Page 25 of The Business of Love Box Set 1: Books 1 - 4

VANESSA

D r. Langford crossed one leg over the other and made herself comfortable in her plush velvet armchair while I propped myself up on some pillows on her sofa.

They were a matching set, the sofa and the chair, and they were lined in flat silver studs that I had a habit of running my fingers over when the topic of conversation got a little too personal.

Which was all the time. Therapy. Duh .

My therapist watched me settle into my seat, a process that always took me at least five minutes, and then she cleared her throat softly. “How have you been this week, Vanessa?”

“Overwhelmed.”

“I’m sorry. Can you explain why you’re overwhelmed? Do you know the why ?”

Of course, I knew the why. The why was a six-foot-three hunk of a man with the most godly physique I’d ever set eyes on—and that included the male cast of all the superhero movies hitting the box offices lately.

All I’d been able to think about while I was in the hot tub with Rhys was that he had big hands.

Very big hands. Hands that would be able to handle my tits in all their glory.

“There’s a guy,” I said.

Dr. Langford smiled. I never knew with her if it was genuine or rehearsed. Either way, it made me feel heard as she shifted in her seat. “Tell me about him.”

“He’s dreamy.”

“Aren’t they always?”

“No, you don’t understand. He’s like dreamy.

Guys like this have no right to exist. He’s—he’s—” I considered lying, but this was a safe place.

A safe place I paid for. And I needed guidance which I would not get if I was holding the most crucial piece of information from the woman who was here to help me. “He’s Rhys Daniels.”

Her thin silvery eyebrows lifted. “Oh?”

“Yeah. Rhys fucking Daniels. And get this. He’s also the mystery caller who was always calling into the station.”

She blinked. “Mr. No Name.”

“You got it. Mr. No Name himself. He’s also my big brother’s best friend since high school.

And he and I had the bright idea to team up and go to my high school reunion together.

So we’ve been spending a lot of time together, and last night, things looked like they were going to heat up for real, and I panicked. ”

“What did you do?”

“We were in his hot tub. I sat in there with him for maybe five minutes. It was nice. I felt so at ease that I talked to him about my dad and fond memories I have with him that I haven’t told anyone.

Not even my best friend. It was so easy to talk to him but confusing all at the same time.

And then he touched me. Not in a sexy way.

Or an unwanted way. He literally just put his finger on my shoulder to point out a birthmark and I freaked out like a fourteen-year-old virgin. ”

Dr. Langford smiled again. “Do you think it’s because you’re not ready for that kind of intimacy?”

I stared blankly at her. “Does putting a finger on someone’s shoulder count as intimacy?”

“You were in a hot tub together. I assume just the two of you?”

“Yes.”

“Intimacy was implied.”

“Okay fine. Yeah. I knew things were getting a little steamy. I didn’t want to leave. But it was like my body had a mind of its own and I had to get out of there. I can’t understand it.”

“You’re protecting yourself.”

“From what?” I asked desperately.

“Well, it could be a lot of things. Maybe you’re protecting yourself from disappointment and pain.

Getting close to someone can be a really scary thing, especially when you don’t know the outcome.

It is completely normal to fear the unknown and rejection and the kind of hurt our heart endures when someone we start to have romantic feelings for does not feel the same way. Or maybe you’re conflicted.”

“About what?”

“About withholding certain parts of yourself from him. He knows you as Nessa Night as well as Vanny Hampton. Do you think you might feel a little guilty about this? You know very personal things about him because of his calls into the station. You know things about him he has never intentionally shared with you.”

My stomach did a little twisty dance move. “That might have something to do with it.”

Dr. Langford smiled again. This time, it truly looked genuine as she leaned forward to rest her elbows on her knees and clasp her thin fingers together.

Her nails were rounded and painted nearly the same color as the furniture we sat upon, and she wore several rings, including a sparkling wedding band and engagement ring on her left hand that I’d always envied.

“Maybe you should tell him who Nessa Night really is.”

I could feel my face cooling as the blood rushed away from my cheeks. “No. It’s too soon.”

“What makes you say that?”

“He’d run for the hills.”

“Or he wouldn’t.”

Both options seemed equally terrifying. Where was the happy medium? “I need more time.”

She nodded. “You know I don’t like to tell people what to do, Vanessa.

