Anastasia Chapter 5
I wiped my sweaty palms on my scrub bottoms, made sure my shirt was tucked in neatly, and that my face wasn’t too flushed.
Noting I was as good as I was getting, I left my office and made my way to room two.
Before knocking, I took a deep cleansing breath and blew it out. My knuckles rapped twice on the door.
Hearing the word “Enter,” I opened the door and walked into the room.
“Good afternoon, Reign. How is your back feeling?” I asked.
I finally met his gaze after I got the greeting and first question out of the way. It didn’t help. His intense green eyes were glued to my face. He wasn’t exactly frowning, but he appeared to be concentrating on something. I waited for him to answer. It was a few heartbeats before he did.
“Hello, Anastasia, I’m doing okay. The back feels decent. The pain is certainly less. I still feel twinges at times when I twist too far. But compared to when I first came, it’s much better.”
“I’m so happy to hear that. The twinges, as you call them, will happen for a while. The muscles, ligaments, and tendons in that area were beaten and stretched further than they should’ve been.”
“I get that. How many more sessions do you think it’ll take to have me fully back in business?” Reign asked.
“It depends on what you mean by back in business. If it’s being able to move and do ordinary things without pain, then I’d say at least this week, possibly next.
If you mean able to go out on a rope and do that kind of dangerous work, where you’re lifting and tugging on things as well as shielding people, I believe you should rest it totally for two months, at a minimum. ”
“Goddamn it,” he muttered.
“Why are you asking? I thought you were the boss. Surely, you don’t have to do that kind of thing often.”
“Have to? You’re right, I don’t. Want to?
That’s another story. I like to keep myself in practice and condition.
You never know when I might need to do it.
Plus, I like the work. It’s what I did for years before I started my own company and grew it large enough to hire others to do it for me.
Do you have to take patients’ blood pressures, or help get them into position, or all the other stuff you do? ” Reign countered.
“No, I don’t, but I enjoy doing it,” I replied.
“Then you know what I’m talking about. What would you like to do this time?” he asked.
“I want you to do stretching first. Then I’ll manipulate. Stand up with your feet not more than six inches apart. Bend forward as far as you can. Tell me if it becomes painful. Some stretching discomfort is expected. I mean pain,” I directed.
Reign came to stand before me. He put his backside toward me, then bent forward. He showed good flexibility. His fingertips ended up no more than six inches from the floor.
“Alright, hold it there. I’m going to press along your lower back,” I informed him before I eased closer. My hands touched his back. I swore his skin almost burned me through the fabric. I pressed along the biggest problem area. I listened for sounds of discomfort and/or tightening in his body.
Then, I pressed my thumbs along his spine, traveling up from his hips toward his waist. There was tightness, but that wasn’t unusual. I noted the few times he tensed, but there was no outcry of pain.
His back was long and so muscular. Clearly, he worked out. I wondered if he’d been doing workouts since the injury. Reluctantly, I stopped touching him.
“You can straighten up. Please lie down on the table with your back facing up.”
Reign stood and made his way to my table without issue. I watched his gait. He was steady, with no hitch in his step. He’d been favoring his right leg a tad when he started. His pain had been affecting that hip and down into the thigh. He smoothly lay down and swung his legs up.
Watching him served two purposes. One, to assess his condition to determine how his treatment plan was working.
The other purpose wasn’t professional. It allowed me to enjoy his physical prowess and power.
I didn’t know what caused it. I’d worked on plenty of physically fit men in school and since becoming a full-fledged chiropractor.
None of them had registered as being more than a strong patient, which usually meant they recovered faster.
However, in Reign Caldwell’s case, it had been more from the moment I met him. My hope that this fascination would fade was forgotten. Instead of fading as we spent time together, it grew worse.
Since Saturday night’s unexpected meeting, I’ve thought so much about him.
I had to admit to myself something I didn’t want to.
I’d been upset, dare I say even a little jealous, to see him with a woman.
The comfort level between them and the way her hand constantly rested on his arm told the story.
The two of them were involved, and it seemed more than casual.
The vibe was one of closeness and comfort.
Casual sex partners never gave that vibe in my experience.
The realization left me in a quandary. How could I hide my inappropriate response to Reign until I could discharge him from my care?
I refused to do the cowardly thing and suggested he finish up with someone else.
I could do this. It would be different if the attraction were mutual.
Plus, I owed Sam my full attention to determine whether we had more than a good friendship with a smattering of allure.
