Chapter Thirteen

Shelby

“Where do you think you're going?” a feminine voice asked as I rounded the corner. One of the girls that I'd seen around was standing there, a shapely brow raised and her arms crossed over her midriff-baring shirt. It was hot enough that I envied her cutoff short shorts, but my scars were still too prominent to be comfortable showing my legs off. Or anything else, really.

“Uh, I was going to—I’m looking for Blake.” I held my empty pill bottle up to prove it.

With a sly glance at his office door, she shook her head. “He's busy right now. Best to come back later.”

I frowned. I knew he wasn't, though. Busy, that is. When he’d been by my room this morning, he’d told me he had some work to catch up on in his office. He was concerned I hadn't stopped by the night before.

I'd not paid a ton of attention, still a bit shell-shocked from the night before and only half awake, but I was sure that was what he’d said.

Unless he'd lied to me?

That didn't sit right either, but besides my sense of betrayal and anger at the thought, a need to get more pills kept my feet in place. Last night had been a lot , with Gavin and Alan and my first time out of my room alone. I needed to be able to breathe without pain, to just plain breathe and not have to think about what any of it meant. I was in limbo, helpless and trapped, but without any direct threat I could figure out.

I closed my eyes and took air in through my nose, letting it out as I centered myself. I wouldn’t let these people get to me or make me feel small.

The demand to let me pass halted on my tongue when Blake’s door opened and a woman came out. She was slightly disheveled, her eyes a little too bright. From the way she was walking gingerly, I assumed she was hurting and immediately felt bad I'd almost barged in on her.

It occurred to me that the woman leaning against the wall was probably a patient waiting to see Blake, too. I shrugged off the bit of guilt that tried to settle on me. She’d tried to run me off when I’d been invited.

Before I could figure out what to say to get in first, the other woman was gone.

Blake's voice called out, “Veronica, come on in.”

The woman, Veronica, straightened up and said, “I'll let him know you're out here,” and disappeared into the office.

Annoyed, I muttered to myself, “Should have asked earlier instead of chickening out.” I knew I was going through the meds too fast, Blake knew it too, and I hadn't wanted to face explaining why. But going without was scarier than making an excuse as to why I needed more.

I had turned on my heel, shoulders slumped, trying to figure out how soon I could come back, when the door clicked open again.

“Shelby?” Blake said with a bit of surprise, his head edged through the opening, “Did you need something?”

Bashfully, I held the bottle up. He sighed but nodded. “I apologize. I didn’t realize you’d come by so early. Just a second, I'll grab a few.” He was back quickly, his hand held out with most of his body still behind the door, blocking any view of the room. He was acting strangely, but I was more interested in what he was offering than what he was doing.

“Thanks, Blake,” I muttered and stepped back to leave.

“That’s enough until tomorrow evening, Shelby,” he warned in a soft voice.

My shoulders rounded in discomfort, but my feet didn’t stop until I was out of sight. As soon as I was alone, I swallowed one of the pills dry. I was going to have to figure out another way to get what I needed if he kept cutting me back.

***

Shelby

In hindsight, I should have waited, I should have knocked louder, and I definitely shouldn’t have let myself in. I’d become too comfortable with Blake and didn’t see him as the threat Gavin presented, and that was my mistake.

I could only blame the nagging aches in my body and my need to check out, no matter how briefly, after the scene from the night before. Really, there likely wasn’t an excuse for my lack of self-preservation, but my mind shied away from any other reason I ignored the warnings.

When I'd come to him this morning he'd told me no more, that I had to make them last until after dinner.

He didn't understand I couldn't. I needed them.

I'd avoided everyone for the last day. Keeping to myself, I’d quietly prepared my meals or picked up a plate from Dimitri and eaten without a soul speaking to me. No doubt the punishment Alan had been forced to endure had made its rounds because no one dared to look at me sideways.

I prepared a dozen excuses while I waited on Blake to answer, discarding each as soon as I thought of it. They didn't even seem believable in my head, let alone out my mouth.

My knuckles tapped on his door for a second time after more time had passed. The man was ignoring me, and I didn't like it. Or maybe he wasn't in. Against my better judgment, I dared to try the handle.

It turned easily and swung open on silent hinges to reveal a room devoid of Blake. Knowing he kept the meds behind the closet door, I made the snap decision to get them myself.

Except when I eased it open, I found the back unhinged and a secret door behind the shelving.

“Unnhh!” An inarticulate whine filtered through, followed by Blake's crooning voice.

“You're almost there, just a little wider now.”

