“Yes.” He turned on the bed and lifted a leg up so he could face me.
“Do you care to elaborate?” I moved to my side and up a bit, supporting my head with my hand.
“I’ve never cheated on my wife.”
That sank home. I had been caught up in the emotions of our coupling, our adventure, and hadn’t even thought about this in that way. I was breaking ethical standards of therapists, but I’d never been orthodox in my practice.
I fought the urge to be a therapist at that moment.
“We should stop. Shouldn’t we?”
“I don’t know. There’s just this way that you…” He stopped and didn’t finish.
Our eyes met as if pulled by magnets, and I could see that he struggled with something.
“Do you really want to save your marriage, Dirk?”
“A month ago, I think I did. Now I’m not so sure.”
“What changed?”
“Meeting you.”
Oh shit.
“Aren’t we a pair? Your marriage is on the verge of ending. My ex is making my life miserable.”
“Yeah. What a pair.” He gave me a half-smile.
I had slipped back into therapist mode and tried to tamp down feelings that had emerged towards this man in my bed. While the wheels spun, Dirk’s slacks buzzed. Well, the phone in his slacks buzzed.
Dirk checked his phone, scanned a text, and then started putting his clothes on.
I really wanted him to stay with me. The comfort of being in his arms sounded very soothing to me right now. My conscience put my desire in a headlock, as if we were in a Texas Cage match and I didn’t ask him to stay.
“Where are you going?”
“I need to get some sleep. I have a meeting with some investors tomorrow.”
“It’s Saturday night. Do you ever rest?”
“Usually I rest on Sunday, but I’ve got a big deal that’s moving forward and I need to sell these investors on it. I have to prepare.”
“What kind of deal?”
He had dressed at this point and slipping on his shoes. “One I can’t tell you about.” He offered that half-smile again.
“Don’t worry. You’ll be safe. Trace just texted me and I have a guy monitoring everyone coming in and out of the building. He’s been briefed and has a picture of your ex. You’re going to be safe for the rest of the night.”
Warmth spread through me at the way I felt protected by him. My brain, though, was still processing something.
As he reached the door to my room, I stopped him.
“Dirk. Do me a favor?”
“Yeah. Anything.” He stood framed in the doorway.
“Bring Scarlet to your next appointment. If you really want your marriage over, we should have one or two couples’ sessions.”
