“I can take care of you.”
“I need to be able to take care of myself.” God, what was I doing? He was so perfect, and I was screwing it up because of my pride, but I needed to be able to take care of myself.
“I’m not letting you move in with him, Nikki. There is no way!”
“Dylan, you can’t tell me what to do. I can take care of myself.” I jumped out of the car. He didn’t understand.
Dylan jumped out of the car, running over to me. I flinched, covering my face and bracing myself, expecting to be hit. His eyes opened wide, horrified that I’d think such a thing.
“Nikki, my god.” His hand was almost shaking as he took my hands from my face and caressed it. “Did you think I was going to hit you? I’d never do anything to hurt you.” He wrapped his hands around my waist and pulled me close. “I’m worried about you, that’s all. I don’t know this guy. I’ll go crazy on the Slope worrying, Nikki. When I’m there, I won’t be able to do anything to help you if you are in trouble.” He picked me up, sitting me on the car in front of him. “I’ll die if anything happens to you.”
“Dylan, I have to do this. I need to prove to myself I can. Besides, it may be safer for Emily and me not to be alone. It may be better if there is a guy upstairs while you are gone. He’s harmless. He really is.”
“Who is this guy? Let me check him out.”
“He comes in with a cop all the time. I’m sure he’s fine. It’ll be okay.”
“I want to meet him before I go on the Slope. Can we go there tomorrow after I take you shopping? I want to check out the car. I want to make sure you are going to be all right.”
“No, he’s going to be busy. I wanted you to go there with me, but he can only meet me on Saturday.”
“Saturday? I thought you were coming with me to Seattle. What about the wedding?” His voice became agitated again.
“I didn’t know about the wedding. I was trying to figure out how to make it work. I thought maybe I could fly in after I saw the place. I figured you would be playing on Friday night anyway.”
“Why can’t you go Monday?”
“He has someone else looking at it on Monday. I really want this place. I just don’t know what to do.”
“Nikki that is fine. You do what you have to do. I’ll do what I have to do.” His checks reddened as he held back his anger. He shook his head and mumbled under his breath as he walked back inside.
Why couldn’t he understand how important this was to me? I glanced at the entrance of the club. I didn’t want to go back in there. I couldn’t bear to see his disappointment. Was he jealous? It wasn’t like I was moving in with Steve. Steve had a live-in nanny. Why couldn’t Dylan understand that?
I sighed, but it was his sister’s wedding, and he wanted me by his side. He wanted me to meet his family—his family! Maybe it seemed like I didn’t care.
A knot twisted in my stomach. The tears falling from my eyes began to freeze on my cheeks. I realized I’d made the wrong decision. I remembered how many times Ronald made up excuses for not doing things with my family and how it hurt me. This was Dylan’s sister’s wedding. If the place wasn’t available on Monday, it wasn’t the end of the world. This was a big step for the two of us. He was taking me to meet his family! I’d ruined it. It was over. What had I done?
Headlights pulled into the parking lot. Someone must have called a cab.
I jumped off the car and ran to the cab, climbing in the back seat. I needed it more than they did. My purse sat behind the bar, trapped, but I had some cash at the hotel I could give the driver. I just wanted to get away from there, and get away fast. I wiped my face, gave the driver the address, and we were off.
At the motel, I picked up the phone and dialed the bar. “Pete, please tell Brad I’m feeling sick and have to take the rest of the night off.” I managed to hold back the tears.
“There are plenty of waitresses here. I think he was going to let a couple go anyway. You get some rest.”
“Thank you, Pete.”
As I hung up the phone, the tears cascaded down my face. Flopping on the bed, I pondered, “What have I done?”Ring, ring, ring. The telephone rang over and over, but I couldn’t bring myself to answer it. The horrible sound tormented me. I put the pillow over my head to drown out the noise. Ring, ring, ring. It was over. I couldn’t even begin to talk.
“He hates me.” I curled into a ball on the bed.
Chapter Twenty
“Shh.” He carried me over to the dresser
and sat me on top, gently rubbing his cheeks against mine.
