CHAPTER FOUR: They All Come Here for Different Reasons
Wednesdays were always full.
By noon, Dr. Matteo Reyes had already seen three women—each one different, each one predictable.
Client #1: The Widow16Please respect copyright.PENANAR8JBnCinZF
Mrs. Arriola, 56.16Please respect copyright.PENANAtWeKooCzqh
She wore pearls with her grief, always requested jazz music in the background, and never wanted to be looked at while being touched.
“Talk to me while you do it,” she always whispered, eyes closed. “Lie to me. Tell me I’m still beautiful.”
Matteo did.16Please respect copyright.PENANA4GAfFgNdVL
Not because she needed to believe it—16Please respect copyright.PENANASmCkOHy2Ie
but because, in that moment, she was.
Client #2: The Trophy Wife16Please respect copyright.PENANAFpvrNFPgwB
Celeste, 39.16Please respect copyright.PENANAK2oh8iujbz
Impeccable red lips. Designer perfume. Bruises she pretended were from falling asleep on her husband’s watch.
She didn’t want slow. She wanted punishment.16Please respect copyright.PENANA8Qi3AnQotx
Quick, cruel fingers. Bites that didn't bleed, but burned.
“Make me feel like a whore,” she’d said once, eyes daring him.
But Matteo never played to shame.16Please respect copyright.PENANA3hZurN7uoQ
He played to release.16Please respect copyright.PENANAHu8Va3YdYe
And when she finally cried, it wasn’t from pain.
Client #3: The Actress16Please respect copyright.PENANAAJSswD0Y1u
Laia Cruz, 47.16Please respect copyright.PENANA8jXKS72dzv
A face the nation loved. A voice trained in charm.
She booked under a fake name. Paid in cash.16Please respect copyright.PENANASbdnhxzU6V
Always smiled—until the door shut. Then dropped the act.
“I’m tired of pretending,” she would whisper.16Please respect copyright.PENANAsbZmQIy2lK
“Can you just... let me fall apart, for once?”
And he did.16Please respect copyright.PENANApI6fZ7sk0o
He let her shatter on his table, holding her hand like she was someone worth saving.
Each session followed a rhythm.
Warm oil. Whispered truths.16Please respect copyright.PENANAPW2V2CoPU2
Boundaries respected. Needs met.16Please respect copyright.PENANAeQyeu8HeN0
Matteo gave them what they came for.
And then forgot them.
But Ms. De Luna was different.
She didn’t want a fantasy.16Please respect copyright.PENANAkvpZuzKbXl
She didn’t play roles.16Please respect copyright.PENANADZoPybFLpe
She didn’t moan on cue.
She sat in his mind like a puzzle that didn’t fit.
Her voice.16Please respect copyright.PENANAL8xX4TPPc1
Her restraint.16Please respect copyright.PENANAlXRca6PbZZ
The way she kissed him and trembled after like she’d done something sinful.
And how Matteo wanted her to do it again.
He washed his hands between sessions, like always.
But even as the lavender soap clung to his skin…16Please respect copyright.PENANAFJezzPM3E8
he could still taste her silence on his lips.
And that terrified him more than any confession ever had.
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