MOTY (The Lady Kingpin Series Book 1)

by J Hoffman

  Judah shrugged, “He’s a young boy. They’ll throw punches for a few years and then they go to college.”

  Natalee rolled her eyes with a grin. “Please, the punches don’t stop in college.”

  “No, absolutely not. But they definitely lessen.”

  Natalee sighed, “Maybe.”

  “I think we should let him do it.”

  “Seriously? You can’t be serious right now.”

  Judah nodded. “I’m completely serious. If I had a more normal schedule, I’d go with him. He’s obviously upset about this, why hold him back?”

  “Hold him back? Judah, he is our son! We created him to protect him.”

  “And how are we protecting him if he’s getting punched in the fucking face, Natalee?”

  She groaned and threw her head back in frustration. “Okay, Judah! I am not okay with this. I do not want him to willingly get beat up just to get stronger when some other tiny little kid punches him in the face. I think this is a bad idea. What would your father do if you asked to go into boxing at this age?”

  Judah crossed his arms and thought for a moment. “I never asked, so I have no idea. But he did let me join wrestling, and I fenced one year. One time he even let me flip a dirt bike, and I’m alive.”

  Natalee snorted. “He did not let you flip a dirt bike.”

  Judah smirked and shook his head. “No, that’s not necessarily what he let me do, but he did know that I was going to ride the dirt bike down a big, rocky hill. I had never ridden that particular bike before, so what did anyone really expect to happen?”

  Natalee giggled. She leaned over the matching island in the center of their kitchen. “That was dumb. Did you get hurt?”

  “Hell yeah I got hurt! I broke my collar bone and my wrist. I didn’t die though, and Jonah is not going to die if he takes a boxing class or two.”

  Natalee heaved a deep sigh. “You’re probably right, but this is so scary as his mother. I am petrified of seeing him purposely get hurt.”

  “Well, the purpose is to not get hurt, and to really hurt the other guy.” Judah grinned.

  She giggled before she shook her head and covered her face. “Oh my God, I know that’s the point, but no one has ever gotten anywhere in that sport without getting punched at least once.”

  Judah shrugged. “Maybe this is his once.”

  Natalee peered through her the spaces between her fingers. “Shut up.”

  He leaned over the island and kissed her on the forehead. “He’s going to be fine.”

  “When is your next flight?”

  “Six o’clock sharp, but there are a couple pilots on the overtime list, and they asked for extra hours.”

  “Oh my God, are you taking a vacation?” The words escaped her lips before she could think them through.

  He looked at her with an eyebrow cocked. “Yeah, right. Like I could ever not show up for a handful of days at a time.”

  She pushed her bottom lip out slightly. “Maybe you could? I checked your account the other day and you have over four hundred and sixty hours of vacation time. That’s almost three weeks, Judah. Not including your sick time, which is almost the same. We could go on a really nice vacation for the first time ever. You deserve it.”

  Judah sighed, “I’m the head pilot of a major airline, babe. When a pilot calls off, they literally change over a hundred people’s lives.”

  “But it’s not calling off if it’s scheduled,” she offered, hoping the feeling of defeat that had suddenly crept up on her would subside.

  “Let me work a week of vacation and get double pay.”

  “And then?”

  “And when that paycheck comes in, you can book us a vacation.”

  “For when?”

  “For three weeks after that check comes in.”

  “For where?” Her heart started to pound against her chest with excitement.

  He shrugged. “Your choice, baby. Just don’t get me killed.”

  Natalee giggled. “Thank you.” She leaned up and kissed him again. “Really, thank you.”

  He kissed her again. “If it’s going to keep you happy.”

  She nodded quickly, happily. “Absolutely. I need time with you! We can stay home the whole time, I don’t care. I just want to be able to spend time with you.”

  He took a deep breath and ran his fingers through his hair. He watched her for a second and scanned her eyes. “We’re in debt, Nat,” his voice seemed rattled.

  “Debt?” She asked, confused.

  “Yeah, debt. The bills are paid, but beyond that we have nothing. That’s why I haven’t taken any time off.”

