by Peyton Banks
Jada leaned her head back against the headrest and rolled her eyes.
“Really, Mom? You sending Sky over to check on me?”
“Well, it’s not like us to not talk for a day, much less two. All I could think was that you were laying facedown, dead in your home. You hear about stuff like that on the news all the time, and the poor person wouldn’t be found for weeks on end,” her mother huffed.
“Why would I be dead?” she scoffed.
Her mother’s imagination could run wild sometimes. She already felt guilty for not calling her. Clare Dalton knew how to lay the guilt on her children something crazy.
“I don’t know. You know I worry about you children—”
“Mom, we’re grown—”
“Doesn’t matter. You could be sixty and you would still be my baby.”
Her mother’s voice softened, and Jada’s guilt increased. She knew her mother had her best interest at heart. She let loose a deep sigh and decided to come clean.
“Well, if you must know, I met someone,” she admitted and was met with silence. She glanced down at her phone to make sure the call hadn’t dropped.
“Really?” her mother gushed.
Jada smiled at the excitement that lined her mother’s voice. She looked around the parking lot to find it still empty. She was usually the first one to arrive at the salon, but today was Monday, which was usually a super-slow day. Most of the hairstylists took Sundays and Mondays off so that they could have two days off a week.
Her salon was more than a place for women to get their hair styled. It contained a small store that focused on natural hair and skincare products. They were even open on Mondays to meet the needs of more of their clients. She usually covered that day and took another day off in the week if she needed it. Six-day weeks were rough, but it was totally worth it to ensure that her salon was a success.
“Yes, really. You’re saying that like you are shocked or something,” she said, pretending to be hurt.
“Of course not. It’s more like an ‘about time’ type of reaction, my dear. So tell me all about him.”
Well, here goes.
“His name is Reiner—
“That’s a different name,” her mother stated, cutting her off.
Jada rolled her eyes, deciding to go ahead and make her way inside the building. This was going to take a while. She grabbed her messenger bag and exited her car. She had thought it had died, but amazingly it had risen from the dead once more in the auto shop.
“It is. Tall, muscular, athletic, and a super-nice guy,” she rushed out as she let herself into the salon. She quickly disarmed the alarm system and made her way into her office. She sat her things down and booted up her computer.
“Sounds nice. Where did you meet Mr. Tall, Muscular and Athletic?”
Jada caught her mother up on the details of how she’d met Reiner. Her mother first acted hurt that she was just hearing about Reiner now, but she finally settled down, citing understanding that this was all new.
“Well, what does he do for a living?”
It was now or never to fill her mother in on the rest of the details. It was best that she heard it from Jada first than anyone else. Her mother would be hurt if Jada kept this type of secret from her.
“Is it a secret or something, Jada?” her mother asked gently. “What are you not telling me?”
Jada sighed knowing their mother had certain intuitions when it came to her and Sky. Clare could always sense when something was wrong.
“He plays professional football. He plays for the Knights,” she admitted.
“Well, for someone who knows nothing of football, what would you two have in common?” Clare Dalton rarely held her tongue, and now would not be the time.
Jada thought about what her and Reiner had shared and realized that even though they were from different worlds, they were much alike.
They both had a drive to be the best, him in football, her with her salon. They both loved the same type of movies and food. Even after the disastrous meeting with his mother, they’d ended up having a good time at dinner. They had drawn some looks that had left Jada feeling uncomfortable, but Reiner’s attention was on her. Even when someone stopped by for an autograph or picture, he’d graciously smiled, complied, then turned right back to her.
“There’s more to him than football,” she mumbled as she entered her password into her computer. She switched the call to speakerphone so she could start working while on the phone. “But there is one more thing that I should tell you.”
“What, darling? You can tell me anything. I don’t like hearing the hesitation in your voice. Spill it,” her mother demanded.
“He’s white.”
“Okay. And?”
Jada blinked a few times, and a smile spread across her face. Why did she even think that it would be a problem? Relief spread through her chest.
“I just thought—”
“Honey, don’t tell me you thought I or your father would have an issue with you dating someone from outside our race.”
Jada paused and sat back in her chair while she stared at her phone. Did she really think her parents would have an issue with Reiner being white? In her heart she already knew the answer.
No.
“I know you wouldn’t. I just never dated someone outside of my race, and it’s new for me.”
“Well, as long as he treats you right and you’re happy then that’s all that matters,” her mother said. “But my concern isn’t that he’s white, it’s that he’s Reiner Strickland.”
Jada paused. How would her mother know his name? She wasn’t that big into football, either. Clare’s favorite sport was basketball. Her mother was a die-hard fan of the local basketball team who Jada knew was in the playoffs.
“Wait! How did you know his last name?” Jada sat forward in her chair in shock. She knew she hadn’t said it.
What in the hell?
“Honey, it’s all over the news and gossip sections. Imagine I turn on the television to my favorite early morning sports talk show and see my daughter out with a handsome football star at some popular steakhouse in Texas.”
