IV

"When I agreed to go with you, I didn't think it would be so soon," Jordan mused as he watched her sip her cup of coffee while scrolling through her phone.

Carol hadn't called him to inform him of her visit. Now, her visiting unannounced wasn't the problem because this wasn't the first time but her dropping the bomb on him that they were visiting the therapist today, was the real problem.

He was on his way to the head branch of his wine industry in Napa valley, California and he had informed Skull to get the private jet ready for departure. He was scheduled to leave by 10p.m and with all things being equal, he would be back in Manhattan by tomorrow morning, but as he had attempted to place his hand on the door knob, he was almost slammed in the face by Carol who was already opening the door on the other side.

Thinking that it was just one of her usual visits, he had told her of his business trip, since she was already familiar with his house but as he had attempted to leave, her words had stopped him.

"Cancel whatever plans you have today, we're visiting the therapist," she had instructed as she dropped her purse onto his couch and sauntered into the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee.

"What?" He asked as he followed behind her and placed his briefcase on top of the black marble kitchen counter.

"I'm certain you heard me clearly, J," she retorted without turning around as she turned on the automatic coffee machine.

"You didn't tell me this before," he frowned as he loosened his tie. He already knew he wasn't going to win the argument this morning and it was still too early to handle an obstinate Carol and his decision to not argue had been the right choice when she had turned to him with a glare, screaming 'don't you dare me this morning.'

They both remained quiet, the only sound in the room being the whirring noise from the coffee machine. He quickly sent a text to Skull, postponing his trip until evening after the cursed therapy session.

The sound came to a stop and Carol turned around with a cup of coffee in hand. Jordan raised an eyebrow in question seeing as she only held one cup.

"What?" She asked as she took in his questioning gaze before blowing air into the chinaware and taking a sip of the hot liquid.

"I thought you made one for me as well."

"Did you ask?" She raised a stubborn eyebrow at him, tauntingly taking another sip of her coffee. He rolled his eyes before making a move towards the automatic coffee machine.

"Besides, I made latte. We all know how much you love your black, bitter espresso. . . I don't know how you could manage to drink that thing anyway," she shuddered as she walked out of the kitchen, leaving him to make his own coffee.

He wasn't a fan of sugary things and black coffee just came naturally as a favourite for him, especially espresso which always reminded him of his own life; bitter and acrid.

He walked out of the kitchen and found his sister on the couch with her phone in one hand and the cup of coffee in the other. She giggled as she read something from her phone and soon enough her phone rang. Hastily, she dropped the cup on the coffee table before springing to her feet. She ran into the kitchen but he caught the slight pink on her cheeks.

He shrugged it off as he brought out his laptop from the briefcase and began working on some files his personal assistant had sent to him the night before.

'Might as well get some work done.'

For a few minutes, he worked while sipping his cup of coffee as he heard Carol's consistent giggles and hushed whispers.

He was reading a file on the new wine product they were currently working on and it was due to be released a few weeks from now but it needed approval from him as the boss and a few more critics, although they would pretty much agree to anything he did since he was the Jordan Kale. No one messes with J.K. That was what prompted his trip but now he had to go later than planned because of Carol's impromptu visit.

Preparing to send the reply to the email previously sent by Alise Miller, his personal assistant, he heard Carol walk out of the kitchen as he clicked on the enter key.

"It's time to go. Our session begins at noon, 12:30p.m precisely and it's currently. . . 11:43a.m. The therapy place is in the city. Might take a couple of minutes to get there and I don't wanna be late," she ranted as she scrolled through her phone before dropping it into her purse.

Jordan nodded as he looked skeptically at her flushed face and neck. Someone must have been having dirty talks with his sister. He knew she didn't do well with dirty talks. She would always turn a deep shade of pink or slight red whenever anyone mentioned it.

Feeling his gaze, she looked down at him where he was still seated with his laptop on his lap.

"What? Let's get a move on. We don't have much time," she sputtered before rushing towards the door.

Jordan let out a chuckle as he stood up and put his laptop back in place before grabbing his briefcase and following after her. Someone definitely talked dirty with her. She was all flushed and fiddle-footed.

"You're bringing your briefcase along?" She questioned when they had settled into the back seat of his gray coloured Maserati Levante with his driver seated in front.

He nodded, "I'm heading to the hangar directly from the therapist's place. I have a meeting to attend in Napa valley," he answered.

The driver's head immediately snapped up when he heard his boss mention the word therapy and as he looked into the rearview mirror with his eyes wide in surprise, to his misfortune, his eyes collided with Jordan's hard and expressionless glare, daring him to make a comment. He quickly looked down and pressed the ignition button of the car.

"Oh ok. Good," she nodded as the car engine revved to life and soon, they were on their way.

