After what seemed like hours of trading glances, shifting positions, and grumbling about the uselessness of the evening, they were all showing signs of fatigue. Eden yawned. The men popped to attention, waking her up more than a fistful of No-Doz would have.
Mitch stood and wandered around the apartment, stretching. “Did you get the books?”
Eden sighed inwardly, risking only a sideways glance to Carter. “Yes,” she whispered, feeling extremely ridiculous. As if I’m hiding anything from anyone.
“Did you read one of them?”
“Yes.” She knew he’d assume it was the dumbed-down one. Which it wasn’t. She had some pride, after all. Especially when someone was silently challenging her. Of course, she hoped he didn’t ask which one she’d read because then she’d have to tell him the truth and risk upsetting Carter even more. Although Carter would never guess that by choosing to read the original story, and staying up until the early hours of this morning to do so, Eden had imagined herself closer to Mitch somehow. No, it was better to let Mitch assume she took the easy way out.
“What’d you think?”
She blinked, ignoring Carter’s stare. “Of what?”
Mitch’s eyes narrowed. “Of the book.”
“Good versus evil. Crazy doctor with a monster inside of him that keeps popping out whenever it wants to. Good story. Read it in high school, I think. Sad ending.”
Truth was, the story had given her chills. Why had Mitch given it to her? She wasn’t being doped. Sure, after reading the book, she’d vowed to never again drink anything green. But being short, hairy and evil? No. Her other personality wasn’t evil, just horny. And creepy. Not evil. Eden hoped. And there was a reason Jekyll and Hyde was found in the fiction section of a bookstore. It was fiction. But it had given her chills nonetheless.
Both men looked at her, but said nothing. Which was really the biggest favor she could’ve asked.
Another uncomfortable hour passed. Then a few more.
§ § §
After Carter slumped further down the high-back of the sofa and nodded off, Mitch watched Eden struggle to keep her eyes open. He wanted to tell her to stop fighting the sleep, but knew it was only a matter of time. Fifteen minutes later, she gave in. He watched the subtle lifting and lowering of her chest as her breathing slowed.
Then her body started to move in a totally different way. She arched her back, untucking her ankles from under her ass, rubbing her hands down her thighs.
After a moment of indecision, Mitch nudged Carter awake. She wanted the boy scout in on this, so if he freaked out, that was her problem. “You won’t wanna miss this.”
“Go to hell.” Carter barely opened his eyes, readjusting himself. Then he caught sight of Eden’s flowing form and was wide awake.
Her body squirmed, shifted, arched. She let out a long moan as Chastity broke free and came out to play.
“Fuck, that’s hot,” Mitch muttered.
“Shut the hell up. She’s just dreaming.” Carter scooted away from her, perching himself on the arm of the couch. “Why are we even—?”
She tugged her shirt over her head, tossing it to the floor and ran her hand over her bra, unclipping the front-closure. Tight, full breasts bounced out, freed.
Mitch shook his head. “And you slept through that?”
“Holy hell! What is she doing?”
Her hair lengthened before their bulging eyes, changing from its normal dark brunette into deep scarlet curls. She slid her shorts down her hips, taking her panties along for the ride.
Completely naked, Chastity opened her eyes—now a pale, pale blue—and looked at them both, a wicked smile showing off her pearly whites.
“Take your clothes off, boys.”
Carter looked like he was about to bolt. “What the—”
“Hello, Chastity.”
“Hi, Mitch. Can I have you now? Both of you?”
Carter’s breath came out in gasps. “Oh, fuck.”
“Yes, please.” Her voice resumed the lower pitch Mitch recognized from their previous encounters.
“Chastity?” Mitch walked around the small, wooden coffee table and reached into the bag he’d brought with him.
“Yes, Mitch.”
“I’m going to tie you up.”
“Okay.”
Carter jumped off the couch. “No frigging way.”
“Chastity wants me to”—Mitch shot a look of warning at Carter, but kept his tone calm as if speaking to a child—“don’t you?”
“Yes.” She offered up her wrists, grinning.
Mitch pulled out a pair of metal handcuffs. He scanned the room, looking for something strong enough to hold her. “Let’s go into the bedroom.”
Carter pushed Mitchell away from her. “Get the hell out of here, you bastard!”
“Listen, you little prick. You wanted to be here.” He didn’t have time to play nicey-nicey with the guy. Chastity was too unpredictable at this point. “Now you go along or you leave.”
“I’m not going to let you do anything to her.”
Chastity focused all her attention onto Mitch, apparently unhappy with Carter’s attitude. “Can we fuck now?” She followed him into the bedroom, squeezing his ass as she ran past him, and jumped up on the bed, stretching her arms above her toward the scrolled, wrought-iron headboard.
Carter followed in a daze. “Eden doesn’t cuss.”
