Keeping Secrets

by Lisa Eugene

  I shrugged again. It was no secret that I wanted the coveted honor of valedictorian. And I did want it. Bad. With that achievement, I could get into the residency program of my choice in any of the best hospitals in the country. My parents would be proud of me.

  Valedictorians were not only chosen based on academic performance, but the board considered qualities such as responsibility, initiative, class attendance, and peer and patient interaction. They wanted a well-rounded individual who could represent the school in the best possible light. This medical school, though, was highly competitive, and there were a few students in the running for the honor.

  The Mayo Clinic’s new program offered side-by-side training with one of the country’s most renowned pediatric oncologists. The internship only took students from the top of the graduating class, and didn’t make a decision until the end of fourth year, when all the grades were in. I knew that a few of us—including myself— would give anything for an opportunity to train there.

  Busy dreaming about getting that spot, I didn’t notice that Monika had stopped until she jerked on my scrub top.

  “OMG, hottie alert!” she whispered.

  “What? Where?” Tina twisted her neck so abruptly I thought it would unscrew.

  “Don’t be so obvious, Tina,” Monika scolded. “You’re such a horny toad.”

  “Of course I am. What med student isn’t? The only people who get laid less than us are nuns—and I think they may have us beat. I hear they’ve got some kinky habits.”

  I chuckled as Monika rolled her eyes at Tina’s lame joke.

  “Yeah, they wear those nipple wipples under their dresses.” John smirked “You know, the tassels that hang off the tips of the breasts?”

  I bit back a grin. “They wear a wimple. And it goes on the head, not the nipples.”

  “You sure?”

  “Yes.” I nodded, knowing he was just playing with me. “Women started wearing them in early medieval Europe, then later, nuns adopted them. In fact, wasn’t until the fifteenth century that women started displaying their hair.”

  “They’re not titty tassels?”

  “Nope. Pretty sure.”

  “See, that’s exactly why you should be valedictorian. Who knows that shit?”

  I shrugged, laughing. In reality, I was one of those weirdos who retained useless facts and information. I basically read anything I could get my hands on. Unfortunately, med school left little time for recreational reading, or anything else for that matter.

  Always existing outside the social bubble, I preferred to spend my scarce time at home. Most of my non-med school friends had a life. They already had jobs, and an alarming number of them were getting married and staring families. One by one, they dropped from the suffocating fumes of romantic love.

  Hearing the girls’ eager whispers made me shift my gaze to the cause of their excitement. Thinking my mind was playing tricks on me, I took a second look and almost suffered whiplash. The tall man standing on the sidewalk, casually leaning against a parked car, had every hair on my body suddenly standing on end.

  No freaking way…I gasped, my eyes wide as my steps faltered. Denial steadied me, but as I took in the familiar, broad-shouldered figure, my heart started an uneven gallop. I knew the instant he spotted me. He straightened, his posture growing as stiff as the expression on his face. His square jaw and the angry scowl on his face abolished any doubt as to his identity.

  “Mr. Sex-on-Legs is staring over here,” Monika murmured excitedly under her breath.

  “I think my panties just melted,” Tina moaned.

  “Mine too,” John added in dryly.

  Panties intact, the only thing melting was my patience. Ignoring my fawning friends, I stared down the asshole from the accident.

  Chapter Four

  Watch what you wear, Alexa.

  Yes, Daddy.

  You must keep yourself covered.

  Yes, Daddy.

  I did not raise you to be a whore.

  Alexa

  After my long day, I was in no mood to deal with more bullshit about his car. That altercation had delayed me getting to the hospital, had stolen away precious minutes. Seeing the other driver now stirred pain in my gut and brought back the entire evening in wretchedly stark focus. If he had any issues, he could take them up with the insurance company once the claims were filed.

  “I have to go,” I tossed out, my feet already backpedaling. I turned quickly and bolted toward the entrance of the hospital, leaving my friends wearing puzzled looks.

