Buried Secrets (SIN CITY HEAT SERIES) (4 page)

     Suddenly Aleesha felt nauseous. She clumsily stumbled from the room and somehow managed to get to the bathroom, barely making it before she threw up in the commode. She retched continuously until nothing but dry heaves racked her body. Swallowing and taking deep breaths in an attempt to calm her stomach, Aleesha pulled herself to the sink and rinsed her mouth and splashed water over her face. Avoiding the mirror so that she wouldn’t have to witness the guilt reflected there, she grabbed a towel and made her way to her bedroom. She sent a quick text to Jerra and told her she had a headache and was going to sleep. 
     Pulling her dress off and throwing it on the floor, Aleesha crawled into the bed and fell on her stomach. Although the room still seemed to be rotating a bit, she felt a little better. As hard as she tried to block him out, she couldn’t help but think about Marcus. How ironic to run into him here in Vegas again. When she’d found out where the girls were bringing her for her bachelorette party, he’d briefly crossed her mind and she wondered how he was doing, if he still lived in Las Vegas…

     Had her musings magically conjured him up tonight?

     She couldn’t suppress a deep sigh as she restlessly turned over on her side and stared into the darkness. He still had that same captivating magnetism which had drawn her to him at the medical conference she’d attended in Vegas three years ago. Aleesha had just gotten a promotion and the weeklong conference in Las Vegas came up not long after. That’s where she’d met Dr. Marcus Bennett…

     On the third day, the keynote speaker was beginning to bore everyone to tears. Somehow, Aleesha and Marcus’ eyes collided and conveyed the shared thought. They exchanged a secretive smile before turning their attention back to listen to the remainder of the speech.  An hour later, they’d taken a break for lunch. The low murmur among the crowd of attendees was nothing short of relief at finally being given a reprieve. As Aleesha picked up her briefcase and walked towards the door, she found herself side by side with Marcus. They exchanged polite smiles again and made small talk until they were in the lobby of the hotel where the conference was being held.

     “I don’t know how I’m going to be able to focus and keep my eyes open after lunch,” Aleesha sighed.

     “I know what you mean. I’m tempted to go home for a quick nap. Seems like the clock was moving in slow motion there for a while,” Marcus replied with a grin. He extended his hand to Aleesha. “I’m Dr. Marcus Roberts.”

     Aleesha placed her hand in his. “Aleesha Matthews. Nice to meet you. Are you from Vegas?”

     “Nice to meet you as well, and yes, I reside in Vegas. I finished my residency three years ago. And yourself?”

     “I’m from Atlanta.”

     Marcus’ smile widened as a teasing gleam entered his eyes. “Ah, a real live Georgia peach, huh?”

     Aleesha smiled. She knew he was flirting with her and she had to admit, she was very flattered. Marcus Bennett was one fine specimen of a man. And a doctor too? He had to be married. She let her eyes slide to his left hand. Hm. No wedding ring, but of course that didn’t mean anything. A lot of men didn’t wear their wedding rings, or else slipped them off when they came to things such as this.

     “Yes, born and bred right on a peach tree.”

     Making no effort to be as subtle about his curiosity regarding her marital status, Marcus bluntly asked if she was in a relationship. “I see you don’t have a ring on your finger. Hard to believe no one’s plucked you off that tree yet.”

     Aleesha’s eyes went to the deep dimple in his cheek. He was adorable! “Well, to be honest, I’ve been focusing on my career so I haven’t had much time to date. What about you? No significant other?”

     “Nope. I have to say I feel you on the limited time aspect of pursuing a relationship. When I was interning, I worked sixteen hour days, sometimes longer. I keep saying I’m going to slow down, but so far…” He shrugged as he let the sentence trail off.

     Aleesha nodded and was getting ready to question him further when a loud growl from her stomach practically screamed out that she was starving. Mortified, Aleesha covered her stomach with her hand.

     “Excuse me. Sorry about that.” She was so embarrassed she couldn’t even meet his eyes.

