No More Playas

by Brenda Jackson

Lance held her gaze and then reached out and took a lock of her hair. It had tumbled over her shoulders, and now he twirled it around his finger. “You almost had me convinced of that, after the night of the Pattersons’ party. But now I know differently, and do you know how I know?”

  Knowing she wanted to know, was probably dying to ask but wouldn’t, he said, “I could tell from our kiss that night a week ago. The way you responded when my mouth touched yours. And when you slid your arms up my back and wrapped your hands around my neck, I didn’t want our kiss to end. I wished it could have lasted forever.”

  Asia fought against it, but her feminine muscles were clenching, filling the area between her legs with liquid heat. He leaned closer, and she thought he was going to kiss her. If he tried, she’d have to pull back and resist. But she knew if he did kiss her, there was no way she could deny him or the feelings he was causing to stir all through her. Lust, she convinced herself, was trying to take over her mind, and she refused to let it. This man had hurt her once, and she would not let him do so again.

  She pulled back. The deep, heated look in his eyes was daring her to challenge him, and dammit, she would. She tilted up her chin and tossed her hair back over her shoulders, giving him her haughtiest look. “No matter what you say or think, I would prove you wrong.”

  “So you say,” he countered with a smooth grin. “And I would prove I’m right.”

  They both felt the limo come to a sudden stop, and when they glanced out the window, they saw they had reached their destination. Lance said. “Enjoy your evening with the ladies. They have no idea who their anonymous book club member is, and I prefer keeping it that way. After all, the money I donated to assure that they dined with you tonight went to a very worthy cause, and I understand it’s a charity that means a lot to you. Good-bye, Asia. I’m flying out tonight, returning to Chicago, and hope to hear from you soon.” He smiled. “And if I don’t, then rest assured you will definitely be hearing from me.”

  Asia’s eyes narrowed and hardened. “That’s called stalking.”

  “I disagree. It’s going after the woman I want and love.”

  Asia watched in shock and disbelief as he opened the door and quickly slipped out and walked across the curb to another waiting limo, not looking back before the door closed behind him.

  She blinked when her own door opened and Edward appeared. “We’re here, Dr. Fowler.”

  Asia wanted to believe she had dreamt the past forty-five minutes but knew that she hadn’t.

  Lance leaned back in the leather seat. He had wanted to kiss Asia before departing but he’d pushed her as far as he dared for one night. But man, had he been tempted.

  Lance shifted when he felt his cell phone vibrate in his pocket. He pulled it out. “Yes?”

  “Where the hell are you?”

  Lance raised his eyes to the ceiling. He had been in demand a lot lately. Sam had tracked him down earlier, wanting him to be the first to know that he had asked Falon to marry him and she had said yes. He and Sam planned on getting together later in the week with Marcus and Phillip to celebrate.

  “Lance?” the voice asked impatiently.

  Damn, his sister was one bossy woman. “I’m in Atlanta, Carrie.”

  “Oh. I drove up from Gary yesterday with plans to spend the night.”

  A corner of his mouth tugged up in amusement. “I’m sure you made yourself at home since my not being there has never stopped you before.”

  “Stop being a smart ass.” A few moments later she said, “How are you doing? I heard you’ve been under the weather.”

  Drowning in self-pity is more like it. “I’m better now.”

  “Was there a reason for it?”

  “Not one I care to discuss with you, brat. Hey, behave until I get back. My plane lands at O’Hare tomorrow at noon.”

  “You need me to come and get you?”

  Lance started to tell her not to go to the trouble, but then he remembered the call he had gotten from Logan a few days ago.

  On that conference call, he had shared his suspicions with him and Lyle that something was going on with Carrie that needed looking in to. If that was true, then he needed to check things out right away.

  “Yes, that would save me the trouble of getting a cab. And for once, get out of bed at a decent hour so you won’t be late.”

  Ignoring her string of obscenities, he clicked off the phone.

