Curing Doctor Vincent (The Good Doctor Trilogy Book 1) by Renea Mason

“Thank you. X is a lucky man.”
    “It’s no problem. Take
care of Miriam.” He gathered his things and left.
    I sighed.
    “Hey, being stuck
with me ain’t so bad.”
    I laughed. “That wasn’t
what I was sighing about.”
    “I know.” Marco kissed me on the forehead. “Give him some time.
He has a lot to process. Let’s get you back so you can freshen up.”

 
 
 
 
    Chapter Eight
    Engagement

 
    On the way home,
Marco pointed out landmarks and told stories of several drunken escapades that
happened at some of the finer watering holes.
    He had once spent
weekends playing in piano bars while working his way through college and his
dreams of being an international underwear model were squashed by the demand
for his IQ.
    He was fascinating,
but I couldn’t stop thinking about the doctor. Was he angry? Did I push too
far? I understood abuse, but what drove him to his abstinence, even in
marriage? The more I thought about it the more I needed answers.
    My captive audience
would be a good start.
    “Did you know Lydia?”
    “Yes. Wonderful
woman. Beautiful. Very…very worldly. She had an elegance about her, but you
always wondered if underneath she wasn’t wearing a leather bustier. Sexy. Mysterious.”
    I ignored the pang of
jealousy. I had no claim on the doctor. How would I ever compare with that?
    Marco sighed, “There
is something about a confident older woman. I mean that’s why Sebastian married
Miriam.”
    “Older? How much
older?”
    “Well, X is
thirty-four, so that would make Lydia fifty-three.”
    “She was nineteen
years older than him?”
    He leaned over to
grab a bottle of water and raised it to his lips. “Yes, but she didn’t look a
day over thirty. Lucky bastard.”
    “I’ll have to take
your word for it.” Something about the story didn’t feel right. I had assumed
she was his age. “She was practically old enough to be his mother.”
    Marco leaned in as
though he was afraid someone might hear. “You hear all these cases about female
teachers seducing young male students and everyone gets up in arms. Lydia
waited until he was of age, but they got married soon after X graduated med.
school. Since he started university at sixteen he was a married man in his
early twenties.”
    “I knew they met in
college, but…”
    “He signed up for one
of her classes on sexual disorders. That’s how they originally met. They got to
know each other, she agreed to ‘treat’ him and that’s when things took a turn
for the unconventional.”
    “Isn’t that against
the rules? She was his psychiatrist, an established practicing psychiatrist, a specialist
in sexual disorders and a professor at the university. How did she get away
with that?
    “She didn’t. That’s
why they moved to Paris. The university asked her to leave.”
    “I’m really confused
now. She was an expert. How did she not help Xavier with his…problem?”
    The silence was
deafening, as Marco leaned forward to stare out the window.
    “What?”
    Marco cleared his
throat. “Do you want X’s explanation or do you want my theory? If I share it
with you, you need to keep it quiet. Xavier wouldn’t appreciate it.”
    “My lips are sealed.”
    He shifted in his
seat and ran his hand through his hair. “I knew Lydia, but not well. Most of
what I know is second hand from X. I made the mistake of suggesting once to him
that perhaps the reason he never solved his problem was that there was no
incentive for her to help. I mean, talk about having your cake and eating it
too. Get to have two gorgeous lovers in private and hang on X’s arm in public. He
didn’t take too kindly to my opinion and threatened to send me back to the States
if I ever spoke ill of his wife again.”
    He had an excellent
point. Why would you work to cure someone when it would do nothing but cramp
your lifestyle? In her position, she had complete control. I had to know more.
    “Was she vindictive
like that?”
    “No, she wasn’t
vindictive. But