by Angela Blake
“Yes,” his voice came out sounding hoarse. “Yes, quite right. I’ll also need to speak with your manager about your behavior.”
The waitress’s eyes widened in mock fear. “Please, Sir. Don’t get me fired. I’ll do anything.” She emphasized the last word by licking her lips.
Keith tried to look nonchalant as he stood up and glowered at her. She gestured for him to follow her, and she kept her head down as she led him to the back.
“We’re very sorry, Sir.” The rest of the staff hurried to apologize as he moved past them. He waved their apology away with a tight smile, feeling bad about the deception momentarily, before realizing that they had all probably done something similar.
The waitress led him to the back and through a set of double doors that led to what looked like the employee staff room.
There was another man there, so the waitress pretended to look for a spare pair of pants before she finally produced them and handed them to Keith.
The man left the staff room, and the waitress wasted no time in pushing Keith backwards and into the ladies bathroom. She looked the door and turned around to face him with a smile that made it clear what her intentions were.
“I’m Fiona, and I’ll be your waitress. Anything you need, anything at all, I’ll be happy to oblige.”
Keith pretended to think. “Well, Fiona, I believe you’ve gotten water all over my pants, and I’ll need you to find me a new pair and help me put them on.”
“Of course, Sir.” A small smile played on her lips as she reached for the button on his pants.
Keith grabbed her wrists and yanked her closer. “But first, we must talk about your very inappropriate behavior.”
Fiona gazed at him innocently. “I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Keith raised an eyebrow. “No?” He began to trail his hands over her body lightly, making sure not to touch her anywhere she wanted to be touched.
“Perhaps I can refresh your memory,” he whispered in her ear as he nibbled on her earlobe.
Fiona nodded eagerly. “Yes, I think you should.”
Keith chuckled as he began to pat her down much like she did with him earlier, only far more slowly, and he didn’t have to be subtle since no one could see them.
“Ringing any bells, yet?” he inquired casually as he let his hands rest on her breasts.
“Maybe a little.” Fiona’s voice came out sounding breathy.
She’s as turned on as I am Keith thought to himself. Good he thought as he moved his hands and began to massage her shoulders.
“Now, about those pants you were going to help me change out of…” He trailed off as he gave her a smirk.
Fiona leaned over and bit her lips suggestively. “As you wish.”
***
Keith emerged a while later and hastily ran his hands through his disheveled hair, he ran his hands down his pants and smoothed out the creases before he straightened up and made his way back towards their table.
“Oh, honey.” His mother stood up and handed him a button down blouse. “We went to the nearest store, but we couldn’t quite find your size, so it took a bit of searching. I do hope you won’t get sick.”
Keith shook his head as he took the shirt that was being shoved into his arms. “Don’t worry, mother.”
“Young Lady,” his mother gestured to the black haired waitress. The waitress froze before she put on a professional smile and walked over. Keith tried not to stand too close to her lest he smell himself all over here and become tempted to do it all over again, even if his parents were watching.
“Yes, ma’am?” The waitress smiled politely.
“ I do appreciate you helping our son find a spare pair of pants, it really is quite hard to manage that.” His mother patted her hand gratefully.
The waitress gave her a warm smile. “Of course, ma’am. Anytime, I’d be happy to help with anything I can.”
The waitress gave him a look that let him know what she meant, and Keith tried not to gulp as he felt himself begin to grow aroused again. He tore his gaze away from hers and stared at the china on the table on the far right until he felt he was in control again.
He let his gaze wander back to hers, and he casually looked at her. “Yes, you’ve been most helpful, you really do put the customers’ needs first, don’t you?”
The waitress gave him a slow, Cheshire cat kind of smile. “We do what we can, Sir.”
Keith gave her a pleasant smile. “I know that very well now.”
The waitress opened her mouth to say something before she paused she heard her name being called out. She gave them all an apologetic smile before she hurried off to find her next clients.
As they walked out into the brusque night hair, Keith tried not to be overwhelmed by New York City’s neon bathed lights. He’d lived here for about a year now, but he still couldn’t quite get used to the hustle and bustle of New York City. When he lived here with his parents, they had stayed with his grandparents in Charlotte, a nice quiet little town.
Keith’s mother answered the phone and began prattling away as she stepped a little to the side.
“A word, son?”
“Sure, Pop. What’s up?”
His father looked pained, as if he didn’t quite know what to say to his only son. He finally took a deep breath, pinching his nose between his thumb and forefinger. “I know you’re a grown man now, but must you really flirt so blatantly in front of your mother?”
Keith had the grace to look chagrined. “Right. Sorry about that, Pop.”
“What you do with your time is your business, Son, and who you do it with.” At this he grimaced before he continued. “Well, that’s your business as well, but airing it out like that in front of your mother.”
Keith held up his hand in mock surrender. “Are we really going to pretend mum is a prude who had no clue what I was talking about?”
Keith’s father looked at him carefully before he burst out laughing. “No, I suppose we can’t. Your mother is one hell of a woman, son.”
