Free Disturb by J.A. Konrath Page A

her back.
    It wasn’t tender or tentative, as first kisses usually were. This was hard, frantic. He gripped her tight, both hands pressing into her lower back, and she wrapped her fingers in his hair and tried to pull him even closer.
    It didn’t take much effort to lead him to Manny’s room. The passion continued to grow in Theena until it drowned out all other thoughts. Bill’s wife, N-Som, her father’s death, Manny’s disappearance; nothing mattered except sensation, and she gave herself to it fully.
    They got as far as the sofa before the clothes came off. She didn’t expect Bill to last long—it had been a while for him. But he surprised her, and when the rhythm she liked began he was able to maintain it until she found release, sinking her teeth into his shoulder.
    He came while she was riding the wave, and for those few precious seconds, everything in life was perfect and pleasant and real.
    Theena luxuriated in the post-glow, his weight on top of her, their sweaty bodies, the feeling of his heart beating against her breast. Sex with a new man was often awkward, but this was as good a start as she could remember.
    She whispered in his ear, giving it a tiny nibble and tasting salt. “I really needed that.”
    Bill pulled away and grinned at her. “It sure beats psychotherapy.”
    “Cheaper, too.”
    He kissed her, tenderly this time, and then maneuvered so he was sitting on the sofa. She curled up next to him, hooking one leg over his knee.
    “Are you okay?”
    He thought about it for a moment, and nodded.
    “I’ve got a lot on my plate, but I’ll manage.”
    “Can I be forward?”
    Bill laughed. “I think you already were.”
    “My father’s funeral is tomorrow. I’d like you to take me.”
    “Of course.”
    Theena had been putting off mourning. When she saw Dad in that casket, she knew she’d break down. Having Bill with her would help.
    “So it’s really been over a year?”
    He nodded.
    Theena found the remote control and aimed it at the fake window. After a few sunsets, the porno channel came on.
    “After that long, I bet you have a shortened refractory period.”
    Her hand found him, and she proved herself correct.
    They took it slower this time, now that the urgency was gone. Theena enjoyed the change of pace, almost as much as she enjoyed the change of partner.
    She wondered, idly, what Manny was doing at that moment. She’d never said they were exclusive, even though the poor dope proposed marriage every time they made love. He would probably fly into a jealous rage if he found out.
    But as she approached orgasm, it wasn’t Manny she was thinking about. Nor was it Bill.
    In her mind’s eye, she saw someone completely different.
    The only man she’d ever truly loved.

A fter sitting in the conference room for several minutes, Dr. Red Fletcher knew that Theena and Bill weren’t coming back. He assumed that they were in Manny’s room—it was obvious they had the hots for each other, even if you weren’t a trained psychoanalyst. Under the guise of testing his assumption, he bid good-bye to his colleagues and went to his office, located a few doors down.
    The room was an intentional replica of the office at his practice downtown, with the same style Victorian desk, the same leather couch, many of the same books on the shelves. There was no view, naturally, but he compensated with several landscape paintings and soft track lighting. A place for thinking, a place for healing.
    The main difference between his two offices was the secret place, as he liked to call it. The brown door in the corner was always locked, and Red had the only key.
    Red went into the secret place and switched on the light. The Mac on the desk hummed; it was always on. The space was small, cramped, the size of a large closet. He sat down at the keyboard.
    Dr. Nikos had been the only other person that knew about this place—Red had needed his permission and funding to set it up. But Nikos hadn’t even known the