mortals.”
The two women had been best friends
since Nikki first arrived at the hospital. Despite
the huge differences in job descriptions and
even backgrounds, Nikki absolutely loved Lilly
to death. The woman had a wicked sense of
humor that matched Nikki’s own, and was
smart as a whip. Being one of the few women in
a
male-dominated
profession,
Nikki
appreciated how Lilly handled the male
physicians. She took no shit from anyone, and
Nikki had learned Lilly had the right of it. If
What Happens in Vegas…
13
you set your foot down from the beginning, you
got no lip.
Nikki, however, wasn’t as dominant as
Lilly when it came to men. She tended to
submit rather easily and, sometimes, it
annoyed her. As a result, she had armed herself
with board certifications in both cardiothoracic
surgery and trauma surgery, as well as a PhD in
psychology. Nikki despised turning her patients
over to someone else once the surgery was
done, and her ability to deal with the post-
traumatic stress disorders that often plagued
her patients came in handy. There was no other
physician in the area with more qualifications
than her. She was one of the best in her field
and, most of the time, simply seeing her name
blazoned on her lab coat was enough to subdue
most people.
She waited until Lilly’s men were talking
quietly in one corner of the surgical wing before
she flashed Lilly a wicked look. “I think I’ll go
flirt with your men. Do you mind?”
Lilly laughed. “Woman, if you don’t leave
my men alone, I swear I will buy you a male
escort and tell him you like to be spanked.”
Nikki felt heat suffuse her face, probably
turning the dark skin of her face and neck a
14
MARTEEKA KARLAND
very interesting shade of burgundy. There
was no way Lilly knew that for sure. She’d
never told anyone about that.
She took two steps in their direction
when a hand snaked around her waist and
pulled her back against a hard, masculine body.
Nikki’s heart pounded hard. She could tell by
scent who the man was. Dr. Li Zhu effectively
prevented her from taking another step
forward. Much as it irritated her, it also sent a
thrill racing through her. Not that she’d ever let
him know.
“Just what do you think you’re doing,
Nikki?” His deep, smooth voice was nothing if
not masculine. He had a voice that simply
dripped decadent sex. If he hadn’t been such a
talented physician, he could have made a more
than decent living as phone sex voice talent.
Nikki shivered. This was so where she
didn’t want to be right now. “I don’t see how it’s
any of your business what I’m doing, Li.”
“Mmmmm,” he purred next to her ear,
sending a fresh round of shivers through her as
well as a fresh rush of cream to her panties. “I
see your point.” He let her go, though slowly,
and stepped back leisurely as she whipped
What Happens in Vegas…
15
around to face him. “Perhaps that’s something I
need to remedy.”
Nikki didn’t want to touch that. She had
every intention of staring him down, but when
she met his gaze, the heat and lust she saw
there made her gasp and take a step backwards.
No one had ever looked at her with such stark
possessiveness and hunger. In that moment,
she felt as if she and Li were the only two
people in the world. It was almost like she was
falling into him and was helpless to stop
herself.
Not at all comfortable with the urges
welling up inside her, Nikki took another
couple of steps backward, slowly, a feminine
retreat. She’d let him win this round. The
emotions were just too raw for her to make
sense of them at the moment, so she’d back off.
Go
to
home
and
regroup.
Working
relationships were always complicated. It didn’t
matter that Li was just as capable a surgeon as
she was, or that they often worked together on
complicated cases. Fucking a coworker was
never a good idea, no matter what the context.
And at this very
The two women had been best friends
since Nikki first arrived at the hospital. Despite
the huge differences in job descriptions and
even backgrounds, Nikki absolutely loved Lilly
to death. The woman had a wicked sense of
humor that matched Nikki’s own, and was
smart as a whip. Being one of the few women in
a
male-dominated
profession,
Nikki
appreciated how Lilly handled the male
physicians. She took no shit from anyone, and
Nikki had learned Lilly had the right of it. If
What Happens in Vegas…
13
you set your foot down from the beginning, you
got no lip.
Nikki, however, wasn’t as dominant as
Lilly when it came to men. She tended to
submit rather easily and, sometimes, it
annoyed her. As a result, she had armed herself
with board certifications in both cardiothoracic
surgery and trauma surgery, as well as a PhD in
psychology. Nikki despised turning her patients
over to someone else once the surgery was
done, and her ability to deal with the post-
traumatic stress disorders that often plagued
her patients came in handy. There was no other
physician in the area with more qualifications
than her. She was one of the best in her field
and, most of the time, simply seeing her name
blazoned on her lab coat was enough to subdue
most people.
She waited until Lilly’s men were talking
quietly in one corner of the surgical wing before
she flashed Lilly a wicked look. “I think I’ll go
flirt with your men. Do you mind?”
Lilly laughed. “Woman, if you don’t leave
my men alone, I swear I will buy you a male
escort and tell him you like to be spanked.”
Nikki felt heat suffuse her face, probably
turning the dark skin of her face and neck a
14
MARTEEKA KARLAND
very interesting shade of burgundy. There
was no way Lilly knew that for sure. She’d
never told anyone about that.
She took two steps in their direction
when a hand snaked around her waist and
pulled her back against a hard, masculine body.
Nikki’s heart pounded hard. She could tell by
scent who the man was. Dr. Li Zhu effectively
prevented her from taking another step
forward. Much as it irritated her, it also sent a
thrill racing through her. Not that she’d ever let
him know.
“Just what do you think you’re doing,
Nikki?” His deep, smooth voice was nothing if
not masculine. He had a voice that simply
dripped decadent sex. If he hadn’t been such a
talented physician, he could have made a more
than decent living as phone sex voice talent.
Nikki shivered. This was so where she
didn’t want to be right now. “I don’t see how it’s
any of your business what I’m doing, Li.”
“Mmmmm,” he purred next to her ear,
sending a fresh round of shivers through her as
well as a fresh rush of cream to her panties. “I
see your point.” He let her go, though slowly,
and stepped back leisurely as she whipped
What Happens in Vegas…
15
around to face him. “Perhaps that’s something I
need to remedy.”
Nikki didn’t want to touch that. She had
every intention of staring him down, but when
she met his gaze, the heat and lust she saw
there made her gasp and take a step backwards.
No one had ever looked at her with such stark
possessiveness and hunger. In that moment,
she felt as if she and Li were the only two
people in the world. It was almost like she was
falling into him and was helpless to stop
herself.
Not at all comfortable with the urges
welling up inside her, Nikki took another
couple of steps backward, slowly, a feminine
retreat. She’d let him win this round. The
emotions were just too raw for her to make
sense of them at the moment, so she’d back off.
Go
to
home
and
regroup.
Working
relationships were always complicated. It didn’t
matter that Li was just as capable a surgeon as
she was, or that they often worked together on
complicated cases. Fucking a coworker was
never a good idea, no matter what the context.
And at this very
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