I rubbed both hands down the length of my face and paced a few steps away from my father and Selig, my loyal personal assistant. “Fuck!”
“Hayden!”
“Forgive me, Papa.” I turned around and made my way back to my father and faced him like a man although I felt very much like a misbehaved little boy. “I intended no disrespect, sir. It’s just that I’m very frustrated with the entire situation. My suspension and…”
I miss Natalie. I’m upset because my time with her was cut short. Like a drug addict or an alcoholic, I’m experiencing terrible withdrawal symptoms.
“What is it, son? Please finish your statement. Tell me why you’re so aggravated. Let us help you, Hayden.”
Papa’s concern was genuine, and I appreciated it from the bottom of my heart. I swear to God I did. But neither he nor my mom or Selig could sooth my aching heart or bring peace to my soul like Natalie could. She was the other half of my soul...my soul mate , and I needed to be with her. But circumstances were making it impossible for us to reunite, and my emotions were slowly unraveling as a result.
“Um, Papa…I…um, I just want to return to the States to resume my vacation before my next game.”
“Is that it, son?” Papa laughed and gripped my shoulder. “You can go back to your cabin and spend all the time you want there after you lead your team to another championship. I understand your need for peace and solitude, but it’s not time for that right now. You’ve just been cleared to return to the game you love, so you must shift your focus back to the soccer field.”
“You’re right, Papa. I should concentrate on the game.” But I can’t because all I can think about is Natalie. I can hardly breathe without that woman.
Of course, I couldn’t say those words to my father yet because I hadn’t told him or my mom about Natalie, but I would this evening over dinner at Aunt Gerda’s house. The sooner they knew about her, the better it would be for us to plan our future together. Natalie and I needed the blessings from our parents to move forward and we would receive them even if I had to beg for their consents on my hands and knees.
I noticed a coffeemaker and a set of mugs along with cream and sugar at the end of a small table in a corner of the room. There was a platter of sweet rolls next to it, but I didn’t have much of an appetite. I walked over and poured a generous amount of coffee into a mug and took a seat to sort through my thoughts. It was useless. No matter how hard I tried to concentrate on the upcoming meetings I was scheduled to attend or my return to the field, Natalie’s beautiful smiling face invaded my head space. I gave up and turned my head to ask Selig a question.
Immediately, I had to suppress the impulse to strangle the life out of him with my bare hands for the teasing smirk on his face. And he’d had the nerve to grunt and shake his head too. He could be such a pompous bastard at times. Humor was dancing in his eyes over the fact that for the first time since Ilsa, I actually had feelings for a woman. But this go around, I wasn’t just infatuated with an attractive face and some average, on-demand pussy. There was no comparison between my short fling with Ilsa and my unforgettable, unexpected, mountaintop romance with Natalie. The two experiences were as different as football slash soccer and tennis.
It had happened rather quickly, and I considered it a miracle, but I’d fallen in love with Natalie on Blue Ridge, and I believed in my heart she loved me too. I had never loved Ilsa, which had turned out to be quite beneficial for me, a young, up-and-coming footballer at the time. Thankfully, I’d discovered that the older and extremely ambitious sports reporter’s so-called love for me was secondary to her desire to be attached to the potential greatness she saw in me to become a football champion. And she was shamelessly obsessed with my body, often placing sexual demands on me during football season although she knew it could hinder my ability to perform at my highest level on the field.
As mind-blowing as our brief sex life had been on Blue Ridge, I didn’t think for a moment that my sweet Natalie would ever burden me with fulfilling her physical needs during the season. She wasn’t selfish like that and she wouldn’t ever jeopardize my career although she had no clue what my career was. Natalie was all of the good things to me that Ilsa had failed to be. And because she had brought so much joy into my life, she was the woman I wanted to grow old with.
A knock on the steel door that led to the outside of the building caused me to abandon my thoughts. Selig rushed to unlock the door and peep outside while Papa and I looked on.
“Hayden, darling, how are you?” Mom entered the room with outstretched arms followed by Aunt Gerda.
