Chapter 5
JEKYLL
Iwoke up to the smell of coffee.
I lifted my head with a start before squeezing my eyes tightly shut and groaning.
“Rough night?”
I peeked one eye open to see Catherine Poole standing in front of me holding two cups of coffee. She looked even more beautiful than yesterday.
Even more beautiful than last night.
Last night.
Last night!
Fuck.
I rose so quickly I knocked the stool I was sitting on over. I ran a hand through my hair as I stared at her in horror.
Last night.
I had followed her home.
Well, me, but not me.
After taking the formula, my one all-consuming thought had been to find Catherine. It was as if my body was no longer under my control. There was this second voice inside of my head calling out for Catherine. Like a wolf, searching for its mate.
I remembered following her home from the university administration building.
Fuck. I remembered chasing her, but little else.
I looked over her shoulder, expecting to see several policemen ready to haul me in for assault or harassment or for just being a creepy asshole.
I stumbled over the fallen stool as I backed away. Bending over to pick it up, I avoided eye contact with her as I said, “About yesterday. I can explain—”
As I talked, I looked down to see I was wearing unfamiliar clothes.
Instead of my usual shirt and denim pants, I was in what felt like an expensive suit.
The problem was I had no memory of purchasing one.
Tucking the shirttail in, I tried to come up with a plausible excuse to explain my indefensible actions last night.
If I told her I wasn’t myself because I had taken my formula, she would probably run straight to the dean of the university to have me fired for violating human trial protocols.
She held out one of the coffee cups. “Please, Dr. Jekyll. Let’s forget all about it and have a fresh start.”
My brow furrowed as I hesitantly took it from her. “What I said… what I did… it was unforgivable.”
She smiled after taking a sip of her coffee. “You were unprepared. They should have warned you.”
Warned me?
Warned me about what?
The effects of the formula or warned me against taking it?
I gulped down the coffee, hissing as it burned my tongue.
I prayed the caffeine would kick in quickly to clear my still-muddled brain.
I could only remember flashes from last night, but they were all about Catherine.
Her scent. The way she walked. The glimmer of the streetlamps reflected in her glasses. The intoxicating feel of her fear.
I shuddered.
Catherine approached me. She placed a gentle hand on my arm. “You shouldn’t have done that last night.”
I closed my head and nodded. “I know. I know. Catherine, I’m so sorry. It was—”
She continued as if she hadn’t heard me. “You really shouldn’t work so late. As my mother always said, nothing good happens after midnight and that includes scientific breakthroughs. You need to take better care of yourself, Dr. Jekyll, if you are going to complete your work.”
What was happening?
Was it possible she didn’t realize it had been me following her last night?
I gazed at her expectantly. “What do you mean about last night?”
She laughed. “Well, you obviously worked too late. I found you passed out, sound asleep, on a pile of files this morning.” She shook her head. “Please, won’t you reconsider letting me help you?”
I wasn’t sure if she realized she was stroking my arm in an attempt to soothe me. It felt… intimate. As if she were consoling a lover. My cock hardened at the thought.
I shifted in my seat but the images in my mind wouldn’t stop.
Catherine stretched naked underneath me in bed.
Her mouth open in ecstasy as I pushed my cock hard and fast into her tight pussy.
The idea of tasting that sweet mouth of hers and then grabbing her by the hair, forcing her to her knees and thrusting my cock deep into her throat as she gagged on its length.
I took a sip of coffee and choked.
Catherine patted me on the back. “Does this mean you will reconsider?”
Unable to speak, I could only nod.
Her pretty mouth lifted in a smile. “I’m so happy. I’ll get started right away. I noticed you are behind in cataloging your research notes in the university’s system. Would you like me to start there?”
I snatched my leather-bound personal research journal from the top of the lab bench and held it tight.
“No. I prefer to transcribe my own notes.” I couldn’t risk her seeing that I had taken the formula myself last night.
“Could you please start by making an inventory of the chemicals in that cabinet?”
“Absolutely, Dr. Jekyll.”
“Call me Henry.”
She blushed. “Henry.”
* * *
She had been sent from hell to torture me.
That was the only explanation for my reaction to her nearness.
I deleted an entire column of numbers for the second time, furiously tapping the keyboard delete key.
Each time I tried to concentrate on processing the data from my latest formulation, Catherine entered my mind.
She was standing across the lab and yet all I could smell were the lilies from her perfume.
Instead of the electric hum of my various pieces of lab equipment, I listened to her softly humming as she checked off various inventory items.
I slammed the laptop shut.
Catherine turned to me with a start.
I shrugged as I reached for a glass graduated cylinder. “Computer froze. Wi-Fi is crap in the lab.”
She eyed me skeptically before returning to her task.
I filled a pipette with precisely the amount of metformin hydrochloride I needed based on my calculations.
If I could slow the hepatic reaction with dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors I may be able to inhibit the glucagon release, which I believed was responsible for my overexuberant reaction to the formula.