  I’d barely made it to the door when a firm hand gripped my arm, forcing my feet to spin. I turned into the full impact of a stormy, gray gaze.

  “Not so fast! You’re not running away this time!” the man said roughly.

  Annoyed at being manhandled, I jerked my arm away from his angry grip. “Let me go! I don’t know who you think you are!”

  He got right in my face. “I’m the man whose car you hit and then took off. I’m the fool who believed you, you little liar!”

  “I told you I’d take care of it. I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

  “The fuck you don’t.”

  “I don’t appreciate your tone, nor do I enjoy being stalked, you creep!”

  “The number you gave me doesn’t work,” he hissed. His eyes narrowed suspiciously.

  Puzzled, I blinked mutely, then my brain kicked in. “Oh…shit.”

  Licking my dry lips, I tucked back the hair blowing into my face as I recalled the fiasco with my phone. Lamely, I spilled out an explanation.

  “Hey, is everything okay?” Monika asked, approaching with Tina. John followed, his face mirroring their concern.

  Looking to my friends, I blew out an exasperated breath, still not fully believing this man was here, harassing me. Despite my explanation, he still looked pissed.

  “Tina, have I not been having a problem with my phone?”

  “Yeah, I couldn’t get through to you this morning. It kept saying your number wasn’t in service. You almost missed grand rounds.”

  “Are you okay, Alexa?” John asked, his gaze skipping to the giant in front of me. “Do you need us to hang around?”

  The threatening look he gave the stranger was decidedly pitiful, but it warmed me that John would challenge him. The man looked to be twice his height and double his weight, and could probably use him to pick his teeth.

  I hadn’t told anyone about the car accident, and had no idea what they were thinking, but I didn’t like people in my business.

  “No, I’m good.”

  “We’ll talk later,” Tina said as she hugged me. Satisfied that the stranger wasn’t a threat, she slid her gaze to his ass, then tossed me a wink behind his back before they all took off.

  I turned back to the man, whose anger seemed to have simmered fractionally. Adjusting my glasses, I wondered how he’d tracked me down. The frown still crunching his forehead revealed his lingering doubt about my phone excuse.

  “Seriously, I wasn’t trying to scam you. There was a mix-up with my service carrier. They thought I wanted to turn off my phone because of prank calls. I spent all day trying to straighten it out.”

  He paused, studying my face as though he was trying to get inside my head. I found the look unnerving. His hard expression relaxed marginally, but I couldn’t tell if he believed me. Weak evening sun was behind him, illuminating the light browns in his hair. It settled into the furrows on his forehead, making him look truly menacing. I adjusted the height of my gaze, staring him right in the eyes. I wanted him to know I wasn’t bullshitting, nor was I going to let him intimidate me.

  “Either way,” he sighed after a minute, “we need to get this matter resolved. I’ll need a copy of your driver’s license, your insurance carrier, and the policy number so I can file a claim. I need it all now.”

  Yes, sir! I quashed the urge to mock his dictatorial attitude with a salute and a heel click.

  Instead, I nodded. “There’s a place
a few blocks away where we can make copies of my license, but it’s not my car. I don’t have the registration or the insurance information.”

  He didn’t seem pleased by my news, but there wasn’t much I could do about it. I supposed I could’ve called my dad and gotten the information, but I hadn’t told him about the accident yet and there was no way I was doing it over the phone. This delicate matter would require a face-to-face. And I wasn’t looking forward to seeing his face tomorrow.

  “I promise I’ll get it to you. A claim has to be filed for my own car to be fixed, but I won’t have the info until late tomorrow, after I go to Queens to see my parents.” When his face pinched again, I added, “Look, you’ll have a copy of my license, and you obviously know where I work. I’m not going anywhere.”

  “Fine,” he barked. “I’ll take that—for now.”

  I rolled my eyes and started walking. He easily matched my steps, shortening the stride of his long legs. We walked in silence for a few minutes then curiosity got the best of me.

  “How did you find me, anyway?”

  “I have my ways,” he responded cryptically.

