Mental Manipulations Ch 09

When I woke up Monday morning I was surprised to find an empty house. There was a note from Rat on my kitchen counter, simply saying, "Gone. Will call soon." Knowing him, "soon" could be later that day, the next day, or weeks or months later. I knew that day before had shaken him up, but I had no idea how much, or even why. Hopefully I would find out ... soon.

I had an appointment to see Abhi that day, so I spent the morning relaxing and doing a little "busy work" around the house. Then, after being hooked up to Abhi's machines and being tested for God only knows what, I spent the rest of the day resting and recovering. It was surprising how doing nothing but lying still, and answering questions and looking at videos and pictures, could be so tiring.

Abhi and I did get some time to talk at the end of her testing, and I could tell right away that she was nervous. 'Just relax and talk to him. There's nothing to worry about,' I sent to her.

She looked at me and let out a big sigh. "I have to ask your forgiveness," she said. "What happened last time I saw you wasn't normal for me. I never act like that!" 'Not anymore, at least. Not since University!'

I looked at her like I was confused. "I don't understand what you mean," I told her. "As far as I'm concerned, you have nothing to apologize for. You were an excellent date. I thoroughly enjoyed your company."

"Yes, I'm sure that you did!" she replied. "Especially the way that we ended up!" 'Although you DID cover me up very nicely, and I felt amazingly refreshed, but tired, the next morning!'

"Abhi, we were, and still are, two consenting adults. There was an obvious attraction from the beginning, and we acted on it. If anything, I should be the one apologizing. I kissed you first, if my memory serves, and I made the first moves."

"I don't remember who did what first, but that's not the point," she said. "And that's really not important. That's not something that I normally do."

"No, you're right. Who kissed who first isn't important," I replied. "What IS important is the fact that you seemed to need to break out of whatever has been holding you back for so long. What I saw was a woman that has been pent up, that has been too focused on her job, for so long that she forgot about everything else. She forgot that she IS an intelligent, beautiful, desirable woman, with her own wants and needs, and for that one night she allowed herself to be that woman."

"Let me ask you this," I continued, "truthfully, HONESTLY, do you regret that night? The next morning, when you woke up, did you feel better? More relaxed? Did you feel like you had been treated like a real woman again, for the first time in far too long?"

She sat there silently, looking at me for a few seconds. "Yes! Yes, I did! I felt sore, like I had been through the best, and hardest, work-out that I had in a long time, but I felt amazing!' she thought.

"You haven't told me that I'm wrong," I said finally, "so I can only assume that I'm not. I'm sorry if I seem crude, but you clearly needed a night like that."

'You can't argue with him. He's right, and you know it!' I heard. 'You haven't felt that drained in far too long!'

She still didn't say anything, probably because she didn't know what to say, so after a short while I added, "Abhi, I would love to take you out on a real date. Don't give me that, 'It wouldn't be professional' nonsense, either. We both know that we're well beyond that point by now."

"We are clearly attracted to each other, and if you are truly worried about your professional appearance, and I mean TRULY worried, then I will drop you as my doctor and you can hand me off to a colleague. But I don't think that is the case here. Let me take you out on a real date, dinner, drinks, maybe some live music ... and if you can honestly say at the end of the night that the last time was a mistake, then I will never bother you personally again. You have my word."

"Let me think on it," she finally replied. "You're right, of course, that I enjoyed your company last time. Every bit of it. I just need to think about everything. I don't know if I'm ready, or even have the time, for a relationship right now."

"Abhi, I don't know if I want a relationship right now either. At least not a 'traditional' relationship. But I DO know that I am very attracted to you, both mentally and physically, and I believe that you feel the same way."

She just nodded her head in agreement, not saying anything. "Then I would hate to see that mutual attraction go to waste," I told her.

"She nodded again, and stood. "I will think about it. I promise," she said, offering me her hand.

"Abhi, I think that we are way beyond the handshake stage," I laughed, opening my arms for a hug. She looked at me for a second, hesitating, before she laughed also and stepped into my arms, hugging me.

"I hope to hear from you soon," I told her as I started walking out the door. 'Stop being so uptight! You know that you want him again, and that you loved that feeling!' I sent to her.

"You will. I promise," she said.