But I feel compelled to say this. Secrets serve no one.

You may be right. It may be too soon. But as soon as it’s not, you should seriously consider being honest with him.

And if you start to think this could be something real between the two of you?

” She searched my eyes in that unnerving way only trained professionals could do.

“You owe it to yourself to be honest with him. Otherwise, it isn’t real at all. ”

Maybe that was what I wanted. It was so much easier to keep one foot in and one foot out. But last night, something changed.

I was beginning to believe that maybe, just maybe, Rhys liked me for me after all. And that was a truly terrifying prospect.

My shift at the dress shop was hard to endure after my early morning appointment with Dr. Langford.

Our conversation played over and over again in my mind as I ran through customers purchasing dresses for family weddings, birthdays, and all sorts of special occasions, as well as more casual garments for everyday life.

I spent half an hour cleaning glass displays and the mirrors of the fitting rooms after one mother with a toddler with grubby little hands spent over an hour in the shop, and then I swept, dusted, and straightened hangers, desperate for the last hour of my shift to end.

When the bell above the door chimed at fifteen minutes to close, I groaned.

There was always someone who wanted to come in and shop just as I was shutting down for the day.

I lifted my head to greet them and was relieved to see Kim standing at the entrance.

In one hand, she held a bag of pastries from our favorite cafe down the road, and in the other, she had a tray holding two coffees.

“Hey, babe,” she said. “Feel like a snack?”

“What did I do to deserve you?”

Kim strode into the shop and met me at the sales counter. She set the goodies down, and we dug in, and she proceeded to walk a lap of the store, looking for new merchandise. She seemed uninspired by the selection and came back to me. “How’ve you been?”

“Good. And you?”

Kim shrugged. “All right. I let Jackson set me up on yet another dismal date. I don’t know why I keep letting him talk me into these things.

The last guy—no word of a lie—told me within the first fifteen minutes that he’d checked out all my socials and only agreed to go on the date because, and I quote, ‘you look like the sort of girl who takes care of herself.’”

“Barf.”

“Right?” Kim asked, eyes wide. “He was the worst. As soon as I got out of there, I called Jackson and told him he was officially fired from helping me with my search for love.”

“At the very worst, you got some good stories out of it.”

Kim sighed and popped open the pastry bag to help herself to a cream puff. “I don’t want good stories. I want my someone. You know?”

“He’s out there, Kim. You just have to be patient.”

“What about you?”

“Me?” What about me? What was she asking? Was she asking about Rhys?

Play it cool, Vanny, play it cool.

“Yeah. You still been spending a lot of time with Rhys?”

“Erm.”

Kim pointed an accusing finger at me. “You have, haven’t you?!”

“He’s coming to my reunion with me. Of course I have. We’re getting to know each other.”

“Please. There is no way any woman on the face of this earth could spend time with a man like him and not catch feelings.”

“I guess I’m not like any other woman on the face of the earth.”

She scrunched up her nose. “Oh please. I’m not falling for that. You’re into him. I can see it on your face.”

I could have lied. Easily. I could have told her it was nothing.

That I only got flustered talking about Rhys because of how hot he was and how naive I was when it came to men.

She’d have believed me—with the right pushing and selection of words, of course.

But I didn’t want to lie. I already had so many secrets with being Nessa Night that I couldn’t stand the thought of keeping this from my best friend.

Rhys was the most unexpected, blood-rushing, wild thing that had ever happened to me, and Kim deserved to have a seat in the inner circle.

I lifted my chin. “You’re right. I like him. I like him so much it scares the shit out of me.”

Kim’s mouth fell open.

I held up my hands, bracing for the explosion of excitement I could see burning inside her. “It’s still too soon to know where this is going. If it’s even going anywhere. All I know is I enjoy spending time with him and I don’t want it to stop anytime soon.”

“Have you guys…” She trailed off and pumped her eyebrows two times.

“No. We haven’t even kissed.”

“For the love of all that is good, why the hell not ?”

I tried to think of an answer for her, but nothing came to mind. There was no good reason why we hadn’t kissed. And did I ever want to.

I wanted to so badly, I almost considered bailing on my shift at the radio station so I could drive to his penthouse and grab him by the shirt and kiss him like my life depended on it. But that wasn’t something Vanny Hampton would do. Nessa Night? Maybe?

But not little old me.