Get a grip, Han, she told herself. There’s nothing to worry about. Nothing will happen to you today. You’re just going to sign up.
She bit her lip, shaking her head as she considered that. Hell, at this moment, she didn’t even know if Lawes and his associates would want her to sign up. The notion of being rejected by a dentist was downright depressing. That would be just her luck after everything that had transpired in recent months.
“Miss Bowman?”
Hannah’s heart skipped a beat, and she glanced up to find Matthew smiling. She hadn’t heard his approach, and on this shiny floor, that was impressive.
“Mr. Lawes is ready to see you now.”
She swallowed back on the nervous energy, dancing in her belly and grabbed her purse as she found her feet. “Thank you.”
“If you could follow me?” Matthew waited for her to inch forward before his long strides took him off in the same direction he’d left the first time.
They passed down the length of the impressive reception hall, but Matthew didn’t stop. In fact, Hannah was practically running to keep up with his pace, and it was a relief when his feet finally halted at the first door that came into view across the foyer. He turned, and his lips twitched as he watched her scurrying to stay with him.
“This way.” Matthew motioned toward the door, and Hannah held her breath as his large fist rose to knock against the wood.
Like everything else, the door was immaculate. The dark rosewood drew her forward, and Hannah’s gaze took in the shiny plaque with Lawes’ name emblazoned on it.
“Enter.”
An unknown male voice penetrated the door, and Hannah turned toward Matthew. She wasn’t sure why exactly, but it was as though she needed permission to go inside.
Ridiculous, she insisted mentally, yet she waited for Matthew to move and push the door open. This trepidation about the dentist had to change. It was fast becoming debilitating. But then, that was why Hannah was here.
“After you, Miss Bowman.” Matthew flashed her another wide smile as he held the door open for her, and Hannah forced her feet forward.
Shuffling into the room, Hannah’s gaze took in the new space. She’d expected the usual dental room with the ominous chair looming large in the center and the rows of other apparatus. Therefore, it was a surprise to find the place wood-paneled. The room looked like a colossal, old-fashioned study, complete with its own spectacular fireplace. It was disconcerting to find a soft pet bed just out of sight behind to her left. A dental surgery seemed like a very odd place to keep a dog. Her brow knitted. Surely, they couldn’t do that here, could they? Didn’t that contravene some hygiene rules? Anyway, the place was spotless, Hannah had seen that for herself. Clearly, there was no way an animal resided here. Her gaze flitted around before finally landing on the large teak desk and the man sitting behind it.
“This is Miss Bowman.”
She turned at Matthew’s introduction, momentarily caught between the two men.
“It’s Hannah.” She gulped back the rising anxiety, her attention shifting from Matthew to the new guy, Lawes. He was slightly older than Matthew, meeting her gaze with a small, knowing smile.
“Hannah, it is.” Lawes rose to his feet, and Hannah nearly took a step backward.
He was absolutely huge and must have been well over six feet tall with what seemed like a large, strapping body hidden under his suit.
Lawes thrust a huge palm out in her direction. “Nice to meet you, Hannah. Thank you for coming along today.”
He had an unusual accent, and his voice was deep and stirring.
Hannah reached tentatively to shake his hand, offering him a weak smile. “Thanks for seeing me at such short notice.”
Lawes regarded her for a moment. “You’re welcome. We’re always interested in helping people move past their dental phobias here. Please, sit down.”
She glanced behind to find a small, uncomfortable looking chair opposite Lawes’ desk. Hannah’s brow furrowed. That seemed like an odd choice of chair for such a grandiose looking room, especially when you considered the colossal executive recliner he had risen from.
Matthew took a step toward her. “Can I get either of you a cup of tea or coffee?”
Hannah’s focus shifted back to him at once. A coffee sounded like a great idea. Work had been murder, and she was parched.
“I would love a coffee. Thank you.”
