The Procedure

by Tabatha Vargo

  After spending the day before in his arms, I knew I had to take a step back. When I got his text telling me to meet him the following night, I was so close to saying no. But then the memories of Michael and the blonde rushed into my mind and I knew that no matter how badly my body and mind was responding to Roman, I had to stay the course. I had to save my marriage.

  The two women, Laurie and Sarah, were attractive. Laurie was blonde and tall. Her legs looked amazing in her pencil skirt. Sarah was shorter with jet-black hair and big, pouty lips. I was jealous of several parts of their bodies, but once I caught Roman staring at me from across the table, all the jealousy wafted away.

  The gentlemen in the group, Chase, Gregg, and Marshall, were all colleagues of Roman’s. Apparently, everyone at the table was a doctor of some sort except for me. It was very intimidating to be surrounded by such smart people. Still, they were fun and talkative—asking questions and keeping me thoroughly entertained.

  As the night moved along, Roman’s eyes grew glassy, his cheeks flushing as if he’d had too much to drink. Still, he was ever the gentleman. Carefully ushering me around the room with his hand on the small of my back. Pulling out chairs for me and the girls who were with us. It was something I loved about him. Something I hoped Michael would one day do.

  Plucking the beer from my hand, he smiled down at me. “I think it’s time we take you out of your comfort zone.”

  I laughed. I was starting to feel a tiny buzz around me. “I’m pretty sure I left my comfort zone when I walked through the doors.”

  “I think not. Come on.” He wrapped his warm hand around mine, sending goose bumps up my arm, and pulled me toward the side of the room with the tiny stage.

  “No, Roman!” I laughed when I saw the karaoke set up. “I refuse.”

  Turning, he cupped my cheeks as if he were about to kiss me. Excitement filled his eyes, showing me a totally different side of the doctor, and then he smiled. “I helped you knock something off your bucket list, and you won’t help me with one of mine?”

  He was giving me a guilt trip, and it was the cutest thing ever.

  “Singing karaoke is on your bucket list?” I asked.

  I was having a hard time focusing with his hands touching my face the way they were, but I didn’t want to be rude and pull away. Plus, I liked the feel of his warm palms against my cheeks. If I closed my eyes, I could almost imagine him leaning down and kissing me softly.

  He pulled his hands away from my face as if realizing he’d been touching me for so long, and then he turned toward the stage. “Well, not really. I’ve sang karaoke before, but the point is, you haven’t. Please, Samantha.”

  And that was all it took. The look in his glazed eyes. The alcohol on his breath that I could practically taste he was so close. I wasn’t sure if it was the beer or Roman that made me so drunk on life at the moment. All I know is we ended up on stage in front of the entire place singing a really bad rendition of a Bon Jovi song, and I loved every minute of it.

  Later, as the night began to wear down, I switched from beer and shots with the group to water. My car was outside and if I didn’t sober up some, I was going to have to call a cab. Not to mention, Roman was pretty buzzed too, and for once, I wanted to take care of him. He would need a ride home, and I wanted to be that ride. I giggled to myself with that thought, drawing Roman’s attention.

  He moved closer to me, his hand resting on my knee, making me jump.

  “You know what,” he slurred in my ear. “I know you think you’ve been the one holding Michael back, but the truth is, he holds you back. Think of all the things you could have done or could be doing if he just tried a little to make you happy. If for once he did something you wanted to do.”

  He’d never spoken about Michael the way he was. As far as I knew, Roman was making me better for Michael, yet there he was, saying I wasn’t the problem. I couldn’t help but kind of agree.

  “I know. It’s been so long since I’ve had as much fun as I have with you.”

  The words came out wrong. I accidently made them sound as if we were dating or something, and that definitely wasn’t the case. Heat filled my cheeks, and I turned away to take a sip of my water to cool my heated throat.

  The room around us was a haze of blurry bodies and music that I wasn’t paying any attention to. Laurie and Sarah had excused themselves earlier in the night, leaving me as the only female in the group.

