Doctor Stewart opened the car door and drank in Anna's cleavage, which was being delightfully accentuated by the red evening dress she'd chosen. She half-giggled, then caught herself. Choosing instead to simply smile, she took his hand and stood up.
The club didn't look like much from the outside, although in this part of the country that was the norm for disreputable establishments. It may not have been illegal - at least the parts that were publicly advertised - but communities were still uneasy about them.
"Are you sure you're comfortable? I know it's not exactly an ordinary kind of place to spend your evening. If you want to back out, I won't be offended at all," he said.
She didn't seem bothered. More than that, she was smiling and almost looked excited.
"Absolutely not, Doctor. I know you've talked about how important it is to normalise sex work. There's nothing wrong with what the people here do, and there's no reason I should feel at all uncomfortable," Anna replied. Doctor Stewart smiled.
"Very good, Anna. I
like
that. Normalise indeed," said Doctor Stewart. She let out a little squeal as the words struck her. If he got his way - and he almost always did - she'd be spending a lot of very normal time here.
He was now very practised at pretending not to notice the reaction those words had on her. The last time he'd brought her here - to help her get set up with her little business venture - it had been the middle of the day, and nobody else was around. He'd had to reassure her several times that it wouldn't be under operation. What a difference a few weeks could make. He was very, very pleased with Anna. She was one of the best patients he'd ever treated, and was on track to being a very profitable asset. He took her by the hand and started walking. She offered no objections.
As he led her through the building, their senses were assaulted by the sounds, sights and smells of a mid sized strip club. The bass throbbed as they walked near one of the rear speakers. A mix of alcohol and cleaning product smells held back some of the less pleasant odours. It wasn't a busy night, but there were enough leering, lustful eyes to make a person very uncomfortable. An ordinary person, anyway - Anna seemed perfectly fine with the looks. There was some sort of bachelor party in the opposite corner, representing a small island of youth among a sea of middle aged men.
Up the stairs to the half-floor, things were a little quieter. Doctor Stewart took a deep breath and approached the corner table.
"Ms Barkley, it's wonderful to see you again," he said with a wide smile.
"Oh Doctor, I was beginning to think you wouldn't make it," she replied. He'd triggered her ahead of his arrival, and was impressed that she was maintaining her composure.
He pulled Anna a little closer, making sure it was obvious they'd been walking together hand in hand. Ms Barkley was still very beautiful, although the signs of age were not possible to completely hide. These days, she kept her hair red and just above the shoulders. It matched her lipstick and framed her sharp features well. Anticipating his arrival, she'd also dressed to the nines.
"Please, Anna, take a seat," he said. She smiled and gently sat. The chair scraped along the floor in spite of her best efforts.
The older woman stared daggers at Anna as she took her place. Doctor Stewart didn't have to look at her to know this; it could be felt through the air. When the efforts to destroy the toned, perky blonde in front of her with her mind failed, she turned back to Doctor Stewart.
"I'm glad you could both make it," she said. "But I understand this is not merely a social call, as happy as I would be to entertain you both, of course."
"Yes, I-" he said, cut off by a momentary shock as a foot gently nested on top of his cock. There was really only one person this foot could belong to. It was a matter of simple trigonometry. Ms Barkley smiled at him from across the table, and she began gently rubbing back and forth.
Miss Fiona Barkley was one of his earliest patients. Back then, he was new to his trade, and she had not yet discovered hers. She was having trouble moving on from a past relationship. She was intermittently stalking her ex, and she couldn't stand seeing him with anybody else. She had problems with boundaries, problems with moving on, and at her core, she was terrified she'd never find anybody to replace him. Doctor Stewart had seen to the problem. Sometimes, the person you're looking for is right in front of you with a hypnotic focus.
"Aherm," he continued. "Yes well as I was saying, Anna's therapy has been going quite, mmm, well. And the private ventures you helped her with have been doing quite well too. Isn't that right, Anna? Oh!"
She half-giggled, but again caught herself.
"Yes Doctor. I admit, I was sceptical at first, but I can't deny that it's been very good for me. I'm feeling a lot happier in general, and the side income is nice too."
"Uh huh," said Fiona, eyes locked onto the Doctor.
"Yes, she has been doing well indeed. I suppose this sort of thing really is a
young
woman's game, isn't it?" he said, turning to meet her gaze. He felt her leg immediately tense up.
One of the staff brought sparkling wine to the table, and their conversation froze.
"For you sir?" said the waitress. She was kind of cute, but had nothing on Anna.
"Ah, lovely," said Doctor Stewart. Scotch was his preference but he did enjoy a variety of wines, too. The girl poured into his glass, then Fiona's. He wondered if she'd been instructed to start with him.
"Thank you," said Anna as the waitress poured for her too. A moment later as they left, she continued her train of thought. "I really am getting comfortable with the idea of all this stuff. And I was starting to think that maybe I could do this kind of work, you know, full time. And some of it could be at the club here. Some dancing, I think."
She had been thinking about it, Doctor Stewart knew, because he'd planted the seeds there and gently watered them over a span of weeks. No matter how many years passed, it always felt amazing to see his little puppets dancing on their strings.
"So, what do you think?" he said. "Do you think you could help this beautiful young lady out again? As a personal favour to me?" He could see every word sink in like a dagger.
"Of course," she said, weakly managing a half smile. "I'd be happy to provide any further assistance. Did you have something in mind?"
"Only what you're strictly comfortable with. This is for
you
, after all," he said.
Anna beamed.
"Don't worry Doctor, I won't push myself past my limits." She turned to Fiona. "Thank you again for these opportunities. It really does mean a lot to me."
"Anna, I'd like a chance to catch up with Ms Barkley alone, if you don't mind. Why don't you have a look around by yourself?" said Doctor Stewart. "Get to know the place, study some of the routines, you know, that kind of thing?"
"Oh, um... I don't know, I'm not sure I should be doing that alone..."
"I know it's a little frightening, but I assure you, the club is very safe. We have security for a reason. I'd really like it if you did."
That was the end of that discussion. She shuddered and assented. It was now the best idea in the world to Anna. She hurried off on her mission.
"Finally, a moment of privacy," he said.
Ms Barkley's composure had broken. He could see a tear forming in the corner of her eye.