Perfect For You

by Sylvia Lett

Genres: African American; African American Women's Fiction; African American Romance

Synopsis

Just because we have a past, doesn't mean we can't have a future. You think that because we've known each other forever, because we've been friends, we can't be lovers. You are absolutely wrong. You think that if you push me away, find me another woman, that I will give up the possibility of us. Wrong again. You think that what is between us can be ignored, but I think love always finds a way. . . Perfect For You "Sylvia Lett is a magician at creating heroes to die for." --Evelyn Palfrey "With Perfect for You, Sylvia Lett offers a story of sizzling romance and dramatic suspense. A new writer to watch for." --Deirdre Savoy, author of Body of Lies

Release date: March 1, 2012

Publisher: Dafina

Print pages: 288

Sample

“Gus, I need a favor,” said Alex, twirling the phone cord around his finger. He stood up from his mahogany desk and paced the room. Opening the blinds, he looked out the window. “This one will take some time.”

“Sure Dr. Carlisle,” Gus answered, tapping the other security guard on the shoulder and gesturing to him to take over monitoring the parking garage. “What can I do for you?” He walked over to his desk and sat down. Picking up a pen, he was poised to take notes.

“I need you to find a security tape for me. It will be three years ago next Friday. I need you to check the footage of the nursery around 11 P.M. My guess is you will find two babies were switched in the nursery.”

“Oh, my God! How soon do you need this done?” Gus dropped the pen for a moment. Picking the pen up again, he wrote down the date and time. “If this is true ...”

“It is true and I need you to find the evidence. I need this ASAP. Gus, this is just between you and me,” said Alex, pacing. He ran his hand over his head in frustration. “Thanks, Gus. I owe you one. I know this is asking a lot, but trust me for now.” Alex replaced the receiver and sat down at his desk.

Alex had known Gus Sessions for over fifteen years. They met during his first year of residency at the hospital. Alex accidentally locked his keys in his car and Gus helped him get them out. As a thank-you, he took Gus out to dinner.

Gus was the head of security at Parkdale Hospital. He was promoted to chief security officer five years ago. Gus had a reputation for being thorough and always on top of everything at the hospital.

Alex knew if there was anything to find on the surveillance tapes, Gus would find it. He had a nagging suspicion the hospital nursery held the answers to his questions. It had to be the hospital. There was no other explanation for what happened.

Once I know the truth then I can decide what to do about it. Until then, I have to keep my mouth shut and go on with my life.

Oh, God, I can’t believe this is happening. I can’t believe this happened. Was this situation an accident, or was it deliberate? This is a no-win situation for everyone, especially Samantha. What am I going to say to Samantha? This is going to tear her apart. It’s going to tear all of us apart.

He looked down at the thin gold wristwatch. It was 3:00 P.M. He’d seen his last patient thirty minutes ago. Alex was exhausted from another busy day. The office was now closed and he was ready for the weekend.

He took off his lab jacket and stethoscope. He carefully laid the stethoscope in the wooden holder on his desk. Getting to his feet, he hung the lab jacket on the coatrack behind the door. Taking his keys out, he locked his office door. He walked up front to let the nursing staff know he was gone.

“Trisha, I’m gone. Please let the answering service know Dr. Grayson is on call this weekend. I’ll see you guys Monday morning. Have a great weekend,” smiled Alex, rapping his knuckles on the counter.

“Have a good weekend Dr. Carlisle.” Tina, the office nurse, smiled. She was young and fresh out of nursing school. Alex and his partner, Jeff, hired her as a favor to a friend. So far, they were not disappointed. Trisha made up with enthusiasm for her lack of experience. All the patients loved her and the other three women in the office also liked her.

Alex left his office the back way and exited the hospital with a smile on his face. It was Friday and he was leaving work early. He couldn’t remember in the past year leaving work early on a Friday.

Instead of taking the elevator, he jogged down the stairs and left the building. Clicking the alarm, he unlocked the door to his black Porsche. He eased his six-foot frame into the gray leather seat and started the engine. The car purred as he shifted gears and peeled out of the parking lot.

