The Game of Seduction (Arrington Family Series)

by Candace Shaw

  Dr. Francis almost cursed but held it in. He’d deal with his daughters later. Instead, he put on a sincere smile for he was truly happy for Joe and his wife.

  “Congrats, man,” he said, extending his hand to shake Joe’s. He walked Joe out to the waiting area. Dr. Francis checked Raven’s schedule, saw that she didn’t have any patients, and marched straight back to her office.

  *****

  Bria sat on a barstool in the oversized gourmet kitchen while Rasheed stirred his signature tomato sauce. She sipped red wine and swayed back and forth to the sounds of Corrine Bailey Rae. Bria’s month vacation was coming to an end in the next week. Taylor had offered her a position of her practice, but Bria didn’t know if she wanted it or not. She missed working with her parents and her siblings. If there was some way she could convince her father to meet her halfway that would be perfect. She thought about opening her own practice, but she enjoyed the camaraderie of working with her family.

  She smiled as she watched Rasheed sauté the onions and bell peppers for the ground beef. He’d given the night off to the chef. They were supposed to go to dinner, but a rainstorm kept them in for the evening. She was glad she had one aspect of her life figured out. She had a man that cared for her and adored her. They hadn’t used the L word yet, and that was fine with her. She didn’t want to move too fast with Rasheed like she had with her ex-fiancé. They’d met and gotten engaged within the year. She blamed the stress of her residency and needed an outlet. She was almost relieved when he cheated and got someone else pregnant. He’d blamed it on the fact that she was always at the hospital and never had time for him. But deep down she knew she never loved him and loving the man who was in front of her made that fact even more of a reality.

  “Baby, come taste my tomato sauce. I think it may need some more garlic.” Rasheed held out the spoon for her, and she hopped off of the stool to sample his sauce.

  “This is superb. I’m glad one of us can cook.”

  “Girl, I can’t wait to dig into the salad you made.” He pulled her close to him and started to slow dance. “You remember New Year’s Eve when we danced?”

  “Yes.” She reached up on her tippy toes to kiss his lips but could only reach his chin. He bent down and met her lips.

  “You remember how you were seducing me on the dance floor?”

  “Of course.”

  “Was that your plan all along?” he asked with a sly smile.

  “No, but I wanted you that night, and I had to have you.” They kissed slow and deep, their tongues moving along with the music as well.

  “Do you need to have me right now, because we can eat later?” He picked her up.

  She looked over his shoulder at the stove. “Um … I really hate to stop you, but the sauce is boiling and some has splattered on the backsplash.”

  They laughed, and he put her down to tend to his sauce. Her phone vibrated from the island. She smiled when she saw Raven’s pretty face on her screen.

  “Hey big sis. Miss me?”

  Raven let out a sigh. “I do, but that’s not why I’m calling.”

  Bria could sense the seriousness in her tone. “What happened?”

  “Daddy knows about our sessions with Kelly.”

  Bria’s heart dropped. She wasn’t expecting Raven to say that.

  “Wait!” She placed her hand over her heart and walked out of the kitchen to the family room and plopped down on the floor in front of the fireplace where she had laid out a blanket so she and Rasheed could eat dinner there. His couches hadn’t arrived yet, but she preferred to sit in front of the fireplace. “Are you sure? How is that possible?”

  “Her husband Joe came by today for a check-up or something with Daddy and told Daddy that Kelly was pregnant.”

  “Well, that’s good she finally got pregnant. She’s been trying for awhile.”

  “Joe went on and on about how you and I were to be congratulated especially you because you did acupuncture treatments at the office on Saturdays.”

  Bria sighed. She was going to eventually tell her father on her own if the results were positive. It never occurred to her that he may find out some other way.

  “Bria, he’s livid. Mother and I told him to calm down before he calls you. Cannon and Sean have your back. We all do. Cannon tried to reason with Daddy, but he told us all to get out of his office. He had an emergency surgery this evening, so I don’t expect him to call you tonight. Just be prepared.”

