The Scandalous Billionaires Collection (24 page)

She collapsed down on top of him, desperate
to cling to his body but he pushed her off of him and struggled
away.

"What are you doing Jason? Where are you
going?" She reached out for him, grasping at his ankles.

He shook his head and began looking around
for his clothes.

"I think our time is up." He said.

"What time?"

"Our time in therapy this morning. It's been
a… " he stopped, catching his breath, "a very productive hour."

"What?" Melissa scrambled to her feet. .

"I think that was the breakthrough I was
looking for. You've done extremely well Dr. Price."

"You can't leave."

"I told you I have to go. Our therapy is done
for now." He straightened his jacket. "Good look with your hearing
tomorrow. I don’t think you'll have anything to worry about."

Melissa felt a wave of angry tears begin to
well up inside her. How could he be so cold after what they had
just experienced together?

"Get out." She said. "Get out now."

"Melissa--"

"I said get out now and here." She ran to her
desk and jerked the drawer out so harshly that it flew into the
wall behind her, scattering the contents all over the floor: her
sketchpad together with Jason's telephone and journal.

He stooped to help her gather up the items as
she pushed the phone and journal towards him.

"Take your shit and get out of here."

"Don't you need them? For insurance against
me."

"I don't need anything from you. All I wanted
to do was help you and…" She felt the tears rise up again. "Just
get out."

He stood up and left without taking his
things. Melissa threw them across the room and watched them thunder
against the wall, rattle her Fernanda Salazar prints, and then
crash to the floor.

"They were right all along." She said in
tears. "Professional therapy never includes sex. Nobody wins.
Nobody except for that asshole Jason Demovic."

It was with a sense of freedom that Melissa sat in
the ante chamber awaiting her meeting with the all powerful board
of the ethics committee. She had asked herself if she really needed
to attend but being a thorough person and a born fighter, she had
chosen to stay and stand her ground, speak up in her own defense
and then say goodbye to her chosen profession forever.

There's more to life than therapy.
She
had been repeating to herself for the last four hours. Maybe
eventually she would even begin to believe it.

"You can come in now Dr. Price." The
receptionist informed her.

She knew most of the board members. There
were five in total comprising a mix of the old and venerable
together with the young and ambitious. One had been a professor of
hers while another had studied alongside her. One man looked far
too green to be there and watched her with obvious surprise as
though he couldn't imagine why an attractive woman like her had
needed to make a pass at an old man like William Kingsley.

"Please take a seat Dr. Price. How are you
today?" Her old professor asked her.

"Let's cut to the chase." She said sitting
down and shaking her long hair behind her. She was dressed
conspicuously casual today. "I'm not here for small talk."

The group was visibly taken aback and
exchanged glances.

The woman she had studied with took the
lead.

"Okay Melissa, here it is. Mr. William
Kingsley made a serious complaint against you."

"He's a lying slug." Melissa cut in. "A dog
turd rather than a client."

The young man on the board gulped as he felt
his trousers stretch. He could see why Kingsley might have come on
to Melissa, but the other way round? No way! This woman was
seriously hot.

"That he may be," another, older board member
who Melissa knew only by name said, "but I guess you'll be happy to
know that he no longer wishes to proceed with the complaint."

Melissa was stunned for a moment, then threw
back her head and let out a long laugh to the discomfort of the
entire board.

Jason Demovic.
She thought.
The
beautiful, arrogant bastard did it in the end.

"Did the slug say why?" She asked.

"No Melissa," her professor answered, "the
'slug', as you deem him, did not say why."

Melissa let out another long laugh and then
stood up.

"So are we done here?" She said.

"Not quite." The fifth member of the board
said.

"Who are you?" Melissa asked.

"Dr. Ronald Smith, Dr. David Smith's brother.
I believe you know my brother, don't you?"

Melissa sat down again and relaxed back into
the seat.

"Sure I do Ron, your kid brother is my
supervising shrink. Has he told you any juicy details about our
sessions together?"

Ronald gave her a cold look.

"Of course not. That would be highly
unprofessional. However, he was at liberty to pass the following
documents and materials on to me which he claims to have received
from you."

Melissa was again shocked and felt her heart
race. Not that she cared about losing her license to practice
anymore, but David… she had begged him to help her when they had
last met. It was the day she had returned from Paris, battered and
confused from her wild experiences with the predatory billionaire.
She had entrusted information to her supervisor in order to help
prevent Demovic from potentially ruining her.

"Shoot." She said. What the hell did it all
mean now anyway?

"First we have a video clip taken I believe,
in Paris." Ronald continued.

She had copied everything from Jason's phone
to have a record of his dealings with Sandy, but of course the
other video footage had been on there too. When she had found the
messages from Sandy on Jason's phone referencing the information
about her that he had sold for thousands of dollars she had sacked
her friend immediately. She understood his motivations, but
couldn’t live with his actions.

"No need to show it Ronald. Unless it's for
your own pleasure."

He hesitated.

"I think it might give us all a better
idea--"

The professor intervened.

"No need Ronald. I think we all know what's
on there already. Was that you Melissa?"

She smiled and shrugged her shoulders and
then kicked back even further in the seat.

"Next we have a copy of a personal diary
which David says you stole from Mr. Jason Demovic, a recent client
of yours. You provided a copy to my brother with the intention of
blackmailing your wealthy client."

Melissa sat up.

"Now
that
, is total bullshit." She
said sitting up. "If you arrogant, smug assholes have a criminal
charge against me then you can contact my lawyers. I have better
things to do today than listen to this crap. The ducks in the park
won't feed themselves you know."

"I think you'll find they actually do feed
themselves." The young man said.

