by Lynn Cooper
She almost felt sorry for the Barbie Doll when Parker grabbed her slender shoulders, lifting her off her high-heeled feet. In a voice lower and far more menacing than Saffron thought possible, his words came out in a growl.
“Tiffany, if you were a man, I’d break your neck for saying that. As it is, you best go home. We’ll talk later, after I’ve had a chance to cool off.”
Saffron didn’t know if the blonde was brave or just plain stupid. But still dangling in Parker’s grasp, she harrumphed. “Aren’t you going to introduce me, darling?” she asked, craning her neck to make eye contact with Saffron.
Releasing her with a thud, he said. “No. Go home, Tiffany.”
“Wait!” Saffron exclaimed. “I’d like to have that introduction. I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting a real-life asswipe before.”
Saffron smiled sweetly and was pleased to see Parker’s scowl had been replaced with a look of amusement.
Surprisingly, Tiffany kept her composure. She was downright smug. “I’m Parker’s fiancée. As soon as he takes the Medical Board Exam, we’re getting married.”
All the air whooshed from Saffron’s lungs. She felt sick to her stomach. Oh God, no! How could she have been so gullible? All the walls she had built to protect herself had come crumbling down the minute he intimately touched her. She was an idiot! She never should have trusted him.
This time she couldn’t keep the tears from filling her eyes. She could barely see Parkers dumb-stricken face as she pushed herself off the gurney. She had to get out of the ambulance, far away from him and his snooty fiancée.
When she stood, she swayed from a wave of dizziness.
Instantly, Parker took her arm to steady her.
Saffron flinched. “Don’t ever touch me. You’re nothing but a no-good player. I never want to see you again!” she yelled, jumping down from the back of the ambulance.
When she got to her car, her ankle was screaming with pain. But she didn’t care. It was far better to focus on it than the gaping, bleeding hole in her heart.
PARKER WAS SEETHING. NEVER had he been so fucking pissed in all of his life. “Goddamn it, Tiffany!” he bellowed, slamming the ambulance doors shut. He hated being confined inside the emergency vehicle with her, but he didn’t want to have it out in public. He didn’t want to talk to her at all, but enough was enough.
With her arms folded tightly across her chest and her lips pursed together, she looked like a petulant child. A spoiled brat who was used to getting her way. Well, not this time. Parker wasn’t her overindulging daddy. And he sure the hell wasn’t her fiancé, nor would he ever be.
She had turned her head away from him. He knew she was purposely avoiding his gaze and giving him the silent treatment, but he wasn’t going to stand for that either.
Taking her chin, he forced her to look him in the eye. “Why the hell did you lie to Saffron?”
“It wasn’t a lie. As soon as you come to your senses, we will be married.”
He shook his head. “No, we won’t. I’m never going to be a doctor, Tiffany.” Feeling a pang of sympathy and guilt, he softened his voice. “And I don’t want to marry you. I’m sorry.”
“Sorry! Not nearly as sorry as you’re going to be. Why do you have to ruin everything? To change all of our plans?”
“Whose plans? My father’s? Your father’s? Have you ever really thought about what you want?”
She huffed. “Of course I have. I want you.”
Parker raked his fingers through his hair. “No, you don’t. You want to be the wife of a doctor. You want the money and prestige. The perks that come with that lifestyle. And you can have all of it with someone else. There’s plenty of doctors in the sea, Tiffany.”
Her bottom lip quivered. “But Daddy promised I could have you.”
“Good God, woman. Do you hear yourself? I’m not an object to be given away. Neither are you. Our parents are off their heads. They’ve tried to impose their dreams and wills upon us long enough. I’m done. I know what I want to do with the rest of my life and who I want to spend it with. When my shift is finished, I’m gonna go to her and see if she’ll have me.”
Tiffany sniffled, wiping a tear off her cheek. “I guess I knew deep down inside we weren’t going to work out. If I’m honest with myself, we really aren’t even that compatible.”
Parker took her hand between his. “Not compatible at all. But, Iike an old pair of tennis shoes, we are comfortable. You were my first playmate, my first friend, my first real date. I hope we can always be a part of each other’s lives.”
