Nobody had ever called her into that kind of accountability before, and she didn’t like it at all. Every time she peaked at her past actions, overwhelming emotions of shame and guilt rolled over her. She instantly closed herself down to those emotions, and fought the notion. Aggressively.
Sarcasm became her best friend. She used it to hide her true feelings. But David always seemed to know exactly what was going on inside her and found the words that struck her chords. He took great pleasure in pointing out that she was twenty-five years old and had never assumed any responsibility whatsoever.
He pointed out times in her life when other teenagers and adults would have faced the consequences of their actions, but she’d been spared those lessons. Whenever things had begun to spiral out of control, her father had always stepped in with a solution and the means to rescue her.
She could tell that in some ways, David pitied her upbringing and the fact that she’d never learned life’s lessons while she was still young and the lessons were minor. She hated being the object of anyone’s pity and fought the teachings he wanted her to learn.
He pointed out on numerous occasions that she needed to stand on her own two feet, and stop relying on her father to always be waiting in the wings. At the end of the first week, she finally blurted out something that had been gnawing at her for the last two days.
“Where the hell is my father?”
He’d dropped her off at the facility and signed paperwork assuring the center would be paid for her time there, but that had been the extent of her interaction with him. He hadn’t called, there had been no messages left for her, and he certainly hadn’t come to see her.
She’d thought about calling him and demanding he come and get her out of this, but David had calmly informed her that the house rules didn’t allow phone calls. She’d pondered the idea that her father just forgot to leave her cell phone with her, but now she was beginning to wonder if he hadn’t abandoned her at the center, knowing she wouldn’t be able to contact him.
When David didn’t immediately answer her question, she recalled that he had informed her several days back during a tirade, that if she wanted him to respond to her questions, they needed to be asked in a calm, and respectful manner.
It was to go ballistic! He was making the rules and she had to obey! How in the world did she deserve that!
Lara swallowed back her irritation, lowered her voice and tried the question again, “Do you happen to know why I haven’t heard from my father?”
David smiled at her with a nod, “I believe he left word that he would be traveling out of the country for three weeks.”
Lara was furious! How dare he dump here in the facility and then leave the country! What if the place was abusive, or full of psychos! What if she needed him? His obligation was to be there for her!
She carried her anger over her father’s abandonment with her for the next three days until David finally challenged her on it, “Are you through pouting about something you can’t change?”
“What?!” Lara asked, not liking his tone.
“Your father. You’ve been pouting and prickly as a cactus since you asked about him. You do realize that acting out won’t make the three weeks pass any faster?”
“Of course I do!” Lara replied, crossing her arms over her chest.
When David simply stared her down, she eventually realized that her was totally out of proportion and an irrational response to the situation.
So, her father was away on business. He was normally away on business. He would return, and call her or come see her at that point in time. David was right! Pouting about it, or holding on to her anger, was only hurting her – not her father. He didn’t even know she was upset with him!
“I get your point, and I’m sorry.” Lara took a deep breath and then continued, “I realize that being angry with him is only hurting me. I mean, he doesn’t even know I’m upset with him.”
David smiled at her, a smile that caused the butterflies to swirl in her stomach and her heart rate to increase. “Very good, Lara. Very good. I’m proud of you. So, how do you feel now?”
Lara thought for a minute, “Disappointed that I can’t talk to him, but three weeks isn’t that long and I know he’ll call me when he returns. I’m not angry anymore.” She grinned at him, liking how David was constantly challenging her to look at the situations around her with a new perspective and urging her to become a better person. She offered a genuine “Thank you”, while smiling at him.
This time she didn’t try to flirt with him, she honestly wanted to earn his respect and his liking.
David smiled at her warmly, “You did it, Lara. Good job.”
Chapter 6
The center offered a variety of activities for those staying there to enjoy and use as therapy. When David suggested she make time for some physical activity each day, she saw the perfect opportunity to spend a little more time with him.
“Like weight lifting and such?” she asked, knowing that the center offered much more than a weight room, but playing ignorant seemed to fit her purpose.
David looked at her, but then offered to show her around at the end of their session. He gave her a tour, showing her where the tennis courts, running track, and Olympic-sized swimming pool were located. When the tour ended up outside the dining room just in time for lunch, Lara had shyly asked him to join her, but he had refused.
Lara watched him walk away, more determined than ever to break through his defenses. She spent the evening hours planning her next attack and the next morning, arose an extra hour early to put it into action.
***
David glanced at the clock above the small credenza in his office and mentally groaned. Lara would arrive for her morning one-on-one in fifteen minutes and he still hadn’t recovered from the day before.
It was becoming more difficult to keep the beautiful young woman in the proper perspective. It was obvious that she was attracted to him, and aggravating to her as well that she couldn’t entice him to act on his mutual attraction.
David had gone out of his way to hide his attraction to her, but he evidently hadn’t been successful. The last few days she had ramped up her attempts to change his mind, and lure him into some sort of inappropriate behavior.
