“There’s a man in the living room asking for you,” she told him.
Intrigued by this, we both went back inside and quickly spotted the energetic figure of John Keller wearing a particularly distinguished suit. I froze immediately when I saw that he was talking to Mia in an isolated corner. They looked as though they might be arguing again.
“John, you finally showed!” Neil went over to him and clapped him on the back.
I was surprised; I hadn’t realized Neil invited him, though I probably should have expected it. Their relationship had deepened in recent days. They saw each other regularly at the clinic, and John was trying to convince Neil to come back to therapy or participate in follow-up sessions with the group. Neil was still working on trusting him, though.
I stepped closer and watched Dr. Keller giving Neil an abashed smile. Mia sighed anxiously as she rubbed a hand across her throat, visibly unsettled.
“We’re going to have dinner shortly; would you like to stay?” Neil asked, apparently thrilled with the presence of this man who had been making inroads to his life, little by little. This man who still had so many secrets.
“Is Dr. Lively coming too?” Neil went on.
“Krug asked me to pass along his apologies for missing the party. He intended to come, but his son just got in from Boston, and he needed to spend some time with him. I’d be happy to stay in his place,” John answered.
“Oh, you don’t need to do that…” Mia attempted to dissuade him, but her son lifted a hand to stop her.
“What’s your problem, Mom? You got to invite anyone you wanted to this party—myparty—now you can let me decide whether Dr. Keller stays for dinner,” he said in his usual high-handed manner. Mia swallowed awkwardly but decided not to fight him.
Ten minutes later, we were all seated around the table.
The air was thick with tension. I had a bad feeling, and it made my skin crawl. I couldn’t help but think about what I’d overheard between John and Mia. Neil sat right next to me; beneath the table he rested a hand on my thigh. Dr. Keller was on his other side, with Mia and Matt directly across from us. The rest of the seats were filled with other guests. My stomach was in knots; overpowering anxiety made my throat tight, and my heart was battering against my ribs. I concentrated on breathing. I pretended to ignore my father’s resentful looks at Neil and me, pretended to enjoy the cracker smeared with caviar I raised to my lips.
I pretended and pretended and pretended…
“If you don’t like it, you don’t have to eat it.” Neil’s hot breath touched my cheek, and he gave my leg a squeeze to get my attention.
“How did you know?” I whispered, trying to keep anyone from overhearing us.
He gave me a very amused look. “Because you’re wrinkling your nose in disgust,” he answered. “I’m not crazy about caviar myself. I’d much rather be eating you, maybe upstairs in my room, just like the good old days?” He had moved dangerously high on my inner thigh. I slammed my legs together, blushing.
“Neil…” I cautioned him. I shooed his hand away, already feeling the burn that only his hot touch could create. I rubbed my thighs together, seeking some small relief.
My core did not stop throbbing.
It felt like my heart was beating right between my legs, and the sensation was becoming unbearable.
“Careful, Babygirl, you’ll get drenched,” he whispered, which only madethe situation worse. He cast a surreptitious glance at my clenched thighs and gave a smug chuckle.
Before I could say anything back to him, however, Matt had turned his attention to John, addressing him with an unusual icy intensity.
“So, Dr. Keller, how long have you been working with Krug?” he asked, interlacing his fingers and resting his chin on his hands. Mia’s eyelid twitched as she fingered the pearl necklace she wore.
“For about three years, but I’ve known Dr. Lively for much longer…” John answered, elegantly dabbing his mouth with a cloth napkin. Matt cocked an eyebrow, like what John said was somehow sketchy or unbelievable. I didn’t know what was wrong with him.
Was Matt jealous? Did he know about John’s history with Mia and was this all some dumb male rivalry thing?
“And have you always worked here in New York?” Matt pressed, biting into a breadstick. John placidly took a sip of his water before putting the glass back down on the table.
Apparently he, like Neil, had the ability to confront these special situations with the utmost self-confidence.
“Yes. I have traveled a lot, though, and—”
“Do you have children? A wife?” Matt interrupted before John could finish his sentence. I was unnerved by the ways Matt seemed to be putting the screws to him without even giving him a chance to respond.
John sighed and shot a brief glance at Mia. There seemed to be some kind of unspoken connection between the two of them, a kind of mutual understanding that they could never reveal to anyone else.
“No. I’ve only had one significant relationship in my life. I was young at the time, too young. After that, I focused on my education and then on my career…” John waved a dismissive hand. He clearly didn’t want to talk about his private life, but my father obviously wasn’t satisfied with that.
