Stare Me Down (Stare Down) by Riley Murphy Page B

when he was gone. Taking a deep breath, she calmed her racing heart. What the hell was she doing? No, what had she done? Some therapist she was. She bent and pulled the shoe out from under the door throwing it inside the closet harder than she intended. It bounced off the interior wall then came back and hit her in the shin.
    “Ow!” Without hesitation, she kicked the runner in and slammed the door with a resounding bang.
    “Bad session?”
    Spinning around, she scowled at Maggie, who had just come into her office. “The worst.” She wasn’t going to sugarcoat things. She’d meant her promise to Ramsey. It was high time she dealt with her friend. “After more than a month of doing as you suggested and denying my attraction to him, I folded. Gave in. Gave up.” She nodded. “And I’m pretty sure I broke a couple of personal tenets and even if I didn’t, I’d definitely lose your respect if you knew what I did on that desk.”
    Maggie stopped short and stiffened. “Did you have sexual relations with Mr. Taylor on it?”
    She reminded Jaxx of a slightly younger Diane Keaton. She had the same kind of hair and always wore a turtleneck, regardless of the time of year. “Well, no, but I almost did, so I think that counts.”
    Maggie inclined her head and walked in that elegant way of hers. The royal glide that Jaxx envied. When she got to the upholstered rocker, she eased into it. Slow and measured movements. “Tell me everything. And for Pete’s sake, fix your hair. No one is going to take you seriously when you look like a gypsy.”
    Jaxx shucked off her shoes and bent under the desk to grab her slippers. When she stood with them in hand, she used one as a pointer and said, “I’ll tell you one thing. I’m never going to see that guy again. No way. It’s completely insane. Even now I’m aching in parts of my body that are‌—‌it’s not good or decent to be feeling tingles… So when he comes back here, you’re going to have to handle him.”
    “How do you know he’ll be back?”
    She plunked a hand down on his trunk. “He’ll be back for this.”
    “All right. Then it will be my pleasure to see that he gets it. So tell me what happened.”
    “I’m not sure.” She dropped her slippers in front of her and wiggled her right foot into one. “One moment we were swapping Rorschach tests, and the next I was stretched out against the open closet door, and he was…”
    “Yes?”
    She got her second slipper on and scowled. “The guy’s fast and clever. I, um, you know, and then when he un-taped me—”
    “Un-taped?” Maggie sat up straight
    “Yes, it’s a long story. But all you need to know right now is that I screwed up. That little voice in my head? You know the one. Well, it was very convincing this time and you know how hard I’ve been working to silence that chatter.”
    Maggie nodded and frowned.
    “Not to worry, though. I think it’s safe to say I ripped out its tongue before I almost ripped out his with my teeth. Oh, God.” She thought about her hand traveling along his length and what she’d said to him, and fell into her desk chair with a wail. “I made a huge fool of myself.”
    “How?”
    “I lost control. I lost my head. Worse? I’d do it all over again if I could.”
    “With the sex club owner? I knew this was going to happen. I told you not to do the one-on-one sessions. Jaxx.” Jaxx heard her disappointment loud and clear.
    “The man is‌—‌he’s…‌too hard to describe.”
    “In my day, we used to call a guy who looked like him a heartthrob.”
    “Oh, God, don’t remind me of his looks.”
    “So, it’s his tall, muscular frame that’s attracted you?”
    “Ugh, don’t add more fuel to the fire I’ve already got going on over him. I was trying to forget about his to-die-for body.”
    Maggie sat forward. “If it isn’t his looks or his body that you’re attracted to, what then?”
    “His brain.”
    “Oh, dear.”
    “Exactly. He’s got a fabulous