“Right, right, I almost forgot.” Kathryn was starting to feel the tug of not wanting to leave. She felt like they could probably have hung out all afternoon. She pulled out her phone. “I could come by in two days, just the two of us? We can work in the gym and I can reassess you and maybe suggest some more exercises depending on your progress.” Kathryn slung her bag over her shoulder, not knowing whether to put it down and talk longer or to just keep holding it. She hoped he hadn’t caught the awkwardness.
“Sounds good, let’s say eleven am.” Max came to both of their rescues as he walked up for goodbye pets from Kathryn. Kathryn accepted the distraction, bending down to rub his cheeks, then made her escape. Her car pulled away quickly, leaving both of them with an exciting but anxious pit in their stomachs.
Kathryn finally turned on her phone when she stopped for gas midway between Madoc’s house and her condo in London. Seven calls and four texts, all from Ryanne. Kathryn figured she should put her out of her misery. She pressed her speed dial button while she pumped gas at the almost deserted gas station. “Oh my god Kathryn, where have you been?” Ryanne said as soon as the connection linked. Kathryn rolled her eyes.
“You know where I’ve been, what do you want?”
“Stop it, spill the details this instant!”
“Ok, ok. So he had these two superhero look-a-likes there who had no intention of actually doing anything, but were there to pretend he had enough supports in place. Totally crazy! I called them out immediately, which I’m pretty sure was a shock to them. Other than that, he did pretty well – I’m gonna head back in a couple days.” Kathryn finished up at the pump as she said this and headed into the store, where a crusty old man waved her down from behind the desk.
“That’s what you tell me? Give me more, I want specifics. What was he wearing, what did his gym look like?” Kathryn held the phone with the side of her face as she used two hands to work the debit machine.
“You know that is bad, stop. He is a client and there are rules,” Kathryn said.
“FUCK THE RULES!” Ryanne yelled. She cackled loudly. Ryanne’s voice came through the phone loud and clear to both Kathryn and the storeowner. He looked at Kathryn and clicked his tongue.
“Jesus Ryanne, fine.” Kathryn grabbed her phone with her hand and spun around, leaving the mummified clerk behind her. “So the gym was one of the most amazing places I’ve seen and he looked and acted a lot better this time. He might actually be a good guy… in great shape… I think he got past his gigantic ego today, finally. Let’s just be realistic here though – there are rules about this and this guy probably wouldn’t even give me a second look if we were at a bar. We are forced to spend time together, I’m his therapist… and that’s that.”
“Oh pooh-hoo Kathryn, get over yourself. You’ve spent your whole serious, nun-like life following the rules and what has it gotten you? Your still practically a virgin, Terry doesn’t count… I’ve decided. Ten minutes with an old drunk roommate as a pity ‘goodbye’ fuck does not count. Not to mention you’ve never had a real orgasm, so it really doesn’t count. Maybe it’s about time to start breaking some rules? Huh? Or at least bending them-maybe consider something once you’re done? I thought you were gonna involve me in this anyways? This sounds like a job for Ryanne T. Hemsworth!” Kathryn had been slowly following the winding road while talking, but was about to pull back on the highway.
“I don’t know why you always bring that up – you’ve slept with Dennis who is a total dink, Randy who wanted you to wear a strap-on, Yari the Jackhammer and five other guys you don’t even remember, so who needs the real life changes around here? I’m pulling onto the highway so I’m hanging up. Let’s meet for drinks on Thursday at three? I’ll be finishing up my session with Madoc in the afternoon and can touch base then about referring him to you.” Ryanne sighed. “Make it five, I’ve got my parent’s annual ‘thing’ until four- and no I don’t want you to come. I only want to hear about Mr. Madoc Pearson!”
“Ok, sounds good.” Kathryn knew Ryanne wasn’t telling her to break any ethical or regulatory standards with her profession, but Kathryn wasn’t comfortable letting down her emotional wall much further with Madoc in case it led to something she couldn’t control. Kathryn Davis didn’t break rules and certainly didn’t break them with patients.
