by D D Bridges
Chapter VII
Visions of Natalie interrupted my sleep for three nights straight. She had already arrested my daytime thoughts, and now she was invading my dreams. Truth be told though, I’d much rather dream about her than what I normally dreamed about.
I knew that I needed to see her. There were things that we needed to discuss. Even though she said that she didn’t want to see or hear from me, I understood that she was just upset when she said it. Not that I thought that she was looking forward to seeing me only a few days after she stormed out of my office, but I felt that I’d be able to get her to talk to me for a few minutes.
I left work and headed straight over to Spellman College. I found out that Natalie had a class that ended at 5:30 and I was hoping to catch her as she was leaving. I parked on the curb outside of the building where her class was being held and stood outside of my car while I waited for her. At 5:29, she and the other students began to pour out of the building. She came down the sidewalk and stopped when she saw me. She continued down the sidewalk then turned the corner to head in the opposite direction of where I was. I ran to catch up with her.
“Natalie, hold up,” I said just as I caught up to her. She stopped walking and turned to face me.
“Get out of here before I call the police,” she said.
“Natalie, just chill,” I told her. “Besides, you’re not going to call the police.”
“What makes you think that I won’t?”
“Because you would have done it already,” I told her. “It wouldn’t have taken the cops long to find me if you had decided to tell them what you think you know.”
“I know what you did, Darius,” she said. “But why are you here?”
“I came to see you.”
“Why?” she said curtly.
I sighed, trying not to become frustrated. “Because, honestly, you’re all I’ve been able to think about for the past three days.”
“Is that supposed to be a line or something?”
“No, it’s not a line, it’s the truth,” I told her. “Can we talk for a minute? I thought that maybe we could sit in my car so that we could have some privacy.”
“I’m not getting into that car with you. You might try something,” she said.
“I promise that I won’t,” I said, raising both of my hands. “Now, can we please talk? I’m asking nicely.”
“That must be something new that you’re trying,” she said sarcastically before walking toward my car.
I opened the passenger side door for her and she allowed me to hold her hand as she stepped over the curb and into the car. I went around to the driver’s side and got in. Natalie was looking around, admiring the inside of my fully loaded Benz. I was busy admiring her though. She noticed that I was staring at her and became a little self-conscious.
“What?” she said.
“Nothing. It’s just that you’re so beautiful. It’s hard for me to take my eyes off of you.”
“How did you even find me, Darius?” she asked, dismissing my compliment.
I shifted in my seat so that I could turn toward her more. “Natalie, come on now. You know that I can find whoever I want whenever I want.”
“But I told you to stay away from me,” she said with less force behind her voice than I was sure she intended. She was trying to be mean to me but I could tell that that wasn’t the real her.
I sighed. My demeanor was still calm and non-threatening and I could tell that this was affecting her in a good way. “Look, I don’t want to argue with you,” I told her. “I think that there are some things that we both want answers to.”
“Oh really?” she said. “What answers do you want?”
“I want to know why you’re fighting me so hard,” I told her, speaking softly. “All I’ve done is try to help you, but you keep pushing me away. Maybe I’m being a little presumptuous, but I thought that we actually had a connection that night at the club before everything happened. Was I wrong?”
She sighed as she stared out of the front windshield instead of looking at me. “No, you’re not wrong,” she said before turning her gaze on me. “Yes, we had a connection, but that doesn’t mean anything now.”
“Why not? Because of KaRon?” I asked.
“Yes, Darius. It’s because of KaRon,” she snapped at me.
“What is it with you and him?” I asked. “Why do you give a damn about him, because it’s obvious that he doesn’t give a damn about you.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” she rebutted. “KaRon has done a lot of bad things to me, but he’s done a lot of good too.”
“Oh yeah? Like what?” I wanted to know.
She paused for a moment and took a deep breath. I could tell that whatever she was about to say wasn’t something that she liked to talk about with a lot of people. She finally said, “He was the only one that was there for me when my little brother died. He’s taken care of me ever since then. I wouldn’t have been able to get through it if it wasn’t for him. I owe him that much, but I had to leave him. KaRon changed into a totally different person, and I refuse to let anybody hurt me the way that he tried too.”
I looked away from her, unable to stare into the pain that was in her eyes any longer. I had no idea that Natalie had been through that much. She was so angelic and delicate, but the fact that she had survived so much proved that she wasn’t fragile. This only made me admire her even more.
“Natalie, I am so sorry. I had no idea that you lost your brother,” I told her sympathetically. “How long has it been?”
“Three years,” she said. “He was only 16 when he was killed in a drive by. I couldn’t pick him up from school that day so he walked home with his friends. I always wanted to move us to a better neighborhood because I was afraid that something like that would happen. But it just really sucks because he was all that I had, you know.”
“You don’t have any other family?” I asked her.
