The Devil's Dream: A Dark Romance (Dark Romance Novel Book 1) (4 page)

She smiled. If she wasn’t getting any in reality, she might as well enjoy this fantasy.

She gasped at the sharp pain she felt when she was entered swiftly. Adjusting to the invasion, she moved her lips to call his name. It came out as a mere whisper. Warm lips touched hers, and his tongue slid across, outlining the shape of her mouth.

“More,” she whispered. He began to move, wringing a long, satisfied moan from her lips. She reveled in the feeling of being possessed by him, even if it was just an erotic dream. Her breathing rate increased as he drove her to the edge, tension coiled in her core, getting ready to explode. Finally able to move her arms, she grasped his forearm, and her fingernails dug into his skin, unable to contain the explosion that erupted inside of her.
Holy shit, that felt real
. If she could get her subconscious to have hallucinations like the one she just had every night, she would have no need for a real man.

“You are mine now.” The low baritone penetrated her foggy mind.

“Hmmm?”

Her eyes fluttered open. Glancing around, she was momentarily confused as to where she was. Her gaze drifted downward, taking in the multitude of wires surrounding her, reminding her that she was in a clinic. Sitting up slowly, she blinked several times. She lifted her hands to rub her temples. Why was everything about last night so vague? The last thing she remembered was taking a couple of offered sleeping pills, and then she had completely blacked out. There was one thing she remembered: her very vivid dream. She swung her legs over the bed and stood up.

She then froze, wondering why she felt a delicious ache between her thighs. A frown came over her face when she smelled his scent lingering on her skin.

She shook her head. How could it be? It was just a dream. Yet there was no way a dream could leave such physical evidence. Maybe it was her imagination. It had to be. She began to run her hands down the front of her body, feeling relieved upon discovering that her clothes were still intact. There was no way Stavros could have really come in last night and touched her. The physical evidence was present, but it made no sense. She spun around to stare at the one way window in terror. She wished she could see who was behind it. “It wasn’t real,” she murmured.

Chapter Seven—Stavros

Stavros peered at Kiana. She was staring back at him, but she had no idea who was behind the glass. He could tell what she was thinking by the confused expression on her face. His eyes jumped to the monitors as they began to spike. Her mind was racing, and her pulse was elevated. He blinked, a smile spreading across his mouth. He could still smell her heady scent all over him. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. Going into her room and invading her in the most intimate way without her knowledge was exhilarating. Doing wrong always seemed to stimulate him.

She liked it
. He grinned harder.
She had begged for more
. Sure, she thought she was dreaming. But she’d had him on her mind, he knew it. She had whispered his name ever so softly. Her soft moans still filled his ears. It was the sweetest music he had ever heard. His smile dropped instantly, and he looked away from her. A sliver of guilt passed through him. He had never done anything like what he did last night to a patient. He drugged them to easily bend them to his will, but he had never touched a woman without her being fully aware. Maybe he had taken things too far with Kiana. But he had wanted her.
I still want her, more of her
. He frowned. He never felt guilty for taking what he wanted. He gritted his teeth.

What was she doing to him?

He growled and wheeled around, heading for the door. He had to get his head together before the few staff he had arrived and before he interacted with his patients. He stormed through the hallway, his mind still racing and filled with thoughts, irritating thoughts about a particular woman.

“Dr. Kane.” He stopped and spun around. The woman’s eyes widened slightly, taking in his dark, stormy expression.

Forcing down his anger, he put on a calm, friendly façade. “You shouldn’t be out of your room yet, Ms…”

“Morrow, Kate.” She glanced around, her eyes glassy. She seemed dazed.

He grinned. Of course she was. She had been drugged. “Kate, please go back to your room. I will be making rounds shortly.

She stared up at him with a frown and lifted her hand to her head. “Uh, sure.” She gave one more suspicious look around before staggering back into the room.

