by Mz. Robinson
Chapter 11
Damon
“Damon!” Nadia squealed, throwing her arms around my neck. The two of us stood backstage in the midst of a crowd of cast members, stagehands, reporters, and other well-wishers.
“It’s good to see you, Nadia,” I said sincerely, squeezing her lightly.
It had been almost two years since we’d last seen each other, and Nadia had barely changed at all. Her light skin was still smooth and flawless, and her frame was still thin. Her face was a little fuller, and her sandy mane that had once hung down to her shoulders was now cut in a short, layered bob. Looking at her, I had to admit she was still beautiful.
She stepped back to have a look at me. “You look good.”
“Thank you,” I said. “So do you.”
“Marriage agrees with you.”
“Love agrees with you.”
“Thank you,” she said. “Speaking of that, where is Octavia?”
“At home.”
“She didn’t want to come?” Nadia questioned with raised eyebrows. Her expression told me she already knew the answer to her own question, but she just wanted to hear me say it. I hate it when women do that mind-games shit.
“I felt it was best that I didn’t give her the option,” I said. I gave Nadia a look that she was all too familiar with—a look that let her know I did not want to discuss the subject in further detail.
“Did you enjoy the show?” she asked, changing the subject.
“I did,” I said honestly. “You were great.”
“Thank you, Damon,” Nadia smiled sweetly.
“So where is this mystery man of yours?” I asked, scanning the room with my eyes. “The man who has stolen your heart.”
“Well, he couldn’t make tonight’s show, but he is going to meet us at the after-party.”
“What after-party?”
“The one I’m hoping you’ll attend,” she said sweetly. She fluttered her lashes and smiled.
“Nadia, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Come on,” she whined. “Please!”
My first instinct was to tell her “no,” say “goodbye,” and go about my damn business, but I couldn’t help being curious. I let out a deep breath. “All right, but I can’t stay long.”
Nadia looked ecstatic that I had agreed to go.
My first instinct told me I should have declined Nadia’s offer, and my mother always told me, “Your first thought is always the right one.” This is one time I hoped my mother was wrong.
***
The after-party was exclusive, and members of the press were only allowed to attend without cameras. That was a relief to me because Nadia had been hanging all over me from the time I’d stepped into the banquet room of the W. The last thing I needed were snapshots of the two of us floating around. Her mystery man had yet to show, and I was quickly beginning to think he wasn’t coming. To make the shit worse, Octavia called, so I had to tell her yet another a lie about my whereabouts. I slipped outside in the hall to take the call.
“What’s with all the noise in the background?” she asked.
“Oh, I decided to have a couple of drinks,” I said, walking a few steps down the corridor, away from the room.
“Really?” she asked. “With some of the fellas from the office?”
“Naw, baby. You know I roll solo,” I said, and it was true. Since Savoy and Shontay had left for their trip, I either rolled alone or with my wife and daughter. Unless it was for business, you weren’t going to see me chillin’ with a bunch of other men. Hell, the more so-called friends a man has, the more problems he’s got.
“Aw, do you miss your Bonnie, boo?”
“Like crazy,” I said honestly. “Can’t wait to get back and show her how much I’ve missed her.” I spotted Nadia pushing through the banquet room doors. She looked down the opposite end of the hall first and then came in my direction. I held my finger up as a nonverbal way of telling her to be quiet, and then I watched as she strolled toward me.
“I miss my Clyde,” Octavia said.
“I’ll be home soon,” I reassured her. “I promise. How is Daddy’s girl?” I asked, gauging Nadia’s expression.
She smiled as she listened to my conversation.
“Wet,” Octavia said seductively. “Wait…were you referring to Jasmine or me?”
The tone of her voice was making my dick hard. “Be good,” I said lightly.
“Sorry, baby. Jazz is fast asleep.”
“Give her a kiss for me,” I said.
“I will,” Octavia said. “I love you.”
