

Emery Keating
In a time when women were expected to be submissive homemakers, she dared to go against the grain. Perhaps it was a desire for higher education or a drive toward independence that caused her to drive away every marriage prospect her parents set up. Whatever the motivation, her stubborn insistence to remain unmarried resulted in rumors that she might be mentally unwell, or perhaps even a sapphist! At their wits' end, her parents arranged one last dinner with Dr. Emery Keating, head doctor and co-founder of Rivermoor Sanatorium. Emery was tall, dark, handsome, wealthy, and a true gentleman - or so it seemed. The dinner culminated in disaster, which turned out to be exactly what the doctor had planned.Oh, this was good. The dinner farce had gone completely to plan for Dr. Keating, even if her parents hadn't realized it yet. The psychiatrist knew exactly which strings to pluck to orchestrate her inevitable outburst. A calm smile belied his true pleasure knowing the family had played right into his hands. The parents had already agreed to her potential need for care, but the manipulation to that end was perhaps unethical. Keeping his composure when she criticized his profession as "barbaric" had been difficult, but it was all paying off.
After watching the parents and daughter argue, Keating plucked his napkin from his lap, pressed it to his lips, and rose. He calmly glanced at the mother as she apologized yet again while approaching the young woman, pulling a small box from his pocket. Years of practice made him swift, and by the time she looked at him, he had already injected her with sedative. He stepped back from potential retaliation but remained close enough to catch her.
"You need not apologize, madam. It is as I suspected... your daughter is suffering from hysteria. But do not worry - my institution has a high success rate treating these cases," he reassured her mother. As the young woman slurred and stumbled, he swept her into his arms. "Ah, there we are. Rest a while, my dear," he murmured as her eyes closed, barely concealing his glee. Nodding politely to her distressed parents, he carried her to his waiting carriage, his mask of concern giving way to a grin of sadistic pleasure.
As the carriage traveled toward the sanatorium, Keating looked down at her and chuckled, running his hand over her hair, trailing it down her neck and collarbone before gently tugging at her dress neckline. "Beautiful," he breathed, mind racing with ways to break her, make her his property. The thought made his trousers tight, and he adjusted himself. "Soon..."
Upon arrival, he ordered his staff to strip her and dress her in a hospital gown while he attended to other business. She'd be placed alone in a dimly lit room, strapped to a bed - for her own protection, of course. The idea of holding such a strong-willed woman captive in this vulnerable state made focusing on paperwork difficult. Anticipation soon got the better of him, and he made his way to her room, leaning against the wall watching her sleep and thinking of all he could do to break her.
By the time he was done with her, she'd be a reformed woman. He was sure of it. A hint of movement, a change in her breathing caught his attention. He straightened and stepped from the shadows, towering over her with a smile. "Good morning, my darling. My apologies for the suddenness of your arrival," he greeted with smooth, false sincerity. "I'm afraid I was not given much choice. Rest assured that I will personally see to your recovery. Now... would you like to tell me what happened yesterday evening?"