Stavros’s smile instantly fell as he stared at the now closed door. He had a nagging feeling about Kate Morrow. She appeared to be too… observant. Perhaps he was just too suspicious. In his line of work, he had to be. He reminded himself that she was just here to get help for her sleeping problem. It was human nature to be vigilant in a strange place. He walked away. He would check Kate Morrow out anyway, just to make sure. Making it to his office floor, he busied himself with showering and getting ready for the day.

***
 

Leaning against the bar, Stavros watched Kiana enter his club. She stopped and searched the room, biting her lower lip anxiously. He stood still, waiting for her to find him. When she did, he felt a strange kick in his gut and scowled. He straightened when she took slow steps toward him, holding his gaze. For once, he couldn’t read her expression. It was like she had erected a wall. His brows furrowed.

As it turned out, he didn’t much like the feeling of not being able to read Kiana. She came closer, and he felt himself reacting strangely. His pulse had increased slightly. Was it her presence in the room? Was it anticipation for what he knew would happen between them later? Or was it the dress she wore that had men in the room giving her looks of appreciation?

Her hips swayed provocatively as she strutted on the dangerously high heels. He licked his dry lips. He’d always thought his type was tall and slender. But it seemed he was wrong. As it would appear, he also liked colored skin and curves. Her hair was hanging on her shoulders in wild curls, the way he liked it.

“Hello, Stavros.”

“Kiana, I’m glad you decided to take me up on my invitation. You look lovely.”

She glanced around, “Mhmm. Thank you. I didn’t take you for a night club person. You look out of place,” she shouted above the music.

His lips twitched and he leaned toward her, “Why is that?”

Shrugging, she peeked up at him through her lashes. “You’re sophisticated, and a
doctor
. I didn’t realize your type liked to get down in clubs.”

He laughed, “My type, huh?” He leaned closer to her so he could whisper in her ear. “As it happens, I own this place.”

Her eyes widened, “Oh. Well, aren’t you full of surprises.”

He smirked, “I can’t wait for you to see just how many. What can I get you to drink?”

Kiana pinned him with a serious look, “I didn’t come here to have fun. I accepted your invitation so we could talk.”

His gaze ran over her hour glass figure, “Dressed like that? Honey, how do you expect me to focus on anything you say?”

She blushed and looked away, “I’ll have vodka, straight up.”

His brows lifted, “No girly cocktail?”

“I like my drinks strong.”

His eyes dropped to her lips, “What else do you like?”

“My drink, please.”

He chuckled and turned away to order. Stavros studied her as she gulped down the contents of her glass and signaled for another.

“Boss, we’re ready for you.” He turned to see Jeremy standing behind him. Jeremy gave Kiana an approving once-over, but quickly stepped back when Stavros stepped in front of her, blocking his view.

“I’ll be right there,” he bit coldly. Jeremy smirked and disappeared into the crowd. Turning to Kiana, he said, “Duty calls. I won’t be long. Will you be alright on your own?”

She rolled her eyes, “I’m a grown-ass woman. Go ahead, I’m not going anywhere. We still haven’t talked.” She eyed him coolly.

His lips twisted. “Based on the way you sound, I’m not too excited about our impending conversation.”

She gave nothing away with her expression. “You shouldn’t be.”

His gaze lingered on her a moment longer before he turned away. He weaved through the crowd, feeling Kiana’s gaze boring into his back. He opened a closed door and disappeared from her sight. Walking into the room occupied by his waiting employees, he said, “All of you had better have good news.” His tone was annoyed at having his time with Kiana interrupted.

“Relax boss, there is plenty of good news. For one, money is flowing in, and Neuro remains the hottest in the market.”

“But?”

“But people want more, as in, something new.”

Stavros glanced around the room. “It won’t be much longer before people get their wish granted. I’m working on something new: Neuro with a kick.” His lips curled, “It’s going to be good.” He began to pace. “There was a little hitch in production, but it won’t be much longer.”

“How are we going to get the new Neuro distributed at a faster rate?”

