Page 16 of Forbidden Deviant Games

The doctor steps up to the side of my bed. “Well, I’m sure we can arrange that,” he assures me as his fingers press into my arm.

I sit there what feels like forever as the doctor checks me over. I remain silent, intensely aware of the man standing against the wall as he watches on with ill-contained emotion. The second the doctor pronounces me perfectly fit to leave, Viks leans over and opens the door.

“Out,” he growls. The doctor doesn’t say another word as he practically bolts from the room, leaving me alone with him.

I wait, but several seconds pass without another word as Viks lets the door swing shut. “Are you going to say something?” I ask after a moment.

He crosses his arms. “Eventually,” he hedges. “First, I’m debating on what your punishment should be.”

“My punishment?” I gape at him. “For what?”

“I believe I told you explicitlynotto approach him,” Viks states.

“I wasn’t—”

He doesn’t let me finish. “But do you listen to me? No. You don’t.”

“I was just going—”

Viks takes a step towards the end of my bed. “Do you have any fucking idea what it was like?” he demands. “Walking into that room, not fucking knowing what I was going to find? You could’ve fucking died last night, Haley.”

“You think I don’t know that?” My hands start to tremble, fine little shakes. I ball them into fists and shove them under my thighs as I try to formulate a response.

“No. I don’t think you know,” Viks replies. “Because if you did, then you wouldn’t have done exactly what I told you not to.”

Silence stretches between us. I don’t know what the fuck to say, but that’s probably because I recognize that he has a point. I fucked up.

A knock sounds on the door, disrupting the uncomfortable, awkward quiet in the room. Viks opens the door and steps to the side as an older woman bustles inside with a clipboard and round glasses perched on her nose.

“Alright, sweetie,” she says, rounding the bed, “let’s get you all ready to go, shall we?”

I look up as Viks turns and takes a step into the hall. “Where are you going?” I say before I can think better of it.

He pauses and looks back. My eyes must be playing tricks on me or something because I swear I see just a small fraction of compassion enter his eyes as his face softens for a brief moment. “I’ll be right out here,” he says. “When you’re done, I’ll take you home.”

With that, he lets the door shut behind him, leaving me alone with the nurse. “Protective one, isn’t he?” she smirks my way.

“Oh, no,” I start. “We’re not like that.”

She chuckles. “Sweetie, if you’re not yet, you will be soon.”

“What?”

She shakes her head as she turns my arm over and begins the process of extracting the IV. “That man has been all out of sorts since he brought you in last night.”

“He has?” I can’t imagine it. Mitchell Vikson taking care of someone? But then … he had been here when I woke up. Even if he’s not my favorite person in the world, it’s better to wake up tosomeonein the room rather than be all alone. Even I have to admit, it was kind of him. I shake my head, warding off the confusing thoughts entering my head. “It’s … I work for him,” I tell the woman in front of me.

The corners of her lips remain up. “Interesting way to form a relationship,” she comments, “but not the worst I’ve ever seen.”

“We’re not—”

“Honey,” she stops me as she pulls the IV free and sets it to the side, putting a plain bandaid over the small hole in my arm after pressing down on it with a cotton ball for a few seconds. “That man is head over heels in love with you.”

I shake my head. “No, he can’t be.”

“I’ve been here all night,” she informs me. “I was there when he walked through the ER doors and demanded someone take care of you right then and there. He didn’t leave you for even a second.”

But that doesn’t make sense. There’s no way he showed up to the club in those clothes last night. “He had to have left to at least go get changed or—”

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