  “For what? His wrath?” Bria said sarcastically. She looked up and saw Rasheed standing above her with a glass of wine and a concerned expression. “Hold on, Rave. Daddy knows about the acupuncture treatments I’ve been doing,” she said to Rasheed. He sat behind her on the floor and pulled her close to him. His warm embrace always made her feel better.

  “Are you still considering moving to Atlanta?”

  “Honestly, I don’t want to. I love working with our family, but Daddy has to understand how I feel about alternative methods. I mean, we just witnessed firsthand that it can work.” She sipped her wine and snuggled closer to Rasheed. He kissed the top of her hair. She loved when he did that.

  “I tried explaining that to him, but he ignored me and mumbled something about voodoo who doo.”

  “Yes, I had that conversation with him before I left Memphis. Like Cannon said, Daddy is approaching seventy and doesn’t understand all of these new methods. Heck, I had to convince you at one point.”

  “Well, I just wanted to pre-warn you before he calls. I’ll let you get back to Mr. Vincent.”

  After Bria hung up and turned off her cell phone, she leaned back in Rasheed’s arms and stared at the roaring fire. They sat silently for a few moments rocking back and forth to the music in the background. Rasheed broke the silence first.

  “What are you going to do?”

  “I don’t know. I’d been contemplating telling Daddy myself. I know I don’t want to work for Taylor. Nothing against her or her wonderful practice, but being there these past few weeks made me realize how much I love working with my family at our practice. But now that Daddy has concrete evidence that I’ve been sneaking around behind his back and doing acupuncture, it changes things. I know he knew I would offer suggestions to patients but nothing past that. I don’t want him to think that he can’t trust me.”

  She stopped as the tears flowed down her cheeks. Rasheed turned her toward him and wiped them away with the bottom of his shirt.

  “Baby, don’t cry. Your Daddy loves and trusts you.”

  “I just want to do what’s best for my patients. That’s why I’m a doctor. Heck, he’s the reason why. For as long as I can remember, he’s instilled in me and my siblings to work hard and find the best way to care for our patients. That’s what I’ve been doing. I took an oath.”

  She sobbed in his chest as he rocked her back and forth, rubbing her back in circular motions and kissing her forehead.

  “What can I do to make my baby feel better?” he asked. “You know I hate to see you upset. You’ve been stressing over this for as long as I’ve known you.”

  She dried her tears on his shirt again and looked up at his concerned face. The sincerity in his voice made her smile.

  “Is that a smile I see on my baby’s face?” He kissed her forehead. “You know I’m here for you to offer support and encouragement. If you want your own practice to do whatever you want, I’ll buy you one. Whatever it takes to make you happy, Bree.”

  “Rasheed, while that’s very nice of you, you know I’d never take money from you. But you being here and saying such sweet things makes me feel better, baby. Plus, your spaghetti smells so good. Can I have some?”

  “Coming right up, my dear.” He kissed her on the lips and headed off to the kitchen.

  Bria grabbed her wine and decided to turn her cell phone back on. She wasn’t going to run from her father. Whatever he had to say, she would listen to him before telling him how she felt once again.

  *****

  Bria let
the warm water cascade over her in the shower. She’d had a restless night thinking about her father and what she was going to do about either staying at the family’s practice and accepting the fact that she may not be able to incorporate alternative options or starting a small practice of her own. She had some money saved and maybe if her father bought her out, she could rent office space. She would never take money from Rasheed. That was completely out of the question.

  She lathered up her hair and massaged the shampoo into her scalp for ten minutes. She rinsed it thoroughly, turned off the shower and dried off before adding conditioner to her hair and placing a plastic shower cap over it.

  The ringing of her cell phone startled her because it was “Daddy” by Beyonce. Bria took a deep breath and swiped the phone off of the bathroom counter.

  “Hello?” She tried to keep her voice steady and even but she heard a crack and hoped her father didn’t.

