Owner of a Broken Heart Read online

  Alex and Nina rushed into the sitting area and engulfed their sister in a group hug. “What are you doing here? Are you two dying and just don’t want to tell me?” Alex asked excitedly. “Is Robin going to jump out of a corner too?”

  Yolanda Richardson was the shortest of the four sisters at five foot five, but what she lacked in height, she made up for in personality. Her hair changed like the wind. One day she’d have long, silky black tresses and the next she’d be sporting a blond Afro. This day, she was wearing her hair cropped and slicked back like a 1920s glamour goddess. She concealed her petite figure underneath a pair of baggy jeans and an oversized Spelman College sweatshirt.

  “Alex, just be happy to see us, you know it isn’t often that we get a chance to be together.” Yolanda turned her attention to Nina. “You look better than I thought you would.”

  Alex folded her arms across her chest. “That’s because she’s found a new man to target.”

  “Shut up, Alex, you don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Yolanda assumed the role of the peacemaker and said, “Let’s not argue. Nina is still young and if she has gotten over old bucket head, then I’m happy. Alex, you on the other hand, aren’t getting any younger and if you don’t start using what you got, it’s going to dry up and blow away.”

  Alex narrowed her eyes at her sister and shook her head. “Daddy spent all that money to send you to Spelman and you still don’t have any manners. You two don’t know what I do.”

  Nina and Yolanda looked at each other and laughed. “We certainly know what you don’t do,” Yolanda said. “Where’s my daddy?”

  “Golfing,” Alex replied. “Why don’t we surprise him with lunch? Does he know you’re here, Yolanda?”

  She shook her head. “I couldn’t let Nina have all the fun.”

  Alex rolled her eyes. “Must be nice to be able to go and come without worrying about responsibilities.”

  “That’s the difference between being a boss and a worker.”

  “And having Dad fund your little project doesn’t hurt either, huh?” Alex said.

  Yolanda curled her hand like a hissing cat’s paw. “Testy, testy. And I’m turning a profit these days, so please stop it. You know what your problem is—you need a life. Actually, you probably need to get laid.”

  Alex smiled at her sisters and shook her head. “Whatever, Yolanda. I’m going to call over to the restaurant and have them fix Daddy’s favorites and bring them over. He usually gets back at one thirty, so that should give you two time to catch up and do that giggly thing you two do. I’ll be in my office—working.”

  “All that working is going to be the death of you,” Yolanda called after Alex’s retreating figure. “You need some fun in your life. Or a penis in your mouth, whichever comes first.”

  Alex turned around and flipped her sister off.

  Once they were alone in the sitting area, Nina and Yolanda plopped down on the overstuffed sofa near the bay window overlooking the Cooper River and started dishing.

  “Is there really a new guy this fast?” Yolanda asked.

  “Not really. Daddy’s new marketing manager is going to the game with us and Lamar is going to flip out—”

  Yolanda held up her hand up. “Nina, stop. Just let that fool go. I hate that he hurt your feelings, but you can’t make someone love you if they don’t. He’s a selfish bastard.”

  Nina sighed. “But he can’t get away with what he did to me.”

  Yolanda rolled her eyes. “If you ask me, you have bigger problems. What about sweetheart-gate? Do you think that video is going to stop you from getting other jobs or covering the Panthers? You’re an expert on that sorry-ass team.”

  “I hope not. My assignment for Monday night was changed, but I’m hoping it has more to do with the realization of the Panthers losing major players in training camp and not Cody Cameron.”

  “You’re good at writing about sports. Hell, you should be, after all of the football you watched with Dad as a kid.” Yolanda laughed. “Lamar is the least of your worries. Please tell me you’re not trying to get back with that piece of shit.”

  “I don’t want him back. I just . . . I don’t know what I’m doing.”

  Yolanda placed her hand on Nina’s shoulder. “The best thing to do is get a new hairdo, some sexy clothes, and enjoy life. Everything else is just icing on the cupcake.”

  “You do have a point,” Nina said. “I need to go shopping.”

