One Magic Moment, page 22
“You bitch!” Kendall yelled, holding her face.
When Kendall moved to retaliate, Damon blocked her path. “Get the hell out here!” he ordered, pointing to the door. Somehow he would have to get through to Nia on his own, make her see through Kendall’s lies.
Kendall didn’t move immediately until she saw Damon take a step toward her. Quickly she picked up her clothes and headed to the adjacent bathroom. “You’ll both thank me for this one day,” she said, closing the door behind her.
Damon couldn’t stand the sight of the woman and he would make sure Kendall paid dearly for her duplicity. He waited until she was out of earshot before continuing to plead with Nia, who stood in the corner of his bedroom like a lost child. “She’s lying, Nia. I swear I never touched her.”
Nia shook her head in amazement. “Please don’t insult my intelligence. I have eyes.”
“You’re emotional right now. You’re not rational or thinking clearly right now.”
Nia wasn’t buying it and when he tried to pull her to him, she wrenched herself away and ran down the hallway. The pain was unbearable. She felt as though her heart was being ripped in two.
Stumbling down the staircase, she reached the door just before a wave of nausea caught in her throat. Nia held on to the door for support. She didn’t want Damon to touch her ever again. She couldn’t bear to think of his hands on her after being with that woman. To think she had been about to risk her heart and tell him how much she loved him. How he would have laughed at her! She couldn’t keep the tears from streaming down her face. What had she done wrong? Hadn’t she fulfilled his sexual needs?
Apparently not, if he’d run back into Kendall’s all-too-willing arms, a woman he claimed to despise.
Damon raced down the stairs after her, careless of his appearance. He found Nia kneeling by the door, but she put her hands up in defense. “Keep away from me!” she screamed at him, plastering herself against the door. “Don’t you dare come near me!”
“Nia, please look at me,” he begged, kneeling down beside her. She refused to look at him. “Please believe me when I tell you nothing happened.”
She shook her head. “How could I have been so blind to think that you loved me?”
“Nia, baby, I do love you. I love you with all my heart,” he pleaded. He wanted so much to make her believe him.
“Why did I even try? From the start I knew we were so different, from totally different worlds. But I convinced myself otherwise. Hell, even your parents saw it. I’m not like that pencil-thin figure in there.” Nia pointed upstairs. “But you, you made me believe it. You made me believe we could be together. Why did you do it?” She pounded his chest, “Why did you make me believe you? Why did you let me get my hopes up?”
“Nia, stop this.” He grabbed her firmly by the wrists. “You need to calm down.” He hated to see her in so much pain.
“Let me go!”
He waited several moments, and when she quieted, he released her wrists.
Nia leaned against the door for support “I was so stupid. I knew I wasn’t like the Vogue models you’re usually into. And I most certainly wasn’t raised with a silver spoon in my mouth, but for some reason I thought I had a shot. But obviously I didn’t. I can’t compete and I don’t want to, not anymore. If Kendall is who you want, then you should be with her. She wins. Kendall wins.”
“Who I want?” he snarled. She hadn’t heard a thing he’d said, totally dismissing his declaration of love. “I want the woman I’ve been living and breathing for the last six months. The woman I’ve made love to night after night until we’re both weak in the knees. Exactly when do you think I had time to cheat on you and have an affair with another woman?”
“Were you fantasizing about her when you were making love with me?” she yelled back at him, ignoring his pleas.
That hurt. Damon was shocked she would say such a thing. How did women know the exact thing to say that would cut so deep? He never thought of another woman when he was with Nia. Seeing the doubt in her eyes, he wanted to reach out and touch her, erase the bad memories, make love to her until she screamed his name, make her believe in him. But his pride forbade it. He needed Nia to believe in him and in their love on her own. “Nia, I’ve been committed to you and only you from the very start. You know that.”
Nia was amazed at his gall even after she caught him red-handed. Was this part of the cheater’s handbook?
