Chapter 13: Therapy with Three
The office smelled of rain and ozone and something else—something warm and floral that didn't quite belong to the sterile Chicago high-rise. Dr. Jules Nash had decorated the space with the careful attention of someone who understood that magic, like trauma, lived in the body long before it ever reached the tongue. Framed arcane equations hung beside holographic family portraits that shifted and smiled. The wet bar in the corner gleamed with bottles that promised comfort but never quite delivered.
Mike sat on the leather couch, feeling the cool material against his bare skin. Two months had passed since Bentley Ridge. Two months of debriefings and medical checkups and trying to convince his back that he wasn't forty-nine anymore. Two months of watching Katrina slowly emerge from the cocoon of silence she had wrapped around herself, and two months of failing to reach her.
So here they were. Naked. In a therapist's office that smelled like vanilla and something darker.
Casey was beside him, her silver-streaked hair mussed from the rain outside. She looked comfortable in her skin in a way that still made his chest ache after twenty-three years. Her hand found his thigh, squeezing with the easy intimacy of long partnership.
Katrina sat on his other side, a careful arm's length away. Her storm-grey eyes were wide, darting around the room like she expected the walls to collapse. Her dancer's body was tense, every muscle coiled tight.
"I've never done this with a therapist before," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
Jules leaned forward from her position on the opposite couch. Her large breasts swayed with the motion, and she made no move to cover them. At fifty, she looked at least a decade younger, thanks to the Power of Exposure that still clung to her like a second skin. Her sultry hazel eyes held nothing but professional warmth.
"That's rather the point, Katrina." Jules's voice was low, soothing. "Traditional therapy assumes a distance between patient and healer. I've found that distance often protects the therapist more than it helps the patient." She gestured at the three of them. "Here, we have nothing to hide behind. We're just people, together, working through the dark."
Casey snorted softly. "And we're not exactly the kind of people who need to hide much anyway. Jan saw to that."
A ghost of a smile crossed Katrina's lips. "I still can't believe you're friends with Jan O'Connor. When I was trapped, I used to dream about the world outside. I'd imagine what it would be like to meet famous people, do normal things." She shook her head. "I never imagined I'd end up naked on a couch with the parents of a half-elf model and a Stable Mind who looks like a porn star."
Jules laughed, a genuine, earthy sound. "I've been called worse. And you've been through more than most people could survive." Her expression softened. "You spent thirty years in a void, Katrina. Thirty years without touch, without warmth, without another human being." She paused, letting the weight of that settle. "Your body needs to remember what connection feels like. Not just the memory of it, but the actual sensation."
Mike felt Katrina's hand brush against his thigh. A tentative, almost accidental touch.
"How do we do that?" Katrina asked.
Jules rose from her couch, moving with the fluid grace of someone who had spent decades in this work. She knelt in front of Katrina, taking both her hands. "We start with trust. We practice touching and being touched. We let your body relearn that physical intimacy isn't a trap."
Katrina's breath hitched. "I opened the rift. I let that thing in and I trapped all those people for thirty years. I don't deserve to feel good."
"Bullshit." Casey's voice was sharp, cutting through the thick air. She shifted closer to Katrina, her hand finding the younger woman's chin and tilting her face up. "Listen to me. You were nineteen years old. You were tricked by an intelligence that had been planning its attack for decades. It used you because you were young and brilliant and wanted to help." Casey's thumb traced Katrina's jaw. "You didn't do anything wrong."
"I trapped your friend's father. I trapped the people on my team. I made my mother disappear trying to find me."
"You survived." Jules's voice was gentle but firm. "You survived, and when it mattered most, you helped my colleagues close the rift again. You led Thomas Wolfe's team out of that hell. You brought them home."
Katrina's eyes filled with tears. "I don't feel like a hero."
"You don't have to feel like one." Mike's voice was rough. "You just have to let us help you learn to feel like a person again."
For a long moment, no one moved. The rain pattered against the windows, a steady rhythm that filled the silence like a heartbeat.
Then Katrina nodded. A small, fragile motion that seemed to cost her everything.