Shaking his head, he grabbed her folder and headed for the small sitting room he used when meeting with patients. He was just sitting down on one of the padded chairs when the door opened and Lara walked in. His breath stalled in his lungs as he looked at her and blinked several times.
Lara was a beautiful woman and knew it. She had evidently decided to take her assault to new heights, based upon the way she was dressed.
She was wearing the sexiest dress he’d ever seen. It was a brilliant emerald green that contrasted wonderfully with her long wavy red hair. Hair that was perfectly styled, falling in soft waves around her shoulders and down her back.
David opened his mouth in sheer awe when she turned to shut the door, giving him a view of her almost bare back. The dress was a halter style top, tying around her neck and providing the perfect framework for her lush breasts.
But her back was equally exquisite, with creamy white skin, the dip of her lower back just begging to be touched. He managed to quickly shut his mouth again, before she turned to take the other vacant seat.
The fabric of the dress was a clingy material, slightly overdone for a therapy session, but still barely acceptable for the situation. The formfitting dress hugged her hips, tapering to stop mid-thigh, giving him a stunning view of her long, tanned legs.
Legs that were so smooth she’d to have either just had them waxed, or shaved. Legs that ended with her feet encased in strappy sandals that perfectly matched the color of the dress and highlighted the shell-pink polish upon her toes.
Lara watched David take in her appearance, smiling at him. She must be giving herself a high five for my drooling face! That woman surely knew how to dress to gain every warm blooded male’s attention and that�
��s exactly what she’d done. Her dress, the makeup, the hair, the high heels everything screamed “Fuck me!” He felt his heart beat raise and would have obeyed in an instant, if it wasn’t for their professional relationship.
Oh God, this woman is making it difficult to resist her!
Just in case David was bold enough to challenge her attire, she had even prepared an excuse. Nobody could say she was sloppy in her conquest. Looking good made her feel good and just because she was in rehab, was no excuse for letting herself go!
David struggled to catch his breath, trying to maintain his professionalism in the face of the temptation she presented. The woman was perfect and he could barely stop himself from touching her. He would have loved to taste her luscious lips and savor her mouth with a kiss. To pass his hands along her body and measure the slimness of her waist or to mold those perfectly rounded hips.
He let his eyes wander back up her body, lingering on the way the dress pushed her luscious breasts together and up. He longed to cup those wonderful mounds in his hands and to feel them pressed against his chest. He felt his cock harden, pushing against the confines of his trousers and he quickly stood, surreptitiously adjusting himself. He had to get ahold of himself!
Lara was his patient for God's sake. He'd lose his license if he started anything with her. Sexual harassment and abuse of a patient were not how he wanted his career to end.
He walked to the window and the small table that held a pitcher of water and several glasses. “Excuse me for a moment.” Pouring himself a drink, he downed it quickly, mentally rehearsing why his attraction to her was unfounded and only a figment of his circumstances.
Yes, Lara Bishop was beautiful on the outside. She had his mouth drooling, but that was where the beauty ended. Inside, she was lacking in character just like all the other society girls. Superficial, selfish, immature, and irresponsible.
David was a smart man. He knew that true beauty came from what was on the inside. He valued more than superficial packaging; he valued other traits like sincerity, warmth, and honesty.
He turned, intending to retake his seat, only to find Lara had snuck up on him and was standing a mere foot away from him. She had a flirty smile upon her face, and as she leaned towards him, David caught a whiff of her perfume. God!
From the way Lara smiled, he could tell that she had enjoyed the way he devoured her with his eyes, and her knowing face gave away the fact that she knew exactly why he all of a sudden needed a cold drink.
He didn’t trust himself to not act on his instincts! She had obviously planned this and was in advantage. If she was going to push him just a bit farther, he would give to her temptations without a second thought. He needed to stop her, now!
She lifted a hand and placed it on his shoulder, “What’s the matter, David? Don’t you like my dress?” Lara placed a fake pout upon her lips; lips that had been glossed to perfection and were longing to be kissed.
David tried to recuperate his self-control and stepped back out of her reach, denying his body what it wanted more than anything else. This had to stop now, before things spiraled completely out of his control!
"Lara stop flirting with me now or I will transfer you to another doctor immediately." David gave her his sternest look, holding her eyes until she finally looked down and away.
Lara glared at him, frustrated and angry that he could withstand her allure. If looks could kill… Seeing that David was dead serious, she changed tactics again, putting an easy smile upon her face and returning to her seat. “Whatever you say, Dr. Richards.”
David gritted his teeth at her use of his formal title. She knew everyone at the center worked on a first name basis, and he didn’t miss the fact that she was intending to make him break the professional barrier he had put up between them.
Once again, he was amazed at how quickly she was able to assess the situation and act accordingly. If she would only apply this ability to change to her destructive behavior. She could be such a wonderful woman, if she would only decide to take responsibility for her actions!
