Curing Doctor Vincent (The Good Doctor Trilogy Book 1) (4 page)

Even though I knew the box could have come
from no one other than him, his words were a subtle confirmation. “So it was
you? The box, I mean.”

He lifted the wine to his lips. “Yes.” He
sipped. “You needed a place to rest your demons. We all have them, but if we
lock them away, we can keep them from draining our pleasures.” He set his glass
on the table beside him, leaned forward and handed me the folder. “Speaking of
pleasures… Please wait to open it until I tell you.”

“OK.” I reached out, took
the
folder
and laid it in my
lap.

“I met my wife when I was in med. school.
She was my instructor specializing in sexuality—specifically, sexual
dysfunction. She moved to America to study the role of inhibition in American
culture.”

“Sounds interesting, but if she was an
instructor and you were a student…”

He took a deep breath. “Yes. You are
beginning to see. When it came to sex my wife loved to blur lines and defy
social norms.” He cleared his throat. “I became a challenge. Abuse in early
childhood lead to my adoption by a very loving and supportive family, but it
left its mark. We married after my graduation.” He stood, picked up his wine
glass and walked to the fireplace. He stared into the flames and continued, “Our
marriage was not…conventional. My wife’s desire to push boundaries and my
hang-ups from childhood lead to a unique arrangement.”

This was not the conversation I expected.
“Doctor, you don’t need to tell me all of this. It’s personal
…”

“Ah, but it’s essential.” He took a sip
of wine.

Where in the hell was this going? I
shifted in my seat.

“It took years of coaching until I was
comfortable orgasming in front of another human being.”

The gulp of wine I’d taken to speed
through the conversation caught in my throat
.
I began to cough. Whoa. When the good doctor decided to
share, he really shared. Why on earth did I need to know this?

“Are you all right, Elaine?”

One last sputter. “Yes. Sorry. Go on.” I
smiled, hoping to mask my distress.

“Lydia was fascinated by me, but our
relationship took a turn when we fell in love. Unfortunately, we never made
love in the conventional sense. We compromised. It was her understanding and
love for me that helped us. She had sex with others while I watched and
directed. Her needs for physical connection were fulfilled and by calling the
shots, I was able to be a participant. It gave me a sense of control, and
eventually, I learned enough to let go somewhat.”

I grasped the folder in my lap tighter
and sat up. Why was he telling me this? “I’m so sorry,”
was
all I could think to say.

“Nothing to be sorry about, we had a
wonderful, fulfilling marriage. When one engages in the abnormal long enough
,
it becomes normal. I loved her with all
my heart and have no doubt she loved me. It was our intimacy.”

I crossed my legs and placed the folder
beside me, hoping to fake comfort during the strange conversation. “It’s good
that you found each other, sounds like she was an amazing woman.”

He returned to the chair, placed the
glass on the side table and sat. “It’s been a long time since her death, and
even longer since I’ve known companionship. I won’t give up my job for a
relationship. How could I explain all of this?”

I tried to address him with the same
clinical tone he used. “You don’t seem to have a problem telling me.”

“Only because I’ve been rehearsing this
conversation in my head for two years. Do you remember the presentation you
gave at the convention in Kansas City?”

I shifted and re-crossed my legs and
gripped the arms of the chair. I hid my confusion over his change of subject,
and answered with a simple, “Yes.”

“I knew then, if I was to try this crazy
idea, it had to be with you. I told myself in Kansas City, if our paths ever
crossed again, it would be my sign. Speaking with you in the meeting last week,
steeled my resolve.”

“You don’t seem one to bank on fate.
Wait… What crazy idea? I’m still not quite sure what you are asking.”

“Open the folder.” He gestured toward it.

I opened the cover. A photo of the most
beautiful nude man filled the page. He was perfection. The side angle of the
photo hid nothing—his firm muscles in his tight, rounded ass, and his
massive erect cock were exposed to my eyes. His dark hair hung in waves to his
shoulders,
featuring
the
sharp angle of his jaw and straight nose. My mouth ran dry.

“That’s Marco. Exquisite isn’t he?
He’s as smart as he is handsome and he is a dear friend.”
He laced his fingers together and leaned forward to gaze
upon the picture. “Turn the page. Sebastian.”

The man on the next page matched the
first man’s beauty. His short
,
cropped
blond hair framed defined Scandinavian features, and his tall build was toned
and unblemished.