  “So, tell me about this Clinton fellow.”

  Nina shrugged. “He’s a good kisser.”

  “Wait. What? How in the hell do you know that?”

  She told Yolanda about dinner.

  “Slow down, Little Red Corvette,” Yolanda cautioned. “You know mixing Daddy’s business with pleasure isn’t a good idea.”

  “Never said I was mixing anything. Clinton’s cute but I’m trying to fix myself first. I can’t bounce from man to man.”

  “I’m glad you know that.” Yolanda stroked her chin. “But, a little rebound fling never hurt anyone. Just keep your feelings to yourself.”

  Nina nodded, silently promising herself that she’d never fall in love again.

  “Maybe one good thing will come out of all of this,” Yolanda said with a grin.

  “What?”

  “You’ll get rid of that damned ponytail.”

  Nina tossed a pillow at her sister before taking off for her room. Even though she didn’t appreciate her sister ragging on her ponytail, she couldn’t wait to see her old hairstylist, Gisselle. After getting dressed, she headed for her shop in North Charleston. Nina didn’t care that it was Saturday and she’d probably be in the shop for hours.

  But when she walked in, it really felt as if she was home again.

  “Hey dere, Nina chile,” Gisselle said in her thick Gullah accent when she spotted Nina. “Hadn’t seen you in a while. Where ya been?”

  “I live in North Carolina now.” Nina flipped her ponytail. “As you can see no one can do my hair quite like you did.”

  Gisselle beamed. “I know. You look like a tied-up mop.”

  “I know it’s Saturday and you’re busy, but do you think you can squeeze me in?”

  Gisselle patted her leather chair and nodded for Nina to come over. “What ya wanna do to your hair?”

  Closing her eyes, Nina said, “Make me somebody else.”

  Chapter 6

  Clinton woke up Saturday morning with sweat dripping from his body because he’d spent the night dreaming of Nina. His thoughts of her naked body wrapped around him and those soft lips pressed against his neck were so vivid that he’d expected to find her sprawled beside him ready and waiting for him to make love to her. Why had he agreed to this stupid plan of hers when he was so attracted to her? Sure, he could try to win her over and show her that this Lamar character wasn’t worth her time, but how could he convince her of that when she was so in love with him? Besides, if she didn’t have the sense enough to know that she deserved better, he couldn’t change her mind—even if he wanted to.

  Women, he thought, they always want the bad boy or the man that doesn’t want them when they could have someone who would love and respect them if they looked right in front of them.

  Clinton decided that instead of sitting around his place all day thinking about Nina, he was going to go into work and set up that marketing plan that he told Mr. Richardson would push his business to the next level. Besides, sitting in his house would only give him more time to think about ways to make Nina forget that a man named Lamar ever existed. More time to think about tasting her all over and more time to dream up ways to make her scream with pleasure. Yeah, I’ve got to get out of here, he thought as the image of a naked Nina danced in his head.

  After a quick shower, Clinton dressed and headed to the bed-and-breakfast. The last thing he’d expected to see was Nina walking into the lobby looking like a brand-new woman with a new hairdo and a leather dress that hugged every curve of her luscious
body. Black was her color and the rich auburn hair color and close-cropped cut suited her very well, and brought out the sparkle in her eyes.

  “Nina?” He struggled to hold back his drool.

  “Clinton, what are you doing here?” Her face flushed slightly as he scrolled her tantalizing body with a slow, hot gaze.

  “I decided to come in and do some work so that I wouldn’t be behind if I went to Charlotte with you.” He couldn’t tear his eyes away from her breasts, which were even more perfect than he’d dreamed. “Um, what’s with the transformation?”

  “I was just trying something different. This dress is so not me,” Nina said as she spun around. “Yolanda thought I should try the dominatrix look. I don’t like it. What do you think?”

  “The drool didn’t give me away?” he asked with a nervous laugh. She was the boss’s daughter, she was in love with another man, and she was the sexiest woman he’d ever laid eyes on. A smarter man would’ve walked away and forgotten all about Nina Richardson.