“Our mother died when we were young and our grandmother took care of us until she became unable to do so anymore. When I was seventeen I started working to take care of us and I did that right up until he died. Now all I have is my grandmother, but it’s difficult because she has Alzheimer’s.”
“Is that why you went to visit her?” I asked.
“Yeah, but it was no use. She doesn’t even remember me,” she replied sadly. “I don’t know how much longer I’ll have her. Once she’s gone, I’ll be all alone. Why did you have to get rid of KaRon?”
“Natalie, I know it may be hard for you to understand, but I did what I had to do,” I told her. “I mean, what was I supposed to do? Sit around and wait for me and my boy to get capped? He had a bounty on both of our heads and I did what I had to do to protect myself. Not to mention the fact that I wanted to protect you.”
“But you didn’t have to get rid of him,” she said.
“Natalie, I know that KaRon may have been there for you during a rough period in your life, but that man did not care about you. Any man that cares about a woman would never raise his hand at her,” I said. “And you don’t have to feel like you’re alone. I will be there for you but you have to let me. You have to trust me.”
She looked at me as if she wanted to believe me, as if she desperately wanted to trust me. She had been through so much already and the last thing I wanted was for anybody else to hurt her. I just wanted to protect her and I wanted her to be mine.
“Listen, are you hungry, because I sure as hell am,” I said. “Why don’t we go get something to eat and we can talk some more. I want to know so much more about you.”
“Sure, I mean, I could eat,” she said.
I told her that I would take her wherever she wanted to go and I expected her to suggest somewhere fancy. Instead she showed me that she was the type of girl who liked to keep it simple. We went to one of my favorite pizza places down on Peachtree Street. Instead of conversing about the more serious topics that we discussed in the car, we enjoyed more ligh
t-hearted conversation. We had a nice flow and we were able to make each other laugh as well. Seeing her smile was like a finding a hidden treasure. After all that she had been through, she was still able to find joy in the little things. It made me feel good that I was able to make her happy, even if it was only for a brief moment.
We sat and talked until the restaurant staff began mopping around our feet. I completely lost track of time and it was going on ten o’clock when I looked down at my Omega watch. We both had busy days the next day, so we reluctantly decided to call it a night.
I drove her back to the campus where she left her car. I parked beside her then got out to open her door. She stepped out of my car and came face to face with me as we stood between the two cars.
“You know, you really surprised me tonight,” she told me.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that I didn’t really know what to expect, but I didn’t expect you to be this nice and normal and descent.”
“I’m glad you think I’m descent,” I said as I took a step toward her. I leaned in to kiss her and she leaned her head to the side, allowing me to come all the way in. Our lips met softly and the electricity between us was real. I grabbed the hem of her jacket and pulled her body closer to mine as her hands found the back of my head and neck. Just as the kiss intensified she pulled away from me.
“Uh… I’m sorry, Darius,” she said.
“What? What’s wrong?” I asked as I pulled her body toward me again only to have her push away again.
“It’s just that I want to take this slow,” she said. “I think that I really like you, and I don’t want to complicate things. I hope you can understand that.”
“No, I’m sorry,” I said sincerely. “I didn’t mean to rush you. I just couldn’t help myself. We can take things as slowly as you want to.”
She smiled and kissed me lightly on the lips. “Good night,” she said as she moved around me to get into her car.
“Good night,” I replied. I watched as she drove away and then got back into my car. I had a really good feeling about Natalie and I felt like this was the beginning of something special. I slept peacefully that night, thinking of her.
Part 2
The Untold Truth
Chapter VIII
“Momma!” I said, speaking through the intercom system from inside my closet. The system transmitted throughout every room in the house and I knew that it shouldn’t take her long to respond. “Momma!”
“What Darius!?” I heard her respond, her voice coming through loud and clear. She had that tone that let me know that I was getting on her nerves, but this was an emergency.
“Ma’, where is my favorite white shirt? The one made out of Australian cotton?” My mom was always coming into my closet and rearranging everything whenever she got the unction.
Moments later my mother walked into my closet and went to the far end to the new location where she put all of my white shirts.
“All of your white shirts are right here, Darius,” she said as if I should have known that.
“Ma’, I looked over here but I didn’t see it,” I said walking over to where she was. “I want my favorite one. The Australian cotton.”
“Okay, okay, just hold on,” she said as she began going through all of the shirts until she found the one that I wanted. When she found it, she pulled it off the rack and held it up to me.
“Thanks ma’,” I said before kissing her on the cheek. I turned and began putting my shirt on.
“You know, it’s a shame that you’re a grown man and I still gotta help you get dressed,” she said jokingly.
“Ha, ha, very funny,” I said as I watched myself button my shirt in the mirror. “Maybe if you wouldn’t rearrange my closet every other month then I wouldn’t have to call you to come find my clothes.”
“Well you know that I don’t have nothing to do in this big ol’ house while you’re at work.”