“Doctor, what are you asking?”

“I’m asking you to surrender to five days
of passion. To discover physical delights you’ve never known and will never
know again.”

I stared at the doctor, at the photos,
then back again.

He pointed to the page. “I want to watch
those two men ravish you under my direction.”

It had to be a joke or one of those “gotcha”
reality TV shows. He couldn’t possibly be serious. “I’m not a prostitute!” I
stood, readying to leave.

“Of course you’re not.” He stood and
grabbed my hand. “I didn’t mean to imply that you are. You’ll notice I’ve made
you no promises. There isn’t a promotion or prize for doing this. I’m simply
hoping you’ll choose to indulge me. There is something about you, Elaine
.
I would work to seduce you, if I was capable
of it, but this is what I have to offer.”

I pulled my hand out of his. “This is
crazy! You want me to sleep with these men so you can get off watching.”

“No. I want to tell these men how to
touch your body so that I can bring you pleasure. It will be me making love to
you. I chose them to make the experience as stimulating as possible.
Understand, in all of this, it’s me who is in charge; it’s me you’ll be
intimate with. Those two men will be
an
extra set of lips, an additional tongue, another cock at
my disposal to make you writhe.”

His words did things to me—a
strange, hot seduction.

“Why two men?”

“Ever
make
love to two men at once?”

I wasn’t a prude by any means but… “No!”

“It was Lydia’s favorite indulgence on
special occasions. And you, my dear, are special.” He grasped my upper arms and
fixed me with his gaze. “I want our time together to be
memorable.
Perhaps I’m selfish for
wanting to give you an experience
you’ll never
be able to duplicate. But isn’t that every man’s
desire when he makes love to his woman?”
He squeezed my arms tighter and
pulled me closer to him.

I couldn’t breathe. It was all so
unbelievable. Heat was building between my thighs and I tried to look away from
him, but couldn’t.

He released my arms. “After this week you
return home and nothing changes.”

“Just like that. Nothing changes?”

I turned, picked up the folder, and
slumped into the chair. I opened the folder, looked at the photos again and
then back to the doctor. “And if I don’t agree?” Would I be fired?

He sat
and crossed his legs. “You can go sightseeing for a week or whatever you
choose.” He leaned forward. “Paris is a lovely city, but
you’ll always wonder what it would
have been like. Imagine just how
good
it might have been.” He leaned back again. “Either way, you choose
. When you return home, you go back to being you and I
remain me, half a world away. Prostitution is a financial transaction; I have
no interest in that. What I’m asking is for you to be my lover for this one
week in Paris.”

I put my face in my hands. This was a
train wreck. What in the hell was I going to do?

“If you choose to indulge me, you’ll
discover ecstasy that few ever experience. I don’t want your answer tonight.
You’re tired and in need of a good night’s sleep.” He stood and reached for my
hand. “Let me show you to your room.”

Speechless. I stood, but took the glass
of wine instead of his hand. I would need it. Stowing the folder under my arm
,
I followed him out of the
room and up the winding staircase.

At the door to my room, he paused. “Elaine,
there is no pressure. I only want this to happen if you want it to. If you have
any doubt, please decline. I have no desire to force your will. I chose you of
all the women I see day in and day out for several reasons—your
confidence, for one. It tells me you’ll see the offer for what it is—an
opportunity. Your strong independence will let you see this situation without
gender bias. Someone weaker would allow social norms of what a woman should do,
or not do, sexually get in the way of enjoyment. You will not and that is
important to me.”

“You don’t know me. This is insane.” I
brought the glass to my lips and drained every last drop.

“Is it? It was your compassion that
sealed the deal for me. You can see past my limitations, just as you did your
father’s, and your honesty and ethics will keep you from destroying me with
this knowledge if you choose to walk away. Is that insane?”

“Yes. Yes
it
is
.
” I reached
for the door handle.

“Sleep on it. Look over the files.
Remember
,
you are in
a foreign city. No one will ever know.” He leaned in and kissed me on the cheek,
but paused to breathe in my ear, “I would be ever so grateful.” He allowed his
words to settle in before saying, “Sweet dreams, my Elaine.”

I turned the handle and stumbled through
the door. The photos of the nude men
,
along with various other pieces of paper
,
scattered across the floor. I bent over to pick them up,
hand still on the knob. I paused and stared at the man labeled Marco,
with
the
over-sized penis. Damn! Did they really make
men like that? The feeling of being watched overcame me and I lifted my eyes to
find the doctor observing with a mischievous grin.

