“Uh, uhm, yes, actually, everything is great.” Heath said as he placed a hanhe small of Natalie’s back. His symbolic gesture excited and frightened her at the same time. She snuggled against his hand just enough to let him know that his gesture was welcomed.
Eric sensed the uneasiness in Natalie’s face and decided not to ruin his sister’s groove. He extended his hand to Heath, and put on his best impression of a threatening older brother.
“I’m Eric, Natalie’s brother. Pleased to meet you.”
Heath’s facial muscles relaxed into a smile as he extended his hand.
“Heath Anderson, nice to meet you. Your sister and I used to work together once upon a time.” Heath said assuredly.
“Yes, I think she mentioned you. A lawyer, right?” Eric asked.
Heath was pleasantly surprised that he had been the topic of one of Natalie’s familial chats with her brother.
“I am, yes. I can imagine what words she used to describe me.” Heath’s attempt at self defecating humor worked and the two shared a chuckle.
Natalie looked on with a smile that hid what she truly said to Eric about Heath.
“It was good, don’t worry. Look, I would love to chat with you guys, but you probably have boring legal stuff to go over and I have a few friends waiting on me. Nice meeting you, man.” Eric excused himself and left Natalie and Heath staring at each other unsure of what to say next.
The awkward moment was interrupted by the sound of laughter emanating from the bar. Heath used the opportunity to break the ice.
“So…I have you all to myself, damn I’m lucky.” His smile melted Natalie’s thong that was now soaked. She wondered if he knew as he continued to speak. “Would you like to grab a bite to eat? I kinda fumbled and forgot your drink and I am a little hungry.” Natalie wondered if ‘hungry’ had a deeper meaning. She fought herself to remain strong.
“Oh, it’s kinda late. I don’t think I can afford to eat anything this late at night.” Natalie said modestly while patting her hips.
“From where I’m standing, everything looks just fine. A little appetizer won’t hurt anything. Come on, live a little.” Natalie resented how sexy and convincing Heath’s charm was.
She wanted to give a little, but not enough to make him think that she was easy and accommodating.
“Okay, just dessert. And then I am going to go home and hit the treadmill.” Natalie chuckled internally at the fact that she did not own a treadmill.
“Awesome. I think I can get us one of the best tables in here.” Heath grabbed her by the hands and led her to the back of the eatery to a private dining room.
Again, the eyes of envious men and women followed them and immediately assessed the nature of their relationship as a thing of disgust. Natalie locked eyes with a man that she immediately recognized as Rodney from the service station. She held her breath.
Chapter 17 Rodney
Rodney’s eyes widened as he recognized Natalie as the woman he met on the day some gang bangers torched his father’s service station for his refusal to pay them a tax on his business. They locked eyes as he quietly cursed her out for being a sell out. Their glares went unnoticed by the tall white man that hurriedly led her to the private dining room. “Probably’ gonna’ run through her gold diggin’ ass.” Rodney thought to himself as he followed them with his eyes until they left his line of vision. He seemed to brim with contempt as he assessed that Natalie was the type of woman that would seem perfectly at home with a white man in a room of black men.
He then decided that she was what she appeared to be on their first meeting. Shallow, needy, and constantly searching for validation. Those type of women, he surmised, could not deal with a real black man and often dated white men. “Fuck that ho”, he mouthed to himself as he sipped on his Heineken and eyed a rotund woman with a blond afro and bright fuchsia lips.
He knew that she was probably nothing like Natalie and rolled his s he he approached her. He hated that he longed for the woman who resented his existence, the very type of woman that would just as soon spit at him than say hello.
He hated himself for wanting Natalie or someone like her and he hated her for wanting someone he thought was better than him. He smiled with the woman he settled for and bought her a drink. He was growing tired of settling for less. Even more, he was tired of being thought of as “less”.
Chapter 18 Natalie
Natalie tried to remain calm as she managed her way though the crowd and into the private dining room. Did Rodney know it was her who destroyed his father’s service station? Was that why he stared at her so menacingly? A patchwork of faces and snide remarks bombarded her as she held Heath’s hand so tightly. So many distasteful stares and hisses. They sounded so much like the voices that the medication was attempting to drown out. It was an overwhelming experience for her and she struggled to maintain her wit.
She breathed a sigh of relief as Heath opened the ten foot mahogany doors. The large crystal chandelier made the room radiant and classic. Polished woods and leather seem to offset the trendy contemporary feel of the rest of the bistro. Natalie wondered what lawyer privileges had been extended to Heath from the management and what secrets he would take to the grave for it. The room was completely empty and lit only by the glowing chandelier that bounced brilliant rainbow colored flecks of light off of the china that was daintily etched with platinum and pearl accents. The crystal goblets were cut in intricate patterns that boasted their richness and pedigree.
The regalia of the room encouraged Natalie to imagine for a moment that she was a princess as Heath led her to the singular round table covered with starched white linens. She nervously awaited awkward moments to come and wished that she could have something with alcohol to take her edge off.
Heath noticed her discomfort and decided to break the silence. “I hope that you don’t mind, but out there seems so impersonal. I thought we could come in here and have a little more intimacy”. Natalie’s brow raised and Heath instantly corrected himself.
