Page 23 of Blackmailed to the Altar

It was like a light went off in the back of my skull. This wasn’t Sebastian at all. If he had some kind of dissociative identity, I needed to be on good terms with his alter, and show that I wasn’t afraid of him.

“I’m not understanding. You want me to call you Riccardo all the time instead of Sebastian?” He had revealed himself to me. So it was only natural I played dumb, until he gave me all the information he thought I needed to know.

“I know you’re smarter than that, firecracker.” He reached forward and grabbed a lock of my hair. Twirling it between his fingers, he drew it to his face and took a deep inhale. “You smell so fucking good.”

I shivered with what I thought was fear, but my pussy grew wet, and that was concerning. A strange man was in my room, and I shouldn’t feel any attraction to this, yet I felt like he’d seen my body on display.

A flash of the late night wet dreams I’d been having tore through my mind, and he smirked as if he knew my thoughts. I shook my head to clear it. Maybe this was a really vivid dream. I pinched my arm. Ow, no this was real.

“Don’t hurt yourself, little firecracker,” he purred. “That’s my job.”

His words shouldn’t melt me on the spot, but they did, a whimper escaping my parted lips. He was dangerous. I could feel it.

“What do you want with me?” I gasped as his finger trailed down my face. I felt trapped, cornered, like prey for a predator. I’d dealt with difficult patients before, but Riccardo, Sebastian, whatever he was calling himself, was suffocating.

“What do I want with you?” he repeated, and I nodded my head. He leaned forward and bit the side of my neck. “Your total submission.”

“You shouldn’t be here,” I said, my voice firm, but my hands trembled under the sheets. “You need help, Riccardo.”

His laugh was low and dark, sending chills skittering down my spine. “That’s exactly why I’m here, tesoro. I need you to fix me. To make me whole again. Before it’s too late,” he whispered in my ear.

When he pulled away, I had to clutch the bedsheets, so as not to reach out and touch him again. The scent of whisky and something metallic filled my senses, making it hard to breathe.I turned my head away, but he grabbed my chin, forcing me to meet his eyes. They were burning with an intensity that made my skin crawl.

He let go of my face with a smirk. The man before me now, scarred but alive, holding so much pain and violence in every inch of him. He looked down at my white knuckles with a chuckle. Fear clawed at my chest. I wanted to pull away, but there was something in his eyes that told me I didn’t want to push him too far.

“Hmmm, not tonight, little firecracker. It’s our first meeting, of course, and I want to make sure I do this the right way,” he murmured as he pulled away.

I wasn’t sure if he was talking to himself or speaking to me.

“What’s the right way,” I whispered.

“Well, I’ve got to court you, don’t I?” He shot me a panty melting grin, and leaned forward to force a peck on my lips. “After all, you are my fiancée.”

“I’m not agreeing to that,” I whispered.

“You’re going to help me, Dr. Mya,” he hissed, his scarred fingers gripping my throat as he towered over me, holding me down. “Because if you don’t, I’ll make your life a living hell. Worse than just blackmailing you to keep you by my side. I know every secret you’ve tried to bury, and if you don’t comply, I will make sure the world knows exactly who you are.” He pulled me closer to his face and bit my lip.

I let out a low moan. “Y-you can’t force me to–”

“Oh, but I can,” he interrupted, his voice venomous. “And I will. You’re not just my doctor anymore, Mya. You’re mine.”

The words were like poison, sinking into my mind as he loomed over me, every inch of him radiating danger. This wasn’t a patient seeking help, this was a man who was on the edge of madness, and I was caught in his web. I could see the obsessionin his eyes, the desperate need for control that had nothing to do with healing, and everything to do with power.

“Fix me, and maybe, just maybe, I’ll let you walk away from this with your life.” He breathed me in on a deep inhale, before biting my cheek until I squealed. “But cross me, and I’ll make sure you regret every fucking breath you take.” He released me suddenly, and I inhaled a huge lungful of air. I could already feel the bruises forming, the lingering sting of his touch.

“Sweet dreams, doctor,” Riccardo whispered, standing up and moving toward the door, his silhouette dark against the pale sliver of light from the hallway. He pulled his gloves slowly on while he made his way out. “And remember, Sebastian won’t save you.” With those parting words, he melted into the shadows.

I didn’t move until I heard the door close behind him. I sank into the pillows with a sigh of relief, my heart pounding from the adrenaline. I’d just met one of Sebastian’s alters, and I hadn’t even known he was suffering from this.

How many more were there? And why was this one so fascinated with me? I knew from experience that if Sebastian didn’t bring this up, then he likely didn’t know the alter existed. I would have to show him that something wasn’t right in his life.

Maybe he’d trust me enough that he’d believe I could help. My research was more about merging alters into one identity. It was hard work, as my patients had to face some of the trauma that set off these alternative personalities to begin with.

But with Sebastian, this was the first occasion that I truly believed an alter should be eradicated. His aura was menacing, and I didn’t feel a single shred of kindness coming from him.

He couldn’t have good intentions.

Maybe Silas could help me get my hands on the medication I would need, in order to properly take care of Sebastian. He didwith Eden. No matter what I prescribed, Silas could always get his hands on it.

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