Physical Touch (11 page)

Rylie tried to think of a quick excuse to get her out of a night of Sasha drowning her sorrows and getting hit on by a dozen men. Nothing seemed to come to mind because she really had no life outside of Sasha and her antics. So she said yes to what would inevitably be a night of Sasha ditching her for a one-night stand with a hot, single man.

Rylie never envied or begrudged Sasha for her seductive persuasion over the opposite sex. In fact, she found it entertaining how easily Sasha could ensnare and beguile a man with just a wink and a laugh. It could also have something to do with Sasha’s magnetic personality, and maybe even more how well she was endowed. 

Turning down Sasha’s street, Rylie grimaced. “Hey, before we go out tonight, you need to tell me how the hell you got me trapped in this Miami business. I’m still pissed at you, by the way.”

“Oh, pfft,” Sasha waved, jumping out of the parked car and heading to the door of her brownstone. “That reminds me, I need to lend you some of my barely-there ensembles for your trip. I have just the one-piece for you,” she declared, looking Rylie up and down. “Remember that little red suit I got when I went to Jamaica last year? Oh girl, you are going to have him eating out of the palm of your hand! Ooh, and don’t forget that slinky silver dress I bought at Bergdorf’s in New York. If he doesn’t get a full-blown hard on when he sees you in that dress, I don’t know what it will take.” And just like that, Sasha was back to her happy, lovable, if not a little nutty, self. It even made Rylie crack a smile as they entered the front door.

“If you recall, I think I mentioned that I don’t want anything to do with him
or
him eating out of the palm of my hand. Have you not been listening to me over the last week? He makes me so mad I want to scream. I don’t want to sleep with the guy!”

Sasha turned to her as she entered her bedroom closet. Hands on her hips, she shifted her stance from one foot to the other. She cocked an eyebrow.

“Well honey, as the saying goes…you can either fight or fuck.”  She grabbed a Louis Vuitton bag and began filling it with what seemed to be two-dozen bathing suits, skirts, dresses and heeled sandals. “And fucking is just more fun…”

The remainder of the weekend went by in a blur, with her Saturday night out with Sasha culminating in nothing more than Sasha passing out on her couch by two a.m. Rylie spent Sunday doing the domestic chores that demanded her attention, watching  Sunday afternoon football on TV and packing. She’d decided against spending the entire day with her father, instead needing some quiet time to herself. The upcoming week would be difficult and she needed some time to come to grips with where she’d be going and who she’d be with.

The only interesting things that had occurred were two emails she received, via way of Sasha. One was an invite to be Sasha’s date to a charity fundraiser for Doctors-Without- Borders. Rylie had no idea why Sash invited her to accompany her when she could have gotten any gorgeous single guy of her choosing to attend. She supposed it was in support of Mark’s efforts, so she would go along with it. But God, it sounded like torture. She didn’t like to get dressed up and having to small talk over cocktails with wealthy-as-fuck people. It was so not her scene, but she placed the event date of November first on her calendar. She scowled thinking of the formal wear she’d be expected to wear. 

The other item in her Inbox that sparked her interest was an email from Mitch’s administrative assistant, Georgina Packard, who provided her the details of the upcoming trip to Miami. A car was to pick her up from her apartment first thing that Tuesday morning, taking her to Logan where she’d be flying American Airlines in First Class down to Miami International. The two details that appeared to be missing were her hotel accommodations and what kind of gym amenities it would provide. She would need this information in order to prepare Mitch’s planned exercises for each day of the trip. She typed a very quick and formal email back to Georgina, who was hopefully in-the-know about her boss’s arrangements. 

Within ten minutes she had a response back, but it didn’t come from Georgina Packard. The email address
was from Camden Ventures, but it was an email directly from Mitch. He was apparently now in possession of her email address. 

So much for privacy
.

