Chapter Seventeen
Alfie
“How have things been going since I saw you last Wednesday, Nate?”
He leans back on the couch, his arm hugging the back.
One foot is resting on top of his thigh, he’s the perfect image of relaxed.
But I know him. Usually cocky and confident, Nate’s hiding something, and we play this cat-and-mouse game until he gives up his secret right at the last minute of our appointment.
Each week our sessions feel more and more like a game where the rules change depending on his mood.
“Nothing much to report. Although…” he pauses for his trademark dramatic effect, “I’m interested in someone.”
“And how is that going?”
“She isn’t aware of my intentions yet. But she’s been flirting back; I can tell she’s interested.” His mouth curls into a predatory grin.
“What are your intentions?” I ask, fighting the urge my eyebrows have to pinch together.
He scoffs, scratching his chin performatively until he slides his foot off his knee, then leans his forearms on his thighs like he’s about to tell me something life-altering.
“You know what they are.”
“Dinner and a movie?” I suggest, hoping he takes it as a genuine suggestion.
His sinister laugh cuts through the air before his features turn cold.
“Not my style. But she’ll be left satisfied, don’t you worry.”
When I’d been given his case, his history had concerned me.
Mia’s presence in the office was at the forefront of my mind when I was shown photos of the last girl he was interested in.
His sexual appetites are rough, to put it mildly.
His aversion to consent ups the stakes as he uses previous consent given to prove that he didn’t realize she didn’t like it.
In other words, he suckered women into a relationship and then unleashed himself on them a few weeks in.
They are either too far gone or too frightened by that point.
Oftentimes he expects women to play the role of mother.
Other times, he’ll expect to save them from undetermined risks, including themselves.
He doesn’t trust them to take care of themselves, or of him, and this leads him to become violent.
On his last offensive, the one that led him to my couch, he destroyed the front door and window of an ex-girlfriend’s property in the middle of the night to prove to her that she needed him in the house.
When she disagreed—to put it mildly—he refused to leave, suggesting he knew better than her and she should just submit to him.
The children living in the hours were shaken, despite their mother trying to reassure them.
Given that Nate had no known priors, agreed to these therapy sessions, and the victim was too terrified to be a witness in person, he managed to avoid jail time.
The timer goes off and his shark-like grin returns.
“Time’s up, Doc. I’ll let you know how my date goes.” He winks.
“I’ll see you next week, Nate.”
I put away his notes and pick up his untouched water glass, heading to the waiting room to pass it to Mia.
I watch Nate loom over her desk. She’s professional. Her courteous customer service smile is plastered on her face. But her hands are in her lap. Her knee is ticking.
“Mia?”
“Yes, Dr. Adams,” she replies quickly, a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth.
My dick twitches in response, and the urge to pin her against the wall right in front of my patient, just to prove she’s mine, is overwhelming. Patients don’t bother me. I compartmentalize their worlds so they’re separate from my own. But Nate leering over my Mia sets my teeth on edge.
“I need your assistance for a moment, please.”
“Of course.” She turns to Nate. “Bye, Nate. See you next week.”
“Bye Mia, I look forward to it.” He grins, blatantly checking out her ass in the tight pencil skirt she’s wearing before shooting me a wink.
My fists are clenched, and the urge to slam my office door and crush my mouth to hers is enormous.
I need to feel her tongue lick across my mouth.
I need to feel her tits pressed against my chest. Fuck, I need to smell her.
Just a waft of her perfume mixed with the scent of her own essence would calm me.
I take a deep breath. Mia has no idea what I’ve discussed with Nate.
I can’t fly off the handle in some jealous rage because someone was talking to her.
“What did you need help with? Is it Nate’s notes?” she asks, her hands clasped together in front of her skirt.
“No, no. Nate just lingers a little too long at your desk. I know you’ve read his file. But I’ll reiterate, his sessions are court-mandated. There are very serious reasons for him being here, and I want you to remember that when you speak with him.”
“Of course, I’m always professional with patients. I keep them at a polite distance.”
“Good, I know this isn’t anything to do with you. He’s just a very dangerous man and—" I step forward, lowering my voice an octave. “I couldn’t bear the thought of anything happening to you.”
I push a tendril of hair behind her ear as her lips part ever so slightly.
“Alfie…” she whispers.
I take another step, my hand cupping her cheek.
She dips her eyes down to my lips, quickly licking her own, before she lifts up onto her tiptoes. Her hands run up my chest, and I feel the heavy swell of my cock, aching to finally be inside her.
