Mariah: The M Series: Book Two Read online

  “Look at this guy. Yummy,” Lisa sighed, handing me the frame. “Your mom says she didn't stand a chance when she met him, even though he was a cop who pulled her over for speeding.”

  My face broke into a big, toothy grin. “She has always said, 'Best fifty bucks I ever spent!' ”

  I ran my finger down the picture, staring. I have nothing but great memories of Daddy and this picture represents one of the best. In the picture he is crouching, smiling big because I was the one taking the picture with my new camera that he couldn't wait until Christmas to give me. He had big brown eyes, too, and skin the color of a coffee bean, his hair cut low, almost bald and a small mustache that tickled something awful whenever he kissed my cheek.

  All I knew was love between Mom and Daddy and I was ecstatic when the twins came five years after I did. Donald III and Diondra were beautiful babies and mischievous toddlers. I loved them both so much.

  Lisa sighed again, looped her arm in mine and tugged me toward the door.

  “Come on, Mariah, or we'll be late for orientation. And our mothers are meeting us for lunch. You know we cannot be late for that, especially as it's your mom's first day back.”

  Lisa and I were going to work in Thomas' medical practice and that day was our first time back since our completed physicals and blood work were done five weeks ago. A different specialty was practiced on each floor and I would be a float nurse until I figured out where I was most comfortable. Lisa was going to work for her dad on the plastic surgery floor since his permanent nurse was retiring and Lisa loved filling in when needed over the years.

  I put the picture back and reached for my inappropriate, unnecessary hoodie. Lisa scowled, gave me a firm ‘No’ then pulled me out of my room and down the stairs.

  * * *

  Lisa insisted on driving and I started praying as soon as I hit our front door. I made a mental note to drive from now on as I rubbed my neck the entire ride and exhaled in relief when we finally made it to the clinic. She was like Mario Andretti behind the wheel but somehow, Lisa managed to get us there in one piece, even though there was a close call with an ice truck.

  “Yay! We made it on time,” Lisa clapped after parking, successfully.

  And, thankfully, alive, my mind screamed.

  * * *

  We entered The Harvey-Reed Medical Group building. It was a new, beautiful structure, made of chrome and glass. They offered services in pediatrics, obstetrics, gynecology, internal medicine, psychology and plastic surgery. A cardiology floor was being added later. Radiology, a laboratory, a pharmacy, and a small cafeteria occupied the main floor. The doctors had private offices on the top floor.

  We approached the bottle red-haired receptionist who looked at us like she was sucking on a lemon.

  “Where is the new hire orientation being held,” Lisa asked in a less-than-nice tone, completely not like her.

  She looked Lisa up and down then scowled at me. If I knew then…

  “Name,” she asked, even sounding sour.

  I frowned. This chick really disliked Lisa. That’s odd; everyone loved my sister.

  Lisa rolled her eyes, muttered a curse then a sharp, “Lisa Harvey and Mariah Hollander.”

  She strongly emphasized the ‘Harvey.’

  “Hmmph,” the receptionist replied, slapping ID badges on the desk. “Internal Medicine conference room, third floor.”

  “Thanks,” I mumbled. I grabbed the badges as Lisa took off without so much as a grunt. “Lisa, who was that,” I panted when I caught up with her.

  “Jeanelle Roberts. Totally unscrupulous bitch. We used to be thick as thieves until T3 refused her. At least, I thought we were friends. She only buttered up to me to get to T,” she muttered and pressed the elevator call button. No, she was stabbing it.

  T3 is our brother Dr. Thomas Michael Harvey III, a seriously handsome guy, a model type, like his siblings. Women tend to pant and toss their panties in front of him as he walked by but he wasn’t having any of that. He was engaged to beautiful ad exec, Monica Sumner. We were all excited about their October wedding.

  Our other brother, Ethan Wallace Harvey, had been studying to pass the California Bar Exam. He's the 'rebel', in that he chose law instead of medicine. The Harveys were a smart bunch and could be quite intimidating in the looks department. My beautiful, chocolate-haired, porcelain-skinned mother fits in with them well, always had.

  I passed Lisa her ID. I attached mine to my purse and she did the same. “How did she get a job here,” I asked as we entered the elevator.

