Page 6

I sat in my leather chair, gently swaying to and fro, with a glass of vodka cradled in my hand. The air was filled with the harsh scent of the drink and the smell of smoked tobacco.

On the mahogany table, a half-smoked Cuban cigar lay abandoned in a delicate china saucer, a thin tendril of smoke curling upward. A small grin perched on my face as I sipped from the glass in my hand.

I’d yet to understand why the young therapist still lingered on the fringes of my mind. She was all that I could think of, and for some inexplicable reason, I found her incredibly amusing.

Clarice Evelyn, the beautiful and spunky shrink who had stood her ground against me without so much as flinching. Her pretty face flashed in my head, keeping my mind occupied with thoughts of her and only her.

Strange.

This young girl, who was no older than 25, had somehow managed to live rent-free in my head. She had me distracted and unable to focus on anything else but her.

Alex was sitting across from me, already filling me in on the progress of our ongoing project.

I could see his lips moving, but unfortunately, I wasn’t listening—my mind was elsewhere. Physically, I was present in the office with him, but mentally, I was reliving my therapy session with that amazing, fearless, and gorgeous young doctor.

She had the most angelic smile I’d seen in a long time, and her light brown doe eyes sparkled behind her wire-rimmed glasses. Her makeup was mild, and it matched the tone of her soft, smooth skin, while her hazelnut-brown hair was styled in a bun.

Her attire—a pencil skirt and a flowered blouse—was simple yet professional, but it was also sexy. It accentuated her curvature and highlighted her contours, adding a touch of sophistication to her overall look.

Under the soft chandelier lights, her skin glowed, and her eyes sparkled like sapphires. When she smiled, it was like her eyes smiled with her, and her full lips revealed a glimpse of her perfect whites.

But what really drew me to her was her guts—her spunk and fearlessness. Clarice seemed like a woman who knew her worth and wouldn’t allow herself to be intimidated by anyone. I admired that about her.

The woman had been unaffected by my presence, unlike anyone I’d ever encountered. Usually, most people would cower in front of me, trembling at the intensity of my gaze. But not her. She was different.

Clarice hadn’t only held her ground; she’d also, on multiple occasions, locked eyes with me. She was unfazed by the intensity of my stare, something a lot of folks found rather intimidating. Not to her, obviously.

I guessed she reminded me of how I carried myself around Damon Barlow—confident and strong. The way I wasn’t afraid of the man despite his reputation was the same way she wasn’t afraid of me.

Her fearlessness pulled me in like steel to a magnet, and for the first time in a long time, I felt something other than anger and disdain.

I may not have been paying rapt attention to Alex’s words, but I was discerning enough to notice his sudden silence. I shifted my gaze toward him and caught him staring at me with a small smile playing on his lips.

“What?” I asked, curious by the way he looked at me with slightly squinted eyes.

“Nothing,” he said, reclining into the visitor’s chair, his gaze unwavering. “I just haven’t seen you this…distracted in a while.”

My brows knitted together, and I replied, trying to sound as convincing as I could, “I’m not distracted.”

He raised an eyebrow at me and chuckled softly. “Anything you say, Boss.”

I tried to push back the thoughts of Clarice that flooded my head, but the harder I tried, the harder she invaded my thoughts.

“I’ve been meaning to ask,” he began, fixing his eyes on me with purposeful intent. “How’d it go with the shrink?”

A faint grin twitched at the corner of my lips, and I took a sip from my glass, reminiscing on the season with her.

“That good, ehh?” he teased, noticing my smirk and the softness of my expression.

“It wasn't so bad,” I admitted, emptying my glass before setting it down on the table.

“Care to elaborate on that?” A small smile flashed on his face, and his tone was tinged with a glint of curiosity.

I paused for a moment, locking eyes with him, reveling in the suspense brewing within him. Alex must be wondering what kind of encounter I had at the therapy session, considering my current mood.

Alex wasn’t the type to pry, but he’d noticed the slight change in my attitude since the last session. Catching a soft expression on my face was like catching lightning—almost impossible. Yet, here he was, witnessing a rare phenomenon. His curiosity was justified.

“She’s young,” I said finally, breaking the silence.

“She?” he asked, arching his brows.

“My shrink. Yes,” I continued, my voice low and even. “She’s smart for her age and good at her job, I must say.”

His eyes widened at my words. “You just gave a compliment,” he said, tilting his head to the side as amusement flickered in his gaze.

“Indeed,” I concurred, ignoring his surprise. “But that’s not what’s really fascinating about her.” I leaned forward, elbows on the table. “Alex, she wasn’t afraid of me,” I stated, my tone laced with intrigue. “She didn’t even flinch. She held her ground and acted like she was in control.”

“Perhaps she doesn’t really know who you are,” he suggested.

“Oh, she does. She knows, trust me.” I leaned back in my chair, my smile broadening. “Not everything, but enough to make her fear, yet she wasn't afraid.”

With a fascinated grin on his face, Alex stared at me in silence, anticipating my next move.

“She thinks she’s strong.” A soft, dark chuckle escaped my lips, and my eyes squinted ever so slightly. “Well, next time, I'll be more…persuasive, and we’ll see just how much of me she can handle.”

He hesitated, then asked, “Do you think that's a good idea—testing her limits?”

“It’s a fantastic idea, Alex.” My lips curled into a smirk.

The thought of toiling with her excited me, but beneath all of that, there was something else. I couldn’t quite explain it yet, but whatever it was, it pulled in me even more. I was interested in this therapy now more than ever and couldn’t wait to see how it would all play out in the end.

At least she’d given me something to look forward to—an outcome to anticipate.