Chapter 13
Kathryn rolled out of bed Thursday morning with extra pep in her step. She couldn’t deny that she was looking forward to seeing Madoc. She had even bought a new workout outfit—what had happened to her old professional self? She let her hair dry naturally, resulting in a head full of wavy curls. She’d bought the off-white outfit from Lulu’s and combined it with a black racer-back running top and black Nike shoes. Again she wore minimal makeup, but today went for the contoured high-cheekbone look with nude lips. On her drive in, she couldn’t stop herself from imagining what he would be wearing and how he would greet her this time around. The last time they’d talked he’d seemed keen to do the session alone, but who knew, maybe one of his “friends” would be there. She had emailed him the exercises as promised and had been surprised to receive an instant email back thanking her and confirming the appointment. They had written back to one another several times. Everything said had been professional, but there’d been an air of familiarity she hadn’t had with any other client. As she pulled into the driveway and stopped at his garage, she looked in the mirror and quickly fixed her lip-gloss. She knew he could be watching, so kept the primping to a minimum.
Knocking, she heard the bolts move at once. Madoc opened the door slowly and stood tall on his crutches. Butterflies took off in Kathryn’s stomach, and she fought to bury the shameful nervousness she knew she wasn’t supposed to be feeling.
Madoc started at Kathryn. He had been preparing all morning, practicing professional and casual conversation topics to ensure that his mind and cock stayed on the right track. That all went out the window as soon as he saw her standing there in that white little outfit, hair long and unmanaged. She was fit and looked cool as fuck, like some tanned surfer girl off of the California beach. His mouth felt dry suddenly.
“Hi Kathryn, come in.” Kathryn nodded and walked past him into the entrance way. Madoc noticed she was clutching her bag tightly, and could have sworn it looked like she was holding her breath.
“Thanks for the emails and exercises” Madoc said, closing the door and swinging his crutches to face her. “Tuck came by yesterday and we did them for about an hour. I know you said max forty-five minutes, but I was feeling good.” Kathryn turned back to him, eyes too wide.
“That’s okay, as long as you are listening to your body and not pushing it too far. Is anybody else here?” Kathryn asked this question one octave higher than she would have liked. Madoc kept staring, trying to think carefully about the question he had heard but not registered.
“Ah no, nobody else but us.” He shifted his crutches again.
“Oh, okay, then we should get lots done. You look good—I mean, healthier. Which is what I want. Not that you have to be, but I want you to be… good.” Kathryn’s rambling stopped only once she turned her eyes away from him.
He had begun wondering what kinds of undergarments she would have to be wearing in order for him not to see them through the white outfit. Nude colour, of course… or maybe none? Shaking his head slightly, Madoc took off towards the gym door with his crutches. He had to get out of that space and start moving; his brain wasn’t working properly with Kathryn standing so close to him.
Kathryn followed Madoc, thankful for the departure. Mortification was the only appropriate word for her interaction at the entrance. She had felt her body temperature skyrocket. Crossing through the threshold and into the gym brought her a sense of calm and confidence she was desperate for.
Kathryn started with some basic warm up exercises. Madoc’s face quickly turned red and he was panting. “Are you okay? Am I asking too much?”
“No, it feels good. I need this—you moti
vate me.” Kathryn’s face glowed.
“Good—keep going but don’t push harder, ease down gradually. Only fifteen minutes left. You’re twisting a bit with your lower back, here, straighten.” Her hand found the small of his back to correct his position.
She could see the sweat starting to pool under his shirt around his chest and back. Kathryn removed her sweater—she was beginning to feel the heat as well.
Madoc was working hard to keep up with Kathryn, but was exhausted not just from the exercise but fighting his revved-up libido. Every time she touched him, his mind went to the gutter. But more than that, he was enjoying talking to her. Their conversation had flowed so easily, and he found himself smiling at her smart-mouth retorts. She was funny and witty, but she also seemed to pick her words carefully and thoughtfully. Their banter began to weigh heavily on him as he was ever more aware of his lies in their discussions. Some part of him wished he could be honest with her, especially about the injury. He hadn’t had a chance to debrief with anyone and he thought about it too often. He shuddered inwardly. Someday soon he would be able to pay back the assholes who had thought they could assault him, but until he was fully recovered, his teammates not were letting him anywhere near the ground mission.
