Page 24 of Scar

She drops her smile just a tad, giving me a short nod. I don't know what she was expecting me to say, that Maeve is one of my patients and I'd somehow love to take this bitch on a date? Not going to happen. "Ah, I see. Well I'm Professor Mound, I teach psychology and it is honestly an honor to meet you. I've heard fantastic things about you and your practice." She goes on to say. I give her a charming smile, not taking my hands off of Maeve to prove a point. "Why thank you, ma'am. I'm just doing my best to help as many people as I can." I say kindly. I look at the timer on the screen, seeing Maeve only has about thirty seconds left before her break is over. "I'll leave you to it." I say, leaning down to kiss my girl on the temple before walking off screen and sitting in my seat on the other chair across from her.

I work on my usual stuff while Maeve does her exams, and I take every break as an opportunity to check in on her. But at the fourth break, my girl looks up at me and puts her hand on top of mine while I rub her stiff neck. "How about you sit on the couch and take your leg off for a little bit?" She offers.

She had been sitting on the couch in my study so she could be more comfortable, I'm not going to move her. "I'm okay, ma fleur. I want you to be comfortable. You still have five exams to take today." I remind her. She simply shrugs and grabs my laptop off her lap, standing up and moving to the chair that I was sitting in.

My girl is selfless, but I know I'll argue with her during her next break, she needs to be comfortable or I'm worried she won't pass her exams. I can't let her fail, I know she will feel like in a way this is all my fault.

"Where's that boyfriend of yours, Ms. Henderson? Did he tire of catering to you? He has a real job, you know, one that contributes to the world." The professor says when she comes back onto the screen. She must not know that I'm within earshot because her tone is nowhere near as friendly as the last few times she's come back and I've been massaging her shoulders.

Maeve raises an eyebrow, apparently as surprised as I am with the attitude the professor had just given her. I move to stand up and put my prosthesis back on, but Maeve speaks before I get the chance. "Oh he's busy between my legs right now, did you need him for something?" She snaps back. I grin, not only is my girl sticking up for herself, but she's willing to let this woman know we're intimate.

"Excuse me?" The professor asks, almost gasping in surprise at my girl's outburst. Maeve just smiles, it's not her usual smile, no my girl is proud that she stumped this woman. I'm just glad she has no say in grading her exams, that's done online instantly. This woman is only here to make sure nobody is feeding her the answers. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did I say too much? He was just busy catering to me when he's not at his real job. Does that sound better?" My girl asks with a smug smile on her face.

Fuck, I'm in love with this girl.

Not surprising, but this professor stops with the pleasantries after that. She switches to doing the bare minimum that is required of her, good. I would hate to have to pay this woman a visit and embarrass her in front of her entire class. I'd hate to have to bring Maeve with me just to fuck her on this bitches desk, but I will if this woman says something else about my girl. I sit back on the couch with my leg propped up as I work, but I keep an eye on Maeve so I can insist she switch seats with me again on her next break. I kind of doubt that she'll say yes, but it's worth a try.

Finally, she has two more finals to go and the sun is starting to set. We've been at this all day, thankfully I was able to reschedule most of my clients today to be here, the few that I was able to, I scheduled virtual meetings over chat. So I've been doing that while Maeve takes her exams.

I make sure that her breaks line up with my breaks in clients, that way I can make sure we both have something to drink and a snack. "How about you come sit on the couch, ma fleur? You've been in that chair for the last three hours." I say to my girl when she's just finishing up another break. She looks up at me, taking a sip of the water I'd just refilled for her. "I'm fine, really. Rest your leg." Shepromisesme.

I don't know if something is finally shifting and she cares about me, or if she is just such a good person that she feels guilty that I'm sore and bruised. Either way, I feel like it's a step in the right direction. If she feels guilty, she cares deep down. I stand up, taking the laptop from Maeve. "I've been sitting for too long anyway. How about you finish up your last two in the living room while I make dinner?" I ask in compromise.

I don't know if I trust her not to tell the professor what's happening here, but I also just want to be near her in case she needs me. Once she starts an exam, she's not allowed to get up or leave the view of the camera for any amount of time. So I can grab her things while she's testing if she asks me to.

