Kieran nodded, eyes going to the papers even though he already knew every detail. “It happens quite often, but I am glad I could help you.”
After he checked the IV lines and looked over her last vitals in the chart, he put it down on the bed to remove the bandages to check the suture wounds. When he finished looking over the wounds, and was satisfied they were healing well, he replaced the bandages.
He reached down for the chart and felt her hand brush his. He blinked dumbly at the hand, frowning. Unlike his reaction to the actor at the radio program, Kieran only felt slightly uncomfortable by being touched by her.
“Do you need something? I can get a nurse if you need something,” he inquired and glanced up at her face, and noticed a blush spreading across it.
When she did not say anything, he moved to the end of the bed to replace the chart. He bowed slightly at her and started to back out of the room. “Let me know if you have any questions; Mary will be around six tonight!”
Kieran turned and fled the room. He paused at the nurses’ station, looking quickly around for Artemis first. Not seeing him, he picked a clipboard and started looking through it. His mind was on several things at once.
In the room he had just left, Janet watched the door where the doctor had just left.
Clair patted her leg. “Hey, maybe he’s just shy too, but he is awful cute! Take it slow and easy!”
Varick stood against the wall, staring in the direction the doctor had gone, then glanced at the two women. He snorted at Clair’s comment, contemplating his reaction to Janet’s touch. He was beginning to think he was on the right track about the doctor being gay.
“You’re one to talk, sis. You and Charles just hooked up a couple months ago, and you’re already all over him and going to that club tonight.”
Now it was Clair’s turn to blush. “Well, he’s really sweet, and he’s a radio personality! Oh, now that I think about it, Janet’s doctor did an interview with him today, and guess who else was on there? Deangelo!”
“Deangelo?” Varick asked, frowning, not keeping up with local pop culture.
“You’d like him, he’s an actor, starring in Much Ado About Nothing this weekend,” Clair smiled. “And he’s unattached, attractive, and bi.”
Varick rolled his eyes. “Sis, really?”
The conversation shifted, but Varick lost track of what Janet and Clair were talking about because when he looked through the tall window next to the door, he saw the doctor still standing close by. Varick saw the dark-haired nurse walk up and grab his arm to turn him toward her. Then it seemed they were having a heated discussion because Kieran was obviously agitated. Varick watched as the doctor started drumming his fingers against his thigh. His drumming got harder and harder until the dark-haired nurse grabbed his hand. He shook her off. At this point, Varick leaned over and pushed the door open enough to hear the conversation. Clair and Janet grew quiet behind him.
“Kie, come on, you gotta calm it down and quit doing it, you’re making the patients nervous,” Mary said.
“Mary, you know well I cannot...I’m just...aigoo. I am going to the roof to rock, okay, I have to do something, and...just ssibal...if you see Thomas send him up. I do not think I can deal with patients for the rest of today, it is too fucking much, okay? I feel like my goddamned head is going to explode, okay...” His fingers started thrumming against his chin and he rocked back on his heels.
“Okay, okay, I’ll cover, go upstairs, and work it out, okay? Do what you have to do. Was it the interview?” she demanded.
He nodded vigorously. “Ssibal, ssibal, yes, fuck. He went off script and messed me up.”
“Shhh, watch your mouth down here,” she insisted, frowning at him.
“You know I cannot fucking control it. I am going up.”
Kieran turned on his heels and practically ran for a nearby door. Varick watched him go and heard the exasperated sigh from the nurse. He slipped out of Janet’s room, waving Clair off when she tried to ask him what he was doing. He followed the doctor through the door, seeing him going up the stairs a little way in front of him. Varick realized it took Kieran a bit to navigate them, obviously struggling with keeping his limbs in order. Varick was quiet as he continued upward, and once Kieran reached the top, Varick heard the key in the roof access. He came up to base of the stair just as the door swung wide and the doctor slipped out.
