Page 23 of Her Wicked Plan

Veronica bites at her bottom lip. “I bet you were fun in college.”

Clearing my throat, I shift on my feet. “I said we would meet on Tuesdays, but I would like us to begin this Thursday.”

That smirk still plays on her lips at my words. “Whatever you say, Leo.”

Why did she have to say it like that? Seduction drips off her voice, and the patients nearby hear it, and they giggle like schoolgirls.

“Great.” I pretend I don’t hear the snickering around me. “Have you eaten?”

“No.” Her brows furrow in confusion, but then I am sliding the sandwich in front of her.

My appetite is gone now, anyway.

“Eat it.” I demand with a stern voice. Her eyes fall on the egg and cheese sandwich sitting in front of her before they meet mine again.

“Is this a bribe?”

“What? No.” I shake my head. “I grabbed it, and I’m not hungry.”

“What if I’m not hungry? Maybe that’s why I didn’t grab myself something to eat.” Her head tilts to the side.

Just then, her stomach growls, begging to be fed. My eyes drop to her torso, hidden between the round table. I raise my eyebrows, a breathy laugh leaving me.

“Not hungry?” I arch a brow as I glance back up to her. “Just eat the sandwich, Veronica.”

Without another word, I twist on my heel and leave the cafeteria, somehow content with the steaming coffee in my hand as my breakfast. It was replaying in my mind.

Her eyes widened at my order, not believing I could be authoritative. If that’s what it takes for her to listen, then so be it.

“There you are!” I hear Edith before I see her. “Dr. Bennett would like me to bring you to his office. That way, the two of you can have a proper meeting!”

“Okay.” I flash her a smile, and then she leads me to Dr. Bennett.

His office is down the same hall as mine, except it is further down, and a window sits at the end of my hall. There are hallways on either side, and we veer left when we reach a huge door. Two knocks on it echo down the hall before we hear a muffled “come in.”

The door opens, and an older man sits behind a massive desk. Late 50s, early 60s, I would assume. He is bald, with a white mustache hovering over his upper lip. Wide-rimmed glasses are perched on his nose while he concentrates hard on the computer screen.

“What can I do for you?” He asks without lifting his head.

“Dr. Bennett, I have Dr. Madden here for you,” Edith announces the reason for the visit.

Bennett lifts his eyes, abandoning whatever was important on the computer to find me.

“Ah! Dr. Madden, please, come in!” He waves me in. “Thank you, Edith!”

She nods her head before leaving us alone.

“You can take a seat.” He offers the chair in front of his desk. “How was your drive yesterday? I apologize for not greeting you properly upon your arrival. I have a lot on my plate.”

“Don’t worry about it. The drive was fine. Rainy, though.”

“We get a lot of rain out here. Probably more than you’d see in the city.” He laughs. “How are you finding the facility? Is your room and office okay with you?”

“Honestly, I wasn’t expecting both to be so nice,” I admit. “As for the facility itself, it’s very welcoming.”

“We treat our staff like family here. You all do amazing work. Work that no one else could do. Dealing with patients like the ones here can take a toll on someone. That’s why we hire the strongest doctors.” He clasps his hands together, resting them on the desk. “Speaking of the patients, I was informed you met with Veronica. How did that go?”

“It went… well. She is, uh...” I clear my throat, unsure of the proper words to describe her.