Mitch closed one side of the cuffs onto Chastity’s thin wrist, wrapped them around the thickest piece of iron and carefully clamped the other side onto her. “She’s not Eden. Are you?”
“Hell no.” Her brow furrowed as she watched Mitch step back to where Carter stood by the door. “Mitch?”
“I’m going to be right over here, watching you, babe.”
“Don’t call me babe.”
He held out his hands, as if talking someone down off the edge of a building. “Okay.”
“Call me bitch.” Chastity giggled and tossed her head back. Her dark red hair spread out on the pillow.
Mitch thought she looked like an angel might—if the angel had fallen very hard into a very naughty position. Focus. She’s not just one of the hottest things you’ve ever laid eyes on. She’s cursed.
Just like you.
Carter stumbled back, hitting the doorjamb. “This is what’s wrong with her. When she doesn’t get—”
“Get what?” Mitch snapped.
“Rest. When she doesn’t sleep.”
That made no sense. Mitch studied the guy. “Are you in shock?”
“I can’t touch myself.” She writhed on the bed, flipping over and sticking her ass in the air. Then she tugged against her shackles.
Mitch blew out a breath, hoping it would force his lungs to refill. “And you fucking slept through this.”
“Touch me.” She pulled against the straps, getting increasingly angrier. “Fuck me! Hurt me! Do something!”
Mitch knew it would happen, knew she’d be upset at being trapped, caged. He’d felt it himself. “How do you feel, Chastity? Are you in pain?”
“I want to be. Please!” she cried.
Mitch held Carter back from rushing over to free her. “Did you hurt anyone, Chastity?”
“Yes.”
His grip on Carter’s arm tightened, no longer to keep Carter back, but to steady himself. What if— “Who did you hurt?”
“You.”
He sighed. “Did you hurt anyone who didn’t want to be hurt?”
Carter turned, wide-eyed, toward him. Mitch just shrugged.
She yanked back from the headboard. The metal creaked, but held. “Why are you talking? I don’t want to talk. I want to fuck.” Her voice came out as a screech.
“We will . . .” The word—one that he’d never called anyone, yet had no more meaning than any of the others he’d used countless times without thinking—felt so wrong suddenly. He knew he wasn’t talking to Eden, but still had to force it from his mouth. “Bitch.”
“Like hell,
” Carter growled.
Mitchell elbowed him hard. “But not yet. First we talk.”
“I don’t want to talk anymore,” she whined.
“It’s turning Carter on though. He wants to hear more. Don’t you, Carter?”
“No! What’s wrong with her? Is this her other personality? She said—”
“Afraid not. She’s something else entirely.”
“I think— I need to breathe.” Carter put a hand across his mouth, turned, and ran out of the room. “Don’t you— Don’t you touch her, goddamn it!”
Mitch heard Carter cursing to himself in the living room, his words cut off by what Mitch could only assume was dry-heaving. But Mitch stayed focused on the woman—No, the Hyde—in front of him. “Chastity. Tell me. Tell me who you hurt . . . besides me.”
“You liked it, didn’t you?” she purred.
“Very much.” He swallowed. “Too much.”
Her face turned into panic. “Mitch? She’s—”
“She’s what?” He approached the bed, sensing her panic but not knowing its cause.
“Mitch! She’s coming back! She’s coming back!” Her shout turned into a whimper. “I don’t want her to come back yet.”
He glanced at the window. The light of dawn peeked through the window shades, slowly bringing Eden back with it. From behind him, he heard Carter come back into the room.
Mitch sat down next to her and reached out to stroke her head, wondering if Hyde was like this. Did the bastard feel fear before he went back into the pit he came from?
“It’ll be okay, Chastity. We can play next time. Okay? We’ll play next time. Next time you come out.”
“Promise?”
He nodded. “Promise.”
“I don’t want her to come back, Mitch.” Chastity’s abs jerked as she tried to fight something she had no control over. No control whatsoever.
“You bastard,” Carter growled from the doorway. “What did you do to her?”
“I didn’t do anything to her, man. Nothing at all.” Mitch kept a hand on her hair, stroking it as Chastity went back into whichever hell she came from.
§ § §
Eden jerked her eyes open and saw Carter taking a handcuff off her wrist, his hands shaking. She ripped her arm away from him. “Carter?” When he didn’t look at her, she glanced around the room and at herself. She was on top of her bedspread, the throw blanket from the living room laid across her naked body. Her lower lip trembled, but she didn’t cry.
Rubbing her aching wrists, she saw that both of them were red and raw. “Did I— Did she . . .”
Carter didn’t say anything, just looked at her with a face filled with sorrow.
She sat up, her heart pounding against the cage that held it. “Carter? What happened?”
He stood, still silent.
“Tell me what the hell happened!”
He flinched at her words, stumbling back a step.
Mitch came into the room and leaned against the doorframe. “He thinks you have multiple personalities.”