     “Hey, no need for apologies. I’m hungry myself. If you don’t have any plans, I’d love to have lunch somewhere.”

     “I’d like that.”

     “Great. I know the perfect place. It’s not too far from here and the food is delicious.”

     And he’d been right. The cuisine at the small soul food restaurant had been excellent. Aleesha enjoyed every delectable bite, and enjoyed the conversation she and Marcus shared even more. All too soon, it was time to return to the conference, but neither made a move to get up.

     “I wish we didn’t have to go back. I just don’t think I can take another three hours of listening to that speech.”

     Marcus smiled at the slight pout on her lips as she dejectedly stirred the straw around in her glass. “Who says we have to go back today?”

    Aleesha’s hand stilled as she stared at him. “What do you mean?”
    Marcus shrugged. “Just what I said. We don’t have to, do we?”

     Aleesha opened her mouth to reply then closed it as a frown furrowed her forehead. “Well –“

     “I mean, with all of those people, do you think they’d miss us if we played hooky?”

      Aleesha’s eyes slowly began to reflect her excitement at the possibility. “I…well, I guess not,” she giggled. Then she shook her head. “I can’t believe I’m even contemplating doing this.”

     “Why not? As relaxed as we are, I don’t think we’re going to take in much of what’s being said anyway. Do you?”

     “Marcus, I don’t know…”

     “This is my city. Let me take you on a little guided tour. I promise to have you back time enough to get ready for the scheduled dinner tonight.”

     “I would definitely like to see more of Vegas. I thought I’d have time to do some sightseeing, but there’s something planned everyday…”

    Seeing she was weakening, Marcus continued to tempt her. “Right. And you only have two more days left. A couple of hours won’t hurt anything.” He watched the internal battle waging inside of Aleesha and smiled. She was too cute and he wasn’t ready for their time to end. “Well?”

     Aleesha’s eyes were bright as she came to her decision. “Why not?”

     “Great!” Marcus laughed. After paying the bill, he stood up and pulled Aleesha’s chair out. He placed a light guiding hand on her back as they walked outside to his truck. For the next several hours, Marcus showed her the highlights of Las Vegas. By the time they got to the hotel, she was tired but had enjoyed herself immensely.

     “I can’t thank you enough, Marcus.”

     “And I told you no thanks is necessary. It was my pleasure, Aleesha Matthews.” He walked her to the bank of elevators. “I guess I’ll see you a couple of hours?”

     “Yes.” All of a sudden, Aleesha didn’t mind in the least attending the rest of the planned activities.

     “Maybe we can sit together at dinner? That is, if you aren’t tired of a brotha yet.” Again, that dimple of his winked provocatively at Aleesha, making her pulse accelerate.

      “Oh, I think I can put up with you for a little while longer.”

     “Ouch. You got jokes, huh. Mess with me Ms. Matthews, I’ll play hooky again and leave you to fend for yourself tonight.”

     “Don’t you dare! I swear, if you duck out on this dinner, I’ll hunt you down and make you pay dearly.”

     Marcus’ teeth came down on his bottom lip as he leaned his shoulder against the wall. He couldn’t help but respond to the teasing lilt he heard in her tone. “Is that right?” He asked softly. “I have to say that’s one punishment I would be happy to succumb to.”

     The corner of his mouth lifted when he saw her eyes widen. The words were meant to be teasing, but they somehow came out inviting and seductive. Marcus let his eyes drop to her lips and was just getting ready to give in to the impulse he’d had all day to kiss her when the elevator doors chose that exact moment to open.

     He chuckled in amusement as Aleesha practically ran inside then stared at him like a cornered rabbit being chased by the big, bad wolf. Marcus tilted his head to the side as he took in the picture she made: cautious while at the same time curious with a touch of innocence. A very attractive combination - a combination that intrigued him greatly. She intrigued him, and a woman hadn’t done that in a very long time. When he saw her breasts lift as she took a deep breath, his attention was drawn to the outline of her aroused nipples against the material of her blouse. He brought smoldering eyes back to hers as his tongue ran along his sensuous bottom lip.

