Page 30 of Taming a Menace

Eleven

I yla

I shook my head at myself as I stood in the bathroom mirror checking my lip gloss and making sure my hair didn’t look as crazy as I felt.

Since when did I care about how I looked before seeing a patient?

Of course I always wanted to look presentable, but primping like I was getting ready for a date was new for me.

I took a step back to take a third look at the pink wrap dress that made me feel sexy yet professional.

It did the trick. I just hoped that it wasn’t obvious that I was trying to look good.

Rolling my eyes at my own reflection, I washed my hands and left the bathroom.

I’d only had a fifteen-minute window between my ten o’clock and Keywan’s arrival.

He was always on time, so I didn’t linger long before going back to my post.

There was no use in continuing to deny how crazy about him I was. There was something so comforting about being in his presence. There was never any telling what he would do or say, yet I found myself wanting to be around him even outside of the office.

I knew it was too late to find a new therapist for him. I’d already been seeing him for weeks. It was all kinds of wrong to want to pursue a relationship with him. Not only was it unethical, but it was against the law.

I had never broken any law that wasn’t a minor traffic violation. Now I was considering throwing caution to the wind for a change and seeing where things went with the man I couldn’t get off my mind.

By the time I made it back to my desk, my heart was pounding. It was five minutes until eleven. Either it was just me, or the clock had stopped. I picked my phone up to verify the time, then called the front desk to speak to Janet.

“Good morning, Ms. Iyla,” she greeted me.

“Good morning, Janet. Whenever my eleven o’clock gets here, you can send him back.”

“Sure thing. He’s already here.”

“OK. Send him back when you get a chance.”

“Will do,” she said, ending the call.

My excitement only grew once I knew my baby was in the building. I had to temper my mood down because there was no way I was going to let him see how excited I was to see him. I needed to keep him at bay.

If Keywan knew the power he had over me, I would be in even deeper trouble than I was in now.

It was bad enough that I had started to consider ways to get around the obstacles blocking us from exploring our attraction.

I should have booted him the first day he stepped foot in my office.

Now I was in too deep. Now I wanted desperately to indulge in the growing feelings I had for him.

A gentle knock on my door made me smile. I took a deep breath before yelling out for him to come in. I put my glasses on, hoping to create some kind of barrier between us. I forced my lips to stop smiling just in time for him to open the door and walk in.

His warm cologne made me inhale. A black T-shirt with his company logo on it clung to the top half of his frame while a pair of joggers hid the bottom. It was sickening for someone to be so sexy dressed down.

“You good today, Ms. Iyla?” he asked, walking over to occupy one of the chairs in front of me.

“Yes, I am. Thank you for asking. How have you been since our last session?”

“I’ve been having a hard time.”

“How so?” I asked, picking up my pen, prepared to write down what he said in response.

“Any time that I don’t get to spend with you feels forced. It’s like I’m just spinning my wheels until I get back to you.”

“That sounds unhealthy, Mr. Glover.”

“You knew I was unwell when they sent me here,” he countered.

“I wouldn’t say you were unwell.”

“Not out loud anyway,” he responded.

“Let me rephrase that statement. I don’t think you’re unwell.”

“Whenever I’m not with you, I’m figuring out ways to get back to you. If I’m not in your presence or cooking, I feel like I’m not living my life. I feel like I’m only existing unless I’m with you.”

“Key.” I sighed and took off my glasses.

“You’re so sexy in your glasses, Moonie, but I’ll be damned if I don’t miss your eyes when I can’t see them.”

“Can you stop saying things like that? We’re not here for that right now.”

“You’re right. Have you thought about coming with me to Myrtle Beach?” My eyes fell to the stack of paper in front of me. I didn’t even realize that I looked away until he spoke again. “What is it?” he asked.

“I told you I have plans Friday night. My sister and her husband set it up over a month ago.”

“And you’re going?” he asked calmly.

“I already told you that I was.”

“Why you doing that, Moon? You know I’m crazy about you. You know how I feel about you. Why are you wasting your time with some other dude? You know he ain’t me.”

“Because I promised them that I would give him a chance.”

He scoffed. “But you keep pushing me away.”

“You know why though, Keywan. It’s not that I’m not flattered by your advances. It’s not even that I’m not interested.”

“Well what is it? Don’t say the rules, Iyla. Fuck the rules.”

“Can we focus on your session? Have you worked on identifying your triggers?” I asked.

