Sven:

I'm gonna shoot myself. This isn’t fucking fun at all. I'm gonna go nuts. I’d rather be in prison where I can still talk with my men and other men like me. Here it’s a bunch of pussies talking about their fucking feelings, and me having to put on this whole freaking performance just so I can get the hell out of here and continue on with my goals.

Lunch rolls around. It better be something good. That’s all I have to say. Rose walks in with a tall, dirty blonde haired guy next to her. Instantly, some of the shittiness in my day dissolves. I'm still remembering the way her skin felt on mine. The way her body shook in my hands. Of course, she wasn’t shaking for the right reasons, but all in due time. I learned she was starving herself. Good information to keep handy. I have to learn her reasons. The why. It’s always about the why. That’s how you win.

There’s this whole episode with the Bipolar, which Rose handles seamlessly. In her element. Like she was born to do this, but why? Why does she care so much? There’s so much more to her. I can feel it.

The other tech, Kev, sits by Carson, meaning… Rose sits by me. I see her take a deep breath, before sitting down.

“Hello Rose,” I grin.

She looks at me, tired. Worried. “Hi Sven.” Then she quickly turns in her chair to face me. I see her collarbone protruding through the dip in the top of her grey scrubs. She is positively fucking perfect. I realize I'm staring so I look up and meet her eyes, smirking. She swallows. I turn her on, and oh does she hate it.

“Sven, I hate to ask this since you are working on yourself and all,” she knows I'm not. She’s not fooled, “I’d be really appreciative if you could not mention the incident earlier.”

I glance at her hands, painted with dark blue nail polish on her delicate fingers. They are shaking. I have control once again. It’s what you desire most, that is your true weakness.

“What’s in it for me?”

Her eyes go wide. Along with Mike’s, who is sitting by us.

“I... well, that’s… that’s not how this works.”

I lean in, close to her face. She freezes and doesn’t move. “It does in my world little Rose.”

“I…” she clamps her jaw shut and hardens her face, “You are in my world now. Here we do favors for each other.”

I lean back and stuff a bite of pizza in my mouth. “Not me.”

“But why?” she blurts out, sounding too desperate and she knows it.

“Not saying I'm gonna tell. Just saying I don’t know if I am or not.”

I'm not. At least for now. She gives me such a hard look I can see the word ‘asshole’ on the tip of her tongue. I so wish she’d just say it.

I notice she hasn’t touched her food. She’s looking at it like she wants to eat, but the thought makes her sick. I take my hand, pure gold rings decorating my fingers, and push her plate forward.

“Eat.”

She looks at me. There’s hardness, but a faint hint of vulnerability. “I… well, I'm gonna ask Rosa for red pepper flakes.” She grabs her tray. “Kev’s got it for a minute.”

She’s lying.

I push the tray back down and give her my hardest look. Suddenly I'm not playing, and that’s just… strange. Interesting to observe.

“I know a liar when I see one. Eat. You can live without red pepper flakes.”

“How…?”  She shakes her head and sits down quietly, gently picking up a piece of pizza and bringing it to her mouth.

When we are all done eating Rose and Kev stand, helping us with the cleanup. Kev starts explaining afternoon schedules. I glance over to where Rose stands in the back, watching us. Observing, ready to step in at the first sign of trouble. Interesting little Rose, we have a lot in common. Except I look to cause trouble, not stop it.

***

Three Weeks Later:

The first two weeks, I nearly lost my shit. Then, like I always do, I adapted. I used all my free time to make plans. Plans that have changed ever so slightly since first arriving here. I'm close to being released. I can feel it. I’ve played everyone like a drum, except for Rose. I don’t need to play her. She’s just a pawn. The only person she could tell is that Kristy chick I met the first day, but she wouldn’t do that. She wants to prove herself too much. It pisses Rose off knowing I'm going to get out without having learned anything, and having played everyone. Even their dumb psychiatrist.

We are all headed to lunch. Both units eat together now, men and women. And I have to say, the only thing more pathetic and depressing than the men here are the women. Jesus.

I sit by three women. I spend every waking moment with the other five idiots. At least these women give a different scene, different people to read.

Rose walks over to two of them. One is clearly here for an eating disorder of some sort. Rose leans down in front of them.

“I just want you guys to know you are beautiful. I'm proud of you no matter what, but I know you can do this.”

“Thank you Rose,” one of them says, lower lip wobbling.

She nods, squeezes their shoulders and starts to walk off. I quickly grab her hand.

“I'm not beautiful. I'm hurt,” I place a hand over my heart mockingly.

“You’re not a girl.”

“Boys can be beautiful too. How sexist.”

“You’re so handsome Sven.” She rolls her crystal clear blue eyes. I see her mouth the words, ‘but I think you know that’. I laugh.

“Why thank you little Rose. I find you quite stunning myself.” She glares at me. Like she hates me. When I know she doesn’t. She wishes she did. “What I’d say?”

Oh, she wants to tell me to go fuck myself so bad, but she’d never do that, not here. She huffs and walks off.

“Enjoy lunch!” she snaps to the group before walking out, leaving us with the two other techs.

Boring. I’m almost done. I’m almost done. Hang in there Sven. Then you will get what you want.

Marcelo’s job.

Then bosses.

First, I have one more game to play with little Rose. One I can’t pass up.

Lunch ends and we leave to go to our respective areas for an hour of free time. My favorite time. My time to plan. I am walking to the main area when I see a girl bouncing around on one foot. I look over. Sure enough, hidden in the corner is Rose trying to put on her other heel.

I walk over casually and place my hand on her shoulder, steadying her. She jumps, nearly falls over but I grab her hip and hold her in place. The second my hand lands on her hip bone time freezes. My body needs her. Now. Fuck everything else. Her eyes reflect the lust I know we are both feeling. There is no way to deny what happened when I touched her just now. She’s mine. I'm going to be boss and she will be mine.

End of fucking story.

Her breath hitches and she steps back, finally getting her heel on. My eyes rake over her body. My cock swells and eyes darken with every inch of her I take in. She’s wearing a tight black skirt, strappy black heels and a black halter top that leaves little be imagined. I want to strip her right here and fuck her senseless, but obviously, I can’t really do that. Not right here at least.

“Where are you going?” I growl.

“Um… I … I asked off early today.”

Her cheeks turn red.

“Where. Are. You. Going. Rose?”

“None of your business Sven!”

She places her hands on her hips and glares at me. I walk towards her. Not stopping. She steps back, heart pounding in her chest. I nearly miss it, but I'm more than attuned to this stuff.

“What are you doing Sven?” she asks breathlessly when I'm right in front of her.

I trace my thumb along her pouty lower lip. “I always get what I want little Rose.”

“No,” she whispers, fighting herself.

“Yes.”

I grab the back of her neck and kiss her. I don't fuck around either. My tongue slips into her mouth and my teeth rake against her lower lip. She whimpers and pushes me away, very delicately.

“We… We can’t,” she says shakily.

“But you want to,” my finger traces her collarbone.

“Sven you’re…”

“A patient.”

“A criminal.”

I smile. “Yes I am.”

“Okay so…”

“So…” I cock an eyebrow.

“Sven! I could get fired. I… Sven, your people.”

Real fear crosses her face.

“It’d be one time. No one’s going to go after a girl I fucked once,” I laugh. She doesn’t. Not at all.

“I have morals.”

She skirts past me. “Thanks for your help, but I'm not getting fired over you.”

She says it like I'm the scum of the earth.

Oh little Rose, rage swells in my chest, you are going to regret saying that. Regret insulting me.

This time frame just got moved the hell up.

I stalk back down the hallway.