Her Wicked Plan

1. Leo

As I stare down at the papers splayed out on the kitchen table, my eyes slowly grow tired with every passing second. I’ve read Veronica’s file multiple times this past week to get a real sense of her.

I even took my curiosity to the internet, where I stumbled upon various articles on her. News stations and even social media blogs have written articles about this woman.

Most were utterly wrong and exaggerated the trial that was held. The words on these sites contradict everything written in her file by the medical staff. After those findings, I avoided the online articles and kept with what Black Lake had given me.

This is all new territory to me. I’ve had my bachelor’s degree for four years, but I’ve only been a psychiatrist in an office building in downtown Seattle since I graduated college.

The patients I care for at this office aren’t nearly as bad as Veronica. They don’t even come close to any patients housed at Black Lake Asylum.

I do my job well. So well that my boss took it upon himself to send in my credentials to the asylum. He wasn’t trying to get rid of me, but he knew I was destined for bigger things.

Crazier people, I guess. He knew I could handle whatever was thrown my way. At first, I was upset that he had sent out my resume without conversing with me because I love my job. I am comfortable with my patients and the people I work with.

My patients.

This news is going to be super hard to drop on them. They trust me with everything they have, and I won’t be their safe place anymore. I’d hate for them to fall back on the progress we’ve worked so hard to reach.

I still have a month to figure out how to tell them I’ll be leaving. Veronica’s current doctor will depart from the facility at the beginning of January.

I was worried when I first learned that I got the job offer—out of my mind; I was worried to the point where I was losing sleep over it. Veronica and I will only meet for two days a week.

That’s a long ass commute for only two days, as I live in the city, and Black Lake is way past city limits. However, the facility was kind in offering me a room in the doctor”s and nurse’s wing.

Everything seemed to work out for me.

Running my hands through my dark mess of hair, I huff out an exhausted breath as I stack the documents together. I’ve been at this for hours.

I desperately need a break, which is good because the front door closes as soon as the thought of stepping away forms in my mind. It doesn’t take long for Myles”s footsteps to grow louder through the narrow hall as he approaches the kitchen.

“Hey, man!” He greets me cheerfully, clapping me on the shoulder. “Whatcha reading?”

“Just looking over the file for my new patient.”

“Again? Dude, you have been reading that shit for the past week.” Myles fills a tall glass to the brim with water.

We have been friends for years. We both attended the same college—me earning a medical degree and him earning a business degree. The two of us used to be the same person in college.

We both wanted to go out and party, meet girls, and hook up with them for the night. It was all fun until it started interfering with my schoolwork.

Once I found out I had been failing my courses, I completely locked it down and focused on getting better grades and finishing school. After that, I never changed back to the way I used to be.

Myles, however, is the same man who loves to get drunk and meet random women.

“Yeah, I know.” I sink back into my seat, hands rubbing down my face. I stop the movement when they brush against the stubble on my chin. I’ve been so stressed with everything that I haven’t cared to shave. “I guess I’m just nervous. Since my boss was the one who set me up with the job, I don’t want to fuck it up.”

“Understandable.” He nods, his dirty blonde hair falling into his eyes. “I mean, you will be working for an insane asylum, for God”s sake! It’s different from what you are used to. I’d be shitting my pants if I were you.”

“Wow, thanks for the boost of confidence.” I state sarcastically. “If I’m being honest, I’m freaking the fuck out, but I think it’s because I don’t know what to expect.” I reach across the table, grabbing a glass of water that has remained untouched for the past hour. I hadn’t realized how dry my mouth felt until Myles came home. “Like you said, this is different from where I work now.”

“You freaking out because of the place in general or because of this patient?” He pushes himself away from the counter to stand by the table. Setting his glass back down after only a sip.

“Both, I guess,” I answer as we stare at the manilla folder in front of us.

“What’s she in for?” Myles always wants to know the dirty details of what is happening with my patients. His fingers twitch, and he wants to reach out and open the folder to read for himself.

I pat the thick file, sliding it closer to me. “Patient confidentiality. You know this man.”

“Yeah, I know.” He groans. “I always think one of these times you might fill me in.”

“Let”s just say it’s pretty bad.”

“Is there a picture of her?” He asks with a sly grin. “Because, with my experiences and yours in the past, the crazy ones are always the hottest.”

A laugh escapes me. “How much longer is your car in the shop for? Key marks are pretty damn hard to get out.”

The question is meant to steer him away from what Veronica looks like. I couldn’t provide him with an answer anyway since they didn’t provide a picture.

“Another week, I think.” His hand combs through his hair, pushing the strands out of his face. Recently, Myles fucked over some girl he had been sleeping with, and she went all batshit crazy on him—keyed his car and slashed his tires. He was living the real-life song of Carrie Underwood. “When are you leaving?”

“The end of the month,” I tell him. “Her current doctor is leaving by then.”