“I love you more,” I said sincerely before ending the call.
“Checking in?” Nadia asked, staring at me. The tone of her voice held a hint of what I thought might be jealousy, but the expression on her face was friendly and appeared innocent.
“Real men always take care of home first,” I informed her.
“There is nothing you can tell me about real men, Damon,” Nadia said, and then she sighed loudly. “I’ve had the realest of the real.”
“If this man of yours was a real man, he wouldn’t have left you waiting all night for him to be a no-show,” I said sarcastically.
“Trust me, Damon. He has his reasons,” Nadia said calmly. “And just to clarify,” she continued, lowering her eyes as she looked at me, “when I said I’ve had the realest, I was referring to you.”
***
Nadia’s suite was the last place I’d planned on seeing when I’d agreed to see her show, but by the end of the night, that was exactly where I found myself. Holding Nadia tightly in my arms, I slowly carried her over to the king-sized bed. Easing her down on top of the comforter gently, I shook my head. “You never could hold your liquor.” I laughed lightly.
Earlier, after watching Nadia finish off her third glass of chardonnay, I’d noticed that her words had begun to run together and she was leaning to one side, obvious signs that she had reached her limit and had too much to drink. I decided it was time to cut her off and insisted that she allow me to escort her up to her room. The two of us were feet away from the door of her suite when she let out a faint laugh, mumbled something about her baby, then collapsed in my arms.
To my surprise, when I opened the room door Nadia’s personal assistant, María, an older woman of Latin descent, was waiting in the living room. After introducing myself, I asked María to point me in the direction of Nadia’s bed. I slipped Nadia’s heels off of her feet and dropped them on the carpeted floor.
“Dame,” she moaned lowly.
“Yes?”
“I-I miss you,” she said.
“Go back to sleep, Nadia,” I said, ignoring her flirtatious slur.
Slowly sitting up in the bed, Nadia ran her fingers through her hair. Giving me a glazed stare she asked, “Don’t you miss me? Don’t you miss the times we shared?” she continued, leaning toward me. “The fun we had? The way we used to fuck for hours?” Stroking the side of my face with one hand, Nadia slid her other hand across my lap. She grabbed my crotch gently, causing my man to jump slightly.
“Chill, Nadia,” I said, brushing her hand away. Standing, I readjusted myself. Despite being turned off by Nadia’s sloppy drunkenness, my body—no, my dick—still responded to her touch by growing slightly. I decided it was time for me to make my exit. I had no intention of sleeping with Nadia, and I was not in the mood to deal with the emotional outbreak my intuition was telling me was about to take place.
“Why are you leaving, Damon?” Nadia asked. She was following so close behind me that she was practically walking on the back of my heels. “Stay here with me, just for tonight,” she pleaded.
“You know I can’t do that,” I said. “I have a family now, Nadia.”
We stood face to face in the living room of her suite. At the mere mention of my family, I saw a change in Nadia’s expression. Her eyes narrowed to tiny slits.
“Fuck your little Bama Barbie,” she snapped. “You act like the sun rises and s
ets on her ass!”
“Ms. Nadia,” María said, quickly entering the room, “please keep your voice down.”
Nadia spun around quickly to look at her. “Don’t tell me what to do!” she snapped. “Last time I checked, you work for me, not the other way around!”
“But I—”
“But nothing!” Nadia said, cutting María off. “Go back to your room NOW!”
María bowed her head and obediently shuffled out of the room. The expression on her face reminded me of a child who had just been scorned by her mother.
“Was that really necessary?” I asked, shaking my head.
“Is it really necessary for you to remind me every opportunity you get about that bitch you chose over me?”
“You need to watch your mouth,” I said firmly. I didn’t appreciate, nor was I going to continue to tolerate, Nadia disrespecting my wife.
“You need to live up to your promises, Dame,” she said with tears in her eyes. “What happened to you being here for me when I need you? What happened to the Damon I used to know?”
