by Chanta Rand
Alexa set her sandwich aside and took his frail hands into hers. “I can say the same for you. I was so lonely when mom and dad died. You made me feel safe and secure.”
“And look at you now,” he smiled. “A doctor. I’m proud of you, girl. I’ve always been proud of you. Even if you hadn’t chosen to go to medical school, I’d still be proud of you.”
“Thanks. But if you recall, I did have help along the way. You kept me out of trouble.”
“You didn’t need me for that. You had a good head on your shoulders. I trusted you and I tried to let you make your own decisions.” He shrugged his thin shoulders. “But now, I worry about you being alone.”
“I’m not alone. I’ve got you.”
“I won’t be here forever, Alexa.”
“Don’t talk like that,” she gently scolded him.
“It’s true. Before I leave this world, I’d like to know that you found someone who appreciates you for the wonderful woman that you are. I wish you could have a love as fierce as the one I had with your grandmother. For years, I’ve wanted to see you married, but I knew you had a life of your own. And I know how dedicated you are to your work.”
She felt another pang of guilt about not stopping by yesterday. “Yeah, work consumes a lot of my time. I’m sorry I didn’t make it over yesterday. I had that business date.”
“I know. I saw you and that football player in the paper.”
“What?” Alexa was shocked. “When?”
“This morning. You didn’t know?”
She took a bite of her sandwich. “I knew no good would come of this.”
“So, are you two an item?”
“Far from it, Pawpaw.” She rolled her eyes. “Tristan is not my type at all.”
“Why not? From what I can see, he’s good looking, rich and available. Isn’t that the type of guy most ladies want?”
“I guess most do, but I don’t.” She shrugged. “Anyway, you know how I feel about…sports and…football players.”
“Alexa, I want you to listen carefully because I’m only going to say this once,” he told her. “Don’t judge the next man by the last man. Tristan is not Marcus. You have to let that go. It happened a long time ago. You’re all grown up now and Marcus can never hurt you again.”
She’d heard the same words earlier from Viola. Her Pawpaw was right, of course. She was strong. She was in control. She was not the same scared little girl she was in high school. She was an educated doctor. She could handle this. She sighed. Well, at least her Pawpaw was convinced. Now, if only she could convince herself.
* * *
For almost a week, Tristan had tried to reach Alexa. He’d called her at the office and at her home, but he always got her voicemail. He’d even tried to charm Viola’s receptionist into telling him her whereabouts. That had been a mistake. The woman was overly friendly, but not helpful at all. All she wanted to do was hook up with him. Tristan was amused by her attempts. Now, what kind of dog would he be if he tried to holla at both her and Alexa, especially knowing they worked together on the same floor? And what kind of woman would she be to go along with it? Women were always saying good men were in short supply. Now he knew why. Sometimes it seemed like females didn’t care what a man did, as long as he paid their rent and put that good lovin’ on ‘em.
He’d known plenty of guys in college who could have their way with women just because someday they might go pro. The women would take anything those brothas dished out, from cheating to lying to physical abuse, just to have a chance at a million dollar pay check. He couldn’t respect a woman like that. A user. When he met a female who was willing to sacrifice her self-respect for a payday, he got as far away as he could. Only a handful of trouble could come from that. God knew he wasn’t perfect, and he’d had more than his fair share of females. But he’d never strung anybody along. He always told women that he was a free agent in more ways than one. He wasn’t tied down to anybody. With so many women throwing themselves at him, he’d never even tried to be monogamous – until now. For some reason, lately all he could think about was being with Alexa. He didn’t know what made her so different from the rest. Maybe it was the way her body fit next to his, like a perfect glove designed only for him. Maybe it was the soft way she’d whimpered against his mouth, silently urging him on and holding back nothing of herself.
He had no answer for why she had affected him so much. Because of her, he hadn’t even enjoyed Tyrek’s party last week. Now he was acting like a love-sick puppy waiting for her to call him back. Why her and why now, at this stage in his life? He was still young. He had many more years of tail-chasing to do. He’d asked himself over and over again: why was Alexa so special? Because she was a professional black woman? So what? He’d met professional women before. There was Anita, a junior sports anchor on the local news. There was Claudette, a sports entertainment lawyer he’d fooled around with. And there was Davitria, a brand manager for Nike. She was pretty and she really knew her sports.
He thought about it for a moment. That was it! All those women were involved in sports in one manner or another. Alexa, on the other hand, was a total outsider. She knew nothing about his world. She wasn’t impressed with athletes or games or competitions. She didn’t keep count of how many interceptions, touchdowns, passes, games, and millions were being made. While he was entertaining people, Alexa was making a difference in the world. She was saving lives.
His life compared to hers was practically insignificant. All he did was run up and down a field all day. She made life-changing decisions. He focused on winning and improving his image. She focused on helping others improve their self-image. He took pleasure in crushing his opponents. She took pleasure in rebuilding people. His job required him to be physically intimidating. Hers demanded intelligence and mental stamina.
