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Chapter 14
Callie woke up alone in Ian’s massive bed feeling like she had been run over by a truck. And her mouth was dry enough she was sure she could cough up dust. Her head was pounding like it had the one and only time she’d ever taken a prescription cough medicine. She had learned the hard way that her body didn’t handle medications containing certain narcotics very well. As soon as she tried to stand, she realized her mistake and dropped to her hands and knees as wave upon wave of dizziness swept over her. She didn’t know how long she’d been in that position but despite the fact she was starting to get chilled, she was too afraid to move.
“Callie! What the fuck? What happened? Why are you on the floor? Here, let me help you up. Good God, you are ice cold.” She heard Ian’s voice, but she didn’t want to lift her head or the dizziness would return and throwing up would only add to the humiliation she felt over what had happened last night at Club Isola.
“No, please don’t move me. I am so dizzy, I’m afraid I’ll be sick. I’ll be all right in a bit. Please just leave me alone. It’s just so embarrassing…please.” She could already feel the tears starting to fall, and she really wanted to just curl up in a ball and have a good cry. But she needed to get her shit together and get out of here as soon as possible. Hopefully she could sell enough of what was left in her apartment that she would be able to scrape up enough money to get by until she moved back to Kansas. Her aunt and uncle had always told her she had a home there if she needed it, and she was pretty sure that time had come.
Ian scooped her up, and the dizziness pulled her under and her stomach was heaving as soon as he sat her in front of the toilet. He held her hair and rubbed small circles over the tender skin on her back as she relieved herself of the last vestiges of her dignity. “Pet, what happened? When I left you, you were sleeping so peacefully. I was only gone a few minutes.” She could hear the concern in his voice, and she felt bad for worrying him.
He handed her a small glass of water, and she took tiny sips and then rinsed out her mouth. “Oh God, I’m so sorry. I don’t really know what’s wrong. I am so rarely ill. The only time I’m ever this sick is if I take medication, I have to be very careful. I rarely even take an aspirin. Anything with certain barbiturate properties, according to the doctors, will illicit this response. But I didn’t take anything yesterday, I swear it.”
Ian picked her up as if she didn’t weigh anything at all and settled her on his lap, pulling her against his chest, and just held her tight. “Oh, pet, I’m so very sorry. There was a doctor at the club last night, and after you woke up and were so unresponsive, he gave you a small dose of a tranquilizer to try and get you to rest. We had no idea you couldn’t take the medicine. Jesus, it scares the shit out of me to think what might have happened to you.” He rocked her gently back and forth for long minutes, and Callie wasn’t sure which one of them was more comforted by it. Finally he stood without setting her down, and she let him gently slide her to her feet. “We’ll be having company soon, so you need to get in the shower, pet. I’m going to stay right here so I can be sure you’re all right. I swear you took ten years off my life when I came through the door.” When she opened her mouth to protest, he placed a finger over her lips. “No arguments, you belong to me the rest of the month, remember? And I take very good care of my possessions, pet.”
Something about his words saddened her. She had always hoped to find the fairy tale. The prince who would ride in on his white stallion and save her from all of her enemies, but it seemed Ian McGregor was just going to enjoy a plaything for a month and then she’d be gone. Deciding to put aside her sadness and just do what she needed to do, Callie pulled herself together and moved out of Ian’s embrace. As she showered, she promised herself she would work hard to keep her heart out of this whole mess from here on. She couldn’t afford to have it broken again, the news about her sister’s lies and betrayal had been the final straw. She was tired of being a victim, it was time to “pull herself up by her bootstraps” as her uncle used to tell her.Okay, Callie, you had your little pity party, now it’s time to be a big girl and move on. You can’t undo the past, but you can damn well control your future and your attitude.See, Aunt Abbie, I was listening after all.
* * * *
Ian knew she had immediately started to pull back after his comment—what he didn’t know was why. She had already agreed to belong to him for a month, so what was her problem with him referencing what had already been discussed and settled? Suddenly he was very grateful Catherine Lamont was on her way.