“What happened to you helping out down at the youth center?” I asked her.
“I do that during the after-school hours, but I still get bored when I’m not there.”
“Yeah well, find something else to do around here other than going through my closet, please,” I said.
“Oh whatever,” she said, blowing me off. “So where you headed tonight anyway?” she asked.
“I got a meeting with the chairman of the Board of Directors,” I told her as I put on the jacket to my second suit of the day. This was a grey Sean John one and it was perfect for this meeting. “Me and Jeff are supposed to meet him at eight, but if I don’t hurry up and get out of here I’m going to be late.”
“Wait a minute. Just you and Jeff? What about Walter?” my mother asked.
“Walter’s not coming. Jeff is the direct point of contact for Mr. Ziegler.”
“Darius, I know that you’re the man in charge and everything, but you know how I feel about these big time meetings with your clients. I’d feel better if Walter was going to be there to make sure that those snakes aren’t taking advantage of you.”
“Ma’, thanks for looking out for me, but I got it,” I told her. “This is what I’ve been training and studying for over the past five years, remember? I gotta get outta here before I’m late.” I kissed my mother on the cheek again. “Don’t wait up for me.”
“Okay, but make sure you have Walter review everything in the morning, Darius,” my mother shouted behind me.
I hurried to my car and just as I got inside Natalie sent me a text that made me laugh. She knew how to brighten up my day or night at just the right moment. We’d been dating for a couple of months now and I had to admit that I had never been happier. My days were just as stressful as ever, but all I had to do was think about Natalie and her smile and it always relaxed me. Whenever I talked to her or was around her I was instantly on cloud nine. Some might call it love, but all I knew was that I had no intentions of letting Natalie out of my life anytime soon.
Jeff and I were meeting with Benjamin Ziegler, CEO of Ziegler Corporations. In addition to running his own company, Ziegler was also the chairman of the Board of Directors for our company which was composed of a select number of shareholders who were responsible for making important decisions that would be in the best interest of the rest of the shareholders.
We always made Mr. Ziegler a priority not only because of his important position, but also because he knew how to show us a good time. Every time we met with him, he always treated us to a private room at the exclusive men’s lounge known as Blue Flame.
Jeff was the only one of my executives that was single which came in handy on nights like this. He divorced his wife a few years ago after only being married for three years. Jeff often talked about how they plan to get back together soon. A part of him still loved his wife and he really wanted to play a bigger role in their daughter’s life. But that night he was living it up as a single man and enjoying himself.
Mr. Zeigler hadn’t arrived yet so we enjoyed a drink in one of the booths while watching a few of the dancers. Jeff threw his arms up over the back of the seat and we watched as one of the dancers slid down the pole upside down with her legs spread wide wearing nothing but a thong.
“Daaaaammmmn,” we both said in unison.
“Boy, Mr. Zeigler is the man,” Jeff said. “I don’t think I been here since the last time that we met with him.”
“Me neither, man,” I told him as we both threw a few bills at the dancer.
At that moment, one of the hostesses came to let us know that our room was ready. She escorted us there and gave us fresh drinks. They knew who we were at Blue Flame so they always gave us special treatment.
The private room was lit with blue lights which gave the room a purple glow when it reflected off of the plush red furniture and red walls. Spaced out along the walls were five glass windows with poles in them and hot pink walls in the background. Almost as soon as we walked in, five of the Blue Flame’s finest dances were sliding down each pole. Th
is was paradise.
We both took a few moments to admire each dancer before I said, “I wonder where Zeigler is.”
“It’s only five after. He’ll be here in a few minutes,” Jeff said after barely glancing at his Jacob watch.
“Did you prepare that proposal?” I asked as I began to move toward the center of the room where four chairs and a small round table were situated.
“Sure did, boss,” Jeff said as he reluctantly pulled his eyes away from the women and came to the center of the room where I was. He reached inside his blazer and pulled a white envelope out of the pocket. We were both expecting this meeting to go smoothly since we had been in constant contact with Ziegler since he had initiated the new deal. It had taken us a while to get a meeting with him because of scheduling conflicts, but tonight was as good as any other night.
At that moment Mr. Ziegler came through the thick velvet curtain that acted as a door to our private room. Mr. Ziegler was a short, overweight white man with rough looking blonde hair and a mustache that looked like it didn’t belong on his face. He may not look like it to some, but his money was long; just about as long as mine. Tonight he was accompanied by a tall, blonde-haired white guy who looked like he was probably too handsome for his own good. I had never seen him before and everybody who knew me knew that I didn’t like to meet new people at important business meetings. I preferred to do the meet and greets at parties and country clubs.
Jeff and I stood as the two men entered.
“Mr. Ziegler, how are you doing?” I said as I casually shook his hand.
“I’m doing great now that I’m out of the house,” he said jokingly as he moved on to shake Jeff’s hand.