The Devil's Dream: A Dark Romance (Dark Romance Novel Book 1) (2 page)

Chapter Three—Stavros

Stavros was getting bored, interviewing countless women. He was all the more irate by the fact that most of them didn’t have a genuine problem sleeping—they simply came to chat up the doctor they saw on television. The last woman he turned down all but threw herself across the desk at him. He picked up his phone. “Marie, are there a lot more potential patients waiting out there?”

“There are quite a few waiting. Well, more than a few, actually.”

He sighed, “Alright, I’ll take no more than ten more for today. We’ve got all week to do interviews.”

Marie giggled, “You sound a little frustrated. This is what you get for making the study only for women. Have you looked in the mirror, dear? What did you expect?”

He grunted. “You know I prefer to work with women Marie. They are so much more…compliant.”

“Yes, when it comes to you and your good looks, what woman wouldn’t be?”

He smiled. “Send another one in.” Marie was blissfully unaware of what he actually used his female patients for. He had plenty of male clients, but he was using this study to recruit more women to carry out certain tasks. He put on his best smile as another woman entered his office.

A little over an hour later, he was down to his last interview. He heard the door open but didn’t bother to look up from his clipboard. “Please, have a seat, Ms…”

“Taylor. Kiana Taylor.” She glanced around his swanky office. Everything screamed 'elegance.' The waiting room was just as expensively decorated as the doctor’s office.

Stavros glanced up, hearing the soft voice, laced with nervousness. His attention was instantly captured.
Well, aren’t you delicious
, he thought. Dropping the clipboard and pen, he stood up. “Kiana,” he tested her name on his tongue. “May I call you Kiana?”

She rubbed sweaty palms down the legs of her jeans. “Uh, sure.”

He smiled and held out his hand, “I’m Dr. Stavros Kane.”

He studied her with hooded eyes as she hesitantly walked forward. “I know. I mean, I saw you on the commercial.” She placed her hand in his. She drew in a sharp breath the instant they made contact. Her eyes widened slightly, and she quickly pulled her hand from his. “N-nice to meet you, Dr. Kane.”

He nodded, “Likewise. Have a seat.” He took in her every curve, clad in tightly fitted jeans and a body-hugging camisole, topped with a stylish blazer. His fingers itched to run over her light caramel skin and through her thick, black, shoulder-length wild curls.

She sat down in front of his desk and smiled. “Thank you.” His eyes dropped to her full, pink lips, and slowly drifted back up to meet her warm brown eyes.

He inhaled softly, composing himself. He was undoubtedly attracted and helplessly aroused by Kiana Taylor, he realized. He stared at her intensely, wondering what about her had awakened such a savage and surprising hunger inside of him. Sure, he reacted to beautiful women, but never like this. Was it the innocence that she exuded that called to the darkness in him, begging him to corrupt her? Or was it that she had a body and face to drive any man wild? He rubbed his chin. Whatever it was, he sure as hell was going to find out. He picked up his clipboard and glanced down at her file. “I have one more question for you that was not clearly asked in forms you filled out. You had checked ‘other’ for race. Can you please specify what you mean?” he asked.

“Sure. My father is African-American, and my mother is Caucasian. I am a mix, but ‘mixed-race’ wasn’t an option,” she answered.

“Ah, interesting,” Stavros said in response. He took another look at her filled out forms.

“So, Kiana, it seems you fit the requirements for my study.”

He looked up to find her staring at him. “Huh?”

He shoved down his satisfied grin. It would seem he wasn’t the only one affected. “Based on your answers to the list of questions that were provided, you seem to fit exactly what we are looking for.”

“Oh, yes. I suffer from insomnia. It’s gotten really bad.”

“You have experienced it before?”

She nodded, “Years ago, but it just resolved itself on its own.” She shrugged. “Now it’s back.” She tugged at her blazer. Was it just her, or had it gotten really hot in the doctor’s office? The way his gray eyes burned into her was seriously affecting her concentration. Did he look at all his patients this way? How on earth did they survive a session with him and not melt? She gulped.

“How long have you been experiencing symptoms, this time around?”

“About two months. I doubt I’ve gotten one full night of sleep in a week.”

