Malaika looked at her sympathetically. “What if I took the Jones job for you? What if I did it? Would that work?”
Naomi closed her eyes and shook her head. “No,” she said just above a whisper. “It wouldn’t. She thinks we have this great bond and that we’re so similar to each other. We’re new friends. She wants me to do it. It’s a huge project, and it’s going to take me probably two months or more to get it done, but with what she wants to pay me now, we would have enough with the other jobs to buy the building.
If I walk out on the job, we don’t get paid for it, and we lose the building. I have to commit to spending the next two to three months at her home, constantly working on redesigning the whole thing. I can’t walk away from it, or I lose everything.”
Malaika nodded and pressed her lips together tightly as she held back all of the things that she wanted to say about it.
Eva reached her hand to Naomi’s back and rubbed it soothingly.
“What are you going to do?” Malaika asked quietly.
Naomi’s shoulders slumped and she stared off listlessly into oblivion. “There’s nothing that I can do other than go to work at Jennifer’s house, and finish the job. I can tell Scott that he has to get someone else to do the nursery, and maybe he’ll understand, but I can’t back out of the job with Jennifer.
I can ask her if I can work there when she isn’t home, and maybe she’ll understand too… unless she gets upset about the fact that I’m carrying her fiancé’s baby. That could end the job, too, if she’s mad enough about it. I never told her that I had anything to do with him other than decorating his house.
She’s going to find out that there is a lot more between us now, and that could very well change things. I guess we’ll wait and see what she wants to do. For now, I will plan on doing what I was going to do: work on her house and make the money I need to keep this building.”
Malaika gave her a nod. “If I can do anything to help you, or if there’s anything you need, please let me know.”
Naomi nodded in return and went back to the work at her desk. Eva hugged her shoulders and said goodbye to her.
Scott was sitting in his office at his home when he heard the doorbell ring and he looked up in surprise. He hadn’t been expecting any company. Getting up from his desk, he went to the door and answered it, only to find himself staring in shock at the visage of a gorgeous blonde woman standing in the doorway, smiling at him. Her belly was rounded and she was wearing a short sundress that barely came to the middle of her thighs.
She had big blue eyes and her lips and nails were painted red. Her frosty blonde hair was piled up on h
er head in an intricate hairdo that had been carefully designed to look somewhat messy. She smiled widely and walked through the door, sliding her arms around Scott’s neck, and kissing him softly on the mouth.
“Hello love, it’s so nice to see you again!” she winked at him and ran her hands over the muscled wall of his chest, subtly fingering the buttons on his shirt before letting her hands fall and walking past him into the living room.
“Cora...” he said in shock, turning his head and watching her as she walked away from him. He couldn’t believe that she was at his house. He closed the door and followed her into the living room, finding her nestling herself comfortably into the thickly cushioned sofa there. She patted the empty space beside her and smiled at him like a Cheshire Cat.
“Come sit beside me darling, we have so much to talk about,” she purred, giving him an enticing glance.
Every nerve in him sharpened and went on edge. He wanted to sit somewhere else, but he didn’t want to be rude, either. He walked to the sofa and sat near her, but not as close as she had indicated with her pat.
Pouting slightly, she scooted closer to him and turned to face him, curling her bare legs up beside her and laying her arm along the back of the sofa so that she could reach him with her hand. She slipped her red tipped fingernails into his hair and toyed with it a moment until he pulled his head away from her.
“What do you want to talk about?” he asked cautiously.
She tipped her head sideways and spoke with a gentle, almost sultry voice. “Well, we need to talk about the baby, and you… and me… and everything that’s going on right now.”
He frowned at her. “I read the article in the Times… that exclusive interview that you gave to them. Why did you tell that reporter all of those lies? Why didn’t you tell me you were married? Are you married?” he asked, looking at her darkly.
She shrugged indifferently. “Yes, but that doesn’t have anything to do with us.” She pushed her botox-infused lower lip out into a fat pout. “He’s an old man, and he’s no fun. I needed someone… younger.” She smiled naughtily at him again. “I needed someone passionate and strong, and someone who knew how to be an incredible lover… I needed you.” She reached her fingertip to his face and trailed it down his cheek. He pushed her hand away.
“You should have told me that you were married! I never would have had sex with you I had known you were married! That’s not something that I ever would have done!” He scowled and she raised her hand off her thigh and flipped it in disregard.
“It doesn’t matter. What’s done is done, and you and I were amazing lovers together, and now we’re going to have a baby!” She rubbed her swollen belly happily. “Just think of it… you and me, and our little one…” She got a dreamy look on her face and he turned his eyes away from her, willing himself not to vomit.
“What do you want?” he asked in a level tone.
She moved even closer to him and lowered her voice to a velvety softness. “I want you, Scott. I saw what’s in the papers about that other woman who is going around saying that she’s having your baby. You and I both know that’s not true. She just wants your fame and fortune… but I want you.” She reached her hand over and slid it up the inside of Scott’s thigh, and he jumped slightly and jerked his head, looking at her with wide eyes as he pushed her hand away from his body.
“You don’t know anything about Naomi! You don’t even have any business talking about her!” he snapped at Cora. She lowered her brows slightly.
“I do know about her. I know all about her. Everyone does. She is a gold digging little bitch who’s sinking her claws into you. You need to get rid of her, and you need to get rid of Jennifer, so you can be with me. Just break off your engagement with Jennifer, and I’ll get a divorce from my husband, and then we can finally be together. I know you want me. I know you could be in love with me in no time. We can have this baby together and raise a little family.” She grinned at him like she had just made him the best offer of his life.
He glared at her. “I’m not going to stop talking to Naomi. I’m not engaged to Jennifer, and I don’t care whether you get a divorce or not; you and I are not going to be together as a couple!”