The Procedure

by Tabatha Vargo

  If Samantha wasn’t in her element, I wasn’t able to tell with the way she moved through the room. She dazzled and charmed the knickers off everyone I introduced her to. I was careful not to use her last name just in case.

  She found something in common with the other wives, even though I knew she was nothing like those women, and they took to her like bees to honey.

  As much as I loved that Samantha was having a good time, I wanted her by my side. I tried not to think of it as selfish, but our time was limited, and I couldn’t help but not want to share her too long with everyone else.

  “Sorry, ladies, but I’m going to steal Samantha for a moment. This beautiful woman promised me a dance tonight, and they’re playing our song,” I said as I wrapped my fingers softly around the top of her arm. She looked up me and briefly, I lost myself in her eyes.

  “You two make a beautiful couple,” one of the woman commented. “It’s been a long time since I saw a couple who was so perfectly matched.”

  “Yes, Roman, this one is a keeper,” Debra, the wife of a colleague, said.

  Smiling down into Samantha’s face, I spoke to her when I answered. “Yes, she is.”

  Even as the words left my mouth, I knew she wasn’t mine to keep, though. She was mine on stolen time, but for this weekend, I was going to try and ignore it as best I could.

  The women let out sweet sighs as they said their goodbyes, and I swept Samantha off on my arm toward the dance floor. When she realized where we were headed, she stopped.

  “What are you doing?”

  “You’re going to dance with me.”

  She shook her head. “I can’t dance, Roman.”

  “You’re joking, right? We’ve taken several dance lessons.”

  “But that’s different.”

  “Why?”

  “Because…” She tried to supply a reason, but came up empty.

  “That’s what I thought. What did you think we were practicing for?”

  “What? I thought it was part of your project.”

  “There is a reason for everything I do, Samantha.”

  “You planned this trip?”

  “Not really. I didn’t plan it with the intention of being here with you like this, but I’m happy it turned out this way. Are you?” I asked, desperate for her answer.

  “Yes,” she said without hesitation, and I could see it in her eyes that she meant it. “I was just surprised.”

  “Dance with me, Samantha?” I pulled her against me. The memory of the feel and taste of her body was so fresh in my memory. “Please.”

  Her eyes glazed over, and I could tell she was thinking about the night before as well. The things we had done and said to each other—it was a moment that I would cherish for the rest of my life.

  “Yes. Yes to anything you want, Roman.”

  I smiled and took her hand, leading her out onto the dance floor. Couples parted to let us through and, pulling Samantha close, I turned toward the band, giving them my signal.

  The lead smiled at me and the music changed, becoming the sweet lullaby of the familiar waltz. The dance floor thinned of couples who didn’t know the tune. There were only a few of us left, but it didn’t matter. I only had eyes for the woman in front of me.

  Samantha looked around, noticing the smaller size and the eyes of the curious onlookers. Lifting her chin and bringing her eyes toward me, I rubbed my thumb across her bottom lip.

  “Look at me. Only me, love.”

  She nodded, and then we were moving around the room. Despite her nerves, she moved effortlessly around the floor like she’d been doing this dance all her life. I spun and twirled her, enjoying the way her gown wrapped around our legs. She laughed and her eyes sparkled as she unraveled before me.

  I realized then and there that she had accomplished it. She had found the woman she used to be, and there was no turning back. Whether she stayed with Michael or not, he couldn’t hurt her anymore, and I relished in knowing I had been a part of that.

  The song slowed to the end and I spun her one last time, dipping her with my body. Time stood still as I looked into her flushed face and bright eyes. I never wanted to let her go, but then, in the worst way possible, I was reminded that she was another man’s wife.

  THE ROOM HAD gone quiet as everyone watched us dance, which meant a pin drop could be heard once the music ended. That fact only made the loud, single clapping sound even louder. Everyone’s attention moved from Samantha and me toward the angry, punishing sound as it emerged from the back of the crowd gathered around the dance floor.