His eyes pinned her. “Do you sleep alone, Kiana?”

His question took her off-guard. Of course, she knew she was being ridiculous—he had to ask such questions. “Er, y-yes.”

His gaze raked over her. “Hmmm.”

Kiana shifted uncomfortably in her seat and crossed her legs, pressing them together to ease the tension building between her thighs. What was the matter with her? One look from the doctor shouldn’t reduce her to an aroused, hot mess, no matter how sexy he was, and he was
very
sexy. He should be labeled hazardous to women.

She took advantage of his downcast gaze as he scribbled something on his clipboard. He had full, perfectly bowed lips, a straight nose, and a head of thick brown hair that she wanted to reach out and touch. Her eyes shifted from his face downward to the olive skin exposed by the slight opening of his shirt. Was a psychiatrist even supposed to be so hot? She stifled a groan. If she got to be a part of the good doctor’s study, she would be in big trouble. Of course, there was no way anything could happen between the psychiatrist and his patient. Right?

He looked up before she could shift her gaze. He caught her staring once again. She flushed a light shade of pink and quickly averted her gaze. “Well, Kiana, I know you were told that you would find out if you made the cut days after your screening, but I see no point in making you wait. Welcome to my sleep study. I’m sure it will bring us both pleasure to have you on board,” he added.

His tone made her wonder if she should put any more thought into his words. She shrugged it off.

“Oh, so no more questions?” She asked, surprised, the other women she had seen enter his office had stayed longer than she had. He smiled and shook his head. An uncontrollable shiver ran down her spine, brought on by his wolfish grin. “T-that’s great. Thank you.” She sat for a moment, held paralyzed by his smoldering gaze. She licked her dry lips and his eyes followed her tongue. She sprang up from her seat the next moment. “So uh, I'll see you next week?”

He stood up slowly, “Why wait so long?”

“Huh?” She stared at him blankly.

His lips curved upward, “I find you very interesting, Kiana. I would like to talk with you more.”

“Oh, um, alright.”

“How about we have dinner tomorrow?”

Her eyes widened, “You mean, talk outside of your office? Is my case really that interesting?”

He laughed, “Your case?” He paused.  “It sure is. So, dinner tomorrow at eight?”

“Uh, I don’t know.”

“Sure you do. You don’t want to wait until next week to see me, Kiana.” Her eyebrows shot up. She opened her mouth to issue a tart response about his ego, but decided against it. He couldn’t be more right. “There is no need for you to be afraid of me Kiana.”

Not yet
, he thought.

He stepped around the desk to tower over her.

She gulped, and gave a nervous laugh. “I’m not so sure about that.”

He grinned and shoved his hands in his pocket, resisting the urge to reach out and touch her. He shrugged. “It’s just dinner with a friendly doctor.”

Somehow, she knew he wasn’t so friendly, and from the lascivious look in his eyes, he didn’t have such good intentions. But part of her didn’t care. The devil on her shoulder told her to go for it.

“We will see about that tomorrow at eight.” His lips twisted into a wicked, sexy grin that made her toes curl. She stopped with her hand on the door knob.

“I’ll pick you up,” he said before she could ask. “I have your address.” He pointed to the clipboard.

“Right, she muttered before walking out.

He stared at the door long after Kiana vacated his office. He perched on his desk and folded his arms.
Kiana Taylor
. He didn’t think she would actually agree to go see him outside of his office, although he had no intention of taking 'no' for an answer. He couldn’t wait for tomorrow night to come. He would satisfy the urges he had with her, both normal and not so normal. He would make her unravel beneath his touch whether she liked it or not.

And he was pretty sure she would like it.

There was no mistaking her obvious interest in him. He anticipated having Kiana under his control. Even though she seemed to see right through him, his darker side still remained hidden, and she still couldn’t begin to imagine what he had in store for her.

He pushed himself off the desk and busied himself packing up his documents. This job bought him many pleasures, but it wasn’t the research and studies that he loved—it was what he could do with the skills he had to mentally manipulate his patients into doing just about anything he wanted.