Matthew nodded at her choice. He was a genuinely attractive guy, and for a fleeting second, Hannah considered flirting with him. But then, both of them were. Lawes had an air of mystery about him that Hannah found compelling, yet the guy was a freaking dentist—literally, the least sexy profession in the world.
“And you, Mr. Lawes?”
“Nothing for me, thank you, Matthew.”
Hannah watched as Matthew’s tight ass retreated, and she just caught the glint in his eyes as he shut the door.
“Hannah?”
Lawes’ deep tone broke the spell Matthew had temporarily cast over her, and she spun on her heel to find him signaling toward the chair. With a deep breath, she closed the distance to the chair, perching on the edge of its hard base.
Lawes sunk into his comfortable leather recliner. “So, tell me about you, Hannah.”
She blinked at his words. It seemed like such an odd thing for a potential new dentist to say. “Er, what would you like to know?”
Hannah clutched her purse as a fresh wave of nerves flooded her brain. For Christ’s sake, didn’t he have all this information already? She’d sent most of her personal and medical details with the form yesterday.
“Start with the basics.” Lawes’ voice was softer now, and she lifted her chin to regard him.
Aside from his massive size, Hannah hadn’t absorbed many details about the man who was interviewing her, but now she began to absorb them. He had short, light brown hair and green eyes. Reflexively, her gaze fell to his hands again. There was no wedding ring. Hannah’s lips parted at that realization. Yet again, she berated herself. Why the hell was she checking the guy’s marital status? This was about her oral hygiene, not finding a date.
“How long have you been afraid of dental treatment?”
Hannah swallowed at the question. She’d told them this on the form, but she supposed it was the crux of the matter.
“Since I was a little girl, to be honest.”
Lawes reached for a black tablet and assessed the screen for a few seconds. “And you’re almost thirty-five now?”
Hannah nodded.
“That’s a long time to be harboring so much anxiety.”
She wrung her hands in front of her purse. Hannah wasn’t certain why, but she almost felt as though she was being chastised and bizarrely, heat began to bloom in her cheeks at the idea.
“Yes,” she agreed in a whisper, though her gaze never met Lawes’. “And things have been getting worse recently.”
“You have a new cavity, Hannah?”
Hannah lifted her gaze to find one of his brown eyebrows arching at his own question. “Yes, I think so.”
Lawes pressed his lips together. “Are you not brushing and flossing properly?”
Her breath caught at his words. What the fuck sort of question was that? Hannah had come here for treatment in what she’d hoped would be an understanding environment, not the judgment of a complete stranger.
“I’m doing my best.” She cringed at how pathetic her response sounded, flushing in response to it.
Whatever Hannah had expected, it wasn’t this. Why did she have to justify her behavior to this guy, and why were her thighs pressing together in reaction? Was it possible she’d found the inferred dressing down a turn on? God, what was happening to her? Hannah needed to get out more.
“Hmmm.” Lawes sounded unimpressed. “Evidently, Hannah, your best may not be good enough.” He leaned forward, his elbows pressing into the desk. “But don’t worry. We can help you with that.”
Hannah pulled in a deep breat
h. “You can?”
What was going on here? Maybe it was just her loneliness playing tricks. Hell, she virtually seemed to be looking at every man with a lustful stare these days. Or, maybe it was just her fear shining through—Hannah wasn’t sure.
Lawes smiled. “Of course. If you submit to our program and give it the time and attention it deserves, you’ll find you’ll feel completely different about attending dental appointments going forward.”
Hannah’s heart raced at that. “Wh-what exactly does it involve, the program, I mean?”
The intensity of his stare drilled into her, his green gaze unblinking. “Trust.”
She clutched her purse as though her life depended upon holding the thing. “Trust. What does that mean?”
His body straightened. “Perhaps it’s better if I just showed you?”
Her pulse quickened. “Okay. How?”
Lawes rose to his full height, the sight of him drying Hannah’s throat in an instant. She glanced over her shoulder nervously. Where was Matthew with that coffee?
“Come with me.” Lawes’ voice was soft, yet something about his tone suggested it wasn’t a request.
