Owner of a Broken Heart

by Cheris Hodges

  Nina touched her wet cheek, not realizing that she had been crying. She didn’t want to go out, but she couldn’t sit around and cry all night.

  I’m going to get through this, Clinton was just another sorry-ass man. I will never fall in love again. It’s time for me to be the heartbreaker.

  Nina rushed to the bathroom, feeling emboldened by her revelation. She was going to go out with her sister and pretend that she didn’t have a care in the world and she was sure that if she stayed out long enough that she would actually come to believe it.

  She couldn’t have been more wrong.

  Nina and Yolanda headed to a dance club after they’d grabbed a quick bite to eat at Mert’s Heart & Soul restaurant.

  “Charlotte is turning into a happening city,” Yolanda commented as they waited for an Uber. “Maybe I should move my business here.”

  “Oh no,” Nina said. “I don’t need you here watching my every move and reporting it to Daddy.”

  “The world doesn’t revolve around you, Nina. I want a change. A change would do you good too,” Yolanda said. “You can write anywhere. Staying here is going to bring up a lot of memories that are going to cut you in the heart every time you see Lamar or Clinton shows up on your doorstep.”

  “To hell with Lamar and Clinton. I’m going to start over and fall in love with the one person I know won’t hurt me.”

  “Who is that?” Yolanda asked as the black car pulled up on the curb.

  Nina opened the door and smiled at her sister. “Me.”

  They slid into the back seat. “That’s the spirit,” Yolanda said.

  After a short ride to the club, the women were greeted with a long line of would-be partiers. Nina shook her head. “This is a bad idea. I don’t want to stand in that line.”

  “What else do you have to do? Cry over Clinton?”

  Nina glared at her sister as the exited the Uber. “No, I’m through with tears.”

  “You’d better be, Richardsons don’t cry, we survive.”

  Nina smiled, but she clearly wanted to go home, dive under the covers, and cry.

  Despite the number of people in the line, everyone got in the club fairly quickly. Nina and Yolanda were prepared to take their problems to the dance floor when Nina heard a familiar voice call her name. She whirled around and saw Lamar standing there with a smile on his face.

  “I didn’t think the club was your thing. You’re looking sexy as hell tonight.”

  “What do you want?” Nina rolled her eyes.

  “A lot of things, but right now, I’d settle for a dance.”

  “Who is this guy?” Yolanda asked, giving him a hateful glance.

  “This is Lamar.”

  Yolanda held on to Nina’s arm. “Oh. Sorry, Lamar, it’s a sisters’ night and you’re not invited.”

  He smiled. “So, she told you about me?”

  “Every slimy detail.”

  “Nina, where’s your new man?” he asked.

  “Lamar, go away, please.”

  He leaned in close to her ear. “You don’t have to put on a show for your sister, I know what you really want.”

  “Is that so? If you know what I want then why are you still here?”

  “I’m done. I tried to make things right with you, but you want to keep your ass on your shoulder. You don’t have to worry about me anymore.”

  “Good,” Nina snapped. “Because you were never good enough for me to begin with. Why did I waste my time with you when all you wanted was a good lay and your face in the newspaper? Lamar, go to hell and I mean that with everything in me. It’s men like you that make women just snap. Go out and find you another victim because I resign from that position.” She pushed him aside and Yolanda flipped her middle finger up at him as they headed for the middle of the dance floor.

  “Good job, Sis,” Yolanda yelled over the music. “It seems as if you are on your way back.”

  Chapter 19

  When Clinton woke up, he didn’t get on the road for Charleston. What did he have to rush back for? He didn’t have a job to get to and he was sure his father hadn’t lifted a finger to help clear his name. Birmingham was right. He’d been beaten. Nina’s reaction to him last night had been enough proof to show him that until the truth came out, he’d have a snowball’s chance in hell to win her back. He knew he couldn’t wallow in self-pity all day, so he pulled himself out of bed, showered, and checked out of the hotel. Then, against everything that his common sense told him, he headed back to Nina’s to see if she would talk to him.

