The Relationship Coach

by Sylvia McDaniel

  “No, but I don’t want to go home. I know I’ll be alone. She won’t come back.”

  “No, I think it’s over,” Lacey confirmed.

  “What do I do now?” He looked confused almost lost.

  “You take some time to evaluate why you didn’t want to marry Jennifer, before you get involved with anyone else. Many women want the safety and security of marriage. You may never want to marry, but you need to let the woman know that right up front, before you ever get involved again. And you need to tell them you don’t want children.”

  “I did love her.”

  “I’m sure, in your own way, you did.” Lacey wanted to show him she wasn’t taking sides, but it was hard. She wanted to yell at him that he was a dumb schmuck for not seeing what a beautiful wife and mother Jennifer would have been. His loss.

  “But I didn’t want to marry her.”

  “I understand.”

  With that, he rose and started for the door..

  “Good luck, David,” Lacey called.

  “Thanks. Goodbye Lacey,” he said and walked out the door.

  Lacey closed her file, leaned her face into her hands, and sighed. She hated it when she was unable to resolve the issues of one of her clients. She hated it when she watched a break-up, and she hated it when two people could not work out their issues.

  David was afraid of commitment, and Jennifer had reached a time in her life when she needed something more. At an impasse, neither one could win.

  And neither one would be happy for quite some time.

  Reed stepped in front of the camera. He touched her on the arm, and she jumped.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  Involved with helping this couple, she’d completely forgotten about the camera in the room. She gazed up at him. “I’m sorry. I hate it when I can’t help a couple.”

  He sat down across from her and leaned toward her. “What went wrong with this couple?”

  Lacey straightened and remembered the documentary. “Some issues can’t be resolved. He didn’t want to get married, and she was at a place in her life when she needed a commitment from him to continue in the relationship. He wasn’t willing to give her what she needed.”

  “Why couldn’t she wait?”

  She frowned and wanted to ask him “Really?” but knew the cameras were rolling. “She’d given him two years. She could have given him twenty more, and it wouldn’t have mattered. I think deep down she knew David would never marry her. I don’t think he understands love. It’s easy to say the words, but the truth lies in your actions. David enjoyed what Jennifer did for him, but if this had been real love, he would have done more to save the relationship.”

  Reed stared at her, his green eyes warming her insides making her feel safe and secure. Once again, she felt at ease in front of the camera.

  “Give me your definition of love,” he asked.

  There were as many definitions of love as there were kinds of love, but the emotion between a man and a woman was both simple and complex. She took a deep breath. “Love is putting the other person’s needs before your own. When you’re in love, you’re not selfish, and your partner is your best friend and wants the very best for you. Being with him makes you a better person.”

  “But she was putting her needs before his.”

  “In a way, yes. But she had put his needs first for two years. It was her turn, and he was unwilling to satisfy her need for commitment before his fear of marriage. If he’d loved her, he would have put his fears into perspective and married her. Just completing the simple homework assignment I gave him would have shown her he was willing to work on their relationship. He chose to ignore her needs, and it cost him a relationship.”

  Lacey watched Reed struggle to understand, his forehead wrinkled, and his brows drew together. Could this be part of his problem with love?

  “Love is putting your best friend’s needs first,” he said, quietly as he contemplated the thought for the first time.

  “You want the best for your partner, and you want her to be happy. And sometimes that means doing things that are not in your comfort zone. Like marriage.”

  “Like bungee jumping?” he asked.

  She laughed. “Yes, exactly. Or loving your partner enough to know that bungee jumping could send her over the edge, so you ask your buddy to go do it with you instead.”

  “Hey, I got you to smile,” he said, his voice sincere.

  She ducked her head before raising her gaze to stare into the depth of his soul, feeling scorched by the heat reflected in his eyes. She wanted to dive into that head and let it take her away. “Yes, you did.”

  Ty called out, “Cut! You two were getting sappy, and I thought we’re done.”

  “Good call,” Reed said. “I’ve got one more client who has agreed to talk to us, but not during a session. This is a wrap for you,” he said, the mood shifting back into work.

  She let out a sigh, as tension left her body. “That’s a relief. Though, I will miss you guys hanging out here. Usually, there are only females in the office and having some testosterone around has been different.”

  Reed smiled. “The flower smell does seem to be a little less in here now.”

  “Oh, that will change once you’re gone.”

  He gazed at her, unclipping the microphone from his shirt. “What are you doing later tonight?”

  “Going home and resting.”

  With a tilt of his head, he said, “I hate to eat alone. Want to grab some dinner?”

  She should say no, but she hated to eat alone as well, and after today, she wouldn’t be seeing Reed. Why not one last celebration? “Okay, but I need to run home. Pick me up in an hour?”

  “See you then.”

  ***

  Everyone had left for the day as Reed took the elevator down to the garage. One more interview before he moved to the studio to begin putting the film together, splicing and editing and trying to come up with a documentary that showed how relationship coaches were people without doctorates, who really didn’t know how to guide lives.

  However, he was having more difficulty remembering the reason for the documentary other than he’d enjoyed watching Lacey work with people. Observing her today, with the break-up of that couple on camera would be excellent viewing.