  “Who would wear this outside of the house?” she said with a tense laugh. “If someone hadn’t taken my purse with my keys in them, I wouldn’t be out here.” Nina looked over her shoulder at a woman who was laughing at her.

  “Well.” Clinton tugged at his collar. “Let me get to my office and get some work done.” He silently prayed that she didn’t see the effect she was having on him.

  As he turned to walk away, he knew that he’d have another night of dreams about Nina. This time he was certain that she would be carrying a whip.

  When he walked into his office, he wasn’t at all surprised to see Alex in hers working diligently. He waved to her, then started his own work. It wasn’t long before Alex was standing in front of his desk.

  “What’s going on with you and my sister?” she asked, not bothering to say hello.

  “Nothing.”

  “I find that hard to believe. Since that dinner a few days ago, your name stays in her mouth. And now you’re going to Charlotte Monday night with her and my father.”

  “Alexandria, I think that your sister is a nice person with a beautiful soul. But if anything goes on between the two of us it’s none of your concern as long as it doesn’t interfere with my work here. But, there is nothing going on between the two of us, I mean, we just met.”

  Alex slammed her palm against the desk. “My family is always my concern and I don’t want to see my sister hurt again. I don’t trust you to work here, so do you really think that I’d trust you with my sister? A word to the wise, Clinton, stay away from Nina.”

  “And as I said, Alexandria, I don’t know your sister like that, so how could I do anything to hurt her? She’s a nice person and that’s where it ends.”

  “Make sure it stays that way. Because if you do anything to ever hurt my sister, you won’t have to worry about what my father will do to you,” Alex warned.

  Clinton was getting sick and tired of her attitude. “I tell you what,” he said. “Why don’t you get a life of your own? Then you wouldn’t have time to worry about what Nina’s doing and who she’s doing it with.”

  Alex rocked back on her heels. “How dare you? You don’t know anything about me or my family and for you to sit there and judge me—”

  Clinton raised his hands. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”

  Alex stormed out of the office and Clinton couldn’t help but wonder what he’d gotten himself in to.

  * * *

  Nina slapped Yolanda’s shoulder once Clinton was tucked away in his office. “I can’t believe you. Did you know he was out here?”

  Yolanda smacked her lips and shook her head. “I can’t believe that you’re worrying about Lamar when a man who looks like that wants to lick you from head to toe.”

  “He does not. Clinton and I just met and he’s willing to help me—”

  “Out of that dress, that’s what he’s willing to do,” Yolanda shouted. “You’re not dense, you had to see how that man was looking at you with fire in his eyes and it wasn’t because you were half—”

  Pressing her finger to her lips, Nina looked around to make sure her father wasn’t in earshot. “Will you shut up?”

  “As soon as you give up this silly little game of yours. When I talked to you earlier this week, I thought I was going to have to come here and talk you off the ledge. Let Lamar go and move the hell on. You’re above this game-playing shit,” Yolanda said. “It’s stupid, childish, ridiculous, and did I mention stupid? Just be the bigger person.”

  “Why is it that the woman has to be the bigger person?” Nina whined. “Was he the bigger person when he said those things to me? Was he the bigger person when he was benefiting from all of my cooking, cleaning, and great—no—phenomenal sex?”

  “What was that?” Sheldon asked as he approached his daughters. Neither of them had noticed him as he walked in.

  Nina’s face heated from embarrassment. “Um, I was talking about a book I’d just read by Bridget Midway.”

  “Well, there are a few things that a father never wants to know about his daughters and I think this conversation is one of those. So, Yolanda, what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?”

  “Can’t I miss my father too?” she said as she hugged him.

  Sheldon kissed Yolanda on the top of her head. “I guess you can. I hope you two haven’t been giving Alex a fit.”

  Yolanda smiled slyly. “Would we do that?”

  “Of course,” he said with a laugh. Sheldon turned and looked at Nina. “Isn’t it a little early for Halloween?”

  “Oh, Daddy, I was just being silly and trying on something I would never wear outdoors.” Nina looked pointedly at her sister and scowled. “Yolanda made me do it.”