I hugged my mother and kissed her cheek. “I’m fine.” I hugged Aunt Gerda and gave her a kiss as well. “Hallo. Wie geht’s dir, Auntie?”
“Mir geht es gut. Danke.” She gave me a faint smile and patted my hand.
Selig closed the door on a throng of screaming reporters before he turned to face me. “Sir, we must leave in the next five minutes or you’ll be late for your meeting. I’ll escort your parents and aunt to the front of the building to their car. I’ll return shortly and then we can leave. Mr. and Mrs. Ellis and Miss Gerda, shall we?”
My father nodded. “Of course, Selig.” He turned to me. “We will see you at dinner this evening, son.”
“Okay, Papa. I’ll be there.”
I embraced my mom and Aunt Gerda again before Selig led them along with my father to the door that took them through the press room and to the front of the building. While I waited and sipped black coffee, my mind floated back to my woman. I removed my cell phone from the breast pocket of my suit coat and quickly located my pictures. My heart began to weep the instant I saw her face. Damn, I missed her painfully. She was the most gorgeous woman God had ever created, and I was grateful that He had created her just for me. I continued scrolling through all the goofy selfies Natalie and I had taken our last evening together in the mountains. One particular picture I had snapped of her alone stole my breath. Her alluring smile, the twinkle in her large, doe-shaped, brown eyes, and those misbehaved curls caused my heart to flutter.
“I hope she won’t become a distraction.”
I looked up at Selig who’d crept back into the dressing room undetected. All of my senses were so deeply engrossed in Natalie’s picture that I wouldn’t have noticed a raging bull charging into the small space.
“Natalie will never be a distraction.” I stood and glared at Selig. “She can’t be because she is the main attraction in my life. Everything else, including football , must wait in line.”
I headed for the steel door, leaving Selig standing in place, no doubt, shocked out of his mind.
Chapter Nineteen
Natalie
“That’s it, Eesh! Now, spin and drop. Yasss, honey!” Jamorée walked through the open space dividing my twelve energetic backup dancers while tapping his long wooden stick on the floor in time to the beat of the music. “Great job, guys and gals. Now, buck those hips, Eesh. That’s it, boo! Work it now! Work…”
Jamorée, my longtime choreographer, froze like a statue and cast shocked and angry eyes on my ringing cell phone that was located near the steps, stage left. Almost in slow motion, he cued the deejay to kill the music with a throat-slash gesture, rolling his eyes in the process. Then he glared at me before he pranced on the balls of his feet over to my phone, picked it up, and answered.
“Hello?”After a beat or two, Jamorée rolled his neck and laughed in his nasally, high-pitched voice. “You would like to speak to whom ?”
My heart was slamming so hard against my ribcage that I thought it would break each bone in two. And it wasn’t just because my dancers and I were exhausted from practicing show routines for two hours nonstop. I was damn near having a panic attack because I knew Hayden was on the other end of that call.
“Um, take ten, everybody!” I shouted as I rushed over to Jamorée and snatched my phone out of his hand. “Hey, bae.”
“Who was the fucking character that answered your phone?”
<
br /> I was about to answer Hayden’s question, but I paused when I realized every damn eye in the room was on me. I turned my back and walked down the steps, off the stage. “His name is Jamorée and he’s my chore…um…we work together. How did your meeting go? Did you get the job?”
“Actually, the organization I’d previously worked for gave me my former job back with a bonus and a raise along with some new perks.”
“Really? That’s wonderful, Hayden! Congratulations.” Hallelujah! He’s got a job. Now, I won’t have to take care of him. “I’m so happy for you, bae.”
“Thanks, sweetheart.” He released a loud sigh. “I wish you could fly over and celebrate with my family and me. We’re having a dinner party tonight. It won’t be the same without you. The last twenty-four hours of my life have been difficult. I’m happy about the job, but my happiness would be on steroids if you were here with me.”
I laughed although I felt the sting of tears threatening to spill from my eyes. I sniffed and willed them away. “I wish I could click my heels together three times and magically appear in Frankfurt right now.”
