“Wow, your English is good. Where did you learn expressions like ‘bone of contention?’”
“From Pearl. We talk a lot, and she always corrects my English. She and I are very close.”
“She seems like a really cool person,” I observed. “So they have a good marriage, then, Pearl and your uncle?” Why I was so curious, I wasn’t sure. The couple seemed so golden and perfect it didn’t seem real. I wanted to have what they had, with Daniel. But surely there was a catch? Too ‘fairy tale’ to be true.
“The best. Still crazy in love after all these years. Although he’d drive me loopy if he were my husband.”
“Really?”
“You know, he’s pretty jealous . . . possessive . . . can’t keep his hands off Pearl. Once I made the mistake of sleeping in a hotel room next to theirs. Bad move, I didn’t sleep for all the noise they made. And if she’s out of town, working, he calls her ten times a day, monitors her every move.”
“Lucky woman.”
“Oh, I don’t know, I like to be free, you know? Don’t like a man to be too all over me.”
I noticed Remy had been staring at Elodie rapturously, ever since she took off her mask and revealed her beauty. Maybe he was taking note of what she was saying. I could tell he was smitten. His ‘pussy’ talk with me had been a total act. Now that he was confronted with a woman he truly liked—for real—he was dumbstruck. Especially as she had been ignoring him. I bet, with his good looks he wasn’t used to that. He’d hardly said a word since we’d been in the car. Then again, I think we were all suffering from shock at what we’d witnessed tonight, and what we’d been involved in, firsthand.
Images that would haunt us for the rest of our lives.
9
Daniel.
“YOU KNOW, DANIEL, it’s all very well gathering information from the chimps—they’ve been extremely useful to our studies. But there’s nothing like a live human to compound our theories. I think I should start monitoring your brain, don’t you? My aim is to help mankind understand the human brain better. For the good of all. I mean, chimpanzee and human brains are different in many respects. For example, the chimp brain is smaller, and has far fewer neurons; some brain regions are less developed than in humans, some are overdeveloped; some regions present in humans are not present in chimps at all. Some of our animal experiments, to be honest, Daniel, have been a total waste of time.”
I thought I’d met my Maker, but I can smell Kristin again so I must be alive. The sweetness is overwhelming. Sickly. Her hands are caressing my head, stroking my hair, tracing themselves around my scalp as if measuring it.
“To understand the human brain, Daniel, we have to know what the brain does: its high level emergent behavior. We need to understand how a genetic mutation, or the wrong positioning of a protein in a cell affects behavior. How a drug acting on a specific molecule can produce changes in cognition. You, Daniel, my dear, could be my breakthrough! There was a reason why God sent you to me, don’t you think?”
10
Janie.
I THOUGHT I would somehow be involved in freeing Daniel but was not “invited” by Sophie.
“Are you crazy?” she said as the car approached the Bellagio. “Kristin Jürgen already has a bee in her bonnet about you, obviously, or she wouldn’t have locked you up. The last thing we want is to rock the boat. She doesn’t know me or Elodie, so we’re coming along as ‘nurses.’ We want this to go as smoothly as possible, Janie, no hysterics into the mix.”
My mouth dropped open. What a bitch! I’d always heard that about Sophie Dumas, that she was a tough cookie and didn’t suffer fools gladly. But I was no fool! I knew how to behave. I wanted to be there when Daniel woke up.
“There won’t be any hysterics on my part,” I assured her, trying not to feel riled.
“Elodie will keep you posted,” she said. “And you, what’s your name again?” She cut a daggered glance at Remy.
“Remy.”
“You might as well leave now, too. We don’t have time to ferry you back to wherever you came from.”
Remy opened his mouth to say something but then stopped himself. He looked at Elodie wistfully. “Can I take your number?”
“Janie has it. You’d better go, we need to get on with this. Don’t either of you call me, wait till I call you.”
We both got out of the car, feeling rejected. It showed in Remy’s downcast head and the tears welling in my eyes. They could screw the whole thing up and I wouldn’t be there to help . . .
