If she was going to do it, though, she should just go ahead with it. James was half out of it now, but the drugs would wear off soon and then she would have to work harder. There was no time to lose. This was her chance.
“I’ll do it myself,” she said, her eyes still on James as she reached for the door. “I want to make sure the child is healthy.”
“Does Star know about this?” the nurse at her side asked, her voice shaking.
Dr. Helton couldn’t blame the girl for being worried. Star was a small man, but he could be an intimidating presence. It wasn’t just his cold stare or the fact that every word out of his mouth made him sound like he was bigger than life, either. He carried himself with authority, wearing his genius on him like a fine suit.
“Whose idea do you think it was?” she snapped, knowing that Star would see reason once she explained her actions to him. He had to.
She didn’t look back before stepping through the door. It was dark as she crossed the room, and the only sound that penetrated the silence was the heavy breathing of James. Dr. Helton stopped at the edge of his bed, looking the patient over. There were much more scientific ways of going about this, but this would perhaps be the most successful. She’d decided to take matters into her own hands, after all, and she wasn’t going to back out now.
She kicked off her shoes, leaving her socks on as she dropped her pants and underwear to the floor. The patient wore nothing but a hospital gown at the moment, so undressing him wasn’t necessary. All she had to do was push the fabric up around his waist and climb onto the table.
He groaned and tried to shift underneath her when she straddled him. His eyelids fluttered but didn’t open, and she knew that he was only partly aware of what was going on. James was in twilight sleep thanks to a combination of the drugs morphine and scopolamine. Once upon a time the same thing had been used on laboring mothers, allowing them to exist in a state somewhere between sleep and consciousness while they endured the pain of childbirth. While on the drug they could respond to commands when told to push, but they wouldn’t remember much of the pain associated with the process afterward. The drug was perfect for their current situation.
Dr. Helton wrapped her fingers around the organ hanging between his legs and James groaned again. This time when his lids fluttered, they opened. His gray eyes stared up at her, but they were glassy and unfocused. Confused.
She smiled as she moved her hand up and down. “Shhh,” she said, trying to keep her voice soothing. “Just lie back and try to enjoy it.”
He groaned again as he grew stiff in her palm, and when he was finally ready, she moved into position. She lowered her body onto his and they both sighed at the ecstasy of the feeling. It had been at least a year for him, but much longer than that for her, and she hadn’t been prepared for how good the act would feel.
Dr. Helton began to move up and down, slow at first but building momentum after only a few seconds. James was good-looking enough and the pleasure of a man’s company was something she hadn’t had in a long, long time, so she had no qualms about trying to enjoy the process even though she was doing this for science.
She felt her body rising higher and higher, finally falling over the edge and causing her to cry out as beneath her James grunted out his own pleasure. He closed his eyes as her body clenched around him, forcing his seed deep into her womb. His face scrunched up in either ecstasy or disgust, possibly both, but Dr. Helton didn’t care which it was. Not with her body still radiating with pleasure from the act, and not when she was one step closer to achieving her goal.
She waited to make sure he was done before rolling onto her back at his side, lifting her legs before any of the precious life-giving seed could escape. Dr. Helton knew she’d have to do this several more times, but she hoped it would be worth it and in just a few weeks she would get confirmation that his offspring was growing inside her. With any luck, the baby they created would have the same immunities that this man carried.
She stayed at his side for fifteen minutes before redressing. The nurse hadn’t left the window, but the knowledge that she’d watched the whole thing did nothing to chase away Dr. Helton’s triumph at the procedure. She’d give James time to recover and then come back later. The more they repeated the process, the more likely it was to be a success.
Dr. Helton went about her duties, keeping one eye on the clock as she arranged to have Test Subject 02’s body moved to the morgue for an autopsy. No matter what she did, though, she couldn’t stop thinking about James and how it had felt to have him inside her, and not even five hours had passed when she decided to make a return visit to his cell.
This time when she opened the door he was awake and sitting on the couch. He looked up when she slipped inside, studying her with uncertain eyes as if he was trying to figure something out. Did he remember? Twilight sleep would make it difficult, but it was possible he had some fuzzy memories of what had happened between them. Perhaps, though, he thought it had been a dream.
“How are you feeling?” she asked when she stopped in front of him.
“Like shit. Hate them drugs.”
“They’re necessary.”
She lowered herself onto the couch at his side, suddenly uncertain about what she was doing there and totally unsure of how to proceed now that he was awake. James watched her closely from the corner of his eye, almost as if he knew what was about to happen and he wasn’t sure how he was going to react. She wasn’t sure either, but she doubted he would put up much of a fight. He was a man after all, and he had needs. Needs that she could meet.
When she reached over to untie his pants, his entire body stiffened.
“What’re you doin’?” he asked as he tried to push her hand away.
“You agreed,” she said, working to loosen the string so she could reach past the waistband. “You agreed to give us complete access to your body whenever and however we need it. This is how I need it.”