Hannah found her feet, watching as he strode the short distance to a second door to his left. She hadn’t noticed it before, its identity lost in the wood-paneling, yet now that he reached for the handle, the exit seemed obvious. Lawes pushed the door open before glancing back in Hannah’s direction.
“Welcome to my lair, Miss Bowman.”
Three
The Treatment Room
Lawes’ laughter filled the air around her, and Hannah forced herself to smile, though she didn’t understand what was so amusing. Nothing about this was even vaguely funny. As if she didn’t already have a serious fear of these places, Lawes seemed intent on intimidating her or playing whatever game this was. Hannah wasn’t born yesterday—she knew when she was being toyed with—and Lawes was definitely playing. She just couldn’t understand why. Was he flirting with her in some unusual way, or was there something else going on?
She sighed quietly as she joined him in the doorway, still clutching her purse. Hell, she was so anxious, Hannah wouldn’t be surprised if this was just all in her head.
He wandered into the adjoining room, signaling for Hannah to do the same. This room was far more what she’d imagined the first would be—sterile and almost entirely white, the foreboding dentist’s chair taking pride of place in the center. Hannah’s gaze landed on the thing, and her feet stopped. She held her breath as her eyes took in its dreaded high back and arms. Something about envisioning being in that chair had her blood running cold.
It was then she spotted something different. Something that jarred. Something that made her heart stop altogether. The chair had restraints.
Now that she’d spotted them, it was very obvious. There were cuffs attached to both arms rests, and sure enough, as Hannah’s gaze traveled south, she saw identical cuffs at the place the patient’s ankles would be.
“Why are there restraints?” She’d blurted out before she’d even had a chance to process what she was seeing.
Lawes smiled. “That’s always everyone’s first question. Come in, Hannah. There’s nothing to worry about.”
She stumbled a few inches forward, but her gaze never left the chair. With restraints, the thing looked even more evil.
“Our patients are often agitated,” he explained, wandering around the chair until he stood at the opposite end of the room, in front of what Hannah assumed was the regular entrance.
“So, you strap them down?” Hannah’s voice was loaded with disdain.
Lawes chuckled. “We do whatever we can to calm them down and reassure them, Hannah.” He paused and inexplicably, his gaze narrowed. “They’re only soft restraints. Take a look for yourself.”
She stared at the object of her fear for a moment, her heart pounding furiously. There was definitely something—something about it was even more disconcerting than normal—yet wasn’t she here to get over this absurd phobia? Glancing right at Lawes for a moment, she pulled in a shaky breath, compelling herself to move in the chair’s direction.
“Here’s your coffee, Miss Bowman.”
Hannah gasped at Matthew’s voice, spinning around to find him in the entrance she’d just come through, a white coffee cup in his hands.
“Oh, thank you.” She smiled as she wandered back to take the drink, her attention shifting between the two men at either side of the room.
“You’re welcome,” Matthew replied while she retreated toward the dreaded chair. “So, you decided to see the room for yourself?”
Hannah raised the cup to her lips, forcing the boiling hot liquid past her lips. Ignoring the burn in her throat, her gaze darted from Lawes, back to Matthew.
“Yes, Mr. Lawes thought it might be the best way.”
“I was just explaining the soft restraints to Hannah,” added Lawes, and Matthew smiled.
“They’re nothing to concern yourself about,” Matthew told Hannah. “Sometimes, they just help to reassure patients.”
Hannah turned back to glance at the cuffs, a shiver running up the length of her spine. She couldn’t imagine how anyone could be reassured by being strapped down, and yet, she had to admit, there was something strangely compelling about them. The idea played over and over in her head like a scene stuck on repeat.
Taking another sip of her coffee, the hot liquid coated the back of her throat. It was cooler now and had a peculiar, sweet, nutty note she hadn’t noticed at first. Still, it was good, and she was so thirsty, Hannah enjoyed another mouthful before she considered the chair again.