My mind warned me to turn around, but my impaired judgment couldn't override the burning curiosity…and undeserved jealousy

What is he doing in there?

I crept forward, eyes blowing wide at what I saw, though they weren't as wide as the hole in front of Blake was.

He clicked the handles again.

My feet were turned right around before I'd consciously thought to retreat. I shut the closet door on autopilot, resting my back against it as I tried to catch my breath.

It hitched on an inhale when I spotted the laptop on the desk. I hadn't thought much of it coming in, but that was before I saw what was on the screen. Or rather who . It had been open, the lid facing toward the door. In the back of my mind, the part that wasn't shocked and was able to focus on the goings on, it made sense to be able to see it from the storage closet door. I mean, at least it did if you wanted to make sure you were recording your…whatever he called what he was doing.

I dared to reach out and click the volume button up enough to hear that there was indeed sound. Setting the empty bottle down, I braced both hands on the desk as I watched the scene unfold. Later, I'd berate myself for not leaving immediately.

“What are you waiting for, Blake? “ the woman moaned. My face turned red until I could feel the tips of my ears burn.

I couldn’t see Blake so well since the viewpoint was more on the woman, but I could see enough of his profile to notice that his face was tight with what I assumed to be arousal.

“Not today, Erin,” he replied, turning away from the camera as he stepped back from the table to open a drawer under the built-in counter.

That got her attention. Her head lifted as she stared in confusion at his back, her neck strained. Whether that was from the stretch of her arms tethered above her, or because of the metal prongs holding her open between her legs, I didn’t know.

“What do you mean? I can see your dick is hard. You can’t tell me you’re not interested.” Erin’s confusion turned into a scowl when he ignored her. He kept rummaging through the drawer until he pulled a packet out then bent a bit to open the next one. “Is this because of that rich bitch?” she snapped, letting her head fall back against the table.

Blake turned, and the camera caught the anger that flitted across his face before he smoothed it back out. “I don’t always indulge, Erin. You girls know that. My dick getting hard doesn’t mean I’m going to stick it in something,” he grumbled as he took up the space where her knees would be if they weren’t pushed back nearly to either side of her chest. They were held in place by familiar foot rests, though I’d never had them used like that .

“At least take it out and get off while you do me if you’re not gonna put it in my ass.” She pouted, wiggling a bit then winced. I imagined it had to be uncomfortable to be held open so far that she could probably accommodate a hand in there. I almost lost myself to the memory of the burn of knuckles pushing past my resistance until Blake answered her, immediately jarring me back to the present.

“I planned on it.” He proceeded to unfasten his trousers, and my eyes about popped out of my head when his cock popped out of the opening. It had to rival Milo’s, and she actually wanted it in her behind? Jesus, no thank you.

“Hurry up then, will you? I’m losing my mood.” I didn’t understand what the heck they were doing. It was clinical, yet…not. Anger burned in my gut along with a tiny bit of guilt. I shouldn’t be spying, but this was just too weird.

“I have to get the actual reason you’re down here handled first, Erin. You know that,” he admonished. Then he pulled up a rolling stool and carried on with the normal procedures a woman would find herself in without her unders on in a doctor’s office.

I watched as the woman moaned at the parts that were usually uncomfortable, then my eyes widened again when Blake turned on a pointy vibrating handle with a thin tip on it. I couldn’t believe it when he put the whole thing inside . What was even happening? I’d kept my line of sight off her stretched out pussy once Blake shined the light on it, but I couldn’t help but stare at that point.

The vibrations increased, and the woman strained, bucking her hips and dislodging the gown that had been a mockery of modesty.

“Just gonna slip inside there now. Hold still a second,” he warned and commanded all in the same breath.

Erin cried out, a high-pitched mix of pleasure and pain. I couldn’t bring myself to look where he was putting it, but I could guess. No, my eyes were firmly on the hand that had wrapped around the appendage jutting out from between his thighs. It leaked from the tip, and Blake swirled his thumb around the head, gathering the slick to ease the friction of his lazy but firm strokes.

I lost my nerve when he let the vibrator rest in her pussy while he clicked the handles one more time. The cords in her neck stood in stark relief as she threw her head back with a guttural cry. Moisture flooded from her opening, and Blake’s arm picked up the pace.

I was away from the desk and speed walking to my room with shame riding me hard every time I felt the slide of my arousal. The crotch of my leggings was soaked, and I couldn’t bear to face myself, let alone anyone else, so I kept my head down until I made it to safety.

My soiled panties and pants had just made it into the little hamper that had appeared in the bathroom and I was wiping myself up with a wet cloth when a knock came at my door.