“Like Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz, eh?”
“So, you’ve seen the movie?”
He laughed, and the deep, throaty sound sent fire straight up my spine. God, how I missed him.
“Of course, I’ve seen the movie and read the book over a hundred times as a boy. I’m only half German, babe. Remember? My father comes from a big family in Marietta, and I spent lots of summer vacations and holidays there with them when I was growing up. So, yeah, I know all about Dorothy, Toto, Scare Crow, Tin Man, The Wicked Witch of the West, and all the others in Kansas and the Emerald City.”
“Well, I wish I had a pair of magic ruby slippers like Dorothy so I could be with you right now.”
“I don’t know where to find magic shoes, babe, but I can buy you a first-class, nonstop airline ticket to Frankfurt right now. You could be here by morning.”
“I wish I could come, but I can’t, Hayden.”
“Why can’t you come? You weren’t scheduled to leave Blue Ridge until January the second. It’s just December twenty-ninth, babe. Come on.”
I took a deep breath and released it slowly. “I’ve been so busy since I got back to work. I’m in the middle of a major project and it’s moving along kind of fast, so I can’t just drop it, Hayden. You could always come here. When do you report back to work?”
“I’ll undergo a physical examination tomorrow morning and a few work drills. If I’m cleared, I’ll hop on my pri…ugh…on a plane back home to Munich on the second of January to resume work.”
“What about New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day? Are you off? You could— ”
“I have to work both days in Frankfurt. Damn it!”
I heard a loud thud, like maybe Hayden had punched the wall or thrown a large object against it. I sensed his frustration with our situation, but there was nothing I could do about it on my end. I wanted to see him just as much as he obviously wanted to see me, but his job and mine were getting in our way. One of us needed to make a sacrifice.
“Hayden, I’ll have a break in my schedule January third through the fifth, but I’ve got to be back in Atlanta on the morning of the sixth. It’s mandatory . I could fly to Munich on the redeye the night of the second and do the same thing in reverse the night of the fifth. What do you think about that?”
“I’ll take whatever I can get, babe. Let me make your travel arrangements for you. I’ll call you with the details tonight.”
“Okay. It sounds like a plan.”
“Until tonight, meine Geliebte.”
I laughed. “Did you just say something freaky to me, sir?”
“No. I said until tonight, my love. Would you like me to say something freaky to you in German, babe?”
“Yes.”
“Alright. Ich will deine fotz lecken.”
“Shit, bae, I don’t know what you just said, but I like it. Say it in English.”
“No. I will show you when you arrive in Munich January third. I’ll call you tonight.”
“Okay. Bye.”
My hand was shaking from pure lust when the call ended. I was sure Jamorée wanted me to get back to work, but first, I needed to go and change my wet panties. Every damn time Hayden spoke to me in German, he caused my juices to overflow. Damn, I loved that man.
“You look rested and refreshed, baby girl. I guess the time away did you some good.” My father shoved a forkful of rice and gravy into his mouth and chewed.
“Thanks, Daddy. I feel refreshed. It was so beautiful up in the mountains and it was peaceful too. I was able to clear my head, work on some new music, and relax. Getting away from the real world to enjoy nature was a smart move.”
“Yeah, honey, you came back from the mountains glowing and giddy like a little school girl with a crush. I started wondering if you had met one of them lumberjack, wildlife, Paul Bunyan men up there.”
I shot Ravie the evil eye for trying to be messy on the creep. She quickly grabbed a corn bread muffin from her overflowing plate and took a huge bite out of it before she turned her head to make goo-goo eyes at her husband, Chip. She thought she was slick. Ole big-mouth heifer.
“So, when will you issue a statement through Zahirah about this Tobias situation? He and that girl are all over the TV and internet counting down the birth of their baby and talking about his new single he’s supposed to release New Year’s Day. Don’t you think you need to say something to your fans about the breakup?” Mom asked.
