“Jared, get me some tissues, man.” Before I know it, Travis has a handful of tissues at my nose. “Blow,” he orders, but I can’t; it’s disgusting and humiliating for someone else to catch my snot.
“Julianna, blow, dammit,” his voice commands. Fine, if he wants the snot, he can have it. I concede, closing my eyes tightly and blowing out hard. Ugh, it’s terrible, and with everything that comes out, it makes me gag again. I open my eyes and see I’m looking down into the trashcan, the deadly combination of sight and smell assaulting my senses once again. I start all over with the gagging and dry heaving. My stomach has nothing left in it, but the pain and burn in my stomach and throat hurt just the same.
“Jared, get the damn trashcan out of here, now!” Travis demands. I see Jared’s feet move quickly away, along with the garbage, and then I hear him slip out the door. “Julianna, look at me.”
I peer up at Travis with my tear-stricken face, trying desperately to catch my breath. My body is trembling, and I feel so weak. He closes his eyes for a brief moment, as if he’s the one in pain. He curses under his breath, and then moves me so I’m sitting up. He climbs off the table and stands between my legs, embracing me against his chest. He wraps his strong arms around my pitiful self, one hand stroking my back and the other holding my head tightly to his muscular chest.
I hear the beating of his heart and take respite in the touch, feel, and smell of Travis. I feel so demoralized I don’t care about the disheveled state my robe is in anymore. I crave the comfort his body provides, and the temporary postponement of what is to come.
“Shh, sweetheart, I’ve got you,” he whispers. Again, I don’t know what that means, but I find myself taking consolation in his words and close my eyes. After a few minutes of listening to his strong heartbeat and feeling his tender caresses, my body and mind begin to settle down. I don’t understand how this man seems to have this unexplainably, almost-hypnotically calming effect over my entire being. Even though he depicts a hard, steel exterior, I can almost see a soft, cuddly, teddy-bear trait hiding deep down inside him, but it could just be the drugs floating throughout my system.
I hear the opening of the clinic door and the clicking of Jared’s dress shoes as he walks across the tile floor. My body tenses and goes on high-alert again. Shit, will this day never end? I hear Jared chuckling behind Travis’ back and my brow furrows. What does he think is so funny now? Travis holds me tighter, but I’m not sure if it’s to cover my naked body from Jared’s view, or to keep me from killing him.
“Now, Travis here,” Jared begins, “he’s a drug of his own class. Damn, you’re good, man. Just a few minutes alone with her, and she’s putty in your hands all over again.”
I feel Travis’ body stiffen. “Enough, Jared.” I feel his strong warning vibrate through his chest and into my ear.
“I bet he could even get someone to jump off the Golden Gate Bridge, as long as he told the ladies he’d be at the bottom of it. He’s just that damn good. He uses his masculine physique, handsome looks, and charismatic charm to seduce women into doing everything and anything he wants them to.”
“Jared,” Travis warns again.
The scientist continues, ignoring the warning, “You see, he inculcates them in his own doctrine of ‘sex is good for the soul’ through instilling a persistent set of instructions and habits. When used in combination with these drugs, it equals perfection.” Jared pauses. “Somehow, he creates a way for these women to accept their circumstances and obey his teachings. He’s tapped into the female psyche using motivation and the forward momentum of consistent training, which go hand-in-hand. One cannot exist without the other.”
“What are you talking about?” I croak out with a scratchy voice.
“Well, he’s such a great manipulator, and once someone hands over her trust to him, he’s able to mold them and create a sense of love and belonging for them to believe in. Women crave for someone to love them back, and once you perceivably love somebody, you are motivated by that emotion. You’re motivated in everything you do, and your only goal is to please that person. Isn’t that what all women desire—to be loved and put on a pedestal?
“Dammit, Jared, shut the fuck up!” Travis bellows, and I flinch.
“No, she needs to know, and maybe you need to realize you’ve been giving her preferential treatment. You’re not acting your normal self, and she deserves to know what’s in store for her,” he replies.