She smiled. “I’d like that. What will we tell our parents?”
“You can tell yours whatever you like. I don’t think I’ll be talking to mine for a while. It’s past time to set much-needed boundaries. I want some space from them and some peace.”
“I could use some, too. A couple of my girlfriends are planning a cruise to the Greek Isles next month. I think I might join them. I hear a lot of hot doctors vacation there,” she said, winking.
Parker chuckled and embraced her. “If you hook any general practitioners, throw them back.”
She popped his chest playfully. “You better know it. I’m baiting my line for a specialist. I won’t even bother to spin the reel for anything less than a neurologist, pulmonologist or cardiologist.”
His voice was teasing. “What about a proctologist or a gynecologist?”
“Nothing below the belt, sir,” she said, laughing out loud.
It was music to his ears.
HURTING THIS BADLY, THERE was only one place for Saffron to go—The Duval Apartment Complex. She needed to see Wavalee. Instead of taking a left on Magnolia Street, she took a sharp right onto Heron Circle. Sniffling back some of the snot that streamed from her nose, she drove the last two miles through blinding tears. In her desperation to talk to the woman who had always been her rock, she careened into the apartment building’s parking lot. Sliding sideways into an empty spot, she plowed into a couple of aluminum trash cans. She didn’t even bother to cut the engine before hopping out—the discomfort in her ankle was all but forgotten. She just left her car idling with a trash can lid stuck in the grill.
When she stepped into the lobby, she found the buzzer for Wavalee’s apartment. She pressed the button repeatedly without a beat in between. Not waiting for a response, she made her way up the stairs. When she got to Wavalee’s door, it was open. The older woman was standing inside the threshold with her arms spread wide. “Come here, baby. Tell Wavalee all about it.”
Saffron collapsed into her warm embrace, inadvertently wiping her nose on the old woman’s housecoat.
Pulling back, Wavalee cut her eyes toward the slick trail of snot on her sleeve. “Kleenex work, too, you know.”
“All I know is, you were right,” she groaned, suddenly feeling exhausted. Dragging herself to an overstuffed ottoman, she plopped down. Although her body was drained, her voice was strong and full of anger. “That Parker Sloan is a rude-ass fool. A lowdown, two-timing playboy. I wish you had pummeled him with those bon bons when you had the chance. I wish he had never stepped foot inside my beauty parlor.”
“Slow down, baby. Give old Wavalee time to catch up. Now what’s all this talk about Parker? You supposed to be running a race at McMillan Park, is you not?”
“I tried to. But, I twisted my ankle, and it was all his fault.”
“Whose?”
Saffron huffed in frustration, dramatically sliding off the small piece of furniture onto the floor.
Wavalee made her way to a rocking chair with a crocheted blanket draped across the back. Easing herself down, she reached for a half-empty bottle of cold medicine and took a big swig. “You acting like a child throwing a tantrum. Get up off that floor, and tell me why you so upset with that nice, thoughtful paramedic.”
It was plain to see that Wavalee wasn’t hitting on all cylinders. Apparently, her cold, in combination with an excessive amount of alcohol-rich medicine, was clouding her jud
gement. Even so, Saffron couldn’t let it slide.
“Nice? Thoughtful? Yeah, he was nice enough to make a play for me and thoughtful enough not to tell me he was engaged.”
Still lying in the floor, stubbornly refusing to get up, Saffron waited patiently for Wavalee to finish coughing and blowing her nose loudly. Finally, the older woman spoke. “Engaged ain’t married, baby.”
Saffron was astounded. How could the woman who had vehemently expressed her distaste for Parker a week ago be defending him now? Boy! That must be some more potent cold medicine.
“Maybe not, but it’s just as bad to me. I can’t believe I fell for him. I’ve been so cautious all these years. So careful. I shouldn’t have let my guard down. I can’t end up like mama. I just can’t.”
Leaning forward in her rocker, Wavalee patted Saffron on the head. “And you won’t. You are not your mama, and it’s high time you stop acting like her fate will be yours. You strong, and you smart. Everything’s gonna be all right.”