Our noses brush against each other, and just after I quickly swallow down all the reasons I shouldn’t do this, the buzzer sounds.
Mia jumps back, heading to the door immediately to let in my next patient.
She’s polite and courteous, handing Patricia a glass of water. I led her into the office, asking about her day before telling her I just need a minute.
I poke my head over to Mia’s desk and I watch her tuck a note under her keyboard, smiling.
“Are you still on for dinner tonight? I have another recipe I thought might be good for Dinner Club.”
“You don’t want to make the lasagna?” she asks.
“Not sure. This one looks like a winner, though. Seven tonight?”
I won’t see her this afternoon. Her Wednesday classes take her away from me, but I meant what I said about having her over every Wednesday for dinner.
I don’t want to wait until tomorrow morning to see her.
Fuck, I want her so bad. Her soft breathing mixed with some erratic nodding has me smiling like the head cheerleader had agreed to be my prom date.
It feels unreal, like a fever dream where you wake up with everything you didn’t know you wanted right in front of you.
Only this isn’t a dream and I have the added pressure of knowing how delicate Mia can be around men. I absolutely could not fuck this up.
“Sure. Can I bring something this time?”
“Just yourself. And comfy clothes.”
She nods, her eyes sparkling as I slip back into my office.
◆◆◆
The incessant rain should be an indicator that the universe isn’t happy.
My waterproof jacket doesn’t account for downpours, apparently, as I’m soaked through, and I’m not the only one.
I’m watching Nate, and I haven’t told Mia about this particular excursion.
Nate grew up in what appears to be a house of horrors according to his file.
He’s come a long way since we first started sessions, but he’s jumped from therapist to therapist over the years, and it’s hard to determine if he’s actually making progress or if he just tells you what you want to hear.
According to his file, his father would beat his mother until she passed out, leaving Nate to tend to her for days.
One social worker reported that she was unconscious for over twenty-four hours whilst a five-year-old Nate tended to her wounds, pushing a pillow under her head and placing a blanket over her.
He’s unlearning many things, but it’s a slow process and I don’t have the patience to wait for him to catch up. Not when someone’s life could be at risk. So for now, I’m standing in the rain hiding behind a topiary bush styled in a shape that can only be described as phallic.
I purposely didn’t tell Mia about this excursion.
She seems to have accepted my extracurricular activities, even if she’s only there to monitor me, but I won’t put her in danger.
She told me she thought I should date other people, like I wouldn’t have done that without her permission if I had an inkling to.
I don’t want to date in general; I want to date her.
She’s the one who’s captivated me, but I know I need to earn her trust first.
I think back to my father meeting her, and my shoulders begin to tense. I hate his arrogance, his assumption that I would do whatever he requested because he was the one who demanded it. To tell me to grow up when he can’t hold a relationship together and do his job at the same time. Pathetic.
I watch Nate wipe his nose with the back of his hand as he continues to stare at the café. It’s Saturday morning, and the streets of Seattle are relatively empty. Those who are braving the weather walk briskly to their destinations, their umbrellas held tightly.
I should be doing something else. I should be consulting colleagues on how to better help someone like Nate.
Instead, I’m standing in the pouring rain behind a giant penis-shaped bush and freezing my ass off.
I’ve only just got rid of the cold I got from jumping in the sea with Mia, how was I going to explain this one?
Glancing at my watch, it’s evident I need to leave soon to make it on time for lunch with my mother. A few more minutes will do.
My eyes return to Nate. His brows scrunched together in knitted annoyance as he bites the skin around his thumbnail.
In the blink of an eye, his eyes widen, and he licks the rain off his lips.
He’s spotted someone, and as I follow his eyeline, I’m drawn to a woman with raven hair in a high ponytail.
She’s wearing workout gear, tight lycra that curves perfectly around her body.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that it concerns me that I recognize someone by the shape of their ass, but I do spend an ungodly amount of time looking at my employee in tight pencil skirts.
Mia skips into the café on tiptoes, laughing as she shakes out her umbrella before ducking in and smiling at a blonde-haired barista who closes the door behind her.
When I turn back to Nate, he’s shuffling on his feet, bouncing toe to toe as if he’s contemplating what to do.
Just leave.
Call me for help.
Go home.
Do anything except enter that café.
He punches the wall of the alleyway, an act of aggression I rarely witness.
I feel my eyes widen, everything around me moves in slow motion.
All except for the pulse I hear thumping in my ears.
Nate steps onto the sidewalk and storms down the street, blood trickling down his knuckles along with the rain.