They were working on hip extension and flexion when he turned to catch a glimpse of her tight ass as she walked off to get water. The rotation from looking and flexing at the same time turned into an immediate thigh cramp. “Ow!” He grabbed his leg, trying to hold the cramp in one section of his thigh. He felt his head swoon, and his world started to twinkle—he was heading down.
Kathryn heard the grunt and knew Madoc had hurt himself. She swore as she ran over to him. He looked on the verge of passing out, and was holding his thigh with one hand and his head in the other. “Madoc, is it a cramp here?” She placed her hand over top of his hand. Madoc didn’t speak, only nodded. Kathryn immediately removed his hand and started massaging his upper quad area of the uninjured leg. Cramps were very common during recovery, especially when you relied on uninjured body parts too much. Kathryn worked her expert hands into his thigh, pulling the cramp out with each cycle. Madoc kept his head down and remained silent. Kathryn worked as hard and fast as she could and noticed he’d started to raise his head slightly with each minute. Kathryn pulled a water bottle out of her back pocket and gave it to him. Dehydration only made cramps worse. Madoc opened the bottle and downed it as quickly as he could. The cramp was starting to fade, relief lingering around the corner. The searing pain ebbed away from Madoc, his senses trickling back. Opening his eyes to the sight of Kathryn working between his legs with both of her hands, her hair ever so slightly caressing his legs and thighs, he started, jerking away. The imagery bombarded his brain. The closeness of her touch to his cock had it on the verge of springing into her face. Kathryn looked up at him wide eyed and innocently, still moving her hands in unison over his thigh. “Are you okay?” Madoc panicked.
He was going to be past the point of no return if she didn’t stop now.
“Well, well, well. This is what our money is paying for?” Both Madoc and Kathryn turned to the entrance. A tall woman with long ebony hair and creamy black skin walked in. She was dressed in a tight-knit red dress with black Christian Louboutin heels. Her eyes trained in on Kathryn’s hands still on Madoc’s thigh. She sauntered towards them, her face growing a condescending smirk as she weaved between equipment. “Does Madoc get a happy ending as part of therapy or is this a daily special?” The woman stopped in front of them, grinning down at Madoc and completely ignoring Kathryn still on the ground.
“Kennedy, I’d like you to meet Ms. Kathryn Davis, my physiotherapist. Kathryn this is Ms. Kennedy Williams, my CFO. Kennedy, what are you doing here? How did you get in?” Kennedy’s wolfish smile grew as he spoke.
“I let myself in with the key you gave me—remember? I thought I would check in on my purchase after Tuck explained what an interesting little specimen she was.” Madoc stood up, stiff with hostility. He had set this time aside for Kathryn, and the last person he wanted near her was Kennedy. She was a tiger in Chanel clothing. They had spent years playing sexual cat and mouse, and in theory they made the perfect couple. They were very similar: cold and calculating, and loved pushing sexual boundaries. The difference was that Kennedy had a cruel edge that came out when she sensed vulnerability in others, whereas Madoc felt compelled to help those weaker than him. Madoc glared at her, words and thoughts frothing in his brain. Before he could speak, his little puma stepped into the jungle.
“Ms. Williams I presume?” Kathryn stretched her hand forward as she rose between them.
“Yes, Ms. Davis is it? I think we spoke a couple weeks ago. Thanks for accepting our patient Madoc here, you came highly recommended. But based upon what I just saw, I can imagine why you are very popular with the male athletes.” Kennedy’s white teeth beamed through her smile as she goaded Kathryn in front of Madoc. Kathryn had been waiting for this day since their phone call.
“Actually Ms. Williams, I’m glad you came by. I was shocked at the state in which I found Madoc and wanted to meet the person responsible for leaving him high and dry. After meeting you now, it all makes sense.” Kathryn kept eye contact and let the awkward silence sit.