David returned to his own seat, opening her folder and starting the therapy session. His job was to be her doctor and help her become a mature person. To transform her life from one of no conscience, to one of convictions and responsibility.
Chapter 7
Three days after the incident in his office, David closed his office door and headed for the small bungalow he called home on the other side of the Sunset Malibu clinic. As the on-call, and on-site treatment specialist, David lived at the center.
He loved living at the rehab center, and enjoyed the benefits of such a stellar facility whenever possible.
The center imposed a strict patient curfew of 10 p.m. each evening. They didn’t necessarily have to be sleeping by that time, but they were encouraged to be in their rooms and use the time before sleeping for their daily journaling activities.
This curfew also provided the live-in staff a chance to enjoy the amenities of the facility without the possibility of patient interaction.
Sunset Malibu was amazingly well situated with state-of-the-art sports facilities, even better than any of the fancy gyms in town. David had encouraged all of his patients to take advantage of those facilities, not only for the physical benefits to be gained, but also because exercise released endorphins, feel-good hormones, and he was a firm believer that people who exercised were less prone to bouts of depression.
David had made it a point to inquire as to his patient’s activities and was pleased when Lara had finally told him she had started swimming once in a while.
David had encouraged her to make it a part of her daily routine, but that was the last of their discussion on that topic. In fact, since he had chastised her for flirting with him, their conversations had been strictly professional and she carefully avoided to tell him any personal stuff abut herself if it wasn’t absolutely necessary.
He had tried to be happy with that situation, telling himself it was for the best. He’d even tried to keep away from her by all means in hopes that the attraction he felt for her would be squelched.
Letting out a breath, David grabbed his towel and headed towards the swimming pool. Since coming on staff at the rehab center, he’d taken to swimming each evening. Prior to that, he had enjoyed swimming in the ocean several times a week, but his patient schedule prevented that now.
Thankfully, the center hosted this gorgeous, heated swimming pool on the property and David used it as his own sort of therapy. He would swim back and forth, the length of the pool, at least forty times. By the second or third round the stress and problems of the day already started to float away. He found that swimming helped him clear his thoughts and quieted his mind.
Sometimes it was hard for him to keep his distance and remain objective. Many of his patients were dealing with such catastrophic problems and tragedies; it was difficult to remain unaffected by all of negativity his patients unloaded upon him.
He had learned early on in his career, to keep his distance and to shield himself from their emotions. Swimming helped. The water was cool and everything was quiet.
This night he arrived at the pool around his usual time. It was a little after 10 p.m., and his head came up as he heard the unmistakable sound of someone in the water. In his experience, none of the other staffers swam this late. He let his eyes adjust to the dimness of the night lighting and then he noticed – Lara!
What on earth was she doing here at this time? She was supposed to be in her room by now. David looked at the large clock hanging on the wall of the pool house to confirm the time. 10:05. Patients were supposed to be in their rooms by 10 p.m. or sooner.
Before he could question her, he was drawn to the image of her in the water. He couldn’t look away. She looked so fragile yet splendid in her bathing suit. This suit hugged her figure in all the right places and the black contrasted well with her white skin and the red hair. She almost looked like a mermaid.
He watched her swim for
a moment before he stepped farther onto the decking where he would become visible to her. She reached out with her arms in long strokes, her feet kicking in perfect rhythm behind her. Her swim style was impeccable. It looked so effortless and elegant. She looked peaceful.
He hesitated for a moment and wondered if he should skip his exercise tonight. He didn’t want to disturb her, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to be alone with her in this situation either.
While he was still deciding his next course of action, he saw her stop swimming and face him. She’d already seen him and shivered. He struggled to keep a neutral expression on his face as she swam to the side of the pool. He intentionally kept his eyes up, not wanting to give her any more ammunition to use against him. She didn’t need to know just how strongly the sight of her was affecting him. He just hoped his body wouldn’t betray him by showing signs of his sexual attraction to her.
Lara swam quickly to the side and had a shocked expression on her face when seeing it was David standing off to the side of the pool with a towel hanging from his hand. With a quick glance on the clock, she said, “I should be going. I didn’t notice it’s that late already.”
David took a step towards the edge of the pool, trying to ease the situation with a joke, “Don’t worry, I won’t tell your doctor.” He watched her shoulders relax and gave her a small smile. The heat in his body built up and he fought the urge to embrace her with his arms and press her body against his. Please, don’t flirt with me, or I’m doomed!
"I didn't know you liked to come here too. I thought you were just doing your doctor thing when you suggested I try to swim every day. I guess I owe you some thanks. The swimming and the quietness really help to clear my mind. I feel peaceful when I’m in the water."
David nodded in agreement. Yes, he enjoyed the mind clearing coolness of the water as well. Usually. With her looking up at him, from the edge of the pool, the atmosphere seemed to have gone from cool to boiling.
Falling for Him 4 (Rachel and Peter in Love) Page 3
