A smile lifts the corner of my mouth. “Believe me,” I smirk. “It was my pleasure.”
She rolls her eyes and with a wink from me, I disappear out the window.
Chapter 2
Imogen
Fuck, I love my job.
As of this year, I gained my doctorate in psychology. I have worked my ass off to get here and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I spent years upon years with my face stuck in textbooks and suffering through long painful classes, and it’s finally paid off.
So much went into getting this far, but being here now, at the end of all that study, doing what I love and getting paid for it. I’m so damn proud of myself. Getting this far is already an achievement in itself, but actually being able to put my skills into action and help children destroy their demons, that’s the real prize.
I sit in the office which I’ve had since the beginning of the year with one of my newest clients, Brandon. He’s eleven years old and has just been taken away from his parents due to the unbelievable level of physical abuse they were throwing his way. I mean, it’s our first session and he hasn’t said a single word to me yet, but I can already see the pain he has had to suffer through from the hands of his parents.
His arms are covered in scars from where they’ve used him as an ashtray. He has a recent pink scar through the center of his right eyebrow and he’s severely underweight for his age. Though, that’s just the things I can see. I know for a fact that after reading his file, there’s a lot more damage that’s been done to this poor child.
Not to mention, the mental and emotional scarring. His eyes flick around the room as if he’s constantly preparing himself for the worst. He’s jumpy and terrified to talk, and now, it’s my job to help him move forward with a new life. One where he doesn’t have to be afraid. One where he can be strong and stand up for himself. One where he’ll never have to suffer at the hands of his parents again.
To me, all children are special, but I prefer to work with the ones who truly need it. I generally work with children in the system who have recently been removed from a bad situation. Children just like Brandon.
Don’t get me wrong. It’s honestly the hardest job on this planet, but extremely rewarding. Learning about these kids and what they’ve been through tears at my soul, but I’m happy to go through this journey with them if it means I’m able to help them in some small way.
Brandon’s eyes flick across the room as he sits on the very edge of the couch. I stand from my desk and slowly walk around so I stand before him. His eyes watch my movements and my heart breaks at how ridged his body is.
“Hi, Brandon,” I say as I slowly take a seat in the couch opposite him. His eyes flick up to meet mine before instantly going straight back down to his lap. “My name is Imogen and I’m really happy to be meeting with you today,” I tell him. “I’ve heard a lot about you, and if it’s ok with you, I’d like to get to know you a bit better.”
With that, he silently looks up. His eyebrows crease as he watches me for a moment and it’s clear he’s wondering why I’d like to get to know him. “I just want to let you know that this is a safe place,” I tell him as I slowly wave my hand around the room, not wanting to frighten him with any sudden movements. “What that means is that it’s ok for you to talk with me, and whatever you may or may not want to share with me, is going to be just for my ears. Our secrets, unless you decide otherwise. Does that make sense?”
He nods his head ever so slightly and I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. I was afraid he wouldn’t respond at all, but the fact that he has tells me he’s willing to give it a try and I’ll be able to help him a little easier.
Noticing he’s still sitting like a robot, I relax back into my own couch and cross my legs. “Why don’t you make yourself comfortable,” I tell him. “Would you like a drink or anything to eat?”
He shakes his head but slowly leans back into the couch before pulling his legs up under himself and making me one of the happiest therapists on the planet. “How has your day been so far?” I ask him as I reach for my own glass of water and take a sip.
He shrugs his shoulders and I launch into my own rundown of my day, hoping that might help to get him to relax and open up. “I’ve had a pretty awful day myself,” I tell him. “I accidentally spilled my coffee all down my brand new dress in my new car,” I groan as I pull back the front of my jacket and point out the nasty coffee stain.
His lips lift in a smirk and I keep going. “I was too far away from home to turn around so I had to suck it up, luckily, I had my jacket with me. I’m afraid my dress is ruined and I haven’t had a chance to check on my car yet, but I’m assuming it’s going to need a good clean.”
He nods his head, agreeing that my car will indeed need a good clean. “I hope your morning wasn’t as bad as mine,” I comment as I place the glass back on the table.
He shakes his head as his eyes lift to mine. “No,” he says ever so silently. “Today has been fine.”
“That’s good,” I tell him, pleased he was able to speak up. “What have you done so far?”
With that, he finally gives me a little more. It’s a slow process, but half an hour in, he’s finally relaxed enough that he’s been able to tell me about the foster family he’s been temporarily staying with. I’ve met the parents and they’re all good, though I hate that he’ll be moved around more until he can find somewhere permanent.
He tells me about the children in the family he’s staying with and how there’s a little girl he gets along with. The comment brings a smile to my face and I’m happy he has someone his own age that he can talk with. The connection with a friend could do wonders for him.
We’re just about done for today when a gust of wind comes flowing through the cracked window with such force that it knocks the photo frame right off my wall. The frame instantly drops to the ground and the glass shatters.
The sound has Brandon dropping to the floor with his arms protectively covering his head and his eyes clenched. “No, no, no,” he begs in a tone that has my soul shattering.
Shit.
