Chapter 38
Everybody has to draw the line sometime.
And for Jake that time was now. This was not pleasant or fun or even professional anymore; it was a nasty situation that was getting out of control.
He’d been with a client when she turned up, but she didn’t seem to care.
She had sat outside his flat, face turned to the floor, while Jake finished his session.
But the mood had been well and truly broken and he’d had to promise his disgruntled client a free session just to get him out the door.
This kind of thing wasn’t good for business—the S it was also that he knew instinctively that this wasn’t what she needed.
He’d often wondered if she took therapy elsewhere—if she didn’t, he was tempted to suggest it.
Rather than escalating their sessions to yet another level of extremity, Jake felt it was time to draw a line and suggest some complementary avenues for her to explore.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Helen exploded. “How dare you tell me what to do?”
Jake was taken aback by the force of the explosion.
“It’s just a suggestion, and if it’s not for you, that’s fine. But I don’t feel comfortable going in this dir—”
“You don’t feel comfortable! You’re a bloody whore, for God’s sake. You’re comfortable with whatever I pay you to do.”
She was marching toward him, and for a moment Jake thought she was going to attack him, such was the level of her fury.
He always had a Taser tucked away close by, but he’d never had to use it.
How ironic would it be if he had to use it now on her?
But thankfully, just as Jake was edging toward it, she turned on her heel and marched out of the flat, slamming the door fiercely behind her.
Jake fought the urge to go after her. They weren’t friends; she was just a client.
He’d crossed that line before and lived to regret it.
Best cut her off now and not look back. He had liked her but hadn’t asked to be abused.
He was too long in the tooth to put up with that.
With a sigh he dropped the blinds and shut her out of his life for good.