Varick grinned, running the last few stairs and catching it, slipping out before the self-locking door closed behind him. He moved around the side of the small alcove that housed the stairs. The area looked slightly damp, but as he glanced to the sky, the clouds had become sparse. The chill remained though. He peered around the alcove wall and saw a concrete divider in the center of the roof. Kieran was leaning back against the divider wall. He started rocking his body back and forth, hands interlocked over his head. From the angle, Varick saw Kieran’s face was almost blissful at the action. Then the doctor wrapped his arms tightly around himself and continued the motion. When he heard the door opening again, Varick moved to hide around the side, but peeked out and watched as another doctor came out.
“Kieran, you’ve got to get yourself under control. I can’t have you snapping at patients, you know that,” he stared. “You’re ticking and stimming too much again. What’s got you worked up?”
Kieran looked up at the gray-haired man and shook his head. “Ssibal, Thomas. I do not know. The interview got me going, I guess. Whatever, my nerves are shot now.”
“You’re burning yourself out, that’s what,” the older doctor responded.
Kieran swallowed. “Get me another surgery, I do not care what, give me an appendectomy or a colectomy, just let me into a surgery so I can think.”
“Kieran, you can’t do a surgery like you are now. I’ve told you before. No way will I let you do surgery if you’re stimming like this. How can I be sure you won’t start drumming in surgery?”
“I will not, you know it! Surgery is the only place I am normal!” Kieran nearly yelled at him. He was obviously getting frustrated.
Varick narrowed his eyes as he watched as the older doctor, Thomas apparently, let out a long sigh, and spoke in a tone that sounded like a command. “Kieran. Stop. Sit. Think.”
Kieran dropped to sit down, crossing his legs. He closed his eyes and appeared to be focusing. To Varick, it looked like an automatic response to the command Thomas had given him. It was interesting, but there was something about Thomas bothering Varick. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it though. He definitely didn’t trust this older doctor. Something was just off about him.
“Okay. Better. Not great, but better.” Kieran opened his eyes and let out a sigh.
“So now, can we discuss this? Stand up here, and we can talk.” Thomas placed his hands on his hips.
Except Kieran obstinately stared at the ground in front of him and refused to stand up. “I am fine here.”
With a long-suffering sigh, Thomas knelt beside him. “Now, you know if you start on medications you can’t do surgery, so we have to get through this. You need a break, you know. How long has it been since you’ve done anything fun? You could take Mary on a nice date... A quiet restaurant.”
Kieran finally looked up to glare at him. “No way, she is like...like my sister.”
Thomas nodded. “How about the girl who has been hanging out with your patient? She seems to like you enough.”
Again, he shook his head. “Eh, no. I just...I do not like her like that.”
“What about the guy earlier who tried to ask you to coffee? He seemed nice enough.” Varick heard a tone to his voice, almost as though he was annoyed at asking the question.
Kieran shook his head for a third time, a dusting of pink coloring his cheeks. “Too many people, though he was kind of nice.”
Thomas grinned even wider. “Okay, well, what about taking out one of your nurses, like Hinto, he’s always thought you were cute, talks about you all the time...”
Kieran
frowned. “He is so...I do not know. He wears make up, and those glittery things. Besides I think Dr. Santo and he are already dating.”
Thomas appeared quite pleased with himself. “Hey, didn’t you say you talked to the one guy in the cafeteria?”
To Varick’s amusement, Kieran’s face became slightly pink again. “Ah, yes, he was just being nice though.”
“Ha, I have you figured out! You’ve got a crush on him,” Thomas commented. “I saw him down at your patient’s room, why not go talk to him?”
Kieran looked up, seemingly abhorred at the thought. “I cannot do that, Thomas! I...I cannot even... Oh gods,” he muttered, burying his head in his hands. “Aigoo... ssibal,” he moaned, dropping his hands before peering up at Thomas. “Do not tell my father, okay, I don’t know if he...”
“Kieran, don’t tell him what? You like guys instead of girls? Do you really think he’s going to care?” Thomas asked, still kneeling beside him. “After everything, you know he loves you for you, not what’s up here.” He pointed to his head.
