THE PERFECT CHAMP
Chapter 1
Writing a blog every month for those publications that were willing to pick it up was not an easy life. Freelance was feast or famine and for Natasha Young it was getting harder and harder to put food on a plate. She was a black woman in a white man’s world. She was through making ends meet by pandering to the lowest common denominator. She was not a fool and she knew that sex sold very well in any market.
“I’ve seen that look before, Natasha. I know exactly what that means. I thought that it would be a little longer before you felt a need to roam again. You’ve been bouncing from one career to the next and it’s a wonder that you don’t get whiplash. I know that you get bored easily. I’ve tried to be understanding, but it’s very hard when I see you going down a dark and dangerous road.” Travis was Natasha’s best friend and was not one to sugarcoat anything. He was going to tell her exactly how he felt. It was what after all a good friend would do under the circumstances.
Natasha enjoyed wearing provocative clothing and seeing the look in those guys eyes as she passed them on the street. This time was no different. She was wearing a red dress that was especially made for her frame. She was slim, but she did have a bit more meat where it would matter the most. Her ass came into a room after her and her breasts came into a room before her. She liked to shake the tree and see what would fall into her lap. “I see the way that Travis looks at me. He thinks that I don’ recognize a horny boy when I see one. I would love to throw him a bone, but I’ve never been all that attracted to him. If this dry spell continues, I might have to throw him down on a bed and cover his face with a pillow. He’s a little plain for my taste and the glasses give him the intellectual look of some kind professor about to teach a lesson in front of his students. It bodes well that that is exactly what profession he has found himself in. He wears those tweed coats like a badge of honor going into a battle to teach the young minds of today how to survive in a doggy dog world.”
“I think for the first time in my life I’ve found a passion for something. I love putting pen to paper even when I’m typing on a keyboard. I just think that there is a more lucrative way to do this than to wait for the table scraps to land in my account. I’ve been researching and I’ve seen a trend that leads me to believe that sports is the place where I want to be.”
“You can’t be serious. You don’t even like sports. How the hell are you going to write about something that you’re not even remotely interested in? I don’t think that you’ve given this enough thought and maybe you need time to sleep on it. I want nothing but the best for you. Sometimes I don’t think that you’re living up to your potential. You’re street savvy and whatever you put your mind to you can become a success. If you insist on going down this road, then I would strongly stress researching the subject until you know it like the back of your hand.” Travis was trying to give her all the tools that she would need. He was even willing to stand by her to give her the necessary advice to help her succeed in the sports reporting field. He may not have looked the part, but he loved the roar of the crowd and the spirit of competition in the air.
Natasha was an only child and she had everything given to her on a silver platter. Her parents doted on her hand and foot until they divorced a few years before she was ready to leave home. She learned how to manipulate and was now turning it into a career. “I want Travis to teach me everything that he knows and whatever else I need to know, I can always learn on my own. There are many research tools at my disposal. The one that comes to mind is the Internet. I’ve watched a certain basketball player rise to stardom. There are still a lot of questions and he’s not willing to listen or to talk to any one.” “Anything that you can tell me would help to go a long way. I want to meet him, but not as a reporter. I know that this might sound a little deceitful, but I can’t help that. You know better than anyone that I can be a force of nature. I’m more than willing to sleep my way to the top of that glass ceiling.”
“I’ve never seen you like this, Natasha. You have this fire for this subject matter and it’s very rare when a student comes into my class that shows that kind of enthusiasm. I can’t condone trying to trick him into telling you his deepest and darkest secrets. I can only give you fair warning that secrets have a funny way of not staying in the shadows. If you can live with the possibility that he will learn of your duplicitous nature, then by all means let us play this game together.” Travis was anxious to get started. He finally had somebody that he could talk to about sports. It didn’t matter to him that she wasn’t as invested as he was. He was convinced that she would be blown away by the sport that made such greats as Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal.
