by Leslie North
“I don’t know, Nate,” she answered doubtfully, looking down at her pajamas. Part of her hesitation was born out of pure inertia, the idea of getting dressed and making herself look halfway decent not exactly appealing. That wasn’t all of it though. If she was being honest with herself, it wasn’t even half of it. It was the knowledge that the camera crew would undoubtedly be tagging along with them, getting footage of her and Nate’s “spark” to use for their web series. Lately, it seemed like they were around more and more often, and the idea of having another outing like their delicious hike seemed unlikely. After the debacle at Nate’s fancy party, she was feeling exceptionally gun shy about being filmed.
If it hadn't of been for the way her heart leaped at the idea of spending the afternoon with Nate, she would have said no without a moment's hesitation. As it was, she was helpless to keep her mind from going back to the last time the two of them had spent a Sunday afternoon together. She could still feel the weight of him on top of her, and the recollection made her shudder with a delicious bolt of pleasure.
“What do you say, honey?” he said, almost as if he could sense that her resolve to remain safely at home was weakening, “Keeping in mind, I’m not asking you to sign a contract or anything. Just to spend part of the day with me, that’s all.”
“Ha, ha,” she retorted, “very funny. Yes, I’m free. Just give me ten minutes to make myself look presentable. Where should I meet you?”
“Forget meeting me, sugar, I’m going to come and pick you up. Like a proper gentleman and everything.”
Athena’s worst fears about the film crew had been realized. She hadn’t really expected them to come, not really, and she was disappointed to see them there. They pulled up in a van behind Nate's truck and followed them to the outskirts of town, driving down a dirt road to a fancy, expansive ranch Athena had never seen before. There were a couple of places like that in the area, places that were tucked back so far from the road that nobody could see them who wasn’t expressly invited. Athena tried asking Nate where they were going a couple of times, but all she got out of him was a shrug and a smirk. By the time they got out of the truck, him coming around to open her door like the gentleman he had promised to be, she felt as giddy as a little girl on Christmas. When she saw who was walking towards them from the barn, she let out a squeal of delight and punched Nate on the shoulder.
“Ow!” he laughed, holding his arm in mock pain, “What was that for?”
“For keeping this from me!” she said indignantly, “You didn’t tell me that Colt Hunter was going to be here! How is this even happening?”
"That's easy, darling. This is his place. Or one of his places. He's got a few," Nate answered casually as if this weren't the most exciting piece of news since sliced bread.
Colt Hunter—which was his real name and the coolest one ever, as far as Athena was concerned—was a rodeo legend. He had helped put the sport on the map not only for aficionados and people involved in the circuit but for the mainstream. He had also acted as a consultant on many films, earning himself a level of respect almost impossible to attain in his field or any other. He was a bona fide star, and Athena could hardly believe she was meeting him.
“Howdy, little lady,” he said with a wink and a tip of the hat, extending a hand for her to shake, “you must be Athena Moore. Nate here has told me a lot about you.”
“He has?” she asked dumbly, struggling to make this scenario compute, “When? I mean... why?”
“Me and Nate go way back,” Colt answered, smiling and glancing at Nate as he spoke, “I’ve been working with him since he was a boy.”
“It’s true,” Nate cut in, “he taught me most of what I know.”
“As to the why,” Colt continued, “I don’t have an answer for you on that front. That’s something you might want to take up with him.”
“Alright, Colt, that’s enough of that,” Nate said, blushing a little as he steered them towards the massive barn, “why don’t we do what we came here to do?”
“Sorry, but what might that be?” Athena asked. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been so excited about something. So excited or so damned nervous.
“Why, to check out your skills,” Colt exclaimed, “that’s what! After all of Nate’s talking, I want to see what you can do.”
It was the most exhilarating moment of Athena’s life, climbing onto Colt’s horse and leading the beauty out into his ring. Finally, after weeks of feeling out of her element and off of her game, she was exactly where she was supposed to be. When it came to her rodeo skills, there was no doubt in her at all. She was born to ride, born to command a horse and run the ring. Everything else fell away; the camera crews, her doubts over the mistakes she might have made since agreeing to Nate’s damn show. For the moments when she was in the ring, there was nothing but her, the horse, and the skill.
"Hot damn!" Colt's voice rang out across the barn, breaking her of her trance. She pulled on the reins of her borrowed horse, bringing them around to where Nate and Colt stood watching. Now, she saw the little cluster of cameramen huddled behind the two men, but she was too pumped up to care. Colt was clapping appreciatively, and Nate? He was looking up at her with something a lot like adoration.
“Get on down here,” Nate said, holding his arms out as if to catch her if she jumped, “I want to show you my appreciation.”
"You're really something, you know that?" Colt added, his eyes shining, "I'll be honest, I was mostly humoring my boy here when I said I would watch you ride, but I'm mighty glad I did. You're a pleasure to watch, girl!"
Athena descended gracefully from the horse, her entire body buzzing with excitement and pleasure. Nate stepped up to meet her, drew her into his arms, and dipped her down low, just like they were actors in a classic movie.
