You look better,” he pronounced.
“Oh?”
“There’s a new sparkle in your eye. Right… there.” He swiped a gentle fingertip under Jack’s right eye. Michael’s eyes grew heated as if catching a spark.
“You’re dangerous,” Jack said to him with a low, throaty chuckle. He felt a tickle of the old Mighty Jack deep in his gut. Apparently, having been roused the other night by that session with Tony DeMarco, that part of him had not gone entirely back to sleep.
“Me? I’m a kitten.” Michael batted his eyes coyly.
“You’re a kitten like a python is a snake. Stop trying to seduce an old war veteran.”
“Do you really want me to stop?” Michael probed.
“ Yes .” Jack moved to leave the kitchen.
Michael shrugged. “Okay. Got any new patients for me?”
Jack stopped in the doorway, his smiled fading. “Maybe. I’ll let you know.”
J ACK needed advice. He invited Trudy to lunch. They decided to leave the office and head for a Vietnamese Pho restaurant down on Broadway. They were seated and served, the smell of plum sauce and lime redolent in the air, before Jack broached the subject.
“I need to talk to you about a patient.”
“Oh? Which patient?” Trudy asked.
“Tony DeMarco.”
Trudy raised a well-groomed eyebrow. Her expression said she wasn’t entirely surprised. “Go on then. Tell me all about Mr. DeMarco.”
Jack stirred his soup. “Last Friday he came to the clinic in the evening. I was there late and he just showed up. I could tell he was having a ‘hallelujah moment.’”
Trudy nodded. “Go on.”
“I hadn’t arranged anything with Michael yet, and, anyway, I remembered he said he was going to the islands for the weekend. I didn’t want to send Tony away empty handed. You know how it is with ED patients. So I gave him touch therapy.”
She leaned forward with interest. “Okay. And?”
Jack’s right hand trembled on the soup spoon. He switched to his left and stuffed his right into his lap. He kept his emotions carefully schooled behind his doctor’s mask. “He achieved an erection during the massage. I asked if he wanted me to leave him alone to masturbate, or if he wanted me to do it for him. He asked me to do it, so I manually brought him to orgasm. Given that he hadn’t had sex with another person since his ex left two years ago, I thought it was a positive outcome.”
“And was Mr. DeMarco pleased with that outcome?”
“He seemed to be.”
“And have you spoken to Michael?”
Jack knew what she was saying. One time was one thing, but if Tony needed any further hands-on therapy, it should be Michael who provided it. That was not part of Jack’s job description any more.
“Not yet. I’ve outlined a possible surrogacy plan, but I need to go over it with Tony. I’ll e-mail a copy of it to you as soon as we get back to the office.”
“Okay. Now why don’t you tell me what the real problem is?” Trudy looked like she already suspected, and Jack felt ten ways the fool. But he had to be honest and tell her.
Jack swallowed. “I’m very attracted to Tony.” He met her eyes, embarrassed. “And I’m pretty sure he wants more from me than a doctor-patient relationship. He asked me to go hiking with him. I turned him down.”
Trudy took a careful spoonful of soup as if letting that sink in. “And you knew this when you gave him massage therapy?”
“No. I mean, yes, I thought he was attractive the first time he came into my office, but I had it under control. Looking back, I guess I was deluding myself on that score,” Jack admitted ruefully.
“Did he touch you during the massage?”
Jack felt himself blushing. “No. Nothing unusual happened except that I got aroused. I didn’t let him know.” Jack shook his head in frustration. “The problem is now I’m… I’m developing feelings for him. I find myself thinking about him a lot. And the other night I had a dream about him. It was not R-rated.”
That was an
“Oh?”
“There’s a new sparkle in your eye. Right… there.” He swiped a gentle fingertip under Jack’s right eye. Michael’s eyes grew heated as if catching a spark.
“You’re dangerous,” Jack said to him with a low, throaty chuckle. He felt a tickle of the old Mighty Jack deep in his gut. Apparently, having been roused the other night by that session with Tony DeMarco, that part of him had not gone entirely back to sleep.
“Me? I’m a kitten.” Michael batted his eyes coyly.
“You’re a kitten like a python is a snake. Stop trying to seduce an old war veteran.”
“Do you really want me to stop?” Michael probed.
“ Yes .” Jack moved to leave the kitchen.
Michael shrugged. “Okay. Got any new patients for me?”
Jack stopped in the doorway, his smiled fading. “Maybe. I’ll let you know.”
J ACK needed advice. He invited Trudy to lunch. They decided to leave the office and head for a Vietnamese Pho restaurant down on Broadway. They were seated and served, the smell of plum sauce and lime redolent in the air, before Jack broached the subject.
“I need to talk to you about a patient.”
“Oh? Which patient?” Trudy asked.
“Tony DeMarco.”
Trudy raised a well-groomed eyebrow. Her expression said she wasn’t entirely surprised. “Go on then. Tell me all about Mr. DeMarco.”
Jack stirred his soup. “Last Friday he came to the clinic in the evening. I was there late and he just showed up. I could tell he was having a ‘hallelujah moment.’”
Trudy nodded. “Go on.”
“I hadn’t arranged anything with Michael yet, and, anyway, I remembered he said he was going to the islands for the weekend. I didn’t want to send Tony away empty handed. You know how it is with ED patients. So I gave him touch therapy.”
She leaned forward with interest. “Okay. And?”
Jack’s right hand trembled on the soup spoon. He switched to his left and stuffed his right into his lap. He kept his emotions carefully schooled behind his doctor’s mask. “He achieved an erection during the massage. I asked if he wanted me to leave him alone to masturbate, or if he wanted me to do it for him. He asked me to do it, so I manually brought him to orgasm. Given that he hadn’t had sex with another person since his ex left two years ago, I thought it was a positive outcome.”
“And was Mr. DeMarco pleased with that outcome?”
“He seemed to be.”
“And have you spoken to Michael?”
Jack knew what she was saying. One time was one thing, but if Tony needed any further hands-on therapy, it should be Michael who provided it. That was not part of Jack’s job description any more.
“Not yet. I’ve outlined a possible surrogacy plan, but I need to go over it with Tony. I’ll e-mail a copy of it to you as soon as we get back to the office.”
“Okay. Now why don’t you tell me what the real problem is?” Trudy looked like she already suspected, and Jack felt ten ways the fool. But he had to be honest and tell her.
Jack swallowed. “I’m very attracted to Tony.” He met her eyes, embarrassed. “And I’m pretty sure he wants more from me than a doctor-patient relationship. He asked me to go hiking with him. I turned him down.”
Trudy took a careful spoonful of soup as if letting that sink in. “And you knew this when you gave him massage therapy?”
“No. I mean, yes, I thought he was attractive the first time he came into my office, but I had it under control. Looking back, I guess I was deluding myself on that score,” Jack admitted ruefully.
“Did he touch you during the massage?”
Jack felt himself blushing. “No. Nothing unusual happened except that I got aroused. I didn’t let him know.” Jack shook his head in frustration. “The problem is now I’m… I’m developing feelings for him. I find myself thinking about him a lot. And the other night I had a dream about him. It was not R-rated.”
That was an
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