***

A couple of days later, as I was driving home from looking at a potential commercial job, my cell phone rang. I immediately recognized the number as the phone that I gave Sarah, and I answered it right away.

"Hi Sarah," I said. "How are you?"

"I'm doing well," she replied. "Getting a little better each day. How are you?"

"I'm doing fine," I told her. "I'm glad to hear you're getting better! To what do I owe this very pleasant surprise?"

"I would like to see you," she replied. "Can you come over for dinner Friday?"

"I would be honored," I told her. "What time would you like me?"

We settled on a time for dinner just as I pulled into my driveway, and I then got in to the shower. While I stood under the warm, cascading water, I started to wonder what I about Friday. I expected Sarah to still be emotionally fragile, no matter how strong she tried to act.

Friday evening, after stopping off at the liquor store for a couple of bottles of wine, I pulled up in front of Sarah's house. She greeted me with a big smile and I could tell from reading her thoughts that she was being genuine. She really was happy to see me. To my surprise, she hugged me as she closed her door.

I was pleasantly surprised at how she was dressed. With Dwight gone from her life she seemed to be loosening up a bit. Her outfit was still on the conservative side, but nowhere near as much as she usually dressed.

She was wearing a loose, flowing skirt that ended just below her knees, and a light pink-colored blouse that was just sheer enough to show the outline of her bra. Her firm, bare legs stuck out from under her skirt leading to a pair of short-heeled backless shoes, and her long, strawberry-blonde hair was tied back in a ponytail. The biggest surprise was that she was even wearing a little make-up. It wasn't a lot, very subtle, but it was there. She looked more beautiful than I had ever seen her.

As I walked in the house I handed her the wine and she looked surprised. "You didn't have to bring anything," she told me.

"I know, but it is the right thing to do," I replied.

"But TWO bottles of wine?" she asked. 'Is he going to try to get me drunk?'

"Well, I didn't know what you were serving, so I brought a bottle of red and a bottle of white," I told her.

"Oh. Well, I just made a simple roasted chicken," she replied. "I really don't know why I invited you to dinner. I'm honestly not much of a cook."

'Oh my gosh! I hope that didn't sound as bad as I think it did! That was horrible!'

"I mean, Past ... my hus ... HE always complained about my cooking." 'Why am I so nervous! I shouldn't have done this! I'm not ready for this yet!'

"Sarah, it's fine," I told her. "It's perfectly normal for you to be nervous. You've been through a lot in the last couple of days. And for the record, I refer to him by his real name. Dwight."

She looked at me for a couple of seconds, and then replied, "You're right. I think that's how I should refer to him as well. He was a phony preacher, and a horrible husband. I like that idea. Dwight it is!"

A few minutes later we were sitting at her dining room table eating dinner. I had the bottle of white opened and we each had a glass in front of us. Before she started eating Sarah took a sip of the wine. "This is good!" she told me, taking another sip. "I don't drink much, my hus ... Dwight didn't think that it was lady-like for a woman to drink, but I like this!"

"Dwight was a misogynistic ass," I told her. "There is nothing wrong with a woman enjoying an alcoholic drink, especially a glass of wine with dinner."

"I know," she replied softly. "I don't know why I keep bringing him up. I'm sorry."

"You don't need to apologize," I told her. "It's natural. You were with him for a long time. Everything is still fresh."

"Yes, it is," she said.

We finished dinner with a minimal amount of conversation. Her thoughts were mostly on trying to keep calm, and not knowing what to say. She was clearly nervous, almost to the point of being scared.

After dinner I helped her clean up, something else that she obviously wasn't used to. "You don't have to do this," she told me as I brought the dirty dishes into the kitchen.

"I know that I don't have to," I replied. "I WANT to. You made a great dinner, complete with fresh, homemade bread. I cook. I know how much work goes in to a dinner like this. Helping you clean up is the least that I can do."

"Thank you," she said, looking down. "But it wasn't that good. I told you, I'm not that good of a cook."

"Sarah, I told you, Dwight is an ass. The chicken was great, the veggies were perfect, and the bread was great. You are a very good cook! Forget what he kept telling you. He was trying to hurt you. Trying to break you, make you feel worthless. That was the only way that he could make himself feel better about himself, to feel superior to you."

'Well, he did a good job of that,' she thought.

