Page 101 of Inferno

“Yeah.”

“Good. I want you to stare at that stain and let your breathing become slow and deep. Let your body begin to unwind, starting with the muscles in your feet and toes. Let your thighs relax, Stan. Let all that negative tension flow out of your—Whatis it? What’s wrong?”

Stan was frowning. “The building manager should really get that water stain taken care of.”

Dr. Gilliard made a strangled sound of exasperation.

“Sorry,” Stan said abashedly. “I used to be in construction, so—”

“Never mind,” the doctor snapped. “Don’t focus on the ceiling. Close your eyes instead, okay?”

His lips twitched. “Okay.”

As he obligingly lowered his eyelids, he heard Dr. Gilliard inhale a deep breath, clearly striving for patience.

After several moments, she began speaking again. But the soothing cadence of her voice didn’t lull Stan into a trancelike state. Instead he found himself tuning her out, her words fading into the background as his mind began wandering.

He thought of his family members who would be arriving in town tomorrow. He and Prissy would pick up Mama Wolf from the airport since her flight from Savannah arrived first. Later that afternoon, Prissy’s brother would bring home the Atlanta crew in the van he’d already rented from the airport. Stan couldn’t wait to see everyone, especially his grandmother and Sterling. And he still needed to pack for the ski trip—

“…that’s it, Stan,” Dr. Gilliard encouraged, her tranquil voice penetrating his thoughts. She sounded closer than before. “You’re doing really great.”

He frowned. “Actually, I don’t think this is—Whatthe fuck?” he burst out suddenly, his eyes snapping open to find Dr. Gilliard straddling him. He bolted upright so violently that she lost her balance and tumbled backward, landing in an ignominious heap on the floor.

Catching a glimpse of red panties, Stan exclaimed, “Shit!” and quickly covered his eyes. Keeping them tightly closed, he swung his feet to the floor and demanded furiously, “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“I-I’m sorry,” Dr. Gilliard stammered. “I don’t know what came over me.”

“You must have lost your damn mind!”

“I, well, um—” She broke off with a heavy sigh. “You can open your eyes now.”

Cautiously cracking one eye open, then the other, Stan saw that the doctor had composed herself and now sat on the floor with her legs neatly folded beneath her.

He glared at her in outraged disbelief. “Care to tell me what the hell just happened here?”

“I think you know.”

“The hell I do!”

She gazed up at him. “I’m in love with you, Stan.”

“WHAT!”

“Believe me, I didn’t want this to happen,” she said earnestly. “I’ve never crossed the line with a patient, never even been tempted to. But then you came along and changed all that. I can’t stop thinking about you, Stan. You’re the most amazing man I’ve ever met, and I’d give anything—”

He held up a hand to halt her impassioned declaration. “Stop right there. Are youcrazy? Have you completely forgotten that I’mmarried?”

“Of course not,” she mumbled, her resentful gaze flicking to the gold wedding band on his left hand.

Stan clenched his jaw. “You need to understand something. I love my wife—”

She flinched. “I know you do. I can tell by the way you talk about her, and I saw it with my own two eyes at the ball. But loving your wife doesn’t mean you can’t have feelings for me. You must feelsomething, Stan, or you wouldn’t have gone to the trouble of coming here today when you could have just spoken to me over the phone.”

“Like I said,” Stan bit out, “I thought I owed you the courtesy of a face to face conversation. Believe me, I’m regretting that now!”

“Don’t,” she urged, her sultry eyes locked onto his. “I’m glad you came today, Stan. After that night at the ball, I was afraid I might never see you again. And that would have been unthinkable. Because I love you, Stan, and I want to make you happy.”

He shook his head in disbelief. “Iamhappy—with my wife!”