  “HR does the hiring.” She grinned at me. “Well, most of it. They have no idea who or what she really is, but she'll show her true colors soon enough. Monica is not going to play this game... and thankfully, neither will T.” She laughed then quietly asks, “Have you spoken with Nathan?”

  I watched her redden. She was going for nonchalant but failed... miserably. Lisa was seriously crushing on Dr. Nathan Ellis James, my best friend and confidant.

  “Yes, actually. He may come visit soon. He's moving back to Crestwood, you know.”

  “Is he,” she squeaked. “Where is that again?”

  I thought I could see the wheels turning in her head.

  “I believe it’s just outside of Reno,” I lied. It's really a suburb of Sacramento.

  I loved teasing my new sister about her beau, especially since she thought she was hiding it. I grinned, widely. She'd gone even redder.

  “Why?”

  “Just curious,” she replied, practically running from the elevator.

  I laughed, hard and loud, as I set off to catch up with her, wanting to tease her and possibly turn her burgundy before we went into orientation.

  Trying to control the laugh, I turned the corner and smacked hard into someone's hard chest.

  “Ooh,” I breathed then hit the floor in a most unladylike position. “I'm so sorry! I wasn't paying attention,” I gasped frantically.

  Idiot, idiot, idiot!

  Chapter Two

  Dr. Marcus Alexander…

  Regaining some sense of semblance, but not as quickly as I’d like, I got on my knees and attempted to gather the papers that had scattered everywhere. I was so mortified, I could not look up, so instead, I turned toward rapidly approaching steps.

  Lisa was briskly walking back to me. All her redness was gone and a look of unease masked her pretty face.

  “Mariah! What happened,” Lisa asked, her voice full of concern. “Are you okay?”

  “I'm fine,” I muttered. Embarrassed as hell, but fine. I mentally bet I was as red as she was just a few seconds ago.

  As I scrambled to pick up the papers, I noted three pairs of legs in front of me and one of them crouched to help. I glanced up, wanting to apologize again, and see a man's head full of hair that was blacker than mine. Shaking my head, I went back to my task.

  My victim and I reached for the last sheet of paper at the same time and as our fingers brushed, I felt... something. Like a spark, only stronger.

  “Mariah,” he whispered, taking the papers from my now trembling hands.

  I looked up again, and all I saw was a shade of blue I'd never before seen in someone's eyes.

  Cerulean. It instantly became my new favorite color.

  And that scent. It invaded my nose in the most peculiar way.

  What is that?

  I inhaled deeply and my head involuntarily moved toward Cerulean.

  Shit… that's him!

  I looked over his entire face and he was beyond gorgeous. My sex clenched.

  What the hell... What is happening down there? That has never happened to us before.

  We were literally frozen. Felt like forever, but it was only for a few seconds. In that short time, it was only us, crouching on the floor.

  He stared at my mouth. I stared right back at his. I desperately wanted to feel his lips on mine. My lips parted and I was tempted to lean in and kiss that beautiful, perfect mouth. I forced my gaze back to his eyes.

>   Please, do it, they seemed to plead into mine.

  Much too soon, a hand grasped my upper arm, while another grabbed my hand and gently pulled me back to standing. Cerulean rose, as well.

  “Cookie, are you all right,” a familiar male voice asked.

  I couldn’t stop staring into those beautiful eyes and amusement showed in them as he smirked. What the hell was so funny?

  Someone shook my arm as a voice called, “Cookie!”

  I reluctantly broke my stare into Cerulean's eyes then turned to scowl at the intruder for disrupting my view.

  I couldn’t scowl. It was Thomas, my new stepfather. He had called me Cookie since the first day we met. He says I reminded him of his favorite snack, Pecan Sandies. He placed his hands on my upper arms, and turned me to face him and looked directly into my eyes.

  “Yes, Pops, I'm fine,” I breathed. “I promise.”

  I felt uncomfortable addressing him by his given name, and Dr. Harvey sounded worse from a stepdaughter. I could never call someone Daddy as I did my own father. I tried Dad, but it felt uncomfortable, so we've agreed Pops will do. Now all his children address him as Pops.

  “I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention,” I repeated, mumbling.