  Pulling Samantha up, I held her close. Her body stiffened when Michael emerged front and center. As if he wore a sign, no one spoke as they looked between Michael and us, knowing something bad was about to happen.

  “Spectacular!” he slurred loudly. Not that it was necessary to hear his voice to know he was three sheets to the wind. I could smell the booze from where I stood.

  “Don’t you agree, everyone?” he spat, looking around. “Don’t you think my wife and her lover, the incredible Dr. Roman Blake, put on a spectacular show? They almost fooled you into thinking they were a couple, didn’t they?”

  Michael’s eyes landed on Samantha, and I looked over to see that every ounce of color had left her face. She wasn’t moving. Holding her breath, she stood stiff as Michael worked his way toward us.

  “What are you doing here, Michael?” she growled in a hushed whisper.

  If I hadn’t felt the vibrations of her voice against my side, I wouldn’t have recognized the voice as hers.

  “Well, they sure as hell fooled me,” he said to the crowd, ignoring Samantha’s question.

  Michael took a step closer toward us, and it was then that the lights caught the reflection of glass in his hand. I held on to Samantha tighter, but her body was so stiff.

  “Saint Roman, right?” He held up an award that I hadn’t known I was receiving. His thick fingers wrapped around my life’s work sickened me. “How would you feel about your precious doctor if you knew he’d killed a woman? Would you all love him still?”

  I felt like Michael had just sucker punched me in the gut, and the air was sucked from my body as my mind tried to play catch up. I looked down at Samantha, not caring about anyone else’s response but hers. She stared up at me, confused, and I wanted to smooth away her puckered brows.

  “And how should I feel knowing that my wife is leaving me for a murderer? That doesn’t say very much about me now, does it?” Michael continued.

  Again, his words caught me off guard. This time it was I who looked confused as my eyes moved over Samantha’s face.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I was going to tell you this weekend. I didn’t… I…”

  But Michael wasn’t done with his speech. “He’s a murderer, a liar, a manipulator, and he turned my wife into a—”

  “Enough!” I roared, causing the guests to gasp and take a small step back. I took two steps toward Michael with every intention of knocking him on his arse, but Samantha grabbed my arm and held me back.

  “He’s not worth it, Roman,” she whispered for only my ears.

  And then she was moving past me before I could stop her. She was in front of Michael, trying to push him past the crowd and out of the room.

  “Let’s go, Michael. You’re wasted.” I heard her say when she reached his side.

  “No!” he shouted, throwing the glass award in his hand toward the wall. It shattered like I was sure my career was bound to do, and a few of the women screamed out in fear. “Not until everyone sees that bastard for what he really is.”

  I stood by and watched as Samantha tried to soothe her husband’s rage. If at any point it even looked like he was going to raise his hand to her, I’d kill him for all the room to see. Then I’d really be the murderer he claimed I was.

  “This isn’t Roman’s fault, Michael, and you’re scaring everyone. You did this to us.” She kept her voice calm and controlled. “You ruined us and destroy
ed our marriage, not Roman.”

  She was talking quietly so the room around her wouldn’t hear, but I was close enough to hear every word, and I liked what I was hearing. She was the woman I’d always known she could be, and she was standing up to him.

  The fog seemed to clear around Michael’s head, and he looked down at Samantha with hurt-filled eyes. It was then that I could see it. There was possession in his eyes, and it was like a bullet to the chest.

  “You’re my wife, Sam.” His voice cracked. “Come home with me.”

  She took a deep breath and stiffened her spine. Despite everything that was happening, I never felt prouder of her.

  “Not anymore. Before I left, we ended things. I’m not yours anymore, Michael.”

  She took a step back as two hotel security guards came up from behind Michael and took a hold of him. He was so lost in Samantha’s words that he didn’t fight them until they had him halfway out of the room.

  “Sam!” he roared. “Don’t do this, Samantha!”

