Page 53 of The Girlfriend Game
Twenty-Five
Zeke
“Why the hell did I get a report from Dr. Rush’s office indicating you are no longer using her services?”
Marek’s anger-laced voice shouts at me with warning from the other end of the phone. And like the immature asshole that I am, I snicker like a twelve-year-old boy when he says, “using her services.”
Because, yeah, we are most definitely servicing one another as of late. A mutually beneficial arrangement of the highest degree.
“You think this is funny, Zeke? The potential end of your contract?” A long-suffering sigh gushes out of his mouth indicating he is indeed at the end of his rope with me.
It’s obvious I’ve hit a nerve with Marek. He’s been nothing but accommodating since my incident on the court and I know he doesn’t want to lose me from the team, but he also has a responsibility to the team owners and fans to ensure I am stable before the next season.
“Calm down, Marek. Everything’s fine. I do still see a therapist, but I switched it up. I decided to try out one of the other doctors on the list. Dr. Yu.”
There’s a moment of reflective silence as I can practically see Marek’s wheels turning. Then he huffs out the inevitable question.
“Why did you switch and not tell me? The team has developed a great working relationship with Dr. Rush over the years. Did you say or do something to ruin that?”
You mean by fucking her? That’s affirmative.
But I don’t tell Marek about Kendall and me because she asked that we keep things quiet for now to allow some distance between our final client-patient appointment and the public start of our relationship. It’s obviously necessary to shield her reputation more than mine, but I also don’t want or need the club to know I’m dating and fucking my former therapist. It could seem uncouth and improper. I understand that.
So, I offer up a lame excuse that even to my own ears makes me sound like a spoiled, entitled dickhead. “I wasn’t comfortable with her methods in that setting.”
All true. Her methods, of course, were amazing, but I also don’t want Marek to think Kendall wasn’t doing her job effectively, which is far from the truth.
“Don’t get me wrong, Marek. Kendall...I mean, Dr. Rush is a terrific psychologist. Through my sessions with her, I learned a lot about myself, my past, and how to manage my mental health in a healthier manner.”
“It sounds that way, based on her report and analysis. I’m glad she helped you sort through things, Zeke. But then… why leave?”
I suck air through my clenched teeth. “Honestly? She was distracting.”
Again, a very true statement. It’s difficult to bare your soul to the doctor when all you can think about is burying your dick inside her.
Marek snorts. “You mean you found her too attractive?”
“Pretty much,” I agree. “I mean, I’d have to be dead not to notice how beautiful Kendall is. Maybe others don’t have a problem with it, but my head wasn’t in the right space to reconcile her beauty from her work.”
There’s a thoughtful pause from Marek and he sniffs to indicate his reticence. “Mmm-hmm. So, what I hear you saying, Zeke, is that you left her practice before you tried making the moves on her?”
Oh, shit. He’s setting a trap.Abort. Abort. Abort.
I clear my throat. “I can control my dick. Dr. Rush was very good at helping me work through my impulse control, and now I’ve transferred that work to Dr. Yu. He should be sending you his monthly report soon.”
These are all true statements, with the exception of the one teeny, tiny lie of omission, but I can’t tell Marek the real reason Kendall can’t be my therapist. At least, not right now.
All he needs to know is that I’ll continue to work with a psychologist to make strides in my mental health and pick up exactly where Kendall and I left off.
I can tell Marek is still reluctant to believe me based on his silence.
“Seriously, boss. I’m doing great. I feel a thousand times better than I did a few months ago. I can’t tell you how much it means to me that you went out on a limb to help me out. I promise you, I will be ready to make a complete comeback in September.”
“If I find out you’re faking this, Zeke, there will be hell to pay. Do you understand me? I do not want to have to clean-up another media mess. You’ll forgive me for being less than enthusiastic over your decision to change practices, considering it was just a month ago that you had another public outburst.”
I scoff when he says this because it was not entirely my fault. But whatever. With all the enjoyment I’ve experienced being with Kendall the past month, I’d shoved all thoughts of that asshole from the coffee shop and his libelous and false accusations toward me to the back of my mind.
Marek continues boastfully, obviously having not forgotten about it. “Which, by the way, we cleaned up on your behalf, so you don’t have to worry about a lawsuit.”
