by Love, Kimmy
“No. It's money for lying and I don't want it. It's like I'm selling myself and I don't want that on my conscience.”
“I understand.” Bibi patted Sonia's hand.
The taxi pulled up outside the hotel and the girls rushed up to reception.
“I'd like to see Damian Hedley,” Sonia said, out of breath and flustered.
“I'm sorry,” said the man at the desk. “Mr. Hedley checked out about half an hour ago. In fact less than that, about fifteen minutes.”
“You're kidding me?” Sonia gasped.
“I'm afraid not. I'm sorry.”
“And he went straight to the airport?”
“I believe so.” The phone rang and the clerk excused himself to answer it.
“Well I guess that's that,” said Sonia, whose shoulders had slumped. “It's too late. I can't believe it.”
“Can't you call him?” Bibi said.
“No. We don't have each other's cells.”
“Oh Sonia, I'm sorry. But, I'm sure we can look him up on line and you could write to him in DC.”
“It's no use. It just wasn't meant to be. Let's just go – get something to eat. Or drink. I'm buying. It was a ridiculous idea to come here in the first place. Sorry I wasted your time, Bee.”
“Don't be. You wanted closure and at least we tried.” While she was still speaking, Bibi noticed that her friend had frozen to the spot. “Sonia? What is it?”
Sonia's eyes were opened wide and she was staring straight ahead. Her eyes had locked on a well-dressed woman just at the entrance to the bar.
“Penny?” Sonia had locked her gaze on Gloria Merriman. “You're the last person I expected to see here.”
They approached each other tentatively. “Well, what are you doing at Damian's hotel?” Sonia managed to say.
“This is one of our hotels. My husband came here to see Damian before he left.”
“You did?” asked Sonia. “Because that's exactly what I'm doing here. But I was too late.”
“Yes, he didn't leave here too long ago,” Mrs. Merriman said.
“I don't get it. Why were you coming to see Damian? You had your meeting.”
Mrs. Merriman lowered her eyes. “It seems, after reconsidering everything that's happened with the company, Joseph and I decided Damian was the best person to do the deal with.”
Sonia looked from Bibi and then back to Mrs. Merriman. “But when I left the boardroom, Damian didn't come straight after me. I thought it was because he wanted to plead his case and seal the deal with you and your husband. I know what a smooth talker he is. I thought he stayed to secure all his months of hard work.”
“No,” said Mrs. Merriman. “That's not what happened, not exactly. He stayed to tell us he was the best person to take on the hotels, all right, but he wasn't about to do a deal with us after what we …”
“After that shit you pulled earlier?” Bibi said, crossing her arms.
“It must have been humiliating for you, my dear,” Mrs. Merriman went on with a look of total embarrassment on her face. “It wasn't my idea to handle it like that, but I was just as angry as Joseph to be taken for a fool by you both. But after Damian left and we got into the nitty gritty with the investor, we knew we were making a big mistake.
“Damian Hedley had the best business portfolio by far. And whether he's a single man or not, he was the one we should have trusted with the company. We dismissed the investor after hours of negotiations with the lawyer and came straight here. We had to find him and tell him we were wrong. And apologize, of course.”
“And by the look on your face he refused you didn't he?”
“He did. Once again,” she said. “At the office, after you'd gone, Damian did his best to try convince us that you were not a … well, you know. I must say I believed what he said was true in the end. He did all he could to defend your honor. No one can blame him for the decisions he made. I know he hired you and he wanted to take full responsibility for the deception, which of course he should. And believe me when I say I don't blame you for what happened, Penny.”
“Sonia. My name is Sonia and I have to go.”
The girls turned to leave.
“So, why did you want to see Damian, Sonia?” Mrs. Merriman called after her.
Sonia turned around. “I thought I owed him an explanation, but I changed my mind. I don't owe him or any of you anything. So I guess I don't know what I'm doing here.”
“It's strange, though,” Mrs. Merriman went on.
“What is?”
“That once I knew you were a fake, I would have thought the real story behind you and Damian was that you'd both been dating for some time. You look so comfortable together and he lights up when you're next to him. You pulled off the newlywed couple so well, I would never have guessed it wasn't true. You seemed, I don't know, made for each other. Sonia, please accept my sincerest apology. It'll be hard, I know, for you to accept it at all. But I hope you do – in time. And I wish you all the very best in whatever you do.”
Sonia simply smiled. She didn't know how else to react to this woman who had put her through such an ordeal. Bibi shot Mrs. Merriman one of her famous filthy looks and hooked Sonia's arm, leading her back out to the street.
“Well, that's it I guess,” Sonia said.
