Wilson's Hard Lesson (61 page)

Douglas moved into his office and finally brought all his
business for the day to a close. He stretched his arms out above his head and
let out a yawn, blinking heavily. He blinked his eyes heavily and vaguely
registered just how tired he was. HE was finally sure that he would be able to
get some decent sleep now that he had gotten his work done.

He turned off the computer and all the lights in his office
and then closed and locked the door. He made a round of the house to make sure
that all the doors were locked and all the alarms were set. When he was
satisfied that everything was properly set, he moved toward the staircase and
slowly ascended to the second floor of his home.

He moved down the hall and vaguely noted that the door to
Anna’s room was ajar. Silently, he moved to stand in the doorframe, and he
looked in on his sleeping wife. His heart yearned for her as he took in her
calm, peaceful expression as she slept. Her mouth was parted slightly, and he
listened carefully to catch the slow rhythm of her breathing. Her hair was
slightly messed up, strewn around the pillow.

Douglas wondered vaguely what she would do if he just
crawled into bed beside her. He frowned as he tried to remember the last time
they had shared a bed. Much to his disappointment, he couldn’t remember, and
again the idea came to him to just get in the bed and see what would happen.

A part of him, though, reminded him that his advances would
likely just be met with annoyance or disinterest. He acknowledged that it would
be much deserved. Even so, he found that he didn’t particularly care to deal
with that sort of reaction. More than that, he was also very tired, and a large
part of him just wanted to go to sleep and get some good rest.

Douglas took a last look at his wife before silently
slipping out of the doorway and moving back down the hallway. It didn’t take
him long to reach his own room, and he securely shut the door behind him as he
moved into his dwelling space.

Once inside, he leaned backward to crack his back, and he
groaned at the slightly painful sensation. He then took off his clothes,
hanging them up on one side of the closet, where he put the things that needed
to be taken to the cleaners. Then, he peeled off his socks, boxer-briefs, and
undershirt and tossed them into his hamper in the bathroom.

He turned on the water to the shower and allowed it a few
seconds to heat up. He glanced over his frame in the mirror. He shrugged as he
looked himself over. For a man in his middle ages, he didn’t look too shabby.
He still kept up with his health. He never wanted to be overweight, so he
worked with a trainer four days a week, and he ran in his own time.

Douglas saw steam coming from the shower, and that was his
indication that he was ready to get in. He stepped into the shower, and allowed
the hot water to flow over his knotted muscles. He rolled his neck and
shoulders as he shampooed his hair. His knots were bordering on painful. Maybe
it was a good thing that he was going to start massage therapy after all.

Doug finished up with his shower and toweled off. He hung up
the towel on the rack to dry, and then moved back into his room. He put on
another pair of black boxer briefs, and then moved over to his bed. With a
sigh, he pulled back the covers, and then climbed in. He reached over to his
nightstand and set his alarm. Then, he rested his head against his pillow, and
it was not long at all until he fell into an exhausted sleep, tired after a
long day at the office.

When his alarm woke him the next morning, Doug groaned and
sat up on the bed. He blinked sleepily and rubbed at his eyes, then released a
yawn. He once again cracked his back, and then swung his legs over the edge of
the bed and got up. He groggily moved over to his dresser and opened up the
drawer. He put on a t-shirt and a pair of athletic shorts. Then, he collected
his phone and his keys and made his way through the house to the garage. He
pulled out of the garage, and then drove toward the gym where he held a
membership.

He woke up little by little as he drove, the light of the
sun just beginning to spill over on the horizon. It was not long before he
arrived at the gym, and pulled into his usual parking space. He got out of the
car and locked the door behind him, then headed for the doors of the building.

Upon entering, he approached the desk. With a smile, he
showed the receptionist his membership card. The receptionist gave him a nod
and allowed him to step into the facility. He headed straight for the locker
rooms, and once there he easily located his usual locker and secured his phone
and his keys. By the time he stepped out of the locker room, he spotted his
trainer, a former Navy Seal named John.

Douglas had actually known John from college and they had
been good friends before they parted ways. He had been good friends with Anna
as well. He was heavily muscular and looked impressively intimidating. Douglas
knew he would never look quite like that, but at least he knew he was being
trained by someone who was more than qualified.

“Good morning,” Douglas said as he approached the other man,
and the two shook hands.

“Morning,” John gave him a small smile. “How you doing today?”

“Pretty good,” Doug nodded.

The two men seamlessly sank into their routine. It was
strenuous enough to keep Doug progressing, but it also allowed for the free
flow of conversation between the two men. Douglas thought it was the perfect
balance.

“So how’s work been going lately?” John asked.

“Oh, like hell,” Douglas answered honestly, his breath
coming short huffs as he did his ab workout.

