“I am glad you know that. If you really love me, walk back to Penny’s office and tell her you are no longer interested and that you will make a deal with another media house.”
Her eyes were unusually cold, and her voice, though near, was distant.
“You don’t mean that, Kira, you are a good person. You are not like me, you are not selfish.” I had to remind her of what was at stake.
“How does my personality relate to this?” she asked.
“Don’t throw away an opportunity that could grant other people financial freedom. You always wanted me to be a better man, and this is my way of proving to you that I am working towards that. It’s my way of helping,” I explained.
She remained silent. I knew she was pondering on the words.
“Why can’t you demand another journalist? Must I be the one to anchor this show?” she asked.
The question was tricky. “Um, your former boss really believes in you, and coupled with our relationship before now, I felt it would be better working with someone who knew me more than anyone has in a long while,” I replied.
Kira pulled away from me. She turned her back on me and buried her face in her hands. “I don’t know, Blade, but if I walk into this, I need you to promise that it would be a hundred percent professional. Can you do that?” She twirled around.
I knew what she was asking was difficult. I didn’t know for sure if I could do that. How could I be professional with my love beside me?
“I won’t make promises that I won’t keep. A promise is sacred, it is holy, and I don’t want to break it. I won’t give up on you.” I reiterated what I had said earlier.
“Then you are not serious about making this situation work. You know what? I am walking into Penny’s office and I am going to tell her about our relationship and the shabby way it ended. That way, she will understand the reason I am not eager to work with the hottest Trash Monkey.” She bit her bottom lip and touched the doorknob.
Determination, will, and power flashed through her eyes. She meant every word she had spoken. I had to stop her somehow, anyhow.
“Wait!” I called to her.
She paused and listened.
“We just have three days for the interviews. If I cannot win your love within those three days, I swear, I will never trouble you again.” I knew this was hard for me, but this was the only way out.
A semi-smile curled on her lips the minute after I had said that. She seemed to like the idea.
“Very well then. We both know there’s no chance of you changing my heart.”
The confidence with which she said that made me quiver. She rapped on the door until Edel opened it up and peered inside. Edel had a hopeful smile on her face, but the look fell when Kira yanked on the door with all her might.
“You are in trouble, Edel!” Kira warned her as she swept past.
My heart jolted the moment she’d opened the door and walked out like I was not there. I realized I had lost Kira Martin entirely.
I watched her go but I knew we would be together soon. “I am going to get you back, baby.”
I closed my eyes and hummed the song I had composed for her. In the end, everything was going to be all right. Now I had to worry about getting back to my home where I had to cook up a concrete plan to win her love. I took out my phone and dialed Starburst immediately.
“Pick up, pick up.” I needed to seek his advice. What was next?
“Hey, bro, I’ve been looking for you. So, I found something really nice.”
“What did you find, Starburst?” I wondered.
“A sheet of paper and some words scribbled on it,” he answered.
I laughed. I knew he had found the song I had written about Kira.
“It’s awesome, I would love to hear the beats. Where are you anyway?”
“I’m at the Daybreak Journal. Kira’s workplace. I came up with a plan to get her back. One of the reasons I am calling you now.” I paused.
“Oh, sounds like a plan,” he said.
“So, tell me, how do you get a woman to love you within three days?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
KIRA
A WEEK LATER…
I had explained to Penny that I would work with Blade and I was sorry for my behavior. I admitted I wasn’t professional but I was able to convince her I had only been overwhelmed. She laughed over it and encouraged me to put the matter to rest.
“This guy is just what Daybreak needs.” Edel was scrolling through her newsfeed.
I knew from the way she batted her lashes she was enamored with Blade.
“You overestimate him.” I sipped my coffee coolly.
A lot of work was going on in the Daybreak building in preparation for the first interview with Blade, which would take place tomorrow. The office had suddenly turned into a beehive overnight.
“Come on, Kira, I am still mad at you. You should be buying me something else.” Edel rolled her eyes.
She was furious I had kept my relationship with Blade away from her over the last couple of months. I’d carefully explained to her it was just something casual, that was the reason I’d hesitated. Edel was my good friend, and I trusted her, she would never do a thing to harm me.
“I am sorry, Edel, how many more times have I got to say it?” I thought she was being petty now.
“When I am satisfied?” She peered at me through slitted eyes.
“What if I convert the apologies into magazines, how does that sound?” I bit into my doughnut.
“No! I prefer the former.” She gritted her teeth.
“Okay, I am officially done apologizing.” I rolled my eyes; I meant it.
“Daybreak Journal is the most talked about journal in the U.S right now. We are envied by other blogs and magazines. Everyone wants to have one or all of the Trash Monkeys on their show. If Blade could have this effect before the show, then it’s going to be explosive, and that solely depends on you.” She ignored my last statement and rattled on.
It irked me that people would see him as a god, as a role model when they lacked the understanding of his true beastly nature.
“You’re not saying anything. You never told me why you guys broke up. Are you still going to hide that from me?” she asked.
“Edel…come on. I told you already, we just didn’t work out. We fell out of love, and these things happen every day,” I explained, hoping she would stop asking me questions about Blade.
