Page 15

15

P aisley

Two days later…

Jacki steps off of the scale, and I make a note of her weight.

“Take a seat on the examination table, please. I need to take your blood pressure. We’re nearly done.”

“I’m not sure why we have to go through all of this when all I need is a repeat,” she mutters. “I’ve been on birth control for years.”

“Dr. du Pont is thorough. It’s a good thing.”

“If you say so.” Jacki does as requested and sits on the examination table. “I’m sure you know by now that Arctic is the king of Mistveil?” she asks as I pick up the device.

I nod. “Yep. I heard that word got out.”

Apparently, one of the ladies saw the guard bowing outside the reception hall the night I left early, and Arctic followed me. I’m not sure which one. Only that she saw the bow and heard the guard call Arctic “Your Majesty.”

Since then, it has spread like wildfire. Everyone knows. The secret is out.

My cheeks heat just thinking about him…about Arctic. About what happened in the closet.

I want to forget about it. I wish I could, but I’m pretty sure it’s burned into my memory forever, and I hate it.

“Did you know about it?” she asks.

I nod. “Yes, the staff were all privy to the information and all of us were sworn to secrecy. I’m sorry I couldn’t tell any of you. Hold your arm out and stay relaxed.”

“Why would he want to keep such a thing a secret?” Jacki frowns, holding her arm out so that I can slip the cuff on.

“Maybe so that he would be seen as just one of the candidates and not as the king…as someone special. He didn’t want any of the Tributes to be interested in him based on his title.” I pull the cuff tight and switch on the machine. The cuff starts to fill.

“I suppose so.” She nods a few times. “I can’t believe that one of the candidates is an actual king. As in, he lives in the castle.” She widens her eyes. “He’s also really sexy.”

“You see, that’s what he was afraid of.”

Jacki makes a face. “Actually, I’m going on a date with Ash tonight. He’s cute. I must say I was apprehensive about this whole thing, but I really like the shifters now that I’ve gotten to know them. They’re sweet. Not players at all, and the most appealing thing by far is that they have no idea how gorgeous they are, hence wanting to stay on my birth control. I mean, you never know what will happen.” She bobs her brows.

“It is wise to be careful. Pregnancy happens so easily.” Unless, of course, you want to get pregnant, then it’s almost impossible.

The machine beeps, and I write down her blood pressure.

“How’s it looking?” Jacki asks.

“All good. Nothing to worry about. Well within normal range. You’re all set.”

“Have you perhaps heard...” Jacki rubs her nose, “Where Arctic is? He disappeared after word got out about him being king. He hasn’t been at any of the events since. Is he in hiding?”

“I don’t know.” I shrug. “I’m just a lowly staff member.”

“It’s just that he and Hannah really hit it off at the dinner. At least, according to Hannah. She said she really liked him and thought they got on really well. He was even flirting with her. Then he told her he’d be back in a minute and never returned. He left her standing there on the dance floor. Soon after, word got out that Arctic was the king, and you know the rest.”

It’s stupid but I feel good that he didn’t go back after what happened in the closet. I know it’s probably because he got outed as king and had nothing to do with us kissing. Still, it would have hurt if he went back to Hannah. And hurt even more if he had left with her.

“I’m sure he’ll come out of hiding soon,” I say.

“There are rumors that he is dropping out as a candidate.”

I shrug. “Don’t look at me. I have no idea. I hadn’t heard that particular rumor.”

My heart is racing. Is he dropping out? He can’t. He needs to mate and have babies. His Council is forcing him.

I’m glad I haven’t seen him. I’m dreading it. At the same time, I want to get it over with. It will be like pulling off a plaster. Painful and irritating but necessary.

“Should we go through to Dr. du Pont’s office?” I ask.

Jacki nods. “Yes, let’s go. Oh, did you hear?” She grabs my arm, a naughty smile across her whole face.

“What?” I sound skeptical, praying it isn’t more about Arctic.

“Even Lauren is seeing one of the guys. She said…” Jacki drops her voice to a whisper as if Dr. du Pont might overhear us from the next room. “She said that she’s never had such great sex in all her life. She’s telling anyone who will listen. Talk about doing a one-eighty. She says she’s in love with him. That she wants to stay on the island.”