To:
Rylie Hemmons

From: Mitchell Camden

Date: October 10

RE:
Your Itinerary

Dear Miss
Hemmons,

It pleases me greatly to know you’ll be continuing in my rehabilitation and will be accompanying me to Miami. I can only assume you’ll provide me with the same level of exceptional therapy I’ve come to expect from you.

To answer your question, you will not be staying in a hotel but in a private home that I’ve rented. I can assure you that it is fully stocked with all the necessary equipment you may need, as well as a pool, sauna and hot tub. Which I hope we can put to good use, for my therapy, of course.

I look forward to your exquisite care and your magical hands. Please contact me directly with any questions or concerns. 

Yours Truly,

Mitch

PS: Please bring evening attire.

OMG
! 

Rylie was speechless as she finished reading the email a second time. Her level of anxiety had reached a tipping point after hearing about the Miami trip, but now it was full-scale panic as she’d learned she’d be isolated with Mitch in a rented house, and not in a hotel as she had originally expected.

She wished she had Sasha’s confidence and could just go with the flow and not feel so self-conscious about the sleeping arrangements. And what about his comment on the evening attire? Her stomach was in knots as she looked over at the pile of clothes that she’d dumped out on her bed when she returned from Sasha’s. The skimpy, one-shoulder sequined cocktail dress and silver Christian Louboutin three-inch sandals all but screamed, “Fuck Me!”

Rylie swallowed hard. She’d be fooling herself if she didn’t admit to wanting Mitch to find her desirable when she wore it. She wanted to see his expression as he perused her body from head to toe, licking his lips to prove his hungry appetite for her.

Right there. That pissed her off. Thinking this way was not going to make the trip any easier. She could not afford to have these thoughts or feelings jumbling up her head. She had to remain professional and follow the rules on this trip. No dopey-ass commentary or fantasies from this point forward, she resolved.

Rylie typed out a response indicating she’d see him on Tuesday and sent it off. There, now that that was done and out of the way, she could go for her run and head over to her father’s house for another night of football.

****

Mitch had been laser-focused on completing his required exercises over the weekend. He was nothing but obsessed with
getting back to full-speed as soon as feasibly possible. In fact, he’d become comfortable walking without the aid of the crutch. He wondered if Rylie would be proud of the progress he’d made in just one week. The knee brace was still securely worn, but his range and motion had improved considerably, allowing him to bend and squat with a higher degree of confidence. And truth be told, he felt his balls begin to reappear, his male ego taking a beating over the past few weeks having to rely on the aid of those fucking walking sticks.

With his therapy going well and most of his projects on track, his thoughts became consumed with the upcoming trip and spending time with Rylie. She was constantly invading his thoughts throughout the week and he smiled to himself as he conjured up the image of her reading his email the day before. Knowing what he now knew of her and her fiery little temper, he could envision her huffy response. Her hands would be drawn to her hips, her mouth scrunched in a haughty gesture and it was more likely than not that some choice curse words would have been flying. He laughed at the image he procured in his head. If only he could have told her in person, he would have grabbed hold of those hips and sucked off those potty-words from her lips with his mouth, making her forget all about her hostility toward him. 

For some reason, her combative reactions to his moves turned him on like no one’s business. Of course he wanted to sleep with her. Why wouldn’t he? She was smart, beautiful and had the most perfect ass he’d ever seen. But there was more to it with her. She held his interest in a way no one else had before. Maybe it was the chase. She didn’t throw herself at him like most of the women he was with or dated. Nah, she was a challenge to his ego with a Capital C. And his hopes were to get the time to really know her while they were in Miami together.

The Coral Gables home he had rented for the Miami trip belonged to his Yale-friend-turned-investment banker, and
was a four bedroom, four-and-a-half bath waterfront Mediterranean Villa, complete with a sixty-five foot double-decker luxury yacht anchored off the private dock overlooking Biscayne Bay. With the yacht at his disposal, Mitch had already planned a day of sailing and snorkeling out to Key Biscayne. He enjoyed nothing more than being outdoors in the great wide-open. When he yearned for relaxation, all he needed was the earth, the sky and the water to find his nirvana. Although he would be forced to forego the jet skiing due to the condition of his knee, he figured the snorkeling would be a pleasurable way to enjoy the warm waters of the Bay during his visit. 