  My eyes widened in horror. I became mortified as I imagined the conversation I was going to have with my mother after she learned of this run-in. I was ninety-nine percent sure she would demand that her new husband order an MRI or something.

  “I won't tell her, Cookie,” Pops whispered as he smiled and winked, reading my thoughts. Pops hugged me tightly sideways and kissed my temple. He shoved me tightly into his side and rubbed my arm. “Our secret.”

  I smiled, relieved as Lisa rubbed my back. Since my mother and her father met and married, all the Harvey children had become targets of her worry, so she knew the thoughts that were fluttering through my mind.

  “Hi, Pops. How was the honeymoon?” Lisa asked, grabbing his free hand. I think he actually blushed as he kissed her cheek but recovered quickly and released my arm. His throat cleared, his hands clasped behind his back and he rocked on the ball of his feet. It was his rarely used nervous dance. The last and only time I'd seen it was in my living room while waiting for Mom to come home from work. Thomas started moving this same way as he asked me if he could propose to my mother on Valentine’s Day.

  “Just fine, Twinkie, thank you,” Pops answered quickly.

  The man had/has a wicked sweet tooth.

  I smiled. So did Lisa as she said, “Glad to hear it, Pops.”

  He smiled back then dropped it. “Have you girls signed in yet? I believe orientation begins in just a few minutes,” Pops said, attempting to sound stern but nowhere near it.

  “We're on our way now, Pops,” Lisa promised. “You look great by the way, all tanned and handsome.” She bent behind me and grabbed my purse from the floor. “Here, Mariah.”

  Cerulean moved to my line of vision. I looked him up and down. He was wearing a gray suit that fit like he was the model for it, a starched gray shirt and a pink and gray tie. Brad Pitt couldn't have done better for a red carpet appearance.

  Pops’ hand gestured at the pretty brunette woman hovering in the background.

  “Twinkie, Cookie, this is Dr. Adina Elliott, she may be a new obstetrician here. Adina, these are my daughters to which I spoke of earlier.”

  Pops didn't say our real names. Lisa and I looked at each other and rolled our eyes.

  Dr. Elliott looked at me and perfectly arched eyebrows over hazel-green eyes shot up. “Ladies,” she murmured icily and nods. Hmm, okay then.

  Buck up, Hollander. Let’s kill 'em with kindness.

  That was my conscience. She’s very… let’s say ‘vocal’ and makes frequent appearances. Just wait; you’ll see what I mean.

  “Mariah,” I smiled sweetly and offer my hand. She reluctantly took it, limply.

  Bitch.

  See? So vocal. Sometimes… okay, all the time, she’s on the money.

  Lisa offered her hand next. “Lisa.”

  Pops turned to Cerulean. “And this is Dr. Marcus Ca--”

  Cerulean shoots him a scowl.

  Pops cleared his throat then murmured, “Um, I mean, Dr. Marcus Alexander, the new pediatrician. They're from the merger with Cannon Medical. Beginning next month, we will be The Harvey-Reed-Cannon Medical Group.”

  I stepped back to let Lisa greet him first. She gave him her patented, 'I'm cute as a button' smile. He smiled back, clearly amused, and gently shook her offered hand.

  “Hello, Dr. Alexander. I'm Lisa Harvey. Pleased to finally meet you.”

  “Thank you, Miss Harvey. Pleasure is mine.”

  His deep voice sent a thrill through my entire body.

  “Lisa, please,” she replied. “This is my sister, Mariah Hollander.”

  Dr. Alexander frowned as he turned his attention to me. “Hollander? Are you married,” he asked me, sounding startled.

  I frowned. Why does he think I'm married?

  Our name, hun.

  Oh, right!

  “No, Thomas is my stepfather,” I murmured.

  Dr. Alexander visibly relaxed and held out his hand. “Very pleased to meet you, Mariah.”

  To this day, the way he pronounces my name, even in anger, whoa!

  I slowly extended my hand.

  Don't spark! Please don't spark!

  He held it, gently. Nope, not a spark... more like a zap!

  Oh-my-God what is happening here? Ooh, you better not hurt us.

  Huh? Who? What the hell is she talking about now? I gasp softly then rub my neck.

  “Welcome, Dr. Alexander.”

  “Pleasure,” he murmured. It almost sounded like a command.