I force a smile and nod. “I’m so happy for her. That’s great.” I mean it.

“Apparently, they’re all good in bed. At least, that’s what the ladies who have had sex with them are saying. I’ll let you know tomorrow because I’m diving in. Ash is hot. With a capital H, O, T.”

“They’re all pretty handsome,” I say as we walk into Dr. du Pont’s office. “All done,” I announce to the doctor as I hand him Jacki’s file.

“Thank you.” He puts his reading glasses on, and after a few seconds, he takes them back off, looking up at me and closing the file. “Very well, you can go ahead and give Miss Evans her medication, Nurse Reed. Please keep in mind that oral contraception on its own is not foolproof,” he addresses Jacki. “It has a ninety-nine percent success rate when taken correctly. It is recommended that you still use condoms to avoid unwanted pregnancies. This is particularly true if you forget to take a pill. Certain antibiotics also affect the efficacy of the drug. I suggest you read the pamphlet inside the box.”

“Thank you, Doctor,” Jacki tells him.

“You may leave once you have given Miss Evans her pills. Thank you, Nurse Reed.”

“Thank you, Doctor,” I tell him.

It doesn’t take me long to get Jacki her contraceptive. “Hope you have a wonderful evening.” I wink at her.

“Oh, I’m sure I will.” She giggles as she heads out.

Once I’ve tidied up to get ready for tomorrow, I grab my things, and after saying goodbye to the doctor, I head out.

I’m halfway to my apartment when my phone vibrates, signaling a text. Our devices only work internally. We have to request permission to talk to anyone on the Mainland, and our calls and texts are monitored closely when we do. I’ve had to tell everyone back home that the signal is sketchy on most of the island. That’s why messages can take time to get through and why calls aren’t always possible.

I can understand why they are careful. I’ve called home a few times, but we’re not permitted to divulge anything, so it’s hard to talk. I normally tell my bestie Rebecca everything. It feels weird to have to hold so much back.

I pull out my phone, expecting to see a message from someone from home – Dr. du Pont, Cathy, or Maggie. Those are the three people on the island I communicate with the most.

It isn’t any of them. I trip and almost fall on my face when I see who it’s from.

Arctic.

My hands are shaking when I open the text.

My office tomorrow morning at 8 am sharp.

That’s all. Just a command to see me.

What the hell!

I’m in half a mind to send him a message telling him where to get off. I don’t. Arctic is still my boss. I roll my eyes and sigh.

My phone buzzes again with another message from him.

We need to talk.

Nooooo! It’s the last thing we need.

Why the meeting? I thought you said I was reporting to Thorn.

I text back to him. That’s just it; even though Arctic told me I would be reporting to the man, it hasn’t happened. I expected Thorn to call me in, but nothing has happened to that effect. Two whole days have gone by, and this is the first communication I’ve had from Arctic.

We should stay far away from each other. It would be for the best.

I finish typing, my finger hovering over “send.”

“Screw it!” I whisper, swiping the send arrow.

Three text bubbles appear a second later. I hold my breath.

Let’s talk it through.

Please.

I stuff my phone back in my pocket and change direction. A minute later, I knock on Maggie’s door, half expecting her not to answer, but she does.

“I’m coming,” she calls from inside.

A few moments later, Maggie opens up. “Hi, babe.” She smiles. “You caught me getting ready for my hot date.” She does a little dance.

It feels like everyone has a hot date tonight…except for me.

“Let me guess, Hazard is coming over.” I smile.

Maggie nods. “Yes, but we’re not staying at my place tonight. He’s taking me to his. Come in.” She moves away, closing the door behind me.

“Oh, you’re going to him. Is it getting serious, then?”

“Hardly.” She laughs. “We’ve had sex several times in every room of this place, so we thought we would try somewhere new. He really wants me to see where he lives. Something about taking me in his double shower on the—”

“Okay, Mags…thanks, I get it.” I hold up a hand, laughing. “I can go if you’re busy getting ready. I would completely understand—”

“No way. Come in. I have some time. Are you still on duty? Or do you have something on tonight?”

