02

Note to readers: this is my first submission and it's been my personal pleasure for 12+ years. This story is one I only write for my own enjoyment but I decided that others may find it similarly... entertaining *ahem*

Because it wasn't originally meant for outside eyes; it may not be to everyone's tastes. The storyline is freeform, so if you imagine the plotline for a soap opera – it's sort of like that. Before anyone says it, I'm aware that a lot is explained that would have been better shown, but as I say – it's been just for me for years and I get impatient. In other works I do try to have more self-control and dedicate more thought to story.

At some stage I might start uploading some of my other works. One step at a time! In the mean time, I hope you enjoy ;)

Much loves, ChaosRaven.

Chapter One

Perhaps Catsy Vere just wanted an excuse to pursue him. She wasn't accustomed to having conquests but it was a good a time as any to start with Scott Naughton. –She just had to go and pick the man who was hardest to attain. Scott wasn't your average man in any way. He had shortish blue-black hair; strikingly emerald eyes and everything about him was sensual. Every expression of his lips appeared erotic. Together with his narrowed eyes and strong, high cheek bones he was her idea of the ideal man. He was tall—his shoulders were at her eye level—he was broad and he had a distinctly well-toned body; but not too muscular. –Perfectly suited to her tastes. However, Scott had an impenetrable barrier that made him out of bounds to her or anyone else. It was the most frustrating thing about him. Catsy had known him ever since he took her on as his patient last month. She didn't know whether he had worked for the TLT Centre before he'd become her doctor but it seemed impossible to find out anything about him. He remained anonymous. However, what she wanted most was to destroy the wall he'd erected around himself. She wanted to get closer to him than anyone had.

'Catsy, would you mind undressing so we can start your physical?' –Not that he did it himself. He only jotted down the findings and directed someone else to tend to her physically. It was all highly aggravating.

Scott watched as her gaze sharpened to a point in his direction as was her habit when he suggested such things. He was really starting to wonder if she had hated him on sight. He idly tapped his pen on the clipboard in his hand and weathered her icy look. It was hard for him not to notice in at least a little way how appealing Catsy looked when she was throwing him daggers but just as she had her habits, he also had some of his own. Her full pink lips had drawn his attention away from matters at hand more times than he cared to admit and it made him grimace inwardly. He didn't know why and he had no wish to find out. He thrived on isolation. So much so that the mere touch of another person could raise his ire and turn an otherwise fine day sour. He'd never touched Catsy Vere either and that was the way he preferred it.

'Not with

you

in the room.' She bit out. It was getting to be a very old argument already. Catsy found the endless testing tedious and it was getting ever more so as the years went on but that was never her principle concern. Not when it involved Scott Naughton. She wasn't merely a patient but a captive of the TLT Centre. It stood for Timeless Life Technologies and though it was a centre built for the benefit of the population at large, it was barbaric to its test subjects and she was unfortunate enough to have been born into it.

With a sigh Scott eased himself into the chair opposite the bed she was currently sitting on. 'We've been through this. I don't get any sort of perverse pleasure out of you removing your clothes. I am only asking this in a professional capacity.' He sunk down into the back of the chair as deeply as he could. He was sinking equally as deep into his own lies. With his many other female patients he could say the same thing and mean it.

'And I still say- that isn't the point. I don't like being treated like a lab-rat. Even if you are telling the truth, I've been lied to before. I was told the tests would stop when I turned eighteen. Why are they starting up again? I'm twenty!' She swung her arms wide and was satisfied that she had communicated her feelings aptly when he flinched. Scott's reaction pleased her. He'd no doubt thought that one of her hands would connect with him. She could credit him with that much. He had always been careful not to touch her in the slightest way. She could appreciate the gesture seeing as every test subject of the centre was only capable of feelings ranging from basically nothing to intense pain unless they were being touched by their proper mate of the opposite sex. It was genetic. The amount of pain depended on how pure the genes were in the particular subject –most were decidedly impure and thus didn't feel much at all. The unwarranted pain was a severe but incurable side effect of their genetics.