Jules smiled, her hand coming up to cup Katrina's cheek. "That's it. That's all I need from you right now." She looked at Mike and Casey. "I want you to know that this session is about Katrina. She's the one who needs to feel safe, to feel desired, to feel like her body can bring pleasure rather than just pain."
"We know," Casey said. "We haven't done this before, but we're not new to helping people feel safe." She paused, a wry smile crossing her face. "Jan's friends have a lot of practice."
Jules laughed again. "I've heard. The 'Horny House,' they call it."
Mike groaned. "Please tell me that nickname hasn't spread to the professional community."
"It's practically legendary in certain circles." Jules's eyes sparkled. "But we're not here to discuss your reputation. We're here to help Katrina remember what it feels like to be alive."
She turned back to Katrina, her hands moving to the younger woman's shoulders. "I want you to feel my hands on your skin. Focus on the sensation—warmth, pressure, connection." She guided Katrina's hands to her own breasts. "And I want you to touch me. Not for my pleasure, but for yours. Your body needs to remember that touch can be good."
Katrina's hands trembled as they cupped Jules's full breasts. Her palms were sweaty, her fingers hesitant.
"That's it," Jules breathed. "Feel the weight of them. The warmth. This is what human touch feels like, Katrina. This is what you've been missing."
Something broke in Katrina's face. A sob escaped her throat as her hands began to move over Jules's chest, learning the landscape of another person's body.
"Oh, God," she gasped. "Oh, God, I didn't remember how warm people were. How real."
Casey moved closer, her hand finding Katrina's back, stroking in slow, soothing circles. "You're here, honey. You're real. We're real."
Mike watched the two women—his wife and the girl who had been lost for three decades—and felt something shift in his chest. This wasn't just therapy. This was resurrection.
Jules guided Katrina's hands away from her breasts and toward Casey. "Touch her. Touch your friend who pulled you out of that void. Let her body remind you that connection isn't just about the physical."
Katrina turned to Casey, her eyes glassy with tears. Her hands reached out, trembling, and Casey opened her arms without hesitation.
"It's okay," Casey murmured. "Come here. Let me hold you."
Katrina fell into the embrace like a drowning woman grabbing a lifeline. Her arms wrapped around Casey's body, her face burying in Casey's neck. And she cried—great, heaving sobs that tore through her thin frame like waves.
Casey held her, rocking gently, her hands stroking Katrina's hair, her back, her bare arms.
Mike felt his own eyes sting. He moved closer, wrapping his arms around both women, and for a long moment the three of them just held each other on the leather couch, naked and raw and utterly human.
Jules watched, her eyes soft. "This is what healing looks like," she said quietly. "Not pretty. Not clean. Just people holding each other through the dark."
Eventually, the sobs quieted. Katrina pulled back, wiping her face with the back of her hand. Her eyes were red, but something in them had changed. A spark of life that hadn't been there before.
"Thank you," she managed. "I didn't realize how much I needed that."
"You need a lot more than that," Jules said gently. "But we'll get there one step at a time." She looked at Mike and Casey. "Right now, I want you two to give her something else. Something that will help her body remember pleasure, not just safety."
Casey nodded slowly. Her hand came up to cup Katrina's face, her thumb brushing away a lingering tear. "Have you ever been with a man, Katrina?"
The question hung in the air. Katrina's cheeks flushed. "I... I had a boyfriend when I was eighteen. We did some things, but I never went all the way. And then I was in the rift, and I spent thirty years alone in the void with nothing but my own thoughts." She shuddered. "I thought about sex sometimes. I thought about being touched, being held. But I never thought I'd actually feel it again."
Mike's heart ached. He moved closer, his hand settling on Katrina's thigh. "We'll go as slow as you need. We can stop anytime you want."
"No." Katrina's voice was firmer now. "I don't want to stop. I want to feel everything." She looked at Mike, her grey eyes meeting his. "I want you to show me what it feels like to have a man inside me."
The raw honesty of her words hit him like a wave. He glanced at Casey, who nodded, her expression gentle, and at Jules, who watched with professional approval.
