A Common Kind of Love Ch. 06

It was pretty tacky, pictures of him and her in the club as she danced for him and he kissed her. It was embarrassing for him and he wasn't even famous but for her it was probably devastating, then again that's what she gets for being a liar he thought. Liars always get caught at some point and she was as big a liar as Tiffani maybe worse. His heart had almost been wrenched from his chest when he discovered the depth of her deception. He wasn't feeling in the mood to talk to anyone, he'd heard from his sister that the story had been on some gossip show she watched in the U.S. so he was minor celebrity. The news kept getting worse.

When he'd arrived home, his townhouse was just as he had left it quiet and still. His next door neighbors Mr. and Mrs. Gladstone had picked up his mail while he was away, when he knocked on their door to get it, Mrs. Gladstone answered with a concerned look on her face. 'Oh no' he thought she's heard too, this was becoming a nightmare he couldn't wake up from.

"Hello Doug, dear," she said with that syrupy sweet southern accent of hers, she'd been a debutante in her day but those days were long gone and she was all coiffed dyed blonde hair, garish rouge, and red lipstick now. "How are you doing, darling?"

He answered without much emotion, "I'm fine Mrs. Gladstone. Can I get my mail? I've got to unpack." He wasn't feeling up to some long conversation with her.

"Of course, darling. It's right here on the table," she turned to shuffle toward her foyer table to pick up a folder filled with his mail. As she turned to hand him his bills and junk mail she patted him on the arm, "I'm so sorry dear, I saw on that show 'Night Copy' that you were caught over there in Germany with some engaged princess. What was going on darling?" her question was part concern but more nosiness.

"Mrs. Gladstone, I'd ask that you please respect my privacy and not mention that to me again. Thank you."

She looked a tad insulted and said haughtily, "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to stick my nose in your business. You have a good day," and she closed the door in Doug's face.

Doug turned and stomped back over his house. He let himself in and slammed the door so hard the whole house shook. "Goddammit, I cannot believe she fucking did this to me. Why, Naomi, why?" he shouted looking up at ceiling in the anguish closing his eyes trying to relieve some of the pain he was in.

Later that evening as Doug sat in the dark of his den listening to music trying to erase Naomi from his permanent memory, he heard the doorbell ring.

"I wonder who that is I hope it's not Maggie. She's too sisterly for her own good," he picked up the remote and turned off the stereo. He ambled toward the front door, he really wasn't in the mood for company but if it was his sister she'd set on that doorbell till he answered. As he peered through the peephole, he was surprised to see who it was, Tiffani. Of all the people to come by, he didn't need this now. He opened the door and there she stood all 5'3" of her petite skinny frame. He'd been so in love with her when they met, she was perfection to him, so girly and helpless he thought he liked that at the time. She had a heart-shaped face, little bow lips, long blonde hair that she wore straight, and light blue eyes. She was every American boy's fantasy girl with a nice frame, although Doug had recently taken a liking to tall mocha colored princesses with full lips and pecan hued eyes and asses that made you want to worship them.

"Hello, Tiffani, what are you doing here?" he said as he looked more through her than at her.

"Oh, Doug, honey I saw what happened on tv and I had to get over here to see if I could be of comfort," she swept right past him and sashayed her way into his house.

He turned to look at her like she was crazy but she didn't notice, he closed the door and stood there in the foyer as she went into the living room to sit down.

"Doug you must tell me what that awful woman did to you. You know you just can't trust those kinds of women. I've told you that before, I know you've had that jungle fever thing previously and hanging out with that Dhani Jefferson didn't help. But, those kinds of women are just not meant for men for like you."

Tiffani had never liked Dhani or Al for that matter. She didn't do ethnic she used to tell Doug. Now, as he stood there and looked at her spewing venomous hate from that lying mouth of hers, it was all Doug could do not to toss her out on her flat ass. He couldn't fathom to himself what he'd ever seen in this woman she was a hideous human being.