“How can you be so sure? It wasn’t too smart of me to fall for the charms of a cheater.”
“You listen to me, Saffron Butler. I misjudged that young man, and I’m thinking maybe you might be misjudging him, too. These eyes may be dimmed by age and the beginning stages of cataracts, but I saw the way he was looking at you at the beauty parlor. How he tended to you and protected you. They was something there, and I think you owe it to yourself to find out what that is,” she said, laying her head against the back of the rocker.
Saffron could see Wavalee’s eyelids growing heavy. Standing, she leaned over and softly kissed the old woman’s cheek. Locking the apartment door behind her, she headed home. Saffron wasn’t sure what to think. Wavalee had never steered her wrong before, but she had also not given her such an important piece of advice under the influence of cold medicine either.
The only thing Saffron owed herself at the moment was a new romance novel. If anything could make her feel better, a good book would.
PARKER STAYED UNTIL THE last runner crossed the finish line. After Tiffany left, the rest of the afternoon had been uneventful. Thankfully, none of the race participants suffered any major injuries or dehydration. He treated a couple of pulled calf muscles and bandaged a few blisters. Now, he was enroute to Saffron’s apartment.
As he made the final turn onto her road, he silently prayed she wouldn’t shut him out. He was desperate to talk to her. To tell her how he felt. He was dying to hold her. To touch her intimately, needing to finish what they had started in the back of his ambulance. But, most importantly, he wanted to take away the hurt he had caused. To show her he wasn’t a bad guy.
When he reached her apartment, he took a deep breath to calm his nerves and wiped his sweaty palms on his pants legs. He noticed there wasn’t a peephole when he raised his hand to knock on the door. It was already seven o’clock in the evening, a little late for visitors. Hoping his showing up unannounced wouldn’t scare her, he firmly rapped his knuckles against solid oak and waited.
In what seemed like an eternity but really was less than a minute, the door opened a couple of inches. A dangling safety chain was all that separated him from heaven.
He nervously cleared his throat. “Let me in, Saffron. We need to talk.”
“There’s nothing to say. I know all I need to, Parker.”
“You think you do.”
Peering through the crack between them, he drank in the sight of her. Even with eyes red and puffy from crying, she was so damn cute in her pink, fluffy bathrobe and matching bunny slippers. A romance novel was tucked under her arm. One with a swaggering, shirtless hero on the cover. In her hand was a bowl of bon bons.
Her silence was steely. So, he made another attempt at softening her up. “Is that candy for anybody?”
She huffed. “It’s for everybody except two-timing playboys.”
The acoustics in the hallway lent a booming echo to his voice. “Damn it, Saffron! I’m not a player. Will you please let me in? I really don’t want to do this in front of your neighbors.”
“Do what? You and I aren’t doing anything ever again!”
“Fine. You want a scene? I’ll give you one,” he said, raising his voice several decibels. “This morning when I spread your legs on that gurney and licked your delicious pussy through those sexy little panties, I—”
“Shut up! You win,” she said, sliding the hook off the chain and opening the door.
Stepping inside, he took a quick look around. Her apartment was small but cozy. The flooring was hardwood. There was a shaggy, oval throw rug underneath a coffee table that ran the front length of a plush microfiber couch. It was cream-colored with soft pink throw pillows that matched Saffron’s robe and slippers. It was safe to say his little bon bon beauty had an affection for that feminine color.
While he was looking around, he heard her re-lock the door. Turning to face her, he watched the most beautiful woman he had ever seen walk toward him. Her long, dark hair was slightly tousled, flowing in gorgeous waves about her shoulders. He noticed she had set the bowl of candy down on a bar that served to separate the living room from the kitchen. She still had the romance novel clutched tightly to her chest. He suspected she was using it as a shield to protect her heart, and that broke his.
Reaching out, he gently cupped her face with one hand and pulled the book from her clutches with the other.
“Saffron, you don’t have to hide behind romance novels anymore, reading about the passionate lovemaking of others. You can live it with me. I’m the man who can make your fantasies come true. All you have to do is let me.”