  “Doesn’t he take you out at all?” Roman asked, leaning even closer.

  Our conversation was quiet in the corner, and it was personal. So personal in fact that I felt as if the walls were moving in.

  Again, I sipped at my water. Shaking my head, I set the glass down and rolled the straw between my two fingers. When I looked up, Roman was staring at my lips as if he were ready to lick the moisture from them. I took a deep breath and tried to turn my thoughts back toward Michael.

  “Michael doesn’t do anything with me anymore.” I turned away. “Much less take me on dates.”

  His warm fingers heated my chin as he turned me to face him again. He was so close. So warm. So perfect.

  “Anything?” he asked. His eyes were pinned to my mouth.

  I turned away, missing his touch from my face immediately. “No.”

  And then I felt his hand cover mine on the table, and I couldn’t help but turn and face him. His eyes devoured mine before they moved down my face, landing on my lips once more.

  “Michael is a stupid, stupid man, Samantha.”

  And then he broke the spell when he moved away, grabbed his beer, and took a deep swig.

  WE SHUT THE bar down and left at two in the morning. I was still a little fuzzy, but I knew I could get myself home okay. It was Roman I was worried about.

  I pulled out my keys as we exited the bar and turned to face him. “I’m giving you a ride home. You’re drunk.”

  “You’re right. I’m thoroughly pissed, but I have to decline the ride. Also, you’re not driving home.”

  As if we were in a movie and it was given its cue, a fancy, black town car pulled up in front of us. An older man stepped out, opening the back door for us. I hadn’t expected Roman to have a driver since he was always in his sports car, but at least he thought ahead and had the sense to know he would be drinking tonight.

  I nodded and dropped my keys back into my purse before I climbed into the car. Roman moved in after me, his thigh pressing against mine. I kept my mind on Michael the entire time, not giving myself time to analyze what it felt like to be so close to such a masculine man. Roman was big, and he always smelled so good. It was becoming harder and harder to not notice these things about him.

  I tried to remember what it was we were doing together, but then he’d shift and his own personal scent would move toward me. I couldn’t lie to myself anymore. Even though I was very married and very much in love with Michael, I was physically attracted to Roman. I had been from the start.

  “Did you have fun tonight?” he asked from his dark corner.

  His voice was deeper, and I could tell by the way he sounded that he was facing me—watching me. I liked it. His eyes on me made me feel sexy—beautiful. I knew that his pretty compliments were a part of the procedure, but somehow, his words managed to move into my brain. I felt desirable when I was with Roman, and it was a turn on for me.

  “I did.”

  I clenched my thighs together, enjoying the feel of my lace panties and trying my hardest not to think about the man next to me. I was so broken. Michael had made sure of that over the years. There I was with a man, trying to get help to make my marriage better, yet I couldn’t stop thinking about what he would feel like between my legs.

  Then something snapped. Everything rushed on me. Maybe it was the alcohol or the fact that I’d finally hit my breaking point, but everything pressed against my chest, bringing tears to my eyes. So much had happened. So much was happening, and I wasn’t sure who I was anymore.

  The girl I was with Michael wa
sn’t the same woman I was when I was with Roman. In the back of my mind, I knew which me I liked more, but it was wrong to like that side more.

  A tear moved down my cheek as I thought about the last few months. Finding Michael with another woman. Losing my father, the only person who ever really cared about me. And honestly, the tears felt good.

  I thought I was being quiet about it in my corner of the car, and I thought Roman wouldn’t see my tears since the car was dark, but suddenly, he was there and his arms were around me. His warmth moved through me, sending a soothing calm through my bones.

  Just a few weeks ago, Roman was a total stranger to me, but now I felt closer to him than I had to anyone else in a long time.

  “It’s okay. Let it out,” he said as he rubbed my back in circles. The professional stepped back in, pushing the drunk, fun man he was on the back burner.