  On the drive over, his cell phone rang.

  “Hello?”

  “Clinton, this is Sheldon Richardson.”

  “Mr. Richardson, sir, I’m surprised to hear from you.”

  “I figured you would be. You know, I don’t like to be thought of as a fool and that’s what Randall did. I discovered those e-mails you allegedly sent to Randall were falsified.”

  I told you so! “Mr. Richardson, I hope that you believe me when I tell you that everything Birmingham told you and your daughter was a lie.”

  “It looks that way but those checks,” he said.

  “Were written to my father, Clinton Jefferson Senior.”

  “That’s the same thing he said when he came to my office and that prompted me to looking into this thing further. I’m not willing to offer you your job back at this moment, but I will say this—if there is an ounce of truth to what Randall is saying, a job is the last thing that you’re going to have to worry about. I told you not to hurt Nina and from what I understand, that’s precisely what you did.”

  “Birmingham’s lies hurt her. I love Nina, Mr. Richardson, and excuse me for being frank, but I could give a damn if I never work for you again.”

  “Is that so?” Sheldon said.

  “The only thing that matters to me right now is getting Nina back.”

  Clinton could almost hear Sheldon’s smile through the phone. “You must really love my daughter if you’re turning down gainful employment. Right now, Alex and a computer technician are going through your hard drive to see if you and Randall were communicating.”

  “Mr. Richardson, I knew when I took this job that Birmingham wanted your property, I just had no idea he’d be so dirty and cause all of this division.”

  “Son, the only ones who lost anything were you and my daughter. This bed-and-breakfast means a lot to me, but not half as much as my four daughters. In a couple of years, I’m going to pass this place on to them and for all I know, they may sell it. Still, I’m not going to let Randall get away with this—especially since he made my daughter feel as if her heart had been ripped out of her chest.”

  Clinton felt a little better as he pulled into Nina’s parking lot. “Have you talked to her today?” he asked.

  “I called her and left a message. She’s avoiding me.”

  “Me too.”

  * * *

  Nina was glad to see Yolanda walking out the door, but when her phone rang and she saw her father’s face on the screen she didn’t answer. Nina had been up until about four a.m. with her sister at the club. What was surprising to her was that Yolanda woke up at eight thirty to make her meeting. She planned to do nothing but sleep the morning away. But every time Nina closed her eyes, she saw Clinton’s face. Then she reached out for him, only to wind up holding her pillow tightly. Her phone rang again and she ignored it, thinking that it was her father again. Or even worse, Alex.

  Just as she was about wrap up in her favorite blanket, the doorbell rang. “No one wants me to sleep today,” she groaned as she kicked out of the covers and headed to the front door. Nina, figuring it was her sister, opened the door without looking out the window first. “What is it, Yo—Clinton, what the hell are you doing here?”

  “If you don’t want to let me in, that’s fine, but please check your voice mail.”

  She rolled her eyes and sighed. “Why don’t you just say what you said on the message and leave?”

  “Your father
called you this morning,” Clinton said.

  “How do you know that?”

  “We just talked. He and Alex have taken a look at the stuff Birmingham gave them and the lie is unraveling. I never sent him those e-mails and those checks went to my father. Nina, I love you, and if you need to verify that I wasn’t using you, go ahead. But don’t question my love for you. I made a promise to never hurt you and I plan to keep it.”

  Nina wanted to fall into his arms and cover his face with kisses. She wanted to tell him that it had been a struggle for her to believe that he would use her in such a way. But she steeled herself and looked at him. She’d promised herself that no one would ever hurt her again and even if this was a lie, what about the next time? But what about what she felt and the fluttering in her chest as she looked at him? Nina wanted to ignore what her heart was saying to her because she’d been burned by love too many times.

  “Will you just leave?” Nina said.