Since every subject only had one mate it was close to impossible to make a perfect match. All of them would inevitably become part of the breeding program but most likely without their rightful match, which made the typically enjoyable task of mating them; a form of torture. As if it couldn't get any harder, mates also couldn't simply be tested at random for compatibility. They needed to naturally gravitate to their mate where possible when they were physically ready. It was practically nothing more than a daydream to hope for a life with the correct mate.

If Scott wanted to hurt her; he wouldn't need to do much more than make contact. Catsy didn't need more endless tests to make her future any bleaker than it already was, but she would make the best of the life she had.

'The tests are starting up again because you're about to be entered into the breeding line.' Even as he said it he began writing in a recommendation that Catsy be put with a gentle man for her first time. He didn't like seeing her face drain of colour when he looked up to meet her eyes. He hadn't had her as a patient for all that long but he already felt for her. She was spirited and it made him realise that he liked seeing that quality still pounding strong within the people who were brought up in the centre.

'No... No—I won't.' She frowned resolutely in the face of the man she intended on having instead. It was true enough that it would cause her great pain to do so but that wasn't the reason she wanted him. Catsy wanted so badly to pleasure him. To have him hard and ready for her and see the desire in his eyes – all directed at her – that was what she wanted. So far he'd already conveyed to her very plainly that he was averse to the idea of using her for his desires. He hadn't said so directly, but there had been sufficient evidence to prove he must feel that way. From what she could gather, Scott found something about her unappealing. Sometimes it felt to her like she made him almost uneasy. She'd seen the way the other male staff and doctors would leer at her. Perhaps he just lacked the confidence or bravado that the other men had in this area. –It was certainly peculiar for a man as attractive as he was, but not impossible. Although a problem like that couldn't develop out of nowhere. It occurred to Catsy that his childhood might have been as turbulent as her own. The thought of such a thing gave her a pang of empathy for him.

He broke the spell with a scowl in her vicinity. 'Catsy.'

'I

can't

. I'm not

ready

. You don't understand!'

'I do understand but it can't be avoided forever. Believe me.' He looked down at the notes in his lap and considered the recommendation he had put down for her a second ago. 'Tell me, do you trust me?' Once the words were out his stunning eyes flicked up to latch onto hers. '—and my opinion?' The eye contact held them for an anxious instant until she found her voice and cleared her throat.

'I suppose I do.' She allowed in a weak voice. It really wasn't the half of it. She trusted him more than she'd trusted the majority of the centre's employees and it was only the briefness of their acquaintance along with sensibility that gave her some hesitation in being entirely up front.

Scott frowned decisively at the clipboard as he made some change to it. The question that had preceded the action gave Catsy a cause to grow uneasy. Not to mention the distracted air with which his right leg was twitching. The quirk wasn't like him, not as far as she knew. He was usually so calm and collected that the sudden change in him unnerved her and birthed a frown of her own.

'You aren't going to advance me straight into the program to get it over with are you...?'

'No.' He paused momentarily. 'No, I'm effectively postponing it. –Nothing to be concerned over.' His head was still down. By now it seemed intentional as it stopped her from being able to pin him with her eyes.

'Dr. Naughton, is everything all right? Am I not having a physical today after all?'

'No, you still need a physical.' He threw the clipboard onto the coffee table next to him but his eyes went back to it. She couldn't work out whether he looked resolute or just plain distracted. He leant over and purposefully slipped his pen into the clip before flipping it over so she couldn't read a word of it. 'Please agree to remove your clothes. Otherwise I'll need to get someone in here to do it for you.' The request was not said unkindly. He in no way wanted to cause her undue pain just because she wasn't feeling all that cooperative.

She nodded amiably in his obvious consideration for her well-being. 'Okay, I will. You know I was just wondering... Have you worked here for very long? I don't think I saw you around before you became my doctor.' She remarked as she began stripping off items of clothing. She'd do anything to distract him from the blush staining her cheeks. No matter what he'd said, she didn't believe that he didn't like watching her undress.