“Do you want me to do something else?” Reign’s deep voice asked, shaking me from my zoning out.
“No, you’re fine as-is. Sorry. I got lost in my thoughts for a second. I’ll do the same acupressure and massage to loosen you more, and then I’ll manipulate. Try to breathe and relax your body,” I parroted what I’d been saying every session.
Again, the almost scalding heat was transmitted through his shirt to my palms. I traced the contours of his back.
I pressed and massaged the tight areas. He let out groans that were pain-filled, yet had that tone of pleasure mixed in.
Sexual thoughts tried to invade my mind, but I shoved them away. Finally, I had to stop.
“I think we’re ready to work on your alignment. I’ll start at your shoulders and work my way down. You know the drill. If anything is greatly painful or a new sensation, tell me right away.”
“I will. Go for it,” he mumbled.
I began rotating his neck and shoulders.
When I had them where I wanted them, I realigned the joints and ligaments.
Sometimes there was an audible snapping.
Other times, it was Reign’s moans that guided me.
I tried to shut the latter out. I found the sounds he made sexual, making my body flare to life.
I steadily worked down the length of his back until I got to his hips. I rocked them, but they were too tight. My attempts to shift the alignment failed. Knowing what I had to do, but dreading it, I toed the short step stool out from underneath the table.
“Reign, I’ve got to get up higher and see if this works,” I informed him.
He turned his head to glance over his shoulder. Standing on the stool, I put more of my strength into it. Nothing. Damn. After a second failed attempt, I knew what I had to do next. It would be awkward for both of us.
“I need to get more force,” I said, and then I was on my knees next to his hips.
The better thing would be to straddle his thighs to do it, but no way was I attempting that. I was sweating enough as it was. I noted the flare of his eyes, then he spoke.
“Do whatever you deem necessary. I trust you.” Reign uttered.
I had to push and twist twice before the stubborn joints slid into place. The deep, prolonged ahh sound he made told me how good it felt. I pressed on the opposite side, and it clicked, too. Another deeply gratified sound rolled out of him.
His trust made me feel good. If only he knew his chiropractor had indecent sexual dreams about his body daily. He’d run from the room, no doubt hollering for a new chiropractor. Quickly, I got down and pushed in the step stool as I spoke.
“Stay there. I want to apply the warm compresses for fifteen minutes, then I’ll let you up.”
He had to expect this. It was how I preferred to end treatments if medically appropriate.
Reign made an affirmative-sounding mumble.
I gathered the warmed compresses from the heating unit and laid them where they would do the most good.
I went to sit at the small desk where my tablet was waiting.
I had his chart pulled up. I began entering my notes.
If I were lucky, I’d have his visit nearly completely documented by the time he left.
It was an excuse to remain quiet. Or so I thought.
“How did you and Sam like your dessert Saturday night? I saw you got the lava cake.”
Reign’s unexpected question momentarily shocked me. I scrambled to form an answer, causing a few seconds of delay.
“Oh, it was wonderful. Thank you for the recommendation. We enjoyed it immensely. Although I almost had to hurt him for trying to take more than his share,” I replied, chuckling at the memory of our spoon battle.
“Have the two of you been together long?” he asked.
I said the first thing that came to mind. “Not long. My family introduced us. Sam works with my brother. They’re both lawyers.”
“Ah, so someone the family approves of. That has to be a relief. They must be happy.”
There was a tone I couldn’t identify in his words, but I answered him.
“They do like Sam and find him to be up to their standards. How long have you and the woman you were with been together?”
I heard a swift inhalation. I kept my back to him.
“Sharlena and I aren’t together. She’s a friend.”
Inside, I was jumping for joy. On the outside, I kept my expression controlled, even though he couldn’t see it.
“Oh, sorry, I thought she was your girlfriend.”
“She’s not. Sharlena and her brother, Sawyer, who was the guy with us, asked me out to dinner. It had been a while since we’d hung out. They told me I’ve been working too much.”
“You do seem to work a lot. That’s why I don’t want you to do any more rescues for at least two months after I have you fully recovered. We don’t want to make all that you’ve accomplished be for nothing.”
From there, our conversation revolved around his care with me.
I told him to come again this week, and by then I’d know where he stands regarding discharge.
There was no more talk about dates. My body refused to relax until he was walking out the door with his next appointment booked.
Since he was the last appointment of the day, I was free to complete my charting and any other work.
My staff finished up their last duties and clocked out.
That left me alone with my thoughts once again.
And they kept going back to Reign, no matter how hard I fought.