I drop to the floor beside him and ever so gently I place a hand on his back. “Brandon,” I say in the calmest voice I can possibly manage. “You’re safe. It’s me, Imogen. You’re ok.”
His eyes open at my voice and I talk him through taking a few slow deep breaths which I take with him. He eventually manages to sit up and together we lean up against the couch. “I’m so sorry,” I tell him. “Had I known that would have happened, I would have closed the window.”
He nods his head again before reaching out and touching his fingers to my wrist, almost as if he’s trying to soothe me. “I’m ok,” he murmurs through a voice that I have to strain to hear.
I look up at the clock and see we still have twenty minutes of our session when I decide that I’m going to take another approach with him.
Brandon doesn’t strike me as the type to really enjoy sitting in an office being forced to talk about his feelings. So, needing to build a positive relationship with him and wanting to salvage what’s left of our time, I look over to him. “What do you say we get out of here and check on the damage I’ve done to my car?”
A smile takes over his face before he nods his head. I get myself to my feet and reach a hand down to help him up. Whether he uses my hand is up to him and I’m pleased when he does. He comes to his feet before me and practically comes right up to my eye level. I swear, he’s just an inch shorter than me and I have no doubt this kid is going to be crazy tall.
“What do you think we need?” I question as I dive through the drawer of my desk to find the antibacterial wipes that I keep in here. I pull them out and hold them up to him in question. He nods his head and I tuck the wipes under my arm before grabbing my keys. “Alright, let’s go.”
We walk out into the waiting area of my office and pass his guardian, Katia. I let her know we’ll be outside and she sends us on our way.
Five minute
s later, I have Brandon sitting in the passenger’s seat of my car while I make myself look busy with the cleaning wipes, though really, I’m listening to the way the distraction of the car has him opening up and chatting about his family’s car.
I hand him a wipe and watch as the activity has him completely loosening up. Just like that, my whole plan for him has changed. From now on, his time sitting in my office will be limited. The more I can keep him active and busy, the more I’ll be able to help.
At the end of our appointment, I happily send him off with his guardian feeling like I’ll truly be able to make a difference in his life. He has a long way to go to get past the abuse he has suffered through, but I feel there’s no reason why he won’t be able to live a happy and healthy life.
At the end of the day, I pull my phone out of my bag and send a text message to my best friend, Izzy.
Imogen – You coming over tonight? I’ve had a big day.
She responds almost instantly.
Izzy – Yep. I’ll bring the wine.
Imogen – Thank God. I’ll see you later.
Izzy – xx
I get home after a massive week and I couldn’t be happier that it’s Friday night. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love my job, but it’s emotionally draining. Especially today after meeting Brandon. My heart broke when that photo frame smashed as it made me realize just how bad he has had it. I mean, seeing it written down on paper is not the same as meeting the child in the flesh. I just hope I can truly make a difference in his life.
For some reason, I feel a connection with this child and it’s important for me to give him my absolute all.
I have hardly taken my shoes off before Izzy is knocking at my door. I open it up and she practically falls through. “Hey, hoochie,” she sings as she struts past me and heads straight for the kitchen. I follow her in and go about pulling two wine glasses down from the top shelf as she’s already busily opening the bottle. “What’s going on?”
“I have had such a massive week. All I need is to drink this wine and put my feet up,” I tell her.
“Sounds good to me,” she says as she picks up both glasses and hands one to me. She flips her blonde hair behind her shoulder before clinking her glass against mine. Together we head into my living room and collapse onto the couch.
I let out a sigh as I take the first sip. “Shit, I’ve been needing this,” I tell her.
“You and me both,” she says. “I broke up with Michael this morning.”
“What?” I shriek with wide eyes. “Why am I only hearing about this now? Are you ok?”
“I’m fine,” she says with a sigh. She was only dating him for a few weeks and wasn’t really feeling it, but I know it must be weighing on her heart at least a little. “You know I don’t like bothering you while you work.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” I say as I scootch over and pull her into me. “I will always make time for you.”
“I know you will, that’s the problem. You should be dedicating all your time to helping those kids, not worrying about me.”
“But I like worrying about you,” I whine.
“I know,” she laughs. “That’s why I’m here now. I’m all yours to fuss over for the rest of the night.”
I look over at the bottle of wine on the kitchen counter and realize we’re going to need a lot more of that. “In that case,” I tell her as I grab her hand and hoist her up to her feet. “We’re going to The Dark Room.”
A grin takes over her face and I love that I’ve put it there. The Dark Room is Rylee’s club and every time we go there, we have an incredible time, though, that could also have something to do with the fact that Rylee always lets us drink for free.
“Really?” Izzy questions. “Are you sure? I thought you wanted an easy night?”
“I’ve never been so sure. We’re going out and we’re going to drink each other under the table and worry about whatever stupid shit we’re going to do tomorrow.”
“That sounds so good,” she says as we head into my bedroom and start pulling apart my closet.
Half an hour later, the contents of my closet are scattered across my room and the bottle of wine on the kitchen counter is completely empty. We call a taxi and before we know it, we’re pushing through the door of The Dark Room and having one of the best nights of our lives.