• • •

At exactly 12:20p.m, they arrived in the city of Manhattan but where they were, it was pretty serene and less busier than the usual bustling streets of the city in New York. They alighted from the car as it skidded to a halt by the sidewalk.

Jordan looked around, from across the street, past the petite flower shop to the restaurant and cafe with the little burger model at the top until his eyes settled on the building before him. It had a little dark red awning above the entrance which held a revolving door.

E.P's Therapy Place was written in bold silver letters a little ways above the awning and the building looked to have about three storeys to it. His chocolate brown eyes, which were now behind dark shades, thoroughly scrutinized the building standing before him as Carol walked ahead and in through the revolving door, leaving him to follow behind.

He tucked one of his hands into his pocket before making his way into the building, all the while, gaining a few curious looks from passerbys. They knew that face looked familiar but they couldn't quite place where they had seen the handsome looking man whose eyes hid behind the expensive looking shades.

As they walked in, Jordan continued to look around and he could hear someone speaking in the distance. They walked into the lobby and soon arrived at the receptionist's desk, where a lady sat behind the pretty high marble top counter.

She was a blonde with hazel eyes and she was formally dressed in something he assumed to be a white shirt and pantsuit or a skirt because only the long sleeved white shirt was visible as she stood behind the counter.

She wore a slight smile as she conversed with Carol, who insisted on being called by her name and not Levine, Leonardo's makeshift last name. The blonde spoke into the intercom and a female voice followed after.

'Looks like the therapist is a female. She would be an easier prey to threaten.' Jordan thought.

Carol turned to him before saying,

"Stay here, I'll call you when it's time for you to come in. Don't you dare, I repeat, don't you dare bail on me. If you think I'm kidding. . . Then, try me," she threatened as she dusted the imaginary specks of dust on his suit before turning towards the elevator with a saccharine smile on her face as though she hadn't just threatened him.

He released a tired sigh as he walked to the sitting area which was dominated by the colour black; the couches and coffee table with only the white marble floor tiles acting as a total contrast to the dark setting. He was at least pleased that the therapist hadn't opted for a bright and polychromatic setting because it would've been sickening to be surrounded by the colours pink and purple.

He sat, crossed one leg over the other and closed his eyes before focusing on his breathing. The only sounds in the room were the low howls of the air condition as it blew cold air into the room and the occasional clicking of the keyboard as the blonde receptionist typed.

It was quiet. Other than the typing reminding him of another existent life form in the room, the place had the tranquility he always had in his office being alone and it was indeed, really nice.

"Excuse me sir?"

A small voice penetrated through his peaceful silence and he slowly opened his eyes to gaze upon the intruder. His eyes met with the hazel eyed receptionist and he saw her standing a few feet away from him, conveniently giving him the comfort of his personal space — something other girls or women always failed to do — with a small smile on her face.

"Would you like anything, sir? Maybe a glass of water?"

For a few minutes, he only stared, not uttering a single word. Then he pulled his shades down his nose, revealing his eyes. Immediately, he saw her visibly tense up as the smile evaporated from her lips and her eyes widened in realisation, fear and surprise. He let his eyes go up and down her body, taking in her appearance. He was right. She wore a black skirt with black heels.

He only let out a deep breath before putting the shades back on his eyes. Resting his head on the back rest of the couch, he waved her off and he could hear her hurriedly retreating footsteps.

For a few minutes, he remained like that until he heard the ringtone of his phone go off. It was Carol.

"Hmm. . .?" He answered.

"J, you can come on in now."

"Do I really have to do this?" He was counting on a last minute change of her heart.

"Oh but you already promised," her resolve might be cracking. Now, all he needed were the right words.

"I know but what about the meeting. I really have to go," he tried again. Who knew? Maybe she would take pity on him.

"No way! I'm not taking no for an answer. Get up here this instant," Or not. She shouted and immediately hung up.

He let out a deep sigh before getting up and walking towards the elevator.

"It's the third floor. Door in the middle," the blonde said quietly before the elevator door clicked shut.

He took off his shades and tucked them in his pocket before immediately heading for the door in the middle of the small space that seemed like another lobby although it was totally empty. He pushed it open without knocking and he was once again welcomed by the well designed office.

The colours, black and gray dominated the room with the dark red rug acting as the only different shade. The furniture was well arranged and he looked to the floor to ceiling window at the far side of the office to see the streets of Manhattan below and rolled up against the ceiling were black coloured Venetian blinds. To the opposite side of the room was a pretty chic cellarette dominated by what looked to be mostly fruit wines and quite a number of Cabernet Sauvignon.

'Looks like she also had a good taste in wine.'

Admittedly, he had expected a very crowded place, flirtatious receptionists or secretaries who sought his attention and even someone with bad taste in designs and colours but he was pleased with what he was seeing.