Dr. Alexander Carlisle was a renowned and loved pediatric doctor at County General Hospital. He came to the hospital twelve years ago for his residency and stayed. He now ran a private pediatric practice inside the hospital. He and his partner, Jeff Grayson, recently celebrated their fifth anniversary at Carlisle & Grayson, M.D., this year. Their plush office was located on the second floor, overlooking the newly renovated Michael Carlisle Playground, named after his dead son.

It was an uphill battle with the hospital to convince them to let him pay for and have the memorial park constructed. The board of directors voted ten to one in favor of the memorial park. Alex used the life insurance money from his wife, Kirstin, and his son’s death to pay for the renovations.

Alex and his younger brother, Keith, were raised in a small East Texas town by their grandparents after both his parents were killed in a motor accident. Alex worked his way through high school and won an academic scholarship to college and to medical school. He made his grandparents proud, and they told him so every day. In his second year of medical school, he lost his grandmother to cancer. His grandfather died four months later, of what Alex believed to be a broken heart.

Alex was always the responsible brother. He was older than Keith by seven years. He put Keith through college and was proud when, at last, Keith received a BA in finance. Keith was now thirty years old and a vice president of a Fortune 500 technology company.

Alex’s best friend was Greg Taylor. They met when Greg’s family moved to Tyler the summer before eighth grade. What originally drew them together was that they were both avid sports-card collectors. They met at a sports-card convention and hit it off.

As kids, they always discussed what they wanted to be when they grew up. While Greg wanted to be president, Alex always knew he wanted to be a doctor. Alex played doctor with all the young kids in the neighborhood. Whenever anyone had a scratch or bruise, they would go to Alex. He chose pediatrics because of his love for children.

He married Kirstin Thomas Peterson once his residency was complete. They wed exactly six months after they met. It was love at first sight for him and Kirstin.

Kirstin was a single parent working as a real estate agent. Her two-year-old son, Derek, was from her first marriage. After her divorce, her ex-husband left town.

Derek was starved for a father figure, and when Alex entered the picture, they bonded instantly. Once they were married, Alex legally adopted Derek.

A year later, Alexandria was born. Derek began calling her Lexi because he couldn’t pronounce “Alexandria.” The name stuck, and they all started calling her Lexi.

A year later, Alex’s sister-in-law, Kirstin’s younger sister, Samantha, married Greg. Kirstin and her parents were strongly against the marriage because Greg was ten years older than Sam and he had a child from a previous marriage whom he had sole custody of. At twenty, Sam was not considered mature enough to handle marriage or being a mother. She surprised everyone. She took to both and she and Greg were happy for the brief three years they had together.

Alex and Kirstin were married for a total of six years before the car accident. Alex was receiving a Volunteer of the Year award from the free clinic he worked at one day a week. The ceremony was held at the Wyndham Hotel. A patient came in to the office before closing with an emergency and he ended up working later than expected. He called Greg and asked him to drop Kirstin at the hotel for him. They never made it. On the way to the awards ceremony, a drunk driver hit Greg’s Lexus head-on. Greg never had a chance. He died on impact. Kirstin, who was eight months pregnant, was rushed to the hospital. Alex was leaving the hospital when he received the phone call. Turning around, he headed back to the hospital. Kirstin never regained consciousness. Alex was at her side when the doctors performed a C-section that saved his son’s life. An hour later, she died.

Samantha was also about eight months pregnant. The news of her husband’s death sent her into premature labor. She was also rushed to Parkdale hospital where she also gave birth to a son the same night.

The babies were born less than two hours apart. Later that night, one of the babies went into cardiac arrest and died a few hours later. Alex buried both his wife and son.

He slipped a Luther Vandross CD into the player and sang along with “Here and Now.” Luther always helped him to relax.

At the red light, he eased into the left-turn lane. While waiting for the light to change, he tapped his fingers against the wheel. Another left put him on the expressway headed north.

Traffic was bumper-to-bumper as he made his way home. Alex pulled into the circular driveway of his two-story red-brick home. He hit the garage-door opener and pulled the car into the two-car garage. Hopping out of the car, he unlocked the door and went inside the house. He unbuttoned his shirt as he walked up the stairs to the master bedroom. Stripping off his shirt, he threw it into the white clothes hamper. He took off his slacks and hung them back in the closet. He kicked off his shoes and casually tossed them in the large walk-in closet before turning on the shower. Slipping off his socks, he dropped them in the hamper.