  When the doors closed behind them, no one said a word. The silence in the room was so thick, it could have been sliced through with a knife. Neither Samantha nor I moved, and most of the guests didn’t know what to do.

  Lifting her head with confidence, Samantha spoke strongly to the room around us. She was magnificent in her calm, even though drama had reared its ugly head and knocked her down only minute before.

  “I’m so sorry, everyone. I hope you can accept my apology for ruining yours and Dr. Blake’s event. Excuse me.”

  Without another word, she lifted her dress and made her way toward the exit. When she was through the doors, I remembered how to use my legs again.

  “My sincere apologies. Excuse me,” I said as I maneuvered my way through the crowd as they began to move.

  I busted through the doors, my chest exploding with adrenaline and the expectation of tracking Samantha down, but I pulled up short when I spotted her against the wall. Walking up to her, I took her face into my hands and pulled her lips to mine. Kissing her hard, I savored her taste.

  “Don’t ever leave me like that again,” I spoke against her lips.

  She nodded and pulled away. “I’m so sorry, Roman.” Tears fell down her cheeks. “I ruined your night. I…”

  “You didn’t ruin anything, Samantha. Michael did. I could kill him for embarrassing you like that.”

  “Me? Look what he did in there! All of your colleagues, patients… he ruined your reputation.”

  I shook my head, denying her words and dreading the moment when I’d have to clarify his murder accusations.

  “Those who are my true friends will see past what just happened in there and if not, screw them,” I said, wiping away the tears on her cheeks.

  Michael’s words came blazing into my mind, and I couldn’t wait any longer to know if she was truly mine. “Is it true? Did you guy really end things?” I asked.

  “Yes. Right before I met you to come up here.”

  “That’s why you were so upset?”

  She nodded. “I was going to tell you. I should have…”

  “It doesn’t matter. None of it matters now. All that does is I love you.” The words rushed past my lips, and her tear-filled eyes clashed with mine. “You don’t have to respond. Just know I love you so damn much and if you’ll have me, I’m all yours.”

  EVEN AFTER ALL the drama of Michael in New York, I still spent the night in Roman’s arms. I wanted to ask about Michael’s accusations, but then again, we were talking about Michael—the biggest liar I knew. I couldn’t really find it in myself to care about where he ended up after his little scene. He was a lawyer; he could get around the law. Always had and always would.

  I wasn’t sure what my thoughts said about me, but at that point, I wasn’t sure I really cared. Roman spent the night inside of me—all around me—and it was pure bliss. The world outside of his room didn’t exist. There was only him, and there was only me.

  The night before, Roman had all of my things brought to his room, and that was fine by me. The following morning, we packed our things side by side.

  I was nervous about going back to Miami. As long as we were away, we could ignore all the crazy that awaited us there. We could wrap ourselves in each other and deny the rest, which is exactly what I wanted to do.

  Before my father died, he told me that life was meant to be lived. I remember thinking in that moment how wrong it was that I had plenty of life ahead of me and yet, I wasn’t taken advantage of it the way my father might have had he had more time.

  I could honestly say that I was living my life for me now. I let go of Michael the way I should have a long time ago and threw out the rulebook. It was way past time I did what felt good. Roman felt good. No… Roman felt amazing. Not just the sex, but being near him made me feel alive. It didn’t matter what I was sure to face when we got home, I knew he was worth it.

  “You okay, sweet?” Roman asked from my side.

  I was staring out of the window of the plane and watching the clouds go by. I was so stuck in my thoughts that I hadn’t talked much since we boarded. We had a lot to talk about before we landed, but being silent and mulling over my life felt better.

  Reaching over, I laid my hand over his. “I’m perfect,” I responded.

  He leaned over and kissed me softly before pressing his forehead to mine. “That you most definitely are.”

  Pressing my lips to his, I let his warmth and calm move over me. He pushed the kiss a step further by sucking the tip of my tongue. Breaking away, he shivered and grinned to himself.

