Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 62056 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 310(@200wpm)___ 248(@250wpm)___ 207(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 62056 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 310(@200wpm)___ 248(@250wpm)___ 207(@300wpm)
Remember that you're dumb, Leah.
You're dumb! Dumb! Dumb!
And so I hear myself say—-
"I understand."
"Just as good deeds must be rewarded, bad deeds cannot go unpunished."
"Oh no."
I actually feel rather impressed at how frightened I sound.
"Are you saying you intend to punish me?"
"What else can a good doctor do," he drawls rather silkily, "when his patient proves to be a very bad girl?"
I let myself whimper. "I'm a bad girl?"
"A very bad girl."
"But...I've never been punished." And crazily enough, I think that's the first bit of truth I've uttered in our entire conversation. Io has always been lenient towards me, and while Nik can be strict, he's never punished me either.
"Don't you trust me?"
No.
Or at least that's what real-life Leah would've said.
But since I'm still Temptation right now...
"I do, Doctor. Always."
"Then if I say I'll have to punish you for your own good..."
Fear skitters down my spine at his words...even as they also make my toes curl.
How is Dr. Somebody so good at making me feel so many things all at once?
"Will you let me?"
Real-life Leah would've retorted 'you wish' without hesitation, but since I'm not myself at the moment—-
"Yes, Doctor."
I can only continue to take his word as the bible's truth, and can I just say how exquisitely liberating it is to not have to worry about anything like this?
"Good girl."
My heart skips another beat, which is something it never used to do...until now.
"In the meantime—-"
There's another pause, and my instincts warn me to brace myself.
"You have yet to tell me your reason for asking about the size of my hands."
Eek!
The question still catches me off guard, and butterflies start fluttering all around my tummy again.
"Um..."
"The truth, Temptation."
My teeth sink back into my lower lip. "I really was just curious, Doctor."
"But why?" he persists in asking, albeit in the same gentle voice. "There must be a subconscious reason behind it."
"I...suppose?"
"If you close your eyes now..."
And my eyes do close, as soon as I hear him say the words.
"How do you imagine my hands would be?"
The answer is instantly clear.
"Big," I choke out. "Your hands are big."
"Big enough for what?"
My heart gallops away as I imagine my faceless Dr. Somebody reaching towards me, and his hands...
"They're big enough," I hear myself choke out, "to swallow my tits."
Oh God.
I can't believe I just said that.
"I see."
It's those two words again, but this time around they sound so blatantly lewd.
"Thank you for your honesty, Temptation."
Dr. Somebody's tone remains oh-so-professional, and that just makes everything feel oh-so-dirtier as well.
"And as for my hands..."
The change in his tone is subtle, but real-life Leah catches it all the same, and a blush steals over my cheeks.
"They're exactly what you imagine."
Oh, thank God—-
I mean...
Oh my God.
"They're big enough to swallow your tits...but we'll leave that for your next consultation, shall we?"
Seven
Adam's work next day began with back-to-back surgeries, followed by a spur-of-the-moment meeting with the hospital board.
"You're late," his cousin visibly relished telling him as soon as he came back to his clinic.
"Don't worry," Adam returned mockingly. "I have no intention of making a habit out of this. You have my word I'll be no threat to your reign as Stanhope Miami's least punctual employee."
Joelle's jaw dropped.
The old Adam was back, which could only mean one thing.
"You got yourself a girl, haven't you?"
Adam shot her a droll look. "If you have enough free time to ask me about my personal life, then I'm clearly not giving you enough work."
Joelle started to laugh. Her cousin changing the subject said it all. "Admit it, Adam. You totally took my advice," she crowed. "Didn't you?"
Adam pulled one of their case drawers open and handed his cousin a stack of patient files. "Start encoding this, will you?"
Joelle groaned in protest, but Adam wasn't able to savor the sound with his phone buzzing in his pocket.
Nik Alexandropoulos?
"I heard you're taking over some of your mentor's patients," the other man said after the usual exchange of greetings.
"Old George is taking it slow this year," Adam acknowledged with a smile. "And yes, he's transferred some of his patients to me, and..." He finally remembered what Nik's connection was to his mentor's patients. "One of them is a friend of yours, isn't she? Iolanthe Raptis, I believe?"
"That's her," Nik confirmed. "She's away on vacation, and it will be her younger sister who's scheduled to meet with you."
"Are you calling me to ask if I'm able to reschedule so I can meet Iolanthe herself?"
"The opposite, actually. Leah, that's Io's sister, seems under stress lately," Nik revealed. "I know you're ethically bound not to disclose anything between you and a patient..."
"But you'd like me to check if there's anything wrong with her," Adam guessed shrewdly.
"Exactly. She's a good kid, but I think she's going through something."
"I assume you or Daria already tried talking to to her?"
"Yes, of course. But Leah can be rather proud and stubborn."