Ravish: The Awakening of Sleeping Beauty - By Cathy Yardley Page 0,18
almost chronological, as if I enter a different world as soon as I go to sleep.”
“That’s unusual.” Aaron had shifted into clinical mode, and for that Jacob was thankful. “But the dreams are always sexual. Do you have conversations?”
Jacob thought about his conversation with Rory, in the spa. He hadn’t revealed that much to women he’d dated for several years. “We’ve talked,” he finally admitted. “Still, the emphasis is usually on the sex.”
“Interesting.” Aaron tapped his fingers on the arm of his chair. Jacob knew Aaron was itching to take some notes, as if Jacob were one of his patients. Thankfully, Aaron seemed to be resisting the urge. “This case. Is it particularly important to you?”
Jacob nodded impatiently. “This case is my magnum opus,” he said. “It’s a long shot, but she’s legendary. I wake her up, and my future’s guaranteed.”
“Let me guess: a lot of your peers have tried to cure her and failed.”
“So?” Jacob replied defensively.
“I know your ego, big brother,” Aaron said. “She’s your quixotic dream patient. You want to cure the incurable. You want the glory.”
“I suppose.” But even as Jacob said it, something wasn’t ringing true about the statement. It had been true, especially when he first met Mrs. Jacquard and initially took on the job.
Something had changed since then.
“You want the acknowledgment,” Aaron pressed. “You’ve got an impossible, unprecedented case. Maybe we’re just talking about stress, burnout. You know, performance anxiety.”
“Hardly,” Jacob muttered. If anything, his dream performance was way beyond anything he’d done in the waking world—and, if his partners were to be believed, he was no slouch in that department.
“Not that kind of performance,” Aaron said, waving away the comment. “Dreams are your subconscious mind speaking to your consciousness. Unfortunately, dreams don’t speak English. They speak in symbols. You’re fixated on this case. She’s a problem to solve; a mystery to unlock. You’re dreaming of having sex with her. That suggests that you’ve ‘buried’ yourself in the case. You would represent the key, she would represent the lock. Sex as unlocking.”
Jacob grimaced. “Why the fuck wouldn’t I just dream about a key?”
“Not as fun?” Aaron said, chuckling. “Who knows? The thing is, your subconscious speaks in weird ways. If you’re dreaming about her this often, your subconscious may have a clue to the cure that you can’t seem to puzzle out when you’re awake.”
“Huh…” Jacob liked the sound of that, feeling immediately better. Then he frowned. “These aren’t like any dreams I’ve had before, Aaron. They’re unbelievably real.” His mind flashed to his last interlude with Rory, his body arching in to hers, his muscles bunching as he found release. “They’re as real as anything I’ve ever felt when I’m awake.”
Maybe even more real.
Aaron frowned. “Maybe you should describe the dreams to me.”
“In detail?” Jacob said, aghast.
“Don’t worry, I’m not looking for a play-by-play,” Aaron reassured him. “Just set the scene. Maybe there are other symbols you’re missing.”
“I’m in a luxurious resort,” Jacob said, closing his eyes and shifting to that dream environment as easily as conjuring up a picture of Aaron’s apartment. “It’s on a tropical island somewhere. The resort itself looks like a castle. There’s a high tower, and I know there’s a luxury suite up there. That’s where I find her. There’s no one else in the place but her.”
“Asleep in the tower,” he murmured. “Mythic.”
Jacob suddenly smacked his forehead. “Sleeping Beauty.”
“What?”
“That’s what they’ve called her case.” He laughed, feeling relief flood through his body. “That’s why she’s in a castle. In a tower. I’ve been calling her ‘Sleeping Beauty’ since I heard about her!”
Aaron smiled. “See? It’s nothing to worry about.”
“God. You have no idea how much better I feel.” Jacob stood up, stretching out. “I was starting to feel like I was losing my mind. I mean, I was beginning to go to bed earlier and earlier, just to see her. I was starting to think—”
He stopped, abruptly realizing how much he was revealing.
“Starting to think what?” Aaron’s eyes were fixed on Jacob.
“It’s dumb,” Jacob muttered. “I mean, it just felt…real.”
“You were starting to think she was real,” Aaron reiterated.
Jacob shrugged uncomfortably.
Aaron was silent for a long moment. Then he cleared his throat. “You know, maybe your sex dreams are just a way of saying it’s time you got laid.”
Jacob forced a laugh, knowing his brother was just trying to lighten the situation. “It has been awhile.”
“My professional recommendation would be to start relaxing