  I cut my gaze cut over to him, surreptitiously evaluating.

  “You a cop or something?” I asked, but then threw away that thought. He would never have let me leave the scene of the accident yesterday. Plus, there was one other thing. “Never mind, I don’t know any cop that would be driving a Ferrari Spider.” That car was worth about a quarter million dollars.

  I got a quick glance of surprise. “You know the car?”

  “Yeah.” I shrugged. “My dad is a car buff, a total motor head. He loves tinkering with them. I grew up listening to him talk cars like it was a religion.”

  “It is. I worship my car.”

  “I couldn’t tell,” I tossed out dryly as the light changed. We crossed the congested street. “You seemed so nonchalant about the damage.”

  He gave me a lopsided smile, almost looking embarrassed. “I guess I was pretty ticked off.”

  “I would never have guessed by your pleasant attitude.”

  I saw his first full smile, and it was amazing how much his face transformed. A dimple dug into his left cheek, reminding me of my friends’ fawning admiration. He really was a total hottie when he wasn’t frothing at the mouth. We got to the curb and I sneaked another look. His dark brown hair was a little too long and his high forehead and cheekbones tapered to a strong, square jaw.

  Gray eyes mimicked the thunderclouds that suddenly gathered above us, seeming just as foreboding. The focal point of his face was his lips, the bottom full and curvy, inadvertently softening his stern look.

  “I understand,” I continued, forcing my gaze from his face. “It’s an expensive car, and with a V8 engine that cranks out about five hundred and sixty horsepower that gets you to sixty miles per hour in just under three-point-four seconds, it’s pretty impressive.”

  “Whoa!” He stopped in his tracks, eyebrows high on his forehead. I almost laughed out loud. “Holy shit, how do you know all that?”

  Then I did laugh, the expression on his face undeniably comical. He looked at me as though I’d suddenly sprouted turnips from my head.

  “I told you, I grew up with a dad obsessed with cars,” I said, resuming my step. He was beside me in a second and I couldn’t help taking a stab at him. “Although in my opinion it doesn’t compare to the Porsche 911’s precision and agility—not that I’ve ever driven one, but it’s known for better handling.”

  “Better handling?” He was obviously affronted. “The Porsche is for pus—I mean, zero to sixty in four-point-seven seconds is respectable, but its real-world performance sucks.”

  “I guess.” I shrugged. Taking pot shots at a man’s car was akin to insulting his mother, if not worse, but for some unexplained reason, I enjoyed provoking him. Maybe it was the self-assured way he carried himself, or his authoritative presence that irked me. His demeanor spoke of a man who was accustomed to getting what he wanted.

  “I suppose having those extra seconds of acceleration makes a huge difference in New York City. Especially when you’re trying to outrun the pigeons using you for target practice, or when you’re racing little old ladies on their scooters.”

  “Are you always such a smartass?”

  Shrugging again, I said, “Some people have a knack for bringing out my good side.”

  I thought I’d offended him, but the deep rumble of his laugh caught me by surprise. I couldn’t help thinking that the sound was like a highly crafted engine, sleek with understated power.

  “For your information, I’ve only lost once to a little old lady.”

  I did a horrible job at hiding my smile. Tucking in my chin, I sped up my steps, passing another one of his admirers. It was interesting that he turned the head of every female who walked by, but seemed oblivious to the attention.

  “I don’t usually drive it around the city,” he was saying. “Too many shitty drivers.”

  There was innuendo in his pointed stare and I took offense.

  I was ready to give him a thorough tongue lashing when mirth swirled in his eyes. I’d mentally replayed the accident numerous times, and as much as I’d like to assign him blame, I’d been speeding and upset about Jake. It was possible I hadn’t been paying full attention to the lights. I wasn’t ready to admit that, though.

  “Yeah, lots of shitty drivers and people who’re too dazzled by their shiny red car to pay attention to the road,” I answered.

