Chapter 1
“Pleasure to meet you. I suppose you’re Mr. Levine. I’m Lorelei, your sex coach, therapist, whatever you want to call me.” The exotic woman standing in the doorway purred, literally. She was in a summary, a seductress, and looked nothing like a therapist.
Elias Levine stared unmoving and shocked at the sight of the bold woman in front of him, entirely unsure of what to do. He had been made aware of her arrival, but he hadn’t anticipated this very moment, and having her in front of him left him feeling divided.
“Are we going to stand here all night, or are you going to invite me in?” She asked in that sultry voice of hers, her left brow raised.
Elias cleared his throat, feeling a bit awkward. “Uh, right. Forgive my manners. Come in, please.”
She smelled strongly of Turkish rose, a whiff of jasmine, Yves Saint Laurent Libre, and a hint of alcohol. His apartment reflected his personality—calm, grey, and with everything in its rightful place. A neat freak, it’d seem.
Spinning on her heels, she turned to face him. “So, where shall we be holding our session?”
“I was thinking we could have it here, in the sitting room.”
Lorelei shrugs, looking around. “Fine by me, although I wouldn’t mind a more…private…setting." She winked, turning around and making her way over to the couch.
Elias looked at her, stunned, before deciding to ignore her words. He had already begun regretting calling for her.
He hadn’t intended to at first, especially given the fact that such thoughts would never cross his mind. But he had given it some thoughts after his last relationship had ended on a bad note; the reason? His girlfriend had found his lack of sexual interest vexing.
He had given it a thought to engage with a therapist in the comforts of his home one time. And when he’d found a willing ‘therapist’ with an anonymous identity rule, he’d be all for it. After all, it’d be one time.
But now, he was seriously regretting his choices. She seemed lax, too lax, for a therapist.
Tucking his hands into his jean pockets, he walked up to her.
“Would you care for anything? Wine? Water?”
“Wine would be fine. I’d like your strongest, please.” She smiled up at him, her legs crossed, which exposed her skin. A tremor coursed through him. Yeah, booking her services was definitely a wrong choice.
Nonetheless, he fetched a glass and a bottle of Romanée-Conti. Pouring some into a glass, he returned to her, handing it over.
“Thank you,” she sent him that same charming smile, taking the glass from him. Sniffing it lightly, her eyes fluttered close while she took a sip, letting out a hum of appreciation.
“Mmm, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti.” She muttered, eyeing the glass as she set it down onto the table, before looking at Elias, who had settled down on a single-seater couch, looking borderline surprised and impressed.
“I see you know your drinks.”
"Mmm," she hummed, "comes with the job.”
“Right.”
A tense silence fell between them, but it was only momentary.
"Now, before we begin, Mr. Levine, I'd like you to know that I consider this meeting to be confidential, private, and built solely on trust, which simply means that nothing discussed in this meeting will be discussed outside this room no matter what. On no account should you apologize for how you feel. I believe we're both on the same page about that. Agreed?"
Elias nodded, palms clasped.
"Words, Mr. Levine."
"I understand."
“Good. So tell me, Mr. Levine. What’s your view on sex?”
He swallows, shifting subtly in his seat. “You’re rather blunt, Miss Lorelei. Is that truly your name?”
Her lips curled up slightly, her left fingers drumming against her thigh. “Again, it comes with the job, Mr. Levine. You weren’t exactly expecting subtlety, were you? And yes, for the sake of this meeting, I'd like to be referred to as Lorelei.”
“Understood. And to answer your question, not particularly.” He answered gruffly.
“Well then, let’s get on with it, shall we? What’s your view on sex, Mr. Levine?”
Staring her dead in the eye, he responded. “I see it as a necessity for procreation, nothing more. It’s a basic human duty that should be done only when necessary.”
She cocked her head slightly to the side. “So, do you disagree with the theory that sex can be fun? It satisfies the need for autonomy, acts as a stress reliever when dopamine is released, and could also act as a sanctuary. No?”
Elias brushed off her words with a dismissive wave. “Surely there are other ways to find pleasure. "Sex" is a term that has often been abused. Overused if you may.”
Lorelei squinted at him, making him feel uneasy. “Let me rephrase my question, Mr. Levine: do you hate or rather dislike sex?”
"No, I don't. I simply see it as an act that is placed on a pedestal far too unnecessary and unworthy."
"Unworthy?" she chuckled. "Mr. Levine, I have heard quite a bit about sex, but never have I heard it being termed unnecessary. If I may ask, have you ever derived pleasure from sex?" She asked with a raised brow.
"What?"
"Let me rephrase that. Have you ever orgasmed? Mind-blowing orgasm?"
Elias narrowed his eyes at her, his jaw taut. “I believe I made a mistake calling for you, Miss Lorelei. I’d have to ask for you to leave. My apologies for wasting your time. I’ll be sure to make sure you’re well compensated,” Lorelei snorted softly, watching him rise to his feet.
“If I may escort you.” He gestured towards the door just when a loud thunder boomed outside, followed by lightening and an immediate blackout, plunging them into absolute darkness.
“Shit, for fuck's sake." Elias groaned under his breath, just when both their phones beeped with notifications, notifying them of a nationwide blackout due to the heavy rain. Just then the heavy downpour began.
"Well, well, Mr. Levine. Seems nature has other plans, and there may very well be no need for your fee to go to waste.” Lorelei’s voice carries across the room, tinged with excitement. It was surely going to be an eventful night.
