Truth or Consequences

by Sharon C. Cooper

  “I know you’re not a woman who jumps into bed with just anyone, and I respect that.” Malik picked up his fork and moved potato salad around on his plate without taking a bite. He glanced at her, his eyes solemn. “I hope you know I didn’t intend for that night to happen. I’ll admit, I was attracted to you from the moment I came by your house to pick you up that day, but,” he shrugged, “I had no intentions of seducing you. And for the record, I’m not sorry it happened.”

  Natasha lowered her head and smiled. Contentment edged with excitement wrapped around her like a silken cocoon knowing that he enjoyed their time together as much as she had. She picked up her fork and resumed eating. They ate in silence until Malik spoke.

  “I remember your sister saying that you were the youngest chief of staff in the hospital’s history. What did you do, start medical school right out of grade school?”

  Natasha laughed. “Not quite, but close. I skipped a couple of grades and then started my undergrad when I was sixteen, finishing in three years instead of the usual four.” She hoped her words didn’t come across as if she were bragging, but she was very proud of her accomplishments. “I completed medical school at twenty-three and then did my residency in Connecticut at Stamford Hospital.” She had sacrificed so much, including her marriage, to reach her goal of becoming a surgeon. Landing the chief of staff position was a bonus.

  Malik studied her with that intense gaze she was growing used to. “I was impressed with you before, but now I’m just scared of you.”

  Natasha threw her head back and laughed. “Oh please, if anyone should be afraid, it should be me of you. I don’t know many SEALs or people who have expertise in weapons of mass destruction and can take out an enemy without breaking a sweat.” The moment Natasha noticed the change in him, she regretted her words. “I didn’t mean—”

  He wrapped his large hand around hers. “You never have to be afraid of me. I would never do anything to hurt you.”

  “Oh Malik,” she turned her hand within his and held on, “I know that. I definitely didn’t mean to suggest otherwise. I feel very safe with you.” What was her problem today? Everything she said came out wrong or shouldn’t have come out at all. She’d never been attracted to the bad-boy types, at least not in her adult life, but there was something about Malik that made her feel all warm and cozy inside.

  A knock sounded against the door. Natasha squinted down at her watch, glad to see that she still had a half an hour before she had to head to her meeting. She wiped her mouth and went to answer the door.

  “Sorry to bother you,” her assistant said in a rush. “I’m heading to lunch, but these came for you a few minutes ago.”

  Natasha gasped at the beautiful bouquet of Peruvian lilies mixed with red, yellow, and pink roses. She mouthed thank you and closed the door. She couldn’t remember the last time she had received flowers.

  “These are breathtaking,” she mumbled. Malik was definitely pouring on the charm. First lunch and now flowers.

  She set the bouquet on the table near her plate and pulled out the envelope stuck between the stems. “You know you didn’t have …” Her voice trailed off as she read the card.

  Sorry about yesterday. I was a total jerk. I hope you can forgive me. Ray

  Who the hell is sending her flowers? Malik wondered.

  Natasha looked at Malik. “Sorry, I thought—”

  “That the flowers came from me.” He wiped his mouth and dropped his napkin on the table. Leaning back in his chair, he folded his arms across his chest. His gaze roamed over her womanly curves. Instead of the sexy vixen he’d taken to dinner the other night, today she looked like the epitome of professionalism. Her light blue button down blouse, tucked neatly inside her dark slacks, might have hid some of her sexiness, but he knew what lay beneath the conservative attire.

  “So, who are they from?” He didn’t really have a right to ask her questions about gifts she received from other men, but if she didn’t want him to know, she could tell him none of his business.

  She tapped the card against the palm of her other hand, her gaze trained on the bouquet. For a moment, Malik thought she wouldn’t respond, but then she glanced at him.

  “Ray.”

  “Ray? The kid who works here?” he asked, not only surprised that she’d told him, but shocked that the kid, who barely looked twenty-five, was sending someone like Natasha flowers.

  She nodded. “Yes.”

