Page 43 of The Lessons

Fuck.

I don’t know what had come over me. Seeing her in that short skirt and with that guy’s arm around her—it was like a fuse blew in my brain. And why had she asked me what my sign was?

I needed to be careful from here on out.

I sat down at my desk and opened my email. I was anxious for a report from Dr. Lerner. I was very curious about how Natalie was weathering all this change. Okay, scratch that. Yes, I was concerned for her well-being, but I also wanted to know if she’d said anything about me.

Real fuckin’ sixth grade, right?

I scanned my inbox and right there, second from the top, one short line called my name.

“Update on P#1293”

SFCS used numbers instead of names on all documentation to ensure total client confidentiality. Pretty smooth, huh? As I double clicked it, I could feel my pulse go through the roof.

To: Ryan Andrews

From: Dr. Lisa Lerner

Subject: Update on P#1293

Mr. Andrews,

I trust this email finds you well. I wanted to give you a quick update on P#1293.

We met this morning and had quite an illuminating discussion. I won’t drown you with the details (you can see my notes, attached), but suffice it to say, I think we are off to a solid start.

One item to watch for is that the subject seems to be a case-study people-pleaser. It may require that you take extra steps to ensure she is genuinely learning from her work with you rather than progressing simply because of her innate need to perform.

Please review the notes, and if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to call me on Monday.

Regards,

Lisa

I reread the email and her notes two more times, trying to find evidence of Natalie’s mutual attraction, but there was nothing. She’d betrayed nothing, passed no secret message through her doctor, nor had Lisa given up anything. The email sounded like every other client email.

My stomach felt like a kite caught in a tornado.

Chapter Fourteen

Natalie

“He’s very good-looking. Too bad he’s gay.” Paulina pouted.

“Well, Natalie, next time he’s in town, you have to invite us out with you. Gay guys are the best to go out clubbing with.”

I looked across the table at Renee and Justine. My coworkers and I were out at lunch, having a realSex In the Citymoment. Strangely enough, I didn’t hate it. In fact, I was kind of enjoying myself.

Justine’s eyes flew open. “Oh, my God, Paulina, I didn’t tell you about how my date with Hollis went!”

Paulina scrunched her brow. “Wait. When did you guys go out? I thought that was tomorrow night?”

“Nope. Last night!”

“Oh, MY GOD. How did it go? What did you guys end up doing?”

Justine went on to animatedly describe their dinner at Delfina, a hip Italian spot. I zoned in and out of the conversation. Ryan’s text to me yesterday had me checking and rechecking my phone like a mad woman. I don’t know why I thought I’d get another text. It wasn’t like I’d seen him since Sidewalk-gate, but hey, a girl could hope.

---