Read Online Training Amy by Anne O'Connell - Free Book Online Page A

had a scratch along his jaw.
                She jumped up when she saw it. “What happened? Is this from the car accident?”
                “You mean the guy who rammed me? It wasn’t an accident. The guy was high on something. This wasn’t from that though. This was from the asshole hitting me. I think he was wearing a ring or something. Cut me.”
                She grabbed the first aid kit. “Sit down and let me get a good look at it.”
                “No, I’m fine.”
                “No, man, she’s right,” Eric said, nudging Brad to sit. “At least let her put some anti-bacterial on it and clean it up so it doesn’t get infected.”
                Brad sat down with some reluctance and looked up at her.
                She tipped his head up toward the light so she could see it better. It looked superficial. It wasn’t deep and it had already stopped bleeding. She took a cleansing wipe to it.
                “Son-of-a-bitch it stings! Ah!”
                “I have to clean it out,” she told him sternly.  Once she was satisfied it was clean she put some anti-bacterial ointment on it.  “Good job.”
                Eric laughed.
                “What, am I five?” Brad gave her an amused look.
                “I’m fresh out of lollipops,” she shot back.
                Eric laughed again. “Time to go home.”
    They all agreed. Amy handed the keys Eric had given her back to him and he took them without word.
                As they left she hoped and prayed that they wouldn’t pay much attention to the can of tipped over sticks. Brad let her take the passenger seat and he got in back and on the way home, he regaled her with the story of his SUV’s demise and subsequently how he kicked the ass of the guy driving the other vehicle. How he’d gotten himself into that situation in the first place was conveniently left out.

 
    Chapter Five
     
                Saturday morning came quickly, and with it a barrage of customers who rummaged through the shelves at such speeds that Amy could scarcely keep up with keeping things neat and straightened like Brad liked them. Both she and Brad worked the floor while Eric kept himself busy at the register. A few times Brad had left to help a select customer or collector in the back. She had no way of knowing if they were legitimate book collectors or “special” customers for the stuff in the far back room.  Of course she wasn’t sure she wanted to know. No, she was sure she didn’t want to know. 
                As she saw it she was at another crossroads. She could either freak out and act like a child and quit her job because it was possible one or both of her bosses were into kink on their own time. Or she could buck up, pull on her big girl panties and educate herself on what all the fuss was about. Especially if a large number of the customers were also interested in such reading material. After all, she didn’t have to deal with what they had in the back. They’d said it themselves – she dealt with the books. That was all.
                Then it hit her. She had agreed to have dinner with Eric tonight. She couldn’t help but wonder if Eric was really into it. After all, he’d lent her the books his ex-girlfriend had allegedly left at his house. A bit of nervousness ran through her. She got along with Eric famously. When she was talking with him it seemed as though they had known each other forever. He couldn’t be into anything like that. He was too nice. Too normal. She relaxed a little then and reassured herself she had nothing to worry about. Dinner was just dinner. It was Brad she was uncomfortable around.  He had all the charm of a prickly pear cactus. No, that wasn’t fair – Brad had his own qualities and charm, she admitted to herself as she straightened the fantasy novel