He finally looked up to see who his supposed therapist was going to be. His eyes met with the figure of a lady dressed in red, seated behind the desk. He couldn't see her face because she had her head down as she brought out a few items from her desk drawer but he noticed that she had glasses on and he suddenly hoped that Carol hadn't brought him to meet an old or middle aged woman.

"Oh good, you're here," Carol called out as she turned to look at him while dabbing her nose with a tissue. Her eyes were a bit red and her nose, a slight pink.

'Had she cried?'

He looked back at the seated lady and as though they were drawn to each other, she also lifted her head and met his gaze. He had to admit that he was very wrong when he had assumed his supposed therapist was an old or middle aged woman. The lady seated before him was everything but old. She looked to be in her early or mid twenties.

He let his eyes take in her appearance. The glasses sat atop the bridge of her nose, making only a bit of her eyes to be vividly on show and it looked like she had green eyes.

Her hair was pulled into a bun atop her head and her face was beautifully sculpted. Her small and pointed nose looking perfectly straight. His eyes went lower and he felt himself harden at the mere sight of her pink plump and lusciously looking lips which was daubed with little gloss, making the light hot pink colour of her lips glimmer seductively.

He ventured lower to her slender neck and her collarbones which were on show above the neckline of the top of the dress she wore. He didn't know what was so special about her collarbones but he found them sexy and for a brief moment, he imagined himself running his tongue across those beautiful lines, tasting their ethereal flavour.

Daringly, he went further and his eyes stopped at her substantial looking breasts. Unconsciously, he gulped and looked back up at her face while cursing the damned desk that shielded the rest of her body.

They kept staring at each other and when he looked deep into her eyes, trying to find the usual fear or terror he normally found in the eyes of basically anyone who stood before him, only to find eyes void of any expression. Her eyes revealed nothing, not even a tinge of emotion and he could feel his curiosity and slight anger flood through him.

She wasn't scared of him.

It was either that or she just didn't know who he was, but that was nearly impossible because everyone, across the entire U.S. knew who J.K was. He continued to stare with his cold, emotionless and intense orbs, determined to elicit that fear in her like every other person but there was still no reaction from her. How was he supposed to threaten her to not even attempt to counsel him?

Suddenly, someone cleared their throat and he snapped out of his thoughts. He looked to the side and saw Carol giving them both a look with a mischievous smirk. He was glad she had done that because his mind was beginning to conjure diverse dirty thoughts about the lady in red.

The aforementioned lady passed a curious look at Carol who exclaimed and jumped to introduce them.

"Oh I'm sorry. Emerald, here's my brother, Jordan Kale. Jordan, my therapist and friend, Emerald Pearce," Carol introduced with a smile.

Emerald Pearce.

She rendered a small smile to him before speaking,

"Nice to meet you," she greeted but he was too stunned by her voice to even reply.

She had a very mellifluous and velvety voice with an underlaying accent that sounded Australian. He was taken aback by how soft her voice was and he could feel his member harden even more. She was turning him on without even knowing it.

He felt a nudge to the side, courtesy of Carol prompting him to give a reply to her greeting.

"Same," he replied huskily.

'Really, Jordan? Same? That's all you could come up with?' His subconscious chastised. She had rendered him speechless.

"Well, I'll leave you guys to get to know each other better and maybe decide on a schedule for your sessions?" She suggested as she stood up and grabbed her stuff, intentionally not meeting Jordan's eyes. Emerald passed her a nod to which she smiled at.

His fists tightened as he grew tense. Carol was getting way ahead of herself here but he knew what to do. If she wouldn't listen, then he would've to 'persuade' someone else. At this thought, his eyes drifted to the gemstone seated behind the desk.

Carol began heading for the door but she stopped beside him to whisper into his ear.

"It seems like she doesn't know who you are. This should be fun," she remarked mischievously before sashaying her way out of the office, leaving only the both of them.

He kept staring at the lady in front of him, his curiosity rising even more. She was as relaxed as ever and not at all tensed, as though he were a typical everyday person she came across on a norm. As though feeling his burning gaze, she looked up at him.

"You can have your seat," she gestured towards the chairs placed opposite her and he complied, still staring at her. Did she really not know who he was?

She opened her black notepad and flipped to a new page before placing her pen in the middle of it. He watched as she clasped her hands together and leaned forward on the desk.

His eyes immediately darted towards her busts which were now protruding even more through her dress due to her position, making them look even bigger than before.

His mouth suddenly felt dry and he swallowed thickly, feeling his joystick throb against his pants. On the exterior, he appeared calm and collected but that was a total contrast to how he currently felt and this was all courtesy of the gemstone in the red dress seated before him.

Yet he couldn't help but ponder on Carol's words. 'This should be fun.'

"So, where shall we begin?" She asked in her velvety voice again.

'With you in between my sheets. . .'

• • • • •