"Trust me, he is NOT superior to you," I told her. "He's a con man, and a thief."

She quietly nodded her head. "You're right," she said softly.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't be saying all of this to you," I told her. "You don't deserve to have all of this dumped on you like this."

"No, you're right," she replied with a slightly stronger voice, looking up at me. "I need to put him behind me. To admit to myself that he was the worthless one, not me."

"That's going to be easier said than done, but you can do it," I told her. "You're a strong woman. Stronger than you realize."

'You have more faith in me than I do!'

"I hope so," she replied.

I helped her load her dishwasher, and I could tell that there was something else that she wanted to talk to me about. As we finished I asked her if she wanted me to open the bottle of red.

"I don't know," she said. "I told you, I'm not that much of a drinker."

"Well, we can always save it for next time," I said, smiling at her.

'Next time! Yes, I definitely want a next time!' "Yes, I think that would be best," she replied.

"That's fine," I told her. "That lets me know that there will be a next time."

"But I know that you didn't just invite me for dinner. Something else is on your mind," I continued as we walked into her living room.

"Yes," she replied with a big sigh. "There is so much that I want to talk to you about, but I don't know where to start."

'Where DO I start? Sunday? My abusive husband? Your friend? YOU?'

"Start with the most urgent, or the most important," I told her. "We can take the rest from there."

"Ok," she replied, sighing. "My first concern is the church. I have no one to lead the service this Sunday. I don't know what to do."

"I have to imagine that it's kind of late to cancel them this week?" I asked.

"Yes, it is," she replied. "I can't do that anyway. This church is like a family. After last Sunday, I feel we need to be together this week. We need to have our service, just like always."

"Ok, well then why can't you do it?" I asked her.

"I'm not a minister!" she responded.

"Either was Dwight," I countered. "And you're a lot better of a person, and actually KNOW the Bible better than he does."

"You could always make these services all about healing. Trying to soothe the wounds that he caused for so many of you."

She looked at me silently for a few seconds. 'He's right,' she thought. 'That son-of-a-bitch did a pretty good job at it! Why can't I?'

"I don't know if I can do that," she said. "How will the congregation see me? Will they accept me?"

"Sarah, I saw a lot of support last week. Your father started this church. You know this congregation better than anyone else. It's your right to step in, and step up."

"You're right," she replied softly a few seconds later, nodding her head. "I can at least try."

"You'll not only try, you'll do great," I assured her.

"Will you come?" she asked. "Please?"

"Sarah, I'm not a member of your congregation," I told her.

"Do you believe in God?" she asked.

"Yes, but not the way that you do," I said. "My beliefs are a bit ... different from yours."

"Do you believe in God?" she asked again.

"Yes, I do."

"Do you believe in the same God that I do?"

"Yes."

"Then that's good enough," she said. "I am personally inviting you this Sunday. I am requesting your presence."

I looked at her silently for a couple of seconds. 'Oh no! I pushed him too far!' she thought, trying not to look worried.

"I would be honored to be your guest to your first service as minister," I told her.

Sarah smiled at me and I saw a beauty that I hadn't seen from her before. Almost peaceful. "Thank you," she replied. "And don't worry. I don't expect you to wear a suit and tie if you don't want to." 'Although I WOULD like to know how good you look dressed up!'

"No worries," I replied with a smile. "I think I can throw something respectable together. I won't embarrass you."

"I don't think that you could embarrass me," she told me in a soft voice as she reached her hands out to me. "I feel like you've saved me."

I didn't want her to start having flashbacks or dark thoughts, and I wasn't ready to answer what I knew were going to be her other questions, especially about Rat or myself, so I told her that I should probably start getting home. "Yes, you're probably right," she said. 'I don't think that I want you to go!' she thought. 'I like you here! I feel safe with you here!'

We both stood and she walked me to her door. I took the time to take a last view of her body, especially her ass swaying under her skirt. When we reached the door she turned towards me and looked at me. I knew that look.

"Thank you for ... everything," she said softly, reaching for my hands. "I honestly don't know what I would do without you in my life right now."

'Yes I do. I'd still be stuck with that criminal that I called my husband, being beaten by him for nothing other than his sick amusement!'