Jada’s eyes widened. All this time her mother had known about Reiner and had let her continue on and on, not once mentioning that she had already heard about them being together. She couldn’t believe her mother had learned of Reiner from the television—
Shit!
“Mom, I gotta go,” she rushed, scooping her phone up from her desk. She had to call Reiner. If this was all over the television as her mother had said, then she needed to call him.
“Okay, dear. We would love to meet him. Bring him by sometime soon.”
“Yes, Mom. Gotta go. Love you.” She didn’t give her mother a chance to respond before she disconnected the call.
She scrolled through her contacts to find Reiner’s number and hit the button. She put her phone to her ear and waited. It went straight to voicemail. She ended the call and tried it again—voicemail. This time, she decided to leave a message.
“Hey, Reiner. It’s me, Jada. Call me when you get this.”
She hung up, not sure what else to say. She placed her phone down and grabbed the mouse to her computer and clicked on the internet. She typed in Reiner’s name, and her stomach plummeted.
Sure enough, there were pictures and stories of their weekend together.
And the blogs were not nice at all. She fought the bile that threatened to make an appearance. Her eyes were glued to the words that were splashed across the screen. She sat there, clicking on every single article and picture.
Mysterious. Black woman. Interracial. Overweight. Plump. Gold-digger. Poor. Struggling business owner.
All the words that were constantly used to describe her in every article. Her heart slammed against her chest as she looked at the pictures that were taken of them while out at the restaurant.
She roamed the images of his previous women that the media compared her to and chewed on her lip
while tears pooled in her eyes. She knew the world could be vicious but had never had the brunt of it thrown her way like this.
She wasn’t cut out for this. She didn’t want to hurt Reiner’s career or image. She wasn’t worth this. Realization came to her.
She’d have to let him go.
“Our fearless leader has made the headlines again,” Ben joked as they sat around after concluding a team meeting. Everyone else had finally ambled out of the room, leaving the three friends behind.
“It’s not funny,” Reiner scowled. He thought of how his phone had been ringing off the hook. Kennedy had called stating that a few shows wanted to interview him to discuss his new interracial relationship. He’d immediately turned them down.
It was none of the world’s business who he dated. That was the hard part of being one of the highest-paid stars in the football league.
Everyone wants to know all there is about you.
“Well, it’s about time you cross over to my world.” Kevin chuckled, leaning back in his chair. “I’ve been telling you that you need to find you a sweet piece of chocolate—”
“Hey,” Reiner cut his friend off. He knew Kevin was just making fun of the situation, but it left a sour taste in his mouth.
“Don’t worry about the media,” Ben advised. “It will all blow over soon. The media are like vultures. Searching for anything they can exploit. It’s not like you are the first person to date someone outside your race. Look around. Everyone does it.”
“Ben’s right. They want a piece of the mighty Reiner Strickland.” Kevin stood from his chair and stretched. “You need to make sure your girl understands that dating you puts a target on her back.”
They both stared at Reiner, waiting for him to answer. He hadn’t thought of talking to her about the media. He had been so caught up in her and the issue with his mother that he had failed to talk to her about what could happen if the media got word that he was dating someone.
“Shit,” Ben breathed. “You didn’t even give her a clue, did you?”
“Fuck.” Reiner ran a shaky hand through his hair as he thought about what she could have possibly heard by now. When his had phone started ringing off the hook, he had shut it off. “No. I didn’t even think about giving her the rundown on things like the media. We were just spending time together—”
“And you left her wide open.” Kevin shook his head. He handed Reiner his cell phone. “The media is not going easy on you for some reason. Usually mixed celebrity couples don’t even get a second glance, but this right here. Not sure what’s going on.”
Reiner took Kevin’s phone from him, and his stomach churned. No, the media was not being nice. He let loose a curse as he read the first article title.
“You may want to call her,” Ben said quietly.
“Shit. No phone calls. I’ll just go to her.” He stood from his chair and handed Kevin back his phone. “I’ll see ya’ll later.”
Anger filled his chest as he stalked through the Knights’ training center. He was not only angry at the media for invading her privacy but angry at himself for forgetting to prepare her. With him being a celebrity, nothing about him would ever be normal. Most of the women in his past were women who were also celebrities in their own way and were used to the paparazzi. They had someone to manage the media.
Jada wouldn’t.
He pulled his cell from his pocket, exiting the building. He turned it on, and notifications began sounding off. Fifteen voicemails. He glanced at the list of voicemail names and saw that Jada had left him one.
He hopped in his truck as the sound of her voice greeted his ears.
Hey, Reiner. It’s me, Jada. Call me when you get this.
He closed his eyes, replaying the message again. He threw his key in the ignition and turned it. He drove out of the team parking lot with the sound of his tires screeching filling the air.
He had to get to Jada. This conversation had to happen in person. There was no way that he would call her and try to explain the media. He growled at the thought of the words that were printed about her. He knew that everything the media had splashed about her was untrue.
