Kerr, Brunder and Associates had their offices in a mid-sized brick and stone building in a very upscale area downtown, surrounded by trendy cafes and microbreweries. The spacious foyer was brightly lit with natural light through its large windows, and reflected off the abundant chrome and white marble of the minimalist interior. The slightly sterile impression was countered somewhat by a few plants and little artificial waterfalls set into the marble here and there. A few people sat on chairs, waiting, the women fashionably dressed, the men with a class of outfit that, while mostly casual, still made me feel underdressed in my jeans and button-up shirt I was now glad to have chosen over a T-shirt. In short, it made me wonder how we were able to afford being there.
I could tell Lisa was impressed as she scanned these surroundings. Finally, her eyes fell on mine, and she gave a hint of a smile before taking my hand. We made our way to the reception desk, where a young attractive receptionist with her brown hair in a tight ponytail and a light, tight cream sweater smiled and greeted us. Lisa glanced at me, prompting.
"John and Lisa Doult," I said. "We have an appointment for 2:30."
The receptionist smilingly passed me a clipboard with a document on it and a pen.
"Please have a seat and fill this out," she said. "I'll call you when we're ready."
We found our way to a couple of chairs to one side of the waiting area and I leafed quickly through the documents. On top there was a form requesting our contact information, and a business card held fast by the clip.
Dr. K. Brunder, PhD, Marriage Counselor
, with phone, email and website. Below that was a non-disclosure agreement. I wasn't entirely surprised by this, as it had come up in conversation with my friend Dan, who had recommended this place.
I had spoken with Dan about counseling at Lisa's prompting. Dan and his wife, Delores, a friend of Lisa's, had suffered a similar crisis in their marriage. It had almost ended their marriage, but now they were like newlyweds - it really was impressive, how affectionate they were despite their many years of marriage and turbulence. He gave full credit to Kerr, Brunder and Associates, and he made it clear he thought that Lisa and I should try it before giving up.
I was skeptical and he could sense it.
"I know how you feel. I felt the same way. We were done, Delores and I," he had said firmly. "I had had enough. Delores convinced me to try counseling and I agreed - thinking, honestly, it would shut her up and then I would be able to say I tried everything to make it work before finally ditching her ass. But... man, it worked. It was not easy, but... wow."
I was still non-committal.
"Look, I don't know if it will work for you guys. Maybe it's not for everyone. And God knows, it's a tough ride, and... well,
unconventional
to say the least. It kind of takes you apart before putting you back together, but look at us now. I'm happier than I 've ever been and we're crazy about each other, Delores and I. And the sex is fucking outstanding."
"That's easy to believe," I granted. "You guys are like teenagers with each other."
"No," he said, looking me hard in the eye. "Way more intense than that. No joke. Way hotter."
"Jesus. Well, what does it involve?" I asked.
"The sex or the treatment?" he responded, laughing.
"Both," I said, laughing in turn.
"I can't say anything about the treatment. We had to sign an NDA. And as far as the sex goes, I promised Delores I would never tell a living soul," he replied, smiling.
Now here we were, the self-same NDA in front of me. I wasn't sure whether or not an NDA was unusual for marriage counseling, never having had counseling of any sort before. But I supposed it made sense to protect methods that worked from competition. The form seemed standard enough. My pen hovered a moment over the dotted line and I thought about his description of their approach as "unconventional," but, fuck it - if I didn't like it, I could just quit it.
I signed my name and handed it to Lisa. Lisa signed without bothering to read it and handed it back to me. She put her arm around me and pulled her body close, her firm, full breast against my side, and kissed my cheek.
"Thank you for this, John," she said. She laid her head on my shoulder. My body stiffened slightly, involuntarily. Resentfully. I repented and put my arm around her. I looked down at her, smelling the coconut shampoo in her long, silky hair, and admiring the sexiness of her ample cleavage. I was struck with a sudden wish that we could have sex right then. That I could bend her over and grab her perfect ass with both hands and slide all the way into her, real slow.
Christ, if she wasn't so goddamn sexy, I'd already have the divorce papers drawn up and served. I loved, her, I did, but even love has its limits. Those limits stretch a little further when a woman's got a body that... you get the idea.
