Truth or Consequences

by Sharon C. Cooper

“Wow, it must have been a helluva day if it has you cursing and thinking about vacation. Anything I can do to make it better?”

  Normally his suggestive questions or comments made her smile, taking her back to the last time he made her feel better. Today was different. She didn’t want to feel better. She just wanted to wallow in misery, unsure of how the news of Dr. Halsey’s suspension would affect the rest of her staff.

  “Thanks, but I’m good.” She planned to go home, slip into some pajamas, and curl up with a good gallon of butter pecan ice cream.

  “Well, how about dinner tonight? I can—”

  “Malik, thanks, but I want to be alone tonight.” Most women would be happy to receive invites for breakfast, lunch, and dinner from three good-looking men, but not Natasha. Not today. “I appreciate the offer, but now is not a good time. I have some major things going on here at the hospital, and I need for all of my focus to be on work and my career, but thanks. You’ve been a good friend.” He had called to check on her every day since the car bomb. If she weren’t careful, she could get used to his thoughtfulness.

  “Okay,” Malik finally said. “Well, you know how to reach me if you need me. I’m only a phone call away.”

  Malik sat at his desk, his hands folded on top of his head, thinking about his brief conversation with Natasha. She’d been brushing him off since the day after the car bombing incident. Normally, he was the one brushing women off, so this was a new experience.

  “Hey Malik.” Victoria strutted into his office on her brown four-inch stilts that she referred to as shoes. “Bowker decided to extend his contract for another six months. I told him that I wasn’t sure whether or not we could keep the same team with him, but I wanted to check with you first.” She laid the file down on his desk in front him and sat in one of the guest chairs, crossing her jean-clad legs. “What do you want me to tell him?”

  Malik rubbed his forehead before he opened the file. Scanning the content, he closed it and pushed it toward Victoria. “Keep it the same except for Travis. Stan has been giving me some good reports about the kid. I want to try him on a couple of other teams to see how he handles himself.”

  He released a breath and slouched in his seat, tapping his fingers against the desk. He had to do something about Natasha. He didn’t take rejection well. It wasn’t like he was looking for anything serious, but he did want to see if their electrifying connection months ago was a fluke. He enjoyed the chase as much as the next guy, but he still hadn’t fully decided if he wanted to chase her, remembering that she wasn’t the type of woman who would agree to an affair. Besides that, he liked her. He liked everything about her from her intelligence to her independent nature. Throw in her killer body and the way she screamed his name when she tumbled over the edge of an orgasm and he had the perfect woman.

  Damn. I gotta get laid.

  That had to be why his mind had latched on to his time with Natasha. He couldn’t remember the last time he had gone three months without getting some. It wasn’t like he hadn’t had the opportunity. He had a few “go to” women who weren’t looking for a forever type of love, and were quick to spread their legs for him.

  “You want to talk about it?”

  Malik lifted his gaze to find Victoria studying him. He was so caught up in his thoughts, he had temporarily forgotten she was sitting across from him.

  He shook his head. “I’m sorry, what?”

  “What is going on with you? I have never seen you this distracted.” She folded her arms across her chest, her leg swinging back and forth. “Let me guess … woman troubles. Is this about the doctor you took out a few days ago?”

  Malik brows drew together. “How do you know who—”

  “The night of the car bombing, Wiz called looking for you. He might have mentioned you had a date.” She smirked.

  “I’m going to have to talk to that brotha about sharing my business with just anyone,” he murmured, knowing that Victoria had a way of getting any information she wanted. “Dr. Natasha Lockham is the woman, and we’re friends.”

  “But you want to be more than friends, right?”

  Good question. Too bad he didn’t have an easy answer. If he were honest … “I wouldn’t mind getting to know her better, and I think the feelings are mutual. Only I don’t think we want the same thing. Besides, right now she has a lot going on at work and doesn’t have time for much else.”