Stavros eyes landed on the man who asked the question. He shrank back and gulped, regretting bringing attention to himself. His boss had the coldest stare he had ever seen, and the man was well aware of how much pleasure Stavros could take in causing pain. “Good question, Rafe. But, don’t you worry yourself about that. You just keep doing what you do, hmmm?”

Rafe shook his head and gulped again, “Yes, sir.”

Jeremy cleared his throat, “Time to make the boss happy.” He produced two briefcases and handed them to Stavros.

He kept his hand behind his back, “You go ahead and open them.” Jeremy shrugged and proceeded to do as he was told. Both cases were filled with cash. “Very well,” his gaze met Jeremy’s, “You know what to do. I have a date to get back to.”

“Yes, boss.”

Everyone in the room let out relieved breaths once Stavros left the room. His presence alone was intimidating, and the stories that circulated about him wrought even more fear.

Stavros located Kiana as soon as he reentered the crowded room. She sat cross-legged on a stool, chatting animatedly to the bartender. He sneered. She didn’t quite light up that way with him. He aimed for the bar, anger swirling in him. The bartender scurried away at the sight of him. Kiana frowned, wondering what had caused the sudden change in the man keeping her company. She looked over her shoulder. Stavros smiled, “Missed me?”

She looked him up and down, “You weren’t gone that long.”

He fought back laughter, “You are no good for my ego.”

“I think your ego is big enough to survive.”

“I suppose that since you’re here strictly to talk, I won't be getting a dance.”

Spinning around on the stool, she jumped off. “We can dance
and
talk. I’d like to see if the good doctor has any good moves. Hey, Rob, another.” She took up the glass that slid her way and downed it in a large gulp.

“You do remember that you are a part of my study, don’t you? You have to be at the clinic in two hours. At the rate you are downing drinks, I won’t be able to give you any medication tonight.”

She turned around and wrapped her arms around his neck as they swayed to the music. “Are you going to kick me out of your study, doc?”

“Not at all, I’ll just make sure that I tend to you myself tonight.” He bent his head to her neck to take in her scent.

She stiffened. His words reminded her of the main reason she was at the club. “Tend to me yourself? Like you did last night?”

Chapter Eight—Kiana

She felt him become rigid against her. Stavros pulled back to look down at her, “What are you talking about?”

Kiana stared up at him, suddenly feeling ridiculous. Of course he didn’t know what she was talking about. She knew it she had to have been dreaming, but throughout the day, she had convinced herself that it was real. When Stavros had called to invite her out for the evening, she had accepted only because she wanted to look into his eyes when she asked him, “Were you in my room last night?”

His shoulders lifted. “I was in everyone’s room last night. I am conducting a study, after all.”

She flushed, feeling more foolish by the second. “Uh, r-right, I just…um felt weird this morning, you know?”

“No, I don’t know. Weird how?” He twirled her around and pulled her back into her arms.

“Er, never mind. I just had a strange dream.” She fell silent, “Um, Stavros?”

“Mhmm?” His hands inched further down her back.

“I would like to drop out of the study.”

He stopped, blinking at her. “You can’t. I mean, you signed a contract. You are mine for two weeks.”

Kiana frowned. What did he mean she was 'his?' “I beg your pardon?”

“You agreed to let me study you for two weeks,” he quickly explained. “I can help you, Kiana. Don’t you feel more rested today? You slept through the night.”

Studying him carefully, she finally answered, “I do feel a bit better. But all I got were sleeping pills. I can just get whatever you gave me at a pharmacy and take them at home, problem solved.”

He grinned, “What I gave you last night isn’t on the market. That is why it's called a study, Kiana. So it looks like you have to stick around. Besides, I would really like to get to the bottom of your insomnia.”

“You really want to help.” It was a statement rather than a question.

“Of course, helping people is what I do.”