“I guess. I just...I never thought about it until I ran into the guy with the multi-colored hair...and he is so...” Kieran stopped. “He’s so big and tall, Thomas. He should be intimidating, should he not? Instead he feels safe to be around.”
“Come on, are you okay or do you need to go home?” Thomas questioned. Varick caught the tone of his voice again, and it wasn’t kind. This Thomas sounded more irritated than anything all of a sudden. Had the concern been an act a second ago? It was almost as though he’d been humoring the doctor and hit his limit for dealing with it.
“Do the hold again, okay? The really, really, really tight one.” Varick noted Kieran’s voice was almost childlike in the asking.
“You know I don’t like that one,” Thomas frowned. “I’m afraid you’ll pass out one of these days. You need to get rid of these needs altogether and having me feed into them isn’t helping.”
“Please, Thomas, you are the only one strong enough to do it and I need it right now, or I cannot go back in there.” Kieran stood and turned his back to the other man.
Varick continued to watch as Kieran crossed his arms over his chest, placing his hands on his shoulders. Thomas then wrapped his arms around Kieran from behind, placing his arms over Kieran’s and began to squeeze him in the grip. For a moment, Varick wondered if he should intervene because he thought the doctor was going to pass out. Then Thomas let go, sending the young doctor staggering forward a bit, panting. Kieran shook his hands out and straightened up.
“Okay, I have to apologize to Mary...I went off on the cursing tick on her. She hates it when I do, but she did not want me drumming,” he explained, shrugging at the older doctor.
“She’ll forgive you; she always does. You know she’s right, though. The drumming needs to stop. Normal people don’t do that sort of thing, Kieran.”
Kieran and Thomas went back through the door. As soon as they had disappeared through it, Varick moved around and managed to wedge a foot into it before it closed completely. As Varick watched them walk back downstairs he went over what he had heard and seen. He’d been right; the doctor was coming apart at the seams. Maybe he’d see what Charles thought tonight at the club.
He shook his head because this whole thing was giving him a headache. Then he grinned. The doctor liked guys, though, and blushed when he was talking about Varick. That was a damn good sign if he ever saw one.
CARMINE STARED INTO the full-length mirror and adjusted his clothes. He usually wore the same style when he went to the club. Generally, he wore pleather pants or dark jeans, boots, and a vest. Sometimes, like tonight, he wore a t-shirt under it. Of course, he was nervous because he was hoping Loki would be available.
Once he was ready, he headed down the stairs from his small room and made his way through the kitchen where his mom was sitting at the dinner table.
“Cucciolo, will you be out late tonight?” his mom asked. She was looking through a home and garden magazine when he came down.
“Yeah, Ma,” he said as he leaned over and kissed her on the temple. “I’ll eat when I get back, promise.”
“Good, good, there’s gnocchi in the fridge, warm it up and eat proper!” she exclaimed as Carmine opened the back door.
“Alright, alright, Ma, I will. Call me if you need something before I get back.”
“I’ll be fine, Cucciolo. Have fun! Be careful!” she said as she tucked a gray strand of hair behind her ear.
He went to his car, a small black Chevy SUV. He would have preferred a car, but his mom couldn’t get into cars since they were too low to the ground. He had to take her to the doctor and the store every week.
He headed over toward the old brewery where the club was. He’d never imagined a brewery could be turned into a dungeon. After he pulled into a parking spot near the entrance, he got out of the SUV and saw Charles already waiting near the door. The building itself looked plain from the exterior. The only real indication there was a club inside was the neon sign over the door with the words “Strawberry’s Black.” On the name, the apostrophe looked like a strawberry dripping chocolate. It lit up, but it wasn’t one of those signs that caused the entire area to glow for miles. He thought it was rather tasteful.
“Yo,” Charles yelled as Carmine came up to him. The line was already long despite it being early. He put an arm around Charles, and they made their way to the end of the line.
“So, if you’re going to bring out Clair tomorrow, why did you want to come tonight, too?” he asked. “I mean, you aren’t gonna have someone flog you when you’re starting on her training with a Domme tomorrow night...”