“Privacy, I mean, privacy.” Natalie laughed at his quick recovery and relaxed.
Heath did as well. “So, what would you like to have?” Heath asked while scanning the leather bound menu.
“You.” Natalie answered mentally thankful that Heath couldn’t hear her thoughts.
“I recommend the beef Wellington and asparagus mousse. It’s delicious.”
Natalie tried to mask that she was not particularly moved by asparagus.
Instinctively, Heath adjusted.
“The fire grilled prawns with mango chutney are great also. If you don’t like that they have a really great chicken cacciatore…”
Natalie stopped Heath’s nervous offerings by touching his well toned arm.
“I am sure that whatever you suggest would be just great. You seem to like this place and something tells me you have great taste.” Natalie winked to punctuate her last statement.
Heath could not stop himself from revealing a boyish grin that implied shyness long overcame by life and experience.
“I trust your judgment.” Natalie added suggestively.
“Do you really trust me? A lawyer? A big white lawyer? Wow. I am feeling so lucky I better take advantage of this opportunity while it presents itself.” They both chuckled and Heath carefully moved a little closer to Natalie.
Natalie used the shared comfort to quiz Heath about his connections and how they managed such lush accommodations.
“So, what player did you save millions in paternity suits? What contract did you renegotiate that had fail safe that ensured a paycheck despite drug test results?” Natalie asked expectantly.
“I’m sorry?” Heath asked and immediately resented the fact that it sounded so formal.
“Uhm, I mean, do you know the owners? I hear that they are ball players. I guess you represent a few of them?” Natalie attempted to clarify her insinuations.
“Oh, well, yeah. I give them a little advice every now and then. You know, a fe
w contract revisions every now and then, maybe an order of custody that favors them. Light stuff, really. No Johnny Cochran shit.” Heath said, downplaying his relationship with the professional ball players that were rumored to own the restaurant.
As a lawyer, it was a dubious thing to associate oneself exclusively with one athlete. All of their legal ramblings often followed the lawyer long after the athlete and their multi-million dollars contracts have expired. Heath wasn’t interested in a similar fate for himself so he learned early on to verse himself in many facets of law from corporate and contractual law to real estate and acquisitions. His lawyer friends often joked that his greed made him such a successful attorney because when one well ran dry, he quickly created another to draw from.
Heath appreciated Natalie’s interest in him and decided to look a little closer at her. He heard rumors that she took a lot of time off from work and wondered if the episode at Smith-Line took a toll on her emotionally. He couldn’t tell by looking at her.
Natalie’s eyes brightened as she began to ask question after question. The two talked about everything from the OJ verdict and reactions on both sides to family upbringing to corporate America to religion and back to OJ again.
He shared with her his desire to own a beach home in the south. He spoke of his grandmother’s home in Charleston, South Carolina and how kind the people were there, vividly recalling hot summers with cold glasses of lemonade and pecan pralines as big as a fist. He described spicy crabs and mornings of shrimp with grits.
“I’d love to see it sometime.” Natalie heard herself say without editing her thoughts first.
Natalie imagined herself on a there with him, on a porch. Swinging in a rickety swing and saying things like, “that’s divine” and “certainly dear.”
“Maybe we can go sometime. You’ll love it. I am actually heading down there next month to close on some land there in an area called Mt. Pleasant. It’s a small island with ridiculously beautiful homes, beaches, and great shopping. I am building my vacation home there.”
Natalie wished she could recall her childhood as fondly as Heath did. She told him of her upcoming and dreaded trip home. She winced when he told her that he had family issues as well.
“If only you knew.” Natalie heard one of the voices whisper in response.
The two dined on grilled salmon, ginger infused prawns, Kobe beef tar tar, and crab stuffed mushrooms. Natalie hated to think of what the total came to as they finished up their final course of white chocolate gelato and chocolate covered strawberries. She couldn’t help but notice that the waiter never returned with a check.
“You have some very generous friends. That dinner must have cost a fortune.”
Heath blushed boyishly.
“Yeah, they’re okay. After all, it’s just money, right?”
Natalie pretended not to be impressed by his statement
As Heath helped Natalie from her chair, her sweater slipped off of her shoulders haphazardly. Heath noticed peculiar bruising on her arms and shoulder. He remembered the fights against her sister that Natalie spoke of and reasoned that the elder sister got the better of a young Natalie. He smiled as he imagined what she looked like in her youth, beautiful and conquering, like she did when he first noticed her in Thomas Paxton’s office. He wanted her. The two ended their dinner quietly with Heath insisting that he escort her to her car. He walked Natalie to her car and gave her a warm embrace good night.
“Can you use my number this time?” He asked hoping that Natalie would not disregard his interest again.
“I just might do that counselor.” Heath wished that Natalie could separate him from the lawyer personashe had created for him.
“Thank you for a wonderful night. The food was unbelievable and the company was even better.”
Heath blushed in gratitude and kissed her hand gently.
“The pleasure was all mine, bella.”
Again Natalie felt herself become moist.