“You don’t want me to go.”
~The Impostor
I heard keys jingle at the door, and the door opened. Pretending I was asleep, I dug my head in my pillow. I didn’t want to talk to anyone.
“She’s in here,” Emily shouted.
“Thank god!” a relieved voice answered.
“You idiot, we were worried about you. Why didn’t you answer the phone?”
I stayed buried in the pillow as Emily took a pillow from her bed and threw it at me. “I got your purse. I can’t believe you didn’t call me or something.”
I had hoped Pete would have said something to her.
Then a deep voice intruded, “Emily, is there any way I could have a few minutes with her?” I recognized Dylan’s voice. I squeezed my pillow tighter. Don’t leave Emily. Don’t leave. I don’t want to talk to him. I don’t want to hear how disappointed he is. Let me sleep. I peeked up from my shelter.
“Here,” he said, pulling his credit card out of his wallet. He turned to Emily. “Could you please get a room for me?” He handed her the card. “I’ll stay at this motel tonight. Can you hang out in it till I finish talking to her? Please?”
“Kicking me out of my own room? I’m gonna order a movie,” she sassed as she proceeded to the door.
“Thank you so much.”
“And maybe room service,” she piped in jokingly. There was no room service in this dive. As she was closing the door, she called out, “Nicole, I’m still pissed at you. You gave us a heart attack.”
Don’t leave, Emily, my thoughts pleaded, but Emily closed the door behind her.
Dylan came over to the bed. I curled tighter in a ball and hugged the pillow as if I was six years old and it was a teddy bear that could protect me from terrible dreams. I could feel Dylan’s weight as he sat next to me. He ran his fingers through my hair, tenderly.
“I’m sorry,” Dylan began.
I kept my head buried in the pillow. I couldn’t help it; I began tearing up again.
“Come on, baby, don’t cry.” He pried the pillow from my grasp.
The sound of my whimper was no longer muffled. My hands sheltered my face.
“I’m not quite sure what happened.” He gently exposed my face, removing my hands. His index finger wiped the tears from my eyes, as he gave a little chuckle. “You look like a raccoon.”
I hit him and buried my face in his chest. “You are so mean,” I whined with a half-hearted laugh.
“But the cutest raccoon I have ever seen.”
I observed the stain of mascara on my hands. Sitting up, I glanced at the mirror across the room. I noticed my eyes, covered in the smudges of black from the hour of crying. I rubbed at the mess, but it just smeared them more.
“Come here, baby.” He began to take me in his arms.
I pushed him away. I felt weak from crying. I could not handle it. I was falling way too fast, and the roller coaster of emotions felt toxic.
“Please leave, Dylan. Please go.” I rolled off the other side of the bed. “Please, Dylan.”
“Nicole, I don’t know what happened. One minute we were going to Seattle together, and the next you were moving in with some guy.”
“It’s not like that, Dylan. It’s not like that at all.” I grabbed the pillow off the floor and curled up in the chair next to the window. “Please go, I really don’t want to see anyone right now.” Dylan walked around
the bed, again taking the security pillow out of my arms.
“Nicole, you don’t want me to go.” He lifted my chin so I would look into his eyes.
“I want to be alone.” I turned my head away so his eyes wouldn’t hypnotize me.
He leaned in and whispered, “I know you don’t want me to leave,” as he lifted me off the chair.
“Yes, I do. I want to be alone.” But somehow he could see the truth in my eyes. I didn’t want him to leave. I was falling in love with him.
“Shh.” He carried me over to the dresser and sat me on top, gently rubbing his checks against mine. “You don’t want me to go.” He began tasting my neck. Then, as he captivated me with his eyes, his hands began unbuttoning my blouse. I grabbed his hands.
“No, Dylan. Stop.” He took my hands and pinned them against the mirror.
“You don’t want me to go,” he whispered again. His tongue stimulated my earlobe, then ventured down my neck.