“You don’t love me; you’re nothing but a liar and a cheat. How could you do this? I deserve so much better than this. I deserve a man who loves me, respects me, is loyal to me. You obviously don’t think I’m it since you’re still shopping at the market.” Nia threw at him.
“Nia, this is getting out of hand. You’re saying hurtful things. Things you don’t mean and that won’t be easily taken back,” he said. Damon was holding on by a thin thread. Maybe if he approached this rationally, she would respond better. “Why are you letting Kendall get the better of us? She’s tried breaking us up long before this and none of her ploys have worked. Not at the Christmas party, not at the club and not at the lodge. Don’t let her come between us now. You know she can’t be trusted. Don’t let this woman tear us apart.”
“You would just love for me to believe that, wouldn’t you? Dumb, stupid, naive little Nia. You’re just like my father! You must have gotten a kick at stringing me along all these months like he did my mother. Is that how you get your jollies?” She heard his ragged breathing, but she continued, “Or maybe not. Maybe you just like to have your cake and eat it, too.”
“Enough.” He put his hand up to silence her. “You want to hurt me; you’re doing an excellent job of it. I don’t know what more I can say to convince you. I didn’t sleep with Kendall.”
“And I’m the Queen of England,” she shot back.
“You don’t trust me, do you Nia? Maybe you never did. I thought I broke through that wall you erected and convinced you I was genuine, that I was the real thing, a man you could love, trust and respect. Perhaps I pushed too soon. Whatever the case, I see my love isn’t enough, Nia. You have to trust me, because without it our relationship has no foundation.”
“I did trust you and you just broke that trust!”
“Nia, I am imploring you this final time to not believe Kendall’s lies and this situation she’s fabricated. You have a choice to make, Nia.” His voice sounded cold and resolved as he looked at her. Nia saw the change in him. “If you walk out that door, don’t expect me to come chasing after you.” He hated to say the words, but she left him no choice.
Nia stared back at him for a long moment debating with herself on whether she should stay or leave then without a word, she found the strength to open the door and walk out.
Damon slunk to the floor, completely defeated. Surely Nia hadn’t walked out on him? Had he lost the woman he loved more than life itself? He felt drained as though he had been sucked into an emotional vortex. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kendall slowly creeping down the stairs, making sure the coast was clear. Her head hung low.
“Get out!” Damon yelled. “And don’t ever come back!”
“But, Damon,” she cried, tucking her shut into her skirt, “she’s gone now. Don’t you see? We can be together now. There’s no one keeping us apart.” She kneeled down in front of him and reached out to touch his arm, but he flicked her away like the pest she was. “Oh, Damon, I know you’re hurting now, but in time you’ll see it was all for the best. It would never have worked between the two of you.”
“You don’t get it, do you, Kendall?” Damon grabbed her by the wrist. “I don’t want you.”
“You don’t mean that.”
“Yes, I do. I don’t love you. I never did, you were nothing more than a convenient body.” He flung her away from him and Kendall dramatically fell backward to the floor and began to cry. He’d seen her crocodile tears before and he would not be swayed. Damon wanted her out of his life and out of his family’s business for good. She had finally done the unforgivable. And there was no turning back.
“Please don’t say that.” She crawled on her hands and knees toward him. “I know you loved me once. I made one mistake, Damon. I never should have slept with Daniel. I know I was wrong, please forgive me. I’m begging you. I love you.”
“No, Kendall! Your mistake was coming between me and Nia.” Damon grabbed her coat from a nearby chair and threw it at her. “I’ve had enough of you, your lies, your schemes and your manipulations. Do you hear me? I’ve had enough! Your family can kiss the money from Bradley Savings & Loan goodbye.”
Kendall’s eyes widened in fear, “Damon, you have no idea what you’re doing right now,” she said, standing up hastily. She had to pull herself together. Losing this deal would kill her father. He would never forgive her if he found out she was behind it.