  “No, I won’t.” He took a step closer to her. “I know why it seemed as if Birmingham was telling the truth. I can understand why you’re gun-shy. You have to know that I love you.”

  Nina shook her head. “I can’t do this,” she said. “I promised myself that I wouldn’t allow anyone else to hurt me and that includes you.”

  “I don’t want to hurt you, Nina. Tell me you know that I’m not like those men who hurt you in the past.”

  She turned her back to him, feeling as if she didn’t know anything. If her father had forgiven him, why couldn’t she? Nina knew that Clinton wasn’t the problem, it was her, and if it wasn’t this time, then he’d hurt her someway. She had to stop it right now.

  “I need some time alone,” she said. “There are a lot of things I need to sort out and with you here, that’s going to be impossible.”

  “So what happens when I leave?”

  Nina faced him, her eyes shining with unshed tears, and shrugged her shoulders. “There’s no crystal ball with the answers. I need some time to myself to process what’s happened to me over these last few months. This isn’t just about what happened between us, Clinton. Maybe I never got over all of my feelings about Lamar before I jumped into this with you. I’m glad you weren’t trying to steal my father’s hotel, but this has nothing to do with that.”

  Clinton folded his arms across his chest and stared at her. “Lamar’s the lesser of two evils in your mind?”

  “This isn’t about him, this is about me and what I want.” Nina took a step back from Clinton, she felt as if she couldn’t breathe with him standing so close. I’m either making the best decision of my life or the biggest mistake. “It’s over.”

  “You mean that? This is what you really want?”

  Though her soul screamed out no, Nina nodded. “It has to be. There will always be questions as to why we’re together. Are you trying to endear yourself to my father or do you really love me? You’re going to be wondering if I’m still harboring feelings for Lamar. It’s a recipe for disaster.”

  “How can you seriously think that?” he asked, his voice peppered with anger. “I haven’t even asked for my job back at the Richardson B&B. I don’t want it, I want you.”

  She shook her head. “What do you mean, I thought my father would’ve given you your job back since—”

  “Damn that job. I can find another one, but I can’t find another you.” Clinton pulled her into his arms and forced her to meet his gaze. “That night at dinner, I knew I wanted you more than anything I’ve ever worked for. Your father could’ve fired me on the spot and I wouldn’t have cared. Tasting your lips and feeling your skin against mine was like heaven. We can’t end like this.”

  “Clinton, please,” she said, trying to pull out of his grasp.

  “So, you’re scared? That’s what this is about? You’ve been looking for something to get you off the hook because you’re afraid to love me? There’s no loophole, it’s all or nothing, babe. You have to stop thinking love hurts because we both know that it can be beautiful.”

  Tears flowed freely down her cheeks as their eyes locked. “Clinton, I do love you and I’m scared because I don’t want to find out that you’re going to hurt me too.”

  “Nina, do you realize how much I love you?”

  “How much do you love me?” she asked.

  Clinton wanted to say something corny like more than the moon and the stars, but he brought his lips against her ear. “Let me show you.” He scooped Nina into his arms and headed for her bedroom. He didn’t have sex on his mind as he laid her on the bed. Clinton just held Nina as she cried silently against his chest.

  “I love you,” he whispered. “And I’m going to say it until you believe it.”

  She cast her eyes upward and met his gaze. “I love you, too.”

  “This time love isn’t going to hurt you. What we have is real and nothing or no one is going to change that.”

  “What about my crazy sisters?”

  “Just wait until you meet my crazy father,” Clinton said.

  Nina kissed him gently and nestled against him. “Are we really going to do this? I mean, Alex is going to freak out and Yolanda doesn’t like you right now either.”

  “I’ll win them over,” he said, holding her tighter. “As long as we have each other, nothing else matters.”

  Nina closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, silently praying that this was no dream, he said he loved her.