He smiled grimly. No wonder everyone thought he wasn’t good enough for her. Maybe Alexa thought the same thing. Maybe that’s why she hadn’t returned any of his calls. He had to show her he wasn’t the average guy. He was different. He paced back and forth across his marbled floors until an idea popped into his head. He snapped his fingers. I’ve got it! He couldn’t believe he hadn’t thought of it before. He had the perfect idea that was guaranteed to make even the most stubborn doctor in the world break down and call.
* * *
“In this business, there’s no such thing as tough skin. All skin types are susceptible to burns. Our chief concerns at Mercy, and the types of burns we see most often, are second- and third-degree burns. Third-degree burns are life threatening, almost always penetrating the dermis and its deep tissues. These types of burns result in white or blackened charred skin that can become numb. If you cannot determine the extent of a burn upon a visual inspection, you should always ask the patient about their symptoms – if they are able talk.”
Alexa felt the pager on her hip vibrate. It was from one of her nurses paging her again. Didn’t the woman know she was in a lecture right now? She looked at her watch. Only twenty minutes to go. She would end the class early. It must be important.
The somber faces of the first year residents stared back at her. “Okay class. That’s it for today. Duty calls and I’m needed elsewhere. If you have any questions, save them for later.” She gathered her notes, turned off the PowerPoint presentation, and headed toward the nurse’s station.
When she arrived, a blonde, fresh-faced nurse with rosy cheeks handed her three slips of paper. “Mr. Tristan Rexford has left three messages for you. I told him you were in a lecture.”
Alexa stared at each piece of paper. Apparently, Tristan had called every hour on the hour since eight o’clock that morning. Her pulse quickened. She didn’t know whether to be thrilled or petrified. It had been one week since she’d seen him, and so far, he had called her no less than ten times. Each time she was unavailable and she never called him back. Can’t the man take a hint?
She turned to the young nurse. “Is this why you were paging me?”
&
nbsp; “Yes,” she said excitedly. “I saw you two on TV. I thought you might want to talk to him right away. He is so yummy!”
She hated it when women described men as if they were pieces of candy. She felt like reprimanding the woman, who was staring at the pieces of paper as if they were actually gold nuggets. “I ended my lecture early because of this,” Alexa said holding the messages in the air.
“I’m sorry.” The nurse suddenly looked unsure of herself. “He said it was an emergency.”
Alexa tried to contain her anger. “A man who arrives screaming in pain because his skin is burned beyond recognition is an emergency. A celebrity jock who tricks you into paging me is not. Don’t be distracted by a handsome face. This is a hospital and we have a job to do. If you can’t learn to properly screen my calls, you’ll have to go work on another floor.”
Her big eyes got even wider, like a deer caught in headlights. “Yes, Doctor,” she said.
Alexa walked off fuming. What had gotten into everyone? They were all star-struck. She stormed down the hall to her office, her three-inch heels echoing against the floor with each step she took. Tristan could have his pick of any woman. Why was he bothering her?
She blew out a frustrated breath. She didn’t know which made her angrier, the fact that Tristan had so easily charmed her nurse or the fact that he’d so easily charmed her. Ever since he’d kissed her, tiny flashes of him kept invading her senses. She smelled the intoxicating mix of his musk cologne; she heard the timbre of his deep, thick voice in her ears; she felt his strong hands caressing her entire body; and she tasted the sweet honey of his lips. The images were powerful, and she was drunk with desire every time she thought about him.
Feelings like this were dangerous, she knew. She’d lost all control with him that night, and she couldn’t let that happen again. That’s why she refused to call him back. There was nothing left to be said between them. She didn’t want to give herself to him and then end up regretting it when he never called her again. So she got the jump on him. She rejected him before he could hurt her. It was the safest plan she could think of. Now, if only he would get the message and stop calling her!
She pushed the door to her office open and she stopped in mid-stride. She gasped at what she saw. Bursts of color popped from the bouquets of blue hydrangeas, red poppies, yellow lilies, and purple larkspur. There had to be over a hundred vases of flowers. There were snapdragons, daisies, carnations, sunflowers and many more she couldn’t identify. She walked by one arrangement that nearly took her breath away. Sticking up from the center were four majestic birds of paradise. Orange and yellow lilies lined the edges of the crystal vase. Another vase was filled with a combination of roses of the deepest red and carnations of the purest white. It seemed as if every inch of her office was decorated with flowers. The fragrant odors drifting through the room reminded her of a tropical garden. It was truly spectacular.
She held her breath as she approached a vase of colorful orchids sitting in the middle of her desk. Her fingers trembled as she read the attached card aloud. “This is the only thing I’ve seen that comes close to matching your beauty. Tristan.”
Her stomach did tiny somersaults. No one had ever sent her flowers. Well, her grandfather did for her college graduation. But that didn’t count. Flowers from relatives and co-workers were to be expected. Flowers from a grown man with the body of a Greek god were not an everyday occurrence. Obviously, Mr. Rexford was not used to taking no for an answer. She stared at the card for a few moments. She knew he was not going to leave her alone. She had to deal with him once and for all. If she didn’t, she knew he would find even more ridiculous ways to get her attention. There was no telling how far he’d go. Tomorrow, she might come home to find her house painted pink with Swarovski crystals glued to the roof! He had the money and the balls to do it.
