Chapter 5: Sunset

A week later, I patiently explained to her quack that I was not a sex-a-holic and that Yvette and I had worked out our differences.

"And what about needs outside the relationship with Yvette?"

I reminded myself, again, that this man was Yvette's personal therapist.

"I don't have any needs outside of my relationship with Yvette."

"What about the incestuous relationship - your cousin? Sister?"

"Both, at one point actually." I sneered, "I am a red-neck from Verginny." He didn't look amused. "Beth and I no longer have a physical relationship and haven't in several years. Alex is not outside my relationship with Yvette."

"Did you end things with Beth or did she?"

I could not imagine what that had to do with anything. "Mutual consent. We never officially sat down and said 'we're stopping now' any more than we consciously decided to start. We just don't."

"So if circumstances were different, you would still be seeing her?"

"I have never understood that question. If circumstances were different, circumstances would be different. I don't know what I would be doing. Probably not. She's in college in Boston, I'm here. If things were different, we likely wouddna got inta the whole mess." I cleared my throat and took a breath. "What happened with Beth and I was ... unexpected. And unique. But not romantic. I'm not in love with my sister. Is that what Yvette's worried about? That every time we go visit my family, I'm going to sleep with my sister?"

"We're not talking about Yvette now. Are you concerned about that?"

I wanted to pound this guy so much my arm was twitching. "No," I said, trying to remain calm, "I'm not. My sister is a very attractive young woman but I think I have broken the habit of banging her on the odd weekend. Even if I hadn't, she's seeing a guy now who'd break me - or any other rival - in half. I love Yvette, I want to bang Yvette. Do I sound like I'm hung up on my sister?"

"You sound a little stressed."

I took another deep breath. "Yeah. What else did you want to discuss?"

"What do you want to discuss?" 'Your head going through that window.' I caught myself thinking. The beauty of being Alex - he would have tried that already. "Tell me about Alex. That's your cousin?"

"Yes." I knew coming in that this discussions was going to happen. I had to steel myself. "What do you want to know?"

"Well, why?"

"Why what?" I couldn't believe how much I detested this man.

"Why do you do what you do? Why to him? Why with him?"

"Alex is a submissive by nature and a masochist by preference. He discovered this in high school. He needed someone he could trust to help him figure this out. We've always been close; this just made sense at the time."

"And your family knows about it?"

I swallowed my first response. I planned to have a long talk with Yvette about keeping my confidence confident. "Very specific members of my family know. My Grandfather, for instance. Alex was ... injured and needed someone to speak to the football coach. Granddad's an attorney and agreed to put the matter under attorney/client privilege."

"Did he?"

"Yes, right after he charged his 16 year old grandson a $300 retainer fee." I glanced at the clock. I promised Yvette I'd stay the full hour. I had another 20 minutes to go. "So he knows. He never approved but we didn't ask him to and, the way Alex is, we likely woulda done it even if-n he tol' us to stop." I can hear my accent creeping back into my voice and clear my throat. "At any rate, my sister used to spend a lot of time with Alex and I and just figured it out. My cousins learned about Alex's fetish and guessed about our relationship. To my knowledge, no one else actually knows."