The Therapist Pt 04

THE THIRD SESSION

After their interlude on Saturday, Karen returns a few days later to continue with her therapy sessions. Valerie is curious about her involvement with Janine, a detective they saw on the other side of the street on Saturday night and once again Karen is happy to oblige.

Dr. Valerie Warren stared out the window as Robbie backed her car out into the street that Tuesday morning. His car was at the panel beaters getting a dent fixed after his boys weekend. The accident had apparently happened on Sunday morning as he was on his way home and although the damage was minor Robbie was obsessed about that car. The cherry red BMW M3 coupé was his pride and joy, he'd taken the Monday off to get three quotes, he'd eventually settled for the first quote and left his car at the panel beaters. The car was certainly drivable but she accepted that he wanted to have the dent taken out as soon as possible. However, when he asked to borrow her car for the next two days she raised an eyebrow.

"So why didn't the insurance company provide a courtesy car? It's in your policy."

"Because I'm not involving the insurance company," he shot back, "I took the blame, it's coming out of my pocket so I decided to come to a private agreement, end of story."

"So, what happens if the driver decides to claim whiplash or something?"

Robbie shook his head as he backed away.

"I'm a lawyer, it's what I do. Can't we just drop this? But if you're desperate to have the bloody car just drop me at work."

"Take it," she threw her hands in the air, "but it doesn't make sense."

"You look good today," he reached the bedroom door and smiled, "see you tonight."

Valerie stared at her reflection in the mirror as she reflected on the conversation. The white shirt was one she'd worn before on several occasions, she actually had three others that looked similar and he'd never commented on them either, so why now? She adjusted the black belt on the grey trousers and frowned.

Is he having an affair?

She looked at Damien playing on the bedroom floor.

Or am I being paranoid?

Aludra arrived for work not long after and for a crazy moment she actually contemplated asking her if she looked good in this shirt. Thankfully that thought evaporated, for now and then it was time to start work. Client number one was a woman contemplating divorce after discovering that her spouse had been seeing another woman. There were children and a property settlement to consider, in the end Valerie realised she was just a sounding board for her client. The woman had already made up her mind, perhaps she just needed to articulate her thoughts before carrying out the action.

The second client was a man suffering fatigue, indeed she thought he'd fallen asleep on her for a few moments before he finally answered one of her questions. He was a case she referred back to his GP because it seemed the best thing to do under the circumstances and then it was time for Karen's rescheduled session. She sighed with relief when Karen entered the room carrying a tray with coffee and biscuits.

"Aludra is giving Damien his lunch, I volunteered to do the coffee."

"You're a lifesaver," she leaned back in her chair.

Karen was wearing an elegant black blouse with a high neck and wrap around pussybow, the material was decorated with swirls. It was tucked into a white pencil skirt accessorised with white stockings and black heels.

"Love the blouse," she rose from behind her desk.

"Thank you," Karen put the tray on the table, "I was wearing this the night we got together."

"You and Janine?"

"That's right," she ran an eye over Valerie, "something wrong?"

"Nothing," she smiled crookedly and rose, "excuse me, I've got to go to the loo."

"No worries," she sank back into the couch, "I'm going nowhere."

That thought stayed with her as she went to the toilet and afterwards, when she was washing her hands she found herself thinking about Robbie's comment. When had he last complimented her on her outfit? The answer came back as she adjusted her collar in front of the mirror. Their wedding day when she'd met him at the church. Prior to that it was that day at Circular Quay when they got back together after a three month separation. She'd worn a flowery dress that revealed a little too much and he'd told her she looked good. But since then?

Valerie studied her reflection as she sifted through the last two years worth of memories. Once or twice perhaps? Half hearted comments or efforts to distract her from probing too deeply? Robbie always reserved the right to window shop, he saw it as innocent. 'Just don't touch the merchandise,' was her only caveat. She accepted he looked but that was conditional on the fact that he didn't touch what he was looking at.

Karen was still sitting on the couch when she returned, she was absently playing with her phone and their eyes met as she closed the door.

"Do I look good today?"

