“Cool, is that all?” I asked as I stood.
“This was a hail Mary, Glover. My supervisor feels like if you’re already messing up, then it’s only going to get worse. Don’t make me look bad. Show up to those sessions on time. I don’t want to violate you, but I’m not going to bat for you again until you can show me that you’re trying to stay on the straight and narrow.”
“I got you,” I said as I left the room.
I would go to those sessions if that meant I could remain free. Laying on a couch for a while was a whole lot better than having to go back behind the wall. I would go to every single therapy session without putting up a fight, but that didn’t mean I had to talk.
Five
Iyla
After quitting Wyatt’s practice, I didn’t have any trouble finding another job. That was partially because I didn’t waste any time looking due to the number of threatening messages he left about having me black balled from our industry if I continued to avoid him. The man cheated on me but wanted me to continue to work in his office so he could harass me in person about getting back together instead of having to send emails.
I’d changed my number the same night I found out how he’d played me. I missed the comfort and luxuries that came along with working for him but not having to see him every day made it worth it. Even the small pay cut didn’t bother me. I valued my peace over everything. Plus, I had saved up quite the nest egg over the past three years due to not having to spend my own money.
I didn’t let that tradition die that night. Shopping was one of the ways I coped with pain. I used Wyatt’s credit card to go on a shopping spree, buying more shoes and outfits than I could count. On top of that, I furnished my bedroom and bought mysister a matching set of the luggage she’d drooled over when she and her husband helped me move.
Running his pockets didn’t make me feel better. Maybe because he didn’t even bother mentioning the purchases in the multitude of emails he’d sent me. I’d spent thousands of dollars, and he didn’t give a damn. He was too busy begging for a chance to explain himself or threatening to make sure I never worked again since I wanted to play games with him.
I wasn’t interested in anything he had to say. I was just glad that he didn’t know where I lived. Wyatt only had to show up at my sister’s house once for me to realize that I had been there long enough.
My new job helped me to keep my mind off my tragic life. I’d spent most of the morning going over the file of my new client. The thing about working for a state funded clinic was that you never knew what kind of people you would run into. I had a good rapport with most of my patients but some of them were plain scary.
The one I was seeing today didn’t sound like an exception to the rule. He had been diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder as a teenager but there was no evidence of substantial treatment. I didn’t even see enough documentation to support the diagnosis. There were several cases of explosive bouts of violence and more than a few examples of the lack of impulse control.
I was surprised to find that there was no history of drug use. He’d been recently released from prison which wasn’t uncommon in my line of work. The first session was always more of a getting to know you thing, so I would find out more about him once I met him. Pressing the button on my desk phone, I called out to the front lobby.
“Good morning, Ms. Fisher,” the receptionist greeted me after a couple of rings.
“Good morning, Janet. You can send in my eleven o’clock.”
“Yes, ma’am. He’ll be right back.”
While I waited for him to make it to the end of the hall where my office sat, I typed up a few notes. I wanted to make sure I asked a couple of key questions to get a good feel of how to conduct our sessions going forward. According to the notes I received, I would be seeing him twice a week for the next fifteen weeks. The door opened and closed while I was deep in thought. The sound caught my attention enough for me to offer my new client a greeting.
“Good morning, Mr. Glover. Give me just a second and I’ll be right with you,” I said without taking my eyes off the computer screen.
His lack of a response was unnerving, but I knew that the sessions were court mandated. He wasn’t a willing participant, so it might not be all that easy to get anything out of him. Once I finished the thought I was afraid of losing, I pushed back from my desk to give my new client my full attention.
“Iyla?” he asked, frowning as if he wasn’t sure it was me.
I was definitely sure it was him. The source of my nightly fantasies for months stood right in the middle of my office. It had been three whole years since I’d seen him. Sometimes I could still feel his hands on my body. I could still feel his tongue flickering over my sensitive flesh. I could still hear the sound of his voice in my ear coaching me as I came undone.
Since I was single again, my favorite toy had been working overtime trying to mimic the feeling that it seemed only he could give me. There were nights where I tossed and turned wishing that I had given him my number that night, but I knew it was for the best at the time. Three years with Wyatt hadn’t erased the memory of the man I tried to find for months before meeting him.
As much as I missed his touch, I knew that it was best to leave what we did in the past. That didn’t mean that a girl couldn’t fantasize about his fine, dark chocolate ass while a silicone flower brought her to orgasm. I had never told him where I worked. I didn’t even have this job the night we met. So what the hell was he doing here now?
“You can’t be here!” I blurted, unsure of what else to say. “I’m expecting a client.”
“Does your client happen to be named Keywan Glover?” he quizzed, causing me to narrow my eyes.
“Why?” I asked.
“Because if that’s who you were expecting, then I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.”
As if I hadn’t seen the name a hundred times since Monday morning, I dropped my eyes and looked over the paperwork again.
“You can’t be here,” I repeated.