Chapter 3
Imogen
The shot burns as it slides down my throat. “Holy shit,” I laugh as Izzy and I slam the glasses back down on the bar. “We have to do it again.”
“You’re on,” Izzy laughs as she turns to the sexy guy behind the bar. “Hit us again.”
The bartender smirks as he refills the glasses and we instantly pick them up before throwing them back. It burns, but it’s a welcome burn. “Come on,” I say as we put the glasses down and replace them with our strawberry daiquiris. “Let’s dance.”
Izzy doesn’t need to be told twice as she follows me out to the dance floor. We’ve both drunk way too much, but neither of us are slowing down. It’s been a great night and we plan for it to finish on a high.
Rylee had hired a DJ not long ago and it was the best thing to have happened to her club. Well, honestly, her club was already incredible and has always been the most popular spot in town, but to me, there’s always been something extra exciting about seeing a DJ.
A drummer though… don’t get me started on drummers. God, they’re hot. Drummers have always turned me on. I think it has something to do with the way they like to bang things. Hmm, you know who really likes to bang things? Caden. Caden Fucking Mitchell. The man sure knows how to bang.
The music wraps around me and I feel completely lost in the moment, that is until Izzy drags me off the dance floor and into the bathroom while practically holding her vag. “Fuck, my bladder is about to explode,” Izzy groans as she hurries into a stall.
I hear her hurrying around in there and I giggle to myself as I decide it’s best that I pee too. “Oh, my God,” Izzy sighs in relief. “That’s so much better.”
I chuckle to myself as I finish up and come out to wash my hands. Izzy stands by the mirror touching up her lip gloss and I go to join her with my phone out and ready. We take a handful of selfies before Izzy gets carried away flicking through the pictures and adding filters so she can post it to her Facebook.
“Shit, your boobies look good in this one,” she says as she flicks the phone around to show me. “I could just squish my face right in there.”
“Shut up,” I grin as I look at the perfect, round curves peeking out from the top of my black dress. A lot of girls have issues when it comes to loving their own bodies, but not me. I love it. I’m petite with a firm waist and full boobs. I get the eyes of all the men in the room and call me conceited, but I enjoy it, though, I’m not up myself about it. It’s just the way it is.
I don’t purposefully go out looking for attention, though, some would argue that I do, especially with the way I’m dressed right now. But tonight is about letting loose and having fun. Usually, I’m a jeans and t-shirt kind of girl.
As Izzy finishes up with the pictures, I can’t help but take a special one for Caden. I shimmy my dress down a bit, pull out my most seductive, luring smile and take a quick selfie. I laugh at the sexy photo before pulling my dress back up and opening a new message to the one and only Caden Mitchell.
Imogen – Hey, big boy.
I attach the picture and make sure to add a wink emoji before hitting send with a giggle. He’ll definitely get a kick out of that and probably a lot more.
Izzy and I are halfway back to the dancefloor when my phone starts buzzing in my bra. I pull it out and grin at his name across the screen. “Well, hello,” I say over the sound of the music.
“Hey, babe,” he says with a chuckle. “Where the hell are you? I can barely hear you.”
“The Dark Room,” I say with a smile as I hold a hand over my other ear, trying to hear him a little better, but it’s near impossible over the sound o
f the club. I’m tempted to go outside, but I’m having too much fun.
“Ahh,” Caden says. “Are you ok? How are you getting home? Who are you with?”
I resist rolling my eyes. While Caden is absolutely dynamite in bed, he’s absolutely infuriating. I mean, right next to my brother and father, he’s the most overprotective man I know. He’s treated me like a little sister my whole life so I was shocked when this whole thing developed between us, but don’t get me wrong, I was absolutely thrilled about it too.
The guy is hot and I’ve watched a string of women pining over him which is what had me interested in the first place. I mean, with all those women, he must have been doing something good between the sheets and I wasn’t disappointed.
Except for right now.
“I’m fine, Caden,” I say with a slight groan.
“How are you getting home?” he repeats.
Izzy gives me a curious look and I flick the phone around to show her the screen. She reads his name before giving me a grin and rolling her eyes, knowing exactly what’s going down right now. After all, Izzy has been my best friend since before I could walk so Cole and Caden are just as protective of her as they are of me.
“I don’t know,” I grunt. “We’ll probably catch a taxi.” The music changes to a song that’s a little more upbeat and I find myself desperate to dance again. “I have to go,” I tell Caden. “The bar is calling my name and I need to shake my ass.”
“Shit. Don’t hang u-”
I hang up and slide the phone back into my bra. After all, I’m supposed to be celebrating Izzy’s newfound freedom tonight, not obsessing over the man who’s currently rocking my world and blowing my mind.
Izzy and I head back to the bar to get ourselves some more yummy goodness before shaking our asses until they can physically shake no more.
It’s well past two in the morning when we stumble out the front doors of The Dark Room. We hold onto each other’s hand while laughing at the way Izzy fumbles over her heels.
Caden: Rebels Advocate (Book 2) Page 2