Or hinder . . . I had to admit Sophie was right. I could make things worse for Daniel and ruin everything, just with my presence.
Before I clunked the door shut, I said, “These doctors you’re meeting with, are they—”
“They’re the best in their field. Now go, Janie,” Sophie snapped, “we can’t waste any more time.”
REMY AND I SETTLED into my hotel room, waiting for room service to bring us a midnight snack Actually, more like a full-on supper. While he enjoyed a stiff whiskey—straight up—to calm his nerves, I was mindlessly flicking through TV stations, desperately trying to keep my mind off what could go wrong with Daniel. My fingers fumbled, every once in a while, to my now fully charged cell phone, but I had to force myself not to call Elodie. I listened to a bunch of messages that had piled up: my dad, Will (who said he felt so much better), and several from Star, apologizing for not having phoned earlier, that they had a new puppy who’d chewed up her phone. Of course the messages had become more and more frantic, and the last one—sent this afternoon—announced that she was here in Vegas, looking for me, and if I didn’t get back to her soon she’d call the cops.
I texted her:
Don’t call back, about to go to bed, but am alive and fine. Will explain all tomorrow, may need your help. Am at The Bellagio, room 716.
What Star could do for me, I wasn’t sure. I had learned one thing: even the rich and famous couldn’t solve every problem. It was like throwing a life vest to Daniel in a raging storm. Yeah, there was hope, but no guarantees. I felt myself biting my lip nervously—so hard I could taste the metallic tang of blood.
I looked at Remy, “Won’t Kristin get suspicious that they’re meeting past midnight? That’s not normal procedure in a hospital. And what about the rest of the staff?”
Remy took out his cell. “You want me to call Kristin and check how the land lies?”
I shook my head and laid my hand on his to stop him from dialing. “Tempting, but no. That could really screw things up. Kristin would ask you to explain yourself, for starters. Where you are, and so on.”
“Yeah . . . of course . . . how dumb of me.” He laughed at himself and stretched out his arms above his head. “Never said I was the brightest crayon in the box.”
I got up from my position on the bed, went to the mini bar and poured myself a Coke. “You’re really taken with her, aren’t you?”
“Who? Elodie?”
“Good luck cracking that exotic nut.”
“Crazy, huh? She held a gun to my back, and now I’m having ideas about dating her. Like that red flag wasn’t enough!”
“Interesting women those two. Quite the mother and daughter team. Although I read that Elodie is Sophie’s step-daughter from her ex-marriage, not her biological daughter.”
Remy took a swig of his whiskey. “She’s fucking beautiful, that’s for sure.” He paused, then looked me in the eyes and said, “Look, Janie, I apologize for treating you the way I did.”
“You did what you thought you had to do. Oh by the way, I’ve got your money here. It’s in the safe.”
He shook his head. “Nah, I can’t take your money. Not after what you’ve been through, and I was partly responsible. You must have been scared shitless. And what with Daniel still being in his condition. Not to mention the shit that went down with the animals—that’s something neither of us will forget in a hurry. Keep your money for something more deserving.”
“But a promise is a promise.�
�
“Really, I wouldn’t feel right.”
There was a knock on the door. Room service bringing us a feast. Remy tucked into a steak and I had grilled sole with new potatoes and asparagus. I was finally having a healthy, hot meal, after days of cookies, potato chips, chocolate, bad coffee, and too much soda from vending machines.
We stayed up late, me a nervous wreck, and Remy not leaving my side. I guess he knew he needed to keep my mind off Daniel, because every now and then I’d break the conversation and burst out crying. Remy did a wicked Christopher Walken imitation to distract me. I couldn’t help but laugh.
Finally, when it was obvious that nobody was going to call us, Remy said he was going back to his apartment. We promised to call each other if we heard anything. Meanwhile, all we could do was try and get some sleep.
After what seemed forever and—as the sun was coming up—I dozed off.
11
Daniel.
“IT COULD BE another twenty-four hours.”
