The Bad Guy's Doctor

NINE

"It's been a while since I've seen you here." I turn, the room smelling like heavy incense. Blond hair and blue eyes, regarding me with enough scrutiny to pick me apart. October, Toby for short. He lifts the pale white eye mask away from his face, exposing his whole visage. "C'mere."

I sigh, stepping forward and hugging him tightly. He's warm and smells like citrus, his signature perfume. "So, what brings you to meet this gigolo?" I sit on the bed, fresh sheets off against my fingers.

He remains standing.

"I need to know what happened the day my parents left. Where... where did they go?" Toby pauses, nodding slowly. He knew everything. He's an information collector, under the alias of 'Tangerine' at a brothel down in the east side. I used to visit him, learning about the workings of the underground as I developed the clinic. That's when we stumbled upon the topic of my family.

I didn't ask him anything. I felt that some things were better off staying unknown. But I was wrong to do so.

The unknown almost got me killed.

"Are you sure you want to know?" He rolls his shoulders, raising an eyebrow. I had treated him for a shoulder wound a year ago. I nodded firmly. "I'll write it up then. Do you have a delivery date in mind?"

My fingers clenched around the sheet, uncertainty building inside of me. "Anytime the clinic's in service." I respond. "And for payment—"

"I don't need money." Toby stalks forward, planting his hands on either side of me. "Especially if it's yours." I blink, before nodding.

"What is it you want?"

"You can pay me back with your body." A lock of hair falls over his eyes, a smirk pulling against his lips. I raise an eyebrow, before glancing at the door, then back at him. "How about it?"

"I'm not really good at hard labor—"

"That's not what I'm asking, Althea." He smiles widely, advancing forward until I'm propped onto my elbows.

"Fine, fine." He pulls me onto my feet quickly, grabbing his mask and tugging me out of the room. "Just... make it quick, I don't have a lot of time today, so we can do it in increm—"

"This one." He leads me through several doors, then to what I think is his room at the brothel. A mannequin stands before me, his latest design hanging on its stiff figure. "Isn't it amazing?"

"I'm going to be half-naked in that—" He scoffs, spinning the mannequin slowly for me to see. It was certainly a beautiful dress. The fabric looked like ripples of water, smooth and fluid, the light bouncing off of it in all the perfect places. The shade of red was a perfect attribute, vibrant, yet modern.

"Try it on, I'll make adjustments as needed."

- - -

"You're here early." I turn, Arsenio's presence in my room alerting me. He wrings his hands together, looking uneasy. "What?" I set down my hair brush, entering my bedroom where he stood.

He clenches and unclenches his fists, before running his tongue over his teeth. "I followed you yesterday." I figured.

"Confessing straight off the bat, are we?" I sit down on my bed as he watches me, brows furrowed in visible desperation.

"Wh-Why were you there?" Why was I at a brothel? I lean back against my arms, hands planted behind me.

"That shouldn't be any of your concern." Arsenio watches me, chest rising and falling. I feel like I'm being torn apart in his gaze, searching for an explanation beside the obvious one. He inhales, before nodding. When he looks up again, his eyes don't seem as gentle.

"Who did you see?" I narrow my eyes at his words, a chill running down my spine.

What am I suppose to say? I went to meet an old friend who is an undercover information seller to learn about my parents who left me years ago by being his personal mannequin for his latest fashion designs?

"If I tell you, what will you do?" I rise to my feet, not breaking eye contact.

"Kill them." Arsenio's response is short and clipped. There's no loose ends, no confusion, only blunt sincerity. I shake my head.

"Take a breather, I didn't do anything." I move past him, pulling open a drawer. I pull a cigarette from the pack, before rummaging through it for a lighter. After a quick second, Arsenio pulls one out, flipping it open before my face. It ignites and I place the stick against the flame.

We move to the balcony, wordlessly. Smoking was one of my bad habits. "What... did you do then?" I let out a puff, not intending on answering truthfully.

"Nothing important. Spoke with a friend." He regards me with caution. I'm not sure what he's searching for, but I don't let any emotions slip though. He turns, facing the direction of the city. "Were you jealous?"

"D-Definitely not." I laugh, letting a smile slide over my lips.

"Do you like how cigarettes taste?" He shakes his head. I inhale from the stick, one more time before turning to him. I take his chin into my hands, pulling him closer to me. "Open."

He obeys and I blow out the smoke slowly, before pressing my lips to his. Arsenio freezes, before reacting immediately, hands sliding to my waist. He's greedy and passionate, pressing in for more as he tastes the cigarette from my tongue. His hand slides up my back, following the length of my spine, igniting the skin that he brushes. I feel like I'm on fire, every nerve singing to his embrace.

I break the kiss, panting. He trails kisses down my jaw and neck, his hair tickling my skin. I reach up, ruffling his hair. The cigarette is forgotten on the floor, stomped out. "Pretty boy," he pulls back, pressing a kiss to the crown of my head.

"Yeah?" His voice is breathy and slightly shaky, clearly surprised by the sudden kiss.

"Do not disobey me again." Arsenio nods, blushing softly. I caress his cheek, before kissing him once more. He's reluctant to let me go.

"How am I supposed to act like nothing happened? Take the day off," Arsenio pesters, following me around the room. "Dearest one, please?"

I elbow him, to which he frowns deeply. "I'm working today—?!" He picks me up, before setting me down on the bed. He cages me in, staring down at me intently. "I don't know what you're thinking but it's not going to happen."

"We can cuddle." Arsenio says, grinning down at me.

"As if." I push his chest back, sighing. "It was a kiss, not a declaration of love."

"I can do the declaring, you can do the kissing—" I give him a hard glare. Arsenio pouts, clearly dissatisfied. "You're breaking my heart."

"Shut it. And don't make a scene at the clinic."