  He stepped off the elevator, and Jose walked toward him.

  “Hey, what are you doing here?” Reed asked, startled to see the kid.

  A dejected air permeated the kid’s expression. “I’m done.”

  Reed frowned. “You finished your assignment?”

  “Yes. But I quit.”

  Reed stopped walking and stared at the kid. “What happened?”

  Jose pulled an envelope out of his pocket and slammed it into Reed’s hand. The return address was the Los Angeles Film School. Reed opened the envelope and read the letter that started with, “We regret to inform you…”

  “Damn!” he said.

  Anger vibrated off the young man, his eyes dark with disappointment, his body tense. “You said I had talent,” he spouted, his tone cocky.

  “You do.”

  “Then why did I get rejected?”

  “Even people with talent get rejected. It’s part of life.”

  “They don’t want me because I’m Hispanic.”

  “You are talking about one of the most liberal arts schools in America. I doubt very seriously they have rejected you because you’re Hispanic. I don’t know why they declined you. I don’t like it any more than you do,” Reed said, running his hand through his hair as he stared at the letter. He turned it over in his palm, resisting the urge to crumple it and throw it as far as he could.

  The kid groaned. “I’m going to have to work with my father. I don’t want to mow lawns.”

  Reed hung his head, as guilt swept over him. He’d only wanted to help Jose, and now it seemed he’d broken the kid. “Give me some time. I can’t make any promises. I need to think about where we go from here. You’ve got nat
ural talent, Jose. Let me see what I can do.”

  The kid’s eyes filled with tears. He shook his head, trying not to cry. “I believed in you. And it got me nowhere!”

  The words ripped Reed apart. Maybe he wasn’t meant to teach children. Maybe he should have never helped this kid.

  Before he could respond, Jose turned and ran out the garage.

  “Jose! Wait!”

  But the kid ran on, leaving Reed standing in the garage, wanting to smash his fist against anything. The kid had talent, and now Reed feared he’d only given him false hope.

  ***

  Lacey spent extra time refreshing her makeup and changing her clothes. Her time with Reed was coming to an end. She forced herself to say the words to herself in the mirror. Though the attraction between them was strong, he was not interested in a permanent relationship, and she couldn’t continue to see him without her emotions becoming involved.

  She would tell her clients to walk away, and so after tonight, that’s what she would do. Tonight was her last special treat with Reed. Dinner and then at the end of the night, she would call it quits with him.

  Her mind knew it was for the best. Her body thought she was crazy.

  The doorbell rang, and she hurriedly put lipstick on, grabbed her purse, and ran for the door. She pulled it open, eager to spend the evening with Reed. He stood before her, hands in his pockets.

  “Hi,” she said.

  “Hi.” His voice was dull and flat. For the first time, she noticed he seemed to have a dejected air about him.

  “Hey, you okay?” she asked, as she opened the door to let him inside.

  He came into the apartment and sank down on her sofa. She set her purse down on the floor and then sat on the couch beside him. “What’s wrong?”

  He glanced at her. “I think I should go home. I’m not going to be good company tonight.”

  “Are you all right?”

  Something was definitely wrong.

  “I’m fine,” he said, leaning his head back, looking up at the ceiling. “It’s one of my students.”

  “What happened?”

  “As I was leaving the office, Jose showed up.”

  “Jose?”

  “Yeah, my best student. Remember the kid who filmed the old couple and the humping squirrels?”

  “How could I forget?”

  “I’ve been working with him to get him a scholarship with the Los Angeles Film School. The kid is good. He’s a natural and this college rejected him. He’s gotten into trouble a couple of times and his grades weren’t the best, but the kid has such natural talent. I thought someday he’d be a great filmmaker. We even submitted a short film to the school.”

  Her heart overflowed with empathy for Reed and his high school kids. He gave so much to them, and they in return worshipped him. Now, one of them had suffered a terrible setback, and he grieved for their loss.

  “And you feel sad for him.”

  He looked at her. “Actually, I feel pissed. They don’t know what a great filmmaker they’re turning down. I mean the kid is poor as a dirt farmer. His father works for a landscaping company. I wanted to help him get ahead in life. To give his family a chance to get out of poverty.”

  “How is Jose taking the news?”

  The kid must be devastated. He’d lost a chance to escape the poverty he’d been born into.

  “Not well. He’s mad at me for getting his hopes up. He ran away so I wouldn’t see him cry.”

  “You did everything you could. You tried to make a difference for this kid. You should be proud of the fact you were helping him.”

  He clenched his fists and turned his gaze upon her. “But I didn’t help him. I only got his hopes up to have them dashed. I’d be pissed, too.”

  She reached out and touched him on the arm, running her fingers up and down his strong forearm. “Reed, you gave him hope. You did more than any of his other teachers did. You showed him a way to get out of his poverty.”

  “I wanted him to get the scholarship. I hate losing, especially when I know I’m right.”

  “Then help him get into a community college. Maybe he needs to prove to the administration that he’s serious about changing his life. Get him a school loan. Help him with the tuition if you have to. See if the studio has a scholarship.”