A male voice is drifting in and out of my consciousness. Other voices, too, join in. I can’t smell Kristin anymore—I feel at ease. I’m surprised I’m still alive.
“Midazolam is a Benzodiazepine and the longer a Benzodiazepine is used, the higher the risk and the likelihood that Daniel is getting addicted to it. Therefore, getting him out of this coma may have some challenges, namely withdrawal symptoms and therefore a gradual weaning off the Midazolam, which might delay his ‘waking up.’ ”
“Withdrawal?”
“I’m afraid so. And when he does come to, there may be side effects such as aggression and confusion because of it.”
I feel myself fading again. Floating . . . floating, on a white puffy cloud, comfortable as a feather cushion.
“JANIE, IS THAT YOU?” My voice is different. A growl. Am I dreaming, am I awake?
“Sir?”
Yes, that’s right, my name’s Finn. I’m Janie’s Dom. But she’s not called Janie. The name of the character she’s playing is something else entirely.
“Sir.” She sounds as if she’s being gagged.
I look down and am glad to see I’ve got my sweet little pet just where I want her—where I need her. On her knees, my cock stuffed into her hot pretty mouth. Oh, fuck, yeah. She’s sucking me hard as my hips move back and forth. Her delicate little hand is cupping one of my balls and she’s groaning, being rewarded with my dick for being a good girl. No lollipops for her, just my huge great cock, which she devours with gusto. She’s doing well, drawing on it, sucking in her cheeks, just the way I trained her . . . oh yeah, now she’s licking along the shaft, flicking her tongue on my big, wide crest, rimming the head . . .
I groan with pleasure. “Good girl,” I encourage her. “If you keep this up I’ll let you come later. I’ll fuck you from behind, the way you like.”
“Oh God,” she mumbles. I can turn her on just with my words.
“Don’t talk or I’ll take away that privilege. That’s right, make me come, baby, make me detonate right at the very back of your throat.” I push myself in deeper so she takes nearly all of me—nearly, I said, not all, because I’m hung like a stallion—and I let my scalding seed flood her eager throat. “Swallow every drop,” I command, my hooded eyes closing as my climax shoots out. Fuck, this feels amazing. The blindfold on her has her clutching my ass to balance herself. Her nails dig into my flesh, as my orgasm pounds powerfully right through my dick like an avalanche. I’m coming hard but I’ll want more after this. I always do with her. I crave her tight cunt . . . her tight, innocent little cunt that I’ve corrupted, that I’ve turned into a greedy little harlot that needs me, and only me, to function properly.
I am Finn.
And the one thing I’ve learned is:
I’m every woman’s fucking fantasy.
“Get up, baby. Steady now, I’ve got you.” She stands up slowly, swallowing the last drop, using my hips as her guide, walking her hands around my waist. Her breasts have gotten bigger because of all the attention I’ve been lavishing on them lately, her pussy more swollen. She’s ravenous for me. I’ve had her on a diet. A fuck diet. I want her screaming my name, begging for it.
I’m her drug.
“Bend down,” I say. I lay my hand on the small of her back as she hairpins her lithe body forward. My gaze focuses on her sweet ass, and I toss up the different possibilities in my mind. Today I’ll fuck her, good and hard. That’s what she craves. “Good girl. Touch your toes.” She does as bid, and when her hands reach the floor, her dripping wet pussy is on full display. “Tell me what you want.”
“I want you to fuck me.”
“What’s the magic word?”
“Sir. I want you to fuck me, Sir.”
“What else?”
“I’ve been a bad girl. I need you to spank me.”
My eyes set alight, glinting in the semi-darkness like a fox eyeing up his juicy meal. Her ass like a peach, her swollen center like a split fig, pink and lush on the outside, fresh and tight in the middle. My left palm comes down hard on her left cheek, my right hand a sting to her right. She cries out, but not in pain. With yearning.
“Please, Sir, fuck me.”
