Falling for Him 4 (Rachel and Peter in Love) Page 2

  It was his fault that she had almost killed herself and he was determined to change quite a few things. It was time for her to grow up! He realized that now and had already taken the initial steps in that direction.

  Walking to stand at the foot of her bed, he waited until she gave him her full attention before he spoke. “Sweetie, I talked to the doctors and they told me you had a serious mental breakdown. They have recommended, and I agree, that you go to rehab."

  Mr. Bishop held his breath while he waited for Lara to react. He didn’t want to alienate his daughter in her time of need, but he was afraid of what might happen if she didn’t receive some help.

  How would she react when she found out they want her to receive psychological treatment? Would she turn her anger on him? He felt entirely responsible for her present inability to deal with life.

  When Lara didn’t blow up at him, or demand for him to obtain her release, he took a shallow breath; and then another. He waited patiently for an answer as several emotions crossed her face – sadness, hurt, and despair.

  Her life had spiraled out of her control, and frankly, she needed help to get it back.

  She slowly nodded her head. "Maybe you're right, dad."

  Mr. Bishop sighed in relief, but his heart broke in two as he gazed at his only daughter who was looking at him like a wounded animal. She was hurting, and it was his job to ensure she received the proper help to make the pain stop!

  Chapter 4

  After what seemed an endless drive with her father’s private driver Lara arrived at Sunset Malibu. The private holistic treatment center is located right on the coast, with a private beach, secluded property, and all the luxuries someone of Lara’s social class had come to expect.

  Mr. Bishop’s name and money, arrange a place in the most prestigious location, and with the best doctors and therapists his money could buy within a few short days.

  Sunset Malibu was a world-renowned rehab center, specializing in the treatment of addictions, suicide, and depression. Many celebrities and high-profile people had spent time in the facility with remarkable results.

  Lara looked around her room and noticed it was gorgeous in an understated way. The small sitting area in front of the white marble fireplace, combined with the slate blue walls, and white bed linens, gave the place a clean and refreshing appearance.

  A friendly staff member helped her to put her belongings away and explained the amenities and house rules in detail. The facility boasted a gourmet dining room, full spa, and weight training facility. It also offered such activities as yoga, massage, and acupuncture therapy.

  Lara was nervous upon her arrival, but after only a few minutes she found herself relaxing and looking forward to getting better. This didn’t feel like hospital, but much more like a wellness spa. She could do spa. In fact, she almost enjoyed being here.

  “Ma’am, if you’ll follow me, I’ll show you where Dr. Richard’s meeting room is.”

  Lara gave the attendant an absent smile, while she pondered whether they offered manicure and pedicure services as well. She quietly followed her out of her room and down several hallways. The décor was splendid, and every room she passed spread a light and airy atmosphere. What a difference to the county hospital she’d been to before.

  “Here it is. He’ll be with you shortly.”

  Lara entered the room, surprised to see it looking more like a sitting room in any one of her friend’s houses, rather than a treatment or therapy room. She sat down in one of the bamboo-cushioned chairs, wondering what kind of man Dr. Richards was.

  She didn’t have long to wonder. When the late twenty-something man walked into the room, Lara found herself unable to take her eyes off of him. He was an amazingly good-looking man. He was tall, about 6’3” in height, and very tan. His black hair was full and thick, and wavy, inviting one to push their hands through it to see if it really was as soft as it appeared.

  As she looked at him, she wondered what color his eyes were. He had them cast downward, looking over what she assumed was her chart, and had yet to look up and see that she was already in the room.

  He was gorgeous in a model-sort of way. It was obvious he worked out, by the muscle definition his dressed shirt attempted to hide, but not like a body-builder. No, his muscles appeared more refined and she wondered what kind of activity he used to keep himself in shape.

  Lara fidgeted in her seat, drawing his attention with a sharp rise of his head. His eyes were brown – warm brown, like melted chocolate. Eyes that seemed to be able to look directly into her soul.

  Lara had been attracted to him instantly, but now she was blown away. She found herself drawn into his eyes, wishing to get lost in them forever. She hoped this first interview wasn’t going to be full of hard questions, as she was already having difficulty remembering why she was here.

  His dark and masculine voice provided even more of a distraction and she found herself struggling to focus on what he was saying. "Good morning, Ms. Bishop. My name is David Richards. I’m assigned to you during your stay here and I’ll be your main contact and treating physician.”

  Lara almost groaned, "Mr. Richards."

  "Please call me David. This is a custom in our house. We do this to make you feel more comfortable; less like a patient. May I call you Lara?"

  Lara nodded her head, "Yes, please. Mr. Rich… uhm…David.When will I be released?" she asked as she met his gaze.

  She really did need to get out of there quickly. Then again, as she thought about it, what did she have to go back to? Her life was a mess! Stopping herself, she pushed aside those negative thoughts. She had lots of reasons to be out of here! She couldn’t very well put her life back together inside this place!

  ***

  David couldn't help but smile in amusement. He took the seat next to her and observed her for a moment before answering. The young woman sitting next to him had just suffered a severe nervous breakdown, brought on after attempting to jump from the roof of an office building, and all she wanted was to leave.