“Not unless you want to do one of those dramatic scenes from the movies when the heroine goes running to the airport and stops the hero getting on his flight. And then everyone cheers when you get together.”
“That's only for movies and for happy ever afters,” Sonia said. “I think the way things have been left between us, there isn't going to be a happy ever after.”
“I'm sorry, Sonia.”
“Don't be. All of this started because I'm too impulsive. Taking the first job that comes my way without thinking it through. First it was the escort job. If I hadn't been in a rush to accept it, I would never have met Damian Hedley.”
“But if it hadn't been Damian, you still could have gotten mixed up with someone else's lies. That's what escorting is all about.”
“I guess that's true,” Sonia said. “But it was only because I met Damian I ended up being fired after one day. It's not exactly the kind of thing you want on your CV is it?”
“I guess, neither is prostitution.” Bibi bit her bottom lip but smiled through the awkwardness of the situation. “Sorry.”
“No, you're right.” They linked arms as they walked down the street. “I tell you what. If I never get an acting role, ever, in my life, I can say that this was the week in which I gave the performance of my life. Now let's go get a drink. Monday I'll return that quarter of a million and erase Damian Hedley from my life.”
As Bibi chatted on about what she would do with a quarter of a million dollars, all Sonia wondered about was how she was going to cope with not having Damian in her life anymore.
*
Sonia and Bibi walked into a trendy Manhattan restaurant and bar. It was expensive and though they'd always wanted to go there, they hadn't so far. But a treat was in order. Sonia needed cheering up – urgently. They ordered Cosmopolitans which went down very quickly and then they ordered a second round.
“We'd like to book a table for dinner,” Sonia said to the girl at the bar.
“Sure. For two?” she said and went to speak to the maître d'.
“Are you sure about this?” Bibi said once the girl was out of earshot. “This place is really pricey.”
“I know but I'm in an 'I don't care' mood, so just go with it.”
“Okay.”
It was early evening, so they were the first to be seated and their waiter made a big fuss over them. He must have thought that they were celebrating something when he saw the cocktails flowing and brought them extra bread with the meal with a big smile. He was very attentive and made sure they had a complimentary spirit at the end of the meal.
“I think he's after a very large tip,” Bibi whispered after he'd left their table.
“And it's w
ell deserved. He was great. Why can't all men be that sweet?” Sonia said knocking back her shot of brandy.
“By all men, you mean a certain billionaire,” said Bibi, “whose name we won't mention, but who must be about to touch down in DC.”
“Whatever,” Sonia said. “He's history now.” She stared into the empty shots glass.
“You really mean that?” asked Bibi, a little serious now.
“I do.”
“Well, your face is telling a different story.”
“I'm fine. I'm adjusting.”
“If you say so,” said Bibi. “Okay, I won't mention the D word, but you have to stop looking like you're about to burst into tears at any second.”
Sonia saluted. “I promise.”
They had a lot to drink by the time they left the restaurant. Their favorite waiter ordered a taxi for them and they asked the driver to take his time. The windows were wound down and the girls sat with their faces out onto the street, being intoxicated further by car fumes and the polluted breeze of a summer night in a busy city.
“When will you start your job hunt, Sonia?” Bibi said as the taxi neared their apartment building.
“Monday. First thing.”
“I'll do all I can to help, but can you do one thing for me?”
“Anything.”
“Promise me you're not making the biggest mistake of your life by not trying to call Damian. I mean just to see what could have happened between you guys if the circumstances had been different.”
“Bibi, don't start this now. We've been through it a million times. I can't think long term relationships with Damian.”
“But you've blown hot and cold with your feelings for him since day one. So – right here and now – tell me your reasons why and I'll never bring it up again.”
“Honest truth and no bullshit, Bee. I'm scared.”
“What of?”
“Shall I begin the list?” Sonia said. “I'm scared Damian is a fundamental player and might think he wants to get to know me for now, but then change his mind. Second, I don't know anything about his life in DC. He's been here doing nothing but lie and plot to get a deal. How can I trust him?”
“You don't know unless you give him a chance, Sonia.”
“That's the booze making you say that, Bee. You're the one who told me to be strong and get closure.”
“But only because that's what I thought you wanted to hear. I swear I'll stick by any decision you make but just make sure you're making the right one. Jesus, even that rich bitch, Mrs. Merriman, thought you two were an item.”
The taxi slowed to a stop just outside the apartment.
“I've got this,” Bibi said.
“No let me,” Sonia said jumping out first and leaning into the driver's window. “I'm almost a millionaire – even if it is only for one more day.”
Sonia was searching through her purse when behind her, someone cleared their throat.
“Please, allow me to get that.”