  She shook her head and crossed her arms. “No, you said we had excellent credit.”

  “Yeah, credit seems to be the only thing we have.”

  “Judah, what are you talking about?”

  He sighed and stared at the ceiling for a moment before he brought his eyes back to hers. “With all the items I’ve been buying, and the shop that I purchased to put them up for sale in, we’re tapped right now.”

  “Judah, what the fuck? When were you going to tell me about this?”

  “Today, right now!” He exclaimed. “I just realized it last night. I was going through our accounts and I realized how bad that shop depleted us.” He peered at her as his eyes began to redden. “I fucked up, Nat. I really fucked up.”

  She stepped around the island and threw her arms around his neck. “Oh, Judah. It’s going to be okay. We’re going to be okay. But you have to be honest with me. You can’t hide these things.”

  He shook his head with a sniffle and wiped his eyes before he rested his hands on her hips. “I am so sorry. I had no idea that this shop was going to take everything, or I wouldn’t have done this. I wouldn’t have done any of this.”

  She shook her head again. “This is just right now Judah. Once your shop is functioning and people are buying your items, we’re going to laugh about this. Right now, it sucks, but we’ll get past this. We can do this.”

  He nodded slowly and took a deep, shaky breath. “They say most businesses fail in the first year, and we’re not even out of the first month yet.”

  “Exactly! Let’s look up. Toward the future. We can’t let this take us down right now, there’s too much potential.”

  He nodded and snaked his arms around her. “Okay, I’m sorry. It was just so horrifying to see all those low numbers in every account. Every single one of them.”

  She kissed him on the cheek with a smile. “We don’t have to go on vacation.”

  He watched her for a moment. “We can go on vacation.”

  Natalee shook her head objectively. “No, I don’t want you to be stressed the whole time. We will figure this out and then we will go on vacation when we don’t have to arrange paychecks to go. Just please try to take a few more nights off, I really miss you.”

  “I miss you too.” He kissed her again.

  She took a deep breath as she pulled away from him. “Well, that was a whole lot of important conversations shoved into a short period of time. I’m ready for some day drinking.”

  Judah chuckled. “Mimosa?”

  She shook her head. “No, I’m pulling a Rachel and going straight for the communal wine.”

  Judah raised an eyebrow and parted his lips to question her but was cut off abruptly. “How about straight to the vodka?” Svetlana spoke from the doorway and startled them

  “Svetty! You scared me,” said Natalee. She waved her hand over her chest.

  Svetlana smirked. “I heard there would be alcohol.”

  Her voice seemed much softer than it was a few hours ago and Natalee felt a small sense of relief.

  “I suppose a Screwdriver wouldn’t hurt,” Natalee offered. She pulled open the fridge and dragged the oversized jug of orange juice to the counter.

  “Is this Judah?” Svetlana gasped.

  “Svetlana!” Judah threw his hands in the air.

  “You are much more handsome in person, Nata
lee has done well for herself.” Svetlana crossed the threshold and wrapped her arms around Judah. She planted a big kiss on both cheeks. “You are very handsome, indeed.”

  Judah smiled and stepped back in an attempt to get away from the strong scent of alcohol that emanated from her. “I appreciate the compliment, but you know, I’m a married man.”

  Svetlana released a burst of laughter. “Yes, yes you are Mr. American. I must play nice, for Natalee.”

  Natalee slid a glass of orange juice across the counter to Svetlana who tipped the flask into it, which never seemed to leave her hand. She tightened the cap and slid it down the counter to Natalee.

  “Wow, you two could be bartenders,” Judah stated, impressed.

  Svetlana smiled, “I have much practice at home in Russia.”

  “Oh yeah? What is it that you do in Russia? Do you run a bar?”

  Svetlana shook her head and sipped her drink. “Not exactly.”

  Judah nodded slowly and shot a sideways glance at Natalee. “Okay, well I need to jump in the shower, but I will see you ladies in a bit.” He kissed Natalee on the forehead before he smacked her on the butt and left the kitchen.

  Svetlana propped herself up on a counter. “You should pick my husband, you are good at it.”

