Page 38 of Her Wicked Plan

Leo slowly nods his head. “We can talk more on Tuesday.”

Before he goes, he flashes a warm smile. A nice professional smile that will stay plastered in my mind as I touch myself again tonight to the thought of him.

CHAPTER 11

Leo

Myles was ecstatic about me befriending Scarlet.

The entire time we were on the phone the night I met her, he couldn’t stop asking all the questions. What does she look like? What does her body look like? Is she fuckable?

I groan at the last question, telling him I wouldn’t be sleeping with her even if I wanted to. I didn’t want to mix business with pleasure, to which he told me I was an idiot and that if something happens after hours, then it’s fine.

You don’t have to keep it professional off the clock.

His words replay in my mind as I prepare for my session with Veronica. Scarlet probably wants nothing like that. She is probably only looking for a friend, and I would be okay with that.

It’s been two weeks since our run-in during dinner. For the past four sessions, I’ve tried to talk with her about Eliza or her sister, and she shut me down. I even attempted to bring up her parents.

That was worse than the other two options. Veronica had put on that mask she wears well and didn’t talk to me the rest of the time. She either sat there with her eyes shut or at the window bench and stared at the lake.

I was fine with it, even though I told her she would have to discuss uncomfortable topics the next time we met. The silence was welcomed. She wanted to be quiet and not talk about her issues?

Fine.

Her sitting there pretending to sulk means she wouldn’t make any more flirtatious comments. The silence was nice while it lasted. I’m here to do a job, which means today, she will speak on whatever I bring up.

I stare at the notepad on my desk with the questions I want to ask Veronica: about her sister, Eliza, her parents, and the murder she committed. The list is short, but each topic has a long explanation.

The recorder is sitting neatly next to the pad of paper; that way, I can listen to the conversation after the session and take more notes on the things I missed.

In the top drawer sits a new journal for her. Edith had added it to the list of things she would order for the upcoming weeks. I spent a little extra time searching for the perfect journal.

Twenty minutes turned into hours as I scrolled through different options. Who knew there were multitudes of journals out there?

What I was really getting stuck on was the cover. The one Veronica owned was decorated with a dark forest with creatures hidden behind trees and bushes; some were more visible than others.

Was I supposed to get her a blank journal or find an art design she would like? I ended up going with the first one. It was black, bound in leather, with a red ribbon sewn in to keep her place when she finished writing.

Black and red seemed to scream her name.

A knock sounded on my office door, pulling me out of my thoughts. “Come in!”

The handle turns, and Edith holds the door open for Veronica. I had asked if Edith could escort her to my office today, as I had meetings with Dr. Bennett earlier, and I wouldn’t have had the time to grab her from the common area.

I thank Edith kindly before she closes the door. Veronica walks to the chair for patients. She sits right down, which I didn’t expect.

She relaxes in her chair with a hint of a smile—the one she wore two weeks ago when she told me I looked stressed. She offered to help me with my stress. I knew she was saying those things to get under my skin, and she did.

It’s horrible that I even thought about how she could have helped me relieve the burning stress in my body. I had to shake those thoughts out of my head. She is my patient, for Christ's sake.

“Dr. Madden?” Her voice breaks through the barrier of my mind.

I hum in response, my eyes lifting from the paper to her face and down her body. A tight gray T-shirt paired with matching sweats.

With how Dr. Bennett likes to keep things normal around here, I’m surprised he won’t allow them to wear different colors other than the neutrals.

My eyes drift back up to hers; a playful grin is now on her face. Fuck, she probably assumed I was checking her out. “You were lost in thought. Want to tell me what was on your mind?”