part0013

“No, it’s not. True, pure, romantic love between two people is very real. You just told me how much in love your parents still are after twenty-nine years. And my mom and dad have been crazy about each other since they were sixteen-year-old high school sweethearts. They still have hot chemistry today.”

“Yeah, but our parents are a different breed of people from a period in time when men and women were genuine and believed in something greater than money, power, and popularity. You and I are a part of a cursed generation. Nothing is real. It’s all fake . Life is just one big scripted reality show.”

“That may be true, but I believe true love survived the change of time and still exists today.”

Hayden turned away from the fire and stood to his full, towering stature. Then he walked over to the sofa and stopped directly in front of me, massive arms folded across his chest, displaying an impressive set of biceps over pecs. Once again, his steel grey eyes flashed and pulled me into a trance.

“Have you ever experienced this special kind of love you described?”

“Well…um…no…not yet . But one day— ”

“Exactly.” He nodded with a satisfied smirk. “Come and lock the door behind me, Natalie,” he ordered and marched toward the front of the house.

I hopped up and scurried behind him, clutching my Taser in my left hand hidden securely out of view underneath my blanket. “Thanks for checking on me and starting the fire. I probably would’ve been an icicle by morning if you hadn’t come along.”

“It wasn’t a problem. I’ll check on you again in the morning. Good night.”

“Don’t worry about it, Daddy. I’m glad you, Mom, and Lil’ D decided to call. I’ve been working on this song since the wee hours of the morning when the power finally came back on. So, I was due for a break. I haven’t even stopped to eat breakfast yet, and now, I’m starving. I had started cooking, but an odd chord struck my ear, and I ran out of the kitchen and hopped back on the piano. Now, my stomach is growling.” I lifted my coffee mug from the cup holder on the side of my piano and drained it.

“I’ll let you go then, sweet pea. Your mom and I will give you call tomorrow. Be safe up there.”

I laughed. “Louis, Glock, and I are safe, Daddy, so don’t worry. I love you.”

“I love you too, baby.”

As soon as I hung up the phone, I hurried back to the kitchen, washed my hands, and resumed cooking. Most of my fans would be surprised that I was actually a decent cook. I guess that tidbit would be hard for some people to believe since my singing career started my senior year in high school and blew up to a whole other level less than a year later. They probably figured I’d never gotten a chance to learn my way around the kitchen, and now that I was a “superstar,” I had chefs, maids, and assistants at my every beck and call. But they were wrong . I only had Isadora, my housekeeper, Big Quad, and Ravie in my camp fulltime. And most of the time, I did my own cooking because I enjoyed it.

I began to hum the melody of the new song I was composing as I peeled and diced some Idaho potatoes to add to my pile of chopped Vidalia onions and green bell peppers. My hit in progress had a catchy title, but the melody was still iffy. I loved to write and sing love songs. They were my favorite. I was a hopeless romantic at heart although I had yet to find that special someone to love me the way I wanted and deserved to be loved.

I knew in my heart from the very beginning that Tobias wasn’t that guy. He and I had hooked up at a time in my life that I was in the middle of a global tour and I was lonely for companionship. Although I loved seeing the world and performing for my fans in different countries, during that phase, my heart was longing for a personal fan, someone I could tell my secrets while he held me in his arms and made me feel secure. A girl wanted a man . Like any other woman, my body had needs too, and I only wanted one man to satisfy those urges.

At that particular point, I’d considered Tobias a really good friend who understood me and the whirlwind lifestyle I was living. Plus I had been a big fan of his when his career was hot. We had met on the red carpet at the BET Hip Hop Awards the year before and had maintained a steady friendship with lots of flirting ever since. While on the last leg of my tour, he flew over and surprised me at my show in Montreal, Canada. Afterwards, I had a few days to kill before heading to Nova Scotia. Tobias asked if he could hang around, and I told him yes. He ended up tagging along with me to Greenland and Iceland. By the time we reached Norway, we were tighter than Spanx. And upon our return to the States, rumors about our new romance had flooded the standard media as well as the social media. After a year of exclusive dating, Tobias moved in with me, and the rest is history that I wished I could erase.