"Okay." Mike shifted closer, his hand sliding up Katrina's thigh toward her hip. "Okay, we'll show you."
Jules handed him a small bottle of lube. "Use this. She hasn't had time to get properly wet, and we don't want to hurt her."
Mike took the bottle, then turned back to Katrina. "I want you to lie back on the couch. Get comfortable. Let us take care of you."
Katrina complied, stretching out on the leather surface. Her eyes were wide, watching him, but there was no fear there anymore. Only anticipation.
Mike knelt between her thighs, letting his hands rest on her hips. "You're beautiful, you know that? After thirty years of hell, you're still beautiful."
A blush spread across Katrina's cheeks. "You don't have to say that."
"It's not flattery. It's just the truth." He leaned down, pressing a kiss to her belly. "Now, I'm going to start by touching you. Just touching. Tell me if anything feels wrong."
He slid his hand down her stomach toward her mound. Her skin was warm, smooth, the fine hair soft under his palm. Katrina's breath quickened as his fingers reached her folds.
"You're wet already," he murmured.
"I didn't expect to be, but I am." Her voice was strained. "Your touch—it's been so long since anyone touched me like this."
Mike's fingers explored her slowly, gently, tracing her outer lips before slipping inside. Katrina gasped, her hips bucking involuntarily.
"Easy," he breathed. "Let yourself get used to it."
Casey moved up beside Katrina, leaning over to kiss her deeply. Katrina's hands came up, tangling in Casey's hair, pulling her closer. Their tongues slid together, a slow, exploring dance.
Mike watched them for a moment, his fingers still working between Katrina's thighs. Then he leaned down, pressing his mouth to her clit, laving it with his tongue.
Katrina cried out, her back arching off the couch. "Oh, God—yes—"
Casey pulled back from the kiss, looking down at her. "Do you like that, honey?"
"Yes—please—don't stop—"
Mike didn't stop. His tongue circled her clit, his fingers pumping inside her, curling to hit that sweet spot with practiced precision. Katrina was writhing now, her hands gripping Casey's shoulders, her breaths coming in sharp gasps.
"I'm going to come," she choked out. "I'm going to come, I'm going to—"
Mike pressed his thumb to her clit, rubbing in firm circles as his fingers drove deeper. Katrina screamed. Not a cry of pain, but of pleasure so intense it bordered on agony. Her body convulsed, her inner walls clamping down on his fingers as waves of climax rolled through her.
"Good girl," Casey murmured, stroking her hair. "Let it all out."
When the spasms finally subsided, Katrina lay limp, panting, a sheen of sweat covering her pale skin. Her eyes were wide, dazed.
"That was—" she whispered hoarsely, "I didn't know it could feel like that."
"That was just the beginning." Jules was kneeling beside the couch now, her hand on Katrina's knee. "There's more. But you need to tell us if you want to continue."
Katrina looked at Mike. Her grey eyes roamed over him, lingering on his erection, which was thick and straining, slick with a bead of moisture at the tip. Her hand moved, wrapping around his length, making him hissed through his teeth.
"I want to feel you inside me," she said softly. "I want to know what it's like."
Mike and Casey exchanged a glance. He shifted forward, positioning himself between her thighs.
"Ready?"
"Yes." Katrina's voice was steady. "I'm ready."
The tip of his cock pressed against her entrance, slick with her arousal. He pushed forward slowly, watching her face, ready to stop at the first sign of pain.
Katrina's breath came in a whistle as the head of his length pushed inside her. "Oh," she gasped. "Oh, you're—you're really—"
"I'm sorry if it hurts—"
"It doesn't hurt." Her hands gripped his hips, pulling him deeper, harder. "I want all of you. Please."
Mike eased forward, inch by inch, inching his way into her tight heat. It had been thirty years since anyone had been inside her, and her pussy clenched around him like a fist. He paused when he was fully seated, giving her time to adjust.
"So full," she breathed. "You feel so—oh God—so good."
"Fuck, you're tight." Mike's voice was strained. "You're going to make me come before I'm ready."