He gazed over at his wife who gave them a small wave as she continued to chat intently on the phone. Keith rolled his eyes and pretended to gag. “No offense, Dad, but I’d really rather not hear about you and mum in those terms.”
“Eh?” His father turned around to face him, and a wicked grin crossed his lips. “Sure you don’t want to hear the details then?” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.
Keith shuddered. “I’m good, I’ll pass.”
Roger laughed as he patted him on the back. “Whatever happened to that girl-Liesel, was it?”
Keith Roger hadn’t thought about Liesel in almost five years. Not since they were both eighteen and in love. He remembered her clearly now that his father had mentioned her. It was as if by saying her name, he had conjured her up, and Keith could almost see her there, standing right in front of him in her summer dress with her blonde hair reaching her waist, her blue eyes shining as she laughed at something he said.
“Liesel? Dad, I haven’t seen her since we were eighteen.”
“Really? That’s a damn shame. She was a fine one.”
Keith gave him an amused grin. “We were so young back then Dad. How would you know?”
“When you know, you know son, and believe me even at that age, you can tell.”
Keith knew his father was right, but he would never admit it because admitting it would mean that his father was right with his old fashioned notions about love, relationships and intimacy. But Keith knew, of course. He knew it from the minute he set eyes on her. His heart had skipped a beat that day, and he knew he couldn’t rest until he found out who she was, and how he could make her his.
“Do you guys want to come and stay with me?” Keith wisely changed the subject as the memory of Liesel still lingered in his mind.
“Oh, no that’s alright. Your mother and I, we got a room at this very fancy hotel-your mother will remem
ber its name-and we’re staying there.”
“You sure you don’t want to stay with me?” He finally spotted a cab, and he hailed it down.
“Yes, yes, I’m sure. I want to treat your mother to a nice vacation with champagne, and chocolate covered strawberries.”
“Too much information again, Dad.”
Keith’s mum walked towards them as she finished the phone call. “Alright, boys. What did I miss?”
“I was just telling Keith all about my plans to ravish you tonight.”
Bridget looked absolutely appalled as she slapped his arm away. “Roger, not in front of Keith.” A small blush tinted her cheeks as she shook her head at her husband’s antics.
“He’s old enough darling.”
They slid into the back and continued their playful banter. Roger was torn between wanting to wrench the cab door open and race down the street to forget he ever heard his parents flirting and wanting to listen to them just a while longer because despite his insistence that they should stop because they were disgustingly cute, he actually quite liked hearing them.
Even though he didn’t want, nor did he believe he could have that love himself, he was happy that his parents managed to find it together. His mother was a fantastic woman, and his father was an amazing man, and they both deserved happiness together.Even if it made Keith sick to his stomach.
They stopped outside the hotel a while later, and his parents waved goodbye as they got into the big brass double doors.
When Keith got home, he groped around for the light switch that illuminated his spacious bachelor pad. He walked to the fridge and pulled out a beer, which he downed in one gulp. He checked his watch and realized he’d better get to bed because he had a meeting with his manager the next day.
He wanted to discuss his public image, and his need for a publicist.
Keith didn’t see what the point was, all he wanted was to hear people chant his name. He wanted the women to go crazy for him on the court, and he wanted to make them chant his name over and over in the bedroom.
So far, he was doing a fine job of that, so he didn’t understand the point of a publicist.
He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and tossed his beer into the bin before making his way to the bedroom. He kicked off his shoes, took off his shirt and pants and slipped into a pair of sweatpants and a loose t-shirt.
He plopped down onto the bed and drifted off to sleep with thoughts of a blue eyed blonde dancing behind his eyelids.
Chapter 2
“Remind me again, why do I have to do this?” Keith asked the next day as he poured his coffee into a travel mug and searched for his keys.
His manager’s sigh was loud and audible, even without the phone pressed to his ear. “Keith, we’ve already talked about this. You’re new to the NBA, but you’re already attracting a lot of buzz.”
“And that’s what I want.” Keith pointed out as he locked the front door behind him.
“Yes, but we need to work a certain angle. You’ve got the bad boy looks and maybe a little bit of the charm, now we just need the media to fall in love with your heart of gold.”
“You really are full of it, man.” Keith slid into his car and put the phone on Bluetooth speaker.
“It’s why you hired me.” His manager, Dan, responded not missing a beat as Keith heard him type something out on his phone.
“I thought I hired you because of your expertise.” Keith backed up a little before he moved forward and began to head towards his destination.
“That’s the kind of thing you tell a client to get them to hire you.”
Keith laughed as he turned right to avoid an incoming car. “You’re a snake charmer, Dan. I’ll be there in ten.”
“One more thing,” Dan called out before Keith could hang up.
“Don’t flirt with her.” Dan warned.
“It’s a her?” Curiousity laced his tone.
“Yes, she’s one of the best in the business, so don’t screw it up.”