  “Hello, Bria. We need to have a talk.” His voice was serious and direct.

  “Okay.” She threw on her bathrobe and walked to the chaise lounge in the bedroom.

  “I’m assuming Raven has informed you that I’m aware of the procedures you’ve been performing for Kelly Turner.”

  “Yes, sir. I’ve spoken to Raven.”

  “And you’re also aware that Mrs. Turner is pregnant.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Well, Mrs. Turner stopped by my office an hour ago to tell me how happy she is and that we’re all wonderful physicians, especially you. She said you’re patient, caring, and take your job seriously. She wants to continue to work with you throughout her pregnancy along with Raven, of course.”

  “What did you tell her?” Bria braced herself for his answer.

  “I told her that would be a good idea.”

  Tears welled in her eyes. She couldn’t believe she’d heard her father correctly.

  “Daddy … are you saying …”

  “I’m saying you can incorporate alternative methods only to patients that would benefit or who even want to do an alternative method along with traditional medicine. That should still be your first route. However, we will go over the specifics when you return from your vacation, unless you’ve taken the job already with Dr. Banneker.”

  “Oh my goodness, Daddy! You’ve just made my day, and no, I didn’t take the job with Dr. Banneker. I’d rather work with my family just like you want us to. I couldn’t imagine working anywhere else but next to my parents and siblings.”

  “I know, precious. I couldn’t imagine you anywhere else but here either. You’re an Arrington, and we stick together. I have to go. I have a patient in five minutes. Enjoy the rest of your vacation, and I’ll see you soon.”

  “Thank you, Daddy. I love you.”

  “I love you, too.”

  Bria twirled around the bedroom like a ballet dancer. She’d never been as happy during her career as a doctor as she was now, and she wanted to share it with the one man that she’d ever loved. She skipped out of the bedroom and down two flights of stairs to the workout room. When she got there, she heard Rasheed’s loud laughter coming from outside on the veranda. She thought it odd he was out there considering it was cold outside, but Rasheed definitely always worked up a sweat. However, going outside in the cold air wasn’t a good idea after a sweaty workout, and she strode over to the ajar French doors to tell him so, but what he said next made her stop dead in her tracks.

  “Girl, you need to have everything laid out when I get there,” he said with a laugh. “I only have a small window of time and even though I don’t like to rush, I need to see everything that you have to offer.”

  Bria put her hand over her heart as it thumped loudly in her chest.

  “Huh huh. Well, how big are they?”

  Silence.

  “That big? Well, damn. I may need to come now.” He laughed out loud again, and her favorite laugh was making her sick to her stomach.

  “So how much money are we talking?”

  Oh my goodness! He’s talking to a prostitute. Stripper?

  “Not bad. Money is no object. When I want something, I get it. I’m flying out late tonight to New York. I can’t wait until I get back. I need to see you before I go.”

  Silence.

  “Two or three? I think it’s safe to say I can handle more than that.”

  Silence.

  “This afternoon is perfect. I’ll see you then. Besos to you too,” he said opening the French door and walking inside. He jumped when he saw Bria.

  “Besos? That means kisses in Spanish. When did you learn to speak Spanish?”

  “Um … I took it in high school.”

  “Really? So you could be an international player, Mr. Player Playa?”

  “What’s wrong with you, and what’s up with the plastic shower cap?” he asked pointing to it.

  “Don’t change the subject. I heard your conversation with the prostitute.”

  “Prostitute? What are you talking about, and why were you eavesdropping?”

  “I wasn’t eavesdropping. I came down here to tell you some important news, and you’re on the phone talking about ‘have everything laid out when you get there.’ What is she laying out? Lingerie for you to pick from so she can wear it or rather they can wear it since you can handle more than two or three at a time. And you are using condoms with those hoes? It doesn’t even matter. As a doctor I know I can still catch something. I guess if I lay down with a dog I may wake up with fleas.”

  “Bria, what you heard was the tail end of a conversation with a business associate of mine. That’s it, baby.” He stepped closer to her, but she moved back.