“Whatever, I like him. Blade seems like a nice guy, and I know you still love him.” She winked.
I was getting peeved now. “Can you just stop?” I snorted.
“Stop what exactly? Truth is bitter.” Edel grinned.
I just didn’t want to hear his name. I dreaded working with him but I had accepted his offer for three days, so there was no turning back now.
“So, you had been making love to the hottest Trash Monkey alive, and you never cared to say anything? You could’ve even written about it,” she continued to tease me.
“Edel! It’s enough. You’re supposed to be on my side here not Blade’s. I am your best friend.” I rolled my eyes again. Why was everyone so carried away by his bright personality? Would they still feel the same way about him if I were to tell them about why we’d parted ways?
“How am I supposed to be on your side when you have refused to open up about what happened?” she told me.
“I will just ignore you, Edel, I have to focus on my work.” I lifted a file from the table we were seated at in the coffee shop.
Our coffee break would soon be over, and we would find ourselves back at the office. I needed to make use of this quiet place to go over the model questions Penny had given to me. She had just written a few and asked that I add other exciting questions. She was really thrilled by the upcoming interview, and I knew how important it was to her. I didn’t want to let Penny down; I didn’t want to let my colleagues down. I was a person and I had to consider the greater good. But this was not about Blade one bi
t. I knew I would not fall back when I felt myself being reeled in again. I was still in love with Blade. I was sure of this fact.
“What kind of questions does Penny want?” Edel sipped from her mug.
“Model questions for ‘Knowing Blade’,” I replied curtly.
“Interesting. Do you need my help?” Edel winked.
I could tell she was up to something mischievous, so I quickly declined. “No,” I replied.
“Would it hurt if you asked who he is currently in love with at the moment?” Edel asked.
One glance at her face had me laughing. I felt like wiping that smug smile off her face. She wanted Blade and me to be together.
“I don’t want to be with a celebrity. Their lives are much more complex…so complicated yet they look glamorous on the outside. I don’t want to be with a person who comes from a different world, someone who fails to understand me. I just want to be me. I want to be with someone who wants me to be me,” I said.
“So Blade doesn’t want you to be you?” She bit into a doughnut.
My mouth felt dry. I hadn’t thought about that. I was about to answer when my phone rang, breaking our conversation.
I took the call without checking the caller identity, but once I heard the rumbling of the baritone at the other end, my heart did a double beat as I realized who I was talking to.
“What do you want now, Blade?” I barked at him.
“Good afternoon, Kira. You seem angry. Did anyone get you upset?”
The hypocrite! He sounded so loving and caring; he seemed like a helpless lamb yet so heartless and cruel. He was the lion who had torn my heart into shreds.
“Don’t ask me any questions,” I fired back.
“It seems I called you at the wrong time. I am sorry about that. Well, I just wanted to remind you about our dinner tonight at the South Beach Lounge. You’ll have a driver and you could bring your friend Edel along if you’re not comfortable being around me.”
I scoffed. He was starting to get on my nerves. “What dinner? What are you going on about now?”
“I have to go Kira, darling, just prepare for the dinner. The attire is semi-formal.” Blade cut the call before I could say anything else.
“You know, for someone who is out of love, you act like you are in love.” Edel had been listening to our conversation.
“What makes you think that?” I was still mad at Blade for calling me in the first place.
“The aggression, the self-denial, and how tensed up you become when Blade is around. You are fighting it, Kira. It’s not a shame to go back to an ex. Love is a gift, it’s something beautiful, and some of us may not have a second chance at it. Why not give the hunky guy just one more chance?”
“I will ignore you, Penny is calling.”
My phone had buzzed again—this time it was Penny.
“Hello, Kira, where are you?” she asked.
“Good morning, Penny. I am at the coffee shop opposite the office,” I replied.
“Good, you need to get back to the office. I’ve got a fashion designer, specially hired by Blade for the show. So everyone is going to get something new to wear, especially you, the hostess. You two are going to have dinner tonight at the South Beach Lounge. It’s strictly business, a professional dinner, and you can take Edel or Tom along if you are not comfortable going alone. The meal is just to get you two acquainted with each other.”
God! The bastard cooked this up, I was so damn sure.
“Um, I don’t mean to be rude, Penny, but whose idea was this?”
“Oh, mine. Blade was hesitant about the dinner, I had to convince him,” she said.
“Okay, thanks. I will do as you have said.”
“Good girl. Now go and make us proud.”
“I guess you are going for that dinner after all,” Edel scoffed once the call with Penny was over.
I wasn’t listening to her, or what she had to say next, I was just bothered that the dinner wasn’t Blade’s idea.
I thought he had cooked that up so I could spend time with him. Was he over me?
“No,” I mused, he wasn’t, he was probably busy, and that’s why he was reluctant about the dinner.
“So, are you taking your best friend along to eat with a superstar?” Edel was inviting herself.
This was my answer: “For your punishment for being on his side, I will say ‘no’.”
A part of me whispered that I had said no to Edel because I wanted to spend time with Blade alone, and relive old times, but I quickly pushed the thought out of my head. I wasn’t going back to Blade, not now, not ever.
