For some reason, I believe him. Or at least I want to.
When he lowers me onto something very soft, I open my eyes wide and hold on tighter to his neck even though I’m not sure where I get the energy. “Don’t leave me.”
“Never, Little one. Never.” He hovers over me against the soft material. It must be a bed. His bed? After all, it’s his apartment, and he didn’t bring the gurney up in the elevator.
“What’s your name?” I ask as he strokes my forehead.
“Thabo, but you will call me Papi.”
Papi? The name sounds strange. Like a grandfather or something. “Papi…” I try it out. Is it a nick name?
He smiles and kisses my forehead again. “Yes, Little one. I’m going to examine you now.”
I shiver as he releases me. I like it better when he’s touching me. He doesn’t step away though. His fingers come to my neck, and he gently lifts my head to untie the gown. A second later, he eases the cotton material away from my chest and off my arms.
I shiver as cool air hits my balmy skin. Goosebumps rise all over me, and my nipples stiffen. I’m naked. Instinct causes me to use every bit of my remaining energy to cover my breasts.
Papi’s large fingers wrap around my wrists, and he guides my hands away from my boobs. “Don’t cover yourself with me, Little one. There’s no need. I’m going to see all of you. You’re the prettiest Little girl I’ve ever seen.”
I blink at him. He’s sincere. Why is he calling me Little girl though?
“Thabo?” The male voice I don’t recognize comes from the other side of the apartment.
Papi glances over his shoulder. “In the bedroom.”
Another man is going to join us?Oh, right. The doctor he mentioned from the mothership.
I try to cover my breasts again, but Papi collects my hands and presses them against the mattress at my sides. “I know you’re very sick, Little one, but try to do what Papi says.” His voice is stern, and I shudder. He asked me not to cover myself. Or commanded it.
My breasts feel larger and heavy with his hands holding mine at my sides, and I arch my chest as I whimper.
“Thank you for coming,” Papi says to the man I haven’t looked at yet. I’m mortified to be lying here naked. These men are both doctors. No reason for me to be embarrassed, but somehow I am. After all, I’ve never been stripped completely naked without a gown during an exam.
“Hi there, Little one,” the newcomer says.
I dare to look at him. He’s also tall, broad, and dark.
He smiles. “My name is Surgient. I’m the doctor on the mothership. I understand you’ve been very sick. Let’s see if we can get you feeling better, shall we?”
I blink several times, not sure how to respond. There’s a testosterone overload in this room. And I’m naked.
Papi releases my hands and sets a palm on my forehead. “She’s burning up. Her skin is so pale it’s splotchy and red.”
“Let’s get her temperature and vitals and a scan first, and then I suggest you give her a bath and get some fluids in her before anything else,” Surgient says.
“Beforeanythingelse?” Papi asks.
The two men glance at each other.
Surgient’s eyes widen. “It seems prudent under the circumstances. She’s not in a position to consent to anything else.”
Papi frowns and shakes his head. “She signed the waiver.”
“You mean ten minutes ago with a fever?” Surgient points out, his voice filled with sarcasm.
Papi groans. “She had signed the release form before when she was coherent. She knows what that signature means.”
I shudder, trying to follow this conversation.