We sat waiting a while. I scanned the others waiting. Some were obviously couples and I wondered how many were here for the same reason. Many looked tense, and young, about our age - mid-20's to 30s, and I guessed they probably were. The wives were each quite attractive. Had they done something to wrong their husbands? Had they been bad? What had they done? I felt my cock swell slightly.
To distract myself, I flipped through the documents on the clipboard again. There was no form for insurance information.
"Lisa - how are we able to afford this?" I asked.
"I've got it, okay? Don't worry about that. We need this, and I've got it."
Lisa always handled the bills. I've never had a good mind for finance. I write ad copy. The thought of financial forms gives me a stress headache. I let it go.
Just then, a young woman approached.
"John and Lisa?" she asked pleasantly. "I'm Dr. Brunder's assistant, Julienne. Follow me," she said with a slight French accent. She took the clipboard and checked for our signatures on the NDA. "Dr. Brunder is ready for you."
We were lead down a hallway to a door on which Julienne knocked and then opened slightly.
"Come in," a woman's voice called out.
Julienne opened the door fully and stood aside, waiting smilingly for us to pass her into the room. She closed the door behind us.
A tall blonde woman was approaching us from behind a desk. Her hair was mostly pulled back in a loose ponytail, but a few locks fell fetchingly down the side of a very attractive face. She was probably 40. Her business-like slacks and a tight black sweater beneath a white blazer flattered an athletic body, and well-proportioned and shapely breasts, between which a tasteful gold trinket on a thin gold chain hung.
"John," she said, taking my hand and smiling. "Lisa, I'm Dr. Brunder. Please sit."
She resumed her seat behind her desk as we settled into two comfortable chairs set back a little from the front of her desk. Her office was spacious, and large windows concealed by thin white curtains let the sunlight filter in while maintaining the privacy of the room. On the walls were hung a number of modern paintings, but absent the shelves of books I suppose I had been taught to expect by film and TV sets of similar offices. A few plants here and there, and some small sculptures completed the picture. Her large mahogany desk was tidily bare except for a laptop, closed, a pad of yellow paper, blank, and an expensive looking silver pen beside it.
We each sat for a moment silently, us observing her and she us.
"Some water?" she asked.
"Yes, please," said Lisa. Brunder's eyes turned to me. Stunningly blue. My mouth was dry - I nodded.
There was a water cooler against the wall beside her desk and she filled two glasses from it as she spoke.
"Sometimes couples come here with the simple aim of seeing if there is an opportunity to improve a relationship in which they are not really experiencing any particular difficulties - much as an amateur musician might seek lessons to improve their performance, to seek for excellence. More often, however, they come because there is a particular difficulty. A crisis. A need to repair."
She handed us our water and returned to her seat behind her desk.
"Either is fine. I am able to help in both cases. When there is crisis, however, it is most efficient to begin with that - with the crisis and its cause. So... I must ask. Are we here for improvement? Or repair?"
Lisa and I glanced at each other, and I could read that she wanted me to answer.
"Repair," I said.
Brunder nodded. I waited for her to say something else, expecting her to lead the conversation, but she sat silently waiting, her face impassive. I was determined to wait her out, but as the silence became more uncomfortable, I broke.
"I've never done this before," I said, feeling foolish immediately.
Brunder smiled sympathetically, but continued to wait. I was annoyed at her silence. It seemed like a power-play. A demonstration that she had the self-assurance to endure the awkwardness of the silence and wait. It was pretty effective. I was composing what to say next when she finally spoke.
"Would it be easier if I took a guess?" she asked.
I tried to detect a note of annoyance or mockery in her tone, but she was just frank. Dr. Brunder had no time for bullshit.
"Sure," I said, trying for levity, as if it were a fun game, a test. "Give it a shot."
"If I'm to guess, you mustn't take offense if I get it wrong," she said.
I nodded.
Her eyes stayed on mine, studying me while she considered her answer, ignoring Lisa.
"Infidelity," she said, her face still impassive.
Involuntarily, I broke eye-contact. The word had power. When I forced my gaze back to her, she was nodding slightly.
"Whose?" she asked, her eyes still on mine.