“You’re upset. Think about what this would do to my father. To your family. My God, you’ve known us forever. Please don’t do this. Please give yourself time to think about your decision.”
“I won’t be changing my mind. Kendall.” Grabbing her by the forearm, he walked her to the door. He didn’t care if anyone passing by saw him standing there in nothing but a towel. He wanted to be rid of this evil creature who had caused him nothing but grief.
“Are you sure about this?” She hated to leave like this, but the firm tilt of Damon’s chin told her it was over. The matter was no longer up for discussion.
Reluctantly, Kendall walked out and Damon slammed the door behind her.
What had he ever seen in that woman? It was her fault Nia left him and he would see to it that she paid dearly. Damon sat down on his couch, stunned. Could Nia really have walked out of his life without a backwards glance after everything they’d shared? Didn’t he mean anything to her?
His love for Nia was anchored deep within his heart. How could she think another woman could ever tempt him? There was no other woman for him.
Why did he do it? Why did he let her leave? He knew why; Nia didn’t trust him, so their relationship was doomed.
Chapter 20
Nia felt like a wild thunderstorm had thoroughly thrashed her about. Seeing Kendall in Damon’s bed made her feel like a dagger had been struck straight through her heart. She tripped on the last step and almost tumbled to the ground. She dug into her purse for her car keys, but couldn’t seem to insert the key into the lock. Fumbling, she finally managed to open the door.
She put the key in the ignition, but the pain she’d desperately been trying to hide forced its way through her. Sobs racked her small frame and she gasped for breath, clutching the steering wheel. She couldn’t breathe.
The world felt like it was closing in on her. Nia looked around the parking lot. Was she having a heart attack? Would anyone hear her, help her? She forced air into her lungs and slowly her rate came back to normal. But she didn’t move or start the car. Instead she watched Damon’s condominium for some sort of activity. Was Kendall turning off the lights so the two of them could go to bed together?
Walking away from him was one of the hardest things she had to do, but she had no choice. She needed to get out of a volatile situation. She had let herself believe in him, but Damon had proven he was no different than Spencer.
Finally, her instincts took over, instructing her to start the car and leave before she was discovered. She was sure it would thrill Kendall to see her sitting there, utterly defeated. Turning on the radio, Nia drowned out all the thoughts and pictures that were going through her head: Kendall lying half naked on his bed, Damon standing there in nothing but a towel. Caught in her thoughts, she didn’t notice Kendall leave Damon’s apartment in tears a few minutes later.
On automatic pilot, Nia drove to her aunt’s home. She had nowhere else to go. Lexie was still in Milan and she couldn’t bear to go home to an empty apartment. Everything would remind her of Damon and Nia couldn’t take that right now.
Going to her aunt’s would be a safe haven, a place of refuge from the storm. It was funny, but since her father’s reappearance, Nia felt closer to her aunt than ever before. Despite her shortcomings, Nia knew her aunt Olivia would always be there for her if she needed it. And that was infinitely more than she could say about her father.
Nia parked her car haphazardly and jumped out. After running up the stairs, she banged on her aunt’s door.
“Just a minute,” she heard her aunt say. When she opened the door, Nia rushed into her arms.
“Oh, Auntie!”
“Baby, what’s wrong? What happened?” her aunt asked. When Nia didn’t answer, Olivia tilted her face upward to look at her tear-stained cheeks, then laid Nia’s head back down against her bosom and held on tighter.
“Who is it?” Nathan asked jovially, coming out of the kitchen. “Olivia, your dinner’s gonna get cold.” He found Nia and Olivia huddled in the foyer, with Nia clinging to her aunt like she was a lifesaver. “Nia?”
Nia looked up and saw her father standing in the hallway. She hadn’t noticed another car outside, but then again, she hadn’t looked. This day had really been too much.
Life was too hard and she couldn’t stand it another minute. She needed her father.
