Total pages in book: 140
Estimated words: 137144 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 686(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 137144 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 686(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
“What was I taking?” she asked, feeling fear course through her.
“You’re taking something that’s only available on the black market,” Michaela told her. “It’s called Devil’s Breath. Have you ever heard of it?”
She shook her head. “What do you mean, something that is only available on the black market? Mother’s doctor prescribed it for me. Are you saying that someone swapped the pills he prescribed?”
“Well, we don’t know what happened yet,” Harvey told her. “Did you see that doctor very often? We’re trying to do some research into him, but he seems to have a private clinic. Is that right?”
“Yes, Mother has known him for years. He has a clinic with a small hospital attached.”
“A hospital?” Michaela asked. “Really?”
“Sort of. A private one.” She wasn’t feeling very good about this conversation.
How could she have been given something that was only available on the black market? And what had those pills done to her?
“Can you give us the address, baby?” Harvey asked.
She nodded.
“Did you sometimes spend nights there?” Harvey asked her.
“Yes, I can remember a few times. Sometimes I’d be in the clinic, and then when I’d wake up, I’d be at home, and I would have lost time. I don’t even recall getting home.”
Harvey and Michaela shared a look. “What aren’t you telling me?” she asked, feeling her heart start to race. “What is it? What’s wrong? What’s with those pills? What do they do to you? Why would someone have given them to me?”
“Okay, baby, calm down. We’re going to answer your questions as best we can, but you’ve got to answer ours as well.”
Harvey reached out to touch her hands, but she snatched them back. Then she slammed them down on her thighs.
“No, tell me what is going on. I’m sick of only having half the story.”
“Baby, baby, stop. You’re going to hurt yourself. Lily, stop.”
She froze at the stern note in his voice, and then she glanced down at her hands, which she must have been smacking into her thighs over and over. But she hadn’t just hit herself, she’d also hit him.
The tops of his hands looked slightly red and remorse filled her. She drew her legs up and curled into a ball, pressing her forehead to her knees.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I hurt you. I’m sorry.”
Harvey’s heart was breaking, and he glanced over at Michaela. “Leave us for a minute.”
The older woman’s face had grown softer as she stared down at Lily. “I can give her a sedative, but that might not be the best idea.”
“No, I think she’s been given enough drugs.”
“I need them. I need them. I’ll hurt you.”
“Let me know if you need me,” Michaela said.
He nodded but didn’t reply. Instead, he stared down at Lily. She’d made herself small, and he hated that. Lily should never be small. She should be worshipped for the amazing person that she was, and he was going to teach her that. He was going to take care of her, put her on a pedestal, do whatever she needed.
“Lily, I think it’s time to tell me the full truth,” he said. “I can’t help if I don’t know everything.”
“I don’t want to hurt you.” She peeked out at him and then down at his hands. “Any more than I have.”
“Baby, you think this hurts? This is nothing. And I would rather you hurt me any day than hurt yourself.”
“It’s not acceptable behavior, though,” she said.
“Acceptable behavior. Who said that?” he asked. “Your mother?”
“Everyone. This isn’t the way to act. I can’t hit people. I can’t hurt them. I can’t hurt myself, just because I can’t deal with my emotions.”
“That’s what they told you? When they said your central nervous system was out of whack?” he asked.
To his shock, she snorted. “Out of whack? I wouldn’t say they used quite such a medical term.”
He grinned, glad she could joke around. But that didn’t mean he was going to stop pressing her for answers.
“Tell me what happened the first time your mother took you to this doctor and he gave you those pills.”
“Harvey, you’d be better off just letting me go home. I’m too much work. I don’t know why you want me. You could have anybody. Why would you want someone so broken?”
“I’m going to stop you from talking about yourself that way,” he told her firmly. “You’re not broken, Lily. You’ve got a few cracks. You’ve been held down when you should be pushed up to shine. But we’ve all got cracks. You think I don’t? You think I’m not hard work? There are things about me that you’re going to struggle with. But the point is, that now we do it together. Because I’m not letting you go.”
She stared out at him, her eyes watery from tears. He hated seeing her cry. Seeing her upset.
The only time he ever wanted to see her cry was in joy. When he had her over his knee, spanking her ass. Or when she was denied an orgasm and just couldn’t take any more teasing.