Jules leaned over, her hand joining Katrina's on his hip. "Wait, let her take the lead. She needs to feel in control."
Katrina moved first. Her hips tilted, just slightly, changing the angle. Her hands pressed against his chest as she shifted beneath him. "Can I—"
"Yes, love." Casey was beside her, stroking her hair. "Take what you need. Show us how good it feels."
Katrina gave Mike a gentle push until he slipped out, glistening. Then she pushed him onto his back on the couch and straddled his hips.
"I want to control it," she said, looking down at him. Her hair fell in dark waves around her face. "I want to feel you enter me as I sink down."
"Go ahead," Mike breathed, hands on her thighs, his breath hitching. "Take it."
Katrina guided him to her entrance, holding him steady as she began to sink down.
Her head tipped back, eyes fluttering closed. He watched her throat move as she swallowed.
"Feel that?" she whispered. "Feel how my body opens for you? It's been so long.…" She sank down, inch by inch, until his entire length was buried inside her. For a moment, she just sat there, taking in the sensation of him filling her completely.
Then she began to move.
Her hips started rocking, slow and experimental, finding a rhythm that felt right. Her hands closed over her own breasts, squeezing them, pinching her nipples as she rode.
Casey moved behind her, hands on Katrina's shoulders, pressing herself against Katrina's back. Her hands slid around to cup Katrina's breasts, her lips finding Katrina's throat, kissing and sucking.
"I'll help you," Casey breathed. "Let me help you fuck him."
Casey's fingers found Katrina's clit, rubbing firm circles as her hips pushed Katrina forward, driving Mike deeper with each thrust. Katrina's rhythm became faster, more desperate, her hands reaching back to grab Casey's hips.
"Fuck," Mike groaned, his hands gripping Katrina's waist. "Your cunt is so goddamn tight. I'm not going to last—"
"Don't last," Katrina urged. "Fill me up. Come inside me. I want to feel it—I want to feel you let go—"
Casey's thumb pressed hard into Katrina's clit as she herself ground against Katrina's thigh, slick with her own moisture.
"Come with her," Casey commanded, and Mike felt the coil in his belly tighten. He was slamming up into Katrina now, their bodies slapping together in a desperate rhythm.
Katrina screamed first. Her body convulsed, her inner walls clamping around him like a vice, milking him dry. The sensation was too intense.
"FUCK!" Mike roared as his release surged up from the base of his spine. "FUCK, YES, TAKE EVERYTHING. TAKE ME. OH, GOD." He was coming, pulses of scalding cum flooding into her depths, his entire body shuddering beneath her.
Katrina collapsed on top of him, trembling, her face buried in his neck. Her breath came in ragged, desperate sobs.
"I felt it," she whispered. "I felt you come inside me. I felt all of it. Oh, God, I felt all of it."
Casey gathered them both in her arms, her own body still slick with arousal. Mike didn't know which she was for.
"Good," Casey said, kissing Katrina's forehead. "Feel it, love. It's real. It's all real." Her voice was warm, and she began to rub soothing circles on her back.
Jules knelt beside them, her face soft with satisfaction. "That was beautiful, Katrina. You did so well."
Katrina looked at her, eyes red but clear. "I want more. Is that bad?"
Jules smiled. "Not bad at all. It's normal. Your body is coming back to life, and it wants to feel everything." She looked at Casey. "And Casey, I believe you still need some attention."
Casey's breath caught as Jules leaned in, kissing her with slow deliberation. Casey moaned against her mouth, her body arching into the touch.
"You're just doing your job?"
"Oh, I do love it when the patient is perceptive." Jules was moving down Casey's body now, her lips tracing the soft curve of her belly, nuzzling at her thighs. "And I love it more when they taste as good as you look." She settled her head between Casey's legs, her tongue flat against Casey's clit.
Casey gasped, her hands reaching down to grasp Jules's dark hair. "Fuck—you're—you're very good at this—"
"I've had practice." Jules's voice vibrated against her flesh. "But you're special, Casey. When I heard about you and Mike and that legendary stamina, I knew I had to get you in this office one way or another."
