Elaine locked the door to her office, rounded her desk, and pulled out the bottle of expensive scotch she had hidden in her drawer. She kicked off her heels, poured a glass, and crossed to collapse on the couch.
“What the hell just happened?” She sipped the scotch and massaged her temple. She’d never lost control in a session before. Then again, she’d never had personal feelings for a client before. She’d been attracted to some, yes, but never moved. Not like this. She sipped more alcohol and willed it to sort some sense into the mess of her mind. She’d have to end it. Here and now. She couldn’t see her anymore. Michael would understand. It had happened to him.
She groaned at the realization. Michael had ended the sessions, yes. But then he’d married him. They were going on ten years.
“This can’t be happening.” Who was this Riot? Why did she have to be so…everything? Sensitive, artistic, beautiful, intelligent. Why couldn’t she be like her other clients? Boring, mundane, complaining about their wives, money, sex, and a receding hairline. Those guys were easy to help. Show ’em a little leg, boss them around, teach them how to treat women, and bam, off they go, well trained and better for it. They feel better about themselves, their sex lives improve, and they are happy. But Riot, this woman. She was different. She had looked at her with such soul, such heart. And the way she’d reacted to her touch. It had stirred something she’d thought she’d buried deep long ago. How could it be that it had drifted so close to the surface again and she not know?
She drank more as her mind spun. She thought of Riot’s fierceness. The way she fought losing control. Squeezing the chair, pushing back against it. The internal battle she’d fought had been obvious, spellbinding. Elaine had been captivated by her. She had been fighting her feelings, fighting what they both felt, and Elaine had been right there with her, battling inside herself.
But she’d messed up. She’d let it out and let her true feelings surface. She was sure Riot had seen it. It was too late now to fix it.