The doc, p.1
The Doc, page 1
THE DOC
Natalie Debrabandere
Copyright © 2022 Natalie Debrabandere
All rights reserved.
The moral rights of the author have been asserted.
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the author’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published or without a similar condition, including this condition, being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
ISBN: 9798801106489
DEDICATION
For the real Miss who helped me
with the research!
xo
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thanks to Peter again for a wonderful cover design!
And to all my readers:
Thank you for reading and reviewing in all the good places.
I appreciate you greatly!
CHAPTER
1
Sunday, November 7th, 2021. Five a.m. in the city of Marseille, Southern France, and all was still dark and quiet. Dr Alexandra Delcourt did not immediately jump out of bed to get ready for her morning run. It had been another intense week of meetings and interviews, and doing her best to sail unscathed through a Twitter shitstorm of biblical proportions. All following her latest comments about the Covid vaccine. She was due some time off, at least one day of rest. A bit more sleep was on the cards, after which she would treat herself to a lazy coffee out on the terrace. Great views of the sea from her apartment, and with the right kind of breeze, she could catch a whiff of invigorating salty air. She planned to take a walk to the market, buy juicy tomatoes and zucchinis, a red pepper, some goat cheese and black olives. Roast everything in the oven with a good dose of olive oil, and eat it later in front of a movie and a glass of her favorite wine. Yes… That would do nicely. The ping of an email landing on her private account, the only one that she chose to keep switched on overnight, made her groan in reluctance. Determined to get her sleep, Alex turned over and snuggled deeper under the covers. Five minutes later, the phone rang. David Emait, the director of research at the hospital, was calling.
“Better be good, Dave,” she mumbled as she picked up.
“It’s not, I’m sorry,” he replied.
“What’s the problem?”
“Read your email and come over, Alex.”
“But wh—”
“Just do it,” he advised. “Please. Then come on over. We’ll talk.”
People rarely hung up on Dr Delcourt; both her credentials and personality made it difficult. A professor of medicine at the University of Sorbonne in Paris, vice-president of the cardiology department at Aix-Marseille, and a sought-after epidemiologist, she was also the most published in her field, and a regular media consultant. She had experience and authority. She also possessed a famously short fuse, tempered only by abundant charm and charisma. People did not just issue orders to Alex, but somehow that is exactly what David did. Irritated, already out of patience, she reached for her laptop. The first unread email was from him, and headed: Termination.
“What the hell?” she muttered under her breath.
The letter attached was from the Board of Directors at the hospital. Short and to the point, it informed her that, effective as of Monday morning, she would lose her title, position, and all associated benefits. The wording left no room for ambiguity of any kind. She was fired… Good and proper. Alex read the letter three times as she tried to calm her racing heart. Easier said than done, but dropping dead of a heart attack would be too ironic right now, and make too many people happy. Plus, at only forty-two, she was too young to exit the race. Much better to get out of bed and shower, then jump in her super-charged Audi and race the twenty kilometers to David’s house. The phone rang again as she was getting to her car, and Alex picked up without checking, thinking it would be him again. It was not.
“Dr Delcourt?” a female voice enquired.
“Yes?”
“Doctor, this is Kim Mulineaux with La Provence News. Rumor has it that you were fired from your job today, and stand to lose your medical license as well. Is this true?”
For fuck’s sake! Getting fired, if that’s really what was going to happen to her, was bad enough as it was; but losing her right to practice would be a disaster! Still, the letter said nothing about that, or her medical license being taken away. How the hell did this woman know so much? Was she just making it up in order to provoke a useful reaction? Whatever the case, there was only one appropriate answer.
“No comment,” Alex replied, and switched off the phone.
The roads were all but deserted at this time on a Sunday, and she kept her foot down all the way to Aubagne, making the powerful 3.0L V6 engine on the car earn its keep. David had left the front gate open for her. She flew through it without slowing down much and roared to a stop in front of the house, spraying a load of gravel off the side. A mountain of a German Sheperd, more wolf than dog, ran outside, barking threateningly as she approached. Alex glared in return. She was not a big fan of dogs. Too needy and stupid for her taste. She growled at the animal with enough aggression to make him go quiet and turn around with a whimper. For sure, she was in that kind of mood.
“Ulysse! Come here, that’s a good boy!” David called from the entrance.
“Pretty useless as a guard dog, isn’t he?” Alex sneered as she joined him.
“Good morning to you too, my dear.”
“It’s not good anymore as far as I’m concerned.”
“No. I know…” he sighed.
“Dave, what’s going on?”
“I’ll explain. Wasn’t my idea, you understand. I just sent the email.”
“’Just’, eh?” she snorted. “Well, that’s a relief.”
“You’re angry.”
“Damn right, I am. Furious! What else did you expect?”
“Well, the Board were never going to support you for very long…"
“Why not? I’m only sharing scientific facts!”