  He stared at her in shock. “You know, I’d forgotten all about the studio. They may have a scholarship program. They may even have an intern position where he could work and go to school part-time.”

  “He could work for you part-time.”

  A smile flitted across his face, and his gaze spiraled warmth throughout her. He pulled her against his chest, and she wrapped her arms around him.

  “He could,” he said. He leaned toward her, and his mouth covered hers. She sank into his kiss as her heart rate accelerated.

  No, no, no, she couldn’t let herself go. She couldn’t give into the sensations skyrocketing through her breasts down into her center. Her body remembered his touch, remembered the pleasure in his arms as she melted beneath his kiss.

  Her brain rebelled. She shouldn’t let this go beyond a kiss. She shouldn’t let this go beyond a touch. She shouldn’t let this go beyond…

  His hand reached beneath her blouse, his fingers skimming across her bare skin. His lips continued their assault on her mouth, wringing a moan from her.

  This had to stop now.

  Lacey broke free. Oh God, I need to clear my mind. “I think we better go eat.”

  He leaned back against the couch, his breath ragged and uneven. “Let’s go.”

  She stood, her legs shaky, her head still fuzzy. She needed to put some distance between them, or she’d be lost to his magical touch.

  He stood beside her, and then he reached out and brushed a piece of hair from her face. “Thanks.”

  “For what?”

  “For making me feel better about Jose.”

  They were almost to the front door. She looked at him, and he bent his head, kissing her softly on the lips. His words and his kiss sent her plummeting over the edge into a pool of heat.

  She leaned into his kiss and grabbed the front of his shirt. She needed him. She wanted him with a passion that could not be denied, to experience the pleasure of his body again. One more time and then it would be over, and she could go back to being the safe relationship coach, who didn’t feel passion for any man.

  Just once more she needed to experience his arms.

  Her mouth came away from his. “I’m not hungry for food.”

  He sighed. “Thank God.” He took her hand.

  She looked at him. “I’m crazy for doing this.”

  “And I’m crazy with need for you.”

  ***

  Reed needed no urging to feel her arms around him again. The long day filled with drama and life-changing events had left him drained. He needed someone to remind him of the good things in life. He needed Lacey, and that thought rippled through him as he led her down the hall to her bedroom.

  He had waited a long time for this moment, when Lacey acquiesced and gave herself to him again.

  In her bedroom, he took notice of the bed centered in the room, but his focus remained on this woman in his arms. The need for her to touch him drove him, as he turned her to face him. Her lips begged him to kiss her, but instead, he focused on slowly unbuttoning her blouse and then sliding it down her arms, before he tossed it to a chair.

  Her pebbled nipples beckoned him through her bra, and he closed his mouth over the silky lingerie, sucking her through the clothing, while his fingers pushed her breasts together.

  She gasped and let her head fall back.

  Releasing her breasts, he unbuttoned her pants, slid down the zipper, and let them drop. She stepped out of her shoes and pants, leaving them in a pool on the floor.

  Lacey stared at him, a warm smoky depth to her gaze. She wanted him as much as he needed her, and that filled his chest with pride.

  Reaching behind her, he unhooked her b
ra and slid the straps over her arms, letting her breasts fall free. God, she was beautiful, standing before him in nothing but her panties.

  He kissed her, his mouth covering hers, his tongue teased her while his fingertips caressed her silky skin. Ginger and lilacs permeated the room with a spicy, sweet scent, that tantalized him.

  She broke the kiss, her eyes glazed, her breathing harsh. Her fingers trembled as he watched her unbutton his shirt. He wanted to rush her, to push her hands aside and hurry the process, but knew half the fun was teasing one another, pushing each other to the limit, until they both were frenzied with need to climb that summit together.

  Reaching inside his shirt, she ran her fingertips across his chest, his skin tingling wherever she touched. He closed his eyes and willed himself to stand there and let her slowly push his shirt down his arms until it fell to the floor.

  She reached for his jeans and struggled with the button and then slide his zipper down over his hard erection. He stood, clenching his fists to control the desire to throw her onto the bed and get on with the seduction.

  Her fingers reached inside his briefs as she slid his jeans and shorts down his legs. His erection sprang free, hard and heavy with need. He did math problems in his head to slow the release he felt rushing at him. Just a touch would send him over the edge.

  Leaving his shoes with his pants, he stood naked before her. He reached over and slid her panties down, until she stood naked too.

  For a moment, they stood there, staring at one another. Her long legs, her sweet, sweet breasts, her rosy areolas, puckered and waiting for his kiss. And then he couldn’t stand it any longer, he had to have her.

  He picked her up. As she wrapped her long legs around his waist, he carried her swiftly to the bed. There he laid her down gently. His mouth covered hers in a kiss that should have set the coverlet on fire.

  She tasted of sweetness, her perfume wrapping them in a sensual cocoon of pleasure as his mouth plundered hers. Why with Lacey did lovemaking seem more intense, more satisfying? Why did he feel like he’d come home? Why did he feel like this was where he belonged?

  He broke the kiss, his mouth trailing down her chest to her breasts. Taking her nipple in his mouth, he sucked the kernel, tasting her delicious flesh.