“Nope. Nothing. We’re giving everyone a chance to do their own thing. Many of the ladies have dates. It’s fair to say that things are going well.”

“Sounds like it.” She laughs. “Let me tell you, Paisley, the number of used condoms we’ve had to throw out of trash cans in some of the rooms is obscene. Not to mention the bedding.” She makes a face. “The one bedroom had something that looked distinctly like semen on the—”

“Maggie, I mean it. You give far too much information.” I laugh. It feels good. I already feel so much better than I did before.

“Sorry, babe. I sometimes forget what a prude you are.” She cackles. “Can I pour you a glass of wine?”

I shake my head, and I must look as depressed as I feel because Maggie gives me a look. “What’s going on? I didn’t mean it about you being a prude. I was just teasing you. You know that, right?”

“I know. You know what, I’ll take that wine.” I sigh.

Maggie nods. “Good idea. Sit.” She points at the sofa. It doesn’t take her long to return to the living room with two glasses of rosé.

She hands me one of them. “Out with it. What’s got you all in a tizz?”

“I shouldn’t tell you.”

“Of course you have to tell me. You look upset. You’ll feel better once you get whatever it is off your chest.”

“Do you promise not to tell a soul?”

Her eyes widen. “Really? Is it juicy? It is, isn’t it?” She claps her hands and squeals.

“Maggie, I mean it. Do you swear?” I shouldn’t talk about this, but I need a friend right now. I’m sure I can count on Maggie.

She nods. “I swear to god. May my vagina grow sharp teeth if I’m lying.”

I throw out a laugh. “Oh, my word! Sharp teeth. Now, that would be terrible.”

“I like my vagina as is, thank you. Let me have it. I’m your friend. I promise not to tell a soul. You can count on me. I swear.” She puts her hand on her heart.

I drink down half of my wine.

“That bad, huh?” She looks concerned.

I nod. “Oh, yeah.” I suck in a deep breath. “I kissed Arctic. Actually, that isn’t true. He kissed me.”

Her eyes go comically wide. “Arctic, Arctic? As in, the Arctic?” she says in a rush. “The king? That Arctic?”

I nod.

“Oh, boy!” She downs half of her wine as well. “Tell me everything and from the beginning.”

“I felt like there might be something between us. It’s often felt charged, but I thought it was just me. That I was imagining it because I’m very attracted to him,” I mutter the last, feeling like a naughty child.

“Who wouldn’t be? And it’s not because he’s the king, either. He’s just so…so gorgeous. So manly. So…”

“Alpha,” I offer.

“Oh, yes. That’s the right word, alright.” She nods. “He has this authority about him. It’s easy to see he’s used to getting his way. He’s sexy and mysterious. Oh, and seriously brooding and intense.”

I laugh. “He is all of those things. I would add asshole and arrogant and conceited, too.”

“What did he do?”

“I thought it was one-sided; turns out I was wrong. It happened after I left the dinner a little early the other night. He seemed to be hitting it off with one of the Tributes. Everyone was having a good time. I didn’t feel like it was necessary for me to stay until the end, so I left slightly early. Cathy was fine with it.”

“Okaaaaaay.” Maggie nods. “And then?”

“A guard started flirting with me as soon as I got outside the reception hall. He offered to walk me home and I took your advice and accepted. But I had never planned on actually doing anything with him. We had…”

I tell her blow by blow what happened, not leaving a single thing out. I remember every detail because I’ve played it through my head so many times.

Maggie’s eyes get bigger and bigger.

“So, if you guys hadn’t been interrupted…?” Maggie says.

“I think we would have had sex right there in the supply closet. I would not have said no. In fact, I was begging him at that point.” My face feels hot.

She laughs. “That’s awesome! From the sounds of things, it would have blown your mind.”

“It isn’t awesome. He’s my boss and a candidate. I could lose my job, Maggie. This can never get out.”

“You can trust me. This doesn’t go beyond this room. What’s happened since? Have you seen him? I can’t believe you’ve waited this long to come and talk to me.”

