on the television. His name was Cupid."

"What?" I gasped, then settled myself down. "No, it was just an everyday, normal, run of the mill panic attack."

"Waverly," he growled.

"What?"

"Who's Cupid to you?" he repeated.

"No one."

"Sit down, Fizzy, we're gonna talk."

"I have patients."

He cocked his head. "Cancel them."

"Are you seriously not going to leave?"

"I'm seriously not going to leave," he said. "And I'll make a fuckin' scene if you don't sit your ass down and tell me what the hell's goin' on."

I picked up my desk phone and told the receptionist to move my next appointment to another therapist, then sat down and focused on Gio. "This is highly inappropriate."

"Noted," he said. "Spill."

I bit my lip. "Are you sure you're not part of the Mafia?"

"The Family," he corrected with a cheeky smirk. "Stop stalling."

"Back in college, I had a friend, Julie. She was dating a jackass named Aaron Short. Julie invited me and Lennon, um, my best friend to a party. Long story short, I was drugged and raped by two bikers while I was there. I don't remember much of it."

"And this Cupid guy was one of them?"

"Yes. He was let go because of lack of evidence but I guess they found some."

"Who was the other guy?"

I shook my head. "It doesn't matter. He's been dealt with. His genitals were removed. They found him just recently, actually."

"What's this Aaron asshole's deal?"

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean."

"No one's ever asked me that before."

"I'm not fuckin' surprised."

I shivered. "Um, well, apparently, Aaron had been dealing drugs for the Supreme Riders for a year and owed them money for a batch he swears was stolen. The party was just a way to make some of that money back while also letting the Supreme Riders victimize whoever they wanted."

"Fuckin' asshole."

"Indeed," I whispered.

"I'm so sorry this happened to you, beautiful."

I couldn't stop the tears from streaming down my face as I nodded. "It's done. I've had a lot of therapy to deal with it. It's just when his face showed up on the screen yesterday, it flooded back. I'm really sorry."

"If you say sorry one more time, I'm gonna lose my shit, Fizzy. You've got nothing to be sorry for."

"Well, I kind of blew up your appointment yesterday."

"You had a good reason." He sighed. "I'm gonna have to find another therapist."

I bit back more tears, forcing a nod. "Right, yes. Of course. Yesterday—"

"Not because of that," he said, his tone one of frustration.

I frowned. "Then, why?"

"Because I don't want to keep this professional anymore."

Standing, I walked around my desk and sat in the chair facing him. "Gio, this is classic transference. I've been working on your shoulder for a little while now, and as you've healed, you've naturally equated that—"

"Bullshit," he said. "I fell for you before you started working on my shoulder and that feeling was driven home when you panicked, and I couldn't do shit about it because you ran."

"Wait, what do you mean you 'fell for me'?"

Before he could answer, my door flew open and I heard my receptionist call out, "Sir, you can't go in there."

"Ha… uh, Connor?" Gio hissed. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Connor looked a lot different than he had yesterday, but still just as handsome. He wore a black beanie covering his long hair, dark jeans, a black hoodie, and a pair of tennis shoes that seemed uncomfortable to him somehow.

"Let's go, Gio," he said. "Sorry he bothered you, sweetheart. We'll keep a tighter rein on him."

"Fuck. Brian," Gio hissed.

"Who's Brian?" Waverly asked.

"No one," Gio said. "I forgot I had another appointment."

"Let's go, bud," Connor said.

"Be right there," Gio said. "Just give me a few minutes."

Connor gave him a look much like a dad admonishing a kid and I bit my lip, not exactly sure what to do, but in the end, he let out a quiet growl and closed the door.

"Is Connor your dad?" I asked.

"Not by blood," Gio said. "My dad was killed when I was a kid, and he kind of stepped in as a father-figure. It's a long story."

"Oh, my god, I'm so sorry."

"Long time ago, Fizzy."

"Still, some wounds don't really heal completely."

He met my eyes. "No, they don't."

"I'm not talking about me."

"Well, I am."

"I'm fine."

"Good to know. I want to take you out."

"Oh yeah?" I challenged. "You gonna pick me up and open my door, and do all the things?"

"Fuck."

"Hm-mm, how about we go back to keeping things profess—"

"Goddammit, Waverly, this is bullshit."

"Does anybody ever tell you no?" I wondered out loud.

"I've got four older sisters, so it happens all the time."

"Do you listen?"

"Not typically, no."

I chuckled as I stood. "Ah, therein lies the problem, huh? Wait, four older sisters?"

"Yep. It's like I have five Italian mothers."

"Wow."

"Wow, indeed," he agreed. "Sit down, Fizzy."

I raised an eyebrow. "No."

"All kidding aside, just take a seat for a minute," he said. "Please."

I sighed and sat back down, waiting for him to speak.

"Will you admit there's a mutual attraction here? Something outside of a professional connection?"

I shrugged. "I don't know you, so I can't say that there's a mutual attraction here, outside of our professional connection of course."

"You like me," he said.

"I don't know you."

"Yeah, but you like me," he retorted. "You might even like me more than I like you."

"You're a crazy son of gun, aren't you?" I sassed, refusing to answer his question.

"Yeah, but it doesn't make me wrong."

"I really think I can help you. I just don't want to muddy the waters."

"Then we'll keep it as professional as we can while getting to know each other. Can we do that?"

"I really wish you were an ugly troll," I breathed out. "And it would help if you were an asshole."

Gio laughed. "Jesus, you're funny."

I sighed. "I know. It's a curse."

He grinned, sliding his cell phone out of his pocket. "Give me your cell."

"Are we there?"

"Hell, yeah, we're there. I want you to call me if you have another panic attack," he said. "I want you to call me if you're scared, or happy, or what the fuck ever. Or you can text me or sext me or whatever."

"There will be no sexting," I avowed, putting my phone number in his phone. "Ever."

"Fair." He chuckled. "I'm an in-person kinda guy too."

I shivered. "Okay, stop."

"Am I making you uncomfortable?"

"No, you're making me… never mind."

"Making you what, Waverly?"

I let out a frustration groan. "Gio, just drop it."

"I will when you tell me."

"You're making me," I added, "horny" in a whisper as I scowled, shocked that I'd just admitted any of that out loud. "And I'm at work."

He gave me a crooked grin. "My job here is done."

"Evil, evil man."

"Make sure you charge me for today. And yesterday."

"You don't have to do that."

"Like hell I don't," he countered. "Charge me."

I sighed, standing again. "Fine."

"And you use that phone if you need me. Anytime."

I nodded, pulling open the door. Connor stepped inside, looking like he might murder Gio, before wheeling him out of the building.