"Sarah, I told you, you're a strong woman," I replied. "You are much stronger than you realize, or that you want to admit to yourself. I want to think that eventually you would have stood up for yourself, or Dwight would have done something else to cause his downfall."

"Maybe," she said, looking deep into my eyes, "but you made it happen sooner. I can't thank you enough. My church can't thank you enough!"

"Just remember, it's going to take a while for everyone to heal," I told her. "Some longer than others."

"I know. I just hope that I can be strong enough to help those that need it," she replied.

"Well, in order to help others heal, you have to allow yourself to heal first," I said.

'I need you! I need your help! Help me heal!'

"I'll be here to help you whenever you need it," I added. "HOW ever you need it."

'I need you in SO MANY ways!' she thought.

"Thank you," she said softly. "You truly are a good man."

She then let go of my hands and stepped towards me, wrapping her arms around me. I felt her hug me tight and she sighed deeply. I also quickly felt my cock start to rise from the effect of having her so close to me as well as the scent radiating from her.

'Do it! You know that you want him! Don't be afraid!' she thought to herself and she held me tight.

As much as I wanted her, I knew that to make any move, or to let her make any move, would only damage her worse. She wasn't ready yet. I slowly released my arms and leaned back, which almost turned out to be a big mistake.

She looked at me with a deep passion in her eyes, and I knew that she wanted to kiss me. As much as I wanted that also, I knew that she wasn't ready for something like that yet, and I didn't want to do any more damage to her. She needed time to heal mentally.

'No! Not yet! It's not time yet!' I sent to her.

She stopped and looked at me, and then said, "So I will see you Sunday?"

"I will be there," I told her. "For you."

"Thank you," she said.

Reluctantly, I left Sarah's house and started driving home. After that close encounter I was feeling a bit frustrated and pent up, so I decided to stop off at the bar for a couple of drinks before I went home.

To my surprise and delight, as soon as I walked in I saw Becky and her two vacuous friends sitting at the bar. Becky saw me and smiled and waved, causing her friends to turn and look at me. One of them, the bitchy blonde who was closest to me, gave me a quick once-over and smiled at me before turning back to Becky.

'Damn! Who is THAT?' she thought.

I walked up to Becky and said hi, and then ordered myself a beer and a round for the women. "I don't want to disturb you," I told Becky. "I just wanted to say hi. We can talk before you leave, if you want."

'Oh, I want!' Becky thought.

"Ok," she replied, smiling at me. "I'll talk to you in a few."

I sat down a few seats away from the women, and as I was finishing my beer I saw Becky get up and walk to the washroom. As soon as the door closed behind her, both of the other women quickly got up and walked over to me.

"Hi," blondie said. "Are you Becky's mystery man?" she asked.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" I asked her.

"Oh, yeah," she replied, clearly not used to being ignored by men like I was. "I'm Beth, and this is Veronica."

"Ladies," I acknowledged, "my name is Kurt. Now, what can I do for you?"

"Are you the guy she went home with a couple of weeks ago?" Veronica asked.

"I'm sorry again, but why is that any of your business?" I asked.

"Well, we're just curious," Beth answered. "She was acting giddy for days after we left her here that night. She said that she met someone who 'rocked her world.' The way that she smiled at you, we figured that it had to be you."

"Curious, huh?" I said. "Well, you know what they say about curiosity and the cat."

They both looked at each other shocked as I turned to the bartender to order another beer, and I saw a slight nod from Veronica.

"Well, if you're him, we just want to tell you that we can give you a much better time than she did. Together," Beth said.

"Really?" I asked, looking interested. "The two of you? Together?"

They looked at each other again, and then they both smiled it me. "Yeah, the two of us, together," Beth said. "I've got to figure that just one of us has got to be more fun that her. Together ..."

"Wow," I replied, seeing Becky come out of the washroom and walking towards us. "That does sound intriguing."

"Intriguing isn't the word," Veronica said as Beth nodded her head.

"Well ladies," I told them as Becky walked up behind them with a look that wasn't very happy, "you couldn't handle me. Together."

Becky stood behind them glaring at the two women. "And I can barely handle Becky. You two are a joke. Even if I hadn't met Becky first," I continued as I walked between them towards Becky, "there's no way in Hell I would be interested in two arrogant, empty-headed, stuck-up bitches like you."