“Dr. Tirash was very vague about what this job entails.”
“My son, Devlin, is a very smart and ambitious young man, but he is a bit too ambitious and has difficulty controlling his anger when it comes to his mother, who has passed, and our family. He had a blowup with an executive, and the board is requiring counseling—or his termination. He’s flat-out refused counseling in the past. We tried several doctors after his mother’s death and it just didn’t work out.”
“So how can I help?”
“Dr. Tirash was able to step in and act as a tennis coach. Dev never knew that he was actually working with a counselor.” He spoke slowly. “I would like for you to befriend him and teach him some anger-management skills and in thirty days present your findings of his progress to the board.”
I couldn’t believe what he was saying
“You want me to lie to him.”
“I want you to help him, by any means necessary.” He gives me a stern look. “I’m willing to pay whatever it is that you need. If Dr. Tirash recommended you, then I know that you are top-notch.”
I think about Ms. Agnes and the beautiful office that I want.
“Sounds like a deal,” I say, shaking the man’s hand. “When do I start?”
“Tonight,” he says with a smirk. “You should head to the bar and look as though you are waiting for someone. Once you see that I am seated with my son, wait a few minutes and leave.”
“Leave? How can I work with him if I don’t meet him?”
The old man’s laughter is vibrant.
“My son loves women, but is very particular. If this is to work, then he has to want you.”
“You know that I am a licensed psychologist right, and not an escort?” I reiterate.
“I am quite aware, but for him to listen, he will have to like you, want you even,” the man says assuredly. “Dev is never late. Go to the bar. You can call me with any other questions. If he doesn’t approach you, this will never work anyway.”
I slide away from the table and nearly gallop to the bar. How do I get myself into these things?
A few minutes after sitting at the bar, a familiar-looking, tall and muscular man strolls through the entrance.
My gaze trains on his caramel eyes and I am transported to the memory of a similar-looking man that I unabashedly rubbed my body against in a club. Fear and anticipation pump through me. Will I really have to be in the company of the man who made my body explode with a single caress of his lips across my neck?
Without incidence, the caramel-eyed man from the club finds his way into a seat in front the elder Masters, and it strikes me like a match against a box. My caramel dream is now my client.
Playing it cool is hard to do when the thought of a man can set your body on fire. I look at my phone a few times and then the door. I play like I am dialing a number and stretch my legs against the length of the bar chair.
The restaurant is extremely popular amongst the posh crowd, so I watch the pretty rich people scoot across the room in small groups looking like ads for Banana Republic or American Eagle. Pinched-faced young adults flock in a large group through the restaurant wearing jeans with button-down shirts, and I prepare for my exit. The large group will make an excellent cover. Obviously, Devlin Masters, my caramel dream, doesn’t feel the need to approach me as his father had wished. Mission failed.
I pay the bartender and rush out of the restaurant with haste. It’s all for the best. There is no way that I could have been of any consequential service to someone who causes torrential rains between my thighs with my clothes on.
Chapter 6-Devlin
David Masters does not take no for an answer. Like father, like son, I guess. I told him in every way possible that I refuse to attend counseling and that that I don’t need it. I don’t want to be the kind of person that doesn’t care about his family, that lets anyone say anything to him. Fuck that. I am who I am, and I am a damn