Kennedy’s smile drifted away. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“What it means, Ms. Williams, is that in all my years of practice, I have never had an agency pay as much as you have to help a client, only to leave that client in a state of total neglect during their first week of discharge.” Kathryn turned and began to search for her bag.
“Well, Ms. Davis, I’m sure Madoc must be ‘satisfied’ with your services, but I am certainly not. You’re borderline offensive.” Madoc scoffed at this and tried to interrupt, but was unsuccessful. “Not to mention that attitude of yours. Don’t forget who pays your bills. I think you have one more paid visit after this and then we will be done with you, so wrap up what you need to and maybe you can refer us onto someone who can be more helpful and keep their hands off of the client.” Kennedy turned to Madoc, dismissing Kathryn.
“Actually, I need Kathryn for another four visits after the next. Make it happen and don’t speak to her like that again in my presence.” Kennedy’s mouth dropped open.
“Kathryn, why don’t we finish up for today and I’ll email you with more dates? Do you need me to walk you out?”
“No, I can find my way. I’ll be in touch.” Kathryn turned and walked towards the door, swinging her bag over her head. She turned back at the last second. “Oh, Madoc—that leg cramp will happen again if you don’t drink enough water before you start exercising. Down at least two bottles before doing anything, okay? And Ms. William, your glutes could use some serious work.” Kathryn walked out the door without looking back. If she had, she would have found Kennedy with her mouth still dropped and Madoc choking on a laugh.
“What did she just say to me?”
“She said you had a flabby ass.”
Madoc sat in the highest room of the house- a room nobody but Max and him knew about. As his hand swept over the canvas he continued to stare out the moon-lite window, waiting for the slight movements of the forest that would finalize the tone of this piece. “I know you like her Max, why so easy this time?” Max lifted his head to the question, but returned to his slumbering position beside Madoc quickly. “Are you lonely big guy? Do I not do it for you?” Max didn’t attempt to respond to these questions. Madoc had worked on this piece for over a year, never feeling like it was finished. The large maple scene from his yard plagued him since he had started, he needed it to represent him and it always felt ‘empty’. As he brushed the long hay-coloured strokes of her hair into the vista he felt scared of ruining his piece but compelled to add her essence. Something about her ‘belonged’ with him, but he knew it couldn’t. She deserved more, more than the damaged, unloving and toxic person he was. But his paintings allowed him to dream…and today he had dreamed of many things.
Chapter 14
“It’s him.” Kathryn flipped her phone to show Ryanne. She didn’t think she should answer, not with this many glasses of wine down the hatch. Ryanne reached across the table and grabbed it. “Hello, this is Ryanne Hemsworth, Kathryn Davis’ personal secretary. How may I direct your call?” Kathryn covered her face and shook her head as Ryanne listened with a smile. Madoc was going to think she was an idiot. “Of course Mr. Pearson, here she is.” She handed the phone back. Kathryn got up and walked away from Ryanne as they spoke. She did not want a play-by-play analysis of her reactions.
“Well, what happened?” Kathryn grinned at Ryanne’s interest.
“Ah, obviously we were scheduling our next appointment and my referral to you for OT. He seemed genuinely sorry about Kennedy.” Kathryn had trailed off into her white wine. Her eyes glazed over. “Oh, and he mentioned something about adding my handprint to the system so that I can just walk in and head straight to the gym.” Kathryn secretly felt very satisfied with that last piece of information, but would never admit that to anyone.
“That seems pretty ‘inner circle’ to me, are you sure there isn’t something going on? Just want to keep you on the legal side of this thing”
“No of course not, and nor will there be. I’m happy we have a good therapeutic rapport, and being considered one of the team is always important to me. For God’s sake, you’ll be out there soon enough and see for yourself, nothing is going on.” Kathryn continued to discuss Madoc, her voice one octave lower. She was going to have to get much better at hiding her excitement if she was going to convince Ryanne or her employer that this relationship was only professional.
Dangerous Care (Dangerous Care Saga Book 1) Page 5