When she slid her hand inside he stiffened even more, but this time it was right where she needed it to be. He was already hard when she freed him from his pants, and Angus watched her closely as she moved her hand up and down his length, readying him for the next step. He didn’t protest, didn’t try to move away, but there was no pleasure in his eyes. Instead they were filled with hate and resentment, with disgust.
“Enjoy it,” she whispered.
She stopped what she was doing so she could stand, and once she was naked from the waist down, she straddled him. She held his gaze as she lowered her body onto his, but once he was inside her he closed his eyes and groaned. His jaw was tense and he looked ready to bite her head off, but he didn’t try to stop her. In fact, he did nothing.
Dr. Helton began to move up and down, drawing ragged breaths from the man under her as he fought to remain in control. There was a battle raging inside him, she could see it written in every inch of his body. The way his hands were clenched at his sides, the tense way he held himself as she moved faster. He wanted this, loved it, but he didn’t want to give in. He didn’t want to lose himself this way.
She moved faster as her body neared release, crying out so loudly when she came that it echoed through the room. She closed her eyes and grasped his shoulders as she tried to steady herself, concentrating on the waves of pleasure shooting through her.
Her eyes were still shut when she felt his hands on her hips, and she opened them to find angry pools of gray focused on her face. A second later James lifted her, flipping her onto her back and towering over her, staring down at her with hate-filled eyes.
Then he took control, his fingers digging into her hips as he began to move. He picked up speed, driving into her with the force of his fury, almost as if he could take all the pent up anger and frustration and pain of the last year out on her. As if he could punish her if he moved fast enough.
It felt amazing, having this man drive into her, better than anything she’d ever experienced. She came again, screaming in pleasure just as he slamme
d into her one final time. Their moans and grunts mixed together in the quiet room and echoed off the walls, coming back to haunt them both.
James was still panting when he pulled out of her. He got to his feet and this time when he stared down at her, there was no anger in his eyes. There was only sadness.
Only a second later he turned his back on her and headed to the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.
Dr. Helton stayed where she was and lifted her legs once again, hugging her knees to her chest while she replayed what had just happened. It had been unexpected, her enjoying the act the way she had. Yes, she had appreciated it earlier as well, but in an abstract way. It had felt good, she was a woman after all, but this had been different. This had been something she couldn’t quite put a name to.
The fifteen minutes on the couch was more than enough time to compose herself, and after she had gotten dressed she headed to Star’s office knowing that she had to let him know what she was doing before he heard it from someone else.
He was at his desk as usual, pouring over reports and slides from their most recent tests. She stopped behind him and even though he didn’t look up, she could tell by the stiffening of his shoulders that he knew someone had walked in.
She waited only a moment before saying, “I’ve gone forward with the next part of the experiment.”
Star turned away from the report and stared up at her. “Which is?”
“Breeding James.” His eyebrows shot up, but Dr. Helton lifted her hand to stop him from saying anything. “I know what you’re thinking, but we’re not wasting anything by giving this a try. I will take responsibility for the whole thing and if it turns out to be a dead end we haven’t lost anything. But think of everything we could gain if it works the way we want it to.”
“And exactly who did you find to impregnate?” he asked, narrowing his eyes. “We need to make sure whoever does it is healthy.”
Dr. Helton lifted her chin. “I will do it.”
Star sat up straighter. “You?”
“I started earlier today. The patient was still out of it from his MRI, so it seemed like the perfect opportunity.” She didn’t mention the second time. Didn’t even want to think about it right now. This was science. That was all it would ever be.
Star didn’t react and Dr. Helton found it suddenly difficult to maintain her composure under his intense gaze. He was an unpredictable man, but she’d been certain he would be able to see reason in this matter. Maybe she’d been fooling herself. Maybe she should have waited for the green light from him.
After a second, Star let out a low chuckle and shook his head. “You never stop surprising me, Jane.” He tossed his papers aside and got to his feet. “Very well, we’ll try it your way. I agree that if it doesn’t work out we’ve lost nothing. Do you plan to drug the man every time you copulate?”
“Not if I can help it.” She looked down so Star wouldn’t see the heat rising in her cheeks.
Dr. Helton had no qualms about using her own body for science, but the idea of repeating what she’d just done made something in her stir. What it was, she didn’t know, but it wasn’t an unpleasant feeling. Which was strange and confusing, and nothing she would ever admit to Star.
“Well, the man has been locked up and under constant surveillance for more than a year, so he will no doubt welcome it.” Star shook his head as he turned back to his desk. “Keep me informed on your progress, and be sure you take vitamins. We need to keep you healthy.”
“I will.”
Dr. Helton left the room feeling oddly dirty, but she couldn’t deny that there was also a certain amount of excitement surging through her at the idea of returning to James.
She couldn’t sleep that night. The memory of what had happened earlier in James’s cell was too vivid. She tossed and turned for hours, knowing that she was heading down a dark path that would change things forever, but totally unable to stop it from happening, and by three o’clock in the morning she had completely given up on the idea of sleep.
