Million Dollar Man

Million Dollar Man: Chapter Four || She Is In My Eyes

Michael tried hard as he could to resist the new desires and curiosities that had been planted within him during his first therapy session in weeks. Doing his very best to implement the methods of control he'd learned in the past during his treatment with Dr. Friedlander, and he had managed to win the battle for a few days. Skilfully switching his mind to other topics whenever he found his thoughts attempting to stray. Harshly reminding himself how he promised to be a better man, to be faithful this time. However one night, after a particularly trying day he found his strength to resist temptation drifted just that inch too far out of his reach.

He found himself sitting on the couch with a glass of whiskey on the table besides him and a cigar in hand, as yelling echoed down from the upper floor of his house; choruses of slamming doors and heavy footsteps pounding over head. Every noise threatening to unleash his barely contained anger, but instead of snapping, he found distraction in letting his hungry mind get the better of him.

He was only going to have a quick look, just to make sure she was who she claimed to be. Only a little search, to confirm she could be trusted.

He plucked out his phone and told himself it was purely a fact finding mission, and maybe a harmless little bit of escapism, nothing more to it. Yet the way the noise of his bickering family faded out more and more with every letter he typed of her name, told him it was far more.
The first EyeFind result was for a private practice in New Austin, where one Doctor Cassidy Nardovino was listed as one of the junior therapists. There was a professional headshot of her alongside a small blurb about her career, which gave nothing of particular interest away. He guessed it was safe to assume that must have been the job she left behind to break out on her own on the west coast. However, he had noted the slightest hint of a Liberty City accent when she spoke, and that was not explained by a life in the south.

He returned to the minimal search results and clicked the second link which lead to her Life Invader page, but again there wasn't much to see. She used the same picture on her profile as the one put against her name on her former practices webpage. She had a small friends list, made up of mostly professional contacts from what he could tell. She had made no updates, and the page gave no information away about her past or even her present. That teased his curiosity and bought forward a slight sense of concern.

He knew it wasn't out of the ordinary for people to just have a minimal Life Invader page for networking purposes, but the fact her unusual name yielded so few search results troubled him a little. He a thought popped up in his head, advising him to email Lester to see what he could dig up on her, but the idea pricked his conscience a little too hard. He didn't have a huge list of morals but it felt wrong to invade her privacy, at least without reasonable cause, so he put the idea on hold.

The lack of images on her profile, unknowingly frustrated him, and as a result he spent a potentially unhealthy amount of time looking at the one picture of her, set against a white background. Admiring her striking blue eyes, sculpted cheekbones, delicate nose, and full lips. Drawn to the hint of darkness in her eyes; somehow sensing she'd seen her fair share of troubles.

He couldn't deny he'd been instantly attracted to her, but she wasn't the first woman that had caused cartoon hearts to pop up in his eyes, and she wasn't likely to be the last. He knew it was foolish to even consider there being any kind of connection between them, given they'd spent little more than an hour together, but he couldn't shake the feeling there was the start of something being there. Something more than the immediate physical draw. He knew curiosity played a big part in it all, filling him with questions about her; trying to figure out what kind of chequered past may have been locked away behind her professional face.

However, he knew his default setting was to recoil at the first attempt any pretty face made to tell him their life story. Hell, he barely known Amanda's last name before she was at the altar taking his. Yet every time his mind went to Cassidy, he seemed to find a new question that he wanted answered.

He guessed her knowing so much about him already, was responsible for encouraging his interest in her, and also the way she seemed to read him well already pulled certain strings inside him. Her ability should have made him uncomfortable, especially since she seemed like a ghost and he couldn't quite read her yet, but he felt there was potential for a dynamic between that would be too good to run away from. Even though he dared not let his mind wander to what the hell she must have thought of him. All the shit she'd read second-hand, all the stuff he'd told her while spilling his guts in her living room. Painting himself to be an ungrateful prick, and the world's worst husband and father.

When he'd driven home from their first session, he'd found himself troubled by the way everything had come flowing from his mouth so easily. He'd had the foresight to resist revealing too much about his criminal lifestyle, knowing well how too much disclosure could get him into trouble, but during their session he hadn't been able to hold much more of himself back. The benefits of finally being able to rant about life to someone were immense, and overrode any concerns he had about trusting another therapist with his dirty secrets. Just having her sit and listen to him offload had made his shoulders feel a little lighter that week, and there was an odd sense of hope nestled deep in his gut.

Hope for what, he wasn't yet sure, it may have been closer to excitement, but his negative mind warned that it was unwise to allow himself to feel such things. Knowing that once she got to know the real him, she would despise him too - just like everyone else. If she didn't already.

However, he guessed until she started showing signs of becoming tired with his attitude and behaviours, maybe he'd learn something from her. If nothing else having a way to let off steam was priceless, and she was a hell of a lot nicer to look at that Friedlander.

Attraction and intrigue aside, she seemed wise beyond her years, and above all it was just nice to have somewhere to escape to. A place to go where he could shut out the rest of the work, and set the pace. A place where he didn't have to pretend to be keeping it together anymore.

Of course, a little banter and thinly veiled flirtation didn't hurt either, as long as she was comfortable with it. Although the devil in him thoroughly enjoyed the idea of making her uncomfortable. Imagining just how far she might be willing to take things, if he pushed her, just a little bit too far.