Alec
'What a man, what a man, what a man,
What a mighty good man'
My brain shouted the refrain inside my head, in En Vogue's glorious harmony, of Salt 'N' Pepa's "Whatta Man".
Yes, brain, I think condescendingly, mentally poking myself. Harshly. A. Man.
Between all the remodeling and repairs that I had to get completed over the last two months since purchasing this veterinarian's practice, mostly managed from over two-thousand miles away, I still haven't hired a receptionist. The clinic has been open for two weeks now, and the bane of my newfound existence is sitting across from the reception desk. Grinning at me.
Christopher Barnes.
The overbearing giant is settled in one of the newly purchased waiting room chairs, a simple black and metal job. This man must be at minimum, six and a half feet, and every inch is hard lean muscle. It's really a testament to the chair's stability that it didn't snap in half when he sat down.
I know for a fact that Mr. Barnes has the body of a successful Instagram model because the first morning I met him, he'd been jogging in nothing but skimpy, dark blue shorts. This manimal doesn't even run in trainers, I mean, who does that?
I first looked into this small but long-established practice at the advice of the head veterinarian at the animal hospital in Madison I'd been at for the past three years. Dr. Vincent had attended school in Seattle, ending up at an internship here in the small, close-knit community of Shady Woods. When he heard that Dr. Gaines was retiring and wanting to sell the practice he passed the information onto me.
It's been my lifelong dream to running my own practice, taking care of animals. My main goal since I was eighteen. After high school, I worked hard in my studies to graduate with honors and landing a position at the animal hospital in Wisconsin.
Planning. I learned a long time ago that I need to make my own plans. Since then, I've been entirely focused and now is supposed to be my time to focus on ensuring this giant step I've taken is successful. Everything I have has been put into this place.
The small clinic takes up the ground floor and needed some refurbishment. Along with new chairs, the reception area received a new desktop and updated software for a client database and patient care. The old counter-height desk, a large and wooden original structure, is still feasible, but was stripped down and re-stained.
Fresh, light blue commercial-grade floors were put in throughout the entire clinic, as years of feet, paws and nervous pets had taken their toll on the old flooring. A cleaning crew had come in just before I arrived, scrubbing down everything from the large glass windows of the front all the way back to the surgical unit.
Each exam room was updated with adjustable-height stainless steel tables. Most of the supplies were contracted into the purchase of the place. Aside from two exam rooms and an office off of reception, the back end of the practice is divided into a surgical unit that's large enough for even farm animals and a smaller care ward, equipped with cages and crates, as well as tanks for small animals.
I'd hired contractors and checked in with video calls to complete all of the work. With the heavy cost of repairs, it was a blessing the small apartment that made up the second level was part of the deal. You have to go outside and use the stairs around the side of the building and the vet said he used it himself when he first opened up. It was sparse and worn but no big damage. It was even clean when I moved in with my little amount of furniture and boxes, thanks to the cleaning crew.
The man seated in front of me shifts and continues to smirk. Well, he's wearing clothes today, so that's something. The red shirt strains across his wide chest and his jeans can't be comfortable with how tight they are. Can't the man find a pair that's doesn't push his package so far forward? If he keeps his python caged so tightly, he'll be lucky to father children.
Suddenly, the shifting of Christopher's hips makes me realize where my eyes are trained. Heat floods my cheeks and I jerk my gaze up. His smirk lets me know that I was definitely caught. Cursing my skin for flushing so obviously, I drop my eyes back to the paperwork in front of me. What's wrong with me? I'm not attracted to men; I've dated women!
I'm trying to complete the chart I started for the patient that left a couple of minutes ago. Christopher was sitting there when I came out of the exam room with an eight-year old Boxer, named Big Boy, and his elderly owner. I'd felt his eyes on me the whole time I completed the visit but didn't acknowledge him.
It's been the same since first seeing him over a week ago. He shows up, sometime during the clinic's morning hours, and slips in unnoticed despite the ancient bells that hang over the front door. I've usually been busy with a patient, my increasingly full schedule probably due to the curiosity of the town's small, close-knit community.
I'd met him on the third day I'd had the clinic open. I had finished setting up the exam rooms, but the reception desk still needed organization. I'd also written up a letter to mail out to the past vet's patients and was going to try and spend the rest of the afternoon sealing envelopes. The bells jangled over the door, causing me to look up with a greeting on my lips.
A tall man stood in the doorway. His sleek, short blond hairs almost brushing the top of the doorway, a few strands pushed up in the front. I assumed he was out running, because of his bare chest and tiny shorts.
My greeting died when I saw the dazed look on his face. From behind the counter I looked him over. He wasn't very sweaty, plus with the fact that we're several miles from downtown and most residences made me worried that he might have been dehydrated and concern had me jumping up.
"Hey, are you okay?" I exclaimed, heading around the counter and stepping up to him. His complexion seemed fine as I scanned him over. Really fine, actually. From his shoulders and down his long, muscle toned legs, there didn't appear to be anything wrong on his firm and tanned body. No shoes though.
Silently, the man just stared at me as I stood in front of him. I already knew my height was somewhat lacking for a man, but right then I felt like a child. The top of my head barely reached his shoulders. I waved my hand in front of his face, but there was no change of expression. "Hey! Do you need water or something?"
Suddenly, the man seemed to finally react, his teeth glinting in a wide smile. "You," he whispered.
"What?"
"Are. So. Cute!" Shocked, I watched as the towering man slowly lifted one hand. Reason kicked in just before he touched my cheek.
Slapping his hand away, I snapped, "Don't touch me!"
He's not the first macho man to make fun of my small frame and soft features. Frowning, I took a step back and crossed my arms. I had just moved here and wouldn't tolerate being bullied.
"Did you need something?" Any concern I had from before was gone. He continued to smile widely at me, completely unaffected.
"Hi!" He spoke brightly. I glared in return. I made a point of running my eyes over his body again, only making sure disapproval was evident on my face. By the time I met his gaze again, the smile had dropped a little and worry had entered his eyes.
"We have a strict no shirt-no shoes policy here. For the safety of the animals."
"Huh?" Ignoring him, I walked around to the door and pulled it open. I merely quirked an eyebrow and waited. I knew I wouldn't ever be able to physically throw him out and I inwardly sighed in relief when he seemed to get the message, slowly stepping back outside. I let go of the handle, but he slapped a hand out and held it open.
"Wait! What's your name?" I'd thought about not answering, but remembered that not only was I new to town, I was also running a business. If this guy owned pets, I'd most likely see him again. I wasn't going to make animals suffer over this jerk.
"Dr. Harrison." I said through my teeth.
Letting the door close, he stood on the other side of the glass. He wore a goofy smile again as he stood there for several minutes. I had wondered if entertainment was so scarce in this town that he had to harass me. I tried to focus my attention back on work and when I'd looked up a few minutes later, he was gone.
A/N: Hey, thanks for reading! I was having so much fun writing An Idol for the Omega, and I couldn't help imaging the story between Alec and Christopher.