***
I was on my way to the South Beach Lounge where I was supposed to have dinner with Blade Benefield. I felt nervous. What would spending time with him again after the breakup feel like? It’d been a month since our break up, and I still felt off anytime I thought about him.
In Penny’s words, “It’s going to be strictly business, a professional dinner.” I knew she had no idea that Blade and I had been together intimately. If she did, she would have had a rethink about this whole ‘Knowing Blade’ thing.
I was ready to do this right. I was not going to come off defensive or attack him, it would be purely professional. I had a knee-length sweetheart Tiffany blue dress with an empire waistline. I hoped Blade didn’t get any ideas that I was still interested in him or wanted him back. Either way, I had decided to wear something sexy, and with it being fair, the dress complemented my skin tone. I also wore light makeup and had my hair straightened and curled. I just wanted Blade to realize that this dinner was nothing but business to me, so was our deal together.
“We’re here, ma’am,” the driver announced.
“Thanks.” I smiled and gripped the door handle as he brought the car to a final halt.
I grabbed my purse containing my mini tape recorder, my notepad, and my pen. I headed straight to the VVIP section where I was to meet Blade.
The South Beach Lounge was a beautiful place to be. It sparkled like a jewel in darkness. It looked like a cluster of stars that glittered in the universe on the very darkest night. There were a lot of cars in the parking lot, valets in their ensembles, and a very sophisticated fountain whose waters gushed out from twenty different sources.
“Lovely,” I murmured.
I found the bar meant for the VVIP and smiled at the security and showed them a badge that Penny had given to me, which was to offer me clearance into the lounge.
“You’re welcome, madam.” He returned my smile and widened the door.
I searched the bar briefly. It was spacey; only four tables were filled up. I just couldn’t find Blade at any of the tables so I moved to the bar area and settled on the leather swivel bar stool.
Maybe he was busy or still at the studio or had forgotten entirely about the dinner. I decided to have some fun time with Edel on Facebook to ease myself of the tension I felt while waiting for Blade’s arrival.
We talked about the sexy way I had dressed. I remembered Edel encouraging me to take great care choosing my dress because there was a likelihood of the paparazzi catching up with us.
“You wouldn’t want to appear like a nerd the first time you’ll be seen with Blade, would you? The internet never forgets, always remember that,” she’d cautioned me.
I also reminded her that I had the right to do whatever I wanted with my body and informed her I’d never had trouble with the paparazzi before. Heck, I was a journalist myself for that matter.
I was still messaging Edel when the shrill laughter of an unknown woman distracted the peace and quiet of the bar. I glanced up. The loudmouth was holding hands with the man who had taken hold of my heart and crumbled it.
I felt jealous, an emotion I thought was dead and buried within me. Who was the woman by Blade’s side? And why did she look so happy holding hands with Blade Benefield? Had he moved on? What if he had only been playing with my feelings when he had asked me to come back to him?
Get a grip on your
self, Kira! You must never let him or anyone else see this vulnerable part of you.
I watched them both. Our eyes met for a fleeting moment before Blade pulled his blue eyes from mine and led the lady to another table.
“This isn’t happening, what kind of behavior is this?” I mumbled.
Although Penny had been the one to plan this dinner, I was here at the bar, so why was he ignoring me now?
I decided to keep my cool and continued chatting with Edel who was now telling me about her sick cat, Deolphus. I sympathized with her and encouraged her to see a vet as soon as possible.
Though my fingers were on the keypads of my phone, I found it difficult to keep my eyes away from Blade and his date. I was truly envious of the way they doted upon each other and the way they laughed.
Okay, I’ve had enough.
Thirty minutes had passed, and Blade was yet to notice me or come to the bar to greet me. I rose to my feet and marched angrily towards his table. I felt like punching him and the blonde woman in the face.
“Kira? How are you?” Blade stood up to greet me.
So he wanted to play games, did he? Well, fucking game on!
“Are you kidding me? Are you color-blind now?” I hissed, pulled out a chair, and joined them.
Since my job was to get questions out of him and to have dinner, I had come to do just that.
“My bad, Kira. This is Dr. Ashley Cutler, she is my therapist.” He smiled then turned to the lady doctor. “Dr. Cutler, this is the woman I told you about.”
I felt ashamed for assuming they were lovers. What had Blade told this woman about me? I was immediately consumed by a fire of eagerness and curiosity.
The blonde lady reached across the table at once and offered her hand. “‘Hello, Kira, it’s nice to meet you in person finally. You played an important role in Blade’s transformation and healing. I wish a lot of young women could do this for their men. We would have less broken and depressed people in the world.”
I took her proffered hand and gave it a shake. I felt confused but happy to know that Blade wasn’t dating this blonde bombshell. I would have to rake her green eyes out of their sockets if their relationship proved to be something more than patient and doctor. I gave her a smile to cover up my mean thoughts. Even though she seemed like a friendly person, I would have to pay close attention. I didn’t like the way she kept placing her red talons on Blade’s forearm.
Rock Fever Page 14