  “So why is he sending you flowers? You two have something going on?” He knew older women dating younger men was popular these days, but he didn’t take Natasha as the type to date someone ten years her junior. Especially one of her subordinates.

  She dropped the card on the desk and returned to her seat. “That’s none of your business.”

  “It is if he’s stepping to a woman who I’m interested in.” Damn. The words slipped out of his mouth before he had a chance to rein them in, but what the hell, they were true. He had decided last night that he would see where this attraction to her led. He still didn’t want forever, but until he got her out of his system, he wouldn’t be able to move on. “Nothing to say?”

  She regarded him with an eyebrow raised, and seconds passed before she spoke. “I … I’m surprised.” She placed a couple of strawberries on her plate next to the slice of cheesecake.

  “So tell me. Is it a problem if I’m interested in getting to know you better, Dr. Lockham?”

  She stuffed a fork-full of cheesecake into her mouth and chewed, her eyes trained on him. The longer it took her to answer, the more interested he became. A smile spread across his mouth. He always did like a good challenge.

  She wiped her mouth. “Why the cocky grin when I haven’t answered you yet?”

  “Because the interest is mutual.” He grabbed a chicken leg and bit into it, finishing it off before speaking again. “And your attraction to me is written all over your face. So, I’ll tell you what. You can ask me anything you want if it will help make up your mind.” He wiped his mouth and hands on a napkin and dropped it in his empty plate.

  Natasha rolled her eyes and returned her attention to her cheesecake. “No aguanto hombres arrogantes,” she mumbled.

  “No aguanto mujeres tercas,” he said in perfect Spanish, countering her comment about disliking arrogant men.

  Her head jerked up and she stared at him, a smile inching across her beautiful lips. “Can’t stand stubborn women, huh?” Natasha bit into a strawberry, turning him on with every move of her luscious mouth. He had never witnessed a woman make eating a piece of fruit look so sexy. “I have a feeling, Mr. Lewis, that getting to know you better is going to be very interesting.”

  “I guarantee it.” Most people didn’t know he spoke three languages. He liked that instead of her questioning his multi-lingual abilities, she was willing to allow the process of getting to know him better unfold naturally.

  “Okay, I have a question for you. Considering how tall you are, did you ever consider playing basketball professionally?”

  Of all the questions she could have asked, Malik wasn’t expecting that one. “Yeah. I was headed in that direction. A NBA recruiter noticed me during my junior year of high school.” He slouched a bit in his seat, remembering one of the most devastating times in his life. “Our school went up state that year—we were that good—and in the last game I tore my ACL.”

  “Oh no.”

  “Yeah. I worked like hell during that summer to recover and get back on my game before senior year, but I wasn’t as good.”

  “You must have been crushed.”

  “You have no idea. Basketball was everything to me. So when I realized that I wasn’t going into the NBA and had no desire to go to college, the day after I graduated high school I joined the Navy.”

  Sitting there with her, sharing a meal, felt right. Felt good. For the last few days, he had settled for talking with her on the telephone, but being there in her presence was so much better.

  “When did you become
a Navy SEAL?” Natasha asked.

  “A few years into my Navy career. As a kid I had always been a strong swimmer, athletic and thrived on danger.” He shrugged. “My commanding officer thought I’d be the perfect candidate.”

  “And that’s when you met Cameron and Quinn?”

  Malik didn’t know what it was about her, Alandra, and Olivia, but rarely did any of them refer to Cameron as Wiz.

  “Yep. We went through Hell Week together and have been best friends ever since.”

  “I could tell how close you three were while we were in Los Angeles.”

  The mention of L.A. brought with it memories of the brief time he’d spent with her. A time that would be forever engrained in his mind. The memory also included saying good-bye to a man who was more than his SEAL teammate, but also his brother.

  Natasha toyed with the diamond around her neck, the one she wore every time he’d seen her.

