This story is respectfully dedicated to the woman that inspired it. I hope when she reads it, she knows who she is. ~~BrettJ
*
Bella Shannon's high heels clicked on the pavement as she made her way to her next-to-last session of physical therapy. She had just begun wearing them again last week which had made her happy. Bella didn't mind being petite and there was nothing she really could do about it, but she liked being able to wear the 4-inch heels that gave her the added height. It also tended to eliminate all the pervs who stared down at her chest. Her breasts were her best assets, Bella knew that -- but it was nice to be noticed for her almond eyes, her beautiful smile or the long, jet-black hair that went halfway down her back.
It had been a long, arduous road back for the 25-year old entrepreneur. She had been walking to her flower shop when it happened. One car sped through a traffic light, colliding with another and sending it screeching towards Bella. She was lucky it wasn't a larger car, but as it was, it did serious damage. Two broken ribs, a few broken fingers and both of her feet were badly damaged. Her store hadn't even been open 6 months and the prognosis wasn't good. Bella would likely be off her feet for a year.
Bella was fortunate in a few ways. She had hired good staff to help in the flower shop, one friend took a semester off from college to take over the day-to-day managerial duties and two other girls offered to work whenever they could. Bella was able to work from home a great deal by using the Internet. Thank God for modern technology!
While Bella was not a lazy woman by any stretch of the imagination, she wasn't looking forward to all the work ahead of her. For the first month, it was suggested that she go to physio every other day.
Oh Great
, Bella thought to herself,
how much fun will that be, spending the day with women who look like blonde gorillas with boobs?
When her therapist walked into the room, Bella quickly reevaluated her position. He was gorgeous in the male model, tall dark stud manner. He actually looked like he owned the room, there was a presence about him. The women in the room were all properly deferential to this Adonis of a man and Bella's heart actually fluttered in nervousness.
His name was Tanner Maisland and it suited him perfectly. With his rich, deep voice and reassuring manner, Bella liked him immediately. She was sure that he would go easy on her and help her get through the pain.
Tanner was as helpful as Bella expected him to be, but if she thought she was going to get off easy, she was very much mistaken.
Tanner wasn't cruel, but he wasn't anywhere near gentle either. As she began to heal, he pushed her to the point where tears were roll from her face. Some days were agony and her doctors even told her they thought she should decrease the intensity of her sessions. Bella wasn't about to do that. She wasn't going to give the bastard the satisfaction, even one with sea-green eyes.
Bella loved people, that's why she had opened her florist's -- the chance to meet happy, new people everyday, plus an opportunity to work with beautiful, growing things and enjoy the colors and design. She usually had good instincts about people, so how had she read Tanner so wrong? He was an absolute dictator at every session, after today, her therapy was done and she could be rid of him. She would be able to return to her old gym and her old routine.
When she got into the treatment center, she caught Tanner's eye. She smiled at him and hoped he noticed the sleek, now-healed body with the lush curves and the flirty smile. She was hoping the son of a bitch would eat his heart out and realize that he should have treated her better. A lot of men -- and a few women -- would give up a lot to spend time with someone as hot as Bella. Tanner had been riding her and it would be to his detriment. She got out of the slinky outfit she had worn to attract Tanner's attention initially and into the outfit she was going to wear to maintain it. It hugged every seductive curve and as she walked into the room, every eye was on her. She put a bit of strut into her walk and knew Tanner was likely eating his heart out.
"Don't you look sensational," Tanner complimented her. He was smiling, she had rarely seen him smile, he was usually all business. Damn, did he have to be so good looking?!
"I'm glad today is your last day of therapy," Tanner said as he approached her. "You're made wonderful progress and healed a lot faster than I would have thought possible. You never quit and I am very proud of what we've accomplished."
"Holy shit, where is all of this coming from?" Bella thought to herself. During the last year, he had rarely spoken a word to her that didn't involve her therapy and was all business.