  12

  Asia and Sean

  Asia arrived back in New York late Sunday afternoon. After placing her luggage into her bedroom, she walked over to the answering machine to check her messages.

  Claire had left to spend a week with their mother, who lived in South Carolina and wouldn’t be back until after Thanksgiving. Once Sean returned next weekend, they would decide how and where they would spend Thanksgiving, whether they would have dinner in Detroit with his family or in South Carolina with hers.

  Personally, she preferred not having to deal with the Crews this year. David had convinced his parents that she was the reason for his and Sean’s strained relationship, and they believed him, placing the blame entirely on her. If Mr. and Mrs. Crews only knew the hell David had put her through during the four years they had been together, they would think differently. Sean had told her constantly not to worry about what his family thought. It didn’t matter to him, and he loved her anyway.

  Asia released a disappointed sigh when she saw that of all her numerous messages, none had been from Sean, and she so desperately needed to hear his voice, to wipe the images of Lance Montgomery from her mind. Lance Montgomery’s arrogance and audacity never ceased to amaze her. And it certainly didn’t help matters that he was so sinfully handsome, it was a shame.

  Asia scowled. She didn’t want to find him attractive. She didn’t want a damn thing to do with him. And if he thought she was going to spend a week with him, then he had another thought coming.

  She glanced down at her watch, trying to remember the difference in time zones between there and Zaire. God, she needed to talk to Sean, hear his voice. She needed to hear him whisper that he loved her so she could tell him that she loved him, as well.

  She took a long, hot shower instead, and afterward, she slipped into a terry cloth jumper. Asia walked out of her bedroom the same exact moment there was a hard knock at her door. She started in surprise. Whoever it was evidently had a pass key to get beyond the security door downstairs. Since Sean was still in Zaire and her sister was in South Carolina, then it had to be Melissa, who was supposed to have dropped off her manuscript revisions while she was gone.

  “I was wondering where the revisions were, Melissa,” she began as she opened the door. Only to find her visitor wasn’t Melissa.

  “Sean!” She flung herself into his arms. Only seconds later did she note how he had hesitated putting his arms around her.

  She must be imagining things. Asia placed a kiss on his lips before taking his hand and pulling him into the apartment. Once he was out of the shadows she could study his face, and she found rigid lines consuming his features. He wore a cool, distant look, something she had never on with him before. “Sean, what’s wrong?”

  He stepped aside to remove his coat and then flung it angrily across the back of a chair. What the hell was going on? He wasn’t acting like himself. “Would you like a drink?” she asked, giving him time to relax.

  “No, I don’t want a drink. I want an explanation.”

  Asia was surprised at his sharp tone. “An explanation about what?”

  “An explanation about this,” he said, pulling the newspaper article out of an envelope he’d been carrying and shoving it at her. She took it from him and gasped when she saw a picture of her and Lance kissing that night at the New York Times Recognition party.

  “Luckily the article was pulled at the last minute due to space.”

  “How did you get this?” she demanded.

  “Answer me, Asia,” he bit out angrily, ignoring her question. He closed the distanc
e separating them. “I want to know, why you were kissing Lance Montgomery.”

  She would tell Sean only the truth. “I wasn’t kissing him. He was kissing me.”

  “Doesn’t look like you were putting up much of a fight.”

  He was right; she hadn’t. “He caught me off guard.”

  “That’s a damn poor excuse, Asia. Look at that photograph. The man is practically mauling you.”

  Asia threw the newspaper down, not wanting to look at it any longer. “Don’t you see what he’s doing, Sean? Lance probably staged the entire thing and sent you that article, hoping they would—”

  “Montgomery didn’t send it to me,” Sean all but snapped. “David did.”

  “David?” she asked shakily. The mention of his brother caused anger to overshadow the guilt she was feeling.

  “Yes, David. Someone he knows works at the Times.”

  “And how convenient for him.”

