Page 97 of Sex Coach

"Is this why you took Whitley on as a client?" she asked. She cocked a brow at my look. "I know that's what she is. Did you choose her to get back at him ?"

"First, she chose me," I pointed out. "I screen all my clients, and when I realized who she was married to...I could have said no. I elected not to. I thought it would be a good way to get information on him ."

"And while you're doing it, you're banging his wife," she added .

"I think what I do is a bit more than banging," I said bluntly. "And she came to me. Her husband hasn't touched her in three years, and on top of that, she's a lonely woman married to a dick ."

Michelle held up her hands. "Okay, okay..." She still had an odd look in her eyes. "If you say you didn't take her on because of who she is, then I believe you ."

Those words unsettled me, and I wondered if maybe there had been some bigger part of me that had looked to Whitley and wondered if I could use her .

I didn't like that part of me. Not at all .

"Look," I said roughly. "He doesn't give a damn about her, save for the fact that she's beautiful and her parents have connections in DC. He's already made noises about getting a divorce, but he doesn't want to lose those connections ."

As Michelle continued to watch me, I added, "Besides, I like her. She's a nice lady, and she's trapped in a bad marriage. I wouldn't use her just to hurt him ."

"You thought about it, though," she murmured .

"I think about a lot of things. That doesn't mean I'll do them ."

"Okay." She nodded and looked away. "You'll have to find a way to get the truth from him if you ever want to be free of this ."

"I'm sure he's ready to just blurt it out ."

To my surprise, a faint smile curved her lips .

Before I could ask about it though, she said, "Did it ever occur to you that maybe he's the reason people found out about Whitley ?"

"What?"

She shrugged and cast me a quick look. "We tell our secrets to those who matter. Maybe she told him...or somebody close to him, and word got back to him. Maybe he hired an investigator who's been following her, and they know about you. If he wants a divorce, the best way to get it is to paint her in a bad light...and wow, has he done that ."

Mind whirling, I thought about what she said. But then... "No. That doesn't make sense. Whitley said she never told him about the attack ."

"But she told the cops. Her parents. People knew ." Michelle shrugged. "All he had to do was find somebody who did know and who was willing to talk ."

---