SESSIONS: The Sex Shrink of Seattle VOL. 2 (SESSIONS Serial): The Sex Shrink of Seattle

by Kailin Gow

  “That wasn’t necessary.”

  “I wanted to. I’m so grateful to you.” She walked toward me and kept her eyes on me, staring at me with love struck eyes with her hands extended out. I couldn’t help widening my eyes in surprise. It was almost frightening how she was deadest on making me her newest boyfriend. She handed me the box with the gift in it. It was very light and about the size of a tie box.

  “Thank you. I look forward to opening it later. I’m rather busy right now. I’m glad you’re well and make sure you keep up with the therapy that Dr. Mancini has coordinated for you.”

  “Oh, of course, but I really need to talk with you,” she said.

  “I’m sorry. I have a client coming in soon and I have to get ready for the appointment.”

  “Maybe tomorrow then.”

  “My days are filled with appointments,” I said. I glanced at Brandi, who was listening to every word, but staring down at her keyboard like she was deep in thought. She could have helped me out.

  “I’ll schedule an appointment then,” Julia said. She was not going to give up.

  “My waiting list is a year; if you want additional therapy you might have to consider someone else, someone recommended by Dr. Mancini.”

  “You’re worth waiting for,” she said.

  “Well, thank you for the visit,” I said and then I walked into my office and shut the door, hiding like a scared kid.

  *****

  That wasn’t the end of it, though, thanks to Lina. Julia was out of sight and out of mind until I left work the following day. Then she popped up everywhere.

  “Hi Simon,” I heard her soft, but decisively eager voice say.

  “Julia, what are you doing here?”

  “Waiting for you. Did you like your present?”

  I had to think and recall what it was. Brandi had opened it and told me, but I hadn’t seen it. Wait, oh yes, it was an embroidered saying in a frame.

  “It was lovely, but quite unnecessary.”

  “I just don’t want you to forget how much you mean to me…I mean how much your visit meant to me.”

  “Good, now if you’ll excuse me, I’m late for a meeting.”

  “Is it a date?”

  “Yes.” I lied but it was a good way to get her to snap out of it. Then I saw the dejected look on her face and added, “It’s been scheduled for weeks.”

  “Are you free tomorrow night?”

  “No, I’m sorry.”

  She ran toward me and wrapped her arms around me. “You feel so good, smell so good, too.” She buried her nose into my shirt, taking in a loud breath of air.

  I gently pried her off of me and said, “I’ve got to go.” Thank goodness there was a taxi pulling up right when I turned around. My car was a block down the street in the parking ramp, but I wasn’t going to risk her following me there.

  She stared at me as I got in and I turned my head, not wanting to make eye contact.

  The next day, I was preparing a presentation I was set to give at a therapists’ conference in Hawaii the following month, a working vacation I was very eager to take, and Brandi went off to lunch. My office door was open and I heard the door to the office open. Then it closed. I rolled my eyes. Brandi was supposed to lock that door when she’d gone to lunch. She must have forgotten.

  I walked out, already saying, “I’m sorry, that door’s supposed to be locked.” Then I looked up and saw Julia standing there. She was dressed to the nines, wearing a tight fitting dress on her too bony frame, making her look more like a dressed corpse. Her hair was pulled up and she was wearing heavy make-up with smoky eyes—the type of eye shadow women who were on a mission to seduce wore.

  “I saw her go to lunch. I was waiting.”

  “What?” I asked. Oh my God, she was a stalker.

  “I just have to find a way to get a moment alone with you, Simon.”

  “That’s not wise, Julia.”

  “I think I can make you see things differently. You just have to give me a chance.”

  “I’m not the guy to take your chances on.”

  “You’re just being aloof because you’re afraid. The way you talked to me at the hospital and made me feel better—that was something meaningful. I felt it, even though I was in despair, and I believe you did. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have done what you did. I know you care deeply for me, Simon. You love me.”

  “I was glad to help and it was a favor to Lina, nothing more. She was so worried about you.”

  “Do you like Lina?” Julia asked, showing a flicker of darkness.

  “She’s my friend.”

  “Oh, good,” Julia said.

  She walked up to me and tried to walk with a sexy swagger, but she clearly wasn’t used to wearing heels as high as she was and trying to do it in a dress that was too large for her, making her look even more frail. I stepped backward instinctually and she walked faster, wrapping her arms around my waist and thrusting her pelvis into my package. If there was ever a time I was grateful to not be horny it was this time. The last thing she needed was to sense any arousal on my end.

  Her lips began to kiss my neck, and I pushed her away, once again trying not to be too aggressive. She ignored it. “Just let me show you how I can please you. You won’t regret it.”

  “Yes, I would and you would too,” I said.

  She ignored me. She’d tuned out reason and was full out action, feeling that being sexual with me would make our connection stronger. I was definitely not turned on by this. It was one sided and I was really taken aback.

  I grabbed her arm and said, “You have to leave, Julia. If you don’t, I’ll call the police. This is not healthy for you.” A serious threat was what I needed to put out there. I had to make a boundary quickly.