“Do I?”
“Nope.”
“What happened?” She looked back and forth between them, then stopped at Carter. “Did I do something to you?”
He dropped his eyes toward the floor and shoved his hands deep into his pockets.
She held the blanket tight to her chest and looked to Mitch for an answer. Yeah, because he was such a reliable source of information.
Mitch adjusted his pants. “Nothing a long, cold shower or some lotion won’t fix.”
“Shut up, asshole.” Carter’s voice held none of the conviction of his words.
“Carter?” she pleaded.
Mitch yawned and righted himself. “Well, my work here is done. Get some sleep. You need to be at my house Saturday by ten. Eden, pack an overnight bag. And, Carter, you aren’t invited.”
“There is no way in hell I’m ever leaving her alone with you.”
“She won’t change until Sunday, so you have nothing to worry about.”
“Nothing to worry about? Seriously?” she asked.
“I meant about Saturday night.” He studied her and asked, “You’d never let me get in your pants while you’re you, would you, Eden?”
“While I’m me? So…she’s real?”
“Sure as shit. Nothing will happen to her, Carter. Promise.”
“Excuse me for not being impressed by your promises, Mitchell. You just promised her that you’d fuck her.”
“Not Eden. Chastity. And I lied.” He smirked. “I do that.”
“Yeah, that inspires trust.”
Eden couldn’t care less about their testosterone-induced squabbles. Why aren’t they talking to me? “Chastity’s real?” It didn’t make sense. First, Mitch says she doesn’t have D.I.D., and then he tells her he saw someone else wearing her body.
“Carter will tell you all about her,” Mitch said. “Won’t you, Carter?”
Carter nodded slowly, painfully.
“Jolie will be with us all night. She’d never let me get within touching distance of your girl. Just ask her.”
Carter flinched. “Jolie? Who’s Jolie?”
“My assistant. Knock-out girl—you’ll love her. Ten o’clock then.”
Mitch walked out, leaving her silently begging for answers. Why was he being so cruel? He taunted her, confused her, but never gave her anything.
§ § §
Finally outside, Mitch let out the sigh he’d been holding the entire night. God, he couldn’t count how many times he’d wanted to just walk away since he’d figured out what she was. Knowing he couldn’t. Not now. Hell, not before either.
She wasn’t someone a shrink could handle. And, maybe, just maybe, through her, he could understand more about Hyde. The beast that was a part of him, but who Mitch could never truly know. He ran his hands over his face, straightened his shoulders and made his way back to the car.
In his worst nightmare, in his waking nightmare of a life, he never thought he’d meet another. And for that other to be someone like Eden? It was simply too much to stomach. He knew why he was being punished, but her? No, that wasn’t right.
Only peripherally did he wonder how the conversation he’d just walked out on would go. How she would react to the truth. Because whatever Carter told her wouldn’t be the whole truth. The boy scout was still in shock. Mitch knew she’d have to come to him for all the answers Carter didn’t have.
And Mitch knew he’d have to tell her, come clean, share the knowledge of who and what they were. Relive all of the pain he’d spent years trying to forget. His father, Shelly, Hyde. All his dirty laundry would be brought out in a big pile for her to gawk at . . . and fear.
She never lied? Well, looked like it was now Mitch’s turn to try it. I love to try new things, he lied to himself.
CHAPTER XIX
From: “JCabot”
To: “The Clinic”
Subject: Hyde-0016
I still have not received a response regarding a change in Turner’s dosage schedule, nor any orders on what to do about Colfax. However, Turner’s behavior has altered since the death of his sister and the repeated visits from Colfax. I’ve attached my notes to this email.
Please advise.
§ § §
Jolie pressed “send” and then looked up to see Carter walking into the office. Damn it, how did he know where she worked?
“Surprise, surprise.” He sounded angry and desperate. Looked even more so, slamming the waiting room door behind him. That was not good. “Can you imagine my surprise when I find out that this guy that Eden keeps going to for help turns out to have an assistant named Jolie? ‘Jolie’ is hardly a common name. But there’s no way that the Jolie I know wouldn’t tell me she knows him, works for him, right? No way. And, look, here you are, sitting in his office like you belong here! What the hell, Jolie?”
“You can’t be here. I’ll call you later.”
“I
saw him leave. I know he’s not here. So spill.”
Jolie shushed him even though he was right—Mitchell wasn’t in the office. He’d made a “house-call” and brought his show on the road to a CEO who couldn’t bother to come to the office. Normally Mitchell would have told the guy to buzz off using highly-colorful language, but Mitchell was different now. Without Jolie altering the serum dosage in his coffee every morning. She had a feeling she knew why. And that scared her. He was starting to care about Eden, which meant Hyde might get stronger. So her theory went anyway—The Clinic not being one for explanations, or any information at all.
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