He was known as the most respected and the best psychiatrist in the state, while running an organized drug ring under everyone’s nose. It brought him perverse pleasure that he couldn’t get anywhere else. He grinned. Perhaps there was one other thing that bought him as much pleasure—satisfying his unconventional sexual urges in the bedroom and out.

***
 

Kiana looked back at the huge building she had just stepped out of. She let out a breath, finally able to breathe normally. Being in close proximity to Dr. Stavros Kane had her breathing and heart rate kicked into overdrive. She wondered if he was aware of how much he affected her. He must have been. She was never any good at playing it cool around a man that she liked, and what she felt for the doctor was more than just normal attraction. What she felt was raw desire. If he had torn her clothes off and took her on his desk right then, she was pretty sure she wouldn’t have lifted a finger to stop him. She shook her head and made a frustrated sound.
Why am I even thinking about him tearing my clothes off or ravishing me on his desk?
It had to be lack of sleep that was bringing on such insane and completely out-of-character thoughts.

She picked up her pace, needing to get further away from the building that Dr. Kane was still in. She couldn’t believe she had agreed to go out with him.
What the hell was I thinking?
She was always cautious when it came to men,
all
men. But her barrier had crumbled to pieces with the blunt force of Dr. Kane’s arrogant but oddly charming invitation. “Just like I said, I’m in big trouble.”

Chapter Four—Kiana

Kiana paced her living room. “This is a bad idea,” she murmured to herself. “The worst idea I have ever had,
ever
.” She wished she could call Dr. Kane and cancel their little date, but the only number she had was his office number. “God, I can’t do this.” She considered cancelling when he arrived, but she would feel guilty, having him drive all the way to her apartment. She was a nervous wreck. Anxiety had always been her problem ever since she was a child.

Her cell phone rang, and she jumped. She reached for it and answered, “Hello, Kiana.”

The way her name rolled off his tongue gave her otherwise ordinary name an exotic sound. “Dr. Kane.”

“Please, call me Stavros.”

“Stavros.”

“That’s more like it.” She could hear the smile in his voice.

“Um, Stavros, I wanted to get a hold of you and say that I can't—”

“Yes, you can,” he interrupted.

She scowled. “You don’t even know what I was going to say.”

“You were going to try to cancel our date. It’s much too late for that. I’m right outside.”

She ran to the window and peered out. A sleek silver car was parked in front of her building. Her brows rose in amusement at how out-of-place the vehicle looked in her middle-class neighborhood. “Oh! I will...be right down, then,” she said with some hesitation. She heard him laugh before she hung up.

She took a deep breath. “So I’m doing this, then.” She slipped her feet into high-heeled pumps and grabbed her clutch purse. She reluctantly stepped out into the hallway, passed the elevator, and headed for the stairs.

Stepping out into the light summer night's breeze, she squared her shoulders and ambled toward Stavros’s car. He stepped out, and her breath just about stopped. He looked immaculate, in a finely tailored suit. It was a good thing she had put on her best dress.

Stavros approached her, his gaze moving from the legs exposed by a very short hemline and up to the curve of her hips and further up to rest on her ample cleavage. His gaze finally landed on her lightly made-up face. “Kiana, you look ravishing,” he breathed. “Red is definitely your color.”

She blushed, “Thank you.” She looked him up and down shyly, “You, um, clean up pretty nice, yourself.”

He grinned and offered her his arm. She raised an eyebrow in question. “I’m a bit old-fashioned in some ways.”

She rested her hand on his arm and they walked to his car. After he assisted her inside, she watched anxiously as he walked around to slide in beside her. All of the sudden, the car felt far too small. “Relax, Kiana, I don’t bite.” He glanced at her, “Unless you want me to.”

She quickly looked away.
Oh boy
. “I am relaxed.”

He grunted. “I could feel your tension before I even laid eyes on you. I can just imagine that you were pacing your floor earlier.”

She folded her arms around her middle defensively and snorted, “Well, I wasn’t.” She gave him a fleeting look. Was he psychic or something?

“Are you always wound up so tight?”

“I don’t think it’s any of your concern how tightly wound up I am.”

“Oh, but that's exactly my business. I will have to do something about that.” He grinned and pressed on the accelerator.