“I won’t, see you.” The phone ended with a click, and Keith arrived at his destination a few minutes later, wondering what this potential publicist looked like, and why Dan warned him not to flirt with her. It wasn’t like he couldn’t keep it in his pants if he wanted to be professional.
He shut the car door behind him, and clicked the car locked before he made his way inside the glamorous building, with its crystal windows and looming architecture.
Once inside, he headed towards the elevator and hit the button for the fourth floor. A loud ding announced his arrival, and he exited the elevator and headed towards the first office on the right as per Dan’s instructions. He saw the back of his manager’s head as he sat and conversed with a woman he couldn’t quite see.
He only saw the top of her blonde head, and a pair of shapely legs peeking at him from underneath a desk. His pushed his glasses up his nose as he walked towards the office.
He pushed the door open and let it close behind him.
He slowly removed his glasses and raised his eyes to meet hers. He was just about to say something funny and charming to win her over, but once hazel eyes locked with blue, both people froze as they stared at each other wondering how time had changed so much, yet also so little.
Liesel stood there in front of him, her blonde hair no longer at her waist, but instead just a little bit past her shoulders. It fell in loose ringlets that brought out the color of her eyes, eyes that Keith once spent months trying to describe accurately.
She had gotten taller since he last saw her, but she had also filled out a lot more as a woman, and Keith understood why Dan told him not to flirt. She was exactly the type he’d flirt with.
However, they had a history together, and a rather complicated one at that.
He wasn’t sure it would be smart to revisit that particular lane.
Dan unbuttoned the top button on his blouse as he gazed back and forth between them wondering what was going on. He finally cleared his throat. “Liesel, this is my client..”
“Hello, Keith,” she interrupted softly her voice still carrying a trace of that accent that had once driven him insane.
“Hello, Liesel.” They stood there facing each other, neither of them saying anything, a year of memories playing out between them in that empty room.
“I take it you two know each other?”
Keith turned to face him, a wry smile on his face. “You could say that. Dan, this is my ex-wife, Liesel.”
Chapter 3
All the color drained from Dan’s face as he plopped down onto the chair and stared between them, his features reflecting his dismay. He opened his mouth and closed it several times, undoubtedly not knowing what to say to this new development.
He began to loosen the tie around his throat as he sighed audibly. He began to massage his temples, and Keith watched in amusement wondering if he should say anything, or if his manager was going to kill him either way for failing to bring this up.
Dan took a deep breath before he glowered at Keith who did his best to keep his grin in check. It’s not that he wanted to make his manager’s life harder, it’s just that it was really funny from an outsider’s perspective.
“Would you care to explain?” Dan said through gritted teeth.
“What’s there to explain?” Keith plopped onto the seat in front of Dan and opted for nonchalance, as this was clearly the only way to get Dan to calm down. “Liesel and I used to be married once a long time ago, now we’re not anymore.”
He noticed the way Liesel’s eyes flickered over to his, no doubt wondering at his nonchalance, but he wasn’t the same person he was when he was around her. He had changed.
He was sure she had too.
“And you failed to mention this when you hired me because..?”
Keith shrugged. “It never came up.”
Dan slammed his hand on the table causing a nearby vase to rattle. He mumbled an apology under hi
s breath as he gave Liesel a tight smile. “Damn it Keith. This is exactly the kind of thing you should tell me about up front, so I can have the chance to fix it.”
“Well, you have a chance to fix it now,” Keith pointed out as he popped a piece of mint in his mouth.
Dan shot him an incredulous look before he took a deep breath and pinched his nose between this thumb and forefinger. “Okay, okay, I can handle this.”
He turned around to face Liesel who until that moment sat quietly observing them, her hands crossed her chest, her cool business-like composure betraying nothing, but Keith saw a muscle tick in her jaw, and he knew she was mad at him, but it couldn’t be helped. Besides, he owed her nothing now.
“You can handle this right?” Dan asked nervously.
“Of course,” she responded coolly as she organized some files on her desk. “Besides, as Mr. Roger said we were married before, now we’re not.”
Blue eyes met hazel ones, and Keith nearly flinched at the hurt that was reflected there. He supposed he deserved that after sweeping their marriage under the rug like that, but it was in the past.
Keith straightened in his chair and met her gaze squarely. Liesel didn’t flinch, she barely even blinked before she looked away from him and down at the papers in front of her.
“Right,” she began. “So first thing’s first, we can approach this in one of two ways, the first is to have Mr. Roger come forward with the story, or two we can leak it to the press and make him seem almost embarrassed.”
“Embarrassed?” Dan echoed confusing lacing his tone. “Why would he be embarrassed?”
“Liesel was about to be deported, sent back to Germany because her father lost his job.”
Comprehension dawned on Dan’s face. “So you married her to keep her from being deported?”
Keith fidgeted. “Well, yes and no. She was about to be deported, but that isn’t the only reason I married her.”
“What are the other reasons?”
Keith lifted his shoulders up before letting them settle again. He could feel Liesel staring daggers into the side of his head, but he did his best to ignore that prickly feeling and stretched his legs casually as he stared ahead at nothing.