Page 76 of Theirs to Desire (Club M: Boxed Set)

He smiles again and brushes a kiss over my lips. “I’ll see you soon.”

Upstairs, I take a deep breath and brush my hands over my skirt, trying to calm my fluttering nerves. Not a minute too soon. There’s a knock at the door, and a group of doctors files in, a familiar face among them.

Kai is here.

No wonder Maddox was so amused.

He’s saying something to a stunningly gorgeous black woman as he enters the room, his lips tugged up. He looks relaxed. Happy, even. The woman is laughing at Kai. She’s got high, sharp cheekbones, and almond-shaped eyes. Even in scrubs, she’s beautiful.

A sharp spike of jealousy pierces through me. Kai doesn’t have a girlfriend or a wife, does he? He’s not cheating on her?

Calm down, Avery. Maddox wouldn’t let Kai walk into this situation without warning him. He was amused, not alarmed.

Kai looks up right then and catches sight of me. His eyes widen in surprise, and then his lips lift up in a smile. “Avery,” he says. “What a surprise. I didn’t know you were a therapist.”

“That’s what Maddox said downstairs.”

He chuckles. “You ran into Maddox? Of course.” He takes a seat across from me, and his friend sits next to him. “Dr. Jayla Washington, Dr. Avery Welch.”

“Good to meet you.” I shake her hand. The other doctors are staring at me curiously, so I paste a bright, professional smile on my face.

“Good afternoon,” I tell everyone. “It’s good to meet you all.

I know it’s probably a pain in the ass to give up your lunch hour to talk about stress, but I promise to make this worth your while. ”

We go around the room, and everyone introduces themselves.

Once that’s done, I get into the material.

I used to run this workshop almost every month when I first started out.

I don’t do many of them anymore, preferring to stick to one-on-one client work, which I find more fulfilling.

The content is familiar to me, which is the only reason I can get through it with Kai sitting opposite me.

He’s so good-looking. He’s staring at me as if he’s trying to figure me out, and it makes me a little nervous, but a whole lot turned on.

They’d made me come on Monday, and only four days have elapsed, but the craving inside me is raw and powerful.

In their hands, I’ve transformed into a sexual, needy creature, longing for their touch, the release that only Kai and Maddox can give me.

I don’t know what’s going to happen at the club tomorrow, and I can’t wait to find out.

Jayla Washington’s asking a question. I shake away the distraction and focus on her. “Lack of sleep is a pretty common stress symptom,” she says. “But stress can affect the body in other ways, right?”

At her side, Kai stiffens and gives her an irritated look.

I wonder what that’s about. “Yes,” I reply.

“In many strange and unexplained ways, as a matter of fact. For example, during a period of high stress, I started breaking out into hives. I thought I was allergic to something, and I went through the process of getting tested for everything, but nothing seemed to alleviate the symptoms. But when I got my stress levels under control, the hives disappeared.”

“I have a client who gets heartburn when she’s stressed,” I continue. “Another whose arthritis flares up when he’s having a tough time at work. Stress is a funny thing. It’s not just low energy or insomnia you have to worry about. Which brings me to my next topic. Stress management.”

I look around the room. “Any thoughts on how best to manage stress?”

Kai raises an eyebrow. “You’re the expert,” he says. “Why don’t you tell us?”

Okay, there’s a definite note of hostility in his voice. Is stress a sensitive topic for him? Dr. Washington turns her head and glares at him, elbowing him in the side.

“Of course, Dr. Bowen,” I say calmly. “There are the obvious answers. A long soak in the bathtub. Meditation. Exercise. But before all of that, I find it most useful to identify the underlying cause. Too many times, we’re stressed, and we’re not sure why.

For example, I often have a vague sense of unease, even when everything seems to be under control.

Whenever that happens, I find it helpful to home in and isolate what it is I’m worrying about. ”

Everyone’s paying attention. Doctors can be a difficult crowd.

They’re experts in their field, and as a result, many of them tend to assume that they know everything.

This group isn’t doing that. They’re at least listening to me.

“Let’s say I’m stressing about work,” I continue.

“Maybe I’m too busy. I have too many projects on the go.

Follow that thought. What’s my fear? Maybe it’s that I’m not going to get the project done on time. ”

Heads are nodding. “Maybe I’m worried that my boss will yell at me.

Once again, follow that thought to its worst-case scenario.

Maybe I’ll get fired. Once you figure out what is upsetting you, once you know what’s causing you anxiety, you can take steps to alleviate the problem.

In my example, if I got fired, maybe I can find a better job, one with more realistic expectations of their employees.

Maybe I’ll realize I have some savings to fall back on.

Maybe I can get a roommate to help with the expenses.

Often, the worst-case scenario isn’t that bad. ”

“I’m a cardiovascular surgeon,” Kai says caustically. “My worst-case scenario is a patient dying on the table.”

Ouch.

“Not everyone can be saved, Dr. Bowen,” I reply, striving for calmness in the face of his antagonism. Whatever’s going on here isn’t about me. “Life is random. Anything can happen. That might make us feel out of control.”

“And how do you suggest we manage that feeling?” Dr. Washington asks, giving Kai a death-glare as she speaks.

“Find the things you can control.” Like my pleasure. Like my orgasms. I hear Kai’s voice in my ear at the club, telling me not to come. Telling me that he’s going to take me to the edge three times, and I’m going to have to hold off. I’m going to have to obey.

Focus, Avery. When did you turn into a sex-starved beast?