He was uncertain of Rylie’s interest in the water, or boats for that matter, but he was betting that the romantic dinner he had planned on board the yacht would get her interested in something else.

Hopefully him.

The black Towne Car had pulled up and was waiting outside Rylie’s apartment at exactly nine a.m. Tuesday morning. Rylie came out of her apartment door and a well-suited chauffer gladly accepted the two Louis Vuitton bags from her, and placed them in the opened trunk. 

“Good morning, Miss
Hemmons. I’m Lenny your driver,” he cheerfully introduced himself. She half expected him to break into the
Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah
song for as big as the smile he was giving her. God she despised happy people this early in the morning, especially before she had coffee. “Is this everything for you?”

Lenny appeared to be in his late fifties, a tad on the short side and a little paunch in the middle, but gave Rylie a warm and eager smile as he loaded her bags and opened the door for her. Settling in on the black leather seat, a wave of disappointment hit her as she found the car to be empty. She had thought, maybe even slightly hoped, that she might find Mitch waiting for her, but then came to the conclusion he may have already headed to Miami. After all, this was a business trip for him and he may have pressing matters to attend to before she arrived. 

Leaning her head back on the car seat, she let out a breath that she’d been holding in before she got in the car. At least now she could close her eyes and relax before her trip. She’d never really enjoyed the thought of flying. It wasn’t a fear so much as a severe form of paranoia and dread. The feeling stalked her any time she had to get on a plane, which was only twice before.  She’d worry over whether the pilot had too much to drink the night before, or if they had gotten enough sleep, or whether the mechanics thoroughly checked all the nuts and bolts. And don’t even get her on the topic of weather disturbances. The first sign of turbulence, she began praying the
Our Father
and gripped the seat rests so tightly her fingers would go numb.

Thankfully, Sasha came to the rescue once again on this trip. Not only had she supplied all of the luggage and most of the clothing for the entire three-day trip, but she also prescribed some Valium for Rylie to take right before take-off. Just one little teeny, tiny pill would help soothe her nerves and calm her potential anxiety. There was no way in hell she was going to have a nervous breakdown in from of Mitch Camden!

“Miss Hemmons, we’ll be arriving at the airport in less than twenty minutes,” Lenny said from behind the wheel, as he shot a glance over his shoulder at Rylie. “We just have one stop on our way.”

“Oh, all right. That works for me. Thanks for letting me know.”

Rylie continued to look out the car window at the passing cars and people on the streets, not really paying much attention to where Lenny was taking her. A few minutes later, the car pulled up alongside a tall historic brick building in what appeared to be near the Boston Common area. Rylie glanced out the window, noticing a coffee shop sign above the entryway into the building. Confused over the stop, she rolled down the back window a crack to get a better look up and down the street, watching Lenny get out of the car. Her eyes followed him in the rearview window until he stood next to a man out on the sidewalk. There, standing outside the door, holding two cups of coffee in each hand and his bags at his side, was Mitch.

The sight of him, dressed casually in form-fitting jeans that hugged him in all the right places and a long-sleeved T-shirt, had her catching her breath. This is exactly what she secretly hoped for, but really hadn’t wanted. A warm sensation erupted throughout her body, creating a tight knot in her
stomach, which was both tense and exhilarating. She looked down at her hands, which were fisted on her legs, clammy and shaking ever-so slightly.

Get ahold of yourself, you
wuss
.

Rylie had spent the last week psyching herself up, planning out exactly how she would keep her distance and remaining firmly within the professional lines she’d drawn when it came to the purpose of this trip. She could not think about Mitch in any other manner than as her client. Her patient. Her livelihood. She would avoid staring at him and ogling his firm, muscular legs, or his chiseled abs. Or his beautiful, panty-dropping smile. No, she would need to think of him only a job.