'Not long –a few months.'

'Do you live close by?' She ventured.

'I live here.' He wished that he'd thought before answering so hastily. Still, it was too late to take the words back.

That comment was enough to bring her head around to face him. She almost couldn't trust her ears. If he took residence in the centre it would be a simple matter to sneak out of her dorm one night and find his quarters.

'You mean you live in the centre like us?' She watched him falter as if maybe he'd said too much. Maybe he had.

'Yes. It's insisted upon.' In a way what he said was true. He was definitely encouraged to stay within the TLT Centre boundaries. –He chose to spare her the why. He inadvertently slid her a tentative glance. What was intended as a glance; turned into something less fleeting. Disturbingly enough, he couldn't force his eyes from her. At least while she wasn't aware of the scrutiny. Irritation rippled over his features. Women—to his knowledge—didn't look as captivating as she was looking now. Catsy was lithe, pleasingly curvaceous and wrapped in pale skin that looked soft and touchable. He couldn't understand why this woman's body was affecting him so much after all the years of not succumbing to anything similar over a woman. Women had never held much interest. Scott tried to pull back on his self-induced restraints with sheer will. –He didn't have much luck. Every now and then his body still had the ability to bemuse him.

'Aren't you going to call someone in to conduct the examination? Don't tell me you're going to start doing it yourself...' She caught him wincing when at last she chose to look back at him.

'I'll send someone in to do your physical shortly.' He explained in clipped tones prior to grabbing his notes and leaving the room with haste. He was out of the door before she could ask him why. She didn't like seeing such a strained look on his handsome face. It made her feel oddly drawn to do something about it, which was strange for her. Catsy and the others who were raised in the centre were technically clones of people who had once existed. –Or they were initially. The difference was that their DNA had been changed to make them not entirely as human as the original person was. They were still labelled clones but in truth they were immortals. The public was willing to pay a lot of money to buy something that was immortal for a life partner. The result would be a future of humans with increasingly longer life spans. The problem had been the cost required to produce so many 'clones' and so the TLT Centre had fallen back on the breeding program. It took longer but plenty of people were willing to wait. It was a thriving industry for the future of the human species.

Sounded perfect if you didn't happen to be one of their

specimens

.

Because of how Catsy, and many like her, had been reared she had a general dislike of people unlike her. By and large she had found the people around her untrustworthy and growing up in such circumstances had left her immensely cynical. In retrospect she second-guessed her own judgement in attempting to be friendly toward Scott. The one person she was trying to be nice to was rejecting her, as she should have known he would. It made her furious and it was directed more outwards than inwards. What had made her take the chance on him in the first place?

Another doctor knocked and entered without waiting for her response. Catsy tried unsuccessfully to cover herself. 'Miss Vere. I'm here to continue conducting the exam. I'd like you to stand with your arms out to your sides at 90 degrees and your feet at shoulder width, if you could please.'

After the health check she was left to simply put her clothes back on and return to her residential area on the centre's property. She'd never been outside the company's walls; neither had any other person like her that she knew of. Right now for the first time, she couldn't care less. Scott was well within her reach. If he was going to reject her – she'd no longer give him a choice in the matter.

Chapter Two

Catsy was on the final leg of her plan to snare Scott. She had already searched through files to locate his room and obtain a key. It was easier than she'd thought it would be. She had also managed to pick up a little something from their medical supplies to knock him out for a few minutes while she tied him down. She wasn't fool enough to think that he would give in so easily and there was no way in hell that she could overpower him. Not even if he was half-asleep. Though she hated the thought of using chloroform on him, she knew it would do the trick rather nicely.

