“For both of us, I expect.”
He stood. “I’m going to change so I can play with the boys.” He pulled her up. “But first…” He leaned over and scooped her into his arms.
“Don’t you dare…Finn, I mean it, don’t…Oh shit!” she said as he tossed her into the pool.
He hightailed into the house.
Chapter 2
Finn arrived at his studio at nine the next morning. He always needed time to prepare himself for a session. Last night, he’d looked Elise Preston up online and she was more than famous. She was the hottest thing in Hollywood.
It didn’t unnerve him, though. Finn wasn’t easily impressed.
He readied the session room. A hired cleaner had already disinfected the area, washed the floor and dusted. So he turned on his air machine which puffed out a lavender scent that permeated the space.
He dropped down into a recliner opposite the reiki chair and set the timer for one-half hour. Closing his eyes, he blanked his mind. He mentally repeated his mantra.May I be happy, healthy and at peace.
The chime rang and pulled him out of the zone. Feeling refreshed by the meditation, he went to his office off the waiting room and prepared the necessary paperwork. The forms asked for intimate details but not anything sexual. He returned a few phone calls then heard the knock on the front door. She was fifteen minutes early but he was ready.
He opened the door and found the beautiful woman standing there in a peach sundress and sandals to match. “Good morning, Ms. Preston.”
“Good morning, Mr. McKenna. You aren’t a doctor are you?”
“No. I have an MBA in business but soon learned it was not a fit for me. So I trained for a year and got certified to practice reiki. Come in.”
She practically glided inside. Her hair was in a ponytail and it swung freely behind her.
“We’ll sit in my office for a bit so you can fill out some forms.” They walked the short distance to the small room. “There’s a chair with a pull up arm for you to write.”
She settled in. “This first questionnaire deals with your physical health including your gynecological health. It also asks why you chose reiki. More of a why you’re here.” He handed her the papers. “The second one is about reiki. It explains the treatment. You’re required to state that you understand what you’re going to be doing and agree to it.”
She took a pen out of a big white purse. He studied her. “You’ll have to take out the tie in your hair before the session. Relaxation is a big part of the treatment and that style isn’t conducive to it.”
She nodded and set her hair free. It flowed past her shoulders in thick waves.
“Are you feeling all right, Ms. Preston?”
“Call me Elise. And no, I’m scared that I’ll say or do the wrong thing and you’ll kick me out again.”
“I promise I won’t do that.”
“Iamsorry for how I acted.” She was an actress but the words seemed genuine. He gave her the benefit of the doubt.
“You’ve already apologized. You’re forgiven. Now fill out those forms. I’m going to the reiki room.”
“Can I have water beforehand?”
“Yes of course. I want you to be relaxed.” He went the fridge in the waiting area and took two bottles. “I’ll be back to read the first one while you’re filling out the second.” He walked out of the small space.
* * *
“Whew!” Elise must have passed the test this time. She truly believed this man could help her. And she had nowhere else to turn. She took a minute to study the office for what it revealedabout Finn. Smooth teak furniture. Soothing sage green walls. Great artwork.
She went back to the forms. First up was name, of course, height and weight. Second was the history of her health. She’d broken her wrist once on a movie set. Had all her shots for diseases. Suffered a couple of sprained ankles. But that was in the past. Now, she was in good health, except for her inability to conceive. No, there was no history of uterine fibrosis. No endometriosis, no malformation of the uterus. She had regular periods all her life. But for two years, she hadn’t gotten pregnant. The natural way with a man she was close to. And five IVF treatments.
She sipped her water and stared at the paper.
“Almost done?”