“Good night, Doctor.” I slammed the door.

****

Insanity. He couldn’t be serious, could
he? I stared at the photos again and leafed through the paperwork while
peripherally taking in the beauty of the old-world French decor. The room was
lovely, with its black and white patterns and plush linens, but I couldn’t stop
looking at the pictures. Who agrees to something like this? My first reaction to
most things was to apply logic. Find the easiest path, the quickest, safest
solution. Was he right? If I were to say no, would I be consumed with “what if?”
later on? Would not knowing what could’ve happened be a bigger burden than the
memory of the wildest sex romp of all time? I was in Paris on his whim for
Christ’s sake. Could I go through with it? Could I not?

“Damn you, Dr. Vincent.” It was just sex
after all. I’d had my share of experiences and appreciated the need to scratch
an itch, but never did I think to involve an audience. The men he’d chosen were
beyond gorgeous, but it was the doctor’s charm and intellect that I found most
appealing. If he had simply asked me to be his lover, we would have been naked
in front of the fire before the night was out, but this was new territory. These
other men were strangers. Still, the one named Marco’s come-hither stare was
tantalizing. In high school I had fantasized about my two best friends dragging
me behind the stage and having their way with me, so my curiosity was piqued.

What person in their right mind turns
down Dr. Vincent? What person in their right mind agrees to his arrangement? Could
I have sex with someone watching, especially if that someone was him?

I sighed, “Stan’s kids. I’ll consider it
for Stan’s kids.” I said it out loud, but it was the weakest excuse of all. Still,
temptation had me reaching for anything. I picked up the extra papers and
placed them on the dresser. A hot shower, a good night’s sleep and a prayer for
clarity were in order.

Chapter Four

Le
Jules Verne

The next day, the
Paris sunlight streamed through the cracks in the black and white patterned
drapes in Dr. Vincent’s guest room. But it was the decorative garment bag
sitting on the nightstand that caught my eye.

Attached to the front
with a ribbon was a small envelope. I removed it, and then slid my finger along
the seam. I pulled a card with a large ‘V’ on the front from the paper.

Dearest Elaine,

I hope you have rested well and that your dreams were sweet.
I pray my offer is a distraction big enough to eclipse all your troubles.

Please forgive me, I have a few errands to run this morning,
but please make yourself at home. Pierre will take you wherever you would like
to go, but I do hope that you’ll consider joining Marco, Sebastian and me at Le
Jules Verne tonight at 6:00 PM. I have picked out something special for you to
wear, should you chose to join us.

With love,

Xavier

P.S. You are just as beautiful when you sleep.

Distraction, indeed. Maybe
he had a point.

****

The car door opened. Dr. Vincent’s driver
helped me out. I looked up at that great work of art—the Eiffel Tower. I
didn’t know it had a restaurant inside. The doctor’s flair for the dramatic
knew no bounds.

The dusty rose awning that covered the
iron stairs read, Le Jules Verne. The crisp Parisian air filled my lungs
causing a shiver to rush through my body. Was it a chill, or fear of the
unknown?

“Thank you.” I nodded to Pierre.

He returned the gesture, but otherwise
remained still, with his hands clasped behind his back.

When I’d agreed to dinner, a small French
bistro had come to mind, not this. What the hell was I thinking? Would I be
able to refuse him? Did I even want to? As the doctor indicated on his card, I
had been looking for a distraction from the hailstorm of my life.
Careful what you wish for
.

I took each step slowly, hiking the hem
of the blue velvet dress I’d found in the bag earlier that morning. The metal of
the great structure amplified the click of my heels.

After thinking all night and spending all
day drinking in the Paris sunlight that saturated the veranda attached to my
quarters, I had decided not knowing what could have been would be the greater
burden. Was I crazy? Perhaps. Was I certain? Absolutely not. But I was
decisive.

I was confident enough to make the choice
and live with it, but what steeled my decision was a deep seated hope entwined
with guilt;
hope
that I
might give back more than a vicarious thrill to repay him for benefiting from
his loss. The doctor had changed my life forever. Could I do the same for him?

This was it. No turning back.

I didn’t pass a single person on the way
to the elevator, which seemed odd, given the bustle of nightlife on the street
outside.