She arrived in the observation wing to find the hall dark and silent, and no guards on duty outside the cell. James was asleep when she slipped into his room, his breathing deeper and more relaxed than it had been the first time she’d come to him. The cell felt as cold and empty as a tomb, but oddly inviting as well.
Dr. Helton’s heart was pounding when she stopped by his bed, but for a second she didn’t move. She knew she should walk away. Should tell Star that she’d changed her mind and that they needed a different vessel for James’s offspring, but she also knew that she couldn’t make herself do it at this point. Not after what had happened earlier. Only she couldn’t understand why. Couldn’t make her brain—which was used to unraveling elaborate puzzles on a daily basis—untangle this mystery. Angus James was nothing special. He wasn’t an educated man, and although no one would be able to accuse him of being an imbecile, compared to her, his brain was the size of a chicken’s. He wasn’t ugly, but he wasn’t the type of man anyone would look at twice, and thanks to a hard life, he looked at least five years older than he actually was. And yet she wanted him. She couldn’t deny it. Dr. Jane Helton wanted this man.
She undressed quietly, careful not to wake him, then slipped into the bed at his side. The sheets were warm from his body heat and his masculine form felt agreeable next to her smaller one. It had been years since she’d taken the time to have any kind of romantic or sexual relationship with someone. Before the outbreak, before she had started plotting with Star to take over the world, even before starting at the CDC. Her last relationship had ended shortly after her nineteenth birthday, and even though she’d felt the pang of regret at saying goodbye to someone who had been with her for so long, she’d never looked back. Jane Helton had more important things to accomplish in her life. She wanted big things. Great things. A man would only drag her down.
Things had played out exactly as she’d always expected them to and she’d never once regretted not having a warm bed to go home to, had never missed the embrace of a man. After all, there were numerous battery-operated devices that could satisfy the urges her body insisted on clinging to. Who needed a man when pleasure was only the push of a button away?
Now, though, snuggled in next to the test subject, that familiar feeling had returned. The feeling that had been with her in the early days of her relationship, back when she’d been a fresh-faced high school sophomore dating the star quarterback. It felt nicer than she remembered. It was comforting. Welcoming.
James was lying on his back, making it easy for her to slide her hand down his pants. He stirred, but didn’t wake right away, and the noises he made in his sleep roused the doctor’s memories from earlier. This would be the third time in less than twenty-four hours that she’d had sex. It was a hard thing to wrap her mind around after fourteen years of being celibate.
“What the fuck?” James said, his voice groggy with sleep.
“Shhh,” she replied, scooting closer to him. “Don’t talk.”
Her mouth found his in the darkness, and even though he didn’t return the kiss, she wasn’t deterred. She moved her hand faster while scooting closer to him. She ran her tongue across his bottom lip and nipped at it with her teeth. James groaned, but just like earlier, she could tell he was holding back. He didn’t want this. He didn’t want her.
She found his hand with her free one and moved it to her bare breast. “Here.”
He groaned again, but he began to respond. He cupped her breast and pinched her nipple and kissed her back when she once again pressed her lips to his. Less than a minute later he had moved her hand from his erection and pushed her onto her back, climbing on top, shoving her legs apart with his knees. Then he was inside her again, and just like before it was rough and hard. But they kissed the whole time, and he cupped her breasts and groaned out his pleasure right along with her. He was less angry, less punishing. He was giving into the act more. And so was she.
They grunted out their release toget
her, and when he was done he rolled onto his back at her side. Dr. Helton pulled her legs up to her chest once again, waiting for him to storm off like he had earlier, but he didn’t move. His breathing was heavy and ragged and his body was like a board at her side, and the silence that hung in the dark room was so oppressive it made it difficult to breathe, but she was glad he had stayed this time. Glad he hadn’t left her alone in the bed.
“Why?” he asked, finally breaking the silence.
“Why do you think?” She found it difficult to say the words out loud although she wasn’t sure if it was because she felt guilty, or because she was still playing the part of captor.
“Shit.” James shook his head. “You did it before too, didn’t ya? When I was all drugged up.”
“Yes.” She said the word simply, not bothering to cushion the blow or act repentant. She wasn’t, both because she wanted his seed and because she had enjoyed it.
“Thought it was a dream ‘til you came to my room earlier. This is some fucked up shit, you know that, right?”
“I know.” She did know, but she also couldn’t stop it, and now she had reasons that went way beyond science. Way beyond the plans she and Star had made years ago. Beyond the virus and the baby that would hopefully grow inside her.
Silence spread across the room, coating them in its venom. She felt like she could read his mind and she waited with her breath held for him to say what she felt certain was coming.
“I hate you,” he finally said, flinging the words at her like a spear.
“I know,” she replied.
“Why?” he asked again, only this time she knew he was asking much more. He wanted more information about what was happening here, about why they had decided to keep him prisoner and what they were trying to accomplish.
Twisted World Series Box Set | Books 1-3 & Novella Page 53