  Backing away, I swiped quickly at my face. His thick fingers followed my hands, wiping what remained. For such large fingers, they were soft. I wanted to close my eyes and lean into his touch.

  “Thank you,” I said through my clogged throat. “I needed tonight.”

  His throat worked up and down as he swallowed hard and again, his fingers moved over my cheeks softly. His fingertips moved across my lips, and I gasped at the sensation that pulled low in my stomach. I closed my eyes to enjoy his touch before he pulled his hand away.

  “Forgive me,” he said sweetly.

  He was such a gentleman. It was a nice change from the smartass I lived with. “For what?” I asked. He’d been nothing but nice to me. Forgiveness was the last thing he needed.

  “I shouldn’t touch you that way. It won’t happen again.”

  Already I missed his touch and even though I knew the words were wrong, I couldn’t stop them. “I like it.”

  Again, the car around us got quiet as we sat there. The screen was up, blocking us from the driver, and I thought maybe it would be smart to let it down so I had no choice but to control myself. But then his big hands moved to cradle my face, his thumb stroking the soft skin beneath my eye.

  “Samantha, there is absolutely nothing wrong with you. You’re such a beautiful woman, inside and out, and like I said before, I think your husband is an idiot.”

  Looking down, I chuckled a bit. “You’re my doctor. You kind of have to say that.”

  Clearing his throat, he dropped his hands from my face, and I felt the loss of his heat. “Actually, I shouldn’t say those things because I’m your doctor. That wasn’t the professional in me speaking—that was the man.”

  I understood he’d had too much to drink, but his words still moved down into my core, sealing a few of the broken parts that Michael had destroyed. And while I wasn’t a very brazen woman, something inside of me clicked. Roman was saying and doing everything I’d needed for the last few years, and it felt amazing. Hell, just the way he was looking at me was enough. I couldn’t stop myself.

  Leaning over, I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled his face down. My lips grazed his once, hot breath from his nose coating my cheek, before I went in for the kill and pressed myself to him. His lips warmed mine, but he didn’t kiss me back—not at first anyway.

  Once I pressed closer, he wrapped his arms around me, his hands gripping the back of my dress, and he kissed me back. I opened for him. His tongue danced with mine, sending sparks of fire down my body and making me throb between my thighs. Our breathing picked up, and a manly growl escaped his mouth into mine.

  Climbing him, I tried to get closer. I was out of control. My body’s response was a surprise to me. Never had I felt so wild and out of control with Michael. Reaching up my dress, he grabbed my hips, pulling me down onto him harder. He thrust between my legs, his erection shocking me and pressing against the spot that yearned for him.

  Pulling away, I sucked in a breath and released a moan. And then, everything stopped. As if waking from a dream, he sat me abruptly to the side and moved away from me, his body pressing into the door on his side.

  His hand went to his mouth to wipe away my kisses, and he looked down at his palm as if the traces of me would be visible.

  “Forgive me, Samantha.”

  Tucking a stray hair from my face, I looked away, embarrassed by my reaction to him. “It’s okay,” I rasped.

  “No. It most certainly is not okay. It was unprofessional of me, and I assure you it won’t happen again.”

  I felt deflated by his words. Did I want it to happen again? I’d basically cheated on Michael, and I loved him, I really did, but my body needed what Roman had just given me. Even though I probably should have, I couldn’t bring myself to regret it.

  I nodded in agreement since I didn’t trust myself to speak. I wanted so badly to do it again, and I knew if I opened my mouth, that was what would come out. I’d already embarrassed myself enough.

  Roman cleared his throat, and silence ensued until the car pulled up in front of my house.

  Without looking over at him, I said goodnight and climbed from the car. The cool night air rushed up my dress, cooling my heated flesh and reminding me what I’d done with Roman. Being out of the dense air that surrounded us in the car, I felt like I could breathe again.