“And how long are you working for them?” He walks away from the table, setting the empty glass in the sink before turning and leaning against the counter again.

“As long as they need me.” The time frame of the job wasn’t mentioned. I’m there until they tell me they no longer have use for me.

“Well, then... I’m heading to bed because today was long and exhausting. It”s something you should also do, given that bags are forming under your eyes.” He pokes at my face, but I swat his hand away. He chuckles before he walks past me, but suddenly stops. “Can we please go out one more time before you leave? Like the old days?”

I knew he was going to ask me this. One more time going out wouldn’t hurt.

“Yeah, but that means you get to pay for everything.”

“Done!” He smiles and leaves me alone with the ticking of the clock and the patient’s file staring back at my face.

“Another round!” Myles shouts over the loud music playing overhead. I can barely hear my damn thoughts in this club. Maybe that’s a good thing. The thundering bass from the speakers, the volume that is cranked up to the max. All of it can drown out the anxiety that has taken control of my body.

Myles has four shots tucked securely in his hands and gently sets them on the table, careful not to shatter the glass or spill the liquid. One for me, one for him, and two for the women who joined us at our table.

“Tell me again why I agreed to this?” My fingers pinch the tiny shot glass, and I bring it closer to my mouth. The smell of tequila drifts to my nose, making me almost gag. The last time I had a shot of tequila was back in college, and it didn’t end well. And by that, I mean I got into a fight with some random guy on the street.

Let’s just say that tequila brings out the Hulk in me.

“Because you are leaving me for who knows how long!” Myles lifts his shot in the space between the four of us. “And we haven’t had a night like this since before you became a pussy in college.”

“I did not.” It was a lie. The girls on either side of me laugh.

He scoffs. “You went from getting pussy like every night to being one. You were ‘too cool’ to come out with me to parties.”

“Look where that got me, man!”

“Going to the craziest crazy bin this city has ever heard of!” He raises the glass higher to propose a toast. “To my best friend! Leo, may you try to enjoy this new job and not lose your damn mind!”

“To Leo!” The women shout as we all hit our glasses together.

The cool liquid slides down my throat, burning on the way down, and makes my whole body fight the urge to cringe at the strength of the taste.

I fucking hate tequila, but it’s Myles’s favorite, and seeing as he is buying all the alcohol tonight, I don’t have a choice.

“I want to dance!” The redhead’s hand circles my bicep. Half of her fingers touched the fabric of the black short-sleeve I wore, while the others squeezed my bare skin.

“I’m not much of a dancer.” I try to turn down the pretty girl, whose name I completely forgot, but she insists.

“Come on, Leo!” She begs with a pout. “You can stand there, and I’ll dance around you! They are playing too good of music to continue sitting at this table!”

My eyes search the pleading expression on her face before I look over my shoulder to find Myles and the blonde already getting their mouths acquainted.

Either I dance with the woman touching me, or I have to sit here and watch Myles and the other woman make out.

“You know what?” My eyes come back to the woman, who is still pouting. “Let’s dance.”

Her smile grows more prominent as she bounces on her feet. In the next second, she drags me onto the dance floor. People around us are dripping sweat from being close together, grinding against one another in this humid club. With the number of people visiting this club, you’d think they would at least have a better air-conditioning unit.

Really, Leo? You have a hot redhead swaying her hips against your dick, and you’re thinking about the club”s air issues?

My focus returns to the music and the petite woman grinding against me. It’s been a while since I’ve been with a woman. After the college party phase, I stayed extremely focused on my career and didn’t have the time to consider dating, let alone a hookup.

No matter how often Myles begged me to go out with him, I’d come up with a lame excuse, but now... I regret hiding in my shell all this time.

Now that I will be essentially locked up in that asylum, when will I get to dance with a woman like this again? When will I ever be able to meet a woman at the bar and fuck her?

Groaning at the realization, my hands meet the woman”s hips. My fingers press into her too-tight pink dress, causing her head to rest on my shoulder.

From this angle, I watch a slow, sensual smile curl on her lips at me, giving in. She lifts her arm, cupping the back of my neck to pull me closer. Tilting her head up, we search each other’s eyes until our unspoken words sink in.

My lips are on hers in an instant. We are drunk and hungry for any affection. As my lips move fiercely against hers, her tongue pokes out, wanting access to mine.

Soon enough, she is turning around, tasting my tongue on hers while both her hands are anchored at the nape of my neck. My fingers dig harder into her body as I press her against my erection. A sweet moan travels past her lips and into my mouth.

“Wanna get out of here?” I ask her while kissing her.

“Mhm.” She hums against me, separating us and taking my hand in hers.

I glance back to our table as she leads us to the exit. Myles flashes a goofy, drunken smile and waves me off like he’s sending me to college. In a way, he is sending me off—just not to school.

Thoughts of my new job creep into my mind, and I’m quick to force them out.

Tonight, I’m going to enjoy the last of my freedom.