  “Don’t blame David, Asia, nobody asked you and Montgomery to put on a show for him, dammit,” he said furiously.

  She’d never known Sean to get upset like this. Okay, he deserved to be angry but didn’t he see what his brother was trying to do? Why were all the men in her life trying to sabotage her marriage!

  “Do you know the first thought that went through my mind when I saw that newspaper, Asia? I thought, Damn, she’s never kissed me that way or let me hold her like that. Just how intimate did you and Dr. Montgomery get?”

  “That,” she said, feeling a pulse of frustration deep in her throat, “is none of your business. What I did before I agreed to marry you is not open for discussion. Whether you want to believe me or not, I’ve been celibate for more than a year and—”

  “Celibate by whose definition?”

  Silence filled the room until Asia spoke. “I think it would be best if you left now, Sean. You’ve said enough.”

  “Maybe you’re right,” he said, snatching his coat from the back of the sofa.

  “And maybe you should have this back,” she said, tugging the engagement ring from off her finger, thrusting it at him.

  Sean stared at the ring she was holding out to him. “No, I don’t want to break our engagement, Asia, not if we can work through this. All I want is assurance that I’m the most important man in your life, that I’m the man you love above all else because right now, I don’t feel that I am.”

  “Sean, I—”

  “No,” he said softly. “We’re both too angry to indulge in a decent conversation right now. I’m tired and you probably are, too. I’m staying at a hotel tonight and in the morning I’m flying out to D.C. to brief the brass on the time I spent in Zaire. I’ll try calling you later this week to discuss how we’ll spend Thanksgiving.”

  He left without taking the ring from her hand. Ignoring the newspaper article that was on the floor, Asia slowly sank down on the sofa. Why did her world start falling apart whenever she got within two feet of Lance Montgomery?

  The one thing she’d never wanted to happen had happened: She had hurt Sean.

  13

  Carrie and Lance

  Yep. Something was definitely going on with Carrie, Lance thought as he walked into his living room and paused to watch her standing at his window and taking in the sight of Lake Michigan. Although he knew the view was breathtaking, he had a feeling that someone else had her in deep thought.

  She had been on time to pick him up earlier that day from the airport; then they had stopped and had lunch at a pizza parlor in downtown Chicago. After dropping him off, she had driven to some mall to shop, returning a couple hours later.

  Carrie had been quiet through most of the dinner his chef, Stuart, had prepared. The one thing he and his brothers had discovered about Carrie over the years was that no matter what you wanted to know, you didn’t push. She could clam up quicker than a politician keeping secrets. But whatever was bothering her, it was deep.

  Standing at the window, she looked no more than a teenager wearing a pair of tattered jeans and T-shirt. He longed to wrap her in his arms and never let go.

  Instead, he strolled over to her. She glanced around when she heard Lance approach and smiled. “How’s the book coming?”

  He put his hands in the pockets of his slacks and leaned against his fireplace mantel. For the past couple of hours, he’d tried working on the book that was due within a few months as Carl was quick to remind him, practically every day. It was slow going.

  “It’s not coming, but I’m sure it eventually will,” he said.

  Carrie gave him a long sideways glance when he came to stand in front of her. “You look tired, Lance. Worn out. Like crap.”

  He couldn’t help throwing his head back and laughing. Carrie didn’t mince words. “Thanks a lot.”

  She shook her head and smiled. Her expression soon turned serious. “It’s a woman, isn’t it?”

  When he didn’t answer quick enough, she said, “Never mind. Maybe it’s best that I don’t know.”

  He nodded, thinking that maybe it was best that she did. Logan had brought it to his attention last month that what Lance thought of women and how he treated them wasn’t just his own business, since Carrie was at an impressionable age. The last thing his brothers wanted was for their baby sister to think that the way Lance operated was the norm for most guys—especially since she seemed to have a hang-up with getting interested in guys, anyway.