  I guided her out the office door and then shut it, locking it behind her. Out of all days, why had Brandi forgotten to lock that damn door today?

  Julia started to pound on the door, shouting for me to let her in. She was making a scene that was embarrassing to me and should have been embarrassing to her. I wasn’t going to call the cops on her for both PR reasons and because it would do nothing to help the poor, delusional girl. I decided to call Lina. She’d started this mess and she could help clean it up.

  “Lina, Simon, call me. It’s an emergency. Julia’s outside of my office door having a meltdown.” I hung up. How could I get a voicemail the one time I needed a live voice.

  There was another yell from outside the door. I texted next, writing exactly what I’d said on the voicemail.

  A minute passed by and things were silent outside my door, but I didn’t dare go see if she’d given up, although I certainly hoped that was the case.

  A text came: on my way!

  Now I just had to play a waiting game. I despised it and wasn’t suited for it at all. A sob erupted from in the hallway, confirming that Julia was still there. I walked out into the lobby of my practice and could hear her softly saying, “Simon, Simon, Simon,” from the other side of the door.

  The girl had come undone and while I’d been the unraveling of many a woman, this time I’d tried to do the right thing and be a stand-up guy. It had backfired due to dishonesty from someone I never would have suspected would be that way. It was another reminder of how hard Lina was to process and what she was really about.

  My cellphone rang and I looked down at the number. It was building security. Great, just great! “Dr. Sessions,” I said.

  “Dan Maron, security chief… is everything okay, Dr. Sessions? There are reports of a woman making quite the ruckus outside your door.”

  “A friend is on the way to address the problem.”

  “Do you want me to send someone up?”

  “No.”

  “If it continues, I’ll have to, but I’ll hold off,” Maron said.

  “Thank you. I appreciate it.” I hung up and checked my text messages. Nothing from Lina.

  Then my cellphone rang again. This time it was Lina. “I’m about five minute
s out. Is she still there?”

  “Yes, she’s out in the hallway,” I said.

  “Why is she there?” Lina asked me, sounding incredulous.

  “Because she kept trying to be sexually aggressive with me and I had to do something to keep her at bay.”

  “Can’t you let her in, Simon? I’ll be there in ten max. Surely you can handle it?”

  “Ten max?” I asked.

  “Yes,” she said.

  “Fine.” I hung up and walked over to the door hesitantly, like someone would do in a horror movie. This was my worst nightmare.

  “Julia, why don’t you come back in,” I said as I opened up the door. I stared down at her and all that thick make-up she’d put on was smudged and her eyes were bloodshot. “Lina’s on her way over to get you.”

  “Okay,” Julia said. She walked in and was silent. Then she slumped down in the soft, tan leather chair that was in the waiting room and just stared at the carpeting like the secret to her happiness existed within its fibers.

  “Julia, I’m really sorry you misconstrued my intentions at the hospital. I genuinely wanted to help you that day, and to get you some help. It was nothing more. It was professional, not personal.”

  “Well Doc, I’m basically fucked. I don’t think I’ll ever get this thing right.”

  “I don’t know if that’s true, maybe it is, but I do know that you have to get you right before you even entertain taking on a man. Relationships are complex and if you don’t know yourself, you are going to be constantly struggling to find someone else to have a meaningful relationship with.”

  “Is that why you’re not married?” she asked.

  “No, I’m just not to that stage in my life yet,” I answered. That was what I always said when people asked me that, which was rather frequently. I was only twenty-seven, too. That was hardly an old man or confirmed lifelong bachelor age.

  “Guys never want that as fast as women, I think.”

  “I think you’re right.”

  My office door opened and I saw Lina walking in. She rushed over to Julia and right behind her was Brandi, who looked utterly confused. It wasn’t the time to give her the glare that I’d wanted to, though. That could wait until later. Of course, it wasn’t her fault that this had happened and if the door had been locked, this scene would have just unfolded somewhere else.

  “Come on, let’s get you out of here and take you home,” Lina said softly. She was so full of compassion, showing how much she cared about this young woman who was a complete opposite.

  “You didn’t have to come. I’ll be okay. Simon…I mean, Dr. Sessions, told me what I had to do. I guess I made quite the ass out of myself, though.”

  “No one thinks that,” Lina said.

  I do, I thought. “It’s a rough time. If you commit to it, you’ll come out on top,” I said.

  “Well, while I’m here, why don’t I take you home, anyway. Looks like you could use some company,” Lina offered.

  She got up and helped Julia up. Then she looked at me and mouthed, “I’ll call you later.”

  Although I’d been trying to avoid her, I felt a glimmer of excitement about talking to her later, whenever that was. Julia, on the other hand, I hoped to keep my distance from her from that day on.

  Chapter 9

  “I am so sorry! Can I make it up to you and pull you away from work today?” Lina asked over the phone, her voice sounding sincere and overly cheery.

  I wanted to say “no,” but “yes” was so much nicer sounding. How she would make it up to me would be interesting. With most women, making it up to me would have been their innuendo for sex, but with Lina that couldn’t be assumed.