It was my only rational explanation. The formula obviously released too much adrenaline and glucose into my system, causing an almost hallucinogenic response leading to my belief I was Mr. Edward Hyde, not Dr. Henry Jekyll. If I could control that reaction, I could control my body’s response.
The skirt of Catherine’s dress brushed the backs of my thighs as she passed by me. It was raining outside, and the scent of wet grass clung to the damp hem.
My cock hardened.
So much for controlling my body.
There was just something intoxicating about her.
The way she stood and stared at me with complete, almost unnerving stillness.
Her beautiful big eyes trained on me as if my every word was scripture.
For years, my one and only passion had been perfecting Bl88dX.
I had thought of little else, but now… now my thoughts were consumed by Catherine.
I didn’t need to turn around to know precisely where she was standing. I could feel her presence. It was as if my senses were heightened around her. Could this be the formula still reacting within my body?
“Dr. Jekyll—I mean Henry—would you like me to order more benzoylecgonine? You seem to be running low.”
God. Her voice. It was as though I could feel her fingers lingering in caresses down my spine as she spoke. I pressed my hips against the sharp metal edge of the lab table where I stood, hoping the pain would lower my raging cock.
Catherine took off her glasses and set them on top of a nearby filing cabinet as she adjusted her hair.
I watched as a cascade of shiny mink waves fell over her shoulders only to be swept back up into a severe bun on the top of her head.
My fingers flexed as I imagined what those locks would feel like running over my palm.
I cleared my throat. “I’m sorry. What did you ask?”
“Would you like me to order more benzoylecgonine? You are almost out.”
Her question broke through the sensual fog she was unknowingly weaving around me. “What? That can’t be right.”
Benzoylecgonine was the primary ingredient in cocaine. It was always kept under lock and key, its supply closely monitored. I hadn’t used it since formula variations Bl88dX3 and X4. There should be plenty in stock.
Forgetting about my indecent hard-on, I walked toward her. Just as I approached, there was a loud clap of thunder. It was so boisterous it rattled the glass vials on a nearby table as lightning flashed through the small laboratory windows.
Catherine cried out. Her body collided with my chest.
Without thinking, I embraced her, tightening my arms around her.
She turned her pale face up to me.
God help me, I loved the look of fear in her eyes. There was just something so primal and visceral about seeing another human being at their most vulnerable and unprotected.
Pink tinted her cheeks as the tip of her small tongue shot out to lick her lips. “I’m so sorry. The thunder gave me a fright. Ever since I was a child, I’ve been frightened of storms.”
I stared down at her, wanting her to acknowledge the indecent press of my cock against her stomach and at the same time dreading if she did.
She licked her lips a second time. Their crimson hue glistened, practically beckoning me to taste her. “You can let go of me now, Dr. Jekyll.”
My gaze traveled over her soft features, taking in her eyes, her lips, the curve of her cheeks, the slant of her jaw. “I can’t.”
Her brow furrowed. “I… wha—”
I reached up to gently cup her jaw. My thumb stroked her lower lip. “I can’t. Catherine… I think… I want to kiss you. If you will allow me.”
For the most fleeting of moments, I thought I saw disappointment in the emerald depths of her eyes. Then she blinked and it was gone. “I think I’d like that very much.”
I leaned down and gently pressed my lips to hers, not wanting to frighten her further.
Her mouth opened on a sigh. I used just the tip of my tongue to tease hers.
I held her tenderly in my arms, careful to arch my hips backward so I didn’t alarm her with the hard press of my cock.
I resisted the urge to run my fingers through her hair.
She had just put it up in a bun and I didn’t want to mess it up with my rough handling.
She flattened the palm of her hand over my heart as she broke the kiss. She gave me a soft smile before averting her eyes. “That was… very nice.”
I stepped back as I straightened my spine. “I hope I didn’t offend you, Miss Poole. I got caught up in the moment.”
She shook her head. “You didn’t offend me, Henry. It was very sweet.”
I nodded as I picked up the clipboard where she had been entering the inventory numbers. “I will need to double-check my reports to see where the additional benzoylecgonine went but yes, please order more.”
Catherine reached for the clipboard. “Very well. I shall get to it right away.”
I didn’t relinquish it. “Perhaps we should pick this up tomorrow? It’s been a long day.”
She nodded as she smoothed her hands over her skirt. She was wearing another black dress. This one had small gold emblems on the shoulders and a nipped-in waist that was very flattering on her. Maybe I should have told her so before our kiss?
“Goodnight, Dr. Jekyll.”
She turned on her heel and left the laboratory, grabbing her black cloak from the hook near the door as she went.
My stomach fell. I had disappointed her with that kiss. I knew it. I had never been much of a success with women, and it seemed Catherine would be no exception. In the future I would just have to control my desire for her and keep things strictly professional.
I watched as she clasped her cloak around her neck and turned to give me a half-hearted smile. “Goodnight, Dr. Jekyll.”
“Henry,” I said softly to her retreating back.