by Amy Brent
Jillian bit the inside of her cheek to keep from scoffing at the way Thomas seemed to dismiss her job as “nothing serious.” She was sure that if she said anything about it, he would say that he hadn't meant anything by it, and imply she was being too sensitive. She'd heard it all before.
“Well, let's take a look,” she said.
She ran him through a basic examination and tested how far he could stretch and bend without pain. Then she started working him through some stretching exercises designed to loosen up his muscles. He started complaining about the pain almost right away.
“You need to work through the pain,” she told him. She pressed her hand against a sore spot on his back while she forced him to slowly straighten out. “Take it slow, and respect the pain, but don't let it control you. Otherwise, your body will start to grow weaker because you're avoiding using it.”
“Well, I definitely want to keep using my body,” he said. “In more ways than one.”
Jillian scoffed and rolled her eyes, then deliberately pushed Thomas into straightening his back so that he got a quick jab of pain in the sore muscles. She hoped that would teach him to focus his attention on the therapy and not on flirting.
“Lay face down on the table,” she told him. He did as he was told, and she worked him through some more stretches, lifting his shoulders off the table and arching his back to stretch it out. The stretches were similar to some yoga poses and served the same purpose, helping to strengthen his core muscles and restore the body's natural harmony.
“So, Jillian,” Thomas asked as she worked him through the stretches, “what do you do when you're not manhandling attractive men?”
Jillian frowned and gave him another painful twist. He grunted, but chuckled. “I don't usually discuss my social life with patients,” she said. “I'd like to keep things professional, if you don't mind.”
“Hey, I'm just being friendly. The way I see it, I'm going to be seeing you every month for a while now. We might as well get to know each other.”
She had him sit up and stretch his arms overhead with his fingers interlaced. Then she guided him through stretches from one side to the other, designed to help with balance and mobility. She tried to ignore his question, but the awkward silence that started to drag out made her uncomfortable. “I don't get a lot of free time,” she said. “But when I have the time, I like to garden.”
“Gardening, eh?” He shrugged, then kept going through the stretching exercises. “Not really my thing, but at least it's outdoors. You ever do anything more physical? Hiking maybe?”
“Not really,” she said. “I like being outdoors, but I'm not really in good enough shape for something so strenuous.”
“Well, I think you're a pretty good shape.” He eyed her curves, smirking.
She rolled her eyes, though at the same time her face heated up. It had been awhile since a man had looked at her that way. It was almost a pity that he was a patient.
They spent the next hour working through more exercises to get the kinks out of Thomas's back. At the end of the session, she had him put his shirt back on and told him he could make another appointment with Kate for his next session.
“Listen,” he said as he was buttoning up his shirt, “if you're not doing anything later, I certainly wouldn't mind getting to know you a little better. In a less 'professional' context, that is.”
“I'm sorry,” she said. “I don't really have the time, and it's really best if we keep this completely professional.”
“Well,” he said, eyeing her with a leering smirk, “there might be a way we can get more personal while keeping it professional, in a manner of speaking.”
“What do you mean?” She frowned at him.
He stepped closer, until she could feel the heat radiating from his body. “Come on,” he said. “I think you know what I mean. You're a beautiful woman.” He ran his fingers down her cheek, making her shiver. “Surely you have an idea what a guy like me would want out of a girl like you.”
She shivered and licked her lips. Yes, she knew exactly what he wanted. And he was attractive enough that she almost considered it. But she couldn't afford to get involved with a patient. She could lose her job over something like that, and she couldn't afford to be unemployed.
“I'm sorry, Thomas. But I'm not looking to date anyone right now, especially not a patient. I'm your therapist.”
“Yes,” he said. “You take care of my...physical needs. Like you said, I just need to make an appointment with your assistant out there, and you'll work your magic to make me feel better, right?” His hand slid lower, sliding down her side to her hip.
“Not like that,” she whispered. her mouth suddenly felt dry.
“I'd pay quite a bit more than your usual fee,” he said. He looked deep into her eyes. She licked her lips, trembling. “Name your price.”
“You...you want to pay me,” she said, her voice hoarse. “For...for that?”
He shrugged. “Nothing wrong with that. Keeping it professional, like you said.”
She laughed and shook her head, then slipped away from him, moving across the room. “I'm not that kind of girl,” she said.
“Not even for the right price?”
He grabbed his chart and took the pen attached to it, then scrawled a figure on the bottom of the page. He handed it to her.
Her eyes nearly shot out of her head when she saw the price he was offering. Jillian had never thought of herself as the kind of girl who would sleep with a man for money, but considering her financial troubles, and how much he was offering, it was certainly tempting. She'd be able to pay off one of her maxed-out credit cards after just one night with him.
She actually found herself considering it, but she shook her head. “No. No, I'm sorry. I couldn't.”
He shrugged, a confident smile still on his lips. “Well, if you change your mind, the offer stands. And it wouldn't just have to be a one time deal.” His eyes roamed her body once more, and Jillian felt exposed, even with her white coat on. “I'm sure that once I had a taste of you, I couldn't be able to give you up.”