After the short drive, Kiana looked around the restaurant he drove her to. She had only ever stood on the outside of the exclusive place and imagined what it would be like to actually dine inside. A frown formed on her face. Stavros was watching her intently, taking in every emotion that played across her face. She was an open book. Or maybe he was just too good at reading people. “What is it?” He inquired.

Her eyes narrowed, “Why am I here?”

“To eat, Kiana.”

She pursed her lips. “This is highly inappropriate. If I’m now a part of your study, that makes me your patient. This isn’t exactly kosher patient-doctor interaction.”

He lifted his wine glass and took a sip. “I have never been one to play by the rules.” Kiana eyed her glass of red wine and lifted it to her lips. She needed to get plastered to get through the rest of the night. Stavros smiled. “It’s time to order.”

Kiana rolled her food around on her plate some time later, stealing glances at the man in front of her from time to time. He really was a beautiful man. “Are you Greek?” She blurted out the question.

She blushed when he grinned, unfazed. “I am on my father’s side, at least.”

“Oh, ok.” She fell back into silence and continued to shove the contents on her plate around.

“Not hungry?”

“No. I’m more tired than hungry.”

He sat back. Sympathy rose up inside of him. The urge to help her was suddenly more pronounced than urge to take her to the bathroom and fuck her senseless.
How strange.
He regarded her silently for a while. The lines of stress and lack of sleep were noticeable beneath her eyes. “What happened to bring on your insomnia, do you suppose?”

She shrugged. “You should tell me, you’re the doctor.”

“It could be caused by significant life stress, environmental factors, mental and physical discomfort, lots of things. You must know what causes you stress, surely.”

Kiana shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She really didn’t want to dredge up the past right now. “Even if something did happen in my past, I was perfectly fine until two years ago.”

“Hmmm, running from something, are you?”

She scowled. “What kind of a psychiatrist are you, anyway? You’re not supposed to use that judgmental tone.”

He cocked an eyebrow, “This is not a therapy session, Kiana.”

“Well, that's the only interaction you and I should be having,” she muttered under her breath. “I came to you for help, not to be wined and dined.”

His gaze roamed her face, “Don’t worry. I fully intend to help you tonight,” he drawled.

She glanced at him, and he held her gaze. Something she couldn’t identify flickered in his eyes, sending a shiver through her. She swallowed hard, wanting to ask him how he intended to help her. “Since you aren't eating, we might as well get out of here.”

“Are you taking me home now?”

“No.”

“Where are we going?”

“To the clinic. You do want my help, don’t you?”

She stared at him in confusion as he signaled for the check. He looked at her, his expression serious. Something in him had changed abruptly. He looked almost predatory. The check was brought over. She watched him pay a ridiculous amount for their meal in cash and leave a generous tip. He stood up and extended his hand, as she had expected. She took it, afraid of what was to come next.

Kiana eyed Stavros nervously as they pulled up in front of his office building.
Shit he was really serious
. What could he possibly do for her at the clinic at this time of night? “Well? Let’s go, Kiana.”

“I’m not going into a dark, lonely building with someone who's basically a stranger.”

“Come on, I won’t do anything you won’t like." He grinned mischievously and got out of the car, knowing she would follow. He didn’t bother to look back as she got out with an aggravated grunt and followed him into the building.

Kiana maintained her distance as Stavros switched on the light. She spun around in circles. “Where are we?”

“I am giving you an early introduction to the clinic where you will be spending all of your nights for the next two weeks, starting in a few days.”

She looked at the single bed in small room. “How many others will be a part of your study?”

“You and twelve others.”

“So...I'll be sleeping here with twelve other strangers, for two weeks. Great.”

“You won’t have to interact with any of them. You will have your own room.”

“You sure do have a big office.”

He shrugged, “My office is downstairs. I rented out three floors on this building.”

“Oh, ok. So what will you be doing to help me tonight? Are you going make me lay down on a couch while you ask me questions about my childhood and scribble in a notebook?”

He grinned. “Hardly. I was thinking of something a bit more inventive.” He took slow steps toward her and she instinctively retreated backward. He reached out a hand to tuck a stray lock of her hair. “What did you do with your curls, Kiana?”

She gulped. “I-I flat-ironed my hair.”