  His brows pleated in a frown, but the corner of his mouth twitched. A clap of thunder shouted overhead and I realized we were standing in front of the copy center. It seemed like the sky opened when rain started pummeling us. He quickly pushed the door open and ushered me inside. We each took out our license and slid it across the countertop, explaining to a pimple-faced teen that we wanted to exchange copies.

  “Wow, it’s really coming down out there,” the teen exclaimed, casting worried glances out the windows behind us.

  “Yup,” I murmured absently. My gaze fixed on the license he scooped off the counter, trying to get some intel on the man beside me. My companion must’ve noticed.

  “I’m Dex.”

  “And as you can see, I really am Alexa.”

  He eyed me quietly as a loud boom sounded outside. The teen copied our licenses then came to the counter, hastily shoving them and the copies at us.

  “Sorry to rush you, but I was just closing up. It’s gonna take me forever to get home in this weather.”

  Dex took out his wallet but he waved him off, shooing us out of the copy center.

  Out on the street, we sought shelter beneath a nearby awning, huddled uncomfortably close to avoid the downpour. I gazed about the streets, watching drowning pedestrians as cars zipped up and down the busy avenue. The sidewalk was slick with rain, muddy puddles already forming in the cracks.

  “Where are you headed?” he asked above the drone of the downpour.

  “Across town.”

  He stretched his neck, peering up the street.

  “Need a cab?”

  I nodded, my gaze on the oncoming traffic.

  “I’m headed that way. We should share a cab. We’ll never be able to catch two in this downpour.”

  I paused, not sure how I felt about sharing a cab with an almost stranger—or perhaps it was the fact that it would be him who I’d be sharing it with that provoked an inner disquiet.

  He must’ve noticed my hesitation. His face split into a grin and transformed again. I had to look away. “I think we’re safe as long as neither of us are driving.”

  Not giving me a chance to respond, he stepped to the curb to hail a cab. Trying to ignore my racing heart, I told myself that it was really the only pragmatic solution. I was just about to take the cross-town bus when a cab pulled up to the curb. Holding the door open, he turned and gestured for me. Swearing under my breath, I quickly slid into the back seat.

  We were both quiet as the cab made its way across
town, each of us preoccupied with whatever was outside our respective window. There was a conspicuous awareness of his big body beside me, and of the spot where his hard thigh wedged against my knee. I wanted to shift it away, but it would’ve been too obvious, and then I’d feel stupid because he’d know it bothered me.

  He hadn’t been standing in the rain long, but long enough for his button-down shirt to get soaked. It stuck to his back and chest as intimately as a second skin. Watching from the awning, I couldn’t help but notice an outline of defined muscle beneath the fabric, and the fluid ripple of broad shoulders as he’d pulled open the car door.

  Annoyed with myself, I bit my lip. Hard. What is wrong with me?

  “I assume the Mercedes CLS you were driving belongs to your dad—the car buff? You’d said it wasn’t your car.”

  His question drilled through the quiet, almost startling me. It took me a minute to respond.

  “Yeah, it’s his baby.” Probably more cherished than his family, I wanted to add.

  In the shadowy grayness of the back seat, his teeth flashed before he pushed back his wet hair. “It’s a nice car. I gather he’s not too happy about the accident.”

  I nodded, swallowing hard. Not wanting to think about that now, I grabbed a piece of paper and a pen from my bag.

  “Let me give you my new phone number before I forget.” I scribbled the information down and told him what time I expected to return home the following day. My conscience nudged me to say more. I’d enjoyed teasing him, but I did feel bad about the damage to his car. “We’ll let the insurance company know what happened. I’m sorry about the accident. I’d been distracted.”

  With an equanimous nod, he took it, folded it, and deposited it in his wallet, next to the copy of my license. I half expected him to make some wisecrack about it being a wrong number and was surprised when he didn’t.

  “My PA has the same CLS. He got it last year.”

  “PA?”

  “Personal assistant.”

  “You have a personal assistant?”

  He laughed at my somewhat incredulous tone. The smooth purr rolled down my spine.