his, and they exchanged subtle glances—and a barely noticeable nod from Will—before Aaron went on. “The downside is, part of making that airtight case meant evidence. A lot of evidence. And a lot of witness testimony.”
I squirmed, my skin crawling. “Oh fuck.”
“Yeah. As it happened, one of this asshole’s favorite means of ‘therapy’”—he made air quotes with his free hand—“was electroshock therapy.”
“Shit.” I chafed my arms. “I can see why you’re not down with electrostim, then.”
Aaron nodded. “Rationally, I know electroshock therapy and electrostim aren’t the same thing at all. They don’t operate the same way, and they don’t feel the same, and—anyway, ever since that case…” He shook his head.
“I don’t blame you,” I said. “After a case like that, I think I’d need therapy myself. Actual therapy, not…” I flailed my hand.
“I did,” Aaron said. “Which was a pain in the ass in its own right because of client privilege. I couldn’t talk about a lot of the things I really needed to, like how this guy would defend himself in my office. I could talk about anything that was said on the witness stand because it was public record, and technically everything involved in the case was accessible since it had been adjudicated and a person could gain access via the Freedom of Information Act. But I tried really hard to walk that line and not push the envelope where professional ethics are concerned.”
“Wow. That sounds…” I shook my head. “That all just sounds incredibly stressful.”
“This job isn’t for the faint of heart, that’s for sure. But somebody’s gotta do it.”
“I’m glad you can.” I grimaced. “I knew law school wasn’t for me. I was just, uh, slower on the uptake about medical school.”
“Oh man.” Aaron made a face. “Medical school. No, thank you.”
I cocked my head. “Why’s that?”
“Look, I can handle the pressure in a courtroom,” he said. “I’ve got time to prepare. The prosecution and I communicate ahead of time. It’s a lot of stress and headache, but no one’s asking me to make split second decisions that could decide if someone bleeds out or something, you know?”
“Yeah. Ugh.” I fidgeted in my seat. “That pressure was not for me.”
“You made it farther through med school than I ever would have,” Will chimed in. “Listening to some of the shit he and Tom dealt with in law school, and what one of our friends went through in nursing school?” Whistling, he shook his head. “I’ll be over here worrying about lines, composition, tones, values…”
“Oh, you’re speaking my language,” I said. “Man, I would’ve been so much happier in art school.”
Will started to respond, but right then, the alarm on his phone went off, startling me almost out of my chair.
“Damn.” He picked up the phone and shut off the alarm. “Speaking of art school…” Turning an apologetic look on Aaron, he said, “I have to go.”
“Okay.” Aaron smiled up at him. “See you when you get home.”
“See you then.” They shared a quick kiss, and then Will got up. He paused to brush his lips across mine. “Don’t have too much fun without me.”
I flashed him a grin. “Mmm, no promises.”
One eyebrow flicked up, and he was instantly a Dom, and I gulped.
Chuckling, he patted my cheek. “That’s what I thought.” Then he left the living room while I tried to catch my breath and tell my dick to calm the hell down. From the kitchen, Will called out, “Have you seen my wallet?”
Aaron leaned back and said over his shoulder, “Next to your keys on the counter by the coffeepot.”
There was some movement, then the jingle of keys. “Thanks!”
Aaron just smiled. A moment later, the door closed, and it was just the two of us. Facing me again, he said, “He’s going to be wiped when he gets home.”
“Yeah?”
He nodded. “Teaching takes a lot out of him, and he’s already worked a full day today.” Sighing, he reached for his drink. “I really wish he’d say no when they ask him for stuff like this, but it’s his call.”
“So this isn’t a normal thing for him?”
Aaron shook his head as he put his drink on the coffee table. “No. He’s actually filling in for another professor who mostly teaches at night. It’s only this week—tonight and Thursday—so it’s not too bad. I just wish they’d tap someone else for it.”
“I get that.”
Aaron glanced at the empty cushion beside him, then at me, and his expression brightened. “You know, there’s room for both of us