The first thing Caleb had to do at his next session was to read out the lists he had compiled.
“Positive: Honest, friendly, hard-working, diligent, perfectionist, clean, neat, loyal, trustworthy, good sense of humour, kind to animals, environmentally aware, reasonably intelligent, educated, good at gardening, good at cooking, respectful of others and their property, law abiding, tactful.
“Negative: Impatient, sometimes intolerant, easily bored, not good at relationships, not good at maths, can be judgemental (especially about myself), not usually punctual, can be lazy, pedantic, critical. Is that the same as judgemental? Anyway, what else? I think that’s it. Oh, one more—unhappy.”
“Thank you. That was quite extensive. Was it an easy task?” asked Richard.
Caleb had to be honest. “The list of positive points was difficult, especially since it had to be a longer list than the negatives.”
Richard nodded. “But you did it.”
“Yes.”
“And the other thing you did that made you happy?”
“Well, I didn’t make it to the beach this week, but I did see a film at the cinema. At the Palace, where they have those big, comfortable seats that recline and you can order wine.”
“Sounds like you really pampered yourself.”
“I did. It was nice.”
“And the movie?”
“I saw The Favourite. Historical dramas are a guilty secret.”
“Great,” said Richard. “I think I’ll get you to do this again. Find something else that makes you happy and go ahead and do it.”
Caleb nodded and was already wondering what else there was that made him happy.
Richard smiled. “Now, for today, I want us to explore the negative self-image you have of yourself. Please remove your clothing.”
Caleb did a double-take. “I’m sorry? What did you say?”
Without batting an eyelid, the psychologist repeated his instruction.
“I don’t think you should be asking that,” said Caleb. “It’s not very profession…”
“And where did you get your degree in psychology, Mr. Taylor?”
Richard’s tone was stern, and Caleb felt chastised, like a schoolboy being scolded for not doing his homework. “I just meant, I don’t think removing my clothes…”
Richard leaned forward and placed his pad and pen on the coffee table.
“Okay, then I guess that’s it,” he said. “I can’t help you if you’re not going to help yourself.”
Caleb was flabbergasted. He sat speechless, his mind working a mile a minute to comprehend what he was being asked to do. “Wh-why do you want me to take my clothes off?”
“You’ll find out when you do it. Now, are you going to do as I’ve asked, or can I devote my time to someone who actually wants to be helped?”
Caleb pulled off his shoes and socks, then his T-shirt. He laid it on the chair, then undid his belt buckle. As he slid his jeans down to his ankles, he glanced at Richard, unashamedly watching him. He stepped out of his jeans and placed them with his T-shirt. He turned slightly, facing Richard directly.
“These?” he asked, hooking the tops of his thumbs into the elasticated band at the top of his underpants.
Richard nodded.
Caleb pulled them down and stepped out of them, but didn’t place them with his other clothes. He kept hold of them, letting them hang from his grasp so they covered his genitals.
“You can put them with the rest of your clothes,” said Richard, indicating with a flick of his hand.
Caleb tossed the underpants onto the small pile of clothing and turned back to face Richard, his hands clasped together, hiding what the garment was no longer able to hide.
Richard stood, and Caleb immediately noticed the large protrusion at the front of his pants.
“Come over here,” said Richard, taking Caleb by the shoulders and guiding him to a full-length mirror on the wall in one corner. “Now, hands by your side.” Richard gripped Caleb’s wrists and pulled his hands away from his cock. “Look at that. What is there to be ashamed of?”
Caleb felt on the verge of tears. He blinked madly to stop them from making an appearance. He felt humiliated, though he didn’t want Richard to see it. The session would soon end and he’d never come back again. He had a good mind to report the man.
“Your face,” said Richard. “It’s a handsome face. Very good looking, in fact. Especially your eyes. Look how large and beautiful they are. Big pools of dark chocolate. And your lips. So full and pink. A long slender neck. And broad shoulders. Were you a swimmer at some stage?”
Caleb nodded. He had represented his high school in backstroke. He had also swum competitively for his hometown, winning dozens of medals and trophies. Swimming had been the only sport he’d ever excelled at, and therefore the only one he’d ever enjoyed doing.
“You have a broad chest, nice firm pecs.” At this point, Richard wove his hands beneath Caleb’s arms and ran them across his chest. “Nice pert nipples. And look at this flat stomach.” His hands slid down Caleb’s torso. “Not too defined, but flat.”
Caleb could feel Richard’s erection poking into his left buttock, and that, coupled with the fact Richard now had his hands in Caleb’s pubic hair, soon had him erect.
Richard gripped it. “And this is a big thick muscle.” He gave it a couple of tugs. “Nothing to be ashamed of here.”
Richard crouched, moving his hands over Caleb’s thick, lightly-haired thighs. “And these are very manly legs, solid and hairy.” He swept his hands to Caleb’s calf muscles and to his feet, before standing again. “Is there anything in the mirror that you aren’t proud of?”
Caleb had to admit, there wasn’t.
“Now, when you get to my age, things don’t look so good.” Richard began to undo his tie.
Caleb felt his cock twitch.
Richard removed his tie completely and began to unbutton his shirt. “It’s a lot more work just to maintain your weight, let alone build a body anyone would find attractive.”
He pulled off his shirt, revealing a V-shaped torso covered in sandy-blond hair. His nipples were very pink and stuck out from amongst the thick chest hair that got darker further south.
“You have the benefit of youth. And will have, I daresay, for a few years more.”
Richard kicked off his shoes, then undid his belt buckle, pulling off his trousers and underpants in one smooth movement. He left his clothing in a pile on the floor and stood beside Caleb in front of the mirror. His erection, thick and rigid against his belly, leaked pre-cum.
“You see, with age comes flab. My waist, which used to resemble yours, is slowly losing the battle to maintain its curve. My pectorals are losing their tone and are looking more and more like tits.” He cupped his balls. “These continue to drop, though, so it’s not all bad news.” He laughed, and despite himself, so did Caleb. “I was never a swimmer. I have some structure to my shoulders, but see how they slope at the ends? They aren’t broad and strong like yours.”
“How old are you?” asked Caleb, who, under the circumstances, thought he had a right.
“Forty-six,” replied Richard. “Soon to be forty-seven.” He turned to Caleb, his arms open. “Give me a hug.”
Caleb stepped into Richard’s embrace, the warmth of his body comforting. The thought occurred to him that he no longer felt uncomfortable, but it was a mere flash, and he soon lost himself in the moment.
He could feel Richard’s thick cock pressing against his own and enjoyed the sensation of their two organs sliding over each other as Richard began to gently rock him back and forth on the spot.
“This is nice,” said Richard.
Caleb nodded, his cheek pressed against Richard’s furry chest. “Yes.”
When Richard finally stepped away, Caleb noticed a thin strand of pre-cum keeping their cocks connected until Richard moved too far back and it snapped.
“How are you feeling?”
Caleb walked back to where he’d been sitting. “Strange. Not as strange as when you first asked me to take my clothes off.”
“Anything else?”
“I feel kinda good,” said Caleb. “I feel surprisingly good. Liberated. Relaxed. Almost at peace.”
Richard laughed. “Why do you think that is?” He sat without dressing and watched Caleb follow suit.
Caleb shrugged. It was a bad habit his mother had always told him off for doing. “I don’t know. I guess it was unexpected. Exhilarating. Still not sure how professional it was.”
It was Richard’s turn to shrug. “It did the trick, though, didn’t it? I could have told you that your negative self-talk was untrue, but now that I’ve showed you, the message has really hit home, wouldn’t you say?”
“Yes, I would say.
Richard stood and began dressing.