Love Reconnected (Hollywood Series Book 1)

by Michaels, Avery

  I just glanced at the first two…teenage girls, one only sixteen. No thanks. Of the others, one caught my eye. Nathan Bradley.

  This was the third time I had received a request for Mr. Bradley. Against my better judgment, I’d even flown out to LA to observe him in court the second time, but left without speaking with his attorney.

  I stared at the mug shot photo of the former teen heartthrob, my sandwich forgotten. Attached was a letter from the judge:

  Dr. Lindsey,

  I’m reaching out to you with regards to Mr. Nathan Bradley. As I understand it, you have turned down his case numerous times. This time, I hope you will reconsider.

  Mr. Bradley is facing serious jail time for his repeated drug abuse and subsequent behavior. I have sent him to two separate rehabilitation facilities to no avail. As much as I hate to admit it, I feel morally obligated to help this man. I believe he is deserving of our help. Because of his past, I believe that he, unlike most of the celebrities that come through my courtroom, has deep-seated issues. I find myself conflicted. I’m of the opinion that he could benefit from the therapy and rehab you provide at your facility. I think jail for him would be a death sentence.

  Unfortunately, I find myself backed into a legal corner. This is a last-ditch effort to save Mr. Bradley from himself. If you will accept him, I will release him into your custody. Otherwise, he will be remanded into custody and serve a full ten-year sentence.

  On a personal note, Ella, I know you can help this man. I’ve seen you work miracles. I understand if you decline, that is your right, but I beg you to reconsider taking him on as a patient.

  If you do, I will impose a ninety-day sentence at your facility, left up to your discretion, of course, and we will go from there. His attorney is fully on board. Please respond within the next week, as that is when his sentencing hearing is scheduled.

  Thank you for your time,

  Judge Richard Macon

  I read the letter again. Judge Macon had been a good friend of my dad’s. He was one of the good guys. He always tried to see the best in people, even when they didn’t see the best in themselves. I respected him for that, but I still couldn’t take this case.

  First of all, I still had Mimi Vines for another month…at least. I’d never had two patients at once before. I just didn’t work that way. When I had brought Ms. Vines in, just as with all of my patients, I’d made a commitment to her. I intended to follow through on that.

  Sure, there was plenty of room at the facility. I could house ten patients easily and comfortably, but I worried the patient’s treatment would suffer for it. I was of the mind that I’d been so successful because I committed one hundred percent to each person who was accepted into my program. I was able to focus on them as individuals, without the distraction of worrying about what another patient was doing or going through.

  If I was being thoroughly honest with myself, there was actually another reason I shouldn’t work with Mr. Bradley. A more personal reason. As a teenager and on into my twenties, Nathan Bradley had been the movie star of the moment; my first celebrity crush. I had seen each one of his movies a half a dozen times, if not more. I’d even watched the less appealing B-movies he’d put out when his career began to tank a few years ago.

  I shook my head at myself and looked at his photo again. He wasn’t the boy he’d been then, nor was I the hormonal teenage girl I once was. I was a grown woman, a professional. He was simply another child star who had regretfully fallen far from the throne of superstardom. I felt sorry for him. That in and of itself was enough to detour me from taking the case.

  I tossed the paperwork haphazardly across the kitchen counter as I prepared myself for round two with Mimi Vines, teenage pop sensation.

  I dropped Ivan just outside the house gate so he might roam as he pleased before making my way back across the property to the treatment area.

  Mimi wasn’t in my office so I asked the staff if they had seen her. Mrs. Faulkner pointed toward the indoor pool with a look of disgust.

  Mimi was stepping out of the water, fully nude, when I walked in. I crossed my arms over my chest, sending her a disappointed look.

  “Do you like what you see, Dr. Lindsey?” She ran a towel between her breasts. “I’ve been known to dabble in a little kitty cat on occasion.” I just held her gaze. “Would you like me to dabble in yours?”

  She dropped her towel, leaving herself completely exposed. My eyelids almost drooped with boredom. Did she really think I hadn’t heard this before?

  “You look wound up. Maybe you could use a little release? I know I could,” she whispered, running her hands over her taut nipples. “How long has it been since you’ve had a good orgasm, Dr. Lindsey? I could give you that. Let me hook you up.”

  I let her walk right up to me. I let her think she was getting somewhere. When she reached out to touch my breast, I let her. A smile graced her lips as she ran her fingers over the fabric of my blouse. Then I grabbed her wrist and twisted it until she was on her knees screaming.

  “That’s assault, Ms. Vines. Shall we add that to your ever-growing list of felonies, or would you like to continue with our planned session?”

  She was writhing at my feet as I held my grip on her. “Okay, okay!”

  I released her and started toward the door, leaving the girl naked on the floor. “Ms. Vines, have some respect for yourself. Your behavior is distasteful, to say the least. Oh, and if I catch you nude in this facility again, you’re out. Are we clear?”