The doors opened into a beautiful modern restaurant filled
with empty tables. It was silent except for soft, vintage French music playing
overhead
. The windows that lined the space provided
a breathtaking view of the city.

“Mademoiselle, if you’ll follow me.” A
man in his twenties, wearing a black tie, white shirt, black pants and a white
linen napkin tucked into the waist of his half-apron, lead me to a half-booth,
a black leather bench on one side and two chairs on the other, that sat against
the far wall. “Dr. Vincent and his associates will be here shortly.” His
English was perfect but accented. He motioned me toward the black leather bench-seat.

Mesmerized by the twinkling city lights,
I stared out the window as the
maître d’
poured water into a glass on the table before taking his leave.

“Breathtaking.” With just one word the
doctor lit a flame—the promise of things to come.

“Yes, it is.”
I turned, confirming it was indeed
him. In his black
business suit and red tie
,
the
doctor
exuded sophistication. His
American
accent hinted at his highbrow schooling.

“Not Paris. You. When I imagined you
wearing that dress I didn’t think there could be a more pleasing picture, but
seeing you now… You are exquisite.”

I folded my hands
in my
lap and focused on them, not wanting him to see the blush
that flooded my cheeks, caused by the heat he triggered in me far too often. He
pulled out his
chair. As soon as he sat,
the waiter filled his glass with sparkling water. The man
paused and asked, “Your usual vintage, Doctor?”

“Yes. Thank you, Jacques.”

“Where is everyone?” I couldn’t imagine a
tourist attraction being closed with the amount of foot traffic outside.

“This place is ours for the evening. We
have…important matters to discuss.” He winked. “I figured the fewer spectators
the better.”

I raised the glass to my lips and
swallowed hard. “Yes, very wise.”

A smile crossed his face. “I can’t tell
you how pleased I am that you came tonight. As nervous as I’m sure you have
been, the uncertainty gnawed at me all night. I know it’s a lot to ask.”

“It is a lot to ask. I can’t promise I’ll
be able to see it through.”

“The fact that you are willing to try
means more than you will ever know. A few housekeeping things…”

The waiter placed two glasses of red wine
on the table and a tray of cheeses.

The doctor took the small knife and
sliced off a thin piece, placed it on a cracker and handed it to me. He spoke
as he prepared his own, “You saw the medical files I included with the photos.
Marco and Sebastian have been tested. There is no risk to you, and for their
safety, you were tested during your physical last week.”

“What?” Son of a bitch! The crumbs of the
cracker stuck in my throat. I coughed.

“I’m a medical doctor, Elaine. I called
in a favor with Dr. Lawrence. I told her that you agreed to participate in one
of my studies as a control subject and that I needed additional samples.” He
took a sip of wine.

“You had no right.”

“You’re right, but for this to work I had
to make sure everyone was safe and needed to know you were taking precautions.
The only lasting consequence I want from this encounter is for you to get wet
every time you think of me.”

Little did he know, he already had his
wish, but it didn’t trump the fact he’d overstepped his bounds. “Doctor, I don’t
think this is such a good—”

“Marco. Sebastian. Welcome.” The doctor
rose and motioned for the men to sit beside me, one on either side, flanking me
on the bench-seat.

Holy shit. Men like that
did
exist. Their pictures didn’t do them
justice. And there was no mystery to what lurked behind Marco’s zipper. Whoa.
Deep breath.

“Marco. Sebastian. This is my Elaine.”

Marco took my hand out of my lap and
brought it to his full lips and kissed the back. “Elaine. It is all my
pleasure.” His dark hair made him look mysterious and ruggedly handsome.

“Elaine. This is Marco.”

I stared at the man as his hand grasped
mine. Blink, I needed to blink. “Ah…hello.” The doctor was handsome—a
young, Pierce Brosnan gorgeous. Marco was romance novel cover model perfect. Would
I survive?

The
doctor looked toward the other man in his dark business suit and tie. “Sebastian,
isn’t she lovely?”

Sebastian
took my hand from Marco’s and brought it to his lips. “Lovely doesn’t do her
justice, X.” His soft, warm lips touched the back of my hand.

The doctor relaxed in his seat. “Elaine
was just telling me that she was having second thoughts.”

I looked for any trace of smugness on his
face, but there was none to be found. Simple fact.

“Won’t you at least enjoy a meal?” A heavy
Italian accent amplified Marco’s sex appeal. The waiter returned and placed a
glass of wine in front of him. “No one will force you into anything. If you
change your mind, it’s fine.”