  Natalee rolled her eyes as she nursed her Screwdriver. “Please, I might be good in my own relationship but there’s no way I could anticipate how someone else’s would go.”

  Svetlana shrugged tentatively. “Fine, keep the good men all to yourself, I see how you are.”

  Natalee giggled. “No, no. No ‘men’. One man, the rest are free to go.”

  Svetlana nodded, “Does he have any friends? Brothers?” She threw her head back and cackled.

  Natalee joined her and allowed happiness to bubble from her chest.

  Nine

  After they finished off their first drink and headed for their second, Svetlana glanced around the kitchen. She peered at every countertop and windowsill. “Where is that plant I brought you?”

  Natalee nodded toward the living room. “I left it on the coffee table.”

  Svetlana threw her hands in the air, offended. “It was a gift, not a decoration. Why would you put it on a table? It is alive!”

  Natalee threw her hands in the air, too. “How was I supposed to know that?!” She stomped into the living room and grabbed the small bush and carried it back to the kitchen to meet a satisfied Svetlana.

  “Do you want to try it?”

  Natalee examined the plant closely. “Try it? What is it, like magical mushrooms?”

  Svetlana chuckled. “No. That is a good idea for next time, though.”

  Natalee snorted. “Oh my God, I am too old to be doing shit like that.”

  “No, never too old.” Svetlana shook her head and wagged her finger.

  She placed the plant on the windowsill and picked at a brown spot on a small leaf. Svetlana met her at the sink and reached out and pulled a tiny branch from the bottom of the tiny bush.

  “You take a stick,” she murmured in her thick accent. She plucked four tiny leaves off it. With the last one, she dug her thumbnail into it and sliced it in half. She sniffed the severed leaf and nodded approvingly before she pressed it onto the counter. “This is ripe. Perfect.” She popped the naked branch into her mouth and started to chew.

  Natalee could hear the branch snapping between her teeth, the crunch worse than the freshest celery or stalest tortilla chips. Svetlana licked her lips and pushed the remainder of the foliage in between her gums and cheek.

  “In the beginning, it makes you think the crunch is worth it. By the time it is mush, you do not like it anymore. It is very strong. Very strong,” she repeated sternly. She reached under the bush and pulled out another small branch and handed it to Natalee.

  Once it was in her hand, she examined it for a moment before she raised her eyes to Svetlana and raised her eyebrows in shock. “Did you seriously just eat a bush?”

  Svetlana waved her hand toward Natalee as she choked down what was left. “It will fix you. It will fix your,” she paused for a moment, her thought process visible on her features. “Immunity. The cold is coming, no?”

  Natalee nodded in agreement. “Well, yeah, it’s not getting warmer or anything.”

  Svetlana nodded knowingly. “Yes, you do this once a day, every day, and you will never be sick. Little miracle from Mother Russia. Korenchudo. Root of Wonder, we call it.”

  Natalee sniffed the branch and was pleasantly impressed. “It smells good.” She plucked the leaves off one by one, pinched the last one in half and she sniffed that, too. “This is ripe?”

  Svetlana leaned in and sniffed it, too. “Yes, that is ripe. This whole bush is ripe so I cannot show you what it smells like otherwise.”

  Natalee nodded and held out the small stick again. It looked like any other tiny bush branch, nothing spectacular about it. No significant markings, no flaky bark. There wasn’t even any liquid or sap inside of it. It was just a tiny piece of wood, smaller than a pencil, but bigger than a toothpick. The fact that she was supposed to eat it was hard for her to wrap her mind around. She took a slow breath before she put it in her mouth. At first, it just sat in her cheek while she ran her tongue over it, which she immediately regretted. “It’s poky.”

  “Bite it, do not be a big baby.”

  Natalee cringed before her teeth snapped the branch. The moment it was in half, her mouth filled with an overwhelming sweetness. Her eyebrows shot up in shock, “Mmm!”

  Svetlana grinned. “Enjoy it, it does not last forever.”

