Page 12 of Sinful Mates

“On a piece of wire,” I reply, glancing away from his eyes.

“When?” he stresses. I try to pull my shirt down, to hide the wound. I’m taking care of it, I don't need him. He pushes my hand aside. “This is infected, come with me,” he says, grabbing my hand and tugging me toward his office. He makes a phone call, talking so fast into the phone I don’t catch a word of what he says. “Sit,” he orders. I do as I’m told, not knowing what else to do. I don’t want to get in any more trouble than I know I’m already in.

I don't know how long we wait. He stares at me, and I try to do everything but meet his eyes. After an eternity, a man comes in. He has a white doctor’s coat on and scrubs underneath. He carries a huge box I assume is a medical kit. Theo motions toward me and I stand before the doctor pushes me toward the lounge. “Lay down, Imogen,” Theo orders. I wince at his tone. He’s furious, but what have I done?

I quickly obey and the doctor lifts my shirt. He doesn’t say a word to me. He pulls the side of my pants down, exposing my hip. He prods the area with his fingertips, eyes focused on my reaction. I manage to only swallow instead of whimper like I want to. He doesn't exactly have a gentle bedside manner. Nodding to himself, he gathers some supplies from his bag and gets to work. He cleans the wound, a lot more aggressively than I have prior to this. The alcohol burns and I clench my eyes shut to keep from breaking down. He pulls out a needle next. I jump up, but Theo forces me back, his hands on my shoulders pushing me back down. “Don’t make me hold you down completely,” he challenges. I relax my shoulders and gather what courage I have left. He can't fire me after all this torture at least.

“This may hurt,” the doctor warns me. I nod and focus on his face while he goes to work stitching me up. The doctor is maybe thirty years old at most, not that old at all for a doctor. He has dark hair and brown eyes the same color as mud. He tries to be gentle, but it doesn't stop the hurt and sting, my hands begin to sweat, he stops a few times when I wriggle too much. One look from Theo though makes me freeze.

When he finishes, he places waterproof gauze over the top and stands. Rummaging through his bag, he hands me a bottle of pills. “Take these three times a day, they will help clear up the infection. You'll probably want some pain pills as well; you let it get pretty bad. Take what you need to fight the fever and drink plenty of water." I grab the small bottle and read it. Cephalexin, an antibiotic. I nod, and glance up to say thanks, but he’s already gone.

Theo, however, watches me. “Why didn’t you get that looked at earlier? You could have avoided all this.” He motions with his hand. He sounds angry and I drop my eyes to the floor. Wait, this is what he’s angry at me about? The wound?

“Because I hate hospitals,” I answer in a soft voice, almost a whisper. Theo steps closer, his hand guiding my chin forcing me to look at him. His eyes search mine for any deception. I don’t know what he sees but he lets go and strides out, leaving me standing in his office.

Left alone, I make my way back to my desk and sit. I answer emails and phones. Theo strolls back about three hours later and places a glass of water on the desk. “Your antibiotics, take them then eat this. Come and see me when you are done, I need to speak to you. Tobias will be back soon.”

I nod.

He shoves the glass in my hand and waits for me to swallow the tablets down, before shoving a sandwich in my hand, it’s a BMT. He slides a container of steam toward me as well. I open it to inspect and he walks away. The sandwich is great, but I’m not expecting chicken noodle soup. The fragrant broth and the giant chunks of chicken make me drool.

Regardless, I eat quickly, not wanting to make him wait. I just want to get the scolding over with and hopefully still have a job after. Nerves kick in as I walk to his office. I go to knock when he opens the door and motions for me to sit across from him at his desk. Taking my seat, I go to apologize and beg for him not to fire me. “Just wait, Tobias will be here in a second.”

No sooner has a second passed and in walks Tobias. He heads over to us and places his hands on either side of the chair I’m sitting in, towering over me. I look up and swallow. Losing my train of thought, I’m completely stunned by his mesmerizing eyes. He has on a black suit but for the first time, no tie. His shirt buttons are undone, revealing his chest. I can tell he has a tattoo but can’t tell what it is.

