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She spun toward the voice and her eyes rounded. “No way. Matt? What the hell…”
He was lying on the sofa, his hands crossed under his head.
“The first time you saw me, you told me to call your office and make an appointment. So I did.”
Frozen in place, jaw sagging, she stared at him, not sure whether or not he was joking.
“Am I supposed to talk or do you ask questions, Dr. Hammer?”
She tilted her head, squinting. “Are you serious?”
He heaved a loud sigh. “I’m a busy man. I had enough trouble sparing an hour to come. Let’s get to business.”
Good God, hewasserious. “You want to be analyzed?”
Sucking in a deep breath, Brenda mentally steeled herself.
“Yes, Dr. Hammer. I want you to help me do some soul-searching about my previous relationships.”
“You mean your marriage?” Puzzled, Brenda didn’t move from her place, a couple of steps away from the sofa. “Ah… Hmm… What troubles you?”
His expression remained impassive. “Women. My ex and the new one in my life.”
“Ah.”
She pulled over a chair, sat next to the sofa, and opened her tablet. Good God, she’d have to listen to him baring his soul about his ex and maybe… About her?
“You see, I was a shy young man, a nerd, determined to study hard and get my medical degree. I wasn’t really into flirting and preferred to avoid dating. So how did I meet a girl as beautiful and flashy as Cybil?”
“Through her cousin,” Brenda blurted. “We’ve heard the story.”
“No, ma’am. That’s the official version. Fact is in my last year of residency, I met her father and brother at a medical conference. Her father and I talked a lot. He seemed quite interested in my future plans. A month later, Jocelyn’s husband who was in our class called me out of the blue and invited me to their New Year’s Eve party. Having nothing better to do I went. Cybil was there, resplendent.”
“You couldn’t help falling in love the moment you saw her.” She ripped out the words impatiently, her heart twitching with belated jealousy.
“Dr. Hammer, you read too many romance novels.” He grimaced, a flash of humor crossing his face. “Truth is I panicked at the sight of this flamboyant blonde, and I thoughttoo much for you, Matt.”
“Really?” she stilled, hope welling in her heart. Maybe flashy blondes weren’t his thing.
“I started talking to another guest, one more to my level and taste, but Cybil wasn’t the type of woman who’d allow anyone to ignore her. Unfortunately, she and her daddy had decided I should be her adoring husband. She managed to pull me away, insisted we had so much in common—fathers who are doctors—and dragged me onto the dance floor. The next thing I knew we were kissing on the patio, in spite of the cold, and she asked me to drive her to her hotel.”
Brenda squeezed her eyes shut, trying to blot out some vivid and repulsive images of lovemaking. “Spare me the bedroom details. They aren’t needed for the analysis.”
“Maybe not. But here’s something weird. I couldn’t help noticing that her seduction technique was similar to following a recipe in a cookbook. Start with one erotic zone after another. The worst part was when she declared there was such an incredible fire between us. Fire, my foot, not even a sparkle on my side.” He huffed and shook his head.
Acid churned in Brenda’s stomach and she snarled. “So why didn’t you stop her?”
“I tried.” His head spun toward her. “Honestly, I did. Politely, gently in my own shy way. It didn’t work. Cybil stayed at the hotel for a month, coming to see me at the end of my shifts, and insisting I should rest with her at the hotel.”
“No way.” Anger shimmered inside her.
“At the end of a shift, all I want is sleep. She’d let me sleep in her bed and make sure she was back when I woke up. She convinced everyone I was crazy about her, and her father told mine that ‘the kids wereincrediblyin love.’ Somehow, she ended up convincing me, too. At the end of the month, she was onto a ring and a church wedding.”
His eyes focused on her.
She held her breath.
“We got engaged and were married three months later.”