His phone rang while he drove to Jada’s salon. He glanced down and rolled his eyes.
Mom.
He hit the button and answered the phone through his hands-free device.
“Reiner,” his mother’s worried voice came through the line.
“Hey, Mom. What’s up?” he asked, acting as if he didn’t know what she would be calling for.
“It’s already beginning. I knew something like this would happen,” she stated.
“The media always finds something about me to make a story out of it.” He tried to remain calm as if he didn’t care. But in truth he didn’t care that the media was running stories about him, it was Jada who he was worried about.
“This could impact your image or your brand. You have too much to lose by messing with this girl.”
“Excuse me?” he asked, his anger mounting. “We spent a weekend together. How could this possibly hurt my brand?”
“Look, I’m not trying to argue with you, Reiner Strickland. I’m just trying to give you advice.”
“Thanks but no thanks,” he growled, squeezing his steering wheel tight. “Mother, I’m a grown man and can make my own decisions. I expect that you will respect my decision. I decide what’s best for me.”
She fell quiet. He could practically hear her brain working through the speakers of his truck. Finally, a sigh broke the silence.
“If you’re sure you want to be with her, then I can’t do anything but accept your decision.”
Relief filled his chest at his mother’s words. He knew that she would be woman enough to admit when she was wrong.
“I appreciate it, Mother. But I have to go. I need to go do some damage control,” he announced before disconnecting the call. He made a wide turn onto the street Jada’s salon was located. He parked a few doors down and shut off his truck. He blew out a deep breath and exited the cab.
He stalked toward her salon. A few people were out ambling on the sidewalk. He could tell that some recognized him but he ignored them, not caring that they broke out their phones.
It never failed to amaze him how many people would sell their pictures to the media. What could be a simple selfie with a fan could land on the front page of gossip columns for the right price.
He approached The Dalton Design Group door and paused with his hand on the handle. He blew out a deep breath. He didn’t know what he was going to say. This was like the ultimate play. Getting Jada to understand that he truly liked her and wanted to continue seeing where this thing between them was going.
He narrowed his eyes as he swung open the door. He strode in, and the woman behind the receptionist desk froze in place.
“May I help you?” she asked with wide eyes.
“I need to see Jada,” he demanded, resting his hands on the counter.
She nodded and reached for her desk phone. She dialed a few numbers and waited.
“Hey, Jada. There’s a man here to see you,” she announced. “I know, you said no media or anything.”
His grip tightened on the counter while he openly listened to her side of the conversation.
“No, he certainly isn’t media,” she stated with a small laugh. She lowered her voice with her eyes flickering to him. “It’s him.”
If it would have been any other day, he would have smirked, or laughed, or even flirted with her to get what he wanted, but right now he had more pressing matters.
“She’s on her way,” the receptionist reported, setting the phone back on the cradle. Her gaze traveled over him as he straightened to his full height.
He looked around the waiting area and decided to stand. He walked over to the large bay window and observed the pedestrians. It was pretty busy this time of day with people going in and out of the shops that lined the street.
“Reiner,” Jada’s soft voice sounded behind him.<
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He turned to her and took her in. His heart seemed to lodge in his throat at her outfit. She had a leather pencil skirt on that stopped at her knees, a thin pink sheer shirt, and black heels that had a thick strap around her ankles. Her makeup was light, and her hair flowed around her shoulders.
“Hey, baby,” he breathed. He could see the receptionist’s mouth drop open at his endearment. “We need to talk.”
“I know. Come on.” She waved for him to follow her. Little did she know, in that outfit, he’d follow her to the ends of the world and back.
With his size he felt like an elephant in a china shop as he walked through the salon. He dropped his gaze to her leather-clad ass and bit back a groan. He tore his attention off her and nodded to the patrons in the salon. Women were seated getting their nails done, and a few were scattered in the store portion of the salon.
He followed her to the back where she opened a door for him. He brushed past her into her small office. He turned as she closed the door and pushed her up against it. He covered her mouth with his in a searing kiss. It had been a full day since they’d arrived back from their trip and he’d dropped her off at her place.
She gasped, and he tilted his head and forced his tongue into her mouth. He needed to taste her. He filled his hands with her leather-clad ass, pulling her to him. His cock strained against his jeans.
“I’ve missed you,” he announced while his lips brushed hers. He reached up to cup her jaw, rubbing her swollen bottom lip with his thumb.
“I missed you, too,” she replied.
Her eyes opened, and he read the sadness in them. His heart slammed into his chest.
“We need to talk.” He brushed his mouth against hers again, unable to resist taking another taste of her sweet lips.
“I know,” she sighed.
His hands had a mind of their own. They ran down her side to the bottom of her skirt.
“What are you doing?” she whispered fiercely as he pulled it up high.
He looked around, and the only window in her office faced the brick wall of the building next door.
Good. He didn’t want to risk anyone seeing what was his.
His?
Yes.