Scarlett loves to drive me crazy. I’m beginning to think torturing me is her favorite thing to do. We have gone over my addiction and talked about all my obsessions. She has to keep digging into my past, never satisfied with my answers. I hate talking about my parents and the cause of my dominant behavior.

While Scarlett has her moments where she likes to enforce the rules of my treatment, there are also times when she’s weak and needs me. She’s not impervious to my charms, and it’s rare that she puts up too much of a fight. Until today. More feisty than ever and pissed off, Scarlett has decided to make our session even more unbearable.

I have been holding back with Scarlett in the bedroom, out of fear I would lose her, which is why I gave in somewhat and allowed her to pry into every facet of my life. But I need a break. A man can only take so much.

Scarlett glares at me from her chair, shooting daggers in my direction. “If you don’t want to talk about the problem, then let’s discuss your porn addiction. Why are you watching it without me?”

“Scarlett, I didn’t mean anything by it. Porn is not a big deal. Can we move on already?”

“No, Aiden, we cannot move on. You have been watching porn behind my back. That was not part of the deal. I am supposed to satisfy your every desire.”

“Well, I apologize for watching it without you, but I got an email about new videos, and the preview was too tempting. It was hot. I was hard. You weren’t around.”

She clenches her teeth in anger and sinks back into the chair. “You are the most frustrating man I have ever met. I thought we were making progress. For a while, you had me fooled, but I am no longer your fool.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I let out a puff of air, irritated.

“It means that I am trying to help you, and you go out of your way to sabotage yourself and this relationship. Now that we live together, I see you in a different light. My eyes are now open to the fact that your problem is here to stay.”

“We only have sex once a day now,” I growl. “I am doing what you want, and even that is not good enough. I’m trying to do the right thing, but you need to understand that men watch porn and that masturbation is part of life. Having a sex addiction is not the same as having a drug addiction. I need sex, and we need to have sex to have a normal relationship. What we are doing now is normal.”

She sighs, blowing a strand of blonde hair on her face. “Nothing you do is normal. You live a very controlled life with me under your thumb and doing everything you want.”

“If you did everything I want, you would stop with these awful therapy sessions. I have enough of this during the day with my patients. I don’t need to reenact my day with you at night. I’m tired, hungry, and would like to take a shower. Now, can we cut this short and go home and do those things together?”

“I still have office hours for another thirty minutes,” she hisses.

“That’s exactly why we are ending our session. I’m sure you have work to do.”

After our second fight today over the goddamn porn, I need some distance from Scarlett. All the nagging and bitching about every little thing I do is making me regret telling her anything about my life. But I don’t regret what I have with her. We share a different bond, one I had never experienced with my previous submissives.

“I finished my work before your appointment, Dr. Shaw.” She says my name with so much condescension in her tone that it makes me hard.

I lean forward and sink my elbows into my thighs, my focus on Scarlett. “I have one more task for you to complete.”

“What do you need?”

“Who said I need something?”

She rolls her eyes at me. “Aiden, please be serious. My life revolves around your needs.”

Licking my lips at Scarlett, I take in the sight of her delicious body hidden beneath that long skirt. Why must she do this to me? She has her forearms and neck covered, the skirt hitting below her knees.

Always obedient, my Scarlett is the only person who can give me what I want right now. “That’s what I like to hear, baby. Come over here.” I tug at my belt buckle and watch as she shakes her head at me.

“Aiden, that is not what I meant. Do you have something work related you would like me to help you with?”

“This is a medical emergency,” I joke.

“You are not the least bit funny.” She turns her head to the side, the scowl already forming on her lips.

“I’m hilarious. Now, get over here and sit on my cock.”

A smile tugs at the corners of her mouth, though I can tell she doesn’t want to give in. Despite her inner protest, she gets up from the chair and walks over to me.

I bring her hand up to my lips and plant a kiss on her soft skin. “Take off your skirt,” I command. “And never wear it around me again.”

She laughs. “What should I wear?”

“I’d prefer you wear nothing at all.”

“That would only feed your addiction more.”

I pull her onto my lap and lean forward to taste her neck, planting kisses on her soft skin. “What addiction?” I whisper. “The only thing I’m addicted to is you. It was always you, Scarlett.”

As I push the skirt up her thighs, the ding of the front doorbell pulls us back to reality.

“My last patient canceled,” Scarlett says, confused.

“Why don’t you go out there and see who’s bothering us?”

She nods and gets up from my lap, fixing her skirt. “I’ll be right back. Hold that thought.”

Grabbing the bulge in my pants, I grin like an idiot.

Scarlett chuckles. “I didn’t mean for you to hold yourself, Aiden. Try not to start without me.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

“You did last night,” she spits back, still annoyed about finding me jerking off to porn while I was waiting for her to get out of the shower.

Scarlett walks away from me to deal with the interruption, leaving me irritable and anxious. I sink into the couch and watch as she opens the door. Before she steps into the waiting area, she comes to a halt, and her hand flies up to her mouth. Even from a distance, I can hear her gasp.

She slowly lowers her hand from her mouth but doesn’t speak. Her reaction to whoever is on the other side of the door has me even more on edge than I was before Scarlett left.

I get up in a hurry and move across the room, coming up behind Scarlett, when she whispers, “Mark, what are you doing here?”

The mention of his name has my skin on fire. “You need to leave,” I tell him.

He runs his fingers through his dark, disheveled hair. The man before me, with his stained work shirt and pants, doesn’t look like someone worthy of Scarlett.

“I need to talk to you, Scarlett,” Mark says in a desperate but hushed tone, ignoring me. “It’s important.”

He smells of alcohol, and by the looks of it, he hasn’t shaved in at least a few days.

“Scarlett is working,” I interject.

Mark narrows his eyes at me and then refocuses on Scarlett. “It’s important. What I have to tell you cannot wait.”

“Then, spit it out already,” I say with fire behind my words.

Scarlett turns around to face me, biting down on her bottom lip. “Dr. Shaw, I need to take a ten-minute break.”

Of all the times to act professional, she chooses now? Scarlett’s acting as if she doesn’t know me in any way other than as her colleague. And I fucking hate it.

She leans into my chest and lowers her voice. “Remember what I said about trust?” I nod, and she continues, “This is one of those times where you will need to trust me and let me go.”

I don’t want to see her leave with her ex, but what choice do I have?

“Go,” I say, the fear and anger shaking through me.

Scarlett is the reason for so many changes in my life. I cannot lose her to that piece of shit. He blew his chance. I won’t let her go without a fight.