"That's a little unprofessional," Casey gasped, grinding her hips.
"Fully licensed and clinically indicated." Jules's tongue circled Casey's clit. "You're carrying a heavy burden, Mrs. Williamson. Katrina, Thomas Wolfe, the rift, your daughters—you've been holding everyone together for weeks. Someone needs to hold you for a while."
Casey's breath hitched. Her body tensed, then released, and she came with a broken cry.
And watching them, Mike and Katrina, entwined together on the couch.
"Your wife is amazing," Katrina whispered.
"She always has been." Mike stroked her hair. "She's the bravest person I know."
Jules looked up, slick with Casey's juices. "You're quiet a lot, Michael. Don't you have something to say?"
He chewed his lip. "I'm just—I'm getting old, Jules. I can't keep up with you two like I used to."
"Nonsense." Jules crawled up over his body. "You just came inside Katrina like a man half your age. I felt it, and I'm jealous of how much you gave her." She settled into his lap, her slick pussy grinding against his still hardening cock. "And I want a taste for myself."
Mike looked at Casey, who nodded, a tired grin on her face. "Go on, love. Show her what you got."
Mike grabbed Jules's hips as she sank onto him.
"Fucking—fuck—" he gasped, his head falling back against the couch.
Jules rode him hard, her hips grinding in circles, his whole body tensing with each thrust.
"You feel that?" she breathed. "Feel how wet I am? I watch you with Katrina, saw how you are with Casey, and I wanted a piece of you for myself."
She was beautiful, a little heavy, but beautiful, with those perfect breasts swaying as she rode.
He watched her breasts bounce with each thrust, and he couldn't resist. He leaned forward, taking one of them into his mouth, sucking hard.
"Yes," Jules moaned. "Suck them, baby. Bite them. I'm not fragile, I can take it." He did it. She cried out, a raw, savage sound pulling at something primal in him, her body trembling on his cock. And as if that wasn't enough, she was pulling him deeper with every stroke, taking him as if she wanted him up in her throat.
Maybe he was a dirty old man, but right now he felt like a king.
"Fuck," he groaned, feeling his orgasm building. "I'm so close—"
Jules grabbed him with both hands, pressing him deeper into her breasts, moaning his name, rocking hard, her eyes rolling back to white. She didn't just want him as a notch on her bedpost; she was hungry for him, starved for the feel of him coming apart inside her. "Do it. Come for me, Mike. Flood me with your come. Fill me up until I'm dripping with it."
He couldn't hold back. His release surged, a gush of pure ecstasy that jolted his spine. His entire body convulsed and he cried out, a raw animal sound tearing from his throat, as he let go inside her.
Jules screamed her release, her body shuddering, her pussy clamping around him like a vice. Katrina, watching with wide eyes, was touching herself, her fingers moving frantically between her thighs, her breath coming in short, sharp gasps. She was moving faster now, her knuckles white, her hips bucking off the couch, losing herself entirely to the sight of them.
"That's it," Casey encouraged, moving behind Katrina, her hands guiding the younger woman's motions. "Make yourself come watching them."
Katrina's orgasm hit her like a wave, her body convulsing, her eyes rolling back as she cried out.
"Fuck—fuck—I'm coming again!"
She sagged back against Casey, her breath ragged, slick and shaking.
Jules pulled off Mike, collapsing onto the couch beside him. She looked utterly wrecked beneath them, but her eyes were satisfied.
"Now that," she said, "was a successful session."
A beat of laughter broke through the heavy atmosphere. Casey and Mike exchanged glances at the absurd, erotic position they'd all ended in.
The therapist squeezed Katrina's hand. "I want to see you again next week, same time. But before that, I want you to do something homework, not just clinical. A 'something,' maybe."
Mike half-turned his head to raise an eyebrow at that phrasing.
"I want you to touch yourself every morning before you get out of bed," Jules continued, her eyes on Katrina. "Not for the orgasm. Just for the sensation. A minute of time with your body before you start your day. Remind yourself that pleasure is yours to own."
Katrina looked at her, the grey of her eyes clearing. "I can do that."