“Well, sounds like work,” John chuckled as he looked over
Douglas’s body to make sure he was in good form.

“Yeah, pretty much,” Douglas agreed. “I’ve been having a lot
of migraines these days though.”

“More than usual?” John raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah, definitely,” Douglas grunted.

“Probably working yourself too hard,” John shook his head.

“Yeah, as usual,” Douglas chuckled as he moved toward
another machine. “But hey, being the boss isn’t easy. We all know that.”

“That’s true,” John shrugged. “But you’ve got to take care
of yourself as well. You can’t run the company if you’re incapacitated all the
time.”

“Yeah,” Douglas nodded his agreement. “And you know, the
pills work and all, I’m just having these damn things so often I’m going
through a bottle twice as fast as usual.”

John grunted.

“You’ve got to get this thing sorted out,” John said lowly,
briefly readjusting Douglas’s grip.

“Well, Anna did talk about massage therapy,” Douglas
mentioned. “I have a meeting today after work with a therapist that she found.
Does that seem legitimate to you? I mean, massage therapy.”

“You know, I’ve never done it myself,” John mused for a
moment. “But I actually have a couple of friends I served with who swear by it.
One of them actually says he goes to get help with PTSD.”

“Oh wow,” Douglas blinked. “And he says it works?”

“Yeah, like a charm,” John nodded.

“Huh,” Douglas mused.

“It can’t hurt to give it a shot, anyway,” John shrugged.
“Especially when you’ve got money to blow.”

It was true, Douglas did have more than enough money to pay
for a massage therapist.

“Well, I guess I’ll see how the meeting goes today,” Douglas
huffed as he finished up his last set on the machine. “Then I’ll let you know
how it all goes.”

The men finished up the workout without much further
comment. Douglas allowed his mind to linger on the idea of massage therapy, and
to dwell on how he felt about it. He still harbored some doubts, but if massage
therapy could help John’s friend with his PTSD, massage therapy could most
certainly help his migraines.

After an hour long workout, the two men went their different
ways, and Douglas fetched up his keys and phone from his locker, then moved
back out to the parking lot and got into his car. Eager to take a shower and
get out of his sweaty workout clothes, he headed back home to get ready for
work.

Once he arrived at home, Douglass immediately made for his
room and went into the bathroom. He stripped out of his sweaty clothes and
hopped into the shower. His morning showers were quicker by far than his
evening showers. He quickly rinsed off the soap from his body and toweled off.
He put on a fresh pair of boxers and an undershirt.

He moved back into the bathroom and lathered on some shaving
cream. He shaved off the bit of stubble that had grown in over the night and
the past day. His beard was thick and grew fast, and if he didn’t shave every
morning he would look like a ragged mess. He carefully ran his roar over the
contours of his face. Then, he rinsed off the remnants of the lather and patted
on some aftershave.

Satisfied with the state of his face, he moved on to his
hair. He took up a small amount of mouse and ran it all through his hair, then
neatly combed it off to one side. He vaguely acknowledged that he was probably
due for a haircut soon. He would probably get his secretary at work to schedule
one for him.

With his hair done, he moved back into his room and headed
for his closet. He rifled through his collection of suits until he easily
decided on a dark dray selection. He picked out a white shirt and buttoned it
on, then donned the pants and the jacket. Once he was dressed, he sprayed on
some cologne, and moved out of his bedroom.

He headed straight for the kitchen, where he could already
smell coffee brewing. He caught sight of Anna sitting at the breakfast bar, a
small book in her hand, and her bags strewn across the bar.

“Good morning,” Douglas smiled at her as he moved toward the
coffee maker.

“Morning,” she gave him a polite smile.

“Are you going to drive Kathy or is she getting you?” he
asked as he stirred some milk into his coffee.

“She’s going to pick me up,” Anna answered, closing the
small book she had been reading and tucking it away in her bag.

She collected her plate and fork and moved over toward the
sink as Douglas put a couple of pieces of bread in the toaster.

“And just so you know,” Douglas said. “I haven’t forgotten
about the meeting with the massage therapist this afternoon. I’ll be sure to
leave work on time and get here at five-thirty, just like you said.”

Douglas could see relief and a little surprise cross her
face.

“Great, thank you,” she said, blinking. “I’m glad you’re
being so optimistic about giving this thing a go.”

“I talked to John about it,” Douglas said. “He seems to
agree with you.”

“Well that’s good,” Anna nodded as she rinsed off her plate.

They both heard a horn honk from outside.

“That’s Kathy,” Anna said, and moved across the room to
gather up her things.

“Any idea when you’ll be home?” Douglas asked as she crossed
the room.

“Late,” Anna answered. “Ten or eleven. You’ll be on your own
for dinner.”