Rylie nervously adjusted herself against the back of the seat, silently reassuring herself that she could handle this, and then checked herself in the rearview mirror. Her hair was hanging loosely past her shoulders, her eyes seemed bright, although she could see the dark circles of wariness underneath. She turned to look out the window, as Lenny spoke animatedly to Mitch out on the sidewalk, their laughter erupting over something Mitch said. She smiled slightly at the sound of his laugh. As Lenny picked up the bags and opened the back door, Mitch caught her eye as he walked toward the car to join her in the backseat. 

Immediately the car was filled with his clean, brisk scent, a slight hint of the spicy aftershave he must have used that morning. She breathed in and sighed longingly, but caught herself before Mitch had a chance to notice. He smelled delicious and utterly edible. She quickly worked to push that thought, and any of all thoughts of her eating him, out of her head.
Gah
.

Mitch sat back into the seat and handed her a to-go cup of steaming hot coffee. “Careful, it’s hot.” He smiled at her as he turned to place his seatbelt around his hips low and tight.
She wondered if he meant it as a dimly veiled innuendo. Why did she even have to go there? He turned again to catch Rylie staring at his lap, a slightly bemused look on his face. Her eyes met his and she felt her face warm.

“You blush as bright as the sun,” he remarked. “I like that. And I hope I got your coffee how you like it, too. Two sugar cubes and a dash a cream, right?”

Stunned into an awkward silence, she turned her head to take a sip of the coffee, then remembered her manners. “Mmm…thank you for the coffee. It’s just how I take it.” She considered for a moment how in the world he’d know that bit of information. Her head swung back around to find his eyes on her. “Wait, how would you possibly know that? That freaks me out.”

“I have my ways. There are a number of things I know about you, IQ. I’m an inquisitive mind and I need to know these little insights about the people I work with. It’s a way of building trust.”

“Trust, huh? How exactly do you build trust like this? You could’ve just asked me instead of being so creepy.”

Mitch nodded his head. “Fair point. I can see how you’d think it was a bit intrusive of me. But that’s just my method and how I work. And it’s not like I had to do any stalking because your receptionist Claire was extremely helpful in answering my questions,” he chuckled, taking a sip of his coffee. “Yes, she’s very helpful in that department.”

Rylie grunted over hearing the name of the clinic receptionist. She’d never been a big fan of Claire and found her to be ditzy and a little too flirty with the male clients. In fact, Sasha had mentioned a recent example of Claire’s impropriety when she asked one of their married clients if he was a swinger. Yeah, not the sharpest tool in the shed. Luckily the client had played along and was a good sport, but Sasha had to put her on notice.

She let out a frustrated sigh, shaking her head in disgust. “Geez, it’s so nice to know my privacy is in such good hands. I’ll have to chat with my motor-mouthed assistant when I get back. But that’s beside the point. Mitch, if you’re so interested in me…or rather, if you’re interested in building my trust, why don’t you just come right out and ask me directly?”

She internally reprimanded herself for even asking that question. She shouldn’t even care why. This was supposed to be strictly business and she didn’t want him to get to know her any more than he already did. All she should care about was building the trust and rapport that comes with being his physical therapist. His recovery was partially in her hands and he had to trust her to know what she was doing and have his best interests in mind as she devised her therapy plans. That’s all. Nothing more should be required. At least, that’s what she kept telling herself.

“Well, I would have if you hadn’t chosen to run and hide from me. I think you made it pretty clear after calling me an asshole, which I take exception to, that you weren’t interested in building any kind of relationship with me, either personal or professional. So I had no other choice, really. Am I wrong?” He tilted his head toward her, his hair swaying over his forehead. She had the sudden urge to run her fingertips through it.

How he was able to turn the blame on her after he was in the wrong, was beyond comprehension, but Rylie felt the guilt boiling up to the surface, ready to gush like a geyser. 

