Rock Hard: Bad Boy Bandmates & Babies Series by Jamie Knight (ebook reader 8 inch .TXT) 📗

After a second much quicker and colder shower, I headed into the office in a better mood than I’d been in in ages.

“Visited by ghost in the night?” Holly quipped, as I came in bearing donuts and coffee for all.

“Not at all. I just felt in a generous mood.”

“Gee, I wonder why,” she said, with a teasing wink.

Despite being several years younger than me, Holly had always sort of felt like the big sister I’d never had.

Sweet Jonna was already in my office. Getting here before me was an endearing feature she’d made a habit of.

It was a warm day, spring moving invariably into summer, and she was wearing considerably less than she had on the previous six days. She was clad in white Chucks and a light, breezy blue summer dress with no bra straps visible anywhere.

“Morning, sir,” she said softly.

It was all I could do not to take her right then and there, remembering the fantasy version of her from this morning. Resisting my more primal and immediate urges, I was resolved to at least talk about today’s training.

No matter what the possible consequences, I was determined to have her. I just needed to find the right way to go about it.

And as though a sign from the heavens, both of our phones pinged in unison, with a very concerning warning.

Chapter Five - Jonna

It was all so sudden. I wasn’t expecting both of us to get a non-work-related message at the same exact time. There must have been something serious going on.

I could hardly believe my eyes once I checked. On my phone’s screen, in all caps, was the worst message I could have ever imagined receiving.

COVID-19 ALERT!

SPECIAL SECURITY MEASURES ARE NOW IN EFFECT. STARTING AT 8:00 PM THIS EVENING, ALL CITIZENS ARE TO GO INTO SELF-QUARANTINE UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.

I could feel my heart break a bit. There was no way to continue with the internship. Not unless I worked from home, and it just wouldn’t be the same. Too much of the work was hands-on.

I also just liked being around Seth. That would have to come to an end, at least until this lockdown was over.

“Oh, dear,” Seth said, in his nonchalant way.

“I guess we’re done, huh?” I said, with only a slight crack in my voice.

“We don’t need to be.”

“Really?” I asked, unable to keep a squeaky tone out of my voice.

“We could both work from home,” he suggested. “The same home, I mean, if you agree to go into lockdown with me.”

“Is that, like, legal?”

“We could get a test if you want to be sure.”

“We can do that before tonight?”

“We can do it right now; I have medical staff on sight. There was an embarrassing amount of pretty grievous injuries back in the day,” he added, by way of explanation, because I was looking at him with an eyebrow raised. “No one died, thank God, especially since none of us had insurance, but I always promised myself that if I could, I’d have a medical department, just to make sure it never happened again.”

“Has it?” I asked him, my eyes too wide now for him to notice any raised eyebrow, I hoped. “Happened again?”

“Not like it used to, though there are still some instances here and there. Still, better safe than sorry.”

“That’s not what I thought you’d say,” I confessed.

“Oh, why is that?”

I could feel the heat rising on my cheeks. The last thing I wanted to do was insult or embarrass him, but I couldn’t really think of any way around it.

“I just figured things would be a bit more, you know.”

“Anarchic?”

“You took the word right out of my mouth.”

“They were at the beginning,” he admitted. “But more by circumstance than design. Sometimes I think I was born to be the responsible one. A sort of counter-balance to keep the others in one piece.”

“You seem to be doing a good job.”

“Thanks. I do what I can. So, what do you say, can you stand the sight of me for at least two weeks? And I could continue training you at my house.”

I loved the way he said that.

Training me.

At his house.

“Absolutely!” I said, a bit too enthusiastically. “I would just need to run home and get myself some clothes and stuff.”

“Tell you what. You do that, and I’ll call Harrison and get the tests set up,” Seth instructed me.

I nodded, and hastily made the round trip home, stuffing what I hoped was at least two weeks’ worth of everything I’d need into a duffel bag. I could barely think straight. I was really going to be locked down… alone… with Seth Black.

I probably overpacked, but I figured it would be better to err on the side of caution, and I even stuffed some of my favorite albums into a backpack, just to have them close.

Content with what I’d gathered, I rushed back to the office, and Seth whisked me downstairs to get tested.

Harrison, it turned out— much to my surprise, which I tried my best not to let show— was an awesome Punk babe about my age, who also happened to have a nursing degree. It must have been nice to work somewhere where no one would care if she wore her gear.

It wasn’t too extreme. No rubber skirts or leather lab coats, but her tribe alignment was very much on display in other ways. Particularly in her hair and make-up.

“You're all clear,” Harrison said, when the results came through. “Each of you.”

“Can I get that in writing?” Seth asked.

“Sure, I’ll have you both letters by the end of the day.”

“Thanks, Hari, you're the best.”

“You’re welcome, but remember— don’t call me Hari.”

She glared at him, clearly not