"Are you serious, Avery? You need to get out more. Not to mention his father used to be senator, and this party is in his honor. You need to fit him into your schedule. You never know. We may become the therapists to a whole network of actors."
I sighed as my frustration grew. "I can't believe you're asking me to bow down to him." I didn't care how famous he was. I needed to hold firm, because I wasn't standing on solid ground, and he was quicksand. I glanced over my shoulder in his direction. He smiled and tipped his drink at me, an all-knowing expression on his face. Yeah … he was definitely quicksand, and the closer I got to him, the farther I'd sink.
"We're doctors. We help people." I knew Matt could go on all night with his reasoning. His eyes sparkled with determination.
"Fine." I rolled my eyes and gritted my teeth.
"That's my girl." He dropped a kiss on my cheek and pulled me back over to Xander. "Good news! She has an opening tomorrow."
"That's convenient."
"Actually, it's not. I'm giving up my lunch hour," I added bitterly.
"Oh … I wouldn't want you to starve."
At least someone is being considerate. I glared at Matt.
"I'll bring you lunch."
Ugh … Nooo …
"See, it all works out." Matthew smiled at the annoyed look I gave him. I hated how he knew he'd get his way. "I'll leave you two to work out the details. Mr. Pierce … " They both reached out and shook hands. "I hope to see you again soon."
"I'm sure you will," Xander said as he watched Matt walk off. "Boyfriend?" He nodded toward Matt.
"If I say yes?"
He looked at me and shook his head. "It won't stop me."
"What will?" I guess we were done beating around bush. We both knew what he really wanted from me, and maybe I'd get him to back off before that predatory gleam in his eyes turned him feral.
"I think you know the answer, Dr. Shaw."
I stared into his green gaze, knowing the unspoken attraction between us was the kind of thing I could lose myself in. "Be there at one tomorrow."
I turned and went to search out Matt. His two hours were up, and now that he'd thrown me to the wolf, I needed time to lick my wounds before I had to go up against him again.
The Session
Xander
Avery's hair was back in that uptight bun again, not a stray tendril gracing her face. Last week at the Gala, it had been out in elegant loose curls. The moment I'd seen that fiery-red hair across the room, it called to me like a beacon in the sea of people. I didn't know what it was about the beautiful doctor that commanded my attention, but she definitely intrigued me.
She'd canceled our lunch session last week because she'd gotten stuck at the hospital. Or so she said. I knew she hadn't enjoyed conceding to me, so I wouldn't put it past her to have made up an excuse to cancel.
A week ago, I was sure she'd have a small involvement in my life. I thought I'd talk my way into getting some pills and forget I'd ever met her, but she'd surprised me. Her sophisticated beauty had thrown me off, and then she'd stood her ground and called me on my shit. I liked the way she exuded brilliance yet radiated beauty. And her gumption? I appreciated that too. She was the kind of woman I didn't come across often. She hadn't recognized me and didn't even bat her eyes when her partner told her who I was, and that was refreshing.
Over the past week, I'd become infatuated with the thought of her, and it was fucking with my head even more than the lack of sleep.
Avery cleared her throat, slid on a pair of glasses, and crossed her legs. The motion caused her skirt to ride up her thighs. I traced my lips with my index finger, attempting to figure out if she was trying to seduce me, or if she was completely clueless about how tantalizing she looked in her effort to be professional.
"Are you ready, Mr. Pierce?"
"Xander," I said, but it came out so gruff I knew she hadn't heard me.
"Excuse me?"
"Call me Xander."
"If it makes you comfortable."
"I'm far from comfortable, Dr. Shaw." I was frustrated, tired, and-thanks to her-my cock was hard, and I needed to fuck.
"So how long have you been having trouble sleeping?"
"A while."
"Can you be more specific?" She tapped her pen on her chin.
"Worse since I came back to town."
"Well, losing a parent can be hard on anyone. My condolences for the loss of your dad."
"This isn't about my dad. Good try, though." I tipped my head toward her briefly.
"Have you ever sought out help before?"
"No. And I don't need help. I just need something to get me to sleep."
"You do realize I looked you up? I know who you are." She scribbled on her notepad before making eye contact.
"I was counting on it." I smiled and winked at her.
Her frown deepened, and she grimaced. So using my celebrity wasn't going to work on her. "So you honestly thought I'd just write you a prescription knowing you're a recovering drug addict."
My fist clenched, and my mood turned sour. I let my head loll back for a few seconds and took a deep breath. I picked myself up and reminded myself not to snap at her.
Everyone thinks they know you. Everyone judges you.
I looked her in her eyes. Her gaze filled with judgment and disgust. "You shouldn't believe the things you read in gossip magazines, Ms. Shaw."
"Dr. Shaw," she corrected. I'd purposely fucked up her title to piss her off.
"Do all doctors around here judge their patients by the trash they read at the newsstands?" I raised an eyebrow.
She shifted in her seat but never broke eye contact. "Point taken, Mr. Pierce."
"It's Xander, and it's fine. Everyone thinks they know who I am by the shit they read in line at the grocery store."
"But I know better, and I apologize."
I shrugged, checked my watch, and ran my finger over the ring on my right hand. I watched her put the end of the pen in her mouth, and it was all I could focus on. I became completely fucking captivated by the way she bit on it, the tip of her tongue swirling around the stick. Jesus … I shifted in my seat as my erection grew heavy-straining against my jeans.
I glanced down at my watch again as a way to stop imagining my cock taking the pen's place in her mouth.
"Are you in a hurry, Mr. Pierce?" I looked up as she uncrossed then recrossed her legs, wiggling slightly in her seat. Her sensual lure cried out to me, and I'd grown tired of beating around the bush. I never had a problem expressing what I needed from a woman, and I wasn't going to start now. I met her gaze directly, and she was too prideful to look away, but she wanted to.
"Xander." I corrected her again.
"What?" She pretended not to have heard me, but she just wasn't comfortable calling me by my name.
"If I have to tell you one more time to call me Xander, I will pin you to your desk and make you scream it until you get it right."
She stared at me, mouth slightly agape and eyes widened. "Excuse me?"
"I think I was clear."
She broke eye contact, dropped her notepad on the table in front of her, and rose. She was clearly trying to put some distance between us, but she'd inadvertently gone to stand right in front of the desk I'd referred to.
"Why are you here, Mr-Xander? What is it you really want?"
I smiled as she caught herself from calling me Mr. Pierce again. It was too impersonal, and she used the formality to keep up that cinderblock wall she'd built between us. I rose from the chair and walked over to her. She clutched the edge of the desk and tensed from my violation of her personal space. I leaned into her, and she tilted back as far as possible.
"I want to sleep, Ms. Shaw, but if I can't do that … " I trailed my lips across her jaw and took pleasure in the shiver that passed through her body. "I want to fuck." I bit down on her earlobe. "You."
She gasped. "That's not something I can help you with." But her tone-all trembling and throaty-told me she ached to offer me some relief.
"But you want to." I licked the soft skin of her neck and felt her jaw muscles tighten as she gritted her teeth.
God, how I wanted to break her, send her over the edge so she would release those soft moans and unsheathe the claws I knew she hid. I slid my hand over the back of her thigh, slowly moving past the silky fabric of her stockings to the warm, soft skin above. I felt heat radiating from her pussy as I slid my finger higher. I buried my head in her neck and focused on burying my finger into her wet heat.