Maeve looks at me nervously, but she stands up. I don't know when this professor will join us at her computer again, so I can't say anything that may hint at our situation. "I looked up everything about celiac, I will not hurt you again. That is a promise, ma fleur. Can you give me a little of that trust again?" I ask her. I wrap my arms around her, pulling her into my chest. She stiffens, but she doesn't push me away or say anything about the embrace which I honestly love, maybe she is warming up to me. "I can try." She finally answers.

Chapter 34

Maeve's POV

I don't know why it's so much easier to be around Leon since he told me about his mom, but it is. It's even easier since he took care of me when I was on my heaviest days of my period.

Shoot, that was embarrassing. But I was bleeding so heavily that I couldn't even get off the toilet. So I just sat there all day, until my legs went numb and my butt hurt. But I was scared of ruining his floors. I was scared of his reaction. I've never been happier to be wrong. He was by my side the whole evening. Sure I woke up alone on the couch, but I know I fell asleep on him at some point.

Leon even took care of me the next day when I was still bleeding pretty heavily. I guess it's a blessing and a curse that my periods are so short but so severe. I'm already done, all that's left is a bit of cramping here and there.

It really helps that he hasn't said any more subtle digs at the fact that I'm a prisoner with a shock collar since our dinner, too. I'm frustrated at the same time that I'm happy. I shouldn't be getting along with my captor, I should be looking for a way to sneak his phone out of his hand and calling the police. But I haven't even tried that once since he's taken me, and I can't even logically explain why.

I'm telling myself that I am just desperate to be treated like someone who matters for once in my life, that for once I am not the quiet girl with the annoying restrictions that follows Carlie and Sean everywhere. Leon might be my kidnapper, but he actually treats me like I am someone, it's sick I know. I just need him to say something cold like he did the last few times, something to snap me back into my sane mind.

I'm on the living room couch whileLeonmakes dinner. I don't know what it is, but it smells phenomenal. It's almost distracting while I take my last exam, but this one is my environmental conservation exam. That is my most dreaded class, I know if I fail it, I will have to endure another year of professor Fitz harassing me.

Well, would I? I kind of doubt that Leon will let me finish college now. That's depressing, why am I even trying on my finals if I'll never be free again? It almost makes me want to give this professor the middle finger and slam his laptop closed, but I won't do that. I have to have hope that someday he will either let me go, or he will let me finish college.

Leon comes around the couch when I have about ten minutes left of my exam time. I finished my exam, but the professor insisted that I sit there and wait for the timer to run out while the computer grades my final. He has a wooden spoon in his hand and offers me a bite from it.

I stare at the concoction worriedly, I don't want to be sick again so soon. Usually I am so careful that it can be years between exposures, it hasn't even been a month yet. But he puts a hand on my shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. "Trust me, please." He says.

I stare up into his eyes, the one warm and inviting, the other cold and clinical and ask myself why should I trust him? Better yet, why shouldn't I? He respected my no, he scrubbed the entire kitchen clean after I got sick, he threw away full trash bags of things that even had the potential of being contaminated, and he even got all new wooden cooking utensils because he read that wood can hold things in.

He spared no expense to make sure that didn't happen again. So, logically I should just trust him, right?

I keep eye contact with him while I open my mouth and he touches my chin to guide the wooden spoon in. The eye contact that we hold while I close my lips around this spoon shouldn't be as arousing as it is, but I even see his pupils dilate when he watches me.

Whatever Leon put on that spoon was phenomenal. Spices, sweetness, a touch of a kick, and a rich hearty tomato flavor burst onto my tongue. "Sweet potato and three bean chili, I know chili doesn't have beans in Texas but you need the protein. Is it okay?" Heasksme. I smile up at him, nodding my head. "It's amazing, and I'm not from Texas anyway, so beans are fine." I say with a casual laugh.

I know he knew I wasn't from Texas, but I guess he needed the reminder. That or he thought I would only want authentic Texas food, if that was the case I wouldn't be vegan. I turn my attention back to the computer, barely missing the professor rolling her eyes at our small moment. But I choose to ignore it and Leon walks away to go back into the kitchen.