Page 34 of Possession

Chapter 20

Madeline

After the men left,I’d quickly showered and got ready for work. I planned on stopping at my favorite bakery, Jane Doughs, before heading to my office. They’d just introduced a new chocolate and orange scone, and I was dying to try it. I wasn’t afraid to admit chocolate was my weakness. Add in orange and I was in heaven times two. Before I’d starting staying at Joseph and Nathaniel’s two weeks before, I’d always driven to my office since it had only been about twenty minutes from my home in Cherrydale to my office in Tenleytown. However, with D.C. traffic, and traveling to and from Maryland now, that wasn’t a feasible option at the moment. I’d be commuting for hours each day.

So, we took the Metro instead. It had taken me a week to get used to public transportation and navigating the rail system. We didn’t have that where I’d lived in North Carolina. Nathaniel, Joseph, and I walked the short distance to the Metro stop near their house and took the train into the city. We got off near FBI headquarters and then they walked me to my next stop at the Chinatown Station. From there my shadows took over and escorted me to Tenleytown. Luckily, my office building was only a short walk from the Metro stop.

“Morning, Madeline,” Jane, the owner, hollered out when the bell signaled my entrance. I stepped inside, the scent of yeast and sweetness filling my nose. It smelled delicious, and my mouth began to water.

“Hey there. I hope you saved me one of those special chocolate and orange scones you’ve been teasing me about for over a week now,” I tossed back, setting my briefcase on the counter and hopping up onto the bar stool, smoothing my skirt over my knees.

Jane merely laughed. “Of course I did. I knew you’d never stop harassing me if I didn’t. Give me just a sec and I’ll bring it right out.”

My eyes scanned the brightly lit shop with its festive colors of pink, teal, and yellow. It was adorably decorated, warm and inviting, and made you feel like you were in someone’s home. There was a small crowd inside, some of them business people clearly on their way to work. Just then, Jane came from around the display case, a teal dessert plate in hand. There, taking up almost the entire plate was the most mouth-watering scone I think I’d ever laid eyes on. I rolled my eyes in ecstasy and I hadn’t even taken my first bite yet. It didn’t matter. I knew it was going to rock my world. She set the plate in front of me with a flourish.

“Bon appétit.”

“Merci.” I dipped my head in thanks.

“You’re welcome. Sorry, that’s all the French I know,” she shrugged.

I laughed. “Hey, you know more than me.”

While I took a bite of my pastry, Jane stood there, waiting for my verdict. Holy shit, the damn thing was practically melting in my mouth. I savored that single bite while she smiled at me, her expression knowing.

“Oh my God, this is the most amazing thing ever! Are you sure I can’t steal you away so you can become my own personal pastry chef?”

“You wouldn’t be the first person to offer that position to me. Sadly, I’ll have to decline.”

“Damn. Well, at least I tried. Thank you so much for bringing this deliciousness into my world. You go back to your customers and I’m gonna sit here and enjoy this masterpiece you’ve created.”

Jane blushed and waved her towel at me as she hustled to greet a new customer at the counter. In the meantime, I took tiny bites of my treat, trying to make it last. I didn’t want to be done with it. While I sat there, my eyes wandered around the room again. I caught a man with salt and pepper hair, around my age, sitting alone at a table on the far wall staring at me. I gave a brief, polite smile before looking away. Something about the way he looked at me had me on edge. I hurriedly took the last few bites of the pastry, suddenly wanting to leave.

I rifled through my briefcase and tossed a few bills on the counter before briskly walking outside. I heard Jane call out to me, but I ignored her. I’d have to apologize later. My gut told me to get away. I didn’t look back, but I prayed my two shadows stayed close. I practically ran the three blocks to my office building. When I arrived I was breathless. Then, I felt like an idiot for acting like such a scaredy cat. The man had done nothing untoward. He hadn’t appeared menacing in any way. Still, something about the way he’d looked at me gave me the creeps. A chill crawled across my neck. Within a few hours of seeing clients though, I’d completely forgotten the man from the bakery.

* * *

“Today was a great session,Peter, and we covered a lot of ground. Next week, I see a huge breakthrough coming. Just keep journaling and remember your breathing techniques, okay?”

The shy young man nodded. “Yes ma’am. I’ll see you next week, Doc. Thanks for everything.”

“You’re more than welcome. Have a great weekend.” I waved as he closed the waiting room door behind him.

Sighing, I turned and headed back to my office to finish up a last bit of paperwork. My head was starting to ache and I was ready to go home. I paused at the thought. Since when had I started thinking of Nathaniel and Joseph’s place as home? The more I thought about it though, the more it rang true. It wasn’t the townhouse though. It was them. They were home. My Doms. With that final realization my heart unlocked and there was a shift inside me. They’d both shown me that we belonged together, the three of us, but I’d continued to keep a section of my heart hidden. Out of fear. My entire life, every thing that seemed too good to be true always turned out that way. This time that wasn’t the case. Happiness welled up inside and poured out of me. I shoved my chair back, and threw out my arms, spinning around, giggling with excitement like a little girl.

“Hello, Madeline.”

I screeched at the baritone greeting and threw my foot down to stop the momentum of my chair, my head whipping around to face the owner of the voice. In the doorway of my office was a non-nondescript, slender man with salt and pepper hair and a crooked smile on his face. It took me only a second, but a single blink later, I recognized him. My heart stopped beating for a blip in time and then suddenly, it was racing and that sinking feeling of dread in my gut returned. It hit me at that moment what he’d said. I remained in my chair, tense but alert, trying not to panic. My voice came out steadier than I expected. “I’m sorry, but the office is closed for the day. I’m not taking any new patients at this time.”

The man stepped inside my office, slowly, his hands in his pockets as though he didn’t have a care in the world. As though he hadn’t just intruded in my place of work. He strolled further in, confident, like he owned the place, his eerie gaze never leaving me. There wasn’t a hint of warmth in his blue eyes. They were empty.

Soulless.

Evil.

He cocked his head inquisitively; his emotionless, icy gaze homed in on me. A sinister smile flickered across his lips before smoothing out again.

“I think you need to leave,” I stood from my chair and made to move toward the door when he remained silent.

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