Damn ! Everyone sitting around my parents’ dining room table stopped whatever he or she was doing and stared at me, including Lil’ D. Dude went completely still in the middle of chewing a mouthful of chopped steak. His cheeks were bulging like a little chipmunk’s. I might as well have been onstage at Madison Square Garden because I damn sure was the center of attention.
I placed my fork on the edge of my plate. “I don’t have anything to say, Mom. It’s obvious to anyone with a half a brain what went down between Tobias and me. So, I won’t waste time, energy, or words on the situation. After my short retreat in the mountains, I’m now in a good place emotionally, physically, and spiritually. I’m looking forward to a prosperous and productive New Year in my professional life as well as my personal life. So, why would I want to revisit the mistakes of my past? I’m looking forward to my future.”
No one spoke or even made a gesture right away, but as my luck would have it, Ravie’s face broke out in a grin from ear to ear.
“See, y’all?” She pointed her fork at me. “Look at her mug all lit up like a Christmas tree! That holiday is already gone, boo boo, so you might as well spill the tea. Tell them!”
“Tell them what ?” I asked nervously while trying to act cool.
“About Hayden.”
“Hayden ? Who the hell is Hayden, baby girl?” Daddy asked.
Chip’s eyes almost popped out of their sockets. “Oh snap! Did you really meet some lumberjack dude up in them mountains, girl?”
“Tell us what Ravie is talking about, Eesh,” my mom pressed softly.
I looked at Lil’ D, and he obviously read the signal in my eyes, which were identical to his pretty brown ones. He gathered his plate of food, fork, and glass of sweet tea and stood up, shaking his head.
“I know the drill. I’m going to finish my dinner in the den. And just so y’all know, I’ll be watching reality TV.”
Once my little brother left the room, the rest of the family stared me down in silence. It was a good thing that they’d left Granny in Charleston with Aunt Lula Mae and Uncle Will. Otherwise, she’d be firing all kinds of questions at me right now.
“Okay, y’all, I met a man named Hayden Ellis in the mountains, and we hit it off.”
“Oh, Eesh, you shouldn’t rush into another relationship so soon after Tobias, sweetie.”
“Your mama is right, baby girl. It’s much too soon to go rebounding. You’re not just some cocktail waitress
or a file clerk. You are Zyeshia , a celebrated singer and songwriter, so you have to be careful. Men will go after you because of your money and fame. This Hayden guy could be just like— ”
“Hayden’s not like that!” I eyed everyone around the table, one by one. “He doesn’t even know who Zyeshia is, so he has no idea that I’m rich. It’s crazy, but he’s one of the few people on the planet who doesn’t know my face or my voice. And it was a wonderful feeling to be known as plain ole Natalie, the name you gave me in honor of your favorite singer, Natalie Cole, Mom and Daddy.” I smiled at Ravie when she reached over and squeezed my hand. “Hayden treated me like a queen from the moment we met without a clue about my career or net worth. When he looks at me, he sees Natalie Taylor, the woman, and not Zyeshia, the star.”
“Where is this Hayden fellow from and what does he do for a living, baby girl?”
I swallowed hard and stared at Ravie before I looked across the table at Daddy again. “I’m not exactly sure what he does for a living, but he does quite well for himself. He owns his cabin on Blue Ridge, which is twice the size and way more modern than the one I rented. And the SUV he drives costs more than most of the houses in our old neighborhood. I didn’t have to spend a dime when we were together, and he did most of the cooking.”
My parents faced each other and secret messages began to pass between them. I felt like I was in a shark tank, waiting to be eaten alive or rescued to safety. I held my breath during their brief unspoken exchange, hoping for the best.
“How old is this man? Has he ever been married and how many children and baby mamas does he have?” Daddy fired off in rapid succession.
“Hayden is twenty-eight. He’ll be twenty-nine in April. He’s never been married before and he doesn’t have any children.”
“Where does he live, Eesh?” Mom wanted to know.
“Well, his dad is a retired army colonel from Marietta, so at the end of his military career, he and Hayden’s mom, his wife of twenty-nine years, settled in that area.”
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