“Good.  You’re awake.  I brought you coffee, plenty of cream and sweetener, orange juice, toast and scrambled eggs.”

“Yeah, like I’m gonna eat or drink anything you bring me.  What did you drug me with?  Some kinda date rape roofie drug?”

He chuckled and moved into the room setting the tray on the table next to the bed.  “I have never drugged anyone.  Especially not with any date rape roofie drug.”

 

"Doing Time", excerpt continued...

 

“Then why did I pass out, huh?  I never pass out.”  I included the entire room with a sweeping gesture.  “By the way, where am I?  And why am I here?  Where are my clothes?  What time is it?  For that matter, what day is it?”

He folded his arms over his chest and leaned back against the door, watching me.

Impatient, I ground out between clenched teeth, “Well?”

“My turn now?”  Sarcasm is not an attractive trait.

I curled both hands into fists longing to slam both into his condescending grin.  “I’d like to know where and what day and time it is.  Then I’d like to know how I got here.”  I paused, checking to make sure he was listening to me.  “But most of all, I want to know why.”

That smug grin still attached to his face, he answered, “You’re in a spare bedroom in my home, about eight hours after you left your friend Cammy’s.  As for how and why…”  He shrugged.  “A time freeze shift is always…disorienting at first, but you’ll get used to it.  Combined with your panicking, it was no wonder you passed out.  There were no drugs involved.  Your breakfast is perfectly safe.”

I snorted and folded my own arms across my chest as I faced him.  As badly as I needed coffee and as good as it smelled, I still didn’t trust him.  After all, besides sounding nuts, he had kidnapped me.

“Listen, Mr. Carpenter, I don’t care what when and why anymore.  As much as I’ve enjoyed your hospitality and our little chat, I’d like to leave now.  So, if you’ll just return my clothes…”

He sighed heavily, something he did a lot around me.

“Raphael told me my match would be a match in every way; I just didn’t realize you’d be so pigheaded.”

“Pigheaded?  Pigheaded!”  I felt the flush on my face like a sunburn as I clenched my fists and dug half moon divots in my palms with my nails.  Who did he think he was?

“Listen, Mr. High and Mighty Shifter or Hop, Skip, Jumper man, I didn’t ask to be brought here and I don’t want to stay.”  I stopped ranting and frowned.  “And who’s this Raphael guy?”

His smile slowly grew as he watched my tirade.

“God, you’re passionate.”

He uncrossed his arms and stepped away from the door to approach me.  Wary, I took a step back and hit the edge of the bed with the back of my thighs.  He raised a hand and cupped my face, his thumb stroking my cheek.

“We’ll do great things together.”

I couldn’t help it.  I laughed.  He dropped his hand and smiled that boyish, impish grin that, in spite of everything, I had started to crave seeing.

“Listen, Gavin, I don’t know if you have some type of older woman–Oedipus complex or what, but I’ve been through one hell of a wringer with my ex and bullshit just doesn’t go down as easily as it once did.”

He laughed.  “Despite that lovely visual, I swear I’ve told you nothing but the truth,” he raised his right hand palm toward me in a mock Boy Scout salute, “so help me God.”  He lowered his hand and smiled.  “I’m actually much older than I look.”  He raised his hand to my face again and stroked my cheek.  “Besides, what I see when I look at you is much deeper than even you can see.”

I jerked my head back and he lowered his hand, straightening.

“Yes, Raphael told me it would be like this.”  He studied me a moment longer.  “I just thought or hoped that maybe…”  He shook his head and started for the door stopping to add, “There are clean clothes in the top drawer of the bureau and in the closet.  I’ll be back in half an hour to bring you to see Raphael, my…supervisor.”

He started to turn, but stopped and faced me again with that boyish grin.

“I’d drink that coffee if I were you.  You’re going to need it.  Besides, what do you have to lose?”

“Gavin?”

He waited, watching me patiently.  I blushed.

“Why did you take my clothes?”

“Well, we wouldn’t want you to leave before we had a chance to talk to you, now would we.”

“Oh.”

He started to leave again and I stopped him.

“Who…um…undressed me last night?”

He grinned and turned, leaving without another word.  Well, I guess that was an answer of sorts.