  They were all the same. The celebrities who came here wanted to be fixed as quickly as possible so they could go back to their old lifestyle in society. Inevitably, they would come back in one to two years’ time with the same condition. They weren’t interested in true recovery, just a Band-Aid that fixed their symptoms.

  Sometimes he hated his job. He wanted to help people transform their lives and truly get better. He didn't want to just fix the symptoms. He wanted to help identify the underlying problem and keep the same patient from coming back again and again.

  Preparing himself for the usual pushback, he replied, "Lara, that all depends on your progress. I am not able to make any predictions right now. It can be weeks or months. It's up to you."

  He watched as she sighed again. That was not what she wanted to hear. He expected if he asked he’d hear the usual excuses. Family. Appearances. Work. Boyfriend. All of them would seem important to her previous lifestyle, but none of them would help her recover!

  It took a few moments, before she answered him with a carefully crafted statement. He gave her marks for looking him in the eye as she stated firmly, "I need to be out soon. I have responsibilities."

  David had been on duty the last 24 hours and it had been a very long night. The last thing he needed was another irresponsible patient causing trouble.

  This woman was incredibly attractive, and he could already tell she was used to getting everything she wanted. Studying her file, he hadn’t been surprised to see that she came from a wealthy background, or that she’d been an only child.

  Even though he’d never admit it, he felt an immense attraction to her. She was gorgeous and when she gave him a tentative smile, he could see how she was used to having everyone jump to appease her wishes. But there was something else, something that made him want to protect her, to take her into his arms and tell her everything would be fine.

  David immediately slammed the door on those thoughts and mentally chided
himself for letting his baser thoughts override his professionalism. He was her doctor and any thoughts that put her in the category of desirable woman, rather than needy patient, were completely off limits!

  In a harsh tone, he said "Did you think about those responsibilities when you wanted to jump from the top of that building? Fifteen stories, wasn’t it?"

  He immediately regretted his hasty reaction. He needed to contain his anger in a better way. Pushing his left hand through his hair, he looked at her and cringed as she prepared to respond to his statement.

  David wasn’t about to apologize to her. While he felt sorry for the harshness of his tone, he intended to start as he meant to continue – by making her face reality!

  ***

  Lara couldn’t believe he had just spoken to her in such a way. He was a doctor for crying out loud! He was supposed to be supportive and helpful, not judgmental and sarcastic. She fumed as she struggled to control her voice, "How dare you talk like this to me? Do you know who I am?"

  Lara watched him through narrowed eyes, waiting for him to realize his error and apologize. She would not be treated like this! When David just sat in his seat, calmly observing her, her ire grew even more. Why wasn’t he intimidated by her? Everyone else she knew would have been scrambling all over themselves to apologize.

  His voice was calmer and he appeared to be trying to recover his professional manner when he responded to her. "Lara, I have read your file and I do know who you are. But, those facts are not important in our house. It’s one of the main reasons why we use first names here. You are just a normal person here. No preferences are given to anyone. And let me tell you, there are even richer and more famous people in our house than you are.”

  She silently processed that information; unaware that her expressive face was giving away the fact that she really wanted to curse him. Gaining control of herself, she prepared herself for his next, pushing aside the anger she knew was most likely showing on her face. She narrowed her eyes at him briefly when he forced a cough. Was he laughing at her? She’d show him who was the boss here!

  More determined than ever to gain the upper hand, she placed her sweetest smile on her face. She used her softest and most melodic voice, batted her eyes for effect, and then told him, "I understand the need for anonymity, I really do. And I'm thankful for all your help, but I really do need to get out of here immediately."

  ***

  David mentally shook his head in resignation. He could see right through her mask and smiled openly when he noticed what she intended. The charm attack.

  His smile disappeared just as quickly when her patronizing words registered. He watched her with a look of part disgust and sympathy. These society ladies were all the same. Selfish, egocentric, irresponsible, and always blaming someone else. Sometimes he really hated his job!

  "Lara, you are free to leave whenever you wish. This is not a closed institution. But you might want to consider one thing before you make your decision. If the judge believes you’re still suicidal, the court might force you to go to a state hospital for therapy and treatment."

  "A state hospital? Like a mental hospital? Are you trying to threaten me?" Lara shivered, not quite sure if he was serious or just trying to bend her to his will.

  "Lara, I'm here to help.” David softened his voice and gave her his most sincere look. “We'll talk tomorrow, after you’ve had a chance to settle in and get a good night’s sleep.”

  Chapter 5

  Lara was bored. She needed diversion. Flirting with David seemed like the perfect game to play. They met everyday in the morning, and then again after lunch. And with each meeting she found him even more attractive and daydreamed about making out with him. She’d decided that getting David to kiss her was the number one goal of her stay here.

  The first step was to spend more time with him. She put that plan into action on her third day at the center, right after lunch, “You know, David. I don’t think I need to attend the group sessions any longer. The other people staying here and I really don’t have anything in common. I mean, most of them are here because of their drug addictions. I don’t have anything in common with them.”