I had just placed some strips of bacon on paper towels to drain and was about to drop some shredded cheddar cheese in a cast iron skillet with melted butter for my famous cheese eggs when I heard knocking at my door. It was Hayden . Who the hell else could it be? I power walked to the mirror in the hallway that separated the kitchen from the den and checked my reflection. Confident that my makeup-free face with a light coat of Vaseline on my lips was more than presentable, I ran my fingers through my ’fro and did a slow stroll to the door. I couldn’t understand why my heart was doing gymnastics in my chest because it was just Hayden, the hard-nose German dude who happened to be my temporary neighbor. No big deal.

I ignored Adannaya, my feisty alter ego, and kept it moving. I released the locks and opened the door. I must’ve taken too long to show my face because Hayden was almost at the bottom of the steps.

He whipped back around and did a quick ’fro-to-toe inspection of me with a blank expression on his face. I felt a little vulnerable under his intense gaze, so I tugged on the bottom of my T-shirt to make sure my hips and ass were fully covered. Then my hand involuntarily reached for my diamond teardrop pendant and fidgeted with it out of nervous habit.

“I told you I would come and check on you again this morning. How did you sleep after you got warm from the fire?”

“Fine. What about you?”

He grinned, and it surprised me. He had a drop-dead gorgeous smile that lit up his face. He needed to smile more often.

“After a few beers, I slept like a baby. I don’t drink alcohol often, but whenever I do, I enjoy it. Are you a drinker?”

“No. I drink champagne every now and then at celeb…um...at...um parties . Otherwise, I stay away from alcohol. I have to watch my weight.”

He flashed his perfect pearly whites again, and I felt like it was my lucky day. But as quickly as that smile lit up his attractive features, it faded, replaced by what I believed was lust . He allowed his eyes to roam shamelessly over my body, lingering on my breasts before resting at the sweet spot between my thighs. My nipples and clit betrayed me, instantly hardening with desire. Liquid lust pooled in the crotch of my panties and I squirmed slightly in response. No man, especially not a stranger , had ever worked my girlie parts like this with just his eyes. Lord, have mercy!

“Your weight is proportioned with your height. You don’t need to lose or gain a single pound, my dear. Your body is without defect.”

He nodded and stuffed his hands in the pockets of his red Adidas joggers. “Well, it’s morning grub time for me. I stopped by after my seven-mile run, so I’m famished.”

“I was cooking breakfast when you knocked. You’re welcome to stay and join me. We, Southern girls, always cook too much food, so there’s plenty.”

“Yes, I’m sure. Come on in.”

“You don’t eat enough.” Hayden reached across the table and grabbed a slice of bacon from my plate. “No wonder you’re so fit.” He bit into the crispy strip of pork and smiled.

“I ate plenty and my tummy is satisfied. I have to stay light on my feet because…” My voice faded as I swallowed the truth, which was much more than I wanted to tell him.

“Because what? What kind of work do you do, Natalie? You’re beautiful enough to be a fashion model, but you’re not tall enough. So, what exactly do you do for a living?”

“I’m in the music industry. I do a little bit of everything. I write songs and produce and…and…some other stuff.”

“That sounds interesting.”

“It is,” I admitted. “What about you, Hayden? What kind of work do you do?”

“I don’t have a job right now. And if you don’t mind, I’d rather leave it at that.”

“It’s not a problem. I’m kind of private too.”

“I figured as much. Why else would you be up here in the mountains all alone during the holidays?”

“Like I told you yesterday, I needed a break from my regular life. That’s why I’m here.”

“Where is home for you?”

“I live in Atlanta. My parents, little brother, grandmother, and my cousin, Ravie, all live there. The rest of my family—both sides—live in Charleston, South Carolina. Where do your parents live now?”

“After my dad retired from the military, he brought my mom to the States and settled in Marietta. That’s Papa’s hometown. But they’re in Germany now. They celebrate Christmas and New Year’s there every year with my mom’s family. Usually, I’m there with them, but I decided to come here this year for the holidays instead. I live between Munich and the Marietta area throughout the year.” Hayden gathered my plate and his from the table and stood.

I watched him walk over to the trashcan and scrape the remnants of food inside and then move toward the sink. “What are you doing?”

“I’m going to wash the dishes since you prepared the food. It’s only fair.”

“You don’t have to do that, Hayden. You’re my guest.”

“I don’t mind. If you hadn’t cooked for me, I would’ve had bread and jam and a couple of boiled eggs with the worst coffee in the world. I can’t make a decent pot of coffee regardless of how fancy the pot. Yours was great by the way. Danke vielmals.”