  “Business associate? Do I look like Raven delivered me last night?”

  A confused expression crossed his face. “What?”

  Bria sighed. Apparently, the Arrington family inside jokes and sayings were only understood by them.

  “Oh. I get it, because Raven deliverys babies, and you’re really asking were you born last night.” He laughed.

  “Rasheed, this isn’t funny. This is a serious matter. You’re cheating on me after a few weeks!” Tears rolled down her cheeks.

  “Bree, wait. That’s not true, baby.”

  His voice was so sincere and serious, that she almost believed him. Just like she believed her ex whenever he swore he wasn’t cheating on her. She shook her head. Rasheed had played her the entire time. “Well, than tell me the truth, Mr. International Player. What was the conversation really about?” She sat on the weight press bench and crossed her arms across her chest.

  “I can’t tell you.”

  “You can’t tell me? You just said it was a business associate.”

  “Bria, just trust me and believe me when I say, I haven’t cheated on you at all. I couldn’t bring myself to hurt you like that. I’d leave you first. I love you too much to ever do that to you.”

  “Love? You don’t love me. You can’t possibly love me. And to think I’d fallen in love with you. I swear there must be a sign on my forehead that says “I love dogs” because you’re the second one.”

  He grabbed her up from the bench and pulled her to him.

  “Will you listen to me!” he said with urgency in his tone. “I’m not cheating on you. That conversation isn’t what you think you heard, but I can’t tell you right now because it’s a surprise. Just trust me, baby. Please just trust me.”

  “I see. So you haven’t cheated yet, but you’re going to this afternoon before you leave for New York.”

  “Dammit, Bria. I know I haven’t had the best reputation in the world when it comes to women, but I’ve never been a cheater. A player, yes, but when I’m in a committed relationship, no.”

  “So this business associate, who happens to be a woman, is just that, a business associate?” she asked sarcastically, yanking away from him.

  “Yes.”

  “Then why were you outside on the phone in the cold after working out?”

  “My cell phone wasn’t getting a sig
nal, and I stepped outside to make the call. I have nothing to hide from you.”

  “Except the nature of the call which sounded pretty kinky to me.”

  “You only heard half of a phone call, and you only heard my responses which I have to admit sounded suspect, but believe me, baby, they weren’t.”

  “Rasheed, I want so bad to believe you. But after the stripper calling you, the cheerleader all in your personal space after the game and now … maybe I’m just being paranoid. But your lifestyle is so different than what I’m used to. I want so bad to believe you, I honestly do.”

  He pulled her back in his arms and stooped down eye-level with her “I love you, Bria Arrington, and from what you just said a moment ago, you’ve fallen in love with me, too. Please, don’t throw away what we have over a conversation that isn’t what you think. Just trust me.”

  Bria didn’t know what to believe. Her heart wanted to believe him, but her mind kept telling her to go pack her stuff and speed back to Memphis.

  “Rasheed, you better be telling me the truth because if not …”

  “Baby, I am. I love you. You’re the one for me, and I’m going to spend the rest of my life showing you just how much.” He kissed her tenderly. “You wanna join me in the sauna so we can make up?”

  “Um … I’ll take a raincheck.” She pivoted toward the door. “I need to rinse my hair and then go meet with Megan and Jade to go over some material for the drapes for all of your downstairs rooms.”

  “Okay. Whatever you decide. Say, what was the important news you wanted to share with me?” He jumped on the elliptical machine.

  “Huh? Oh.” She had forgotten why she came downstairs in the first place, and now she was ready to rush out and be alone with her thoughts. “I spoke to my Dad. He’s okay with me incorporating naturopathic ways for my patients after learning about my patient’s pregnancy success.”

  “Baby, that’s wonderful. So when are you going back to Memphis?”

  “In a week.”

  “Perfect. I’ll only be in New York for the game tomorrow night for a few days.”

  “Do you want to have dinner tonight before you leave?”