  “So what do you do for fun?” She finished off her cheesecake. He loved a woman who wasn’t afraid to eat in front of him. They had practically wiped out the whole meal. Some of the model-type women he’d dated in the past would barely eat a salad for fear of gaining weight.

  “When it’s nice outside, I usually try to get in a couple of rounds of golf,” he finally answered.

  “Are you any good?”

  He grinned. “I’d like to think so. I’m no Tiger Woods, but I know for a fact that I can beat Charles Barkley.”

  She laughed. “That’s not saying much. Rumor has it he’s not that good.”

  “The rumors are true.” Malik chuckled. “I’ve played with him. He may not be that good at golf, but he’s a helluva nice guy.”

  Her mouth dropped opened. “You’ve played golf with Charles Barkley?”

  He shrugged. “Yeah, Michael Jordan, too.”

  “What? You know Michael Jordan? Oh my goodness. Next to Hunter Graham, he’s like my all-time favorite basketball player.”

  “You like Hunter Graham, huh?”

  “Who doesn’t like him? Not only is he the best NBA center in the league, but he’s real easy on the eyes.”

  “Is that right?” Malik teased, amused that she had a crush.

  She dropped her head in her hands. “I can’t believe I actually told you that.” She lifted her head. “What did you do, put truth serum in this food? I’ve been running off at the mouth from the moment you walked in.”

  “Don’t worry,” he covered her hand with his, loving how soft it felt, “your secret crush on him is safe with me. I won’t tell him the next time I see him.”

  She narrowed her eyes at him. “Don’t tell me you know Hunter Graham.”

  “Okay, I won’t tell you.”

  “I know he doesn’t golf, so how do you know him?”

  “He’s my brother.”

  She gripped his arm, her eyes as round as saucers. “Hunter Graham is your brother?” she asked in a lower, huskier tone. When he nodded, her hands flew to her chest. “Oh my God! I can’t believe you’re related to Hunter Graham!”

  Malik fell out laughing, finding it hard to believe that a gorgeous, straight-laced doctor and the new chief of staff was going crazy over his kid brother.

  “I happen to have two tickets to his playoff game Friday night. Are you interested?”

  “Are you kidding? Yes I’m interested!”

  Chapter Eight

  Malik and Natasha pulled up to the United Center, ending Malik’s stories about how he, Wiz, and Quinn used to attend almost every Chicago home game. Natasha could tell he missed hanging out with his friends. According to Malik, he and Wiz didn’t spend as much time together now that Wiz had reunited with his ex-wife.

  Malik opened the passenger side door and extended his hand to help Natasha out of his truck. As they approached the arena, she wasn’t surprised that a few people knew Malik by name. Her sister had once told her that Quinn and his friends seemed to have their finger on the pulse of the city, knowing everyone from government heads to common criminals.

  They entered through the back of the building with other VIPs, and Natasha felt like a kid visiting Disney World for the first time, taking in her surroundings. This was so different from the world she lived in. Sure, she received some special treatment tossing the word doctor around, especially when she traveled for the hospital, but she couldn’t remember ever rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous. Basketball was her favorite sport, but with her work schedule, she rarely attended games or did much socializing outside of the hospital.

  “Here, come this way.” Malik guided her, his large hand at the small of her back, heat from his powerful touch radiating up her spine. “There’s someone I want you to meet.”

  They entered a tunnel-like hallway where the media camped out, as well as the player’s agents talking on their cell phones. When they finally came to a stop outside a set of double doors, Malik greeted the two burly guards by name. He had told her on the ride over that the United Center was one of his clients.

  “Is he here?” Malik asked the guard to the right of the door.

  “I’ll get him.” Minutes later, Hunter Graham walked out.

  “What’s up, bro.” Hunter greeted Malik with a one-arm hug, pounding him on his back. “I thought you were going to be here earlier so we could talk about a few things.”

  “We’ll talk before you leave town, assuming you guys are going to win tonight and there will be a game five,” Malik smirked. They had grown up in Chicago, but Hunter lived and played for the Los Angeles Rivers. Right now, L.A was behind in the series—one to Chicago’s three—and needed this win.

