The bad man, p.1
The Bad Man, page 1
part #1 of Dangerous Duet Series
THE BAD MAN
Dangerous Duet
ALEXA RILEY
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Epilogue
Locked Up Love
Chapter 1
Read Me Romance
Stalk the Author
Copyright © 2024 by Author Alexa Riley LLC. All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, email to riley_alexa@aol.com
http://alexariley.com/
Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.
Edited by Aquila Editing
For those of us that love dark romance with a little nightlight on.
The Bad Man
BY ALEXA RILEY
It's Mia Kennedy's first day working at Bellevue Asylum and she couldn't be more excited to begin her nursing career. If only she knew that the man she should be most afraid of would turn out to be the one she couldn't let go.
Jamison Coy has been shut away for ten years in the asylum with no hope of escape. He never cared about leaving until he saw her. Now all his thoughts are consumed with Mia and how he can have her all to himself.
Warning: If you're wearing pearls then get ready to clutch them because this new romance is down right dirty. Out of pocket? Yes. Will you still love it? Also yes. We wouldn't let you down!
Chapter One
MIA
“That’s not going to fly.” Emily pulls on the end of the ribbon I tied in my hair, causing the shiny, dark waves to fall into my face. She goes to drop it, and before it can land in my bowl of cereal, I grab it.
“Why’d you do that?” I swear Emily always finds little ways to poke at me. It’s never anything big, but she’s persistent. I’ll start to think she really wants to be friends, but then she’ll do or say something rude. At least I think it’s rude, but maybe that’s just how roommates are.
I haven’t always been the best at reading people, and Emily can be one of the hardest. We went to nursing school together, but she was a semester ahead of me. We were both in an accelerated BSN program, and she was one of the best students in her class.
“You can’t wear that in the loony bin.”
I hate when she calls it that, and I’ve tried correcting her. It feels pointless because no matter how many times I say it’s a mental health facility, Emily doesn’t budge.
“Why not? It’s just a ribbon.”
Emily takes it from me and then wraps it around her neck.
“Oh my god.” I reach out and snatch it back before she can finish what she is trying to do. Her dark humor never lands right. Sometimes I wonder where it comes from. It’s not like she’s trying to make me laugh. I’ll never understand why she became a nurse, but I guess it takes all kinds.
“Didn't you read the handbook?” She scrunches her nose because we both know it’s a stupid question.
I always fulfill my requirements and live by the mantra that rules are made to be followed. They provide structure for everyone, and I don’t understand why more people don’t want them in their lives.
“They haven’t given me anything yet. I think today is a walk-through.” I'm sure they'll give me everything I need today, but I was hoping I would get more information before now. Someone pulled a few strings to secure my job, or at least requested a favor on my behalf.
I tie the ribbon back into my hair and will take it out if they ask me to. After I finish my breakfast, I go over to the giant mirror leaning against the living room wall. I check to make sure that the ribbon is perfectly in place and one end isn’t longer than the other.
“Did you already cash that check?” Emily raises an eyebrow. “If I was you, I wouldn’t.”
I guess it’s a good thing she’s not me because I already did it. There wasn’t much of a choice. I needed to eat and have a roof over my head. When I graduated from college, I had to move out of the dorms, and how else was I supposed to support myself?
I've always hated that part of the reason I went into nursing was because of job security. It’s a well-paying job that will always be in demand, and security isn’t something I’ve had much of in my life. I yearn for a sense of control, and this was something that could provide that.
When Dr. Crane told me that the signing bonuses were twice as much at Bellevue Asylum as they were at other hospitals, I knew I had to get this job. Dr. Crane was a guest lecturer in a few of my psychology courses, and he works at Bellevue. Mental health was a topic I found interesting, so this was a win-win.
“Why do you say it like that?” This is another one of those times I don’t understand Emily. “I thought you enjoyed working at Bellevue.”
Was she lying? If she was, it's too late to back out now. As Emily mentioned, I already cashed the signing bonus and signed a contract. I spent most of my check on rent, and then I might have binged at the grocery store. And maybe I overdid it at Scrubs & Beyond. It was nice to finally be able to afford more than the simple blue scrubs.
“I do. In fact, I love it." She clicks her tongue loudly. “But you and I aren’t the same. I mean, look at your scrubs.” Emily laughs.
“What?” I glance down and see the little cherries on my pink scrubs smiling back at me. “They’re happy.”
“Bellevue isn’t a happy place.” Emily says this with a grin.
How am I always considered the strange one out of the two of us? I actually thought after graduation I might never see her again, but fate had other plans.
