Little Black Dress by James Patterson

Author:James Patterson
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Published: 2016-07-05T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15

“That’s a nice scarf you’re wearing,” Dr. Jensen said as I flopped down in my usual spot.

“Thanks,” I said, touching the blue silk at my neck. I was wearing it to hide the hickey the Sundance Kid had given me. “I don’t think you’ve ever complimented me before.”

Smiling, Dr. Jensen shrugged. “It’s not typically a therapist’s role. But that’s a good color on you. It matches your eyes.”

Is my therapist flirting with me?

I was probably just being crazy again. Well, if so, I was in the right place for it.

“Have you seen Marie lately?” I asked, leaning back against the cushions and trying to sound casual.

Dr. Jensen did his best to look stern. “Jane, I don’t think we should keep talking about other clients’ fantasies anymore when we really ought to be talking about you.”

He had a point, of course. I sighed. Maybe I shouldn’t pretend I was still the Jane Avery I used to be: lonely, celibate, and addicted to Netflix. Maybe I should acknowledge who—or what—I’d become.

Not that there was a word for it. If I were a guy, I’d be a player. But what term existed for a woman like me? Sex goddess? Too cheesy. Demimondaine? Only Bri would know what it meant. An erotically empowered woman who played by her own rules? That took way too long to say.

Dr. Jensen leaned forward. “What are you thinking, Jane?”

“Do you know how long it takes to get over a divorce?” I asked suddenly.

Dr. Jensen rubbed his nose, right where his glasses would be if he ever wore them. He said, “There’s no magic number of months or days.”

“Actually, there is,” I said, sitting up straighter. “Sixteen and a half months.” I realized this only as I said it, but it was true. “I’m finally over the heartbreak, Dr. J. Finally over James and what he did to me. To us.”

I knew I looked shocked, giddy. And I almost couldn’t believe it: I hadn’t longed to have James beside me in bed for weeks now. Hadn’t felt broken by his betrayal. Hadn’t wondered if he regretted throwing everything we had away.

I’d been too busy having the kind of fun I didn’t think a good girl like me could ever have.

“I can’t tell you how happy I am to hear that,” Dr. Jensen said. “But this seems like a rather sudden shift. Did something happen?”

A lot of things happened, I thought, pressing my thighs together as an image of naked Nick tumbled through my mind.

“You know what they say,” I chirped. “Time heals all wounds!”

“I get the sense there’s something you’re not telling me,” Dr. Jensen said.

I stared down at my hands because I didn’t want to meet his gaze. I couldn’t admit anything to him yet, but nor was I willing to lie. “I’ve been doing some…emotional work on my own,” I said. “I mean, in addition to what we’ve been doing here,” I added. I didn’t want him to feel he wasn’t helping me.

“I’d like to hear about it,” he said.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.