Karen smiled and lowered her phone.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Sorry," she sat down and a moment later told her what Robbie had said that morning, she avoided mentioning the accident though.

"The short answer is you look good, but the long answer might not be so pleasing. A man tends to compliment on a woman when he has some express purpose in mind, like getting you naked or distracting you from going deeper."

"I know," she put her hands between her legs, "I've said that before in one form or another but it was always to someone else."

"Well it's something only you can work out," Karen put her phone on the table.

"I know, I'm sorry, this is unprofessional."

"It's all right, I'm an older woman, I understand these things. I have to maintain a respectable image in front of randy young men and women. They're university students and well above the age of consent, but that kind of thing tends to bounce back on you so I laugh off their flirting and just move on," she played with her pussybow.

"So, there you have it, I'm being unprofessional myself."

Valerie smiled at that.

"Thank you," she flicked at her hair, "shall we begin?"

Date: 18/04/2017

Valerie: Okay, tell me why you wore that blouse today.

Karen:

This was the blouse I wore when Janine and I fell into bed.

Valerie:

Tell me about Janine.

Karen:

Janine was a detective who came to see me about a case. I'd written a research paper a couple of months before about cryobiology and she wanted me to have a look at tissue samples from a body they'd found. There was some dispute about whether the victim had been kept in a chiller before being murdered. They were basically told to get a second opinion, which I was happy to do although I felt a little nauseous being in an autopsy room. Janine was there that afternoon and sensing my discomfort she offered to take me out for coffee once I'd finished.

"To discuss the case of course, sometimes things occur to you afterwards."

So here was me, sitting in a Kings Cross café with an attractive female detective discussing whether or not the victim had been kept in a freezer. The only other information she offered me was that he had underworld connections and owed money to drug dealers.

"Perhaps they were hoping he'd crack under pressure but if he was kept alive for a couple of days then the people we've been questioning might have to change their alibis to suit."

Ultimately the answer was a firm yes. He had been kept for at least three days in a chiller before being executed and dumped in a bin outside his restaurant. It was only afterwards when she dropped me off at home that she outed herself. I'd kind of thought she might be that way inclined, it was the way she carried herself, kind of butch-femme but without overstating it. I kind of looked a little bemused and said that was okay, it wasn't a crime.

Valerie:

What happened next?

Karen:

Nothing for about six weeks, I put in my report and thought nothing of it. I did read a bit in the newspapers although my name was never mentioned, but I did recognise the names of the men accused of murder. One was from Cabramatta and the other was from Rooty Hill and I also read that they had been the subject of a long investigation into an ice distribution ring. The man whose body I examined had been an undercover cop who had his cover blown. It was bizarre to read about something you might see on

Underbelly

and realise you were actually an important part of the case. It wasn't until the week before the trial that Janine dropped in at my house to tell me that I would have to be in court to answer questions.

"It's nothing to be afraid of, you're not there to decide the case. You're in the stand to defend your findings. The barrister will ask you questions, infer you might be mistaken, cast doubts on your analysis, and in general try to muddy the waters but he's not a cryobiologist."

"Neither am I," I replied, "I'm a biologist who wrote a paper on cryobiology, it doesn't make me an expert."

"Just stand by your findings and don't let him rattle you. Lawyers use bluff to get their way, we do too but if you stand your ground he'll be forced to withdraw a question or finish," she looked me up and down, "wear something nice and professional, first appearances are important to a jury, so don't turn up in a lab coat."

I turned up in the blouse I'm wearing today and a white skirt and it gave me a minor thrill when she complimented me on my outfit, but I was still nervous sitting in court with two accused murderers not twenty feet away. Janine was sitting even closer but I drew strength from her and did my bit. As predicted, their barrister tried to muddy the waters, but it was a half hearted attempt. Janine said afterwards that I'd blinded him with my chic outfit.

"I've seen him cross examine women before, Bernie never misses a beat but with you I didn't know whether he was going to turn into some lovestruck schoolboy or stick to form."

"Maybe I should wear this blouse more often," I replied.