  “Yes. It is about a woman,” he finally said. “And Miss Nosy, that’s as much as I’m going to say.” As far as he was concerned, he had said enough. To admit that a woman was the cause of his distress was big deal, he was well aware that Carrie recognized that fact.

  “She must be some lady.”

  Visions of Asia quickly formed in his mind. He smiled and simply said, “Trust me, she is.”

  14

  Sean

  “Are things all right, Sean? You left Zaire so suddenly.”

  Sean glanced over at Liz. The two of them, along with several other physicians who were members of the president’s Goodwill team were leaving the Pentagon, where they had spent the better part of the day. How he had gotten through the extensive meeting and provided the right answers were still beyond Sean. He had fought every single minute to keep his mind focused and not get distracted with thoughts of Asia.

  “Yes, things are fine,” he lied. His entire world could be falling completely apart. He desperately wished he could talk to someone about how he was feeling. Had he been wrong to react the way he had after seeing that article? Should he have considered the source and not put much stock into it? Damn, how can a man not put stock into a photograph that clearly showed his fiancée kissing another man?

  “You know I’m a good listener if you ever want to talk.”

  He nodded as they walked together toward their rental car. They were staying at the same hotel and had decided to use one vehicle. When he had arrived in D.C. last night, she had already checked into the hotel. One thing he did know about Liz was that she was a good listener. She could always sense when something was bothering him, although he might try playing it off.

  “Sean?”

  He glanced up at Liz, realizing he hadn’t answered her. “How about if we go out to dinner later this evening?” He knew she would be flying out to Memphis in the morning to visit family, and he would be leaving to return to Boston.

  She smiled at him. “I’d like that.”

  Liz Howard felt intensely nervous while applying her lipstick. She shook her head, thinking those same hands of hers that expertly and skillfully open, closed, and revived more hearts than she cared to think about were actually shaking at the thought of going out with Sean tonight. It had been a long time since they had gone out, just the two of them, without other doctors joining them.

  It was important that she looked nice for Sean. Yes, he was an engaged man, and she wouldn’t cross any boundaries. After all, she was a woman, and she wouldn’t want another woman making a play for her man. But in her opinion she w
asn’t making a play exactly. She was merely making Sean aware of the fact that she was more than a doctor. She was also a woman.

  And, she hoped . . . she prayed, that Sean would wake up and realize that marrying Dr. Asia Fowler wasn’t the right thing to do. The old history with his brother David went too deep for Sean and Asia to ever be happy, and Liz was certain, knowing the ass that David was, that he would make trouble.

  Oh yeah, she knew all about David Crews. He had even tried hitting on her one night when he had flown to Boston to see Sean ... as if she would be stupid enough to want him over Sean.

  Her heart jumped suddenly when she heard a knock at the door. With trembling fingers, she adjusted the gold belt at her waist, grabbed her purse off the polished wood desk in the room, and taking a deep breath, she walked to the door.

  “You look nice tonight, Liz.”

  Liz smiled, wondering. Over the course of the evening Sean had already told her that four times. “Thank you. You look good yourself. It’s nice to come out of our doctors’ attire every once in a while and live like normal people, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, I suppose,” he said.

  He didn’t say anything for a few seconds. He just sat there, looking into his wineglass and studying the dark liquid. “I hope you enjoyed dinner,” he said, lifting his eyes to meet her gaze.

  God, he was beautiful. “You know I did. Give me anything with shrimp in it, and it will make me happy.”

  He released a throaty chuckle. “Yes, I remember.”

  When he got quiet and began studying his wine again, she decided to ask, “Sean, is everything all right?”

  He lifted his eyes and hesitated for a brief moment before saying, “I’m not sure if everything is all right, Liz. Asia and I had a big argument a few days ago.”

  She tried not to let the pain in his eyes tear into her heart. “All couples argue, Sean. Disagreeing every once in a while isn’t a bad thing. Differences of opinions are expected. The important thing is for the two individuals to openly communicate, share their feelings.”