But Michelle didn’t reciprocate. Even though she knew she was 100 percent above board on that count, the notion that someone else might question her ethics sickened her.

She arrived early to the consulting group that afternoon, and snagged some one-on-one time with Carla, updating her on Shayla’s session, then Clark Davidson, then the photo from Lincoln Center.

Carla listened, and was quick to answer. “I don’t think we need to freak out, but this is a good reminder to be careful.”

She hadn’t expected that. She’d assumed Carla would reassure her. “What do you mean?”

“You’re dating a man who’s in the public eye. Who the press adores, and fawns over. That man also runs a sex toy company that is well known for supplying to BDSM clubs, and for better or for worse, some people find those clubs seedy. That’s just reality, and you can’t change that. That’s why you need to be more cautious than if you were dating a cop, or a teacher, or even the CEO of a dishwasher detergent company. Do you know what I mean?”

“Sure,” Michelle said with a crisp nod. Carla had always given her smart advice.

“He doesn’t have to worry about boundaries and public or private lives in the same way you do. You’re an intimate relationship therapist, and you have to be cautious, in the same way that a teacher or police officer would be. Society has certain expectations about different professions, and we’re in one of those professions where we have to be circumspect. The reality is there are bound to be speculations about your sex life now,” she said, giving new meaning to the word blunt.

“So that’s it? This is not an It’s Raining Men situation?”

Carla laughed. “No. But I’m not saying you shouldn’t date him. If you enjoy his company and he’s good to you, then by all means, have some fun. What I’m saying is be aware of these eagle eyes that can’t seem to stop looking at him, and now at you. For better or for worse, the man is a magnet for the cameras.”

Michelle nodded, agreeing with her mentor. “I don’t think I realized just how much. We started dating a few weeks ago, and no one noticed. No one cared. And now, in the last few days, Page Six has taken an avid interest. And it was so uncomfortable when my patient asked about him. She just kind of word-vomited up this whole thing about whether we used his sex toys. Talk about boundaries,” she said, shaking her head in frustration.

Carla gave her a sympathetic smile. “Look, you won’t be the first psychotherapist to deal with dating someone in the public eye. It’s not as if you’re forbidden from it. The key is to manage it properly. That’s why I said to be careful. You don’t want your patients or colleagues to start seeing you in a particular light, and seeing you only as this man’s lover. That won’t help. And if that keeps happening, I would have to stop referring patients to you.”