He sighed in bliss as the water washed over him. The warm water helped to ease his tired, achy muscles. He took a long, relaxing shower. He was exhausted from being on call the past five days. He was called for an emergency almost every night.

He dried off and stood naked in front of his closet door. Deciding at last on a shirt and pair of jeans, he carried them into his bedroom. Alex pulled the red polo shirt over his head, smoothed the shirt down, tucked the ends into his fitted black jeans, and snapped them.

Staring at his reflection in the mirror, he could not find fault with his appearance. He ran his hand over his short, wavy black hair. His skin was a flawless warm-cappuccino brown. Glassy black eyes peered back at him. Alex was athletic with a strong, solid chest and flat stomach. Muscular forearms flexed as he slipped his wallet in his back pocket. Slapping on his favorite aftershave, he grabbed his keys from the bureau, slipped his feet into a pair of loafers and left the room.

For the past three years, he had watched Samantha and yearned for her from afar. Today, that would all change. Today, he was determined to make her see she couldn’t continue to live in the past. It was time she faced the future. Alex wanted to be a part of her future.

Alex practiced his speech as he drove the four blocks to his sister-in-law’s house. It’s time to let go of the past, Samantha. Greg is gone. It’s time to start living again. He hit the steering wheel. Surely I can do better than that. Samantha will laugh me out of the house. It’s still too soon to tell her how I feel. She’s not ready for a relationship. Am I ready for a relationship? I believe I am. What am I going to do? His ringing cell phone cut into his thoughts. He plugged the earpiece into his ear.

“Hello,” said Alex, stopping at the stop sign. He put on his right-turn signal and made a right. “Hello,” he repeated.

“Dr. Carlisle, it’s Chloe Bell,” said the friendly voice on the other end. “I was wondering if you were free for dinner tonight?” His eyebrows shot up curiously. “You were kind enough to treat me to dinner a few weeks ago and I wanted to return the favor.”

“Chloe, I’m sorry, but I already have plans,” said Alex, pulling into Sam’s driveway. He killed the engine and opened the door of the jeep. “Hang on a minute.” He unplugged the earpiece and picked up the telephone. He got out of the car and walked to the front door. “Thanks for asking,” replied Alex, not committing to any future plans with her. He disconnected the call before she could respond. It only took Alex one date to realize he wasn’t interested in Chloe’s blatant charms. He knew who he wanted, and it wasn’t Chloe Bell.

When Greg died, Samantha Thomas Taylor was left a widow at the tender age of twenty-five. She was also left alone to raise two children, seven-year-old Hope and newborn Matthew. Greg’s first wife died of breast cancer when Hope was two. Hope was four when Greg and Samantha were married.

Greg was a prudent businessman and a very successful financial advisor. When he died, he left Samantha and the kids well provided for. Sam never had to work another day in her life unless she chose to. Given that she now had two young children to take care of, she quit her job as a financial analyst and stayed home to take care of them. She also looked after Kirstin’s and Alex’s two children while Alex was working.

Samantha was setting the dinner table when the doorbell rang. Peering at her watch, she knew it was Alex. She looked down at her warm-ups and smiled.

She knew Alex hated to see her in her favorite pair of faded blue warm-up pants and T-shirt. Deliberately wiping her flour-coated hands on her gray T-shirt, she opened the door.

“Hello Alex,” she smiled, taking a step back. “You’re right on time, as usual. Come in and make yourself at home as you usually do.” She hid a smile behind her sarcastic remark.

Alex surveyed her with distaste. It was obvious she had wiped her hands on her clothes. The flour prints stood out on her gray T-shirt. Her shoulder-length curly brown hair was carelessly pinned up with a much-too-small butterfly clip. Her beautiful face was clean of any makeup, and none was needed, because Samantha was a natural beauty. Her complexion was honey brown and devoid of any blemishes. Long black lashes covered clear gray eyes that turned to gray steel when she was angry. As she smiled up at him, her cheeks dimpled slightly. His eyes moved down her body to her loose-fitting, faded blue warm-up pants.