“Okay,” Douglass nodded. “Have a good time.”

“I will,” Anna replied. “Let me know how the meeting goes.”

“I will,” Douglas said.

With that, Anna left, closing the door securely behind her.
Douglas took another drink of his coffee, and then turned his attention back to
his toast, which was about to be done.

Once the toast was cooked, he opened up an avocado and
sliced it up, arranging the slices neatly on top of the bread, and then he ate
his meal. Afterward, he cleaned and put away his dish, leaving the kitchen just
as he found it. He filled up the remainder of his coffee in a thermos, and then
moved into his study to collect his briefcase. Then, he locked up the house and
moved out to the garage, getting in his car and heading to work.

Once there, he had yet another stressful day. His coffee was
close to the only thing keeping him alert, as he was overwhelmed with
everything that he was supposed to be taking care of. He was both parts
relieved and aggravated when at last the clock read five o’clock. True to his work,
he did not stay late. He packed up several files in his briefcase and left,
locking up his office behind him.

Douglas was in quite a sour mood as he drove home. The last
thing he wanted after a day like this was to have a consultation with some
massage therapist. But he knew he had no choice. This whole thing was for his
benefit exclusively, and he knew he couldn’t just blow it off. He reminded
himself that Anna had gone through the trouble of arranging this whole meeting,
and the least he could do was do his part.

Douglas rolled his shoulders and took a deep breath as he
pulled into the garage. He parked the car and stepped into the kitchen. He got
his customary glass of water and washed out his thermos, leaving it beside the
sink so that he could fill it up before he left for work the next morning. He
then put his briefcase in his study, and resisted the urge to cram in some work
in the fifteen minutes before the therapist would arrive.

Douglas managed not to give in, and instead moved to sit in
the living room and just unwind a little bit so he could conduct this meeting
in a calm and even fashion. He knew that he would likely be going over
financial terms and agreements, and he conjured up some numbers that he thought
would be acceptable in his mind.

He was just thinking up a weekly rate when he heard the
doorbell ring. With a sigh, Douglas rose from his seat on the couch and crossed
the room to answer the door. He opened the door with a warm smile, only to have
his mouth go slack as he saw who was standing on his doorstep.

Standing before him was a gorgeous young woman, no older
than twenty-five. She was small, no taller than five foot two, and she was
slender, but with delightful curves and very well proportioned, perky breasts.
Her tight top and pants did little to conceal her figure, and Douglas found
himself immediately distracted.

“Can- can I help you?” he managed to get out.

“Hello,” the young woman said with a polite smile. “My name
is Nicole Forest. I have a meeting scheduled at this address for five-thirty
with Anna Price.”

Douglas took a moment to gather his thoughts.

“That’s my wife,” he said vaguely. “She’s out with a friend.
My name is Douglas.”

“Oh, she’s already told me all about you,” she smiled up at
him. “We can go on with the meeting without her.”

Douglas wondered just what Anna had told her. He saw Nicole
looking at him expectantly, and suddenly remembered that she had come here for
a meeting.

“Right, well, come in,” she said, still feeling a little off
balance with the whole situation.

“Thank you,” Nicole said politely, and stepped into the
house as Douglas stepped back to let her in.

Douglas could not help but look down at her firm buttocks as
she passed him. She shook his head aggressively as he shut the door behind her,
schooling himself to get a grip. For some reason, he never imagined that his
massage therapist would be so young or so attractive. He suddenly had a lot of
trepidations about this meeting.

He looked into the living room and saw that Nicole had
already settled down on his couch. He took a deep breath, and then moved into
the living room.

“I have to admit,” Douglas started with a chuckle. “I’ve
never had a meeting about anything like this before.”

“That’s okay,” Nicole said easily. “Let’s start off with
basics. You have migraines, right?”

“Yes,” Douglas confirmed settling down in one of the chairs
in the living room.

“And none of this was your idea, correct?” Nicole pressed,
raising an eyebrow.

“Well, no,” Douglas smiled sheepishly. “It was all Anna’s
idea.”

“She told me as much,” Nicole nodded. “Don’t worry, a lot of
men don’t think of massage therapy as a legitimate form of treatment.”

Douglas couldn’t help but shift in his chair. She already
knew he was skeptical.

“I talked to my trainer,” he said. “And he told me that a
few of his friends had benefitted from massage therapy. So I’ve been steadily
warming up to the idea. It’s just when Anna first suggested it, I thought it
was sort of… you know, feminine.”

Nicole laughed, and Douglas smiled uneasily.

“You’re definitely not the first man to think that,” she
said with a nod. “But I think you’ll change your mind after the first couple of
treatments. Which is why I am going to work out a free trial period with you
for two weeks.”

Douglas frowned at the word free.