When she heard the voice, Sonia turned slowly. The taxi driver got annoyed and shouted: “I don't care which one of you pays me just pay up so I can get home. I've driven the whole Goddamn city and back again, today.”
Bibi got out of the taxi.“Aw, quit you're moaning. You're gonna get paid.”
Sonia smiled at Damian standing beside her with a large bouquet of flowers in his hand.
“You're here,” she said to him.
“And so is my empty hand, lady!” the driver said.
Damian dumped a bunch of notes into his palm. “Keep the change.” The driver looked pleasantly surprised at the wad of cash and happily sped off.
Bibi stood, dumbstruck for a moment on the sidewalk and looked from Sonia to Damian. “Will you be all right on your own?” she asked Sonia.
Sonia nodded but had not taken her eyes off Damian. “I'll be right up.”
“I won't wait up,” Bibi said as she rummaged for her keys and slipped into the building.
“Damian … but how? I don't understand what you're doing here.”
“Isn't it obvious? I came by straight after this morning's meeting,” he said. “I nearly broke your door down but Bibi insisted you weren't home and that I'd just missed you. When I left the building I thought for one hopeful moment that you'd come to the hotel.”
“Really?”
“Silly, I know. I knew you didn't want to see me and that Bibi was covering for you. I guess I couldn't take no for an answer but I gave up. I packed my case and sat there waiting for the time to pass so I could get my plane.”
“What happened? Did you miss your plane?”
“I got all the way to the airport and sat there and sat there. I knew that no matter what the outcome I just had to come back one last time and try to see you.”
“Well, here I am,” she said.
Although slightly sobered up now, Sonia didn't want the fact she'd been drinking to change what she'd just said to Bibi only a few minutes ago. But as Bibi had rightly said, Sonia's feelings for Damian had blown hot and cold since the second they met. She went from sexual attraction to wanting a relationship with him and then to wanting to protect herself from being hurt by him because she knew he was a womanizer – by his own admission. She was convinced she should steer clear, or at least she thought she was.
But there was Damian, towering above her, smelling of expensive aftershave, a sexy amount of re-growth on his strong chin and looking into her very soul with those intense eyes of his. He was making her weak again, without even trying.
“Apart from buying the biggest bunch of flowers in the only flower shop I could see on the way here,” Damian said. “I didn't know what I was going to say to you when I saw you, Sonia. I thought about it and thought about it, but seeing you now, I'm at a loss for words.”
“That certainly isn't like you,” she said, still keeping an air of seriousness about her.
“I know,” said Damian. “But that's what happens when I'm around you.”
“Now that sounds like the sweet talking Damian I know so well.” She shook her head.
“Honestly, Sonia, I'm not spinning you a line. I promise. I know you find it hard to believe me, to trust me, and I can't say I blame you after everything you've been through since we met. But before things got complicated, before I made a complete ass of myself, we had something. There was a spark there. I felt it and I was sure you did too. It was something much more than a physical thing.
“Don't get me wrong, I loved making love to you and you do have an exceptional body, but … what I'm feeling goes a lot deeper than that. It was a surprise to me. A wake up call, I guess. Maybe I'm growing up – finally. I don't know. But it's what you've done for me, Sonia. And I couldn't, I just couldn't get on that plane. For two reasons.”
“Which are?”
“Firstly,” he said, “how could I go without making sure you were all right after this morning's fiasco? And secondly, I've fallen for you, Sonia, and I want you to know that. I wanted to say it face to face and whatever you do with that is up to you now.”
Sonia crossed her arms and began to walk to the road, her back to him. She took a deep breath and looked upwards. The air had chilled and she felt it on her bare arms. She also felt the effects of the alcohol wearing away. She turned to face him.
“Damian.”
“Yes?”
“Please get rid of that bunch of flowers,” she said. “It makes it look like you're trying too hard.”
“Sorry.” He looked around for somewhere to deposit them and chose to let them stand in the closed doorway of Sonia's local store.
“Mrs. Ming will be very pleased to see those tomorrow morning,” she smiled. The smile came easily to her and she found it growing ever wider as she walked up to Damian and held both of his hands. He let out a sigh of gratitude and relief, but he wasn't sure yet what exactly was on her mind.
“Mrs. Ming will be happy tomorrow morning,” he said, “but what about us? What about our tomorrow morning?�
�
“Answering that question isn't so easy,” Sonia sighed. “I can't see into the future either, Damian, but I know I'd be really sad if I woke up tomorrow and you weren't there.”
“You mean that?” he said, his smile broadening, too.
“Yes I do. I've stopped being afraid. I've been making my own decisions since I was sixteen. So why stop now? I want to be with you, Damian,” she said. “I don't know how or where that's going to be, but I want you in my arms when I wake up in the morning.”