“Nate!” she cried, “What are you doing? You’re going to drop me!”
"I'm not going to drop you, darling, believe me. Do you trust me?"
She looked up into his devastating eyes, her heart all but stopping. She couldn't tell if it was a flippant question or not, but to her, it seemed deadly serious. Did she trust him? Did she? That was a hard thing for her to do under the best of circumstances, and she wasn't sure she knew the answer now. One thing she knew for sure, though, was that she wanted him. She wanted him more than anyone she had ever wanted in her life.
“Yes,” she answered, her voice suddenly hoarse, “I trust you.”
He kissed her, his lips firmly against her own, his tongue first parting her willing lips, then exploring her mouth. When he lifted her back to her feet, she was beyond flustered, sure that she looked like a happy mess. But she was happy, and that was the most important part. Then Nate removed his arm from around her waist, headed towards the camera crew, and everything started to fall apart.
“How about that, fellas?” he asked, “Did you get everything you needed?”
“Wait, what?” Athena asked, looking at Nate with a combination of incomprehension and dawning dread, “What are you talking about?”
"Yeah, Nate," the head of the camera crew answered without so much as glancing in her direction, "we're good. That's going to be a massive hit; I can tell you that already."
“Nate, seriously, what is he talking about?” she asked, turning to face him. She didn’t love the idea of discussing this in front of an audience, but she needed to know what was going on here. Because she was starting to get the distinct impression that she had been tricked.
“It’s nothing, Athena. I don’t want you to get mad,” he answered softly. He reached for her, trying to pull her in close to him again, but she side-stepped him neatly and crossed her arms over her chest.
“Great,” she said curtly, “don’t want me to get mad about what?”
“I set this up, okay? I wanted the film guys to see a good relationship, and now they will.”
“Are you seriously saying what I think you’re saying?” she asked, sick with dull surprise.
“
It’s just that social media loves a good love story. You know they do. They eat that kind of thing up. This is the best way I know how to shut everyone up about that other video from the party. That’s what you wanted, right?”
“Of course I did, but that doesn’t mean I wanted this, Nate!”
"I know you're surprised," he said, almost pleading now, "and I'm sorry. Honestly, I am. I would have told you, but it needed to look real, and you don't have the best poker face. It needed to look authentic. You see that, don't you?"
“I mean... yeah,” she finally said, “I see it. But that doesn’t mean I have to like it, Nate, and I don’t. I don’t like it at all.”
“I’m sorry, Athena,” he answered softly, finally getting his arms around her again, “I really, truly am. And I’ll make it up to you. I promise.”
He kissed her, and she let him. For the moment, though, the magic was gone. What kept going through her head was the question he had asked her only minutes before. He had wanted to know whether or not she trusted him, and she had made the snap decision that she did. Now, she couldn’t help wondering if that had been a mistake.
12
In everything he did, no matter if it was working with Athena’s class or practicing his own riding, Nate thought about the way things had played out with Athena. He closed his eyes for a fraction of a second, and the look on her face that day after the scene with the camera crew came swimming back to him. That look of disappointment, the thing he hated most in the world when it was directed at him.
Nate couldn’t stand disappointing people, had never been able to abide it. He still carried vivid memories of times when he had done something his parents or grandfather had disapproved of. The words “I’m not angry, I’m just disappointed” had an unnerving amount of power over him, still, to this day. If he’d been the kind of guy to put himself in therapy, he could imagine being told that his fear of disappointing was why he never stayed in one place for very long. Or stayed with one person. For Nate, what he’d seen in Athena’s eyes when she’d realized the stunt he had pulled was the stuff nightmares were made of.
And yet, at the same time, he couldn’t really figure out why things were still so off between the two of them. It wasn’t like he’d been playing a prank on her, and he sure as hell hadn’t been looking to make trouble. When the film guys had gotten what they needed, he had explained everything, made it all crystal clear. Yes, there was deception, a bit of smoke and mirrors, he supposed, but he had done it for their benefit. Both of them stood to gain plenty with this reality TV bullshit going well, something she must have surely realized by now.
Just yesterday, Nate’s agent had sat them both down and informed them that their little web show was going to start airing on Country TV. It was the kind of publicity that would only help advance Nate’s career further. And for Athena? It was unlike anything she had ever gotten in her life. It was exactly what she wanted, and what he wanted to do for her.
“Which is why I’m running myself ragged with all of the promo spots,” he muttered to himself, putting his truck into park and heading towards Athena’s apartment.
That part was true, too. Even though he still wasn’t completely sure what he’d done wrong, he’d been bordering on desperate to make amends and return things to normal between them. Seeing as he wasn’t exactly a flowers and chocolate kind of a guy, he had taken it back to something he could understand; business.
The first thing Nate had done was find Athena a competition she could enter, something to help her regain her footing and get ready for the big show. He wasn't exactly prepared to lose to her, his head wasn't that turned, but he wanted her to be completely in the game, and a competition seemed like the best way to do it. He understood that the arena was the place where Athena really shone. He had seen as much watching her in Colt's barn. The next move had been to promote the shit out of her entry, which he had spent the better part of two days doing. He'd been on every radio and TV spot that would have him, explaining exactly why everyone was going to want to see what she could do. Now, he was bone-tired but satisfied. Knocking on Athena's front door, he could practically feel her supple skin as it slid beneath his fingertips.
