by Lena Skye
Naomi swallowed hard and covered her face with her hands. “I can’t believe this. I can’t… all this time. I thought it was just the two of us. All this time, he was seeing her… he even called me at the office and begged me to take him back because he said he missed me! What a liar! I’m so furious about this!” She clenched her hands into fists and took a deep breath, closing her eyes as she tried to stem the rage that burned through her.
Taking another deep breath, she opened her eyes and looked at Eva. “You know what? You’re right. I am going to keep this baby, and he’s going to help me with it, and that’s just all that there is to it. He’s not getting out of this. I can’t get out of it, really, so neither can he. He’s going to have to own up to it and take responsibility for it, just like me. Maybe she’ll dump him when she finds out what a bastard he is.”
Naomi surprised herself with the venom that she felt toward him. It was totally unlike her to hold serious grudges and feel so much anger toward another person, but in her circumstance, there was no other way that she could feel.
“Good. I’m glad that you’re going to keep the baby, and I’m glad that you’re going to make him take care of this.” Eva was still outraged. “You better see him soon, and get this straightened out.”
“You’re right. I will. I think he’s home this afternoon. I’ll go over and talk with him about it,” she sighed as the thought of talking to him began to make her uneasy. “Thank you for visiting with me about this, and for telling me about Jennifer Jones. I had no idea. I feel so stupid.”
Eva shook her head. “You aren’t stupid; he’s a liar and a cheat. That doesn’t make you stupid, it makes him a jerk. You don’t deserve that; you deserve much better, and he’s the furthest thing from what you really deserve. So don’t hang on to that, and don’t think about it. It’s a sign of his character, not yours.
He’s a cheating, lying, using bastard—that’s all. He’s not even worth looking at. That has nothing to do with who you are. Don’t you think that for a minute, okay? You’re incredible, and he was lucky to have ever been with you. You were just unlucky to have been with him. Just focus on you and the baby now, and make sure he pays you for all of his share of it.”
Naomi gave a nod. “You’re right. He is a bastard, and he was one of the worst mistakes that I ever made. I should have known it was wrong when he didn’t want to do anything outside of the house, but now I know why. Now I have to deal with the hand I’ve been dealt, and just move forward. Thank you for the talk, Eva. You’re the best. I really appreciate it.”
“You’re not going to go through this alone. You know that, right? I’ve been by your side since I met you, and I’m going to stay by your side and see you through this. It’s going to be all right. You’re strong, and capable, and you can do this, but you’re not going to do it alone. Right?” Eva asked with an encouraging smile.
“Okay,” Naomi answered her quietly as relief cooled the edges of the anger that she felt. “We’ll get through it.”
She rose up from her seat and Eva stood up beside her and hugged her warmly, before waving goodbye and watching her as Naomi left the café.
The man at the table beside them turned his phone off, picked it up along with his notebook, and hurried out of the door close behind Naomi.
***
She drove the winding roads up into Beverly Hills and as she went along, the realization of where she was going and what she was going to have to face when she got there began to overwhelm her.
He had lied to her and cheated on her. He had used her like she was a disposable piece of trash. She meant nothing at all to him; not even as simply as another human being who should not be treated so poorly and with such disregard.
That was the definitive mark of who he was, and she was about to tell him that he was going to be a father and have a child. She began to wonder what kind of a father he would be, and how he would treat his child. Especially one who came from a relationship that he had hidden from its inception.
She wondered if he would try to hide the baby as well, and the thought sickened her to know that he probably would want nothing to do with it, and that he probably would be just as ashamed of the baby as he was of her, and a strong passion began to form deep in her. No child should be treated in such a way. No child should be ignored and hidden; like a dirty secret. Like the dirty secret that her love had been with him.
Before she pulled into his driveway, she had made up her mind that she wasn’t going to tell him about the baby right away. She was going to talk with him about Jennifer Jones and see what he had to say about that before she said a word about the baby they were going to have.
She thought that he might not even deserve to know about the baby, but she was going to give him a chance to explain about Jennifer first, and then she would make up her mind as to whether or not he could know about the baby.
She parked her car and got out of it, slamming the door behind her and marching to his front door. She realized as she knocked, that she had left his home in as much of a temper as she was coming back to it, and that that too was a sign of his negative influence in her life.
He opened the door and stood stock still for a moment as he took her in. Nothing was spoken for a long moment as he stared at her, but then a soft look came over his face and he reached his arms out to her to embrace her.
“Naomi! I can’t believe you’re here! I’m so glad to see you.” He reached for her and she stepped back away from him.
“Don’t you touch me,” she replied, eyeing him seriously. “I’m here to talk with you, and that’s it.”
He went silent and nodded, stepping back to let her into his home. She went to the living room and sat in a chair near his sofa, which she had chosen when she redesigned the room. He sat on it, and looked at her with intense emotion.
“I’m so glad to see you. I have missed you so much,” he began, but she held her hand up and pierced him with her eyes.