“I’m still me,” I said, “but now I have a wife and a daughter to take care of.”
“Fuck your wife and daughter!” Nadia screamed, glaring at me. “What about me? What about us? What about your son?!”
I erupted in laughter. “Nadia, you really need to go sleep that shit off,” I said, walking toward the door. “You’re trippin’.” As I opened the hotel door, I glanced over my shoulder. “You went from having an imaginary man to me having a son. That’s a whole new level of bullshit.” I walked out the door, slamming it behind me. I was halfway down the hall when I heard Nadia shouting.
“So you’re just going to walk away, Damon? From me? From your son?”
I was fed up with Nadia’s ranting and raving. I turned around, deciding to check her ass once and for all. “Fuck you and your crazy…” I stopped what I was saying when I saw Nadia standing in the hallway holding the hand of a small boy who looked no older than two. The child was handsome, with Nadia’s skin color, a head full of curly hair, and big brown eyes. When I first turned around, I’d wanted to tell Nadia that our friendship was officially over and that she could lose my number, but for the first time in my life, I was speechless. The little boy standing next to Nadia looked all too familiar to me, and I knew exactly why. The child held a striking resemblance to my baby girl, Jasmine.
Chapter 12
Octavia
The first couple days following his attack, Kelly spent his time doped up on painkillers and sleeping. Contessa was ecstatic when he finally broke out of his sleep coma and rejoined the rest of the world. I had just made it in from The Ambiance 2 when he came downstairs to speak with me. The swelling in his face had gone down considerably, and his lip was now only twice its normal size. I noticed he was starting to look better by the moment.
“You want me to stay here?” he asked.
“Until you heal,” I said. “I think that would be best, and you’ll love the guesthouse,” I said enthusiastically. Our guesthouse, which was normally reserved for visitors or whenever Shontay needed a getaway, was twice the size of a king-sized hotel room. It was fully equipped with a full-sized kitchen, all the latest appliances, and everything you would find in a studio apartment.
Kelly looked like he was pondering the offer until he sighed lightly. “I don’t think so,” he mumbled. Kelly was as stubborn as shit on the bottom of a shoe! Even in his broken condition, he insisted on holding on to his pride. I can respect a man holding his nuts, but he was seriously in no position to turn down my hospitality at that moment. Look what happened the last time he did, I thought.
“Look, you’re in no condition to take care of yourself right now,” I said. “Once you’re repaired, you can sleep anywhere you please. However, Ms. Contessa and I agree this is the best arrangement at the moment, and we are not going to argue with you about it. It’s settled.” I gave him a cocky grin then continued flipping through the stack of mail.
“And what about the man of this house?” he asked. “Did you and Auntie consult with him?”
The arrogance and confidence I had been feeling earlier dwindled away quickly, like a bubble in the wind. “I’m sure Damon will be fine with it,” I said firmly.
Kelly shook his head. “We’ll see,” he said. “We will see.”
***
I was anxious and excited that Damon was returning home from his business trip, so much so that I decided to invite my parents over for a little cookout and pool party, to which Contessa and Kelly were also invited. I won’t lie, I knew Damon was less likely to go off about Kelly in front of my parents. You can call me a coward if you want to, but my mother did not raise a fool. To avoid a blow-up by your man, you have to put him in the right place at the wrong time.
My father and Kelly hit it off instantly. After discussing his attack and his injuries, the two of them continued to converse on everything from politics to women. Their conversation flowed freely, and it was almost as if the two of them had met before. I liked the fact that Kelly seemed to be having a good time in spite of his injuries.
Mama, on the other hand, kept her conversation with Kelly short and sweet. She was polite, but I knew there was something behind her quietness. Whenever Mama nods or just smiles, it’s a guarantee that she is up to something. “That Kelly seems really nice,” she said to me as we sat by the pool. Contessa had excused herself to go and put Jasmine down for a nap.