"I agree," she smiled, "perhaps to dinner?"

I must have looked shocked because she tried to backtrack, thinking that I wasn't that way inclined until I admitted I was but told her about the arrangement I had with Jonah. This did make her raise an eyebrow but she was intrigued and so we agreed to meet up for dinner the following week.

Valerie:

Where did you go for dinner?

Karen:

Some restaurant in The Rocks, I've been there before many years ago but it was a dive back then, they've gone through a few changes in management and Janine was on good terms with the new manager. I turned up in the same clothes I'd worn in court and she was wearing something similar to what you're wearing now.

Valerie blinked at that.

"Oh," she looked down at herself, "seriously?"

"Seriously," she replied, "although she wore leather pants and a leather jacket, but the white shirt was almost the same."

Valerie:

So, what happened that night?

Karen:

We were initially just going to discuss an arrangement, but you know how these things turn out. I'd spent two weeks looking forward to the dinner, I'd had my hair done and bought some new perfume that I hoped would turn her head. It was while we were finishing dinner that she mentioned heading back to her place. I found out she was divorced but had three kids, one was still in high school and the other two were in university. Her husband was having an affair behind her back.

Valerie:

I've heard that one too many times.

Karen:

Ah but you haven't heard this story of lust and revenge.

Valerie:

Tell me more.

Karen:

Her husband was supposed to be in Melbourne for some business conference, but about two in the morning she got a phone call from a sergeant she knew to tell her that her husband had been pulled over at a booze bus outside of Woodford. He was well over the limit but he was also with another woman, the sergeant was prepared to just let it go. It happens with cops and their immediate family, but Janine told him to go ahead and take him back for an evidentiary but not to let on he'd talked to her.

Valerie:

What did she do then?

Karen:

The way she put it, Janine was ready to rip his head off but listening to his concocted tale of a fictional trip to Melbourne and being picked up for drink driving on the way home from the airport, she decided to let sleeping dogs lie. She decided to do a bit of her own playing and got together with a policewoman instead of a man.

Valerie:

What the hell for?

Karen:

I think the way she was at the time she was hoping to get caught. She even made mistakes, telling him she was in such and such a place when she was somewhere else, and then forgetting to correct her error later on. She hoped that the fact she was cheating on him with another woman might be more hurtful to him, but over a period of about nine months she realised that she actually preferred women. Janine was one for the slow boil and she certainly enjoyed the lead up to a sexual encounter, she loved flirting and not knowing if the woman would respond in kind or back away.

Valerie:

It almost sounds as if she was punishing herself.

Karen:

You could read something into that, especially early on although by the time I fell into bed with her she was pretty much bisexual with a preference for women. She dumped her husband after nine months and mailed the pictures of the CCTV footage, along with a copy of the blood test to his employer. The fact it was addressed to his employer was an act of malice.

Valerie:

Who was his employer?

Karen:

I never asked to be honest, but he was working in middle management for an investment consultancy and the woman in the car was the CEO's wife. When the CEO realised one of his middle managers was fucking his wife behind his back he sacked him and divorced the wife. Janine went for the throat and took the house and a nice little alimony payment for their three children. Janine could be compassionate and very loyal but you crossed her at your peril.

Valerie:

She sounds like a dangerous woman.

Karen:

Oh she could be, but it stands to reason when you're dealing with career criminals and testosterone-fuelled cops. She always said she had to have eyes in the back of her head because there were plenty of detectives who'd take her for a quickie at the drop of a hat. Janine had a rawness to her but underneath she was all marshmallow.

Valerie:

I want to know more.

Karen:

About our time between the sheets?

Valerie:

I admit it, I'm curious but if it bothers you.

Karen:

It doesn't bother me.

She rolled onto her side and contemplated the tray of coffee and biscuits.

"So does it turn you on?"

"A little," she replied a moment later, "you're always very descriptive."

Karen:

Well in the interests of description, shall we continue?

Valerie:

Please do.