"Now, that you're back and have all of that out of your system. Maybe we can start fresh again, you know I made a huge mistake by stepping out on you with that Brian, he wasn't for me and now I know it. I want you back, Doug. You and I were always meant to be and now I remember how good we were together and how much I love you," she was sitting there getting way too comfortable kind of lounging back on his couch with her mini skirt hiking up as she did so.

Does this woman have no shame, Doug thought. He couldn't believe what she was saying, his heart was broken and all she could do was think about herself; he realized he didn't just dump her because she was unfaithful, he dumped her because she was a self-centered, egotistical bitch and had always been.

"Tiffani, get the hell out of here," he said with force.

"Wha..." she was in absolute shock that he'd spoken to her like that, she was only trying to help, "What do you mean Doug? I'm only trying to comfort you."

"I don't need your kind of comfort. I don't need anything from you. I want you outta my house right this minute before I bounce you out on that non-existent behind of yours. Are you effing nuts?" He was looking at her like she'd lost her mind, he couldn't take it anymore.

She stood up abruptly and pushed past him, huffing and acting as if she were insulted, "I was just trying to help. I thought you could use a friend, a shoulder to cry on."

"I wouldn't cry on your shoulder if it was the last one on earth and we are not and never will be friends."

"Oh Doug, how could you say that," she stood in front of him batting her lashes like she used to when he was mad at her and she wanted her way, she wasn't going to get it this time. She put her hand on his chest and he took his hand and removed it.

"I mean it Tiffani I don't need this or you right now. You are an awful hateful, vengeful, spiteful shrew and I don't know what I ever saw in you. The more I look at you at this moment, the uglier you get."

She sucked in a shocked breath, "Doug, you've lost your mind. Tons of men want me you're just too stupid to know that. I'd been cheating you the whole time we were together. You were never man enough to satisfy me and I just took pity on you after I saw how humiliated you looked on tv after that black bit..."

"If you say one more word, I'm not going to be held responsible for what I do to you."

She flashed a hateful look at him and put her coat on to go. Doug held the door open for her to leave.

As she left she turned back to him, "You'll be back. They always come back to me. She isn't even one of me, even if she is royalty," she swung that blonde mane and stomped down the steps.

He slammed the door for the second time that day, "You wish you were half of her, Tiffani. You wish" he said after the door closed.

Naomi's arrival home was not a joyous occasion when she got there, she noticed that many of the staff and servants just looked at her then turned their heads hoping not to get caught staring. Only Petunia who oversaw all the staff in the house greeted her with any kind of smile, as Efrem put her bags in her room at the back of the house. Naomi didn't stay in the main house once she turned 25 she couldn't fathom staying in that house anymore. She stayed in a cottage out back on the grounds. She did have most of her meals in the main house with her family but she felt a little more independent living in the cottage, there was no way in Hades her father would have ever let her move off the grounds of Albert Estates, that was the name of the royal palace and the surrounding grounds. It was a large estate with several quarters for servants, a stable for horses, a tennis court, two pool areas, and 3 guest houses besides the small cottage that she occupied along with lots of land for roaming. If she wanted, she'd never have to leave Albert Estates but most of the time she was there she just felt suffocated and confined. She was hoping the holiday to Germany would help with that instead she'd shamed her country, her family and the royal name.

She sat in her living room, when she heard a tiny knock on the door of the cottage.

"Come in," she replied she doubted it was her father, King Milo, he didn't ever come to her she was always summoned to him. She was grateful she wasn't in the main house right now it would have been terrible and awkward.

Naomi's mom, Queen Evie, peeked her head inside, "Can I come in, sugar plum?" that was her mom's pet name for Naomi, Zoe's was 'cookie'.

Naomi was sitting on her divan trying to chill out for a moment, but she was glad to see her momma, she rushed to get up and get to the door for a big hug. She got one. Her mother hugged her hard as she started to tear up again. Naomi was a little taller than her mother but her mom looked up at her to wipe away her tears. Naomi's momma was an island beauty. Both Naomi and Zoe got their looks from her, although Zoe looked more like their mother. She had been Miss Bocara Island as a young woman, she had short hair now it was brown with lots of gray in it she always looked so distinguished. She had eyes the color of honey and caramel skin, Zoe had inherited all those features from her. Naomi was the color of her Father, that chocolate mocha skin tone, with his dark brown eyes and black hair although his had grayed significantly also in his old age.