“Alex…”
“No, David, this is insane! And to get you to do their dirty work for them as well… Jesus! Bunch of cowards. Anyway, they can’t just get rid of me via letter like that. I’m a professor. I have tenure. I’m—”
“Alex, please.” David rested a gentle hand on her shoulder to stop the flow of words. “Let me make you a cup of coffee, first of all, then we’ll sit down and talk. Okay?”
No, none of this was okay, really... Alex followed him down the corridor toward the magnificently sunlit kitchen. Even at this time of year, the sun could be strong in this part of the world.
“A journalist phoned me up just as I was getting in the car earlier,” she informed him. “She said my medical license was at risk. Do you happen to know anything about that?”
He glanced at her with a light frown.
“No, I don’t. She was probably just fishing.”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought.”
Alex took a seat behind the breakfast bar, sighed heavily, and caught his eyes on her. Intent, searching. No longer looking too friendly… Or was that only in her mind?
“What?” she snapped.
“Are you okay, Alexandra?”
“I’ve been better, to tell you the truth.”
“Yes. I can see your hands are shaking.”
She took a couple of deep breaths, shook her fingers a few times, and rolled her shoulders to get rid of excess energy.
“Adrenalin,” she nodded. “I’m fine.”
“I can give you chamomile tea instead of coffee if—”
“No, coffee will do. Black, two sugars.”
“Alright, coming up. Help yourself to a croissant and try to relax.”
Instead, Alex fixed him with a hard stare.
“I’m not here for breakfast. Talk to me, David. No professor of medicine is ever fired in this way. There’s a process for these things. A formal convocation, a board panel... Hearings, and the right to appeal. All I’ve done is share accurate information with people and the Press with the intent to save lives!”
“Times are changing, Alex,” he said. “You cannot expect to go so publicly against the official narrative as you have lately, and not make enemies in the process.”
“Fine. Bring it on! I’m not scared.”
He sat opposite her, his face somber.
“Maybe you should be. These people are powerful, and I’m not talking about hospital board members alright? These guys are only reacting to what’s being put in front of them.”
In spite of herself, Alex shivered. These people?
“Are you talking about the CEOs of the vaccine companies, Dave? The people with a vested interest in the mandates that I, and many of our colleagues, have been opposing?”
“Maybe. I don’t know, Alex.”
“Well, share what you do know, then.”
“Okay.” He reached for his laptop and turned the screen towards her. “I’m sorry about this, Alexandra.”
She stared at him, puzzled.
“Sorry for what?”
“Just watch.”
The video was dark, someone filming on a mobile phone, but the neon sign in the background was a great identifier. Alex stiffened at the sight of it. Are you kidding me? This was the club known as The Cell, an exclusive BDSM dungeon set in the heart of Paris. As the person who was filming moved through a small crowd of people, the image became clearer and more focused. At the front of the room, two women were engaged in a scene. Alex bit hard on her lower lip as she recognized the one tied to the St Andrews cross. It was a shock to see Amelie and, for a second, tears threatened. Oh, my darling… But self-preservation kicked in fast and she swallowed her emotion. Keep it in. Don’t let him see. On a wider angle now, she also came into view. Dressed in a black leather pantsuit, with killer red high heels, and her blond curls cascading loose over her shoulders. ‘My devil angel,’ Amelie had called her that night. ‘My gorgeous Mistress.’ In her right hand, Alex held a mean-looking whip. She looked up, as David paused the video.
“What the hell is this?” she demanded.
Sharp, fired-up, angry. She felt it all.
“You tell me,” he muttered in reply.
He sounded hard. No longer friendly, for definite.
“This was sent to the Board?”
“Yes.”
“Shit…”
“Mm,” he nodded. “Shit, indeed. I assume it’s only a matter of time until this ends up splattered all over the News, and social media as well.”
Alex stood up and walked to the window. With her back to him, she stared unseeingly at the deep blue sky over the garden, and the top of pine trees swaying gently in the breeze. Amelie... Paris. Three years ago. This time, rising emotion made it hard for her to breathe.
“Did you hear what I said?”
“No.” She turned. “What?”
David’s feelings were written clearly all over his face. A mix of irritation and disappointment. Zero sympathy. Alex felt cold, all of a sudden. Threatened.
“What were you thinking?” he asked.
“Thinking? What do you mean?”
“That video’s fifteen minutes long. I watched it all. Twice.”
“Oh.” She smirked. “Did you now? Enjoy it?”
If he was going to make it hard for her, she would retaliate in kind.
“Wasn’t for pleasure, trust me,” he snapped in reply. “Just had to make sure it really was you, whipping that poor woman into a bloody mess. This is filth, if you ask me!”
“I sure didn’t, thank you.”
“What on earth got into you? When was this?”
She shrugged. None of his business, really.
“Let me try to understand,” she said instead. “Someone is obviously digging up what they think is dirt about me. Trying to destroy my reputation and entire career because I’m standing up to air the truth about the vaccines, and the fact that they may not be as safe and effective as we’re being told. Now I’m being fired because of this, and your way of showing your support is to yell at me?”