  Natalee continued to chew. She attempted to ignore the crunching sound but felt like Jonah could hear it through his noise-canceling headphones from his bedroom. After it had been crushed into as many tiny pieces as she felt comfortable with, the chewing became monotonous. Tiredness set into her jaw. The sweetness almost became putrid as the branches turned to mush like Svetlana had said it would. Natalee paused and forced herself not to gag. She swallowed it in one huge gulp. “Oh my God, that was not enough warning. I needed more warning.”

  Svetlana chuckled. “It will go away in a second. I am proud of you! Most people do not try it that way their first time.”

  “Oh, what the fuck Svet!”

  Svetlana cackled and threw her head back. After a moment, Natalee was cackling with her, too. She wasn’t sure why, but somehow their shared experience with masticating foliage was worth it for this moment of enjoyment. Svetlana collapsed against the counter and howled with laughter as Natalee slumped to the floor and hid her face from both laughter and slight embarrassment.

  Svetlana fanned herself as she started to calm down. “You are a strong woman, Natalee.”

  “Yeah, and you’re an asshole,” Natalee laughed as she held her hand out for help. Svetlana grabbed it and pulled her to her feet.

  “Honestly, I have never seen someone handle it as well as you.”

  Natalee shrugged proudly. “What can I say? You bring out the best in me.”

  “I cannot imagine that being my first time trying it.”

  “So, what are the other ways then? And how does it help my immune system?”

  Svetlana tilted her head. “Are you sick today?”

  Natalee shook her head. “No.”

  “Then you will not know today.”

  Natalee rolled her eyes, “Well why do you call it the ‘Root of Wonder’ if you eat the branches?” She used her index and middle fingers on each hand to create air quotes.

  “The root will get tangled in your teeth.”

  Natalee cringed. “Oh, that sounds awful.”

  Svetlana nodded solemnly. “It is, very awful.”

  “Have you considered putting it in a smoothie or something? Maybe before it turns to mush and tastes like a skunk shit in your mouth?”

  Svetlana nodded. “I have tried it everywhere, Natty. In cake, in vodka, in roasted meat. I heard someone in Russia even tried to put this leaf in their eye.”


  “In their eye?” Natalee gasped. “Why the fuck would anyone do that?”

  “I have no idea, I think they were dumb.”

  She nodded. “Definitely dumb. You shouldn’t put anything in your eye unless suggested by a medical professional.”

  Svetlana chuckled. “You sound like an advertisement.”

  Natalee laughed and shook her head. “My true calling was voice acting.”

  The two of them grabbed their cups of alcohol laced orange juice and headed back to the living room. Judah was propped on the arm of the oversized chair and he was flipping through channels without looking at the guide.

  “Hey, babe! When did you get back down here?”

  He looked up from the television. “A couple minutes ago, it sounded like you two were having a good time, so I decided not to interrupt.”

  Natalee wrapped her arms around his neck and fell against him. He lost his balance, fell into the chair and dragged her down on top of him. “You do not interrupt anything, ever.” Natalee wiggled her feet which were hanging awkwardly off the side of the chair.

  Svetlana sat on the couch and kicked her feet up on the ottoman. “You two are the perfect story,” she toyed.

  Natalee laughed and buried her face into Judah’s shoulder. “He’s my favorite.”

  He squeezed her tight. “I always tell her I’m the luckiest man alive.”

  “It makes me sick,” Svet spat.

  Natalee and Judah laughed in unison. “Yeah, it makes me sick sometimes too,” Judah joked.

  Yana yawned as she made her way down the stairs, almost silently. Svetlana glanced up at her and nodded then greeted her in Russian.

  Natalee looked up and smiled. “Good afternoon, Yana! Did you sleep well?”

  She nodded and rubbed her eyes without a response.

  Judah lifted himself up to peer at her over the back of the chair. “Hey! I’m Judah, Natalee’s husband.”

  Yana peered at him for a moment before she looked back at Svetlana, who nodded. She smiled at him. “Nice to meet you.”

  Judah raised an eyebrow at Natalee who whispered in his ear, “She doesn’t talk to men.” He nodded as if he understood, but Natalee could tell his mind was swirling with questions, just like hers.