Until Autumn

He scans over the list of contributors and shakes his head, unable to figure out who had supplied this little piece of bullshit information. Dr. Mayson flips right back to the page and grabs a red marker, drawing a big asterisk over it to be sure this one doesn’t get missed. You know, when one of us can figure out what the fuck it’s supposed to be about.

“We’ll have to come back to this,” he tells me. “Let’s get through all of—”

A knock at his door cuts off what he’s saying, and both our gazes snap up to find Dr. Harding—my other assessing doctor—looking in. There’s genuine concern on his face until he takes me in at Dr. Mayson’s side, and suddenly that concern morphs into a twisted interest. “Well, well,” he says, his lazy stare roaming over my body. “What’s going on in here?”

A nearly inaudible sigh pulls from Dr. Mayson beside me as the chills from Dr. Harding’s stare sweeps through me. “Autumn, I trust you’ve met Dr. Harding,” Dr. Mayson says. “He’ll be one of the few doctors assessing your work during your training program.”

I give a brief nod as my lips pull into a tight line. “Yes, I met him briefly yesterday,” I say cautiously. “How are you doing, Dr. Harding?”

His eyes darken as he watches Dr. Mayson and me together before scanning over the empty Chinese takeout containers. “I was just about to ask you both the same thing. What’s going on here? It looks pretty cozy.” His gaze flicks to Dr. Dick with suspicion shining brightly. “I stopped by because I could see the light on. You’re not usually here this late.”

Dr. Mayson leans back in his chair, his gaze hardening on his colleague, clearly not liking what he’s insinuating. “I could say the same for you,” he says, his stare becoming dangerous. “Autumn here was going through the ‘Policies & Procedures’ folders and brought some inconsistencies to me which require urgent attention. There are weeks worth of updates to get through.”

“Oh, really?” he comments, turning his heated stare back on me and becoming increasingly suspicious, almost sounding as though we’re feeding him excuses to hide some kind of hideous truth. “That was awfully kind of you.”

I narrow my gaze, not liking this visit one little bit, even less when he invites himself inside Dr. Mayson’s office and makes my blood run cold. He takes three slow intentional steps toward Dr. Mayson’s desk, and with each step he takes, I find myself discreetly moving closer to Dr. Mayson, half hiding behind his shoulder.

I nod when I realize that he’s not going to stop until I’ve responded. “Just doing my job,” I murmur, keeping my voice low.

He flicks his gaze back to Dr. Mayson before bringing it back to me. “Well then, being an observant student such as yourself, I’m sure you’ve realized just how busy Dr. Mayson’s schedule is. Perhaps tomorrow night, you should swing by my office and we’ll work on these updates together and give Dr. Mayson an early night.”

My back stiffens, and I watch out of the corner of my eye as Dr. Dick’s hand curls into a tight fist, but before this can get too out of hand, I raise my chin and give the creep a tight smile. “No, that’s not necessary. I understand that you have a wife and children at home, and I’m sure they need you more than these procedures do. We’ll be fine here.”

His eyes tighten, realizing that I’m calling him out, and as he looks back at Dr. Mayson, his suspicion only seems to grow. His eyes begin to sparkle, and I realize that this guy is going to be more trouble than he’s worth, and not the good kind of trouble like Dr. Dick.

“I didn’t take you as the kind to mix business with pleasure,” Dr. Harding accuses, almost sounding like a threat as he focuses heavily on the one guy who stands between him and the title of being the best in the business.

Dr. Mayson stands and the look on his face is deadly. He presses his knuckles to his desk and leans forward, his glare somehow getting scarier. “Says the man who just asked one of his students to meet him in his office tomorrow night while his family waited for him at home.” Dr. Mayson straightens, his chin rising as he becomes the most lethal man I’ve ever met. “I explained why Autumn was in my office, and if you were to think anything differently or less of this situation, then that is on your blatant disregard for our rules and regulations. I don’t know about you, but I don’t believe that our students should be sexualized and used as a means of entertainment while trying to avoid home life.”

Dr. Harding’s face reddens and he takes a purposeful step toward Dr. Mayson. “You better watch your mouth,” he threatens. “That’s a big accusation you’re throwing around.”