     “See you tonight, Aleesha Matthews.”

     The promising words drifted inside the elevator just before the doors closed. Aleesha couldn’t stop the shiver that ran up and down her spine in response. She let out the breath she’d been unaware of holding. As the elevator made its ascent, Aleesha thought about the way he’d looked at her just now, making no secret of the fact that he wanted her. She was very attracted to him as well, but there was no way anything was going to happen between them. She’d just met him. What kind of woman slept with a man she only met hours before??

     As the elevator stopped on her floor, Aleesha stepped off and walked towards her room. She couldn’t help answering her own question with a question: ‘What kind of fool passed up the opportunity to have sex with a man like Marcus Bennett?’

                             ****   

     Aleesha came back to the present as she tried to get comfortable in the bed. She never got a chance to answer either of those questions because that was the last time she’d seen Marcus. When he wasn’t there at the beginning of the banquet, she thought he was just running late. She kept her eyes trained on the door of the dining room, but he never showed. Nor did he show up the next day or for the remainder of the conference. Aleesha was surprised at how disappointed she felt. The fact that he’d left without a word baffled her for the longest time.

     She’d resisted the urge to get in contact with him. If he’d wanted to pursue the spark between them, he could find her as easily as she could him. Even after she’d gotten back to Atlanta though, a part of her couldn’t help but hold out hope he’d track her down. He never did. 

     Why had fate put him in the club tonight of all nights. And why did she have to be half blitzed out of her mind and let him…

     Aleesha groaned. She couldn’t even finish the sentence. Determined to put Marcus Bennett out of her mind, Aleesha pulled a pillow over her head and closed her eyes as she deliberately forced herself to think about her fiancée and her upcoming marriage.

     However, her last thoughts of the night were not of Amir or her wedding day. An image danced behind her closed lids of a tall, handsome doctor who had made her body sing in ecstasy with hardly any effort at all…
                                                                       
Chapter 4         

     “Heffa wake your lightweight ass up...!”

     Aleesha groaned and tried to pull the pillow over her head to drown out Keisha’s irritating voice - as if that was what she wanted to hear first thing in the morning.

     “Wake…up!” Keisha tugged at the covers with each word.

     Laughing at them, Jerra walked into the room. “Keisha, leave her alone. You shouldn’t have given her that strong ass drink. You know Leesh can’t hold her alcohol like that anymore.”

     “Well she’s about to get her sista card yanked quick fast and in a hurry. You’re lucky Jerra wouldn’t let me come up here when you sent her that text, because I fully intended on dragging you back to the club,” she told Aleesha raising her voice.

     Groaning louder, Aleesha pulled the pillow down tighter over her head.

     “Besides," Keisha continued with relish.  "It’s no one’s fault but your own that you were practically fucking on the dance floor." The last words were said with emphasis before Keisha paused in anticipation of Aleesha's reaction. 

     Right on cue, Aleesha sprang up like a jack in the box and glared at Keisha. “You saw me?"

     “Hell yeah we saw you. In fact I was even a little proud of you,” Keisha smirked 

     “Keisha...”Jerra gave her an admonishing look.

     “That was your fault, Keisha! You weren’t satisfied until you got me drunk! And what is a 'Fuck Me and Suck Me', or whatever the hell that drink is called, anyway?!”

     “It was a 'Knock Me Down and Fuck Me'. Supposedly one of the most requested drinks in the club - but I don’t think the name is meant to be taken literally.” Suddenly too tickled to stand up, Keisha fell on the bed beside Aleesha. Although she tried to keep a straight and sympathetic face for her girl, Jerra couldn’t help the giggles that bubbled out of her as she joined Keisha in a fit of hysterical laughter.

     “Well, I’m glad you two think it’s funny because I certainly don’t. I didn’t come up here to cheat on Amir! You’re supposed to be my girls… you’re supposed to have my back.”

     “Yeah, the way you were ‘backin’’ up on ole boy?” Keisha’s comment made Jerra laugh until tears literally streamed down her face.