When Dr. Crane told me about the open position at Bellevue, I was unaware that he was Emily’s uncle. He mentioned his niece worked there too and that she was actually looking for a roommate. The apartment was only a few miles from the asylum, so of course I jumped at it.
My grandmother always told me when opportunity lands at your feet, take it. I thought once again that it was fate and I was having some luck for a change. It’s easy to say I was more than a bit surprised to learn that Emily was the niece.
“Places are often what you make of them.”
Emily rolls her eyes at me. “You say that because you grew up in a halfway house.”
“I didn’t grow up in one,” I mutter, knowing she isn’t paying attention to what I’m saying. One night, I even tested it. She went on and on for two hours before noticing I hadn’t responded to anything she'd been saying. Maybe that’s why it’s been so hard for her to find a roommate.
"Yeah, you did.” Emily grabs a bowl for herself and pours some cereal into it.
“It’s called a group home. I wasn’t in jail.” I spent four years there before I left for college. Sometimes it did feel like jail, but there was no other place for me to go. My grandmother was all I had, and when she died, my options were limited.
“Tomato tomahto.” Emily pours the milk over her cereal, and it splatters onto the counter. I force my feet to stay glued to where they are. Emily can get snippy when I clean around her. “My mom is in jail.”
I want to ask her if she’s joking, but I really don’t have the time. I can’t be late on my first day. Well, I guess technically for my first night.
Chapter Two
JAMISON
The people who work the day shift are okay, but the night crew is my favorite. Mostly because they leave me alone. Well, until Jimmy wants to play. Thankfully for the past couple of months he’s backed off and left me in peace. I guess as much peace as can be found in a psych ward.
When the chime comes over the speakers, I don’t bother looking in the direction of the door. Visiting hours are over, and it’s not like I’d have one anyway. The second I turned eighteen my father had me locked up in this place, and he hasn’t come to see me once. It’s probably for the best.
At night, the group room is quiet, and it’s where I like to sit and read until they force me to go to bed. Currently there are only two other patients in here with me, so it’s not likely Alton is coming in to kick me out. Alton is the head of security on the night shift, and he’s probably here to do rounds early.
There’s a show playing on the television, but I’m not watching it. Instead I keep reading my book until a pair of shoes stops in front of me. Most of the staff I could recognize with one glance at their shoes, but these are new. Crisp white nursing clogs peek out of pink scrubs, and the shock of color in this place is almost alarming. Then I see Alton’s familiar shoes come up beside them, and I close my book.
“Jamison, I’d like you to meet our newest night nurse, Mia.”
My head slowly tilts back, and I take my time looking Little Miss Mia over. In a place that’s somewhere between stark white and dismal gray, she’s fluorescent pink with flas
“Mia, this is one of our long-term patients, Jamison. He’s under the care of Dr. Crane.” Alton’s eyes flicker between Mia and me before he moves a tiny bit closer to her.
I bet she doesn’t even realize he’s done it, but Alton and I go way back. I’ve been here for ten years now, and he’s been here almost three times as long. I know his tells, but he knows mine even better.
“Nice to meet you,” Mia says in a soft voice that sends a warm stream of syrup down my stomach.
My abs clench as I lick my lips and place the book over my lap. No need for her to see how much her presence is affecting me. At least not in front of Alton. Her dark hair is so silky, and the thought of touching it is overwhelming. Could Alton stop me before I could get to her? As if he can read my thoughts, he takes another step closer, this time almost slightly in front of her.
“Mia, is it?” I ask and lean forward in my seat. When she nods, it sends some of that dark hair over her shoulder, and I see a bit of pink entwined with it. More intrusive thoughts come barreling forward, and Alton really should have known better. “Do you mind if I ask you a question?”
Her smile is so innocent it’s almost erotic, and then she cocks her head to the side to slightly expose her bare neck. It’s enough for me to see the veins throbbing against her skin, and I have to swallow a groan.
“Ask away.”
I keep the book in place because my cock is fully erect now, and in these thin hospital pants, it wouldn’t leave anything to the imagination. “Would you let me eat your pussy from the back?”
I didn’t mean for the words to come out, but I’m not used to being overwhelmed like this. If I’d seen her across the room coming toward me, maybe I could have been better prepared. As it stands, it’s not my fault.
There’s a moment before anyone reacts, and I see her eyes widen and her lips part. She’s shocked by my vulgarity, and I wonder if that means she’s a virgin. She certainly looks like one.
“That’s enough,” Alton says, and then he moves fully in front of Mia to block her from my view.
I’m off the couch in a heartbeat and already in motion. I use my book to backhand Alton across the cheek and send him stumbling back. He’s going to be pissed as hell for that love tap, and I’m sure I’ll lose reading privileges, but I don’t care. The only thing that matters to me is getting closer to Mia.
