Katie wrung her hands. She couldn't believe she was here talking to -- talking to -- talking to this -- this --
man
.
"How can I help you Ms. Fischer," Dr. Stoddalman said.
Katie licked her lips.
Mrs.
But she didn't correct him. She glanced away, hiding her face behind the curtain of her tresses. "I -- Sara told me that you could help me...with...uhm...my problem."
The doctor looked kindly at her. "Sara who?"
"Sara Middleton."
"Ah...so you're here for help with..."
"Sex!" Katie blurted. Heat pricked her skin, almost making her itch.
Dr. Stoddalman chuckled, but not unkindly. "I am a sex therapist."
"Sara said -- Sara said you--" The heat crept from Katie's cheeks to the top of her breasts. She broke eye contact again. "--hypnotized her."
"I do, do hypnotherapy, when advisable. What would I be helping you with?"
"I..." A billion thoughts chased themselves about her brain. Not one of them managed to make their way to Katie's mouth before embarrassment chased it away.
"Ms. Fischer, it's Katie, right? May I call you Katie?"
Katie nodded, too nervous to speak.
"Katie, call me Edward, or Sex-Ed, for short." Edward shot Katie a conspiratory grin. Katie smiled weakly in response.
"I can see that you're uncomfortable." Ed said, "I understand, but there's no need to be. Do you want me to guess as to why you're here?"
"Yes." Katie nearly choked on the word.
Ed huffed, blowing away a premature chuckle. "I meant that rhetorically, but, okay, let's see.
"You're engaged--"
"Married!" Katie touched her thumb to her engagement ring. She didn't often wear the wedding band. "I -- The ring pinches. It's more comfortable this way."
"Ah, well, that alters my guess." Dr. Stoddalman studied her. "Okay then, you're married. Sex was interesting, new, at first, but it never really sparked a certain something, a drive for more, within you. You got...bored."
Steel banded Katie's breast. She barely breathed. "Yeah."
"So now you just--" Ed made air quotes with his fingers. "--do it. Sex has become a chore." Again the air quotes. "A wifely duty."
Pressure built behind Katie's eyes. She swallowed hard but couldn't speak.
The good doctor must've seen the confirmation he needed, for he continued. "Your husband has noticed. He's hurt."
The pressure became too much. A tear slipped. "I don't mean too!" Katie blurted. More tears followed the first. She sniffed. "I don't want to be like
that
."
Edward pushed a box of Kleenex across his desk towards her. "Like what, Katie?"
"Unapproachable. Unavailable. Cold."
"How old are you, Katie?"
"Twenty-six."
"How long have you been married?"
"Eight months."
"I think I might be able to help."
Katie's voice crescendoed, "You can?"
"Katie, I'm a sex therapist. A counselor. I help women
and
men get over their hang-ups...if they want too. Usually, in the case of couples, I'd ask both of you to be here
and
depending on the outcome of this session, I still might request that but...as Sara told you, I do, do hypnosis. If you'll excuse the expression, I think there's a chance I can 'light a fire in your pants.' A fire you'll enjoy having your husband put out.
"How does that sound?"
The silence stretched, the only interruption a muffled "honk" issued from behind a Kleenex.
Dr. Stoddalman let out a heavy breath. "Katie, you're going to have to talk to me sometime."
"I know."
He rubbed his forehead. "I'll tell you what. I'll lay out a plan for what I can do for you, you tell me if you're up for it."
"Okay."
"I'm going to hypnotize you and give you a trigger, a trigger you control." Edward turned about and grabbed two pill bottles off a shelf behind him. One, Katie recognized, a common all-inclusive women's vitamin. "If you agree to this therapy, I'm going to take this unopened bottle of vitamins and dump it in here." He handed an empty bottle to Katie, it was labeled: Heat, Libido Enhancer for Women. There were a number of warnings printed below the label.
"As far as the hypnosis goes, that's all I'll do, convince you the pills we put in that bottle--" He pointed at the empty bottle in Katie's hand. "--are an effective libido enhancer called, 'Heat.' You'll actually have to buy the--" The vitamins rattled in their bottle as he raised his hands for more air-quotes. "--
drug
in order to maintain the illusion."
"That's all? I mean..." Katie trailed off.
"Not quite. You'll read the label and
all