Page 34 of Master B-0361
“Do what? Try to talk to you?”
Her lips tightened.
“Yeah. You don’t have to feel obligated to do that. Pretend I’m not here. That’s what you want anyway.”
At my silence, her brow crinkled, and she turned, reopening her book.
“I’m only thinking about what’s best for you.”
“No, Sebastian, you’re thinking about what’s bestfor you, just like you always do. And that’s fine. On this, you’re actually right. Working at the hospital and being free is a golden opportunity. It definitely benefits me better in the long run than being your slave. I mean, if you weren’t dreaming of killing me, you’d feel obligated to care for me, and that’s not fair. Plus, I don’t want that. We laugh and have fun, but that would end when you had your urges and brought new slaves home. So, yeah, it’s fine. There’s nothing left to say. You’ll continue to relive your pain, and I’ll have a future becoming a doctor. I can actually have a semi-normal life working at the hospital. Dr. Bailor even says it’s better here than the outside world.”
“Who’s Dr. Bailor?”
The deepness in my tone couldn’t be hidden as I sat up straighter on the cushion.
“He’s the one who’s taken me under his wing, so to speak. He’s amazing, really. Super smart. He’s invited me to dinner tomorrow night and I’m thinking of accepting.”
I scooted to the edge of the sofa, turning even more towards her in my shock. “Dinner? He asked you to dinner? Who’s this guy?”
“Don’t get that tone. It’s merely extra time to talk over how some procedures differ from those in the outside world. I guess the laws on the outside prevent techniques that can be used here.”
“Bullshit,” I exploded. “Surely you’re not buying that excuse.”
“It’s not an excuse. We’re very busy at the hospital. We don’t get much time between patients to really dig into everything I need to learn.”
“You’ve been there a week.”
“Almost two.”
“You have years to figure it out. What does this guy look like?”
Margaret made an aggravated sound, shutting her book.
“What was that, Margaret? That sound? We’re not talking about some old, unattractive doctor, are we?”
“He’s not bad looking, I guess. Although, truthfully, I don’t care either way. I’m there to learn, and he’s who the Main Master set me up with. I have no control over any of it.”
My eyes widened. “Define not bad looking.”
For seconds she paused, reopening her book to where she had the page marked. Except, she wasn’t using a bookmark. She was using a picture.
“This was taken a few days ago while you were gone. It was Nurse Kelly’s birthday. We threw her a little party.”
I took the picture, glaring at it as I took in the handful of people in the photo. Margaret didn’t have to tell me who Dr. Bailor was. He was the only one wearing a white coat, and the only one who looked like he’d been plucked from the set of some dreamy, hospital drama.
“The Main Master set you up with him? Elec, that son of a bitch. Why am I not surprised?”
She tilted her head, narrowing her lids. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means,” I growled, “this was a set-up and a test for me. The doctor is available, and I was right. The dinner is an invitation to fuck.”
“You mean someone might actually want me?Maybe I need to be fucked.”
I had Margaret off that couch so fast that she yelped as I scooped her in my arms and headed for the room.
“I think you forget you’re still my slave.” I tossed her on my bed, pushing her on her back just as fast. “What part of freedom when you’refinisheddid you not understand?”
“You don’t want me. I don’t see why you care if someone else does. I thought you wanted me to be happy. Safe.”