“Do you own an apron? If not, I know what I’m getting you for Christmas,” said Alex, brushing past her. “What you’re wearing is bad enough without flour added to the mix, no pun intended.”

“Thanks. Hello to you too, sunshine,” she replied sarcastically. Smiling in satisfaction, she followed him out to the kitchen. “Your approval of my wardrobe means the world to me.”

Her eyes moved over him in appreciation. Alex looked yummy as usual in a pair of black jeans and a polo shirt. What a pair of buns! Who am I kidding—what a total package! Alex was not only handsome, but he had a great body. The goatee he now sported only added to his sex appeal.

“Where are the kids?” he inquired, looking around the empty room. He really didn’t want an audience to their conversation.

“Derek is at Shawn’s house, as usual. Hope is next door at Brittany’s, and Lexi is upstairs with Matthew. All accounted for, Doc.”

“Good, because we need to talk.” He waved for Samantha to have a seat and sat across from her at the breakfast table. “It’s time to let go, Samantha. You’ve mourned for three years. It’s time to start living again.” Her eyes met his briefly.

“I’m living,” she said defensively, coming to her feet. She did not want to have this conversation with him. Her problem wasn’t only letting go. It was moving on. She wanted to move on with him, but she knew it wasn’t even a possibility. As much as she was attracted to him, she couldn’t risk getting involved with him. Too much was at stake. She had to be strong and keep the wall between them.

“No, you’re not,” he argued, standing up and walking toward her. “You are only going through the motions. This is not what Greg would have wanted for you. You are a beautiful young woman who has cut herself off from the rest of the world. It’s time to let the past go. You are hiding from the world and it’s time you rejoined us. Take a good look in the mirror, Samantha. Tell me what you see. Look at yourself. Look at how you’re dressed.” His hand waved over her from head to toe in disgust.

Samantha glared at the man in her kitchen. Her eyes narrowed and she took several calming breaths to keep from lashing back at him. He had insulted everything from the top of her head down to her toes.

“What is wrong with the way I’m dressed?” she asked, defensively folding her hands over her chest. “I happen to like sweats. I do not dress to please you. I dress to please myself.”

“That much is obvious,” he shot back as his dark eyes raked over her clothing with distaste. Alex knew he was ticking her off, but he didn’t care. This needed to be said. “You sure aren’t dressing to impress anyone else. Not many men get turned on by fleece and cotton, but I’m sure there’s a lush young body somewhere underneath all that loose-fitting, baggy, faded material.”

Samantha turned another shade of red in anger. He had crossed the line again and she was furious. “No one asked you to look! Maybe I don’t want to attract unwanted attention. This is ridiculous,” she snapped, throwing up her hands in frustration. “My appearance has nothing to do with you. I’m not having this conversation with you again. Go home, Alex, now, before we both say things we will regret.”

“Why do you want me to leave? Did I hit a nerve? I’m not about to let you continue to wallow in self-pity and misery. It’s time to wake up. It’s time to start living again. You are not going to meet anyone hiding behind this hideous outfit and locking yourself away inside this shrine to Greg. You need to get out and meet people. Get a life, Samantha. Have some fun. You do remember what fun is, don’t you?”

She turned to walk away, but he caught her arm to stop her. Catching the clasp in her hair with his free hand, he unsnapped it and sent dark hair tumbling down her back in a cascade of unruly curls. Samantha seethed with anger as she glared up at him.

“Give that back!” She snatched the clasp out of his hand and their hands touched. Her eyes flew to his in alarm. They both felt the spark as their hands touched. It left them both momentarily stunned. Samantha was the first to recover. She took a step back from him. Catching her hair, she tried unsuccessfully to pin it up again. Exasperated, she finally let it fall to her shoulders. “Are you happy now?”

“Are you?” he shot back. Alex knew he was pushing her to the limit, but he didn’t care. He had to get through her don’t-care, touch-me-not facade. She bristled, but didn’t bother to answer. “You didn’t answer my question. Are you happy, Samantha? Let me answer for you. How can you be happy when you have no life? What little you do have revolves around the children. When was the last time you had a conversation that didn’t include children? When was the last time you laughed?”