She nodded. She supposed it would be less than smart of her to drop out after she had already started. She did feel a thousand times better after the full night of sleep she had gotten. “I was even able to get some work done,” she mused aloud.

“What?”

“Huh? Oh, I was able to get a lot accomplished, because I felt less frazzled. I guess I can finish the two weeks.”

“Good girl.” His head lowered to capture her lips. She knew she should pull away, but she wanted to feel the contact. The kiss was gentle and brief.

He lifted a hand to twirl a strand of curls around his finger. She glimpsed red marks on his arms and turned to study them more closely. He was looking at her wild mane and didn’t notice her scrutiny of his scars. Kiana frowned. They were definitely fingernail marks. Her supposed dream played in her mind. She had taken hold of his forearms and dug her nails in the same spot right when she had…

What the fuck?

Not only had she felt the physical evidence of being invaded, but now she was seeing bodily proof on him. Nausea rolled in her stomach. Did he molest all of his patients while they slept? And why was jealousy rearing its ugly head? She was pissed; she shouldn’t care if he touched other women.
God, I need help.
The sickening feeling overrode her confusing jealous.

He touched me without my consent
. She now knew it for sure. Her gaze flew upward and collided with his. He looked down at her innocently and smiled. The smile disappeared when he noticed the quivering of her lower lips. “What’s wrong?”

She stared up at him, disgusted and horrified. Pulling away from him, she turned and walked off without a word. “Kiana? He called.

She ignored him, quickening her pace. Her mind raced. What the hell kind of a doctor was he? Did he actually have sex with her?
Oh shit, I liked it. What does that say about me?
She had known in the back of her mind that something shady was going on. Why was he only studying females? She was sure there were plenty of men with sleeping problems. Janine’s words played in her mind. She had even questioned why Stavros chose to work by himself at nights. The sick pervert.

She reached the exit and stepped outside, glad to be away from him. She had spoken to quite a few of the women this morning when it was time to leave, though, and they all seemed fine. No one else realized that something immoral was going on. If she left, they would all continue to suffer. She slowed down. Stavros had no idea that she suspected any wrongdoing. What if she stayed to unveil the truth? “Kiana, damn it, slow down, will you?”

She came to a halt. Could she do it? Could she face him after what she was sure he had done? Considering her past, she might very well break down in front of him. The discovery of his atrocities toward her had thrown her right back into the emotionally scarred and scared little girl that she used to be. She slowly turned to him, “Uh, sorry, I needed some air. I-I think I had too much to drink.”

He studied her, the haunted look in her eyes evident. “Are you sure that is all?”

“Well, I felt a bit ill as well. I have a touch of claustrophobia. The crowd got to me.” She took her cell phone out of her purse. “It’s getting late, I need to get home and get ready… to see you again,” she giggled nervously. “I’ll see you later, then.”

He gave a slight smile, “You shouldn’t drive after drinking so much.”

“I didn’t drive. I took a taxi.”

“I will take you home.”

She opened her mouth to refuse, but stopped. She would play along with his flirting and see just how close she could get. “Thank you.”

Stavros’s brows lifted. He had expected a fight. He regarded her carefully, his eyes piercing hers. She smiled up at him. “What?”

He remained silent, but held out his hand. She looked down at it before accepting.

***
 

“It wasn’t the best idea for you to take me here. What if someone sees us together?”

Stavros glanced at her, “It’s none of anyone’s business who I carry in my vehicle.”

“You're used to having your own way, aren’t you?”

He grinned. “You're catching on quickly, Kiana.”

She huffed. “Well, I would like to maintain my dignity among the other participants. So, just drive a little further up the block and let me out.”

“For God’s sake, it’s nine at night. I will not allow you to walk any distance on your own.”

“Who the fuck are you, my father?”

He gritted his teeth. “Such a dirty mouth for such a pretty little girl. I should put you over my knee.”

