OverExposed: Making Me Love You

::Alyce’s P.O.V::

It had been two days since Kennedy told us the good news about Maroon 5 coming to the university to play. I had been so full of excitement on Saturday that I almost thought my boss at the Animal Hospital was going to fire me, but thankfully she didn’t.

Today, I had to come in to the shelter early in the morning to feed the puppies and take them outside for their daily morning exercise. I entered the shelter and waved to Martha, one of the elderly women who worked here. She mostly sat behind the desk taking phone calls and running off papers. Although I would catch her playing solitaire on the computer a few times. I pushed through the swinging double doors to head to the locker rooms so I could put up my stuff before crossing through to the area where we kept our animals. They were all placed in a large room, but they were divided into their species instead of just being placed wherever.

I made my way over to the eight individual cages that held all the puppies. Upon seeing me, they each got up and ran over to the doors of their cages wagging their tiny tails furiously. A few barked and whined wanting my attention. I laughed and pressed a button on the wall that unlocked the door to their cages at the same time. As soon as they heard that buzzing sound, they charged through the cage doors slamming them open to pounce all over me. I dropped to my knees and proceeded to be bombarded with puppy tongues licking all over my face and hands. A few chewed on my fingers playfully reminding me that they needed to eat.

“You guys want to eat outside today?” I cooed. They all barked happily as I led them out the back door of the shelter into the large, fenced in backyard. We had scattered all sorts of toys around the area for them to play and wrestle with. As I watched them run off to play with the various toys, I went over to scoop out some chow into four large bowls figuring two puppies could share a bowl if needed.

After setting the bowls of chow down, I whistled to catch their attention. They immediately ran over to begin scarfing down their breakfast.

“At least chew it first,” I chuckled as one puppy began coughing from eating too quickly.

Shaking my head at them, I turned on the water hose and filled four metal dishes with water so they wouldn’t get dehydrated by being out in the bright morning sun. Each of them licked at the water gratefully before running off to tackle each other.

I watched through amused eyes as they bounced about the yard. One began parking at a leaf that blew past him with the wind. We were taking care of two golden retrievers, a German shepherd, three huskies, a beagle, and a pit bull. Out of all of them, the pit bull was probably the sweetest. And the huskies were the most rambunctious. The other four were just little crazy furballs.

“Hey stranger,” a deep voice greeted. I turned my head towards the direction of the back door to see Wesley stepping through with a mini pinscher in his arms.

“Awh,” I cooed stepping over to Wesley and scratching the puppy behind its ears. “A new recruit?”

“Yeah. Got a call early this morning, so I went out to get him. Poor thing hasn’t eaten in a while it looks like.”

“Ugh, how can people just do that? I mean seriously. People like that should be shot,” I snapped angrily.

“Down, Cujo,” Wesley teased setting the pinscher on the ground. He ran straight for the food. The other puppies, noticing the new recruit, immediately came over to sniff his butt. Fortunately, they accepted him into their small family. I always worried whenever we got a new animal that the others wouldn’t play nice with them, but these puppies were too sweet. They didn’t care as long as they got a new friend.

“So how has your weekend been?” Wesley asked leaning back beside me against the building.

My eyes widened as I realized I had yet to tell Wesley the good news. Wesley was one of my co-workers and best friends. He was a couple years older than my 24 with sandy brown hair that was styled upward into a disheveled mess that looked good on him. He had a strong, square jawline with high cheekbones and an aristocratic nose that sat above a pair of bow-shaped lips. He was a smart guy, but could get flustered pretty easily when talking to girls. All of the cougars here loved him which didn’t surprise me. I had actually had a crush on him when I first started working here about three years ago, shortly before meeting my boyfriend, but after seeing him flirt so easily with the other women that worked here I quickly moved on from that crush. It had been clear he was into dating older, more successful women. Not younger ones like myself.

I turned to him with a large grin. “I’m going to see Maroon 5 this Friday!” I squealed. His sea foam green eyes widened in surprise.

“Seriously?! Lucky!” He playfully whined.

I teasingly smacked his arm. “You should come,” I suggested.

“And how would I get a ticket on such short notice?”

“People are always selling tickets out front. Just buy one off one of those people. You’ll probably get a better deal anyways.”

“I’ll think about it,” he mused. I shot him a look from the corner of my eye noticing the edges of his lips curled into a smile. I rolled my eyes, but couldn’t help but smiling as well.

All I could think of was that I was finally going to see Adam. A lot of things had changed in the eleven years since I’d seen him, but that wouldn’t stop me from trying to catch his eye and remember that day so many years ago.

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::Ashley’s P.O.V::

I watched through narrowed eyes as Jared’s newest whore exited his office fixing her hair and tugging down her short skirt. She barely looked legal. When I saw her about to head into the women’s restroom, I perked up.