  “You’re not getting any younger, boss man. There comes a time when you have to start thinking about the future. At some point, dating different women is going to get old.” She stood and leaned against the back of her chair. “Oh, and if you’re really interested, don’t let her excuse of too much work get in the way. Just put on the old Malik Lewis charm and let her have it. I guarantee she’ll make time for you.” Victoria had always been more than an employee. She was more like his sister, always butting into his business, but always having his back.

  A slow smile lifted the corner of his lips. “Is that right? So you got all the damn answers, huh?”

  “You know it. Now I’m outta here. Good luck.”

  Malik sat back in his seat and thought about what Victoria had said. He always went after what he wanted. His problem was deciding if he wanted to pursue Natasha. Considering he hadn’t been with another woman, or even interested in another since meeting Natasha, said it all.

  Standing suddenly, he shoved a few files into his briefcase and grabbed his keys. It was time he turned on the Malik Lewis charm. She’s not going to know what hit her.

  “I can’t believe I let you talk me into this,” Natasha said when she climbed onto the bar stool next to Layla. “I had planned to go home and curl up with some ice cream and a chick flick. Not sit around a bar fighting off unwanted advances from men who have had a little too much to drink.” She glanced around the small establishment, not surprised to see so many people taking advantage of happy hour. At least ten people were sitting at the semi-circle bar and all of the tables were occupied.

  “If you hadn’t declined all of the offers you received today, you probably could be home curled up with one of three men. But no, you had to turn them all down. What’s that all about anyway? Are you determined to live the rest of your life alone, hanging out in places like this?” She waved her hands at their surroundings.

  Natasha smiled and looped her arm through Layla’s. “Hanging out with you is not all bad. I get to spend quality time with my best friend. At least being here with you I’m guaranteed some good laughs, and now that I have legitimate plans for the evening, I don’t feel bad about turning down Malik’s invite.”

  “Yeah right.” Layla signaled for the bartender. “I can understand why you might not want to spend time with Martin or Ray, but are you telling me you would rather be hanging out with me instead of that tall, dark knight that I met the other day?”

  “Ah, Layla, don’t start. I shouldn’t have mentioned him.” Natasha dropped her arm and placed her elbows on top of the bar. She knew why she’d mentioned Malik; she hadn’t stopped thinking about him since he’d called that afternoon. “Let’s just finish our drink and then head out.”

  Layla once again signaled for the bartender and asked for another glass of wine. “The best time to discuss men is over a second drink.” She turned and crossed her long legs. She had changed out of her scrubs before leaving the hospital and replaced them with a fitted yellow blouse that accentuated her light brown eyes, and a short brown skirt that showed off her legs.

  “Okay, so you say that you and Martin are over … for real this time, and there won’t be any more lunch dates, dinners, or anniversary celebrations with him. Which, by the way, I think was weird, but that’s beside the point.”

  “So what is your point?” Natasha didn’t bother telling her friend that she didn’t want to talk about the state of her social life, knowing it wouldn’t do any good.

  “My point is, if you say you’re moving on, why don’t you? I don’t think you should go out with Ray since he
works with you, sort of, but I do think you should give Malik a chance. Hanging out with him might be fun and you deserve to have a little fun.”

  Natasha shook her head. “I don’t do affairs.” She felt like a hypocrite considering she’d spent a night with him. “Malik has a reputation of being a player and that’s not what I’m looking for. I want a relationship that will lead to marriage and children.”

  “Do you know if he has any children?”

  “No. He doesn’t.”

  “Well, that’s good. At least you don’t have to deal with any baby-mama-drama.” Layla sipped from her glass of white wine and set it back down on the bar. “You said that you and Malik had a connection. I have never heard you say that about any man, not even your ex. There might really be something to build on there. Besides, how do you know Malik doesn’t want the same things you want?”

