Femme Fatale: The King's Deadly Temptress

Hillcrest Hospital

Damien wasn't kidding when he said Katherine had to get a thorough physical examination. They had been in the hospital for over an hour after going through several necessary checks. After that, she stayed in a VIP room while waiting for her MRI schedule, which Jeffrey Evans had ordered. She didn't like the thought of being in an enclosed space. A previous experience with MRI was already haunting her and she couldn't feel at ease.

Jeffrey suggested that she took a shower or at least wash off her makeup—a protocol she needed to follow before doing MRI because apparently, there could be traces of metal in makeup. So after taking off all of her jewelry, she took a quick shower and slumped on the sofa instead of the bed. 

She sat on one end of the sofa while Damien sat in the middle. They hadn't talked much since they arrived in the hospital, and she could tell that he was still mad about the whole 'not telling him about the tremors' thing. And because she knew his anger was understandable, she didn't try to make up excuses on that one. 

Katherine fidgeted with the hem of her top, thankful that she was wearing a hospital patient pajama instead of a gown with an open back that would flash her ass to people. She never understood why that was even a thing when it left patients vulnerable.

The T.V. on the wall was on, but neither of them was really paying attention even though they were looking at it. She glanced at Damien, whose arms were stiffly crossed across his chest, his muscles straining against the pale blue striped shirt with rolled-up sleeves. She wanted to curl on his lap and demand attention like a kitten—she'd purr if she needed to—even meow if that's what he wanted. She'd do anything, just stop being mad already!

Clicking her tongue, she brought her knees up and turned her body until she was facing him. He still didn't look at her, but she noticed his fingers slightly curled inward as if he was stopping himself from something.

She slowly slid her feet down, stopping just an inch away from his thigh. 'Come on, Damien, notice me,' she said in her head with a pout. 

When he didn't, she bit her bottom lip, feeling the childish urge to kick him instead for not looking her way.

The frustration caused her toes to curl, and the movement probably did something to him because he let out a sigh, uncrossed his arms, and placed both of her feet on his lap. She suppressed a smile to form on her face when he began massaging the balls of her feet; his magical hands did it again.

Katherine swallowed the moan lodging in her throat. He could be mad, but he didn't have to stop touching her. This was comforting—and comforting was sexual. She couldn't control what her body wanted. But she pushed the thoughts away and relaxed instead.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, finally turning to look at her.

"I'm okay." She wasn't lying. She was indeed feeling okay for now. Just a few minutes ago, she dreaded the MRI examination, but worrying about it was stupid as it would only scare her even more. 

Damien extended his hand towards her, and she placed her right hand on it. He gently held it in his as if he was trying to feel if it was still trembling. The tremors had actually stopped a few minutes after they arrived at the hospital—as if her hands knew what was about to happen and they shied away. 

However, in the car before coming inside the hospital earlier, he asked to see her hands again. So she held them out, and he watched them, his jaw clenching. Katherine didn't know why but she thought about showing him how it was when she held something in her hand, so she grabbed the stainless steel tumbler in the beverage holder between their seats and held it towards him. Sure enough, the tumbler shook in her hands, and the crease in his brows deepened, his eyes filled with worry and pain seeing her like that. He immediately took the tumbler from her and clasped her hands between his large ones. "You're going to be okay," he told her. 

Now, the worries in his eyes lessened as he held it, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"I don't like doing the MRI," she confessed.

"But you need it."

"I know, but…" She swallowed. She was sedated during the times that she had MRIs before. But now, knowing that she could be sedated still caused her anxiousness. The doctors could control the amount of sedative given to her, but even so, it made her feel uneasy especially when Jeffrey told her she'd have to stay awake for some questions during the exam. Just the thought of being inside that capsule with no way out caused her chest to feel heavy.

Trying to divert her attention from the impending torture chamber in the form of a medical check-up, she curled her lips into a smile and changed the subject. "I have planned something for us three weeks from now."

"Really?" Damien's brows raised, seemingly curious about what she was planning. "What is it?"

"It will be a surprise." She grinned broadly, a blush creeping up her cheeks for the plan she had in mind. "This morning, I cleared your schedule on that day and moved your other appointments, so you and I can go somewhere without you worrying about work."

He chuckled at her mischievous expression. "I knew letting you organize my schedule was the best decision at the start of my year—well, that and having to spend more time with you, of course."

"Ha! Don't be too complacent. I might purposely screw up your appointments if you're mean to me!" She raised her chin haughtily.

"When have I ever been mean to you, Kitten? Hm?" He tossed her feet off his lap and tugged her towards him, the worry in his eyes replaced with playfulness, and she was glad he forgot all about her tremors.

Just as he was about to plant a kiss on her lips, a knock on the door interrupted their moment. The door opened, and Jeffrey Evans strolled inside with a chart in hand, already throwing his first question as he strode towards them, "You're not pregnant, are you, Katherine?"

She and Damien were both taken aback by the question, and the latter looked at her, waiting for her to answer. She couldn't tell whether he anticipated her to say yes or expected her to say no. But then she shook her head and replied, "No. I'm on the pill."

Katherine swore Damien's shoulders dropped ever so slightly. Was he disappointed?

Jeffrey lifted a paper from his chart and nodded once. "I see. Right… Your hCG levels are low here. MRI scans aren't recommended for pregnant women. I just wanted to make sure, you know…in case you feel that you are. Blood tests aren't 100% accurate." He looked up. "Are you ready?"

She shook her head. "Can I back out? I hate MRIs." There was no need to sugarcoat it. She'd rather take needles than being trapped in a machine.