He left the room. Jillian leaned against the table, taking a few deep breaths to steady herself. She'd never had such an encounter with a man before. Sure, she'd had plenty of men proposition her. But none had ever been so...aggressive. Confident.
She looked at the number he'd written down, thinking about how much she could do with so much money. It was more than she earned in a month. Though she couldn't seriously let herself consider such a thing. It was wrong.
Kate let her next patient in, and Jillian got to work helping the young man work through exercising his leg to recover from a hamstring injury. Though the entire time, her mind kept drifting to Thomas, and thinking about their next appointment together.
* * *
A few days later, Jillian finally got tired of all the phone calls to her bank, and she took a personal day from work to deal with her financial issues. She sat waiting at the bank for more than an hour while a credit specialist looked over her credit report. When he finally called her into his office to discuss what he'd found, the news wasn't good.
“I'm really sorry, Miss Miller, but there's no way we can approve you for a consolidation loan at this time.”
“But you don't understand,” Jillian said, clutching her purse. “I'm drowning here. If you'll just give me a chance...”
“I wish I could help,” he said. “I really do. But it's out of my control.” He spread his hands apologetically.”
“I don't see what the problem is,” she said. “I've got a job. I can make the payments.”
He sighed and flipped through the pages of her credit report. “First off, you've missed a few payments, and that hurt your credit score.”
“That was over a year ago,” Jillian said. “I haven't missed a payment since. And besides, if you help me consolidate, that'll lower my monthly payments. So you see, I'll be more likely to keep up with them.”
“It's not that s
imple,” he said. “Plus, there are other factors. You have such a high volume of debt, and you've had too many credit inquiries lately.”
“So you won't give me a loan just because I've been asking for loans?”
He frowned at her and set the report down. “Miss Miller, I'm sorry. But the decision is final.”
She scowled at him, wishing there was something else she could say. But there didn't seem to be any point. “Fine. Thanks for nothing.”
She got up and left, stalking out to her car. When she got into the car she started to cry. Her debt was more than she could handle. She'd been forced recently to take cash advances on one of her credit cards just to keep up with payments on the others. And she was quickly approaching the point that she wouldn't be able to do that anymore.
She thought about Thomas's offer. Part of her was disgusted at the idea of considering such a thing. She didn't want to lower herself to selling her body. But on the other hand, she was desperate. And, she knew, there wasn't necessarily anything to be ashamed of. Her body was hers to do with as she pleased. What right did anyone else have to tell her whether or not she was allowed to earn her living by bringing someone pleasure? It wasn't as if she would be standing on a street corner, offering herself to random strangers and risking disease or worse. She would just do it once, and it would be with a fit, healthy, attractive man.
She drummed her fingers on the steering wheel, considering it. She couldn't quite make up her mind. But it was starting to seem like her best hope of improving her life.
* * *
When it came time for Thomas's next appointment, Jillian walked into the room feeling a cold stabbing in her gut. She could still remember the things he'd said, the way he'd propositioned her. She hadn't stopped thinking about it. And now she was going to try to find a way to bring the subject up again.
“Good afternoon,” she said as she entered the room, trying to keep her voice calm and level. “How's your back been feeling?”
“I've been getting a lot of stiffness, especially in the morning.” He stretched, moving his right arm in small circles to loosen up some muscles. “And I can't move as well as I used to on this side.”
“Give it time,” Jillian said. “It takes a while to recover after an accident like this. I'm sure we'll have you out mountain biking again in no time.”
“God, I hope so. Sitting around all day is getting really boring.”
“Don't you have a day job?” she asked as she consulted Thomas's chart. She knew he must have a lot of money, if he could make her the kind of offer he had. But she didn't really know how much money. She worked at a high-end clinic, so a lot of her patients were wealthy. Some were high-salaried sports stars, while others were simply rich men who liked to do extreme sports, like Thomas here.
“Well, I have board meetings,” Thomas said. “But half the time I'd rather skip out on those and go do something more interesting.”
“Must be nice to be able to shirk your responsibilities and go out to have fun.” Jillian sighed, wishing she didn't have so many financial troubles. She couldn't even afford to take a simple vacation, let alone skip out on work whenever she felt like.
They started working through some exercises to loosen up Thomas's back. His muscles were especially stiff today, and Jillian kept having to help him work through the exercises. When she touched her hands against his bare back and arms, all she could think about was the firm muscles beneath her fingers. She tried again and again to think of a way to bring up his proposition, but she couldn't think of a way to do it without sounding like a fool.
Towards the end of the session, they were pressed close together as she helped him stretch his right arm through an exercise. He winced as the motion pulled some painful muscles, but she pressed him on, forcing him to slowly work through the pain. When she glanced at his face, he was looking right at her. His gaze dug into her, making her mouth go dry.
“So, Jillian,” he said, leaning a bit closer under the pretense of stretching out his side muscles more. “Have you given any thought to my 'business proposal'?”