“That’s just it. I haven’t seen him. He’s been in hiding since everyone found out that he’s the king. It’s my fault it happened.”

“Bullshit!” She gives me a look. “He was the one who followed you. Not the other way around.”

“He’s right, though; it was my job to—”

“You’re kidding me, right? You said the evening was a great success. You said that Cathy had everything under control. There was nothing wrong with leaving at that point. You made an executive decision, something he had given you the authority to do and even encouraged.”

“Yes, but—”

“But nothing, Paisley. He didn’t follow you because you abandoned your post. He wasn’t angry with you for that reason, either,” she tells me in a stern voice.

I frown. “Of course that’s why he was angry. I —”

“He was jealous, babe. He followed you, saw you with another man, and snapped.”

“Jealous?” My mind is working a mile a minute. “The reason he acted like an asshole was…” My mouth falls open. “I’m so na?ve. Why didn’t I see it? I think you’re right, Mags.”

“Of course I’m right. You can’t be blamed for being a little innocent. You were with the same guy from high school, right? He was your first and your last?”

I nod. “Yes. I was sixteen when we started going steady.”

“Going steady.” Maggie laughs. “I rest my case.” She holds up her hands.

“That’s what we called it back then. We dated through high school and college. We got married when Jim started his residency. The only person I ever dated was Jim. He was it for me until…”

“Until now.” Maggie looks at me through narrowed eyes, a naughty smile playing on her lips. “You need to talk to Arctic. You have to somehow find a way to see him.”

I scrub a hand over my face.

“You really need to—

“That’s just it, Mags. He texted me not so long ago.”

Maggie jumps up. “Yes! That’s awesome.”

“It is not. I disagree with you. I think—”

She sits back down. “What did he say?”

I pull out my phone and see a couple of new messages. I open the chat.

Paisley.

Answer me.

Paisley!

We need to talk.

The final message pops up while I am reading the other three.

Please.

I hand her my phone; my gut is churning.

Her smile grows wider and wider by the second. “Holy shit! He’s desperate.”

“This isn’t funny,” I tell her. “He’s probably going to tell me to keep what happened between us a secret.” I suck in a breath. “Or he’s going to fire me.”

“He is not going to fire you. He wants in your panties, and he’s desperate. You need to go and see him.”

“I don’t want to. We can’t do this.” I sound horrified.

“You have to. Find out what he has to say. You have the power here, babe. You know that, right?”

“What do you mean, I have the power? He’s the king and my boss.”

“You have him by the balls. Just you wait and see. He wants you so badly it’s eating at him.”

That would make two of us.

No!

“Even if you’re right – and I don’t think you are, just for the record…”

“Want to bet?” Maggie gets this wicked glint in her eyes.

“No, I don’t want to bet.” I laugh, taking another sip of my wine and realizing I have almost finished my glass. “I can’t sleep with him.” I shake my head.

“You can and you should.”

“He’s my—”

“Boss and the king. Blah…blah…blah. So what? If you’re as attracted to him as you say you are, you should totally go there.”

“I could lose my job.”

“So what? You’ll get another job. Besides, he’s the king; his say would be final, and if he’s boning you, he won’t let them fire you. It’s that simple.”

“Boning, Maggie? Really?” I laugh.

“Yes. Have some fun. Live a little. Be a little wild and a little reckless for once in your life.”

“It would be wrong.”

“Not really. As long as you both want to and lay down the rules upfront so that no one ends up getting hurt. You should totally go for it. You want him, don’t you?”

I don’t answer because I do indeed want him, but I’m not admitting that openly.

“Do you want him, Paisley? Be honest, if not with me, then with yourself.”

I sigh. “Fine, yes, I want him,” I groan and cover my face for a second.

She grins. “Then you should go for it. In fact…” She grabs my phone, and her fingers fly over the screen. “There!” She hands it back.

I gasp. “What did you just do?”

I’ll be there.

I groan again, louder this time.

“Find out what he wants, and then come and talk to me before making any kind of decision.”

“So that you can convince me to do the wrong thing?” I laugh.

A cheeky grin spreads across her whole face. “Exactly.” She nods.