“You two have clearly built a rapport, which is what we want.”
“A rapport,” Rowan snorted. “Yes, I suppose having him around constantly getting on my nerves is a form of rapport.”
“He says that like he’s not one of the most frustrating people in this place,” I said with a shake of my head.
“And yet I’ve not heard either of you say you want a change,” Dr. Ramirez said.
Rowan cocked his head. “I’m allowed to ask for a new Guide?”
“Well, yes,” Ramirez said as I folded my arms, bracing for what came next. “There are assessments when choosing Guides. At the same time, there is always a chance that we made a mistake or that it simply isn’t working. At any point, a guest may request a new Guide if there are any available.”
“And he can request a new guest?” Rowan asked, jabbing a thumb at me.
“Yes,” the doctor said blandly. “It’s not unheard of. Sometimes a Guide realizes they aren’t a good fit for their guest. Or sometimes the guest is...not aligned with them.”
“That has happened?” Rowan asked curiously.
“Oh yes. Our Guides are well-trained, but they are still people. You can’t expect someone to endure a personality or behavior that goes against their core beliefs. Even therapists decide whether a patient is right for them. The point is for the guests to find recovery and healing, and if their Guide isn’t able to work with them, that would run contrary to our ethos of healing.”
“I see, and the rampant sexuality?” Rowan asked, and I choked a little at the bluntness.
Ramirez shrugged. “As I’ve made abundantly clear, everyone is an adult, here of their own free will. Some of the men find that freeing in ways that allow them to get in touch with an aspect of their sexuality they never realized was there, and others find they can show more of that version of themselves. So long as no laws are violated and no boundaries pushed, I have no strong opinion on what they do with each other. If anything, I’ve seen it help; sometimes it doesn’t, but that’s human nature, what can help one can hurt another. Now it would be a problem if I were to break my professional code and sleep with any of the guests, of course.”
“Because you’re a licensed therapist,” Rowan said, and I frowned in confusion at the shift in topic. “So it would be illegal and unethical for you to sleep with a patient.”
“To say the least,” Ramirez said with a laugh. “You don’t have to worry about that with me, however.”
“Is the reason Clay has gone through so many Guides because he’s slept with them?”
Ramirez blinked. “If I heard of anything of the sort, I wouldn’t be in a position to confirm it or deny it. There is arisk, I suppose, of that happening. Our Guides are, after all, not licensed professionals, so they aren’t held to the same standard as, say, someone like me. They are encouraged to be close to their guests and form a bond. So I imagine that’s bound to happen.”
“And if you were to find out that was happening?” Rowan asked, and I felt a flash of panic claw its way up into my chest.
“I would be obligated to pass the information along, of course,” Ramirez said. “But not in the same way I would report abuse or self-harm. I have never been told to keep an eye out for that sort of thing. But yes, if I thought there was a clear imbalance between Guide and guest, though that falls under abuse.”
“But you cannot confirm or deny it happening,” Rowan said with a grin.
“Correct,” the therapist said with a smile. “It seems you have, in fact, lived up to my expectations.”
Rowan looked startled. “Meaning?”
“You were described as respectful but highly dubious of the effectiveness of the program. That you weren’t afraid to ask questions in a manner both obvious in its skepticism but still allowed for an answer,” Dr. Ramirez said.
“Oh, I see,” Rowan said, leaning back.
“Arethere any concerns you two have that I can address?” Ramirez asked, his eyes sweeping between us, evaluating.
“I think any concerns I still have are meant to be addressed with time,” Rowan said with a shrug. “You’ve been quite patient and informative; that is all I can ask.”
“Oh, I got nothing,” I said quickly when the doctor looked at me, and I flashed him a smile I hoped didn’t betray how nervous I was. It was bad enough that Rowan and I had...done things, very hot, sexy things that had been living in my head rent-free for a couple of days, but definitely things we shouldn’t havedone. This was the first time in two days he’d brought up what had happened, and he did it with an audience?
“Well, if that changes, feel free to contact me,” the doctor said as he stood up. “The computer in your room can send messages. Anything you send is strictly confidential and not read by anyone but the recipient.”
“Good to know,” Rowan said, getting up to shake Ramirez’s hand. “Thank you for taking the time to explain more to me.”
“Oh, certainly,” Ramirez said. “You two enjoy the rest of your day, and I hope we’ll see you in the next group meeting, Rowan.”
I watched the doctor go, and when he closed the door, I turned to look at Rowan in disbelief. “What the hell was that?”