“How else do you help people overcome their fear, Mr. Lawes?” She directed the query to the dentist directly, and his lips curled at the sound of it.
“We usually focus on the art of distraction.” He took a step in her direction, crossing his arms across his broad chest as he went.
“Distraction?” she parroted. Hannah hadn’t expected that answer.
“That’s right,” Matthew chimed up. “Taking the patient’s mind away from the fact they’re here for dental work.”
“Giving her something else to focus on.” That was Lawes once more, and when Hannah turned back to him, she found him smiling.
“Her?” It seemed a strange way to refer to his client base.
“The patient,” Matthew clarified.
Hannah raised the cup to her mouth again. The coffee was surprisingly good, and it was providing her with a reason to pause and think about everything she was seeing and hearing. On the one hand, the place seemed legitimate. The equipment was all state-of-the-art, and there was no way she could query the hygiene—it was better than just about anywhere Hannah had ever been—but still. There was something. Some unknown aspect of the set up here that nagged at her brain, some instinct inside herself that echoed a warning. A caution Hannah couldn’t understand…
“I see.” She hoped she sounded confident as she lowered the cup, but Hannah doubted it. She swallowed, suddenly unusually hot. Tugging at the collar of her blouse, Hannah glanced around. Had the air conditioning been switched off, or the heating cranked up?
“Is everything okay?”
That was Matthew’s voice, and Hannah turned to meet it, but as she did, her head began to spin.
“I don’t feel so good,” she admitted, stumbling toward the chair for support. “I think I need to sit down.”
“Let me help you.” Lawes was moving, his huge frame towering over her as he reached for her shoulder. “Look at me, Hannah.”
She lifted her chin, blinking at his face. Hannah couldn’t understand what was happening. She had been fine. Anxious, naturally, then curious about the techniques Lawes and his associates used here, but not unwell. Then Matthew had come back with the coffee, and she’d guzzled it down. Hannah gulped at the thought.
The coffee!
That had to be it. There had to be something wrong with the coffee.
Lawes’ h
and moved to her neck, his fingers feeling for her pulse. “Her heart is racing.”
It appeared he was talking more to Matthew than Hannah, but in her dazed state, it was difficult to be sure.
“Sit down for me, Hannah.” That was to her, she was sure of that.
“I’m fine,” she was trying to tell him, but she wasn’t fine. The dizziness had spread, and her limbs tingled as she contemplated how best to move. Hannah needed to leave. She needed fresh air, and she needed to figure all of this out.
“I said, sit down.” Lawes’ voice was stern now, the tone sending panic pinballing around Hannah’s body.
He was maneuvering her body even as Hannah tried to take a breath and catch up, and a moment later, Lawes lifted her clear from the floor. Hannah’s fingers let go of the coffee cup, and somewhere at the back of her mind, she thought she heard the smash when it fell to the floor and broke.
“Let me go!” Hannah shouted, yet as her ears waited to register the noise, she realized she wasn’t shouting at all. In fact, the words had barely been a whisper.
“Settle down. You’ll feel better soon, Hannah.”
That was Matthew’s voice, and something about it gave Hannah hope. Matthew would help her—Matthew would save her. He would be there. Just like he was in the entrance, and again in the waiting room. Matthew was always there.
But it seemed this time, she was wrong.
She didn’t feel better, and as nausea rose from her stomach, she was feeling worse. Hannah landed against something, her body collapsing and remaining where Lawes put her, even though her brain was screaming at her to move.
Her gaze flitted to Lawes’ face. He was smiling again, but this time, there was a dark glimmer in his eyes, a glint she couldn’t remember seeing before.
“That’s right, little Hannah.” Lawes’ voice was almost a purr, the resonance washing over her helpless form. “Soon, everything will be better.”
Hannah’s heart hammered at his words. They were a threat if ever she’d heard one, yet for all her alarm, all Hannah could do was close her eyes. Sleep consumed her like a tsunami.
Captured: A Dark Suspenseful Gothic Romance (The Rule of Lawes Series Book 1) Page 2