“I think he’s good people,” I said, looking across the patio at Kelly, who was standing with my father by the grill.
“He’s not bad to look at either,” Mama added. “The canvas is a little banged up right now, but you can still see the art.”
Admiring the khaki shorts Kelly wore and dark blue polo, I silently admitted what I had already privately acknowledged—Kelly was fine. “I haven’t noticed,” I lied. Looking at Mama, I gave her a sly smile.
Turning her lips up and lowering her eyes, she stared at me. “Is there suddenly something wrong with your eyesight?” she asked sarcastically.
“No,” I said lightly. “It’s just that I only have eyes for my man.”
Laughing lightly, she shook her head. “Your father and I have been together for thirty-five years, and never have my eyes been only for him.”
“Well, Damon has my heart,” I said sincerely, “and that’s all that truly matters.”
“True,” she agreed, “but temptation will always come a-knocking. We just have to make sure we don’t open the door when it does.”
I meditated on my mother’s words while watching Kelly. “I have no intention of opening that door, Mama.”
“Are you sure you haven’t already?” she asked.
The sound of the phone ringing saved me from having to respond. “Hello?” I answered quickly.
“Hey, baby.” Damon sounded exhausted on the other end.
“Hey, boo. I was just thinking about you,” I said, ignoring Mama’s hand, which I assumed she had extended for the phone.
“Let me talk to him,” she said firmly.
I turned away, trying to ignore her.
“Is that Mama?” Damon asked.
“Yes,” I said sweetly. “Daddy’s here too. I decided to have a cookout and invited the two of them over. Contessa’s here…and Kelly too.”
“Kelly?” he asked.
“Yes, babe, Ms. Contessa’s nephew that I hired.”
“Oh, that’s right,” Damon sighed. “I forgot about him. What do Mama and Charles think of him?” he asked.
“They like Kelly,” I said, clearing my throat. At no point in time had I told Damon that Kelly was shacked up in our guesthouse. I had lost my courage, and it just didn’t seem like the right time to tell him. I was buying myself a little extra time, trying to muster up some more courage. “What time will you be here?” I asked, changing the subject.
“That’s the thing, babe,” he said, sounding disappointed. “Something’s popped up at the office,
so I’m stuck here till Tuesday.”
“Tuesday?” I said, genuinely concerned. “Is everything all right?”
“Everything is fine, baby,” he said. “It’s just that I have an important meeting I need to handle.”
I knew if Damon wasn’t returning home as he originally planned, whatever had taken place had to be major, but I was still ready to see my man and to feel his arms around me. “Well, you gotta handle your business,” I said, attempting to sound cheerful instead of disappointed.
“If you want, I can come home tonight and return to Atlanta early tomorrow,” Damon offered.
Hell yeah, that’s what I want! I thought to myself. “Naw, it’s fine, boo,” I said to him. “Handle your business.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive,” I said sweetly.
“Octavia…”
“Yes, baby?”
“You know I love you,” Damon said, “right?” There was something in his voice that wasn’t quite right, but I couldn’t put my finger on it—or maybe it was my own guilt. Then again, it could have been the fact that Mama was practically sitting on my lap, hanging on my every word.
“I know you do,” I said softly, “and I love you. Nothing will ever change that.”
“The feeling is mutual,” he said.
Mama gave me a look that said, “You better tell him before I do.”
What ever happened to mother-daughter loyalty? I thought to myself. “About Kelly,” I said, gathering my words, “Daddy checked him out and said he looks good on paper.”
“And in person,” Mama stated softly.
Cutting my eyes at her, I shook my head.
“I told you I trust your judgment,” Damon said. “I’m sure he’ll work out fine, and if not, we know how to make him go away.”
“Yeah we do.” I laughed lightly.
“I’ll let you go for now,” he said. “I love you, baby.”
“I love you too.” I smiled. “Talk to you later.”
***