  “Don’t you worry, big brother. There will be a game five.” Hunter pulled a ponytail holder from around his wrist and his gaze met Natasha’s. Heat rose to her cheeks when that same gaze traveled the length of her body as she stood silently, partially blocked by Malik. Standing with them, Natasha felt like an ant in a forest of tall oak trees. An inch or two shorter than Malik, Hunter was even better looking in person. Besides his long hair—which he pulled back into a ponytail at the nape of his neck—and skin a slight shade lighter than Malik’s, there was no doubt that they were brothers.

  “There’s someone I want you to meet,” Malik told his brother, wrapping his arm around Natasha’s waist protectively. “This is Dr. Natasha Lockham. Natasha, this is my little brother, Hunter Graham.”

  “Dr. Lockham,” Hunter said, humor in his voice and a smirk on his lips as he glanced from her to his brother and back again.

  “Natasha, please.” Natasha extended her hand, but Hunter didn’t accept it.

  “Nah, Doc. If my brother has brought you here to meet me, we are way past handshakes.” He pulled her out of Malik’s grasp and wrapped his long arms around her, placing a kiss on her cheek before setting her back, his hands on her shoulders. “We’re practically family.”

  “Man, let her go.” Malik pulled her against him, the hard planes of his body behind hers making her insides turn to mush. “And keep your damn lips to yourself,” he added with humor in his tone.

  Hunter threw his head back and laughed. “Do I sense a bit of jealousy, my brother?” Malik punched him playfully in the chest and they passed a few punches back and forth. “Okay, all jokes aside.” Hunter turned to Natasha. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m glad you were able to make it to the game tonight.”

  “It’s my pleasure,” she stated, her hand against her chest, still unable to believe that she was meeting the Hunter Graham. “This will be my first playoff game. The only thing is, I don’t know whether to root for the home team or you, my favorite player.”

  Hunter grinned. “I like her. She’s definitely a keeper.”

  Malik didn’t agree or disagree. His eyes bore into her like a laser. Natasha had no idea what he was thinking, but the intensity deeply seated in his gaze had her looking away.

  They talked a few minutes longer, Natasha asking Hunter questions about being in the league, while he and Malik lobbed jokes back and forth,
the love for each other evident. Seeing the camaraderie between them made her miss her sisters even more.

  “Well, we better go so you can get ready,” Malik said to Hunter. The brothers exchanged a hug before Hunter pulled Natasha back into his arms. He hugged and kissed her on the cheek, not caring that Malik was glaring at him.

  “I look forward to seeing you again, Doc.” He pointed at Malik, but kept his attention on her. “If you get tired of the big guy, feel free to give me a call,” he joked, his eyebrows dancing up and down.

  Natasha laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  Minutes later, they were in their VIP seats.

  “Are you hungry or thirsty?” Malik asked close to her ear, the bass in his voice sending a delicious shiver up and down her arms. The undeniable chemistry between them was growing stronger by the moment, and Natasha knew that it wouldn’t take much for her to fall for Malik.

  She shook her head. “No. I’m still full from dinner, but maybe a bottled water.”

  “You got it. I’ll be right back.”

  She watched his tall frame weave through the crowd before turning her attention to the court. She couldn’t believe they were at center court. They weren’t on the floor, but were close enough for her to see all of the action first hand. This night was turning into one of the best nights she’d had in a long time, and she owed it all to Malik.

  “All right, here you go.”

  “Wow, that was quick,” Natasha said when he returned with a bottle of water and a beer. “I thought you would get stuck out there.”

  “Nah, one of the vendors happened to be walking around with water and beer.”

  His body brushed hers when he reclaimed his seat. A warm, cozy feeling engulfed her as she sat next to him. The row they were in had individual seats that weren’t connected like the ones higher up, and had more walking space between the rows. Yet, Malik still took up a lot of space, his knees touching the seat in front of them.