“Oh yeah, tell your mafia, ball player, or real estate mogul friends that own this joint that this is one of the hottest spots in Houston. I have to come back again with a friend.” Natalie winked again at Heath before she pulled off.
Heath savored the experience and appreciated the moments he spent with the very elusive Natalie. He turned to re-enter the bistro that he co-owned and stopped to say hello to one of the staff members. She informed him that there were some payroll checks that he needed to sign and some invoices on his desk that needed to be approved for payment. She read a list of socialites and dignitaries that were in the bistro and the comps given. He nodded approvingly and went to the office of his establishment. Seated in the brushed leather seat of his office, he closed his eyes. All he saw was Natalie. He decided that he didn’t want to see anything else.
Chapter 19 Ilene
Trouble had a face for Ilene. Paul Cummings had become quite aloof despite several threats that Ilene made openly against him. He expressed his contempt for their arrangement and threatened to inform Charles of Ilene’s infidelities. Undaunted and clearly defiant of his threats, she continued to press him for her compensation.
Unlike his normal percussive reaction, Paul’s response was one that Ilene was truly bewildered by. He said nothing except that he was going to handle things like a man. He ignored her threats of exposing his tryst with the young boy and began to disregard her calls. Ilene was prepared to launch an all out war when something, or someone, stopped her dead in her tracks as she was “shopping” again at Phipps Plaza for her fiftieth birthday bash.
She was selecting some hand blown crystal goblets that were priced at $150 each. She felt they spoke of her class and breeding and would look smashing as a place setting on one of the tables during her bash. She was prepared to slip one of the goblets in her pricey satchel, but thought she better make sure that there were no witnesses to her “victimless” crime.
She began to look around for a sales associate and quickly found a tall mocha colored woman staring at her with her arms folded. Dressed in a jersey knit black dress and gold hoops dangling from her ears, the youthful woman stared directly at Ilene. Ilene instinctively placed the goblet back on the display case. The woman then began to approach Ilene, which immediately caused alarm. Ilene gave a dismissive look at the goblet display case and began to walk away. She was intimidated by the woman’s beautiful and flawless brown face and almond shaped eyes. Something looked familiar about the woman but Ilene could not place the face. Her long wavy hair convinced Ilene that she was one of the many trophy wives of the NBA and NFL players who frequented the upscale boutiques in Atlanta. They usually spent their days shopping in Phipps Plaza and decorating their monstrously large mansions.
The woman continued to follow Ilene as she made her way into the shoe gallery of Lord and Taylor. Aware of this, Ilene decided to stop the woman short. She spun around and faced the woman head on. Alarmed, the woman stopped as well. Ilene’s pursuer cautiously continued in Ilene’s direction. The unknown follower pursed her lips tightly as her if coral lipstick announced her pending approach. Ilene could not help but notice the flawlessly applied make up the woman carried off with perfection. She was then convinced that this woman had to be someone who she saw in public before. She appeared too young to be a society wife and too old be a young party vixen. Ilene readied herself for battle mode as the young woman came within speaking distance. Ilene held her breath red watched the woman began to speak.
“So, you’re her.” The woman said in a contrived voice that mixed pleasantry and contempt.
Ilene was not in the mood to be toyed with. Especially not by a Janet Jackson wanna be.
“I beg your pardon?” Ilene asked with equaled contempt.
“Oh, that’s right. You don’t know me. But I sure as hell know you, Ilene.”
“And how is this? I don’t believe we run in the same circles.” Ilene scoffed as she turned her nose up to dismiss the annoying stranger. Ilene turned to leave.
Her urge to
leave was hastened by the two security officers that walked inside of Lord and Taylor. She was growing nervous that they had detected the booty of stolen goods that were cleverly concealed in her large and now bulging purse. Ilene prepared to make a hasty departure, but the stranger grabbed her arm and snatched her back to her original position.
“Bitch, you know exactly who I am. Or maybe not me, but my husband’s dick for sure.”
The woman’s lewd comment threw Ilene for a loop. Which wife was this? She continued her cathartic rant, refusing to release Ilene’s arm, despite the struggle.
“I thought you would have been younger, or hell, even prettier. He cheated on me for you? I should drop your celluloid ass right here. I worked too hard on my marriage to have a little cunt like you destroy it…”
Just as the woman was about to slap Ilene in the face, the two security guards approached and broke up the melee. Ilene broke loose and grasped her purse tightly.
“I don’t know who the hell you are, but if you touch me again, I will snatch that cheap assed weave out of your hair.”
“Why don’t you come on granny? Better yet, take a few Geritol and get at me. I will whip your klepto’ ass all over…” The woman then stepped closer to Ilene.
After separating the women again, one of the two security guards spoke.
“Ladies, we are going to have to ask you to leave. We can’t have you disrupting our clients here. This is a respectable establishment.”
Ilene disregarded the comments and spat words at her assailant.
“If you can see through the pound of make up on that acne ridden face, then by all means, come on. I don’t even know who your husband is, but I can see why he would cheat on your ghetto ass.”
The security guards chuckled and interrupted them again.
“Ladies, please don’t force us to escort you off of the property. We don’t want to get the local police involved in this, really.”
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