Page 16 of His to Bedevil

“You’re welcome, Señor Martinez.”

He exits the room, and I’m left alone with her. Peeling back the covers, I maneuver the towel out from underneath her body and toss it away. Covering her body back up, I tuck her in securely. I have work to do today, and the doctor said she won’t be conscious much for a day or so, but I can’t seem to find the willpower to leave her. Leaving her with a guard or two gives me some kind of anxiety I’m not familiar with. It’s just not a viable option right now. It’s my face she’ll see first thing when she does regain consciousness. Until then, I’ll be holed up in my room with her.

Irma

Ihad the strangest dream. Alejandro Martinez was bathing me. He held me close in his strong arms and against his powerful body. His touch was a contradiction to his brawniness. It was soft and gentle as he held me and washed my hair. His face was lined with worry as he concentrated on what he was doing. Once he rinsed my hair, he stood up with me in his arms and carried me, only to set me down on something cold and firm. He grasped me by my shoulders and leveled his face to mine. “Can you sit on your own for just a second while I get us each a towel?” His voice was warm, and his eyes were comforting.

I was unable to nod or speak, but I mustered the ability to hold my body upright long enough for him to walk away and come back with some towels. He wrapped me up in one before he wrapped one around himself as well. It was only then that I realized he was naked. And then I realized that I must have been too, but I couldn’t find it in me to panic. I enjoyed the way he cosseted me.

Continuing his gentle pampering, he used a towel to dry my hair, and then he gave me some water that I managed to squeeze down my dry throat. “Open,” he whispered, and my body obeyed. Using a toothbrush and toothpaste, he mildly brushed my teeth. All the while, I couldn’t take my eyes off of him. He treated me like a child, with tenderness and regard. It was a wonderful dream.

I haven’t been cared for like that since I was a very small child. Mama would sit next to the tub and play with me during bath time. She’d wash me from head to toe with a light smile on her face, and she would look at me with adoration. After she’d get me out of the tub, she’d wrap a big fluffy towel around my body and scoop me up into her arms, making me squeal with delight. Then she’d dress me for bed and sit behind me on my small bed and brush my hair. “You have the most beautiful hair,mi flaquita. Promise me you’ll never mess with the color or chop it all off,” she would tell me.

I would turn to her and pout. “But I want hair like yours, Mama.” She had the most beautiful thick waves that reminded me of dark chocolate.

She would sometimes tap the end of my nose or kiss it and tell me how unique and special the color of my hair was and that one day I’d come to appreciate it.

To this day, I have never colored it or cut it shorter than my mid back.

Fighting through the drowsiness, my eyelids peel back. Light. The first thing I notice is the bright light. My thoughts are fleeting, and my memory seems to be a bit fuzzy. Squeezing my eyes shut again, I concentrate on the last memory I can think of. All I see, though, is darkness. Darkness and the feel of the cold, hard ground.

My eyes snap back open, and I now realize that I’m lying in a bed. A large, soft, and warm bed. With my head resting on a fluffy pillow. Shooting up, I spring into a sitting position, and the motion makes my stomach turn and I have to fight back the sudden nausea.

“Easy,mi pequita.” Alejandro appears out of nowhere and comes to my aid. He reaches out and gently pushes me back down on the bed. I stare at him with wide eyes and caution. “You need to rest,” he says gently.

Just then, my bladder feels like it could burst. “I have to pee,” I say in a raspy voice.

“Let me call the doctor. He needs to know you’re awake,” he says, and stands up, removing his hands from my shoulders.

I try to sit up again because I really have to pee, and if I don’t get to a toilet immediately, I will piss right here in this nice bed. He sighs and goes to gently push me back down, but I swat his hands away. “If you don’t get me to a toilet right now, I’m going to piss myself,” I spit out.

His jaw ticks as he considers this a moment. Then he flings back the covers and scoops me up. Gasping, I circle my arms around his neck. “What are you doing?”

“Taking you to the bathroom.” He grabs on to an IV pole, rolling it with us as he heads across the massive and very lavish room in several long strides. It’s not until he gently sets me on my feet in front of the toilet that I realize the IV is for me. Glancing down at my left arm, I see myself tethered to it. Instinctively, I go to grab at it, but Alejandro stops me by grabbing my wrist, his long fingers wrapping around my frail wrist almost twice. “Don’t,” he clips out firmly.

My gaze snaps up to his, and he releases my wrist. Reaching down, he fists the hem of the material covering me, and I swat at his hands again. “What are you doing?” I shriek.

“I’m helping you,” he says through gritted teeth.

“I can manage this on my own, thank you very much.”Was he planning to sit me down on the toilet and watch me pee?

His nostrils flare as he lets out a deep breath through his nose, like I’m being the indignant one here. “You’re extremely emaciated right now. You could fall and hit your head or something.”

Him pointing out the fact that I’m so weak right now lights a fire within me. My fists shake at my sides, and my teeth clench. “Get out,” I hiss through my teeth.

He turns his back, and I’m almost relieved, but he makes no move to actually leave. I can’t hold it any longer, so I’m forced to give in and sit on the toilet to empty my bladder. When I clutch the fabric that’s covering my lap while I pee, I discover that it’s a big white T-shirt I’m wearing. And only that.Am I wearing his shirt?

After I pee for what seems like forever, I wipe myself and flush the toilet. Standing to my feet, my legs suddenly feel like jelly. I reach out to the wall to catch myself as my knees give way, but Alejandro jumps for me. “I told you. You are too weak to stand on your own right now.” He still sounds irritated with me.

That wordweakinfuriates me. “And whose fault is that?” I accuse him in an icy tone.

Scooping me back up into his arms, he grabs the IV pole and takes me back into the other room. “I may be at fault for you being malnourished, but it was you who decided to try and steal from me.”

Damn. He’s got me there.I guess I wouldn’t be in this position if I didn’t sneak into his office and try to steal a lot of money from him. Or if I wouldn’t have gotten caught. I should’ve left town as soon as I hit dry land. That was so careless of me. I’d become too confident, and that’s when you make major fuckups.

From the tone he’s using with me, I expect Alejandro to toss me on the floor or back on the bed, but shockingly he sets me down on the bed carefully. I obediently lay back and let him tuck me back in, watching him with a frown on my face. I must still be dreaming.

When he stands to his feet, I eye the IV and the needle sticking into my arm. I could easily rip it out and use it to…

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