“I want you to tell me about Jennifer Jones. Tell me how you could be seeing her and sleeping with me. Tell me how you could be dating her in public, and not want to be seen with me. Tell me why I’m some hidden secret that you’re keeping from the whole world, but you’ll parade her around in front of the cameras and crowds all the time. Tell me the truth, Scott.” Her tone was level, and her eyes were lethal.
Scott felt his stomach tighten as her words hit him like a wall. She knew. He had been surprised that she hadn’t known before; there were so many images of him with Jennifer all over social media and the newspapers and in so many magazines so often, but somehow it had never been something she had brought up, and he had loved that. He hadn’t needed to explain anything to her at least then, but there she was standing before him, demanding an explanation.
“I’m not dating Jennifer. I never have dated her. We’re just friends, but it looks like we’re a couple in the media, and we both just kind of let it go that way, let everyone think what they will.” He began wondering if she would believe him. “I have no interest in her that way.”
Naomi’s mouth dropped open and her eyes narrowed. “You’re lying to me again? After everything we’ve already been through? Scott, I saw the pictures! I saw you with her! You can’t possibly be denying it! I know you’re dating her. I know there’s much more between the two of you than just friendship! I saw it! How could you do this to me again? How could you lie again?”
He shook his head adamantly. “No! No, Naomi, it isn’t like that! You don’t understand! She’s just a friend! We went to a party once together and it hit the papers, and we just never corrected it, and now every time we go anywhere together, the media is always shooting pics of us, and making it look like we’re a couple but we aren’t!
We just thought it would be easier to let them assume whatever they want instead of really setting the record straight! Listen, I’m not lying to you. I’ve never lied to you! You’re just not aware of what’s really happening. You have to listen to me. You have to
believe me!”
She glared hotly at him and shook her head. She was astounded with him. It seemed impossible that he could stand there and lie to her after he had lied to her face for so many weeks while their love affair was building up so hot and so strong. Yet, when she confronted him with having another woman as his girlfriend, he had the audacity to deny it and try to lie to her again to cover it up.
“I’m appalled at you. I can’t even begin to think how in the hell you could stand there and lie to my face again, after everything that you’ve put me through! What in the hell is your problem? Why can’t you just be honest with me and care about me even a little bit for once? Just once? I already know the truth, Scott, and yet you stand here in front of me, lying to me again, and for what?
To try to save face? Well it’s too late! I already know about you and Jennifer! There’s no way you can come out of this looking good, you absolute bastard! How could you do this to me? How could you lie to me, cheat on me, and treat me so low? How could you be so rotten? You told me you cared so much about me, but you never did! You never cared about me at all!” she hollered at him as anger began to build in her.
“I do care about you! I can’t stop thinking about you, and I miss you like crazy! I never expected to miss you this much! You mean a great deal to me! I don’t know why you can’t believe me that there’s nothing going on with Jen and me! Don’t believe everything that you see in the papers!” He pleaded with her, wishing that she would change her mind. He did miss her, and he wanted her back with a fierce desire, but he could see from the looks of her just then that it wasn’t likely to happen.
“Oh bull! Now you’re telling me not to believe my own eyes? Not to believe all of the evidence of the two of you being a couple everywhere in the public eye when you wouldn’t even go out of your house with me? How stupid do you really think I am? Do you think I’m going to believe that you weren’t just using me for sex and keeping me hidden as a secret here away from prying public eyes?
No way! You’re keeping me a secret because you were dating another woman and you had her out in public all those times that you kept silent about me, and tucked me away here where no one would ever find out about me! You bastard! Now you’re trying to tell me that I don’t know what I’m talking about and that you really care about me, when it’s out in the open and plain as can be that you just had me as the other woman! You’re such a sleazy bastard! I can’t believe you! You’re the worst! I don’t ever want to see you again! Ever!” She turned and stomped toward the front door, yanking it open angrily.
She turned once and looked over her shoulder. There was no way she was going to tell him about the baby she was carrying in her womb. That was a treasure he was never going to know he had created. “I’ll be by when you aren’t home to finish this up, and then that’s it. You can go straight to hell after that.” She walked out and slammed the door behind her, not letting herself cry until her car was out of sight of the house.
Scott watched her drive away, and raked his hand through his hair in frustration. He didn’t know how it could have happened twice, but he hated to fight with her, and more than that, he hated to see her go.
Scott was still fuming about what had happened with Naomi when his agent, Harold, called him a short while later.
“Scotty!” he said through the phone with his gravelly voice and a smile that sounded pasted on.
“Hey Harold,” Scott answered quietly.
“You home this afternoon? I thought I’d swing by.” Harold wasn’t asking, and Scott knew it.
“Yeah, I’m home come on by if you want to,” he answered quietly. He was still thinking about Naomi.
“We’ll see you in just a while,” Harold answered, and then hung up. Scott thought nothing more of it until the doorbell rang a short while later and he opened it to find Harold there, but Harold wasn’t alone. There was a gorgeous blonde woman standing beside him with a million dollar grin on her face.
“Good afternoon Scotty,” Harold said as he walked right in past Scott, patting him on the arm as he passed by him.
