“I know the difference.” He kept the smile in place. “We speak the truth here according to you and that’s what I’m doing. I’m going to go to my room and—”
“I understand,” she cut him off. “I’m your therapist and there’s a thing called ethics. You can stop having those thoughts about me because we can’t ever have a physical relationship.”
That killed his amusement. “Why not?”
“I took an oath and you’re my client. You need my help and that means not being taken advantage of. You’re in a fragile state.”
He threw back his head and laughed then lowered his chin and spread his arms wide. “Do I appear weak to you? You couldn’t hurt me if you tried.” He dropped his hands and gripped the arms of the chair. “You could bite, scratch, wrestle with me, and get as rough as you want to during shared sex. I’d enjoy it. I’d be more worried about you getting hurt.”
“You can go. I’ll see you tomorrow.” The session wasn’t going to progress with sex as the topic.
He didn’t budge.
“I said you can leave, 466.”
He took a deep breath and blew it out. “Do you know how to be totally honest?”
“Yes.” She dreaded answering him, wondering what he was up to now.
“Would you let me mount you if you weren’t my shrink?”
“I don’t know you well enough to answer that. I’m also not a shrink. I’m a doctor. We prefer that title.”
“That’s avoidance.”
“It’s perfectly honest. I don’t engage in casual sex.” She shouldn’t be telling him anything personal but he wasn’t exactly a textbook client. Nowhere in school had they covered half-beast men who’d been created by a company with no ethics. “I’ve never engaged in sex with someone I wasn’t in love with.”
“You’ve never shared sex?” The disbelief on his face was nearly comical.
“I have. I’m not a virgin.”
“He died?”
“Who?”
“The man you loved. He was killed?”
“No.”
“I don’t understand.” He leaned forward, looking genuinely baffled.
“What confuses you?”
“You are telling me lies.”
“I’m not.”
“You said you only shared sex with a male you love.”
“That’s true.”
“You don’t carry his scent. Where is he?”
“I don’t know exactly where my ex-boyfriends are. I don’t talk to any of them anymore. It’s common to cease all communication when a relationship ends.”
His gaze widened and he shot to his feet. “Boyfriends?”
Something distressed him but she didn’t know how her answers had caused that reaction. “I’ve had four serious boyfriends in my life.”
He growled.
“What is wrong?”
“Love is forever.” He gave her a disgusted look. “You have no idea what real love is, Joy.”
She watched him storm out of her office with his hands clenched furiously at his sides. She could only stare at the open door long after he’d gone.
She stood and became aware that her body had reacted to him. Her breasts were hypersensitive to the movement within the cups of her bra and she needed to change her panties for drier ones.
“Damn,” she muttered and closed her eyes. That had to be the strangest session she’d ever had. She leaned over to grab her cell phone out of her top desk drawer, scrolled through the numbers, and pressed the one she wanted.
“Dr. Megan Green,” a cheerful voice answered.
“Hi, Meg, it’s Joy.”
“What’s wrong?” Concern instantly filled the woman’s voice.
“Do you have time for a phone session?”
“Always. Hang on and let me close the bedroom door. I’m at home and so is one of my roommates. What’s wrong?”
“I’m attracted to a client. The therapist needs to be counseled.” She laughed nervously at the poor joke. “Shit. You never think it can happen to you.”
“Hot, huh?”
“Massively. He just told me what he wanted to do to me and I have to admit, it’s not something I’m going to forget any time soon.”
“What did he want to do?”
“Never mind that. The point is, he’s very attractive and he’s severely damaged.”
“Shit. A twofer. I want his number if he drives a motorcycle since he’s not one of mine.”
“Shut up. This isn’t something to joke about.” She leaned against her desk. “Worse, I think he’s a romantic. He believes love is forever.”