  “Really? So, you think that your problems aren’t as significant as say, a person addicted to alcohol?” David asked.

  “Well, no. I’ve never had a problem with self-control. Besides, listening to them talk about how sad their lives were, and trying to justify their actions is just depressing. And, I’m supposed to be trying to get away from depressing things.” Lara smiled at him, congratulating herself for that great move. She urged him to agree with her, and get rid of the group sessions in her daily schedule.

  “Lara, the group sessions are designed to help point out that everyone has problems and that everyone here tried to deal with those problems in different ways, yet all still destructive to them as individuals. Your problem may not have been alcohol, but it’s no less significant.”

  “Well, I don’t see the benefit from them. Perhaps we could replace them with more one-on-one sessions. I feel so much better after we meet.” Lara gave him her best come hither look, wanting him to give her some indication that his resolve was wavering.

  She’d seen a few glimpses of interest in his eyes, but he always shut them down. He might think he was able to resist her charms, but that was only temporary. She’d find the crack in his armor at some point and then he’d bow to her wishes just like everyone else did. She’d decided that getting him to kiss her would be her personal challenge during her stay her and it just started being fun.

  “Lara, you’ve only been to two sessions. Give them another week and then we’ll talk again.”

  Seeing that she was going nowhere with him, she resigned – for the moment. After all, she was Lara Bishop, a master in flirting and manipulation of men.

  She gave him her best smile and nodded in agreement, “If you think it’s what’s best for me. I just want to get better.” She looked coyly at him, scanning his face for any sign of weakness on his part. This man was a strong opponent. Her intimidation tactics didn’t impress him, nor was he swayed by her charms. She didn’t let those facts bother her too much, because she liked a good challenge. She’d find a way to subdue him to her wishes. She just needed a little more time.

  Over the next few days, she spent an inordinate amount of time thinking about the nice doctor. He was driving her crazy. He was so attractive, and the sound of his voice did funny things to her body.

  They tried a new type of therapy today where he had asked her to close her eyes and talk to him about her childhood. She became so caught up in the sound of his sexy voice, she needed to muster all her self-control not to throw herself into his arms and demand he make love to her for the rest of the afternoon.

  She knew exactly what she wanted him to do to her. Since her first meeting she’d used every spare minute to fantasize about his naked body, the lean muscles, and his strong hands with the long fingers and gentle touch. She had dreamed of how they would caress each other, taking time to learn what spots created the most sensation. When he finally kissed her, she tasted his sweet and soft lips, devouring his mouth, pressing her body up against his, panting and sweating, wanting even more…

  “Lara?”

  “Lara?”

  “Lara, are you ok?”

  She opened her eyes and slowly realized where she was. She’d become so caught up in her fantasy during this particular session, that David had called her name multiple times before she even noticed.

  Lara struggled to bring her raging hormones under control and focus on what he was saying, but failed miserably. All she could think of was his naked body intertwined with hers. Two lovers ravaging each other, giving and receiving the utmost pleasure.

  Her eyes still fixed on his biceps and reeling in thoughts of how good it would feel to have them wrapped around her body, her mind frantically searched for an excuse.

  “Lara is there a problem?” David asked, seeing that her attention se
emed to be everywhere but in the therapy session.

  “Oh…uh…no, I didn’t sleep all that well last night. Sorry,” Lara offered, her eyes fixed on his biceps. The light blue polo shirt he wore today, just revealed too much of his well-defined muscles. She inhaled deeply, his cologne causing shivers of arousal to run down her spine. God he smelled good enough to eat!

  David cleared his throat. “Lara, look at me.”

  Lara finally dragged her eyes away from his chest and looked at him, “Yes?”

  “You need to focus during our sessions. I have a limited amount of time set aside for each patient, and I would appreciate it if you concentrate on what is happening in this room for the thirty minutes we have each morning.”

  How can he be so cool? Doesn’t he feel the heat?

  “Don’t forget the hour long sessions each afternoon,” Lara offered. She certainly wouldn’t forget about them! If only he wasn't so stubborn! If he would just flirt back at her a little, she could concentrate on the therapy session instead of how attracted she was to him.

  But not Dr. Richards! No, he wore his professional coat like a suit of armor, using coldness and a lack of personality as a shield to deflect her attempts. Lara liked the challenge. The fact that a relationship between them was strictly forbidden, because of the client-doctor interaction, only made the challenge that much more exciting. She would find a way. She always did.

  After the first week, she realized that she was actually coming to like the nice doctor. Sure, he was great eye candy, smelled good, and provided a great image for her fantasies, but the more she learned about him, she found she really liked him as a person. She was surprised by that revelation. She liked him? As in want to spend time with him to talk and get to know each other? That didn’t sound like her.

  In their therapy sessions, he challenged her to find her own weaknesses and strengths. When she attempted to deflect and shield them, he battered down her defenses, bringing them out into the light and then helping her deal with them rationally. He continued to state that she needed to start assuming responsibility for her actions.