Page 57 of Red King
I shrug. “Don’t look at me. I have no idea. I hadn’t heard that particular rumor.”
My heart is racing. Is he dropping out? He can’t. He needs to mate and have babies. His Council is forcing him.
I’m glad I haven’t seen him. I’m dreading it. At the same time, I want to get it over with. It will be like pulling off a plaster. Painful and irritating but necessary.
“Should we go through to Dr. du Pont’s office?” I ask.
Jacki nods. “Yes, let’s go. Oh, did you hear?” She grabs my arm, a naughty smile across her whole face.
“What?” I sound skeptical, praying it isn’t more about Arctic.
“Even Lauren is seeing one of the guys. She said…” Jacki drops her voice to a whisper as if Dr. du Pont might overhear us from the next room. “She said that she’s never had such great sex in all her life. She’s telling anyone who will listen. Talk about doing a one-eighty. She says she’s in love with him. That she wants to stay on the island.”
I force a smile and nod. “I’m so happy for her. That’s great.” I mean it.
“Apparently, they’re all good in bed. At least, that’s what the ladies who have had sex with them are saying. I’ll let you know tomorrow because I’m diving in. Ash is hot. With a capital H, O, T.”
“They’re all pretty handsome,” I say as we walk into Dr. du Pont’s office. “All done,” I announce to the doctor as I hand him Jacki’s file.
“Thank you.” He puts his reading glasses on, and after a few seconds, he takes them back off, looking up at me and closing the file. “Very well, you can go ahead and give Miss Evans her medication, Nurse Reed. Please keep in mind that oral contraception on its own is not foolproof,” he addresses Jacki. “It has a ninety-nine percent success rate when taken correctly. It is recommended that you still use condoms to avoid unwanted pregnancies. This is particularly true if you forget to take a pill. Certain antibiotics also affect the efficacy of the drug. I suggest you read the pamphlet inside the box.”
“Thank you, Doctor,” Jacki tells him.
“You may leave once you have given Miss Evans her pills. Thank you, Nurse Reed.”
“Thank you, Doctor,” I tell him.
It doesn’t take me long to get Jacki her contraceptive. “Hope you have a wonderful evening.” I wink at her.
“Oh, I’m sure I will.” She giggles as she heads out.
Once I’ve tidied up to get ready for tomorrow, I grab my things, and after saying goodbye to the doctor, I head out.
I’m halfway to my apartment when my phone vibrates, signaling a text. Our devices only work internally. We have to request permission to talk to anyone on the Mainland, and our calls and texts are monitored closely when we do. I’ve had to tell everyone back home that the signal is sketchy on most of the island. That’s why messages can take time to get through and why calls aren’t always possible.
I can understand why they are careful. I’ve called home a few times, but we’re not permitted to divulge anything, so it’s hard to talk. I normally tell my bestie Rebecca everything. It feels weird to have to hold so much back.
I pull out my phone, expecting to see a message from someone from home – Dr. du Pont, Cathy, or Maggie. Those are the three people on the island I communicate with the most.
It isn’t any of them. I trip and almost fall on my face when I see who it’s from.
Arctic.
My hands are shaking when I open the text.
My office tomorrow morning at 8 am sharp.
That’s all. Just a command to see me.
What the hell!
I’m in half a mind to send him a message telling him where to get off. I don’t. Arctic is still my boss. I roll my eyes and sigh.
My phone buzzes again with another message from him.
We need to talk.
Nooooo!It’s the last thing we need.
