Breathless

This chapter was definitely tricky to write, please let me know your thoughts!!

Hope you enjoy!

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"Why are you wearing makeup?" Dr. Easton's question startled her.

They were in his car, a midnight colored vehicle just as expensive as Dr. Drewitt's had been.

Enid had been staring out the window as they left the campus, watching as the trees outside whipped past.

Reaching up to softly touch the skin under her eye, she frowned.

His attention was on the road ahead, his large hands guiding the steering wheel with ease.

"I... haven't been sleeping well." She answered honestly.

For some reason she could never lie around these men.

"You don't need makeup." His voice deep, almost reprimanding.

And then: "Nightmares?" He glanced at her; his dark blue eyes unreadable.

"Something like that," She murmured, mustering up a convincing smile, "I'm okay, though."

His grip on the steering wheel tightened.

"It's okay not to be okay. You can talk to any of the three of us anytime you need us." His attention turning back to the curving road before them.

Dr. Easton's voice always radiated confidence.

Clearly so constantly right that he rarely spared the time to second guess or doubt.

She admired him.

His self-confidence was well earned.

The rest of the drive was quiet, but not awkwardly so.

Enid watched in wonder as they drove through the countryside, houses getting father and fewer between.

After a few more minutes, they came upon a magnificent gate.

It was gold and ornate and foreboding.

Dr. Easton pressed a button and it smoothly opened, exposing the estate hidden behind it.

A soft gasp slipped from Enid's parted lips and he smiled.

The castle-esc building was the one of the most impressive things she had ever seen.

Stately towers reached high into the grey sky while the grounds seemed to stretch to the ends of the earth.

The sleepy fog hugged the wide home and Enid was reminded of fairytales that her father used to read to her.

The sleek black car pulled to the front of the long driveway and Dr. Easton turned off the ignition.

"Welcome home." His tone possessive as he exited the car.

Enid did not hear him, her attention enraptured by the building before her.

Helping her out of the car, the two walked across the pebble driveway and up the stone steps to the front door.

As the massive wooden doors parted before her, she was astonished to find the interior even more impressive than the outside.

Elaborate chandeliers hung from the tall, sweeping ceilings in the front entranceway.

The floors were a pale marble, their shoes echoing as Dr. Easton led her into the estate.

It was an enchanting mixture of modern and vintage.

Enid's head turned quickly, trying to take in everything as she followed her professor up the large staircase and down a carpeted hallway.

"Don't fret, Enid. We'll give you a grand tour once all three of us are home." Dr. Easton said, his back still to her as he continued his powerful strides.

She wondered if he had eyes in the back of his head like her father had.

She quickened her pace, her short legs straining to keep up with his long ones.

At last they came to a black door.

Dr. Easton retrieved a key from his suit pocket before unlocking it and pushing it open.

Enid's eyes eagerly explored the place in wonder.

Half of the room seemed to be his office; a large oak desk surrounded by bookshelves.

The rest of the massive room was taken up by his research space.

Long tables stretched along one wall, organized rows of equipment settle upon them.

Medical and scientific machinery was stored along the other.

A small sitting area was placed under the colossal windows showcasing the rolling grounds outside.

"Take a seat." He instructed, placing his suitcase on his desk and taking off his coat.

Enid sat on the leather couch at the far end of the room, studying the innumerable black-spine notebooks that filled many of the shelves.

She wondered if he used those to store his data.

He reached for something from his desk before walking over to her.

His tall frame towered above her as he handed her the packet and a pen.

"I'll need you to sign these forms. Feel free to ask any questions you have about any of it." Dr. Easton's stony face stared down at her.

She began to read the paperwork, most of it being about consent and liabilities.

After a while, the terms grew too complex for her to understand.

She thought about asking about them but didn't want to seem unintelligent.

Instead she skimmed through them, hoping it was nothing too binding.

Her professor walked to the table nearest to the sitting area and opened a vinyl player she had not noticed.

Soon soft jazz music filled the room and Enid relaxed slightly.

Music had always calmed her.

"Dr. Easton, what are we going to be doing exactly?" She asked, her pen poised to sign the documents.

"I can't tell you until you sign." His response sending an infinitesimal shiver down her spine.

With shaking hands, Enid penned her name in a swirling signature.

Dr. Easton's statuesque face cracking into a wicked smile.

"Let's begin." He took the papers from her, setting on his desk.

His frame disappeared from her view as he sauntered toward the area behind her.

He brought a machine and his notebook with him as he returned to her side.

"This is an electrocardiogram machine. It will monitor your heart rate throughout the test." He informed her, pulling the cords from where they were stored.

"What kind of test?" Curiosity thick in her sweet voice.

"A test of touch, darling." His obsidian eyes searing hers.

Darling.

Her heart was racing already.

He retrieved something else while the machine hummed to life.

Dr. Easton squatted slightly before her, something silky in his hands.

"It'll be difficult to hook you up to the machine in that sweater. There's a bathroom right across the hall that you can change in." He commanded, the pink material falling onto her lap.

Nodding hesitantly, she made her way to the restroom.

It was as extravagant as the rest of the house and nearly the size of her dorm room.

Slipping her sweater over her head, she cursed her decision to go without a bra today.

She hated the constricting things and went without them as frequently as she could.

It had not been an issue in her chunky knitwear.

But as she shimmied out of her jeans and into the silk slip, she wanted to die from embarrassment.

Her small chest was very noticeable in the thin material and no amount of pulling kept her cleavage from showing.

Studying the obviously expensive garment, she wondered why Dr. Easton had it.

Realization dawned on her.

It must be his girlfriend's.

Here she was fretting over what she looked like while the man waiting for her probably couldn't care less.

Her google search had told her he wasn't married, but clearly the man was very private about his life.

He probably had gorgeous women vying for his attention constantly.

And here she was, a small, anxious girl with a small chest and too-wide hips.

He'd never be interested in her. A child.

None of them would be.

Shaking her head at her foolishness, she crossed the hallway once more.

Her bare toes sinking into the soft carpeting.

Dr. Easton's eyes nearly black, drinking her in as she returned to the sitting area. She tried not to fidget with the slip as she sat on the cool leather couch.

For a moment, there was nothing but the soft sound of a trombone.

His gaze traced along her collar bones and ran down further and further to her legs.

She was thankful she had shaved that morning.

Swallowing thickly, he turned away from her.

"Lie back." She quickly followed his command.

He pulled the machine closer and sat down in the armchair near where her head now lay.

"If at any time you are uncomfortable, I want you to tell me. Okay?" His tone serious.

She nodded nervously.

"A verbal answer, Enid." He corrected and something low in her stomach twisted.

"Yes, sir." Her voice was breathless.

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And so the real action begins.

Comments fill my heart with joy.

All my love, Sappho ❥