  “You’re making me crazy, woman. Now that we’ve concluded that you are indeed perfect, why don’t you tell me what’s on your mind?” he said, smoothing down my hair and kissing my forehead.

  I loved how touchy-feely he was. It was taking some getting used to, but it was a welcome change. It was as if he couldn’t stand not to touch me. As if his hands burned to feel my skin. The feeling was mutual.

  “I’m just thinking about how things are going to be when we get back to Miami.”

  “How do you want them to be?” he asked, worry etched in his brow.

  Reaching up, I smoothed it away and kissed the spot. “I don’t mean with you. I think I know how that’s going to go down. What I mean is… I have a ton to figure out now that my marriage is officially over.

  “Like what?”

  I took a deep breath “Well, first and foremost, my living arrangements. It’s not like I have a ton of options out there, you know? And hiring a lawyer to file a divorce. Michael isn’t going to make any of this easy for me. It’s not in his nature.”

  “I know.” He nodded sadly. “I hate thinking about what you’re going to go through with that, but please know that I’ll be there with you every step of the way.”

  His palm moved to cover my face, and I leaned into his touch. “I know. Knowing I have you is what’s keeping me together. I know I’ll have to deal with Michael and everything, but I just want a few weeks before I have to think about that. Finding a place to live is my main concern right now.”

  He nodded. “Well… if I’m being completely honest, I was thinking you could come home with me.”

  His words made a smile pull at my lips. “Is that so?”

  “Tis so,” he said with a grin, looking up at me from beneath his dark lashes.

  His whiskey eyes sparkled, and I knew he was thinking about our weekend together.

  “But I don’t want you to tire of me too fast,” I teased.

  “I assure you, love, me getting tired of you isn’t a possibility.”

  And then he bit into his bottom lip as his eyes devoured mine. I had never considered being a part of the mile-high club, but even with all the crazy running around in my head, I couldn’t wait to get him alone.

  He wanted me to go home with him. I swallowed hard just thinking about it. Staying with Roman sounded like heaven, but at the same time, I didn’t want us to move too fast. I wanted to enjoy th
e beginning of our relationship without putting too much pressure on us.

  “Are you sure?”

  “I’m never been more sure of anything in my life.”

  “Okay. But only for a week or two. It’s important I find a place of my own.” I folded.

  “If you say so.”

  And then he turned away and closed his eyes with a happy smile on his face. Moments later, his breathing evened out and I knew he was asleep.

  I DIDN’T MISS the Miami heat that welcomed us when we got home. The air outside was too thick—too moist—and already my skin was beginning to feel sticky. Even the hot breeze that worked its way up my dress didn’t provide any relief.

  Roman carried my bags for me once we picked them up, and a car was waiting out front to take us back to his place. The driver put our bags in the trunk as we climbed inside.

  His hand stayed on my knee on the ride across Miami, except for when he would occasionally run it up my thigh, making the muscles in my leg flex. I couldn’t wait to get to his place and christen his bed. Just thinking of him moving his length deep inside me was turning me on.

  Between my legs was still tender from our weekend together. My folds swollen from his heavy love making, but even so, I could feel myself getting wet for him—the throb that was slowly pounding in my sweet spot matched the rhythm of my heart. Just being near him did this to me.

  A quick stop to pick up Duke, who was as excited to me as Roman said he would be, and we were on the way back to Roman’s place. His beachfront condo was more glass than anything else. The moment I stepped into his space, I went to the windows looking out at the expansive ocean. It was beautiful and completely opposite from the large house I’d lived in with Michael.

  It was smaller and more intimate. Pictures of friends and family littered the tables and even the fine, traditional furnishings felt cozy. It felt like home even though I’d never stepped foot in the place until that moment.

  Coming up behind me, Roman wrapped his arms around my waist and I let my hands rest on his forearms. As he kissed the side of my neck just below my ear, his hot breath shifted the hair around my face.