Falling Awake

freak?”
    She raised her chin and prepared to play what Gavin Hardy would have called her really big card.
    “It doesn’t matter what I think of you personally,” she said smoothly. “What matters is that, as I mentioned, I have been doing a lot of thinking about my future in recent days and I have made a decision.”
    “I’m listening.”
    “I am tired of being used like a convenient piece of office equipment. From now on, if you or Lawson or anyone else wishes to utilize my extreme dream analysis services, you will have to contract with me directly. Furthermore, you will have tomeet my requirements. Naturally I will guarantee client confidentiality. But I will also demand more context and feedback on each case.”
    He took a swallow of tea and looked fascinated. “Oh, man. Lawson is gonna be real upset about this.”
    “Then he can find himself another Level Five analyst.” She held her breath, aware that she was risking everything with the move.
    “You’re the only one he’s been able to identify,” Ellis said. “Believe me, he’s looked. Until you came along, he had to handle all the analyses and interpretations in-house, and there were a lot of mistakes made. Some of the symbols and metaphors in Level Five dreams are beyond weird.”
    Satisfaction made her almost giddy. She had been right, after all. Lawson didn’t have anywhere else to turn. He needed her. So did Ellis Cutler.
    She sat back in her chair and crossed her legs. “As I said, you and Lawson are quite welcome to sign a contract with me.”
    “Oh, man,” he said again, almost under his breath. “This is going to be fun.”
    “I fail to see anything that is the least bit amusing about this situation,” she snapped. “This is business.” Committed now, she plunged recklessly ahead. “If I discover that a client fabricates any of the information concerning context or the final resolution of the various cases submitted to me with the intention of deceiving me or with the expectation of shutting me up, said client will no longer be eligible for my services.”

    “Understood.”
    “You think I’m joking?”
    “No, Ms. Wright.” His mouth jerked upward at the corner. “I can see that you are damn serious. You’ll get no argument from me but I don’t think Lawson is going to go for this new arrangement.”
    “If he doesn’t like my terms, he is free to search for another analyst.”
    Ellis whistled softly. “You play hardball, Isabel Wright.”
    Gratified by that statement, she uncrossed her legs and got to her feet. “I’ve been taking lessons from some experts for the past year, namely you and Lawson. As I said, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking in recent days. I won’t go back to working in the dark.”
    He tilted his head slightly, angling his gaze to watch her through the dark glasses. “In addition to freelancing for Lawson, I’m a business consultant, specifically a venture capitalist. I look at a lot of business plans. Speaking professionally, I feel obliged to point out a couple of negatives in yours.”
    She gripped the strap of her purse. “What negatives?”
    “It’s true that there are not a lot of people who can do what you do. But it is equally true that there also isn’t a lot of demand for your services.”
    “I’m aware of that.”
    “You had a grand total of exactly two clients while you were at the center, right?”
    “Right,” she said, a little uneasy now that she could see where he was going with this.

    “If Lawson doesn’t agree to your contract terms, that will leave you with only one viable client. Me. Problem is, I get my special cases directly from Lawson, so if he doesn’t want you involved, I won’t be able to use your services.”
    She swallowed. “I understand.”
    “Think you can make a living without Lawson and his cases?”
    “I don’t know.” She forced another Desperately Professional Smile. “Lucky for me I’ve got my new day job.”
    That made him go still again. “What’s that?”
    “I’m not here at Kyler to take a course of motivational seminars, Ellis. I’m going to work here.”
    “You’re joking,” he said, voice very flat and sure.
    “Nope. I’m taking the instructors’ course. On Monday I will begin teaching a series of seminars titled ‘Tapping into the Creative Potential of Your Dreams.’ ”
    He smiled. The smile stretched into a disbelieving grin. “Are you serious?”
    “I am very, very serious. I need a steady paycheck while I