“Dylan, stop.” I sighed as my craving for him grew. I felt the moisture of his tongue exploring. “Dylan,” I exhaled in a moan, wrapping my legs around him. I pulled him even closer with my legs, gasping as he excited me. As he unpinned my hands, I embraced him, savoring the salt from his neck and then capturing his mouth with my own. He picked me up and brought me to the bed, laying me on the mattress. Suddenly, our kisses were intermingled with my sniffles. Tears came to my eyes.
“Shh, shh. What’s wrong, baby?
Timidly I admitted, “I thought I had lost you forever.”
“I’m not that easy to get rid of.” He kissed my nose, and each of my cheeks.
I raised myself off the mattress, sitting upright so I could see his face. I needed him to understand. In between breaths I explained, “Dylan, if I knew it was your sister’s wedding, I never would have made other plans.”
He lifted himself up beside me, touching my face. “Nicole, I’m not willing to end this. If you go see this house Saturday, we can somehow make it work—as long as you promise me you will be by my side at the wedding. It’s really important to me. This is my baby sister. You’ll love her. I want you there.” He kissed the top of my head. “I hate the idea of you moving in with a stranger when I can get you your own place.” His hand brushed the hair off my shoulder.
“For me, Dylan. I need to do this.”
“I understand.” Dylan lifted my chin again to kiss me. His lips were so delicious.
“Mmm . . . I am so into you Nicole.” He slid his body on top of mine, exploring my body with his hands as he kissed my lips. “I’d do anything for you, Nicole. Anything.” His mouth traveled slowly down my neck and to my opened blouse as his hands caressed my body.
I tasted the salt from his skin as I fell into his world.
His lips soon made their way back to mine. As he pressed his body on top of me, I could feel his hardness between my legs. I began to get moist. I wanted to feel him inside of me, but as he made a smooth attempt to unzip my pants, my hand stopped him. I knew once I surrendered myself totally to him, I’d lose all sense of control. I knew I’d become even more vulnerable.
“I want to make love to you, Nicole,” Dylan whispered, gently thrusting so I could feel how much he wanted me—our bodies intertwined, yet clothed.
“Not tonight,” I whispered. As much as I wanted him, he was leaving. I couldn’t give in to my overwhelming hunger for him.
“What are you afraid of?” he pleaded with his sexy brown eyes.
“Everything,” I confessed.
“Nicole, you don’t have to be afraid. There is only you.” He glided his fingertips over my face.
I swallowed, lost in his gaze. “And there is only you,” I revealed.
I could feel his heartbeat against my chest, racing with mine. I knew once I made love to him, I would feel like it was his blood that ran through my veins and that I’d be lost without him. He is leaving, I reminded myself. He is leaving. He told me he was coming back, but how could I be sure? He began kissing me again.
“Dylan,” It was so hard to say, “I’m sorry.”
He gently pressed his fingers against my lips to stop me from apologizing.
“Shh, you don’t ever have to say you’re sorry.” He tenderly kissed me. He looked into my eyes. “I will wait.” His lips traveled from my lips, kissing my checks, and then his nose nudged against mine in an Eskimo kiss. “I will wait, Nicole.” His lips traveled back to mine. “For you, I’ll wait.”
Chapter Twenty-one
Dylan put his finger over my lips,
“Shh, let me spoil you.”
~The Impostor
“You’re gonna love this place.” Dylan leaned over and gave me a kiss. “I’ll be back in a few hours to pick you up.”
I jumped into the shower as soon as he left. I no longer looked like a pitiful boxer who had been in the ring with a prizefighter. I couldn’t believe how awful I looked all night.
“Emily, I have no idea what to wear.”
“You’re going shopping, for god’s sake.” She still wasn’t that excited she was kicked out of her room for the night, especially when she found out nothing had happened anyway.
“I know, but I have no idea how to dress.” I rummaged through my clothes.
“Can I borrow something?”
“Here try this on,” she said, handing me an adorable little outfit. “I think it will be cute.”