“We need to talk,” he says, his voice like velvet. I have to remember to breathe. When I look straight ahead to Theo, he has moved. He sits on the edge of the desk between my legs. I gulp, my fear consuming me. Usually, Theo is more laid back, but even he right now is towering over me, making me feel even smaller. Tobias's heat seeps into my skin through my back. His breath paints my neck. He’s that close.

Tobias's hands slip from the seat to grip my shoulders. His hands travel down, gliding down my arms. Everywhere he touches goosebumps rise on my exposed skin. He stops just above my elbows. I shiver involuntarily, Theo notices my reaction and smirks. His eyes darken a little, and I find my eyes locked on his. I struggle to look away, only managing to break my gaze when Tobias's hands travel back up to my shoulders. His warm fingers brush my hair off my shoulder. Gazing up, his face is barely an inch from mine. He looks like he’s in a trance, his eyes glazed over as his fingers brush the sides of my neck, gliding lightly over the skin there.

Something swells within me, coming alive. Sparks move along my skin and my lips part. A moan escapes, shocking not only me but Tobias. I quickly cover my mouth with my hands, stunned by my reaction to his warm hands sliding across my skin. It makes me wonder if the rest of him feels that way as well. I’m back to having inappropriate thoughts about them again, both of them, and their touch makes the wheels of fantasy turn faster.

I go to escape, and Tobias pulls himself together and walks over to Theo who stays perched on the end of his desk. He watches the entire exchange and doesn’t try to stop it.

Tobias takes a seat beside him. They both stare at me for a second before Theo speaks. “We know you have been staying in the garage, don’t try to deny it. We have spoken to Tom who verified.” I want to apologize and beg for my job. Yeah, pathetic I know, but my job is the only thing I have left,; I can’t afford to lose it too. “Where are you staying now?” Theo demands.

I try to come up with a believable lie. I suck at lying. I’d never be a good poker player. How the hell am I going to lie to them and not give myself away?

Tobias beats me to it by answering first. “She’s staying at the storage lockers a block from here.” He turned me in! Tobias’s eyes dare me to lie. I know better than to try.

How does he know, though? I've been so careful. No one knows, not even the manager, as it was a weekend, and I hadn’t even had a chance to tell him about my car needing to be stored there.

My hands turn clammy, and a bead of sweat runs down the back of my neck. Has someone turned on a heater? My heart rate rises, and I hear the pounding inside my head. I’m about to be fired. I’ll lose the last piece of normalcy left in my life. Then what? I don’t know what I will do. File bankruptcy, maybe? Try and get a job at Costco? Every answer isn't enough. I can never pay my debt back at another job.

“I’m sorry, please don’t fire me. I need this job.” My words sound pathetic and desperate. But I don’t have a choice; they are.

If I lose my job, I’ll have nothing. Maybe they should fire me. I know what is coming, so just get it over with already. Rip that bandaid off quickly.

“We aren’t firing you, Imogen. We are just disappointed you didn’t say anything earlier. We could have helped sooner,” Theo scolds me.

I drop my head in my hands, relief floods through me, making me giddy. I’m not going to lose my job! But how can they help? I got myself in this situation, I can get myself out of it. I don't want help. They need to let me be. I can handle this.

“I promise I won’t trespass again.” I do my best to take back my professional persona. They both stare at me like they think what I’m saying is absurd. I suppose it kind of is; who lives where they work?

“No, you won’t. I spoke to Tom who said you would refuse any help, so I took it upon myself to not give you a choice,” Tobias informs me. He, too, has returned to his business self. I stare blankly at him.

"I don't understand," I blurt. Okay, I lost the whole professional thing, but this is really weird! I’m getting seriously strange vibes from both men and I don't know how to handle it.

“You won’t be staying at the storage locker, either. Actually, there is no longer a storage locker. I have told him to not let you back, and I took the liberty to remove all your belongings to your apartment,” Tobias continues.