  It was the strangest thing being so attracted to someone who wasn’t your husband, but I was. God, I was so attracted to Roman. And after that kiss, I wasn’t sure returning to his office was such a good idea. The only problem was that I cared about Roman. He was much more than my doctor—he was my friend. And as much as I told myself I’d never see him again, I was addicted to the way he made me feel.

  Stepping into the house, I set my purse on the table by the door and started toward the stairs.

  “Where the fuck have you been?” Michael said from a chair in the living rom. He sat there as if he’d been waiting for me.

  “I called your phone over and over again. I texted you until my phone died. Whose limo was that and again, where the fuck have you been?”

  He was irate. Anger flared in his eyes.

  “I was out with friends,” I said truthfully.

  “Don’t bullshit me, Sam. You don’t have any friends, and we both know it.”

  I started toward the stairs. I wasn’t in the mood to argue with him and honestly, he had no right to question where I’d been. Guilt reared its ugly head as I thought about what had happened in the back of Roman’s limo, but I pushed it down and took the first step.

  I was swung around by my arm, Michael’s fingers digging so deeply into my skin that I was sure he could feel my bone.

  “Are you fucking someone else?” he asked, his eyes wide, as if he could hardly believe he was saying it himself.

  “You’re hurting me, Michael,” I said as I pulled at his fingers and tried to get him to release me.

  “Answer me, Samantha! Are you?” He looked down at my dress, and his eyes widened more. “Didn’t I tell you to never wear this dress? Didn’t I tell you that you’re too old for this shit?”

  His fingers dug deeper, pain radiating up my arm and into my shoulder.

  “Stop it. Let me go, Michael.”

  “Just say it. Say you’re fucking someone else. I want to hear it.”

  I could hardly believe he was acting the way he was. Nine years we’d been married and never had he laid a hand on me. It was as if he were someone else. As if someone evil had taken over his body.

  “There’s no one else, Michael. Please, let me go. You’re hurting me!”

  He released me fast, making me lose my balance and fly into the banister. The part of my arm that he’d been squeezing slammed into the wood, sending a shock of pain up my arm and into my shoulder once more.

  Without checking to see if I was okay, Michael fled from the stairs, grabbing his coat by the door and slamming the front door behind him.

  I WAS PLAYING with fire, and I already knew I was going to get burned. Hell, I’d burned already in the car with her—died and gone to heaven before falling back into perdition. My body hard
ened under her kisses, my muscles aching for her touch. And I, the most controlled person I knew, lost it. All self-control flittered away, and all I could think about was thrusting my body against hers.

  I wanted to be inside her, all around her—lose myself in her completely. I was prepared to show her everything Michael wasn’t in that moment… prepared to give over all of myself. Thoughts of ripping her panties from her body and pressing into her warm, wet heat rolled through my mind. It wasn’t until I felt the coolness of her wedding band against my cheek that reality slipped back in.

  Married. She is married.

  The word bounced around my head like a sharpened dagger piercing my conscious and effectively shocking me. I was an honest man. Always had been. I’d prided myself on my honesty all my life. Sleeping with a patient, a married one at that, wasn’t something I wanted to add to my bucket list.

  Michael Aldridge was a bloody arse who didn’t deserve Samantha, but who was I to say what anyone else deserved? I was the outsider in that scenario, not him. And while I wasn’t very fond of the man, he was still her husband. He had been there first and evidently, something about him had made Samantha fall in love with him. I needed to remember that his position in her life deserved a tiny bit of respect.

  Sure, he was sleeping with every woman he could get his hands on, but that was his demons to lie with, not mine. I wasn’t about to lower myself to his level by sleeping with his wife. No matter how badly I wanted to. Oh, I wanted to, and I wanted to blame the alcohol. Lord knew I’d had enough trying to drink away the way I was feeling for Samantha that night, but I knew what I was doing. I was aware enough to know it was wrong.

  I went home that night with the plan to stay away from Samantha. She was my patient. There was no need to see her outside of my office. I even considered telling her that there would be no more procedures for her. Especially since the only procedure I wanted to perform was inserting my body into hers.