  She didn’t know. All she had to go by was what she knew of him. He traveled a lot, he’d do anything for his friends, and he didn’t do relationships—according to her sister. Natasha knew his type even if Alandra hadn’t told her about his playboy ways. He was about enjoying himself. She couldn’t be mad at him if that’s the life he wanted to live. She knew spending time with him could be fun, but the last thing she needed was to fall for a man who wasn’t looking for anything serious.

  Natasha continued playing with the straw in her strawberry mojito. She wasn’t much of a drinker, but whenever she did have alcohol, mojitos were her drink of choice.

  “My indiscretion with Malik was something that just happened.” Natasha shook her head, still surprised that she had gone all the way with him. “It won’t happen again,” she mumbled, sadness in her tone. Deep down, she would love many more nights with Malik and she couldn’t help wondering ‘what if’. What if they could be more than friends?

  “Don’t look now, but one of your admirers just walked in,” Layla murmured and nodded her head to Natasha’s left.

  Natasha turned and her gaze met Ray’s. Oh great. There’s definitely a disadvantage to stopping by a bar that’s only a few blocks from the hospital. She wasn’t sure how to greet him. If she waved, he might see the gesture as an invitation to come over to where they were. If she didn’t do or say something, he might feel slighted. She wasn’t interested in him, but she wasn’t looking to make any enemies either. Instead of waving, she smiled and nodded, then returned her attention back to Layla.

  “As I said before. I should have gone home after work.”

  “It must be rough being you,” Layla cracked. She pinched her lips together, her cheeks puffing out as if trying to stifle a laugh. “I’m surprised he isn’t coming over. You must have really scared him off.”

  “I wasn’t trying to scare him off, but maybe he understands that I’m not interested.”

  “Excuse me. Is anyone sitting here?” a nice looking man standing next to the bar stool on Layla’s right asked.

  “Nope. It’s all yours,” Layla said, moving her small handbag that was sitting on the bar to her lap. She returned her attention back to Natasha and leaned in. “Okay, let’s get back to Malik. You know what I think?”

  “No, but I’m sure you’re going to tell me.” She fingered the condensation sliding down the side of her glass.

  “I think you’re afraid to give Malik some attention because he might turn out to be everything you want and need in a man. What if you continue avoiding him and it turns out he is the one, and that he does want what you want?”

  “Then fate will step in. For now, I plan to protect my heart.”

  “Yeah, that sounds good and all, but you’re never going to get married and have those children you want if you don’t take a chance on love.” Layla placed her hand on Natasha’s arm. “Promise me that you won’t succumb to fear and possibly miss out on the love of your life.”

  Natasha glanced at her friend, a smile tugging on her lips. “I promise.”

  Chapter Seven

  “Dr. Lockham?” Natasha’s administrative assistant called over the intercom.

  “Yes.”

  “You have a call on line one, a Malik Lewis. Are you available?”

  I think you’re afraid to give Malik some attention because he might turn out to be everything you want and need in a man. Layla’s words from the night before popped into Natasha’s head.

  Malik had left a message on her voicemail the night before, but by the time Natasha listened to the message, it was too late to call. Actually, it probably wasn’t too late to call him, but after the conversation she’d had with Layla, Natasha wasn’t ready to talk to him.

  “Yes. I’ll take it,” Natasha responded. “Thank you.”

  She pushed the button for line one. “Hello.”

  “Dr. Lockham, this is Mr. Malik Lewis,” he said, humor in his deep voice. “Is this a bad time?”

  Natasha smiled and glanced at the files on her desk, which she had ignored most of the morning. “No, this is a good time. Sorry about not returning your call last night, but it was too late. So how’s your day going?”

  “My day is going all right, but it would be better if I had a lunch date. Are you interested and available?”

  Natasha drew her bottom lip between her teeth. What if you continue avoiding him and it turns out that he is the one? Layla’s words continued to rattle around in her head. Natasha lifted her appointment calendar. She would love to have lunch with Malik, but by the time she met him somewhere it would take at least a half an hour. She would only have thirty minutes to get back before her first afternoon meeting.