"Oh, sugar plum you know I don't like to see my beautiful babies cry. You're too pretty to cry," she said as she wiped away the tears with her hand. Naomi could always count on her mother to try and lift her spirits. She was the wisest, kindest, and most beautiful woman that Naomi knew. She was an excellent queen but no one could hold a candle to her in Naomi's eyes as a mother. "Come on let's go over here and sit down and you can tell momma all about it, okay."

Naomi walked over to the divan with her mother's arm around her and set down. She really didn't know where to start but she thought the best place would be at the beginning.

"Momma, it started so innocently we meet at an Oktoberfest gathering and he was sooo cute..."

About an hour later after she'd gotten it all out, Naomi's mom looked at her with love and something akin to pity in her eyes. Naomi had told how she and Douglas met, the time they spent together, how she'd kept the truth of her identity from him, and how it all came out. She decided to leave out the more intimate details but from the look on her mother's face, she'd guessed they'd hadn't just had a chaste kiss at the door and called it a night.

"Naomi, you know I love you very much but you did a bad thing," her momma shook her head and tsked, "You should have been honest. It never works when you try to deceive people, you know that. Now, this has all come out in the papers on the television and the PR folks have gone into overdrive. Where was Freddie?"

"Momma, Freddie can't be responsible for me all the time, she has her own life."

"Her life is supposed to be your life" the Queen said in a louder tone, Queen Evie rarely ever raised her voice as royalty it just wasn't something she did.

"Oh, momma don't be so mean. She did do her job, it was me that decided not to reveal to Douglas who I was. Can you tell me how Father is taking all this."

Her momma sighed and put her head down, "he's absolutely livid. I thought I saw smoke coming from his ears last night."

Naomi's shoulders slumped, she knew he'd be mad but she just couldn't be sure how mad now that she knew this was bad. Maybe she could leave again but there was no way to do that, in a few days was the beginning of the Festival of Feasts which lasted a week.

"Has he said anything?" she looked at her mother cautiously.

"Nothing really. I'm sorry to tell you that, sugar plum but he hasn't said a word. He won't talk to me about it and he's just been talking to publicist and handlers trying to get everything straightened out. He's been trying to calm the nerves of the Duke and Duchess. It's been a little bit of chaos around here. He's in damage control mode. Remember the debacle with the Minister of Finance a few years ago and his penchant for underage women of the night, yes that's his mode now."

Naomi looked worried and her brow went up, oh the Minister of Finance and the prostitution thing had her Father in a full blown tizzy. He snapped at anyone who said anything, she'd avoided him during that for weeks. But she couldn't avoid him now, she was the cause of this and she had to face him.

"Naomi, sugar plum, can I ask you something?" Queen Evie looked at her with grave concern.

"Yes, momma, what is it?"

"Are you in love with this Douglas?"

Naomi sank back into the cushions, she'd been thinking about that ever since that night at the club in Berlin when this whole mess began and she'd come to a tragic conclusion that she was in love with him but what did that matter.

"Yes, I am, very much so. But it doesn't matter there is no way for us to be together."

Her momma leaned in to hug her close, "you know, sugar plum, there is always a way but you have to be patient and keep the faith. True love always wins out."

Naomi leaned into her mother and looked up at her, "but how, momma, how will this ever work out. He hates me, I'm betrothed to Randolph the dull dolt and I'm announcing my engagement in a few days."

Her momma laughed heartily to herself at the description of Randolph, she had to agree. She was not excited at the prospect of him becoming her son in law. "Naomi, I'm your mother I know these things. It can be done, don't worry. If you love Douglas, he knows you do and he'll come around. As for the betrothal, those things are so antiquated, who cares about that, I can work on your Father."

Naomi looked up at her momma excitedly, if she could be released from this promise of marriage to Randolph then she could pursue Douglas, let's hope he still wanted something to do with her.