“Watch your mouth,” I rumble, striking that now rosy ass again. But as soon as the sting of the spank has rung through the room, I bend down and swoop my tongue over her wound, let it ride along her crack and lap up her quivering slit. Fuck, she’s wet. My cock expands at her carnal desire. She’s balancing her hands flat on the floor the way I’ve trained her so I can slam her from behind. The huge head of my cock teases her opening, in wait for the right moment to strike. This is the part that drives her wild with anticipation, the moment that has her begging.
“Please!”
“Please, what?”
“Please shove it in.”
“Watch your dirty mouth spouting crass verbs like that.”
I hold her ass with one hand and with the other I smear my pre-cum, which is oozing out of the wide crest of my cock, all around her engorged clit. I slap her nub with my dick, making her moan, then bring my arms around her breasts. I’m so hard it needs no guidance as it prods in and out, just enough to keep her begging, while I play with her nipples, twisting them, tweaking them, kneading them (needing them) between my forefinger and thumb.
“Please!”
I slam into her all the way—deep—and she cries out, screaming my name. Not Sir, but Finn.
“This. Is. Mine,” I rumble. I’m pumping her ruthlessly, but she loves it. So much, I can feel her orgasm tighten and clench around my erection, its ardor so electrifying I come once more, bursting inside her beautiful body.
Yes, I’m her Dom.
But the irony is . . .
She’s got all the control, because I’ve fucking well fallen in love.
“HE’S HAD A WET DREAM AGAIN.” The nurse titters with amusement, waking me up with her giggles.
Another nurse, with a voice I don’t recognize, adds, “Have you ever seen a patient with such a huge schlong?”
“Ssh, clean him up quick, Dr. Jürgen’s coming.”
12
Janie.
MY CELL BUZZED me out of a deep sleep. I had forgotten where I was and then, after I cracked open an eye, remembered I was in a hotel. In Vegas.
I grabbed my phone. “Hello.”
“Janie, it’s Elodie.”
“Thank God. How’s Daniel?”
“He hasn’t woken up yet.”
My pulse began to race. “Oh, no!”
“The doctors say that the induced coma was a good thing, that Kristin behaved ethically, that she did everything right.”
“But that’s crap, he . . . he woke—”
“They’re saying that’s unlikely and there is nothing to that effect in his medical notes . . . are you sure you didn’t imagine it, Janie? That he woke from his coma that time?”
I could hardly believe my ears. “Not you, too?”
“Look, I’m on your side, and eve
n if Kristin Jürgen did the right thing by Daniel, she’s still a monster in my eyes. I’m just saying, that professionally, nobody can fault her as a doctor.”
That figures . . . the award winning doctor of the month, posing as fucking Florence Nightingale!
My nails were digging so hard into my palms they were almost bleeding. I was beyond tense and furious. I tried not to lose it completely. “What about the marriage stuff?” I shot out.
“She says she doesn’t know what you’re talking about, that you’ve been imagining things. That she never pretended she was married to Daniel. She laughed about it, saying what a wild imagination you have.”
“She’s insane! Did you speak to the concierge at Daniel’s hotel? Ethan?”
“Yes, he says it was your choice to leave Daniel’s hotel, that you shot out of there all of a sudden, and that he doesn’t know anything about Kristin Jürgen claiming she’s married to Daniel.”
“This is crazy!” I screeched. “I feel like I’ve walked onto the set of a Hitchcock movie. The woman is insane!” I wondered what Kristen’s agenda had been, pretending she was Daniel’s wife. Obviously her plan had been to forge a marriage, wanted to prepare everyone (namely me) for it, and then, because of Sophie’s fancy doctors getting involved and stopping his coma in its tracks, wasn’t able to see it through. Marriage to Daniel would have made her a very rich woman. Beyond rich. And with him in a coma, or worse, dead, she could have funded her sick experiments to her heart’s content. As I was sifting this all through my shell-shocked mind, I remembered the most urgent thing of all: “Anyway, more importantly, will Daniel be okay?”
“Nobody knows yet. He still hasn’t come out of his coma. They think maybe another twenty-four hours. He’s under observation.”
“Will he be okay?” I realized I’d just asked that question. “What if that bitch gets to him again?”
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