Scott looked from Harold to the woman. “Jennifer… what a surprise. I didn’t expect to see you both here, together.” He ushered Jennifer in, and she came in when she was invited.
“I didn’t expect to be here either, but Harold said he wanted me to come with him over here to see you. How are you doing Scott?” She smiled at him and embraced him, kissing him gently on the cheek.
He hugged her back and let her go, closing the door behind her and following her into the living room where Harold had already gone. He was on the phone when Scott and Jennifer walked into the room, and Scott gave him an irritated glance that Harold didn’t see. Jennifer saw it and stifled a laugh, which made Scott laugh a little.
“Can I get you anything to drink?” he asked her.
“Sure, do you have any white wine?” She looked hopeful, her smile shining brightly.
“Yeah, I do. Come on. We’ll get some wine while Harold’s on his phone call.” They left the living room and walked through a few more rooms to get to the kitchen. As they entered it, Jennifer was looking all around her.
“I love what you’ve done with your place! I never would have expected it! It’s so beautiful!” She gazed around her and touched her finger to the countertop.
“Oh thanks. I’m having it redecorated,” he replied, his thoughts going back to Naomi for a moment. He turned his head to hide the dark look on his face and reached for a bottle of chilled white wine from the wine cooler.
“Who’s your decorator?” she asked interestedly as he poured her a glass of wine.
“Oh… it’s Summit Interior Design,” he answered offhandedly. He was trying with everything in him to keep his mind off Naomi, and Jennifer was hovering much too close to the topic for his comfort. “One white wine.” He smiled, handing the glass to her.
She winked at him and took it from his hand. “Thank you.” She smiled back at him. “Aren’t you going to have any with me?” Her wide blue eyes were steady on his, and he hesitated only a moment.
“Yeah, I guess I will. It looks good.” He winked back at her and then poured himself a glass. Just as they were going to toast, Harold walked into the room and stopped in the doorway, eyeing them both. A wide grin spread over his wrinkled face, pushing his sagging cheeks back toward his long ears.
“Drinking wine together. How romantic.” He chuckled, pushing his old hat back on his half bald head. “That’s good. All right you two kids, I’m going to take off. I just got a call, and I have some things I need to take care of. Scott, why don’t you make dinner for Jennifer and then take her home later tonight, or tomorrow morning. See you two kids later.”
With that, Harold left both Jennifer and Scott standing in surprise in the kitchen, as he turned and walked out of the door. All the breath in Scott’s lungs left him and he was speechless for a moment. Turning toward Jennifer, he gave her a smile and lifted an eyebrow.
“So, what would you like for dinner?” he asked her.
She grinned at him and held up her wine glass to finish their toast. “Let’s start with this…”
***
Naomi walked into the office the next morning, and Keisha smiled at her, handing the mail to Naomi as she stopped at Keisha’s desk.
“I made coffee, and here’s the mail from yesterday afternoon. Also…” she paused and looked a little anxiously at Naomi, “Reggie Davis is coming in around noon to talk about what he’s going to do with the building and our lease. That’s Mr. Davis’ son.”
Naomi stopped almost mid-step and turned to look at Keisha. “Reggie Davis is coming here? Today?” She made herself take a deep breath. “Okay. Well, we’ll get some answers, and that’s the best that we can hope for right now.”
She looked away from Keisha as her heart began to pound against her chest, and she headed to her desk. There was a lot going on in her mind, about all the things that were going on in her world, and all of it was overwhel
ming her.
She sat and made herself go through the mail, made herself focus as hard as she could on every word before her, and not on the thousand things that were going crazy in her mind.
Every time she looked at the clock that morning, it seemed to be rushing toward the noon hour, and she felt as if she was freefalling toward a definite end that could not be avoided. It made everything in her even tenser.
At two minutes to noon, she was tapping her fingernail against her desk and staring at a letter on her desk. She hadn’t read the letter, though she had been staring at it for almost ten minutes.
“Naomi,” Malaika said calmly. “Please stop tapping.”
Naomi blinked and looked over at her hand on the desk. She hadn’t even realized that she was doing it. “I’m sorry,” she said quietly.
Malaika rose up from her desk and gave Naomi a smile. “I know things are difficult right now, but look at this as an opportunity to build a new and good relationship with Reggie, just like you did with his father. This is just the first step, and the first step is usually the most difficult. You can do this.”
Naomi gave her a half-hearted smile and just then the front door opened, and a tall, well built, stocky looking man walked in. He was dressed in a polo shirt and tailored pants. The curls of his black hair were trimmed short on his head, and he was undeniably handsome at first glance.
His brown eyes scanned the room quickly, and they stopped on Malaika, who was watching him from where she stood at her desk.
“Miss Peters?” he asked, looking at her.
“I’m Naomi Peters,” Naomi said, standing up and making herself walk toward him with a good deal more confidence than she felt.
He tore his gaze away from Malaika and looked at Naomi. A polite smile came over his face and he held his hand out to take hers.
“I’m Reginald Davis. My friends call me Reggie. Thank you for meeting with me today.” He gave her a nod as they shook hands.