  “Malik, I would love to have lunch with you, but I have a meeting in an hour. If—” A knock sounded at the door before she could continue. “Hold on a second.” She placed him on hold and hurried to the door.

  She swung the door open and a wave of excitement washed over her. There before her stood the man she couldn’t get out of her mind.

  Malik disconnected his cell phone and shoved it into the holster on his hip. That was when Natasha noticed the picnic basket in his hand. He lifted it up.

  “So, you were saying?”

  She shook her head and opened the door wider. A quick glance at her assistant and the grin on her face proved that Malik must have charmed her into letting him knock on her door. She shrugged and lifted her hands. “Sorry,” she mouthed. Natasha smiled at her, closed the door, and leaned against it. She watched as he unloaded the items from the picnic basket. Like the other night, he wore a suit that emphasized his wide shoulders and narrow waist. The dark blue pinstripe garment draped over his muscular body as if specifically made for him. He definitely didn’t look like a man who had spent twenty years running through jungles or swimming in shark infested waters to protect this country. Malik was meticulously dressed from head to toe and could have easily passed for a CEO of a Fortune 500 company.

  “If you’re done checking me out, maybe we can eat before you have to leave for your meeting,” Malik said facing her, a dark eyebrow raised and his devastating smile chipping away at the shield around her heart.

  Natasha brought her hand to her mouth to stifle her laugh. Besides the way he looked in a suit, the other thing she liked about him was his sense of humor.

  “I wasn’t checking you out. I … I’m just surprised you’re here.” She pushed away from the door and accepted the chair he’d pulled out for her. And he’s a gentleman. She took in all of the food on her round conference table. The fried chicken appeared homemade, and she wondered if he had made the potato salad and baked beans himself. “Wow, this looks amazing. Did you prepare all of this?”

  “I did, except the cheese and crackers, strawberries, cheesecake, and iced tea are from the store up the street.”

  Natasha’s hand rested over her heart. “I can’t believe you went to all of this trouble.” She couldn’t remember anyone ever doing anything this thoughtful for her.

  “No trouble. I just didn’t want to eat alone.”

  Fond memories of the morning, actually, the afterno
on of that amazing night they’d spent together flashed in her mind.

  “So you cooked, prepared a picnic basket, and brought it to my job all because you didn’t want to eat alone?”

  He shrugged. “Also because I figured you would probably work through lunch.” He sat in the seat next to her. “Dig in. You don’t want to be late for your meeting.”

  They ate and talked. If Natasha bothered to take a lunch break every day, she could easily get used to spending her lunch hour with him. Coming from two different worlds it was amazing they had anything to talk about.

  “This chicken is so good.” Her eyes rolled and she moaned. “It’s almost as good as the omelet you made for me the morning after we … uh … you know.” Crap! She hadn’t planned to talk about that night with him unless he brought it up.

  He wiped his mouth and laid down his fork. “I was wondering if what happened between us would ever come up.”

  “I hadn’t planned to mention that night,” she leaned in and lowered her voice, “but I want you to know that I don’t usually have casual sex with a stranger.”

  “I know you don’t.”

  She leaned back and narrowed her eyes. “How do you know?” She didn’t appreciate the smugness in his voice. “I might’ve just been saying that so you wouldn’t think I was easy. For all you know, I just might indulge in … in … you know.”

  A cocky grin lifted the corner of his lips. “What? Sex?”

  “No! One night stands,” she countered, not caring that she was raising her voice and giving him a neck roll. “I’m not some goody two-shoes who doesn’t know how to have a good time. I can let loose and drop my panties with the best of them.”

  Malik threw back his head and let out a peal of laughter that bounced off the walls and shook the room.

  “It’s not that funny,” she grumbled after watching him hold his stomach and wipe tears from his eyes. “Okay, maybe it was funny. I can’t believe I said that.” Natasha shook her head and joined in laughing, realizing how childish she probably sounded. Several minutes passed before they both composed themselves.