“Well, look what the cat dragged in,” she said, answering the door with an odd expression on her face that he didn’t like the look of.
“Hey there, sugar, ain’t you a sight for sore eyes?” he said, pretending not to see the flash of anger in her face as he let himself through the front door. She didn’t tell him to get the hell out, there was that, but she didn’t exactly look pleased to see him, either. Compared to the warm greeting Nate had been expecting, this was an unpleasant surprise indeed.
“Yeah,” she said icily, “I’m glad to see you, too. Maybe you can tell me about this competition I’m supposedly entered in. Because I’ve got to say, it’s all been news to me.”
The look of shock on Nate's face did nothing to improve Athena's mood. For a second, she was sure he was going to play dumb, and if he did that, she wasn't sure she could be responsible for what she did. When his eyes widened, and he slapped himself in the forehead, she was pretty sure he wasn't going to feign ignorance, but she wasn't sure how that was going to help. It wasn't, for example, going to make up for the fact that she had spent most of the day hearing her own name on the radio and having no clue what it was doing there.
“Aw, shit. Shit!” Nate exclaimed, appearing to be in real distress now, “I forgot to tell you, didn’t I?”
“Yes,” she answered in a slow, measured voice. “If you’re referring to the competition I’m apparently entered in, then yes, you definitely forgot to tell me.”
"Well, then no wonder you look so ticked off! I'm sorry, honey, honest to God, I am. I don't know how I forgot to tell you."
"Don't be sorry, Nate, just explain," she said quickly. Her hands were balled up into tight fists, her fingernails digging little crescent moons into the fleshy, sensitive part of her palms. Vaguely, she was aware that she was probably going to have cuts later that were going to be a bitch to handle while she was riding, but at the moment, she couldn't help herself. She was on the verge of real, ugly panic.
"Here, honey," he answered, plopping down on her couch and patting the cushion beside him, "come sit next to me. I can explain everything, and when I do, I think you're going to be happy with me."
“That would be good, although I have to say, I’m pretty upset at the moment.”
“I can see that,” he answered warily, “but just try and give me a chance.”
“I’m listening,” she said cautiously, careful to hold herself far enough away from Nate that their bodies didn’t touch. The last thing she needed right now was for her biology to surpass her common sense.
“I went to my team, Athena.”
"Your team?" she interrupted, unable to resist a little jab at the A-list speak, "What team are we talking about, here?"
“My PR team,” he answered patiently, “I wanted to do something for you, something to showcase all of the hard work you’ve been doing and how talented you are. They told me about a competition down in Houston.”
“Hold on, so you’re serious?” she burst out, “You entered me into a competition without telling me? And one so far away?”
"I did, but it's a good thing, Athena. It's a chance for you to get your feet wet before we have to go up against each other. Think of it like a warm-up."
Athena stood quickly enough that it made Nate flinch and started pacing back and forth in front of him. Her mind was moving so quickly it was dizzying, and none of the thoughts were good. She didn't even want to look at Nate for fear of what kinds of things might come out of her mouth, but at the same time, she couldn't help herself. How could she not say something? How could she not tear into him for, yet again, treating her like she didn't have a mind of her own to do her thinking?
"You're still mad," he said, his voice taking on a flat, dull tone that only annoyed her more. She chanced a look at him, and she coul
d tell from his face that he was starting to get pissed off, too. What she didn't know was how on earth he thought he had a right to get upset when it was her who was being treated like a child.
“You just... you had no right, Nate,” she spluttered, struggling to find the right words.
“No right?” he echoed in a hard voice, “No right to what, exactly? I was trying to do something good, Athena. This wasn’t an easy competition to get into. It’s not some baby, rinky-dink shit. This competition is the real deal. My guys had to pull strings to get you entered at such late notice.”
“So you were doing me a favor, then?” she asked, her voice positively dripping with sarcasm. She hated the way it sounded, hated the way she sounded, but she couldn't stop herself. Pandora's box had been opened, and she had no idea how to get it shut again.
“Yes,” he clapped back loudly, “if you want to look at it that way. You’ve been wanting to be taken seriously, Athena. You’ve said as much before. This is how you do that. With bigger competitions, ones with important people watching and real money at stake. This is the only way you get to where you keep saying you want to be.”
“So you’re just being chivalrous, then. And all of that time on the radio that you spent talking me up, I’m sure that had nothing to do with you trying to fuel the social media romance between the two of us. I’m sure it’s got nothing to do with making yourself look like some kind of a hero.”
“And what if it does, goddamnit?” he finally exploded, getting to his feet and moving towards the door, “Is that so wrong? I’m not hurting you—I’m helping both of us! You knew what you were getting yourself into when it came to that. And you’re the one who’s been bellyaching about all the advantages I have that you didn’t. I was trying to give some of that to you. Didn’t realize you’d be this adverse to finally starting to go places.”