“Go home,” she repeated, enunciating each word. His words hit a sore spot with her, and she lashed out in defense. She knew Alex hated the way she dressed. It was a defense mechanism for her. It was a way to hold him at bay. Keeping the wall between them was for both their protection. “What I do or don’t do is none of your business.”

“A little makeup and a new hairdo would do wonders for your self-esteem, not to mention your appearance. This look has gotten really boring. Where is the Samantha who was picture perfect and drop-dead gorgeous at all times? What happened to that woman? I know she’s hiding somewhere deep inside you, and I would like to see her again. You have a great body. Or at least you did the last time I saw it.” She flushed hotly under his heated gaze and turned away from him. She tried desperately to ignore the message his eyes were sending her, a message she didn’t want to see or acknowledge. “Why not flaunt it once in a while? Stop hiding and get on with your life.”

“If this is not the pot calling the kettle black. Get a life of your own, Alex, and stay out of mine,” she shot back. “Maybe if you had a girlfriend, you wouldn’t be so concerned about what I’m doing or not doing and who I’m not doing it with. I didn’t ask for your opinion or your advice. Don’t you dare try to tell me how to live my life!”

“I dare anything,” he said, catching her hand and pulling her into his arms. Samantha trembled as their bodies touched. She felt the heat radiating from Alex and fought against her own rising desire. “You should know by now that I dare almost anything.” Their eyes locked in silent combat. “I’d like to see you in something showing a little leg and a lot of cleavage. Hey, if you’ve got it, flaunt it, and you’ve definitely got it,” he said, smiling down at her ample breast. She flushed again, but did not respond. “Something black, short and tight would be even better.”

“Keep dreaming,” she whispered breathlessly, trying to squirm out of his arms. Alex was unrelenting as he held her steadfast. His nearness was getting to her and she felt her resolve slipping. She refused to deal with it or him. Samantha could not and would not let this happen. She had to be strong for both their sakes. This would be a terrible mistake.

“Believe me, I do, but you are wearing much less in my dreams.” His hypnotic dark eyes held her spellbound. She followed the dissent of his mouth. As his head lowered to hers, Samantha turned her face away at the last possible moment. His lips landed on her cheek and Samantha sucked in her breath at the contact.

The heat from his mouth seared her clear down to her toes. Samantha trembled and tried to squirm her way out of his arms again. He pulled her closer and her breast flattened against his massive chest. Her nipples hardened and her breathing was shallow. Taking slow, deep breaths, she fought her inner feelings for this man as she trembled in his arms.

“Let go of me,” fumed Samantha, fighting not only him, but also the feelings he was arousing in her. She renewed her struggle in his arms. “Alex, don’t do this, please.” Her voice begged him to stop even as her body urged him on. “We can’t do this.”

“Are you fighting me or yourself?” he asked knowingly. “Give in to what you are feeling. You want me. I can see it in your eyes and feel it in your body. You are just too afraid to admit it.” Samantha stopped struggling as his head lowered again. This time, she didn’t turn away. His lips touched hers tentatively. They brushed hers again and again. Samantha didn’t respond, but she didn’t pull away either as her resolve slowly melted. At last, her lips parted of their own free will.

Alex knew the moment she weakened and he moved in for the kill. He pulled her closer and deepened the kiss as his mouth plundered hers. His tongue slipped between her parted lips. She moaned softly as her arms went around his neck and she returned his kiss eagerly. His rough tongue explored the honeyed recesses of her mouth. Her tongue mated with his and she pressed her body closer to his. Alex groaned in pleasure and his mouth feasted on hers like a starving man.

All thoughts of right and wrong fled from her mind and her body responded to his. She was starving, and Alex offered her a feast. Samantha held him tightly and moaned in pleasure when his hand slid up her waist. Cautiously his hand covered her hardened nipple.

He lifted her up and sat her on the counter. He moved to stand between her thighs, never breaking contact with her mouth. His hands moved under her T-sh. . .