While Alton stumbles, Mia’s eyes change from shocked to terrified as I push her against the wall and press my body into hers. My cock is so fucking hard it must feel like a bat shoved against her belly, but she’s so goddamn soft. I bury my face against her neck and take a long lick of her sweetness as my fingers dig into her hair.
She smells like lilies and something fresh. Something that the inside of these walls hasn’t experienced in centuries. Her mouth opens, and I expect her to scream, but instead she lets out a whimper.
My fingers tighten in her hair, and I thrust my cock harder against her as I bite the place I just licked. My teeth don’t break the skin, but I suck anyway. I want to leave a mark on her so that she remembers this. Remembers me. God knows she’ll be the only thing on my mind when they throw me in the confinement cell.
I don’t have much longer, so after I leave my mark on her neck, I move my lips to her ear. “When you put your fingers in your cunt, pretend it’s me.” I thrust against her once more before I feel arms ripping me away from her.
I manage to free my fingers from her hair before they get me off of her, and entwined in them is the pink ribbon. I wrestle with the orderlies, and in the shuffle, I hide the ribbon down the front of my pants. With my cock still hard as fuck, they won’t put their hands down there any time soon.
After that, I stop resisting and let them lead me away. I get one last look at Mia, who is still leaning against the wall with her cheeks flushed and her hair a mess. Our eyes meet, and I wink at her right when I feel the pinprick on my ass.
That’s the last thing I remember before the world around me fades away.
Chapter Three
MIA
It’s been a week, and the hickey on my neck still lingers. At least now it’s easier to cover with makeup. I rub my finger over the spot where Jamison left his mark and recall the way my body responded to it. He had me pinned to the wall while he was pressed against me, and even hours later, I could still feel him there.
It was difficult to forget because every time I drifted off to sleep, I dreamed about it. Each time I would wake up with my panties almost soaked through. Once I woke up with my hand between my legs and my fingers inside of me.
It shocked the hell out of me. Sure, I’ve masturbated, but it’s not exactly an easy task when sharing a dorm and having roommates. This is the first time I've lived in a place where I have a room to myself.
The thing is, when I touched myself before, I never put my fingers inside me. Since Jamison said those filthy words, it’s like I can’t think about anything else.
“What is wrong with you?” I say to myself in the mirror. No good can come from this kind of thinking. I huff, then pull out my concealer to cover the mark before starting my shift.
I adjust the purple ribbon in my hair before pushing all of it over one shoulder. It helps cover the hickey more effectively, and I don’t need anyone else to have a reminder of what happened. The whole episode made me feel like I was caught doing something wrong when I wasn’t. Maybe it’s because I knew how wrong it was and enjoyed it anyway. Not that anyone else would know that.
I tuck my compact into my bag and put my cell phone on silent before storing it away in my locker. When I exit the nurses’ locker room, Alton is leaning against the wall like he’s been waiting for me.
"Hey, Mia," he says, smiling. “I’ll walk you up.”
“You don’t have to do that,” I tell him. I’m still new, but I know my way around. And I pretty much stay in the one wing of the asylum.
“I’m going up anyway.” He motions for me to lead the way, and I guess I can’t argue with him.
To open the door for the stairs, I scan my badge, and Alton follows close behind me. I swear I can feel his eyes on my ass, but I quickly head up the two flights of stairs before scanning my badge again. When we exit onto the unit ward, Olivia is waiting.
“Morning,” Olivia says, looking like she’s ready to get out of here.
“Good evening,” I say, and we both laugh. I’m here to take over for her. The day nurses are done, and now it’s time for the night shift to start.
“Anything I should be aware of?” I know it’s only been a week, but I’m starting to get the hang of things. The hardest part so far has been getting to know all the patients. Along with some of their little quirks, as I like to refer to them. Not that I’m judging. I have some of my own.
“Nope. It’s been a quiet night.” Olivia makes a note in one of the files before returning it to our board of patients. I appreciate her habit of taking numerous notes. It’s helped a lot. “Oh, except Jamison Coy is back from isolation.”
I hate that word, and this is a practice I strongly disagree with. Isolation is a punishment and does nothing to help Jamison’s mental health. I understand the need to take someone away for a period of time to help them calm down, but seven days seemed excessive. That alone has the potential to make someone dangerous.
But I have to trust that the people in charge know what they are doing. Plus, I haven’t been here long enough to voice my concerns. For the time being, it’s best to keep my head down and gain more experience. I did read up on isolation after learning that's where they'd taken Jamison. I was glad to see that the test studies aligned with my personal beliefs on the subject.
