flesh, followed by the sensuous moans that escape her open mouth, there's a new feeling forming. I’m not sure the new feeling is one I can ignore.
Ava has a history. When we met, she told me things that frightened me, to be honest. Seeing as I’m a therapist and I’ve heard some alarming truths from the mouths of my patients, I was shocked by how Ava’s words made me feel. Nonetheless, I couldn't get past her beauty. It’s cliche, I know, but Ava is a gorgeous, seductive woman, and I’m a man who can't shake the image of a woman giving herself to me once the image is born in my head. The thought of Ava granting me control of her body, trusting me with it, knowing I’d take care of it better than anyone else could, weighed on me like a thick blanket, and I couldn't shake it off. I knew I needed to fight my urge harder, but I couldn't. I didn't, and we haven’t kept our hands off each other since. But even after two months, I haven’t come close to forgetting the affect her words had on me when we met.
“Dr. Colson?” Keisha’s voice cuts through my thoughts.
“Yes?” I reply.
“Your nine o’clock has arrived.”
“Oh. Thank you.”
I push thoughts of Ava to the back of my mind as I get up and make my way over to the door, carrying the notes on Sean Tillman with me. My issues with Ava will have to be addressed after my session with Sean. When I open the door, I see Sean in the reception area with his hands clasped together in his lap. He’s dressed more casually today, with a plain red t-shirt and black pants. His hair is messier than before, and he doesn't look to be in a good mood. Even after hearing the door open beside him, he doesn't look up. Sean just stares at a black and white painting on the wall behind Keisha as if it’s hypnotizing him.
I clear my throat and call to Sean to break the trance. “Mr. Tillman. Good morning. You ready?”
Sean snaps out of it, blinking his eyes as if awakening from a vivid dream. “Oh. Yes, hi Dr. Colson. I’m ready.”
The two of us smile at each other, although Sean’s seems more forced than mine, and we walk into the office. Sean heads straight for the couch as I aim for my chair, within ten seconds of being in the room, Sean is already talking.
“I think I might be losing her,” he says, looking down at the floor instead of up at me. “I think things might be worse than I initially thought. Maybe I came here too late. Becky seems to be already moving onto something else.”
Before I speak, I scribble “Paranoia?” onto my legal pad. “What makes you think that?”
“I caught her texting a guy a couple of days ago. It’s a doctor from Bayhealth who I know she’s attracted to. His name’s Dr. Bishop, and even though she said some crap about them conversing about a cabinet the first time I caught her texting him, they’re texting every day now. I don't have any confirmation that it’s him, besides the first day when she admitted it, but I know it’s him. Our sex life took another hit, too, and I know she wants him now. I know it, Dr. Colson.”
“Are you sure? Because it doesn't sound like you are.” I place my notepad in my lap and reposition myself to get more comfortable. “Is it possible your paranoia about Becky’s relationship with this doctor is being triggered by insecurity about your sex life?”
Sean doesn't answer. He keeps his eyes glued to the floor, so I go on, trying to bring him out of it. Therapy doesn't work if the only person talking is the therapist.
“You said your sex life took another hit. What happened?”
Sean lets out a sigh and shakes his head. I can tell the memory of this event disappoints him.
“I’d been planning on giving Becky the best sex ever since the moment you and I had our first session,” Sean states.
I write in my notepad—Why would you think you're prepared to give the best sex ever?
“I had this whole thing planned out and I’d imagined it a hundred different times,” Sean goes on. “So, I came home from my shift and she was in the kitchen texting Dr. Bishop, which only made me more determined. Everything starts off great: we have dinner, I rub