  “Yes,” she ground out.

  “Yes, what?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  I returned to my office to wait on her. It was clear to me that I was going to have to take a much firmer approach with Mimi. I wasn’t getting through to her. She had continuously pushed the boundaries I’d set for this program. This was the first time she’d actually broken a rule, but I had lost count of how many of her tasks had gone half-assed.

  I always began with the respectful approach. I tried to treat everyone as I would like to be treated. I thought it set a certain standard for the patients to hear the way the staff: Anna, Frank and I spoke to each other using our formal titles. The patients that came here were all from wealth, most of them celebrities. They’d become accustomed to believing that made them better than those around them. I found that trait despicable.

  In most cases, I eventually earned their respect, but Mimi just didn’t seem to be responding to that method. I was going to have to try something different.

  She arrived in my office a few minutes later, fully clothed with her black hair still wet from her swim. I sat silently waiting for her to begin speaking.

  “I’m sorry,” she said after a moment of staring at her hands. Her sincerity actually piqued my interest.

  “Would you like to explain why you would pull a stunt like that?”

  “I thought I could convince you to let me go early.”

  “Well, wonders never cease!” I slapped my desk. “A moment of pure honesty from your lips. I never thought I would hear it.”

  “You don’t have to be such a bitch about it,” she said taking a seat.

  “On the contrary, Mimi, I think a bitch is exactly what I need to be to get through to you. Lord knows I’ve tried every other approach. I’ve let you drone on and on about your parents, your friends, your boyfriends, blah, blah, blah. How about we cut the shit and have a real conversation about you?”

  “You can’t talk to me like that,” she shrieked.

  “Well, I just did. Would you like to hear my professional opinion about what your problem is?”

  “No.”

  “Good. I think you are a spoiled little brat who has never wanted for anything. I think you’re bored with your life so you turn to drugs, alcohol, and apparently sex to ‘spice things up.’ Does that sound about right?”

  “You don’t know me!”

  “Yes, I do. I’ve known a hundred versions of you. Poor little rich girl has everything she’s ever w
anted and hasn’t a clue what to do with it all. It’s a classic really. Have you ever once thought of doing something worthwhile with your fame?”

  “Look who’s talking. It doesn’t look like you’re struggling for cash. Did daddy set you up, or do you fund all of this by hustling people like me?”

  I attempted a blank stare, but I couldn’t help the emotion that crossed my features at the mere mention of my dad.

  “So it was daddy then?” She smiled.

  “This isn’t about me. This is about you and your issues.”

  “You can’t be that old, maybe thirty? Is daddy trying to compensate for something? Did he abandon his little girl?” She smirked, continuing her verbal assault.

  “My dad is no longer with me,” I said, relenting. I never relished giving away personal information about myself, but some cases required it to establish trust.

  The smirk dropped right from her face. “Oh…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…”

  “Yes, you did. But that’s okay. Like I said, this isn’t about me; it’s about you, Mimi. Here’s the bottom line, little girl. You can either get with the program or stop wasting my time. There is a line of people wishing they were in your position right now.” I slammed my notebook closed and leaned toward her. “I’m tired of your attitude. If you don’t want to be here, leave. If you can’t handle this, get out. I’m not going to stop you. But I’ll tell you this, if you keep going the way you’re going, you will find yourself alone in this world. All alone. Then, when you’re at your lowest, that’s when you’ll do it.”

  I had captivated her for the first time since she’d been here. She stared at me wide-eyed, as though I’d just described her worst nightmare. “Do what?” she whispered.

  “Take one hit too many. Then that’s it. Is that what you want? Do you want to die?”

  “No.” Tears made her eyes glisten.

  “Sure, your parents will blame themselves. Everyone who loves you will wonder what they could’ve done differently. They’ll all apologize, but you won’t be around to hear it.”

  “Stop it,” she wailed. “Don’t say that!”

  “Then shape up! I’m trying to save your life. The judge who sent you here is trying to save your life, Mimi. Work this program. Make it work for you. I can’t do it; your parents can’t do it. You’re the only person who can do it. You are the only one who can save yourself from cocaine. You let that shit it in, and you’re the only one who can snuff it out.”

  “You don’t understand! I…I don’t think I can. It’s all I think about; it’s all I dream about. When I think of leaving here…” She was full-on sobbing. “All I can think about is walking out of here and getting fucked up.”

  I relaxed back in my chair and reopened my notebook. Now we were getting somewhere.

  Thanks again for taking the time to read my books, Book 2 can be purchased by clicking Here.

  About the Author

  Avery Michaels is a novelist and college instructor. When she’s not writing she can be found chasing her son and her gigantic dogs around her hometown of Trussville, Alabama. She’s also a car dancing enthusiast and master at can’t-carry-a-tune karaoke. You can follow her shenanigans on Twitter @averymichaels_ or visit her website: www.averymichaelsbooks.wixsite.com/averymichaels.