Healing Vincenza

Chaptwr 1: part 5

Vincenza got Mrs. DeLeon settled and then walked over to Derek.

"Ok, you're all done," she smiled at him, secretly glad that he would be leaving and that she could get on with her day without him invading her thoughts.

"Great. Thank you." He smiled back, and as he gave her his thanks, he touched her shoulder as she went to get the towels from the table. She gasped, and he saw her cheeks flush. What he wouldn't give to be alone with her right now, to stroke her pink cheek and lift her chin so he could reach her plump lips with ease.

"You're welcome." She said breathlessly. She felt his hand stay on her shoulder longer then it should have been, and as he slowly drew it away, he gently slid it down her arm. She started missing the warmth that came with it. She found the courage to turn her face to him, even though she felt her cheeks were still pink, and she smiled.

"Kelli will handle making your next appointment. See her at the front and have a wonderful New Year and a great time at your office party."

"Thank you. What days and times do you work?" He had to make sure he had her as his therapist. If he was going to try to bed her then he had to get to know her. He had a feeling she wouldn't just jump into bed with any Tom, d**k or Harry, so he resigned that he would have to work on her at a slower pace than some of the past women he had known.

"Oh, um, well I, um...am here most days of the week and I am either here for the morning shift, or the afternoon shift. It depends on the day and whether or not Amy and Dan will be here."

"Well I will make sure to request times when you are here."

"Oh, you don't need to do that. Amy and Dan are just as good, if not better." She was desperate to limit her interactions with him. He was standing so close to her looking down with his dark eyes that she almost melted into a pool of liquid.

"No. I want you to be my therapist. You were the first one to work on me and you will be the only one to work on me." His tone became stern and Vincenza could feel the power this man held. It was overwhelming and all she could do was nod.

He watched her as she turned and went to put the towels and heating pad back where she retrieved them from. Derek knew he frightened her...he frightened most people, which always led him to get what he wanted...which is exactly what just happened with Vincenza. He was happy about that, it meant that he would be able to break her barriers easier now that he would be with her for an hour three days per week. He was about to turn and walk away when he heard the elderly woman make a comment to Vincenza.

"Tomorrow is the day dear, isn't it?"

"Yes Mrs. DeLeon. It is."

Sadness clouded her eyes and Mrs. DeLeon stopped her hip exercise and put a hand on Vincenza's shoulder.

"It will be ok dear. Have faith that your heart will heal and things will become right for you again."

Vincenza smiled at the old woman, but Derek didn't see the same warmth in her smile and eyes as he had seen before. Instead he saw pain and sadness. So as not to disturb the two women he quietly slipped out the side door and went to talk to Kelli about his next appointment.

"I'd like to make an appointment with Vincenza again."

"Sure. We are open tomorrow, but not until the afternoon. Oh wait...she's actually off tomorrow. She won't be back to the office until Monday."

"Then Monday it is."

"Same time?"

"Yes, please. Could you also tell me what days she works? I am supposed to come her three times a week and would prefer to only see her."

Kelli looked at him. She was starting to feel intimidated and just wanted to get him out of there. She thought he was still gorgeous, but his demeanor had certainly changed from how he was before his appointment to now.

"Sure, um...I can do Monday's, Wednesday's and Friday's at the same time. That's when she is here for the morning shifts."

"That will be fine."

"Do you need a c-?" But Kelli couldn't finish her question because Derek was already walking out the door.

He opened the door with force and felt the cold air hit him. Quickly he walked to his car, beeped the alarm and got in. As he sat down he realized that his pace was his normal brisk one, not long strides with jerky movements, or having to slow down so the pain could alleviate, and his lower back was not sore. He hadn't felt this good in over a week. Silently he thanked his doctor and was glad he listened for once to what he was told.

His mind returned to her. The sadness in her eyes; she looked like she could release a stream of tears at any moment. He didn't like it. Someone or something had caused this woman pain, and he was unsure why that bothered him the way it did. He wanted to find out what was hurting her, wanted to fix it so she could smile again. A woman like that should never look the way she did when he was leaving, she should only ever smile her warm smile.

Why did it bother him so? Why did he want to protect this woman so much? He turned the key in the ignition and realized that he should be more concerned with getting to know her better so he could be with her. He might have to move at a faster pace than originally planned, but that was fine. Being with him would make her smile...it made every woman smile, and he wanted to be the reason that brought her smile back.