Without hesitation, she rushed across the room and into Nathan’s outstretched arms. She let him wrap her in his arms, gaining strength from the love she saw in his eyes at that moment. Her aunt’s eyes welled up with tears at finally seeing the two of them reunited, even if it was only for one night.
“C’mon, darling.” Her father led her to the couch in the living room and they sat down together.
“I’m gonna get you some water,” her aunt said, rushing to leave the two of them alone.
Nia didn’t remember how long they sat there, only that her father remained next to her the entire time, even after she had several bouts of crying. “How could he do this to me? How could he make me love him and do this to me?” She bawled.
Nathan didn’t say a word. He sat and listened, rubbing Nia’s back until she was so exhausted; she fell asleep on his shoulder.
The next morning, Nia awoke at her aunt’s house to find herself in her pajamas. The night before, Aunt Olivia and Nathaniel had been wonderful. Her father must have carried her up the steps while her aunt had put her to bed. She noticed her clothes were neatly folded on a nearby chair.
Not wanting to move, Nia stared at a. crack in the ceiling. When she heard voices outside her door, she sat up, pulling the comforter to her chin.
“Should we wake her up?” she heard her aunt say.
“No, we should let her sleep,” her father responded.
Nia glanced at a clock on the night table and saw it was already noon. Had she really slept that long? Her poor ravaged body must have needed it “I’m up!” she shouted through the closed door.
Her aunt knocked before entering and her father was close on her heels behind her. They both stood by the door, afraid to come in. “How are you feeling?” Nathan asked first.
Nia shrugged.
“Are you up for some breakfast?” Her aunt moved past him and brought a tray of toast, fresh fruit and coffee to the bed.
“Actually, yes,” Nia said, reaching for the tray. Covering a piece of toast with marmalade, she greedily took a bite. Her aunt went around the bed, fluffing her pillows for her to lie back against while her father stood uneasily at the door. “I’m famished. It’s amazing how hungry you are after an emotional breakdown,” she said jokingly.
No one laughed but her. “You guys really need to loosen up some. I’m all right now.”
“Care to tell us about it?” her aunt asked, coming to sit beside her on the bed. “You were intelligible last night.”
“No, not really,” Nia said, shaking her head.
“Maybe later, after I’ve showered. I feel like a ragamuffin right now.”
“All right.” Her aunt patted Nia’s thigh. “You talk to us when you’re ready.” She kissed her on the forehead and stood.
“Why don’t we have that second cup of coffee, Nathan? And let Nia eat in peace,” she said. Her father saw the determined glint in her aunt’s eye and decided it was best not to fight her on the subject. He hooked his arm in her aunt’s and they left the room.
Nia sighed, grateful that her parents had decided to leave well enough alone. Wait a second, had she just called them her parents?
It was true, though. Suddenly Nia felt like a fog had been lifted and she could see everything much clearer. Her aunt was the only mother she’d ever known. All these years her aunt had lived in Lily’s shadow, never once asking for anything but Nia’s happiness.
As for her father, he was no angel and probably didn’t deserve the title, but he was all she had, and last night he’d proven he could be more if given the opportunity. Maybe she should give it to him. Could loving Damon have opened her heart to other things?
Placing the tray on the nightstand, Nia threw back the covers and walked over to the bureau to search for a few clothes she kept there in case she spent the night. Finding a bra, fresh underwear and some sweats, Nia headed to the bathroom.
She turned the shower on full blast and let it wash over her. The scalding water pounded away the kinks of the night before, but her mind kept going back to the times she’d spent with Damon. The mornings when they had languorously made love in the shower, slowly caressing each other as they washed each other’s bodies. Nia felt her breasts tingle with excitement and a familiar warmth developed in the center of her womanhood. She was angry at her body’s betrayal. Even now, after everything, her body still craved his. Damon had become a part of her whether she wanted to admit it or not. She scrubbed at her body furiously, trying to rid it of the memories. When she finally felt cleansed, she turned off the tap and exited the shower.