  Or a promise.

  She’s going to get me in so much trouble with this guy.

  Dr. Alexander’s index finger gently caressed the rapid pulse at my wrist.

  ‘You feel it, too,’ my eyes asked.

  ‘Yes,’ his confirmed.

  I inhaled sharply as my nipples tightened and snatched my hand away. He continued to regard me, longingly, it appeared. Pops, who seemed oblivious to the electricity in the air, broke my thoughts but still, I gazed into Cerulean's eyes.

  “Doctors Alexander and Elliott are engaged and I'm assured we will all be invited to the festivities,” he proudly declared.

  And there it is. We have to walk away now, Hollander.

  Definitely. I winced as my heart plummeted and I looked out a window, inwardly screaming for the vertigo to release me. I felt like I'd fallen out of an airplane at 100,000 feet, no parachute, free-falling, just waiting to hit the ground. Dr. Elliott’s voice made me turn back to the assembly. With my all, I tried not to look at his face handsome again.

  “Yes, ladies, we look forward to seeing you there, right, honey?” Dr. Elliott smiled and wrapped her left arm through Cerulean's, flashing a huge diamond on her ring finger. She kissed his cheek then wiped the sepia-colored lipstick from his face.

  Ick. And she feels what’s going on, Mariah; she’s warning us off.

  She had nothing to worry about. I wasn’t that girl but still, I wanted to flee.

  “Honey,” she scolded, nudging him.

  “Absolutely,” he replied dryly and gave her a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

  There is no chemistry between them. Still, he’s hers and they’re engaged.

  I sighed, agreeing. He instantly became the most handsome, sexiest unattractive man I’d ever met. Lisa fisted my hand, squeezed then offered her cheek to Pops.

  “We’d better go. I know the boss wouldn't want us to be late.”

  Pops kissed Lisa and smiled. “Damn right. Get out of here before I fire you,” he said with mock sternness again. He kissed my cheek next. “Glad you're all right, Cookie.” With a wink, he said in mock stern again, “Now get a move on or I'll fire you, too.”

  “Right, Pops.” I smiled, turning as far away from Cerulean as physically possible.

  “Dr
. Elliott, Dr. Alexander,” Lisa said in parting and pulled my hand.

  “Lisa,” Cerulean returned. “Mariah.”

  I couldn't speak. I just nodded abruptly as I allowed Lisa to lead me away.

  “What was that,” Lisa asked as we walked away. “With Dr. Alexander, I mean.”

  “Nothing,” I muttered, not believing my bullshit luck. “He's engaged, so that's that.”

  “Sure felt like something to me, despite an engagement, which he seemed to have forgotten for a few moments. Definite fireworks. Wow, kinda like me and Nathan,” she said in an excited rush, forgetting to be nonchalant.

  I smiled at her and on cue, she went red. She realized what she’d said.

  “Relax, Twink. It's not like it's forbidden. Or as if he's engaged,” I whispered.

  She tightened her grip on my hand. “He’s so dreamy, Cookie. I just love everything about him.”

  “Nathan,” I squeaked, wrinkling my nose. “He's always been like my brother. I just don't see him that way. And he’s never looked at me in that regard, either.”

  “Thank God! I wouldn't stand a chance with him if you were interested.”

  “Oh, please! I'd have been dumped the second he laid eyes on you, Lisa.”

  “Geez, Mariah, get over yourself. TFP. Never forget that,” she said as she nudged my shoulder with hers.

  I faked a smile as we walked into orientation, with four minutes to spare. We still got the evil eye from the woman that was leading that seminar. Even to this day, such a hard ass, that one.

  Giggle.

  Orientation proved to live up to its name. We were informed how the offices run, our doctors, pay dates, policies, and emergency procedures.

  After about an hour, Lisa and I separated into our groups. She was with the plastic surgery nurses and I was with the other floats. When I decided where I fit in best, I would have to re-orientate with my chosen field. Since Lisa used to work summers with her father, it was an obvious choice to place her there.

  She earned her Bachelor's in nursing then took some time off to find herself. She looked all over every mall and restaurant in Los Angeles. Lisa thought she found what she was looking for in a very famous actor with a rich Irish accent, but he convinced her she hadn't.