“I can’t. You’re engaged.”
“I’m not. I never was. The thing with Tiffany was merely a poor matchmaking attempt by our parents.”
Saffron shook her head. “But she introduced herself as your fiancée. Why would she do that if it wasn’t true?”
Lightly caressing her cheek with his thumb, he said, “She was playing a part. One she had been groomed for from childhood. After you left, she and I had a long-overdue talk. Everything is fine now. We’re both free to pursue the life we want.”
Parker felt a prick of pain in his heart when Saffron pulled away.
“I’m glad the two of you got it all sorted out, but that doesn’t make everything okay between us. You came onto me while you were still with Tiffany. While she believed you were going to marry her. That makes you a cheater, Parker. I can’t be with a man like that.”
Blowing out a hard breath, he knifed his hands through his hair. “I know how things must have looked. But I swear to you, I’m not the cheating kind.”
Parker felt sick as tears filled her eyes and her voice broke.
“I don’t know what they call it on the Upper Eastside but, where I come from, putting your mouth on another woman’s pussy when you’re already in a relationship is cheating!”
Placing firm hands on her shoulders, he looked deep into her eyes. “You’re afraid to trust me; I get that. I gathered enough from Wavalee to know you had it really rough growing up. Your dad wasn’t in the picture. I can only assume he ran out on you and your mom. I can’t imagine how horrible that was. The ramifications of his actions have obviously spread far and wide. Your mom turned to drugs and you turned inward. Am I right?”
The coldness in her eyes made Parker shiver.
“Don’t you dare try to turn this on me! My dysfunctional childhood is irrelevant. The bottom line is, you had no business touching me. Leading me on when you belonged to another.”
Parker dropped his hands to his side. “Tiffany and I dated for a long time, and we’ve been friends for many years. But, I had no intention of marrying her. Not that you’ll believe me now, but I didn’t intend to be intimate with you at the race either. I only meant to treat your sprained ankle and talk to you.”
Saffron snorted. “Well it seems you didn’t have any intentions at all.”
“What? No, that’s not what I’m saying. Look, I’ve wanted you from the
first moment we met. I was going to set Tiffany straight, but my plans for the day didn’t work out. I had no idea you’d be at that race. I desperately wanted to have everything in my personal life settled before seeing you again.”
“In that case, you should have waited. Why didn’t you wait?”
“Because I couldn’t, damn it! Once I picked you up in my arms, I lost all ability to reason. When I touched your bare legs, I couldn’t stop. I didn’t want to. I never want to,” he whispered, putting a hand in her hair. “If Tiffany hadn’t showed up when she did, I would have fucked you blind, woman.”
Even through her anger, Parker could see the effect of his words. Her skin was flushed. Her beautiful brown eyes were wide, pupils dilated. She was breathless and sexy as hell. He knew she was turned on, and that turned him on.
“Oh, Parker! I want to trust you, but I’m so scared.”
“I know. I’m so sorry I hurt you today. When you left me at the race, my heart was bleeding, too. I was terrified you’d shut me out forever. But there’s no reason for you to be afraid now. I’ll never hurt you again, and I won’t let anybody else hurt you either. Say you believe me.”
She smiled sweetly. “I believe you,” she said, brushing away a tear.
SAFFRON COULDN’T EVER REMEMBER being so happy. Feeling so safe and so good. Life couldn’t be more perfect than it was right now. Even her ankle felt great. She looped her arm around Parker’s waist. Silently, they walked down the hall to her bedroom. With each step their outer thighs brazenly brushed together. Even this seemingly unintentional contact of his body on hers drove her wild.
When they reached her bed, Saffron turned to face him. The backs of her legs touched the edge of the mattress.
He caressed her cheek, making her shiver even as his fingertips trailed fire down the column of her neck, across her collarbone and over the front of her chest.
She could see how much he wanted her. He was already hard for her.
Their silence filled the room, but it wasn’t awkward or strained. It was sensuous and soothing. All the words worth saying had already been spoken. Now it was all about desire; wanting and needing, showing and feeling, tasting and teasing.