“Hmmm. I like your untamed curls. But I suspect you look spectacular with any hairstyle.”

She drew in a breath, “Um, thanks.” She took another step backward, avoiding his touch.

He grasped her wrist and pulled her to him. “Are you afraid of me?”

“Yes,” she blurted in a whisper.

“Smart girl. But I’m not letting you out of my clutches.”

“Stavros—” She was cut off by his lips covering hers. She stiffened, sure that kissing him back would be a big mistake. Yet his mouth moved over hers, and she couldn’t help melting into him. He placed a hand on her hip, pulling her closer while reaching the other hand up to bunch into her hair. He pulled her head back to an angle to accommodate the deepening of his kiss. His tongue delved into the warmth of her mouth and explored slowly.

A low moan escaped Kiana’s lips. He pulled back and stared into her eyes. Her pupils were slightly dilated, and her breaths came out in short puffs. “I've wanted to do that since you walked into my office,” he confessed. She held his gaze, speechless. “Time for your therapy session. On the bed, now.”

“I beg your pardon?” She asked horrified.

“You heard me, Kiana. Move.”

She glanced back at the small bed. “I am
not
getting—” He lifted her and carried her to the bed to dump her unceremoniously onto the mattress. She let out a yelp when he lifted her hands above her head. “What are you doing?”

“Helping you relax a little.” He reached for white straps hanging at the side of the bed and secured her wrists. She gasped, her eyes wide and filled with fear.  He ran his fingers down her face. “Don’t worry, Kiana, I won’t hurt you. Not until I know for sure that you will like it,” he added, grinning wickedly.

His words did little to allay her fears. “W-why are there even straps on this bed?” She asked weakly.

“Don’t think about it too hard,” he suggested, moving down to strap her ankles to the bed rail.

“Please, Stavros, this is getting too weird. You should take me home,
now
.”

He placed a finger over her lips. “This will help you, I promise. I’ll be right back.”

She watched him disappear through the door. She looked around the room frantically and tried to peer through the one-way window. She heard the door open and looked up to see Stavros wheeling in some kind of instrument. “What is that?” She asked, near panic.

“An electrocardiograph to monitor your heart rate,” he responded casually.

She threw him a concerned glance. “Why do you need to monitor my heart rate?” What was he going to do to her? He began to attach the leads, slipping his hand into her dress. Her breath hitched as his fingers brushed against her breast. The monitor immediately began to beep erratically.

Stavros grinned, “I barely touched you, Kiana.”

She blushed, hating that he now had concrete evidence of the effect he had on her. “I don’t like this. Untie me now, Stavros. I mean it. How dare you tie me to a bed on our first date,” she hissed.

“Ah! So you admit, this is a date.”

She clamped her mouth shut. “Well, considering that you shoved your tongue into my mouth and your hand down my dress and now we're playing some sick bondage game, it might as well be.”

He chuckled, “You are delightful, Kiana Taylor! I will free you when I'm through.”

She gulped. “Through with what exactly?”

“I told you, I’m helping you relax.”

She didn’t see how any of this would induce relaxation. If anything, she was more on edge than ever. She stilled when his hand trailed down her neck and stopped at her chest. Fingers swiped over her breasts, sending the monitor into overdrive again. His hand strayed down, passing over her abdomen. Stavros grinned. “I like how your body reacts to me.”

“It would react the same way if anyone else touched me.”

“I don’t think so.”

She glared up at him and let out a yelp when his hand brushed over her mound. “Stavros, it’s really time to stop.”

“What? Do you like my hands on you too much?”

“N-no,” she denied feebly. But the monitor keeping track of her heart rate said something else.

“Liar. Quiet, Kiana. You will enjoy this.” He perched beside her on the bed. She felt fingers pushing her panties aside. Her chest rose and fell rapidly. She wanted to stop him, but her traitorous body still wanted his touch. He flicked a finger over her clitoris, pulling a moan from her lips. Her body arched upward as he slid one finger into her. “I told you you’d like it,” he whispered. He gazed down at her with a mixture of fascination and pure lust. Her eyes widened, and her pulse picked up even more, leaving her wondering if they'd have actually sex right here in the clinic.