“She never wanted one,” Zayne replied instead earning a punch to the arm. “What? It’s the truth.” He laughed and I envied their easy relationship.
“Plan a birthday party.” Landers walked around the table and held out a hand. She accepted and stood. “Contrary to the popular beliefs of snobs, laughter is the best healer, dear.”
“Maybe you’re right.”
“Something out of the ordinary might trigger the unknown.” Chuckling, Landers led us to the door.
After pleasant farewells, I walked out with them but stayed at the rear. When we reached the elevators, I stalled. “Thanks for inviting me, Zayne. I think I left my phone behind. Tell Tia I’ll see her soon.” He accepted my hand in a quick shake. “Bye,Ashrika.” I emphasized her name, hoping she’d make eye contact.
She didn’t and instead faced the elevator door. I’d never been this turned on by a woman who wanted nothing to do with me. She might be my wife, but the appeal was that much more enticing. As I stepped away I caught her question to Zayne. “Why was he here and why the hell was he holding my hand when I came too?”
I peeked around a large trolley filled with neatly pressed laundry, waiting to hear Zayne’s response. “Landers figured that if a total stranger held your hand while you were under hypnosis, it might help.”
My intelligent wife wasn’t convinced, I could hear the doubt in her tone. “How?”
“Doc mentioned something about hypnosis working well with touch therapy which used vibrations or some shit like that to trigger memories. Honestly, you’re asking the wrong person, Angel.” Zayne groaned. “Why didn’t you ask doc?” Smiling, I shook my head. I had to give the man credit for lying with a straight face. “And since Trent was there—”
“Why was he there in the first place?” she muttered. “I mean first the restaurant, then the club, and now, here. What next?”
They stepped back to allow a patient in a wheelchair and his visitors access to the elevator and waited for the next one. “What’s wrong, Rika. Why don’t you like the guy?” Zayne asked.
I held my breath. Curious to hear her reply, the reason for her annoyance with me.
“It’s not that I don’t like him,” she replied.
Okay, I liked that response.
“But?” Zayne pushed.
“I just get this vibe from him.”
“What vibe?”
“Like he wants to devour me.”
Was that self-irritation? Had I sparked her interest? I rolled my lips between my teeth to stop my laughter,
But Zayne cracked up. “Would you let him, if he wanted to?”
“Really? Are you like serious right now?” She punched him on the arm. “He’s not that—” She entered the elevator, cutting off her words.
Well, at least she had my intention down pat. There were a lot of things I wanted to do to her and devour her was just the tip of the iceberg. Shaking my head, I turned. Back inside Landers’ office, I took a seat opposite him. “So, what do you think, doc?”
Pushing his specs up a fraction, Landers shook his head. “I hate to say this, son, but judging from her reaction, I’d say she’s suffered a terrible ordeal and I’m not sure if I’m keen to take her back there.”
“Even at the risk of her losing her family?” I leaned forward and rested my palms on the table. “What are the chances of recovery?”
“It’s hard to say. Had we explored this avenue closer to the time, it might’ve yielded a more positive outcome. Now, not so much. It would probably take months of sessions before we find out anything concrete.”
I slumped back and sighed. “Hell, doc, I don’t know if I can wait any longer to tell her who I am, tell her who she is. What if I took her home and showed the family photos, our house, take her to meet her father?”
“I understand your frustrations, Trent, but I wouldn’t. There’s the possibility she might come out of this with a minimum of sessions and blissful on the other hand, it might be the total opposite and she’d withdraw completely. Honestly, I can’t say. It’s a risky gamble at best,” Landers crossed his arms over his midriff and stared at me.
“Why? Wouldn’t she rather know the identity of her family?”
“You’re forgetting one minor problem.”
“Which is?”