  “Well, I hear that you all set up a luncheon for me. That was really nice. I can’t remember the last time I got to eat with my girls.”

  Yolanda folded her arms across her chest. “We can’t surprise you at all, can we?”

  Sheldon shook his head and chuckled. “Not as late as you two sleep. You know you have to get up pretty early to put one over on me. I’m going to get cleaned up, I’ll see you all in a few.”

  Yolanda patted her father on the shoulder. “That was super corny.”

  “I’m going to change my clothes, Daddy,” Nina said. “I’ll be in the dining room for lunch in a little bit.”

  “I do like the haircut,” he said. “The older you get, the more you look like your mother.” Sheldon’s eyes shone with tears as he looked at his daughter. It seemed ironic that his youngest daughter was the one who looked the most like Nora Richardson, a woman she’d never gotten a chance to know.

  Smiling at her father, Nina wished that she had memories of her mother and could remember how she looked and the feel of her arms around her. What would her mother think about this situation with Lamar? Oh, Daddy, I bet you never disappointed Mama. Tears sprang into her eyes as she thought about the fact that she couldn’t attract a man who wanted to love her the way her father loved her mother.

  “Are you all right?” Sheldon asked. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  Yolanda stepped in and wrapped her arm around her father. “You know how she gets when we talk about Mom.”

  Nina nodded, but she knew her sister was aware of the real reasons for her tears. “I’ll be down in a moment,” she said as she turned to leave.

  Alone in her room, Nina wiped her eyes and forced a smile on her lips. As she was about to change out of her leather outfit, her cell phone rang.

  Looking down at the caller ID screen, she saw that it was Lamar. Of course, his name didn’t come up since she’d deleted it the day after he’d smashed her heart. Despite herself, her heart fluttered as she picked up the phone. Had he finally come to his senses and called to apologize? Why do I even care?

  “Hello.”

  “Hey, what’s up?”

  “Nothing. What do you want?” Nina tried to keep her voice angry and this conversation short. When is he going
to get to the “I’m sorry?”

  “Are you at home?”

  “No, I’m out of town,” she said. Why do you want to know where I am?

  “Oh, I need you to look up something for me. You’re on an assignment?”

  He’s asking me for an itinerary when he is out here sleeping around with half of Charlotte? Nina stared at the phone in disbelief. Could he really expect her to be civil and cordial to him after what he’d said to her? “No, I’m not.” Normally, she would’ve told Lamar where she was and what she was doing, but not today.

  “Well, call me when you get home,” he said.

  Nina snorted. “I don’t think so. We don’t have anything to talk about.”

  “What’s with the attitude?”

  “I’m busy and you’re interrupting me.”

  “Guess we’ll talk on Monday, then.”

  “Bye.” She pressed the end button and tossed it across the room. I should have let the voice mail pick up.

  Nina hated herself for wasting all of this energy on Lamar when he made his feelings clear. He was never going to be the man she wanted or deserved. Rubbing her hand across her face, she closed her eyes and expelled a frustrated breath. If she was hating herself for giving Lamar her energy, she really loathed the fact that she was now giving him her tears.

  Before she got lost in her thoughts, there was a slight tapping at her door. Opening the door, she saw Yolanda standing there with a concerned look on her face. “Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine,” Nina replied.

  Yolanda walked into the room and plopped down on the bed. “If you’re so fine, why are you crying and what happened to your phone?”

  Nina’s cell phone was lying on the floor with a cracked screen. She crossed the room and picked it up. “It bounced off the wall. Where’s Daddy?”

  “Alex pulled him into her office. Lunch is getting cold, so put some clothes on and let’s go.”

  Nina quickly dressed in a pair of jeans and a form-fitting T-shirt and brushed a little foundation on her face. She didn’t want her father to wonder why she looked like a sad sack. As she and Yolanda headed to the dining room, they ran into Clinton again. Her face grew hot when she looked at him, thinking about what she was wearing when they crossed paths in the lobby moments earlier.