Broken Hart (The Hart Family) (17 page)

Do I have plans?  Yes.  I’ll be at home licking my wounds and rebuilding my defenses so I can deal with him tomorrow.  Of course I say none of that and just shake my head in the negative.

“Do you want to go get dinner, or do something… anything… with me Sabrina?”

Oh, he’s got to be kidding.  What am I, a glutton for punishment? “Dante, at least for now, we need to spend less time together, not more.”

Running his hands through his hair, he stares at me.  “You’re my best friend Sabrina.  I miss you.  Will we ever be able to be with each other again?  Can you ever forgive me?”

Shaking my head, I sigh.  It’s like being dissected with a dull blade. “I miss you too Dante.  But I’m not ready to be…friends again.  Please, just give me space.  I’m going home.  I’ll see you at work tomorrow.”

Thankfully the elevator glides to a halt and the doors open just at that moment.   I wave and tell him goodbye, then I leave the elevator and make my way to my car, just needing to be alone.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

The next six weeks pass without further overtures on his part to spend time together out of work other than family dinner nights on Sunday, which I smile my way through each week, even though it destroys me inside.

Thankfully over the course of the last year we developed a short hand around each other and are able to get things done, but I am paying a price for this ‘everything is fine’ charade. 

My nerves are shot, I haven’t been sleeping, I’m barely eating, and I’m miserable.  It takes a great deal of effort to come in every day and behave like someone who isn’t completely gutted inside. 

Today is the end of the sixth week of this hell, and I’m more than ready to have a two day break from dealing with it all. 

Tapping on Dante’s door, I find him staring in to space, his jaw clenched.  Giving a tight smile, I tell him I’m leaving.  I give him no room to say anything else, and I quickly make my exit.

Damien’s getting in to the elevator just as I do, and it’s a joy to see the Hart brother that doesn’t make me feel like my heart is shattering.

Giving me his super big Damien smile he says, “Just the girl I wanted to see.  The girls are coming dancing with me tonight.  Are you interested?  Be warned, I’m not taking no for an answer.”

I consider saying no, but really, I need to shake off my dreary mindset and start getting back to normal.  “Actually, that sounds good.  Where are we meeting and at what time?”

“We’re meeting at my house at eight.  I’ll drive us all from there.  Bring your party attitude and be ready to have a blast.”

“Sounds like a plan party captain.  I’ll be there!”  Laughing, we exit the elevator and head our separate ways. 

I feel much lighter when I get home, happy to be going out to do something fun.  I’m definitely ready to get back to having some kind of a life.  Sure, it isn’t the life I wish I had, and Dante won’t be there… but, it’s something, and I need to grab on to that with both hands.

After a nice shower, I head in to my closet to decide what to wear.  I choose my black Herve Leger strappy bandage mini dress with a pair of Casadei ankle wrap heels.  Laying them out on the bed, I head back to bathroom and sit at my vanity. 

I blow my hair dry then use my curling iron to create waves.  Once I’m happy with my hair, I set about doing my make-up.  The look is good, and will go well with the dress.

Grabbing a shimmery body lotion, I rub it all over.  I’m annoyed as I do this, because normally rubbing lotion the lotion on is arousing, but my sex drive went in to hibernation the afternoon I left Dante’s house.  Even rubbing it in to my breasts doesn’t do anything.  I've always been easily aroused when I run my hands over my body, but since Dante and I stopped having sex, it's like a switch was turned off in my body.

Sighing in frustration, I head over to my bed and start dressing.  I slip a black thong on, the only undergarment I will be wearing tonight.  The Leger dress holds in and pushes up everything that matters, and I don’t need the extra support.

Once I’m finished dressing I head back in to my bathroom and check myself in the full length mirrors.  Checking myself front and back, I can’t help but smile.   I look hot.  My spirits lifted, I get in the car and head out to Damien’s.

Once I get there, we all spend twenty minutes hugging and catching up, excited to see each other, then we make our way outside to the car.  Damien bundles us all in to his Escalade, and we’re off to the club.

The club we wind up at is one of the new “it” places, and I see why, because it has good energy.  The music is loud and fantastic.

Damien has one of the tables in the VIP section reserved for us.  After we take our seats on the
half-moon
shaped banquet, we place our drink orders.

Damien’s the designated driver tonight, so he gets a bottle of water.  The girls all order vodka and cranberries, and I order an apple-tini.  We spend a few minutes at the table talking- it’s not as loud in the VIP section, another perk to going places with a Hart- then we head out to the dance floor.

It’s great to dance, and I let myself go into the bass of the music.  We spend the next two hours dancing and drinking.  I’m relaxed and having fun, although the edges of things are a bit blurry.  I’ve consumed more alcohol than usual and I’m extremely buzzed. 

I decide to take a break, and head back to the table to have a glass of water.  Buzzed is good, but drunk isn’t.  I don’t need to wake up with a serious hangover in the morning.