“Fine, but I’m not happy you invaded my
privacy.” I glared at the doctor.

“I’m sorry. I hope that you understand, I
meant you no harm. Marco is a close friend of mine—my protégé of sorts.
He’s one of the scientists on my team and I need to make sure he is safe if we
ever want to see another cure. Sebastian is a fellow doctor, a close family
friend. And you… You are my sole purpose for existing this week. Please
understand.”

“So, I’m the only stranger?”

“Yes. But I told you trust is important
to me. They would never do anything to hurt you. We’ve all taken the oath to
heal, not harm. Besides, it’s not like the three of us have seen each other in
this capacity. This is a new experience for all of us. So, if you’re worried,
you could say that we’re all virgins in this play.”

Sebastian
laughed. “Yes, but you won’t have the unfortunate experience of having images
of Marco’s hairy ass pop into your head, making for all kinds of awkward
scenarios.”

Marco
reached around me and pointed to Sebastian, “I’ll have you know, my ass is not
hairy. I had it waxed last week.”

The
doctor shot them a condemning look and said, “I think Elaine gets the point.”

“So,
you’re all doctors?” I looked from the doctor, to Marco and then Sebastian.

Marco
chuckled. “Yes, but they like to tease me that I don’t count since I’ve never
directly treated patients outside of med. school. Give me a petri dish and a
microscope any day.”

This was crazier than I thought. I looked
at Marco. “You’re OK with this?”

“Xavier has been my friend for a very
long time. I want to help him, and it’s not as though we don’t get something
out of it. You’re a beautiful woman. It would be my honor to give you pleasure
for days on end. Has he told you what he likes best?”
He
glanced at the doctor.

Was that a blush on the good doctor’s
face? “No. He hasn’t.”

“He likes to watch a woman come. So it’s our
job to keep you on the edge of ecstasy for the next week. Of course, only if
you agree.” He took a sip of wine, gazing at me over the rim of the glass.

I didn’t answer, but took a gulp of my
own.

 
****

“And then Xavier said, ‘Oh fuck it. I’m
going to Barbados.’ We all thought he was kidding. Several hours later, he sends
us a picture of his pasty white feet with the ocean in the background. That’s
how he deals with stress.” They all laughed.

“That’s too funny.” I chuckled and washed
down a bite of chocolate soufflé with the heady wine. I wasn’t sure if it was
the wine, the food, or the fact that the men seemed so at ease
with the
situation and each other, but my nerves had settled and I
enjoyed the company.

In the several hours that had passed,
Marco painted a picture of Dr. Vincent as a man who loved the people he worked
with and who garnered the same respect.
Sebastian told
embarrassing stories of drunken holiday parties and the doctor’s fondness for
art. The bond between the three men was undeniable and as the wine flowed, the tension
in the room eased.

Dr. Vincent glanced out the window and
sighed. “Elaine…my sweet, would you do me a huge favor?”

I wiped a smudge of chocolate from my lip
with the napkin. “Sure. What do you need?”
I popped the last morsel
of the decadent dessert into my mouth.

He leaned across the table, locked his
gaze with mine. “I want you to slide that velvet up your thighs until it’s
gathered at your waist. Then I want you to take your panties off and hand them
to me. Can you do that for me?”

I stopped chewing and stared.

His steel blue eyes mesmerized. “Elaine,
you are so beautiful. Please, I want to see you. All of you.”

The choice was mine. But was there really
one? A decision between ‘what if’ and ‘remember when.’

Trapped in his sights and between his two
beautiful friends, I chose to stop thinking. As if commanded, I gathered the
hem of the dress in my fists and lifted. Lace tickled my legs as I pulled my
panties free of the first foot, then the other. Still shielded by the
tablecloth
,
I handed
the small strip of fabric to the doctor.

He rolled them up and placed them in his
pocket. He pulled the table toward him so I was no longer obscured. “Did you
know there’s a connection between the shape of a woman’s mouth and her ability
to orgasm?”

I swallowed hard. “Ah… no.” His brilliant
eyes reflected the specks of light cast by the city.

“You can see it. When I looked at you for
the first time…” He reached out and outlined my lips without touching me. “It’s
right there. It tells all. When you’re in a public place
and desire hits, do you rub your thighs
together? Do you look around and wonder if anyone knows your secret? Well, I
do.”