“I’m disappointed, Alex. That’s all. I know we all do things we’re not proud of, but—”
“What makes you think I’m not proud?”
She cut him off, and watched his face fall even more.
“You cannot be serious.” Disgust flickered across his eyes. “Don’t tell me you’re into this kind of thing. This… This! You’re a doctor, for god’s sake!”
“And?”
“And, BLOOD, Alex! Hurting people, inflicting pain! You’d have to be sick to enjoy doing that!”
She fished in her pocket for the USB stick that she always carried along with her keys, Audi card, and a mini-Maglite.
“What are you doing?” he barked.
“Taking a copy of that vid.”
“Why?”
“I want to see it in full. To be ready to explain it to people when they ask.”
“They won’t ask, Alex. They’ll crucify you.”
Download over, she closed the laptop and turned back to him.
“You know, that’s funny. I always thought that when tough things happened, real friends stuck together instead of judging you for your lifestyle choices.”
Eyes flashing, he stared at her in disbelief.
“I’m your friend, Alex, but you’ve got to understand.”
“Oh, I understand, don’t worry.”
Heart pounding, feeling increasingly sick to her stomach, she headed back to the front door.
“This is going to be the ruin of you, Alex!” he yelled after her. “You need a lawyer. For sure, they’ll come after your license when this goes public!”
Yeah, they can try.
“And what do you mean, ‘lifestyle choices’?” Still shouting like an idiot. “You’re into Live porn and making people bleed, is that the truth? Alex? Answer me, dammit!”
She made the slamming of the door her answer. Goodbye, my so-called friend.
CHAPTER
2
The drive home was just a blur. As soon as she arrived back, she pulled all the curtains shut and collapsed on the couch with her laptop. Ready to press Play on the video, although she paused for a second. To take a deep breath, prepare herself mentally... She did consider switching everything off and going out for a run instead. Deleting the bloody thing, even. But really, that would be running away. She had to know what she was up against. Even more importantly, she had to face her own fears about it. Alex resolutely pressed Play, and found herself right back into the moment. Paris. October 2019.
“Are you sure, my love?”
Her girlfriend, lover, pet or sometimes slave, depending on their mood, turned in her arms with a brilliant smile.
“Yes,” she said. “I really, really want this. Please, Mistress?”
They stood in the changing rooms at the club, on Amelie’s thirty-second birthday. Her present? To enact a long fantasized-about public scene involving bondage and pain-play.
“I want you to mark me.” Amelie ran a soft finger down the side of her face. She was already naked, collared, her brown eyes glinting in the soft overhead lights. “Draw blood and make me cry. Take your time doing it. Just like we said.”
Just like we said… As far as Alex was concerned, the talking about it, and weeks of planning, was as exciting as doing it for real. She kissed her partner on the lips, nipped at the underside of her jaw, and admired the titanium Turian-style collar around her neck. She held the key.
“Mine,” she said. “My sweet slave.”
“Yes, Miss,” Amelie replied in a breathy whisper.
The two women had met online on FetLife, and arranged a real-life encounter soon after. Amelie was not new to the BDSM community, but fresh out of a string of relationships which had left her wanting, as she described it. She was keen to make a new start, and would Alex please become her partner in exploration? For a seasoned domme like Alex, this was a wonderful offer. She readily took Amelie under her wing and gave her a safe space to experiment to her heart’s content. Tonight was to be a special treat for both of them.
“I’ll stop if you want me to, the second you tell me. But you have to use your safe word. ‘Ow’, ‘Stop’, and even ‘No’, won’t be enough. Got it?”
Of course, Amelie knew this, but it was part of the game.
“Yes, Miss, I understand,” she confirmed.
Alex secured leather restraints to her wrists. She rested two fingers on the side of her neck, feeling her rapid pulse, loving the power she held just to make her partner feel so much.
“Hands behind your back.”
Amelie obeyed, and Alex locked the two cuffs together. She moved her hands to her slave’s breasts, fondling what was hers to touch and enjoy without needing to ask. As Amelie breathed a little faster still, she wrapped her right hand around her throat, forced her head back a little.
“Will you be a good girl for me?”
“Yes, Miss…”
“Take your punishment in silence?”
“I will, Mistress.”
Alex released her.
“Walk.”
She suppressed a chuckle at the excited glance that Amelie gave her in response. Yes, this was fun, but Alex needed to stay in character for her. To be fair, it did not take much effort. This act was not something she turned on or off whenever she had to. She was a dominant by nature. Of course, she toned it down in so-called ‘real life’, but the vibe was always there for her, lurking just below the surface. The soft murmur of conversation greeted them both as they emerged into the main room. The cross was only a short distance away. Alex kept hold of the link between the restraints, and she briefly made Amelie stop. All eyes turned to them. Again, she noticed her partner’s sharp intake of breath. She saw her shiver.
“Who owns you?” she murmured in her ear.
“You, Mistress,” Amelie whispered.