Charles shrugged a bit and didn’t answer. After a short wait, they stopped at the first checkpoint. Here, the folks going downstairs got wristbands, and those who were here for the music got their hand stamped after paying the cover charge. Carmine and Charles had membership cards for the lower levels, so they both showed them and their IDs. They were waved on after they had the wristbands wrapped on them. They checked their coats at the first coat check, and then walked through the first-floor bar. They came up and greeted the bouncer at the door leading to the stairs going down.
Carmine gave him a fist bump and a grin. “Yo, Jerome, man, how’s it hangin’?”
“Not bad, Dragon, you here to just hang or gonna play?” the large man asked. Jerome was someone he had known even before he started coming to the club. He was one of the few black folks who didn’t rag on him for being biracial. He was also a massive man at over six foot nine. Carmine didn’t know how much he weighed, but the man could have been a Mark Henry lookalike if he wanted.
“Was looking to play with Loki, but I don’t see him at the bar.” He glanced behind them.
Jerome shook his head. “Nah, he went down a bit ago with Wycked. She’s doing a pegging demo on him tonight,” he shrugged.
Carmine groaned as he followed Charles down the stairs. “Fuck, I’m so fucking horny...” he pouted. “Guess I’ll watch though. She’s a damn fine Domme to watch.”
“Want to go grab a couple sodas?” Charles asked. “I’ll get a table up by the stage so you can ogle your boy’s ass.”
He nodded to Charles and headed over to the bar. He glanced beside him at a guy who was as much of a cute little thing as the doctor he’d seen. Before he could stop himself, Carmine smirked and spoke up.
“Sugar, nice ass,” Carmine commented and winked at him.
The other man, a short dark-haired guy wearing a little more than a pair of leather boy shorts and a collar, didn’t respond. Carmine noticed the intricate body tattoo of a vine decorating his back and leg, and the orange and red lily on his shoulder. He hummed a bit in appreciation, both of the tattoos and his svelte body as he was walking away.
The bartender shook his head and put down Carmine’s usual drinks. “Dude, don’t even try to chat that one up.”
Carmine picked up the two colas. “Man, I can admire, wasn’t gonna touch; he’s coll
ared,” Carmine smirked at him and then and headed back to Charles.
He had picked a table toward the front. He took up a seat facing the stage with a huff. He had wanted to play with Loki tonight. He supposed he’d have to watch him instead. Charles was standing to the side of the table talking to someone else, but Carmine wasn’t familiar with them.
He glanced up to the stage and saw the spanking bench set up along with a table to the side. He couldn’t see exactly what was on it, but he imagined they had already put out everything they would need for the demo.
“What’s up? You aren’t gonna go grab you a sub to play with?” Charles asked as he sat back down next to him in the small table.
Carmine shook his head. “Nah, I’m not wanting to do anything if it isn’t with him.”
Charles stared at him for a long time. “The fuck? Weren’t you just getting a hard on when you were checking out that little doctor’s ass?”
“That’s different,” he muttered. “I mean, yeah, but...I can’t explain it. Maybe I like two people.”
Charles was surprised. “Man, we’ve known each other since we were kids, and I’ve never seen you turn down playing when we’re here.”
He shook his head again and glanced up as he saw Loki come up from the curtain behind the stage. Loki wasn’t the type Carmine usually went for, to be honest. He was thin, almost to the point of being able to count his ribs. Carmine usually went for heavier and curvier subs, but for some reason Loki fascinated him. Perhaps it was his exotic looks, or the cocky attitude he had.
Standing up on the stage, to Carmine, he looked like some pale angel or something. His platinum hair was pulled back from his face and he wore one of the strap harnesses over his chest. Carmine licked his lips as he could see his nipple piercings glinting in the dim light. He was too far away to see the details on his tattoos, but the harness covered the one on his sternum anyway. He could see the one around his belly button, and noticed he didn’t have his belly button ring tonight. He was wearing a short, flared skirt that came down to his mid-thigh. He was barefoot otherwise, and he’d rock back on the balls of his feet now and then.
Stolen Innocence Page 10