“It’s too stuffy here. I feel better talking to you in a comfortable environment, like at my house.”

“Unfortunately, this is what we have to work with.”

“We don’t have to sit up in here. Therapy isn’t confined to this room.”

“You’re right.”

“I’m triggered by anyone trying me period, because I’m not letting anyone fuck me over ever again. I’m triggered by anybody messing with my family, because they’re all I got. My biggest trigger is seeing someone who can’t or won’t defend themselves being violated.”

“Like the situation that sent you to prison.”

“Absolutely. Do you know that she defended him? After I stepped in and knocked his shit loose, she defended him in court, talking about what a great father he was to their sons and how he was struggling after having to have his jaw wired,” he said, shaking his head.

“No, I was unaware of the details of the case.”

“Those are the details. I defended her against her attacker, and they both turned on me. You would think something like that would teach me to mind my business, but that wasn’t the first time. I’m never going to stop helping the helpless, even if I have identified my triggers.”

“Knowing them is a good start,” I commented.

“I guess,” he said, reaching down into that trusty backpack and pulling out two containers. “Ribeye steak over a romaine and arugula salad.”

“Thank you, Keywan. I think I’ve finally given up telling you to stop bringing me lunch.”

“Good. It only took six weeks.”

“Only.” I smiled.

“Who’s been pleasing you? The dude you had that date with?” he inquired.

“What date?” I frowned.

“You told me you went on a few dates.”

“I also told you that I have a ninety-day rule,” I mentioned.

“I don’t know how long you been seeing him. I just want to know if he’s been pleasing you.”

“Well now you know.”

“So what have you been doing? Using your toys, or is that just before you see me so you can put up this act?” He smirked.

“What act is that?” I laughed a little.

His smile grew as he leaned forward. “Acting like you don’t want me as bad as I want you. I can see through it.”

“Can we get back on topic?” I asked him.

“We are on topic. I prefer talking to you about me at my house. I’m more open in my comfort zone. Come see me tonight,” he requested.

I sighed. “I’m not doing that.”

“Why not? I’ll pay extra.”

“You’re not even paying for these sessions.”

“But I can. Come to my house when you get off, and we can talk all about my triggers and coping skills and shit.”

“I can’t do that, Keywan.”

“Yes, you can. I just invited you. Right now, let me take care of you.”

“I’m going to eat after you leave.”

“I mean in other ways. Where is your rose?”

I was caught off guard by his question but quickly recovered.

“Why?” I asked with a frown.

“Have you used it today?”

“Yes.”

Why the hell did I tell him that? Better yet, why was I so nervous about him asking?

His tongue darted across his bottom lip before that sinister smirk returned. “Did you use it because you knew you were going to see me?”

“Whatever,” I said, rolling my eyes. “What I do before you get here is none of your business.”

“Give it to me,” he said, ignoring my response.

“I never said I had it with me.”

“But you do. Give it to me,” he demanded.

“Are you crazy?”

“Yes. I also know that no one comes in here without you inviting them in. We don’t have to worry about interruptions, and we have forty minutes.

” He smiled as he stood and walked over to the door.

After locking it, he turned and walked back over to my desk.

Instead of sitting, he stood in front of me.

“What are you doing?” I asked, watching him get down on his knees.

“Give it to me, Moon.”

Shit. Why was he so sexy right now? No matter how much I wanted to indulge, I refused to fall victim to him right now. I squeezed my thighs together to weaken his gravitational pull.

“Keywan, get up,” I demanded.

“I love it when you make me beg, Moonie. Spread ’em. Let me see my pretty friend,” he said, placing both hands on my thighs.

“Get up and stop playing,” I ordered.

“You give me the rose and stop playing, mama.”

“Keywan, I’m serious.”

“Me too, baby. I can wait these last seven hundred and nineteen days to feel you, but I need you on my palate now, Moon. Let me taste you.”

“I can’t do that, and you know it.”

“I don’t know anything. The door is locked, and we have plenty of time. You’re letting the clock run out.”

“It’s right there in the pink case,” I said, pointing to the floor where my purse sat.

I couldn’t deny how much I wanted everything he had to offer.

I also couldn’t make myself give him the ammunition to make me fall apart.

I had to let him get it on his own. His eyes fell to the floor where my purse was before he reached inside.

After making the mistake of knocking my rose on the floor in front of him, I’d put it in a little case.