She picked up the phone and dialed his number. Then, she immediately became nervous. What was she going to say to him? Stop calling me. Don’t send me any more flowers. I think about your kiss every day. She didn’t know how to handle this.
Tristan obviously did not have the same problem. As soon as he picked up the phone, he interrogated her. “Why have you been avoiding my calls?” he asked.
She was taken aback. She hadn’t expected him to be so blunt. Her heart was racing like a wild stallion, but she came back with a quick rebuttal of her own. “Why have you been stalking me?” she demanded.
“I wanted to talk to you.”
“So talk. You’ve gone through the trouble of turning my office into a florist’s shop. Now, tell me what was so important that I had to call you?”
“Do you like it?”
“I can’t even find my chair.”
“But do you like it?”
Alexa looked around at the gorgeous display of flowers. This must have cost him thousands of dollars. Was he a generous man by nature or was he just enjoying the chase? Whatever the reason, she had to give him his props. He knew how to create the wow factor. “It’s beautiful,” she admitted. “But whether I like it or not is irrelevant.”
“So what is relevant, Alexa?”
“My work. My family. My friends.”
“Those same things are relevant to me.”
“I wasn’t finished,” Alexa said. “Honesty, integrity, and loyalty are also relevant to me.”
“Qualities which I also possess,” he assured her.
She scoffed. “I don’t know that for certain.”
“My grandmother once told me the only thing that is certain is death and taxes.”
“Well, my Pawpaw raised me to believe the one thing of value you have in life is your reputation. And frankly, Tristan, I have serious doubts about yours.”
“What are you basing that on, Alexa?”
“Your behavior in the elevator.”
She heard him groan on the other end of the phone. “I thought we had moved past that.”
“There is no we, Tristan.”
“My point exactly. There should be a we. I want to see you again.”
“Yes, I know. I heard you the first time. Did you also hear me say no? Or maybe your helmet is on so tight it’s making you go deaf.”
“Not me,” he laughed. “I think you’re the one who’s letting your stethoscope strangle the fun out of you.”
“Oh, you’re hilarious. But I hope you have something else to fall back on if this football thing doesn’t work out. ‘Cause being a stand-up comic is definitely out.”
“You’re right. I’ve been thinking of making a career change anyway. I heard Mercy has plenty of openings in the burn unit.”
“Not even you would stoop that low.”
“I have had my moments of shame.”
“Wait a minute. Was that humility I heard? It sounded so strange coming from you,” she quipped. “I don’t know which Tristan I like better. The smart aleck with the lousy sense of humor or the desperate playa I left standing at the curb last week.”
“I think you know by now, I don’t handle rejection well.”
She sat on the corner of her desk. “What did you do when Northwestern University wanted to recruit Brooks Martin instead of you during your freshman year?”
“Wow,” she heard the surprise in his voice. “Very few people know about that. Looks like you’ve been doing your homework.”
“Hey, some people stalk, others perform research.”
He chuckled. “Once again, you have impressed me. See, that’s why I like you so much.”
“Yeah, whatever,” she dismissed him. “You just want what you can’t have.”
“Maybe,” he agreed. “But I think it’s only fair that you should know that I called Woody, the head coach of Northwestern, every day until he changed his mind.”
“And let me guess – you’re going to do the same to me?”
“Yep.”
“Well, I’m not as easy to manipulate as a feeble-minded football coach.”
“Hmm… That’s what your mouth says
, but your tongue says something different.”
Alexa stood abruptly. How dare he throw that kiss in her face! “That was an accident. It should have never happened and it will never happen again.”
“Oh really?” he challenged her. “So, your tongue accidentally ended up in my mouth?”
“You caught me off guard,” she argued.
“Did your body accidentally grind against mine, making me hard as a rock?”
Her heart thumped so hard it felt like it would break her ribcage. “Okay, you made your point, Tristan. No need to be vulgar.”
“You started it.”
“And you would like to finish it, wouldn’t you?”
“Damn right.”
“So I’m just another project for you?”
His tone grew serious. “You were never that, Alexa. I told you, I can’t get you out of my head. I think about that kiss every minute of every day. There’s something special about you.”
Alexa closed her eyes. She wanted to believe him. She wanted to trust him, but she knew better. She’d thought she was special to Marcus too. Look where that had gotten her. On the fast track to heartbreak.
“Just think about it,” Tristan said. “I’ll call you back in a few days. Think about us.”
“I told you, there is no us!” Alexa slammed the phone down before Tristan could deliver any more of his smooth lines. She broke a nail in the process, but the pain was nothing compared to her anger.
Why couldn’t he take no for an answer like a normal man? There was no way in Hell she was going to agree to see him again. She’d be putty in his hands. She knew it and she was certain that he knew it. She would not deny the chemistry between them. He was right. She was feeling him. But just because she liked him didn’t mean she should just jump into bed with him. She liked cheese-smothered beef enchiladas too. But that didn’t make it good for her!