Before she could respond, Mitch turned to face her, his knee bent up on the seat, brushing up against her leg. A burst of heat sparked up Rylie’s leg, as if someone had struck a match using her body to light the fuse. 

His hand came down to gently rest on her knee. “Listen, Ry. It should be fairly apparent that I’m more than a little attracted to you. I think you’re the sexiest woman I’ve ever met. Every time you’ve touched me, I get turned on. I can’t help it and I’m not ashamed to admit it. But I am sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable. I get it – you need to keep boundaries in your line of work and I’m making that difficult,” he reached over to grab Rylie’s hand and place it in his, leaving them resting above her knee. She looked at his lips as they curved up into his trademark smile and the dimple in his chin that beckoned her to inch closer. Instead, she shifted further away from him, as if he were a threat. In a way, he was.

“So here’s my plan. I’m going to dazzle you over the next three days. I want to prove to you that I’m not the asshole you think I am. After our trip, when we return to Boston, I will play nice and continue my therapy with Carmen, instead of you – but if all goes well, you’ll find out you want me as much as I want you and we’ll see where it goes from there. What do you think?”

Bringing her hand up to his mouth, he turned it over, palm up, and kissed the center. Rylie, surprised with Mitch’s gesture, jerked her arm back and twisted her fingers together in her lap. 

She felt trapped in the small, confining space in the backseat with Mitch far too close for comfort. And he was being utterly open and honest about his intentions. That wasn’t what Rylie had expected and it was throwing her off her game, creating cracks in the walls she was trying to erect. It definitely had her wondering more about his ethics and whether he really wasn’t as much of a player as Mark had led her to believe. But then again, maybe he was really just a wolf in sheep’s clothing. 

His plan did have her seriously considering the possibility of letting her guard down just a little to see what would happen over the next three days. Why couldn’t she have some fun and stop being such a worrywart over her code of ethics and career? Her brain was telling her to resist – don’t give in, never give up! Don’t let him close and you won’t get hurt, physically or emotionally. But her heart, and her body, ached for him.  She wanted him to make a move and take her right now in the backseat and make her forget all about her moral standards. Forget about the fears that wrapped her tight in a cocoon of self-loathing and despair.    

Nope. Not going to happen. Those fences she had built were meant to protect her from feeling these things. To keep her safe. Her body stiffened and she sat up ramrod straight.

“I think you’re full of yourself and have a pretty damn big ego. I guess I should be flattered, because I’m sure most women would jump at the chance to be wined and dined and swept off to paradise for a three-day affair. But I’m not most women, Mitch. I’m me. And I’ve worked hard to establish my career and I’m not willing to tarnish my reputation with a fling with a gorgeous client. Maybe that means nothing to you, but it does to me.”

The car slowed and came to a stop curbside at the American Airlines departures terminal. Lenny had exited the car and came around to open both doors for Rylie and Mitch. Grabbing her handbag and carry-on, she walked over to stand next to Mitch who was directing Lenny where to put the bags. Turning to Rylie, he gave her one of his lazy, melt-your-heart smiles.

“So, you think I’m gorgeous, huh?”

Rylie snorted and stifled a laugh. “That’s all you heard from what I just said? Really, your ego is insufferable.” 

He chuckled and gestured her forward, placing his hand on the small of her back to lead her in to the concourse. “At least that’s a start. I can work with maybe. And Rylie…”

She stopped and turned to look at him over her shoulder. Mitch was inches from her and she could feel the heat from his body. His lips twisted in his disarming smile. “I know you’re not like most women. That’s what I like about you. You’re not only incredibly beautiful, but you’re genuinely intriguing. You’re a challenge to my ego. And I’m going to have a helluva great time finding a way to overcome that challenge.”

His arm came up and around her shoulders to escort her through security. “Miss Hemmons, are you ready for this?”

Rylie swallowed hard, trying to absorb what he had just said and wondered if he was asking if she was ready for the flight and trip or for him and his fool’s plan. 

“I honestly have no idea.”