"Where'd you get this genius?" Melissa said
and then raised her hand in front of her face. "Don't answer that.
If you need me I'll be in Central Park. Otherwise contact my
lawyers."

She didn't wait to hear the response of the
shocked board members. Clicking down the steps of the building she
hailed a cab.

"Where's it to be?" The driver asked her.

"Where's the best spot to feed the ducks in
Central Park this time of day?"

"Don’t worry lady, I know just the spot."

When she finally found the ducks she realized
she didn't have anything to give them so instead she just sat in
the New York morning sunshine and watched clouds. She hadn't felt
so at peace in years. Only one thing bothered her; the medical
bills. She still had money to pay interest on them for several more
months, maybe even longer than that once she downsized her
apartment and whatever else she could be reduced in her already
frugal lifestyle. Maybe she would even move back to Ohio and look
for some kind of interim work there while she decided what to do
next with her life.

A shadow came over her and she heard words in
a familiar voice as though from far very away.

"Melissa, thank God I've found you."

It was the last voice she wanted to hear. She
didn't move.

"What the hell do
you
want?"

David sat down next to her.

"What do I want? What I've always wanted, to
help you of course."

"Is that what you call betraying my trust and
generally messing up my life? Helping me?"

He sat down beside her and Melissa felt
herself physically recoil.

"I had no choice. You broke the bond of trust
between a client and then instead of cleaning up your act you went
on a romantic jaunt with another and begged him to sleep with you.
Then you stole his phone and his diary and passed both on to a
third party. You only had to read the man's diary to see he had a
serious transference issue with his therapist which you clearly
abused. I couldn’t let you continue to practice. It wouldn't be
fair on anyone, not least of all you."

Melissa lay still on the grass. All of it was
true. She was a screw up as a therapist and David didn't even know
the half of it. Nobody did except for that ruthless, heartless
barracuda of a human being, Jason Demovic. But what did he care? He
was cured now, so he could go back to screwing bimbos like he
always had done prior to Tracy Dunleavy messing with his head at
his high school reunion.

David's hand on her hair brought her back to
reality.

"And now we're free." He said softly.

Melissa went rigid with instinctive
revulsion.

"What are you talking about David?"

"We're free at last to express our true
feelings to each other."

"What true feelings?" She pushed herself up
onto her elbows.

"There's no need to pretend anymore Melissa,
you know you've been feeling it as strong as I have all these years
and now we can finally be with each other."

She began to move away from him but he caught
her by the wrist.

"What are you doing David? Get away from
me."

"Don't be afraid Melissa, there's nothing you
have to hide anymore, we're just two people in love--"

"In love!" Melissa scrambled backwards in
shock and David came after her, falling on top of her.

"David, get off of me or I'll scream."

His paunch was pressed up against her abdomen
and she could feel his breath on her face. He had had coffee and
donuts for breakfast.

"Please don't do that Melissa." He said. She
opened her mouth but he put his hand across it and her scream was
stifled. She tried to deliver a knee into his groin but couldn't
find it. Looking around she saw no-one who could help, just distant
joggers engrossed in their running tunes and focused on their
morning runs.

She felt David's other hand on her wrist,
pushing it down. What the hell was he going to do? This was really
happening.

Then just as suddenly, she was free. David
had been lifted bodily from her and thrust against a tree.

"No, no, no!" He screamed. "Don't hurt me."
His hands were lifted to cover his face as he cowered before the
bigger man in front of him.

Melissa gagged for breath and watched the
scene in amazement. Her rescuer was dressed in expensive jogging
gear and looked incredibly athletic. A hoody obscured his face.

"Jason Demovic." David said with hatred.

"That's right David, now get out of here
before I break you in half."

"Touch me and you'll find out that the law in
New York applies to rich assholes like you just as much as--"

Jason landed a punch on David's jaw that sent
his head sideways and laid him out on the ground.

After a stunned moment he scrambled to get up
again.

"Oh my God no, please don't hurt me, please.
I won't press charges, please."

Jason yanked him up from the ground and
pinned him against the tree with one hand. He held up his phone
with the other and hit play on a video clip.

"Here's you assaulting your colleague Dr.
Melissa Price." He punched David again. "Now get out of here and go
talk to your lawyers because Dr. Price will be pressing charges."
Jason shoved him away.

"Fuck you Demovic." David said. "I've got
something you want way more than that sorry screw up over there."
He nodded to Melissa.

Jason raised his fist again. "Get out of here
you piece of crap."

David cowered and turned to leave. "I'm going
rich boy, but you haven't heard the last of me. Your abuser over
there gave me something that you're going to want back. I'll be in
touch."

Jason made as if to go after him and David
nearly fell over trying to get away.

Melissa was still on the ground and watched
Jason in amazement.

"What are you doing here?" She said.

"What does it look like? I'm taking care of
my investment. You just saved my life Dr. Price. Our last session
was extremely productive but I still need more therapy. Assuming
you've calmed down from your outburst yesterday of course."

Melissa was too stunned for words.

Jason reached his hand out to her and when
she took it he jerked her up into his arms. Holding her tightly he
became very tender, his eyes scanning her face and hair for any
sign of injury.

"Did that pond scum hurt you?" He growled and
then looked over his shoulder to see if David was still in
sight.

"It's okay. He didn't get very far. You were
just in time." Investment he had said. Was that what she really
meant to him? Was that why he was following her around Manhattan
and watching over her like a bodyguard?

Who gives a damn?
She thought. She had
no reason to care anymore. Her career was officially gone so she
could do whatever she wanted from now on. If Jason Demovic, New
York's youngest, sexiest billionaire bachelor wanted more 'therapy'
then why on earth would she ever say no?