I zipped up the pants. Turning around, I peeked in the mirror, making sure it didn’t make my butt look too big, and pulled the tight-fitting shirt over my head. I grabbed the jacket from her hands, slipping my arms into it. “Oh, this is perfect. Do you have any shoes?”
“You are so needy.” She smirked, handing me shoes and a purse that matched perfectly.
“You are an angel.” I tried everything on and modeled it in front of the little mirror on the dresser. “This is perfect! What would I do without you?”
“Probably die.” Emily smiled.
“Are you sure you won’t come to Seattle? It could be fun.”
“I need the money. I have to work. I’ll go with you Saturday to see the place, though. It’ll be great to have our own rooms. You are kind of a slob.”
She glanced at the things I’d hurled out of my suitcase while trying to find something to wear. It was pretty bad. We tried using the drawers in the room, but there were only two, and they were too small to fit everything.
Before long, there was a knock at the door. Dylan had returned.
“Hey, beautiful, you ready?”
I grabbed the purse Emily let me borrow. “I’ll see you tonight.” I gave her a hug as I walked out the door.
“Have fun,” she replied.
“I’ll try,” I thought.
I love those scenes in the movies where the girl tries on all these different outfits and the guy thinks everything looks great on her. I wasn’t so sure it was going to be that way for me. Usually when I go shopping, it takes me forever to find a pair of jeans.
“The store I went to with my sister is too far, but there is a boutique in town that is supposed to be nice. I saw this cute dress in the window.” He leaned over to me, “You look beautiful by the way,” and gave me a peck on the cheek. “Although you sport that raccoon look pretty well also.”
“I was going for the boxer look, actually.”
An incredible selection of dresses covered the mannequins in the window—featuring all different styles and colors. We were greeted at the door as if we were guests at their villa. The scent of rose and lavender filled the air, and a soft live cello serenaded us.
“How may I help you today?” a woman asked while taking our coats.
“We need a few outfits for this astonishing young lady,” Dylan replied, glancing at me. “A dress for a wedding, and then some outfits for a brunch and sightseeing or whatever we decide to do.”
“Are you the bride?”
He laughed answering for me, “Not yet.”
I peeked up at Dylan timidly and smiled.
If only.
A gentleman came in the room and asked, “Would you like some cappuccino, or wine perhaps?”
“Cappuccino sounds perfect. What about you, Nicole?”
“Yes, cappuccino does sound perfect.”
The lady led us into a room filled with gentle lights around a large mirror. There was a small platform to stand on and check yourself out from every angle.
“You can sit here,” she motioned to Dylan, “and we shall return.” He sat in a chaise. I could smell the mocha cappuccino fill the room as the gentleman placed the two cups in front of Dylan. The lady proceeded to bring me back to a huge room with flowers.
“I think you will look stunning in this.” She pulled out a dress, draping it in front of me. “Why don’t you try this one on?”
When I came out of the dressing room, she had matching shoes and accessories waiting for me. I slipped my locket into Emily’s purse so I could put on the necklace.
“This is beautiful.” I put my hand on top of the necklace.
“The center stone is deep lavender Swarovski crystal with clear Miyuki seed and delicate beads.” She admired it too. The lady then led me into Dylan’s waiting room.
As I entered the room, his face lit up, shaking his head. Dylan stood up and walked over to me. “Exquisite.”
Taking my hand in his, he leaned over and kissed it. “We’ll take it—all of it. That necklace is beautiful, and I love those earrings too. You need to wear that to the wedding, Nicole.”
“All our accessories are handcrafted by the New Orleans jewelry artist, Aleta O’Brien.”
“We’ll take all of it,” he repeated.
“Dylan, you sure?” I mouthed. “It’s really expensive.”
He put his finger over my lips, “Shh. Let me spoil you.” He turned back to the woman. “How about the black dress in the window? I bet that will be beautiful also.” We went back to the dressing room, and I was adorned with another dress and accessories. I felt like Cinderella getting ready for the ball, even though the dress was short, and I didn’t have any glass slippers. It was like my fairy godmother was making my dreams come true.
The Impostor, A Love Story Page 14