“If that's what you want to call it,” she said, pulling her gaze away from his.
“That's exactly what it is,” he said. “An exchange of money for a simple service.”
“Simple?” She smirked and shook her head. “Honey, if you think it's 'simple,' then you're underestimating me.”
“Oh really?” A grin slowly spread on his lips. “So what you're saying is, you're a real pro.”
“Let's just say I know a thing or two about how a man's body works.” She demonstrated by pressing her hand against a sensitive spot in his side, eliciting a small yelp and sending goosebumps across his skin.
He grabbed her hand by reflex, then held it gently in his. Their eyes met. Jillian swallowed a lump in her throat.
“I can't help but notice,” he said, “that you haven't actually said no this time.”
“I guess I haven't,” she said.
He stepped closer. She turned away, her face heating up. He kept hold of her hand and pulled it against his chest. She could feel his heart beating beneath her palm.
“So what do you say?” Thomas whispered.
“This is the kind of thing that could get me in a lot of trouble. I could lose my job.”
“I promise to be discreet,” Thomas said. “Not a soul will know.”
She swallowed, then glanced up at him. He held her gaze and reached out to caress her cheek.
Jillian closed her eyes for a moment, steeling her resolve. The truth was, she was attracted to Thomas. He was a handsome, well-built man, and the way he looked at her sent chills up her spine. Under different circumstances, she might have been willing to date him. Instead, she was considering crossing a line she'd never in her life thought she would cross.
“About that...price you offered,” she whispered.
He slid his hand through her hair, letting the delicate strands run across his fingers. “I'll double it.”
Jillian's eyes widened. It had already been an offer of more money than she could have hoped to earn for a single, simple, carnal act. Doubling it made it an offer she just couldn't refuse.
“All right,” she whispered.
Thomas grinned. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a card. “Give me a call this weekend,” he said. “I have an apartment in the city we can use. It's discreet. Most of my business associates don't even know about it.”
She took the card and studied it. Taking it felt like signing a contract. She nodded, without looking up at him. “All right.”
He touched his fingers under her chin to tilt her face up towards him. “Trust me,” he said. “I'm going to make sure this is the time of your life.”
He leaned in close and pressed his lips against hers. She stiffened, and almost pulled away, but his kiss tasted so sweet she couldn't resist. She let her tongue brush lightly against his lips, a soft whimper escaping her.
There was a knock at the door and they immediately pulled apart. Kate stuck her head in the door and said, “Jillian? Your next appointment is here.”
Jillian cleared her throat and ran her hands down over her white coat, smoothing it out. “Yes. Okay. Thank you. I'll be right there.”
Kate looked between Jillian and Thomas, a curious expression on her face. Thomas simply smiled at her, showing no shame. Jillian did everything she could to avoid eye contact with either one of them. If Kate suspected anything, she didn't say so. She left them there and closed the door behind her without saying another word.
Jillian stepped away from Thomas. “So,” she said, clearing her throat. “This weekend, then.”
He took her hand and raised it to his lips, planting a soft kiss on the back of her fingers. “I can't wait.”
He left, and Jillian watched him go, trying to fight the butterflies that had suddenly taken up residence in her gut.
* * *
Saturday afternoon, Jillian sat in her kitchen, holding her phone in one hand
and Thomas's card in the other. She had typed the number into the phone, but she froze every time she was about to tap “Send.” She had never been good with difficult phone calls, and this was the most unusual one she had ever made in her life. It would be one thing if she was calling Thomas to ask him on a date. She would have been scared out of her mind to do that, but at least it would have been something she'd done before. This was more like calling to schedule an appointment. It felt too impersonal. It was missing the romance.
She set down the phone and ran her fingers through her hair. She didn't really want romance. Romance was messy. Complicated. You had to worry about commitment and attachments and how a relationship could work its way into your entire life. What she was going to do with Thomas would be...simpler. It was just an intimate encounter. A liaison.
She picked up the phone and held her finger over the screen, taking a deep breath. She closed her eyes, hit the button, then held the phone to her ear with a trembling hand.
“Jillian,” Thomas said as soon as he answered the phone.
She froze. How had he known it would be her? He was a busy businessman. Surely he got a lot of other calls throughout the day. Though she realized this must have been a private line. One he reserved only for the more intimate aspects of his life.
“Thomas,” she said, her voice shaking. “I...”
“Nervous?” He chuckled. “Don't be. We're going to have a wonderful evening together.”
Jillian took a few slow breaths, trying to settle her nerves. “I'm looking forward to it.”
She wasn't sure if that was true or not. Part of her was excited. Part of her was terrified.
“As am I. I'll have a car sent for you. We can take things slow. Dinner. A bottle of wine. Soft music. I promise you this will be a night to remember.”
Jillian swallowed a lump in her throat. She wasn't sure whether she wanted the romantic evening. On the one hand, it sounded rather nice. It had been a long time since she'd gone out and had a nice dinner with a handsome man. But on the other hand, this wasn't a date. She almost would have preferred to skip the romance and cut straight to the evening's business.