  * * *

  Clinton watched Nina as she slept, noting the angelic smile on her face and the subtle movements of her chest as she inhaled and exhaled through her mouth. His love for her made him ache. He couldn’t lose her, but he knew that Birmingham wasn’t going to stop messing with his life. He felt as if he and Nina had built a solid foundation—still, he wasn’t going to let Birmingham get away with his little ploy.

  Gently he stroked her cheek, trying not to wake her, but her eyes fluttered open.

  “Hello, beautiful,” he said.

  “How long have I been sleeping?”

  “I don’t know, about as long as I’ve been looking at you.”

  Nina blushed and turned her head away from Clinton’s heated gaze. “Oh, God, I hope I wasn’t drooling.”

  He pinched her cheek. “Just a little.”

  “Shut up.”

  Clinton took her face into his hands. “Nina,” he said huskily. “I want you so badly.”

  She rolled over on her stomach and looked up at him with a glimmer of desire in her eyes. “Then take me,” she said as she inched up his body and planted a deep kiss on his lips.

  Clinton wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing her against his arousal. “Oh, I plan to,” he said when their kiss broke off. Slipping his hand between her thighs, Clinton stroked her most sensitive area, feeling her heat through her shorts. “Those have to come off.” He unbuttoned them and snatched them off.

  “Anything else you want to remove?”

  He reached for her tank top and pulled it off in a swift motion. “This has to go too.”

  “What about you? You’re still fully dressed. Let’s change that,” she said as she pulled his shirt over his head. Then Nina rained kisses down the center of his bare chest and stopped at the waistband of his pants. With nimble fingers, she unbuttoned his pants and slipped her hand inside his boxers, and his erection sprang forward. Clinton closed his eyes and tossed his head back when he felt the warmth of her breath against his cock. The moment that she took him into her mouth, he nearly lost it. He held the back of her neck as she bobbed up and down, taking him deeper into her mouth. Seconds before he climaxed, Nina pulled back.

  “You taste as good as you feel,” she said seductively.

  He couldn’t respond as he looked into her eyes, his mind blown by the experience that she had just given him. Clinton flipped Nina on her back and returned the oral pleasure that she’d given him. He pulled her hips closer to his lips so that he could taste every drop of her feminine juices. She moaned and groaned as Clinton’s tongue da
nced across her throbbing bud. Nina wiggled underneath him as if she was trying to get away, but he wasn’t having it. He continued his kiss until Nina exploded.

  “You definitely taste as good as you feel,” he said as he released her. “I love every part of you, everything about you just drives me crazy with desire. I don’t ever want to lose you.”

  Reaching up, she stroked his cheek. “You won’t.”

  Smiling, he covered her mouth with his, kissing her until they were both dizzy and wanting more. With a free hand, he reached for his pants and pulled a condom from his pocket because he needed to be inside her.

  Nina took the package from his hand. “Let me,” she said as she ripped open the wrapper and slid the sheath over his erection. In a quick motion, Nina was on top of him, grinding against him slowly, taking him deep into the heat of her passion. Clinton reached up, palming her breasts and feeling her nipples growing hard against his fingers.

  “Nina, Nina, Nina,” he moaned as she bounced up and down in a sensual rhythm. Clinton easily caught her beat, rotating his hips and touching her every sensitive spot. She was wetter and hotter than he’d remembered. But every time he made love to Nina, it was as if they were making love for the first time all over again. She never ceased to amaze him or find some new way to make his toes curl or make him scream her name.

  Nina was his sensual goddess, a sexual muse who turned him inside out every time she looked at him. She leaned against him and kissed him, taking his tongue into her mouth, sucking and nibbling it. Clinton allowed her to control his body, their kiss, and her pleasure. But he couldn’t hold back his climax as Nina tightened herself around his shaft and leaned back, grabbing his ankles.

  “Oh baby,” he cried as he exploded. Nina collapsed against his chest, their bodies drenched in sweat.

  “Wow,” Clinton whispered against her ear. “That was simply amazing.”

  Nina fingered his nipple and kissed his cheek. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too. We’re never leaving this bed,” he said breathlessly.