“Um, the children’s bathroom is downstairs on the main floor,” I informed her using a sickly sweet voice that was laced with venom.

She turned to look back at me her heavily lined blue eyes narrowing. She curled her Botoxed lips into what I guessed were supposed to be a sneer. Instead it just made her look like a constipated duck. She flipped her box-dyed blonde hair over her shoulder before going to enter the bathroom. Not realizing she had to push the handle bar to open the door, she instead smacked her face straight into the wood. I didn’t even bother try to muffle the laughter that burst forth from my mouth. What a fidiot.

As she angrily entered the restroom, Jared, my boss, poked his head out of the office.

“She gone?” he quietly asked. I rolled my eyes and went back to typing on the computer.

“She’s fixing her face. Not that there’s any helping THAT monstrosity,” I answered my fingers continuously flying across the keyboard.

Jared Stark stepped out of his office adjusting his tie and brushing the nonexistent lint off his blazer. Out of all the psychiatrists I had seen, Jared Stark had to be the youngest and/ or most attractive. Not that I would ever willingly admit that to him. He stood at 5’11” tall with broad shoulders that subtly narrowed down into his waist. There wasn’t an ounce of fat on his body as he had clearly boasted numerous times before to some of the other women that worked in this building. Although I had seen him out running early in the morning when I had been driving my way here. He body was indeed athletically fit. Especially for a 29 year old.

He raked his hands back through his short, gelled brunette hair and sauntered his way over to my desk. I rolled my eyes. Here we go.

He leaned his elbow on the counter and gazed at me through hooded, hazel green eyes. I arched a brow and met his eyes with a dead stare.

“What?” I snapped. Jared had gone through five secretaries in one week before hiring me a year and a half ago. Why? Because he had dated, screwed, and promptly fired them all. Maybe if they hadn’t spread their legs so easily, they’d still have a job. Like me.

“Don’t act like these eyes can’t woo you,” he purred flashing his “signature” smile.

“Wooo. There it wooed me,” I responded blandly. “Now leave me alone. I have work to finish.”

“Always so caught up with work,” he sighed leaning forward over the desk. “Have a little fun.”

I ignored his innuendo and continued typing. He let out a tired sigh letting his head hang down.

“Fine. Well, since you have been the best secretary in the world, I got you a little something,” he said perking up.

“I don’t want the room key,” I rejected not even bothering to look away from the computer screen.

“I’m hurt to think you would just outright assume such a thing,” he pouted.

“You’ve offered me a room at a hotel, with you, these past three times you’ve given me a “best secretary in the world” gift. My answer remains the same. No. I won’t sleep with you.”

He let out an angry huff. “I think you’re the only woman in the world who can make me feel unattractive by rejecting me so cold-heartedly.”

“Great. Now leave. You have another appointment in half an hour,” I reminded him.

“In a minute,” he said sliding a white envelope over the counter towards me. I slid it back to him.

“I told you I’m not taking it.”

“This isn’t a room key,” he snapped sliding it back to me.

I slid it back.

“I don’t care. I’m not taking anything from a man-whore like you. Knowing you, you could easily use it against me.”

“You know, I AM still your boss,” he reminded sliding it back over.

“But you won’t fire me because you know I’m the best assistant you’ve had thus far,” I retorted. When I went to slide it back over his hand stopped me.

“At least look at it?”

I rolled my eyes and opened the envelope to find two Maroon 5 tickets inside. My lips curled into a satisfied smirk as I tossed the envelope back at him.

“Sorry, I already have tickets to the show. I have front row seating,” I boasted glad for once about receiving an impulsive gift from Kennedy.

A muscle ticked in Jared’s jaw as he clenched his teeth together. He gripped the envelope tightly in his hand crushing the tickets.

“Fine. I’ll ask someone else.”

“How about you ask that little girl over there that’s exiting the bathroom?” I suggested. He glanced over his shoulder and immediately darted back into his office upon seeing the blonde. She cast me one last sneer before entering the elevator to head back to the main floor.

I went back to work glad for the silence when a few minutes later Jared emerged from his office, cell phone in hand and a triumphant smirk on his face.

“Since you turned me down, I invited Phillip instead.”

“Wow. So you’ve finally turned to guys now since you realized you have absolutely no game with girls your age? Awesome,” I taunted.

“He’s a former patient of mine!” he huffed. “And he’s a FRIEND. And I can get women my age if I wanted,” he quickly tacked on.

“I know who he is. He was the suicidal patient. He’ll probably turn suicidal again when he sees your wrinkled, old face.”

Jared’s hand instantly flew up to his face. “I don’t have…”

He darted back inside his office. I rolled my eyes, a smile tugging at the corners of my lips. I loved my job so much.