  “I’ll be there in a half hour.”

  “Do I need a change of clothes?”

  “No, you should be fine,” she said. I could sense how amused she was by the question. In all fairness, it was a logical question because I wasn’t about to destroy a $400 custom made shirt if I didn’t need to.

  “I’ll be waiting,” I said.

  I walked out to Brandi and said, “Book me out for the afternoon. No messages or bothering me. I’ll be busy.”

  “But you have two clients.”

  “They’ll just have to wait. Book them in for Saturday morning.”

  “But I’m busy Saturday, Simon. I cannot come in.”

  “You don’t need to, no worries.” I began walking back into my office.

  “Simon,” Brandi called out.

  “Yes, what is it?” I asked, turning to look at her.

  “Sorry about forgetting to lock the door. I was running late and…well, it wasn’t an excuse.”

  “Don’t worry about it. The meltdown would have happened sooner or later; better to just get it over with, don’t you think?”

  “I do, but that doesn’t mean you do,” she said, smiling in relief.

  “Things have gotten so crazy that I don’t even know what to make of them lately,” I said. Then I left, not wanting to answer any questions despite opening up the doors of curiosity.

  The next half hour was the longest half hour I’d had in awhile. I was antsy and kept checking my email, looked at some sports, and responded to a few questions from Tina. Any busy work was welcomed to make the time go quicker. Finally, I heard Lina say, “Hi Brandi, how are you today?”

  “Good, and you?”

  “Wonderful, thanks.”

  “I loved the play…just saw it on Sunday afternoon.”

  “That’s fantastic. This weekend is the last one; it’s been crazy fitting it all in, but I’m happy with how well it’s been received.”

  “I’m afraid Simon’s booked out for the afternoon,” Brandi said next. I was listening to them talk like they were long lost friends, so casually. I didn’t particularly feel comfortable with my secretary being friendly with my personal interest, or whatever Lina was. I knew what she wasn’t—a client—so I couldn’t throw the old ‘professional with patients’ policy’ on Brandi.

  “I know. I’m taking him out for a surprise, to make up for the fiasco this morning.”

  “That’s nice, good for you. He could use a bit of fun.”

  “I think so, too,” Lina said.

  I got up, deciding I’d better get out there before the two sat down and started to have a longer conversation. It was my time with Lina, not hers.

  “I’m ready for this surprise adventure,” I said, smiling brightly at the two women.

  “Great,” Lina said, eying me up and down. It was a turn-on, I’ll admit.

  We walked down the hallway and I asked, “Your car or mine?”

  “Neither, let’s take a walk down to Pike’s Place; we can have some fun and go to some of the artisan stores there.”

  “Okay,” I said. It wasn’t that I didn’t like the area, only that I didn’t particularly enjoy doing so when I had my suit clothes on. “You look lovely, by the way.”

  “Thanks,” Lina said, squeezing my arm.

  I admired her curves and long, tanned legs in the sundress she wore, which was covered by a thin sweater. She looked like she should be walking down the beach barefoot and carefree to me. Or possibly, she could have been a woman for a Viagra commercial. That was their new promo and rumor had it, it was working. Lina had that type of mojo about her, mostly because it was natural and she didn’t try.

  “Are you looking for anything in particular?” I asked.

  “A Dale Chihuly,” she said. If she could afford that she was better off than I ever would have guessed, definitely ruling out gold digger.

  “I don’t think those are just sitting in the store for sale. Aren’t they customized?”

  “I was just kidding, but I know a few are displayed around the area so maybe I can just look at one.”

  Lina was laughing softly. “Are you teasing me?”

  “Yes, you’re just such an easy target.”

  “Why is that?” I asked.

  “Your career, your reputation, things like that.”


  “You sound appalled by every aspect of me. Why be seen with me?”

  “I’m not appalled. Intrigued is how I would describe it.”

  “Because I’m a public figure?”

  “No, I’ve met lots of public figures in my career. What intrigues me about you is how you can give relationship advice when you seem to be very opposed to a serious relationship with one woman.”

  I froze. I recall Julia saying some form of that sentiment when we were waiting for Lina. Now I knew where it had come from—Lina herself. “You don’t think I can help women with their sexual or relationship problems because I’m not in a serious relationship?”

  “Do you really want me to answer that, Simon?”

  “Yes,” I said decisively. “I think it merits an explanation.”

  “The way a woman thinks and feels when she is in a relationship is so different than what happens when she is not in one. It’s more complex than that and unless you’ve ever spent a substantial amount of time around a woman in a serious relationship, I just don’t think you can get it. I don’t mean to be offensive; it’s just how I feel.”

  I understood her point and had heard similar sentiments when I first started practice, but I’d long ago conquered those challenges—or so I thought. “I suppose my mother doesn’t count? Dad and her have been in a relationship for over thirty years.”

  “It’s something, but not enough,” Lina said. “Look, don’t feel bad about it, Simon. You have a great career and a lot of people respect you for it. I’ve just been around too many people who were relying on therapists to help them, kids who grew up going to therapists, and they seemed to make things worse.”