Standing outside his room with duct tape and lengths of rope at her feet; she poured a generous amount of chloroform onto her handkerchief and let herself into his room. She waited inside the door until her eyes grew used to the darkness and she was able to pick her way silently around the bed to his slumbering form. As her handkerchief connected with his mouth she saw his eyes open in shock and felt a tremor rack his body as he strived to take action and work out what exactly was happening to him at the same time. His lids fluttered closed again soon after and she was able to breathe again. She hadn't expected to feel such guilt when she'd seen the panic in his eyes flare upon seeing her shadow in the dark. He wouldn't have seen much more than a dark shape and she somehow wished otherwise.

She brought the ropes and tape in from the hallway and locked herself inside his bedroom. She took a fortifying breath. She could scarcely believe that she was really going to do this.

When Scott came around it was distinctly earlier than she had assumed it would be. It was no surprise to him. What was slightly more surprising was Catsy's face coming into focus as she hovered over him. He understood the situation quite clearly when he found he couldn't move his arms or legs. The woman had tied him to his own bed and put duct tape over his mouth. There were no complexities over why she had. His head reeled to find a solution but there was nothing he could do to stop her. He was in the grips of something resembling horror already and it made him angry. –A lot of things made him angry. He wasn't very good at coping with that emotion.

'Dr. Naughton?' She had an unwarranted look of concern and confusion on her pretty face. The reason eluded him. All he could do was narrow his eyes at her and express himself with a growl. He glanced up at the corner of the room that housed the surveillance camera. With a much harsher, more frustrated growl he realised that he could expect no help on that front. The centre staff wouldn't make a move to help him. It was all too convenient for them. Earlier that day when he'd met up with Catsy for her appointment he had amended his first recommendation with a second one.

He had suggested to management that

he

be paired with her when the inevitable time came to put her into the breeding program. He had already avoided it for so long that he was pushing his luck. It was only due to how perfect his DNA was that he'd managed to persuade the company to let him assist them in their duties in the interim. –Seeing as he was damn near uncontrollable physically, they would have done anything for his cooperation. Recently he'd decided that if he needed to do it, it may as well be with Catsy Vere. She had captured his attention when countless others had failed to.

With a jolt he recognised her expression must relate to that which he'd kept from her. By the time she had pulled back the tape covering his mouth, he was resigned to his fate. 'Isn't this a bit drastic? Untie me.' He still wasn't quite certain how she had figured it out to begin with. –He must have grunted with pain from her touch sometime while he'd been knocked out.

'Dr. Naughton—you're a...' She trailed off, still unable to come to terms with her findings. The only sound was their loud breathing.

'Yes. What of it?' His mind raced as he endeavoured to establish whether he could talk her out of what she intended. He admonished himself silently that even now he was attempting to waylay the unavoidable. Then he started to relax. If neither of them got anything out of it; why should she bother to seduce him in the first place?

'

You don't understand

.' She murmured, enraptured. She reached out with her shaking hands and saw him stiffen to brace himself for the inescapable stab of pain that would follow her touch. Both of her hands made contact with his bare chest and his breath hitched.

No pain followed. There was only the strange sensation of a harmless touch. Warmth developed where her hands rested. His insides tingled with the new feeling. –Someone was touching his skin; for once it wasn't a sensation he'd caused himself. It felt better. It sent shockwaves of pleasure radiating from her hands. At first he didn't trust it. He'd never felt anything similar in his life and hadn't expected to. Not even in his most lucid states had he been able to conjure up what the warmth of another person would feel like. His lids fell closed on a fractured sigh, pent up for too long. Scott was more aware than most of how unfair and cruel the life of an immortal was. He was the centre's most flawless specimen after all. With a jarring conviction he suddenly wanted her close. His senses leapt with the thought of having Catsy held crushed to his body so that the foreign sense of heat could envelope them. He knew she must feel it too but for some reason she was holding back. The anger he felt over that fact was irrational given the circumstances but he was beginning to see that what he wanted wasn't mere want. It was, in actuality, a need. He could feel it searing his nerves. His body began to ache in so many places. It wasn't painful, more like a delicious ache that left you wanting. He lifted his eyelids to focus on the woman leaning over him.