As I enter the VIP area, a frisson of awareness goes up my spine.  I stumble a bit, wondering what that’s all about, but as I take another step forward, I see exactly what caused it.

Dante is sitting at a table with a woman- someone who fits the Dante-bot model to a T.  It literally feels like someone just punched me as hard as possible in the stomach.

I’m devastated and disgusted, all at the same time.  I can’t even get turned on anymore, but clearly he’s had no trouble moving on.  I’m frozen in place as I take it all in.

Whoever this woman is, she’s all over him like a cheap suit, leaning forward to give him the maximum view of her breasts and literally making goo-goo eyes at him. He looks less than thrilled, but I guess that’s part of his game.  While she simpers and wiggles and gives her best “fuck me now” eyes, he’s got his chin in his hand, blankly taking it all in.  When she leans forward to touch his face, I’ve seen enough.  I do what I should have done to begin with and turn to make my escape.  Turning to make my exit, I find Damien standing at my left side.

Shit! How long has he been standing here?  When his eyes connect with mine, I see…sadness.  Taking my hand, he pulls me from the VIP area, back in to the loudness of the club.

I decide I have to play this off.  I shout over the music that I just saw Dante and it caught me off guard.  Laughing, I move to walk around him, but he puts an arm around me and stops me.

Giving a gentle tug on my arm, he maneuvers me in to the coat check and restroom hallway.  It’s much quieter back here, and in my anxious state, the buffering of the sound is overwhelming.

“Sabrina.  How long were you with my brother?”

I make a shocked face and start to tell him that nothing happened, but he’s having none of it. 

“I know what I saw Sabrina.  It all makes sense now.  His outburst the day I said you would be a good project manager.  The overnight bag I saw as you were leaving his house that day when he was in such a bad mood.  The way you’ve both been acting.  I see it clearly now.”

I shake my head at him in frustration.  “Yes, something happened.  But it didn’t mean anything, and it came to an end.  It’s over, nothing to worry about.  Please just let this go.”

Frowning, he shakes his head at me.  “Bullshit.  I think it most definitely
is
something to worry about.  And I know you Sabrina.  It meant something.  He hurt you.  It was written all over your face back there.  I get it now.  It’s in how sad you look every day when you think no one is paying attention.  It’s in the bags under your eyes that say you don’t sleep.  It’s the way you’ve been trying so hard to appear happy these last few weeks.  It’s been alarming to watch you be stretched so thin every day.  I’ve been worried, and that’s just how I felt when I thought it was some guy I don’t share blood with.  Now that I know its Dante, I’m terrified.  He’s destroying you.”

It takes every ounce of energy I have to smile at him and shake my head. “Damien, what do you want me to say?  I’m fine.  I’m not falling apart.  I don’t know why you think that. Don’t blow this up to be something it isn’t.”

Oh, I’ve made him mad.  He’s absolutely furious.  “Is that really how you’re going to play it Sabrina?  You’re fine?  Feeling good?  No problems?  You’ve got no feelings for my brother at all?  If that’s true, let’s go say hello to him and the new flavor of the month.  Shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

I shake my head in the negative.  “No Damien, it won’t be a problem.  Let’s go say hello.”

Shaking his head at me in frustration, he takes my arm and guides me back in to the loudness of the club.  I’m totally boxed in, and I feel like I have to do this to prove to him that I’m fine. 

All those thoughts leave my head in a nanosecond as we re-enter the VIP section and I see that the woman who was all over him is now sitting in his lap, holding his face in her hands as she leans in to kiss him.

I can’t hold it together anymore.  I’m just not that good of an actress.  Turning on my heel, I shove past Damien and escape to the bathroom.  I spend ten minutes in silence, sitting in a stall in the bathroom, trying to gather my courage to go back out.

I’m startled from my reverie when there is a knock on my stall.  “Sabrina.  It’s Damien.  Are you ok?”

Standing, I open the door.  “I’m ok.  But good lord Damien, you’re in a women’s room.”

Glancing around I see several women standing, openly staring at Damien.  I get the feeling the only reason they aren’t yelling is because he’s so easy on the eyes.

“Honestly, I don’t give a shit.  You’re upset and you’re hurting.  You need a friend, and I’m here.  I’m assuming you don’t want Brooke or the girls to know about this.  That being the case, I told them you are tired and want to go home, and that I’m taking you.  I’ve arranged for Spencer to come get them. I’ve still got your ID in my pocket, and I already gave the Brooke and the twins theirs back, so we’re good to go.”

I almost sag with relief, especially knowing that Damien’s best friend will come and take care of the girls.  Spencer takes their safety almost as seriously as Dante and Damien do.

I know I’ve got to deal with the fact that Damien is now ‘in the know’, but having the girls figure it out too is not something I can deal with right now. 

I nod my consent to his plan and we make our way out of the club.  The air outside is hot but blessedly there is a breeze, and it helps to clear my head a bit.  Damien helps me get in to the Escalade and makes sure I’m belted in.