Four

Trapper rapped lightly on Stratton's office door and walked in. Dr. Stratton was sitting at his desk examining records. He looked up and when he saw it was Trapper, he stood and offered a weak smile.

"I was just looking over the scans for Mr. Murray, the patient you checked up on." He motioned at the folder on his desk that contained the print-outs of the scan reports. "Honestly, John, I can't see where the perforation is just by the scans and I ordered three. I even asked Titus to look them over—he's the best, don't you think?"

"Yes—he's good at that. He's so good that I've arranged for him to assist you in an exploratory scheduled for this evening—I just reserved an OR. I'm sure that with his help, you'll find the perforation and correct it. Since it's so small that it's not showing up. It may even close on its own."

"I hope so, John. This has really gotten to me. I feel incompetent but then I haven't been able to keep my mind on anything since…" Alan Stratton dropped his head in his hands and seemed to be crying.

Trapper went around the desk and put a hand on Stratton's shaking shoulders. He had consoled patients in the face of bad news before and comforted families reeling from death but never before had a fellow doctor fallen apart like this. Sobs escaped the man. "I'm sure the issue can be fixed with just a few stitches and it was found early enough. I've spoken to the family and they haven't made any noise about suing if that's what's upsetting you. But the hospital's sued all the time. It's just part and parcel of doing business."

Stratton sat up and Trapper's hand dropped away. Stratton, his breath still shaky, controlled himself. … "I'm sorry. It's just that when I'm tense like this, I used to see…well, I saw a woman who helped me to relax. Having all this control over people's lives, well, without her I'm falling apart." Stratton pulled out his handkerchief and wiped his face and blew his nose.

Trapper carefully watched him. "That's the second reason I'm here. If you're talking about Ariadne…" Trapper noticed how Stratton froze; he didn't even seem to breathe. "I saw her about two weeks ago at my favorite Italian restaurant. I stopped at her table."

"Oh?" Stratton looked hopeful. "Did she ask about me?"

"No."

Stratton collapsed again, dropping his face in his hands. "She won't see me anymore." Stratton said, raising his head. "She said I was becoming too needy, too demanding and needed to find myself another…therapist. I told her there couldn't be anyone else—offered he twice as much money—three times but she refused and hung up. I kept calling, begging, leaving messages but then she blocked my number." Stratton looked up at Trapper's worried face. "I don't know what I'm going to do-I just…"

"I'll tell you what I think you should do-take a few days off, maybe go to Human Relations and ask to see an outside therapist. I'll help Titus with the surgery on your patient. You need to move on from Ariadne."

"But I don't want to, John. She is the most beautiful, the most understanding…"

Trapper felt sudden revulsion for Stratton, No wonder Ann wanted to cut him loose, get rid of him. He was a quailing, weak, puling man, hardly worth respecting.

"Well, I had another reason for coming here." Stratton looked up to Trapper but he continued despite the sad look Stratton gave him. "Can you give me her number?"

"Ariadne's?"

"Yes. Is it a problem for you?"

"Are you going to call her…about me?"

"No. I just want to get in touch with her." Trapper waited. He felt foolish, embarrassed and hoped that he wasn't looking at his future self when he looked at Stratton, that he wouldn't be sobbing after a few months with Ann.

"I wouldn't have guessed you to be that type. You seem to always be in control. But then maybe that's why you are. It's the greatest relief to hand control, to give all your power to someone else."

"I just want to see her but not as a client."

"You know about Ariadne, don't you? You know what she does for a living."

"If you mean that she's a dominatrix, yes, I know. But she's still a woman and a beautiful one. I find the fact that she's strong appealing. I don't want her to stick anything up my ass or take a Ping-Pong paddle to me but I would like to see her."

Stratton sighed. "She said she doesn't go out socially. I asked her to. Wanted to see her outside of our…business relationship but she said no. No and she was adamant. I could only way I could get her to go with me to the fundraiser was professionally—I told her I needed to be punished and she obliged—for $600.00 an hour."

Trapper let out a whistle of appreciation and shook his head. He quickly calculated how much the night with Ann would have cost him had he paid—over $2,000.

Stratton pulled out his phone and scrolled through it. "Here. I may as well give it to you—no matter what the reason is that you want it." He showed Trapper the number beside the name "Ariadne" and Trapper quickly tapped it into his own phone.

"Thanks, Alan. And I meant what I said. "If you don't want to go to HR, go talk to Connor—or David Sandler—he's a good man. And trust me, he knows what it's like to be with a domineering woman." Trapper chuckled and then Stratton smiled.

"Oh, he and your ex are engaged, right?"

"Yes and I wish to hell they'd hurry up and marry. Anyway, I'll clear your schedule for the next three days…"

"No," Stratton said. "If I'm home I'll just keep thinking about Ariadne and I'll lose my mind. As it is, unless I want to pace the floor all night, I have to take a hypnotic to sleep."

"You know there are other women, other 'professionals.' Call one of them."

"I should but-I love Ariadne and that's why she shut me out. Quite the irony, isn't it?"

"Yeah. I suppose it is." Trapper walked out of Stratton's office feeling a bit of sympathy for the man but at the same time, feeling victorious; he had Ann's number. If she didn't reply, he'd call a friend on the police force and call in a favor; he'd ask for a trace of her license plate and he'd go from there. And then he paused. Maybe he should take his own advice and see another woman. For him to behave this way was unusual. He had pursued women before. Most had turned out not to be worth the chase and a few weren't interested which then killed his interest in them. But for some reason, he had to have Ann. Trapper considered if maybe it wasn't because she was a dominatrix. Perhaps he needed that.

Melanie had always had control of their sex life and he had always complied, doing exactly what she wanted, having sex only when she was in the mood and then refraining from any unusual acts. There were a few times when he persisted and Melanie acquiesced, albeit it reluctantly, but he always paid for it. Melanie would be the martyr for the next few days and he would send her flowers and take her out to dinner.

Trapper smiled to himself. Maybe being under the power of a dominatrix was what he needed after all.