Karen:

Janine lived out in South Coogee, not far from the beach. Her youngest child, Debbie was at a friend's house so we were all alone. I remember looking at a picture of Janine with her two daughters and one son and thinking they looked so fucking normal. She's very photogenic, at one stage of her career, when she was a constable, they short listed her as a candidate for a recruitment campaign to attract more women to the police force. She mentioned that in passing as I put the photo back on the mantelpiece but it was like she was playing it down.

"So, this is home," I sat on the couch, "it's very homely."

"I managed to get a good deal on the mortgage after the divorce," she took off her watch and put it on the table beside her phone, "the old house in Ingleburn was bigger but this one is much more manageable."

"And we're not likely to be disturbed tonight?" I turned to face her as she sat down.

"No, my son is living in Newcastle with his girlfriend, they're in university and the other two are out with their friends."

"So, we've got all night," I propped my elbow on the back of the couch and leaned on my palm, "what mischief can we get up to?"

"I was kind of hoping sex was on the menu," she looked at me, "and you don't have to be home tonight?"

"I should be but Jonah is home, I'm sure I can leave him to look after the girls," I ran my hands through her hair, "it makes a nice change from me doing it."

She closed her eyes as I played with her hair and I put my hand on her face and kissed her on the lips, she opened her mouth and I pushed harder. I was already partially aroused by this woman but the couch was a little too small for this kind of thing. Even so I managed to unzip her trousers and put my hand inside her to stroke her genitals, which went on for quite some time.

"Fuck it," she finally broke free, "the bedroom it is."

"Lead the way," I shifted off the couch and pulled her to her feet, "let's fuck like rabbits."

She giggled at that as she backed away, she grabbed my ties and kept walking backwards. We got to the door and I backed her against the wall and kissed her again, pushing my breasts against hers as I kissed her throat again and again. We made our way down the hallway. Her bedroom was at the very end and by then I had pushed her jacket halfway down her arms. She was wearing a waistcoat and when we got into her bedroom, she slung the jacket over a chair so as I could unbutton her waistcoat. When I finally parted it she grinned as I slid it over her shoulders.

"Strip searches are always fun," she started undoing my pussybow.

"But what do you have hidden under there?"

The ties finally fell loose and she pulled them from around my neck, it's one of those high neck blouses with buttons on the collar and she daintily unpicked each button to expose my throat. Her fingers slid behind the material as we came together for another kissing session, I could feel the urgency now and started pulling at her shirt. I was backing towards the bed and when I hit the edge of the bed I fell backwards and hit it with a soft plop, the creaking bedsprings made me laugh.

"I keep meaning to get a new bed," she unbuttoned her cuffs, "the kids know when I'm up to no good because the sound carries."

I took off my heels and threw them to the floor and then laid down and watched her undo her belt and pants. They slipped to the floor and I had a good view of her legs, she obviously kept in shape because she had slim, athletic legs. I patted the pillow beside me.

"Climb aboard, the love boat is about to sail."

She straddled me and I unbuttoned her shirt to reveal a pink bra, which made me burst out laughing. I came out with some comment about 'what, not even a leather bra?' She looked almost sheepish as she looked down at herself.

"I almost wore it tonight but I was trying to be feminine."

"Well these certainly feel feminine," I cradled her breasts, "but I have a confession."

"What?"

"I've been a very naughty girl, I'm hiding something."

"What are you hiding?"

"Ah, you'll have to find out," I let my hands fall to the bed, "I might have to consent to a complete strip search."

Now I've always loved undressing a woman, and I've been undressed before but Janine had it down to a fine art. The buttons are covered with a placket, see?

Valerie:

Yes, I um see that.

Karen:

She started sliding her fingers up and down the placket and then she leaned over and kissed me but didn't try to unbutton it. She knew how to draw it right out, teasing me with quick kisses as she undid each button and as she revealed more skin she brushed her fingers up and down. By the time she got to my waistband I was groaning and squirming. My nipples were hard and then she began kissing her way down my front as I held her head. I can still recall her hair sliding over my body and the slight clink as she undid the belt on my skirt. She slid her hands behind me and undid the skirt and I arched my back to let her slide the skirt over my hips.