She glared at him, and shivered slightly. His words were uttered with such seriousness; she got the impression that it was something he really would do. Swallowing hard, she said, “Please, just let me off up the block. I’ll be fine, I promise.” She snorted, “If you saw where I grew up, you would know that I can take care of myself.”

He sighed. “As you wish.” He scowled, wondering why he cared so much. Driving up the block, he unlocked the door and watched her climb out.

Kiana looked back as she walked away from Stavros’s car. She let out a breath. “What the hell am I doing?” She should have gone to the police with her suspicions; instead, she was driving around town in his damn car. She stole another quick glance in his direction. He had turned the car around and stood stationary, watching her until she reached his office building. Pushing the door open, she ran up the stairs rather than waiting on the elevator. She didn’t want him to reach inside and find her.

It was a good thing he had witnessed her throw back so many drinks tonight. Now he couldn’t drug her up, so she would be lucid and able to watch his every move. She smiled; she would catch the bastard red-handed tonight. As it was her second night, she knew the drill. Walking into the clinic, she greeted the women she saw and moved toward her room. She nearly collided with the red-haired woman she had been studying the day before. “Sorry.”

The woman smiled. “It’s alright. You are Kiana right?”

“Uh, yeah.” She tried to recall if she had ever heard the woman’s name.

“Kate.”

“Kate, how are you?”

“I’m great. How are you enjoying the study?”

Kiana laughed, “Well, I wouldn’t say I’m enjoying it. I just want to get it over with, and hopefully, by the end of the two weeks, I’ll be able to sleep like a normal human.”

Kate giggled, “Same here. Um, Kiana, have you noticed anything weird happening around here?”

Kiana paused and stared at Kate, “What do you mean?”

She leaned in and whispered conspiratorially, “I know it’s only the second night. But I think something weird is going on. When I woke up this morning, I felt strange.”

Kiana stiffened. Had Stavros put his hands on Kate too? Her heart dropped and she couldn’t believe it. “Um, strange how?”

Kate looked around, “Like I was drugged.”

Kiana laughed, “Well, Kate, you were. We all were. We got sleeping aids, remember?”

Kate blushed, “I-I felt like I had gotten a date-rape drug or something.” She shrugged, “I guess lack of sleep makes one paranoid.”

Nodding in agreement, Kiana excused herself, “I’m going to go and settle in. Don’t worry, Kate. I’m sure everything is fine.”

The woman gave her an uncertain smile and left. Kiana watched her retreating form. Why had she just lied? She leaned against the wall and stared down at the floor. She
knew
something was going on. If she had admitted her concerns to Kate, she might have gained an ally, an extra pair of eyes in this strange clinic. Frowning, she asked herself,
Why did I lie, for him?
For some strange reason, she had felt the need to protect Stavros.
Well, I can’t throw him under the bus until I know for sure what he is up to
. She straightened up and continued to her room. Yes, that was it: she had lied because she wanted to know for sure what was going on.

Hours later, Kiana stared at the door, waiting for him to come in. She knew everyone else had gone home. Janine had hooked her up to the monitors but retained the meds, with strict orders from Dr. Kane. Janine had been confused as to why she was the only patient not receiving the tablets, but she had not questioned the boss. Kiana grinned. She was completely lucid. More time passed, and still, nothing.

Disappointed, she sat up and sighed. A thought struck her. Had she been replaced this night by another? It sickened her that she felt a sliver of hurt. She’d had the impression that she was somewhat special. After all, he had taken her out before the study began. He was flirtatious, like he was interested in her outside of his study. Plus, he had touched her intimately on their first night out. The area between her thighs tingled in remembrance of his touch.
He kissed me tonight.
Her fingers flew to her lips, reliving the kiss they had shared earlier tonight. She thought he had violated her while she was almost totally unconscious because he was attracted to her. That didn’t make what he did any more justifiable, but at least it had made her feel a bit better. But he didn’t come to her tonight, and now she pictured him touching someone else. Jealousy and anger were prominent in her thoughts for the remainder of the night.