“I think that it goes without saying that the red dress that I’m wearing is my secret weapon. I’ve had several guys that were unable to resist my considerable assets. I have the booty that would make Jennifer Lopez jealous. I enjoy getting a man’s attention and I doubt seriously that Ethan Banner is gonna be able to turn all this down.” “I know what I bring to the table. I also know that he is a bit of a womanizer. He can’t keep it in his pants more than 24 hours. I am going to have to stand out from the rest of the crowd and I think that I can do that more than anyone. I will find out what he has been hiding and I will be the first one to pull back the curtain on the scandal.” Natasha knew exactly where he was going to be.
“There are a few Internet sites that you should frequent. It gives you the basic summary of what you should know about the sport and the person that you have targeted. I know that you are persistent, but you’re going to have to show amazing willpower when dealing with Ethan. He’s only going to see you as his next conquest. That notch on his belt is the only thing that he cares about off the court. Critics have described him as the next white hope for the sport. They fear that he’s going to get somebody in trouble and that his life will swirl down the drain with a gold digger sticking her hand in his pocket. I don’t know what he’s hiding, but if anybody can find out, I’m sure that you will be able to do that. I think that you need a bit more incentive than an encouraging word. To keep you on the right track, I am offering $25,000. I do believe in you, but sometimes you need that fire underneath you to complete a task. Think of the money as a bonus for a job well done.” Travis had seen Natasha grow emotionally and even though they didn’t match up on paper, didn’t mean that their friendship couldn’t endure.
“That is an interesting wager. What exactly do you get if I don’t follow through? I’m sure that you have something in mind. Maybe a home cooked meal with the recipes that I have gotten from my grandmother on her deathbed.” “My parents were no longer with me, but my grandmother was still living on borrowed time. I could certainly use the money and that would give me that kick in the ass. If I can really get this scoop, then there would be plenty of offers to come to work with any publication. I may not like sports, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t fake it like the best of them. It wouldn’t be the first time that I faked something for a man and it won’t be the last time. Why they can’t tell is beyond me and if I were to really have that moment of bliss they would know it down to their toes.” She had a date with a guy that was known as a lothario. He was scheduled at a book signing. He was only 27 years old and already he had signed a multiyear deal with a publishing company for the rights to his story.
“I would be the first in line to get that book, but unfortunately, I have a class to teach. Let’s meet up later and compare notes. I would really like to know what you have learned. I’m going to try to stump you and you’re going to have to make me believe that you know the sport and have a passion for it. Let’s call this first meeting a test phase and one that is meant only to get his attention. You need to leave him wanting more and the best way to do that is to become his Cinderella. Leave behind something to make him want to track you down. Every guy likes the hunt, but ultimately it’s getting the prize that is the reward. It’s been like that through history and I think that the quest for dominance over a woman has been built into the DNA of man. I’ll tell you later what I want if you were to lose.” They were always wagering on something and the win-loss ratio had been 5050.
“I have to say that you have piqued my curiosity. I’ll stop by later tonight and we can have a glass of wine before I turn in for the evening. I don’t think that I’m gonna have all that much of a problem getting his attention. This dress has made many a man walk on broken glass to be with me. I will have to give it some thought about what I’m going to leave behind in the wake of shaking my ass in his face.” She picked up her black leather jacket. It was the perfect color combination that had that classic feel. The red dress was meant to be a focal point to draw the eye away from those girls that were wearing pastel colors. “I’ve had this dress lying on a man’s floor after a night that had the both of us smiling. I’ve never been shy about my affections and I’m not going to start now. He thinks that he has a hope in hell of resisting me. I’m not going to come on too strong and the best way to handle someone like him is to make me yearn for it. Teasing and pleasing will go a long way to sealing the deal between the two of us. He’s running out of time and he doesn’t even know it. I want it all and I won’t settle for those sound bites that others have received when he was pressed for more details about his contract with the pistons.” She was ready to go into battle and she had the crimson lipstick and the twinkle in her eye. She was ready to put to work her flirting skills.
“I need to remind you that this guy thinks that he is god’s gift to any woman. You leave him wanting more and he will pant after you like an animal in heat. Don’t make it easy for him and he’s going to want that challenge. You may not think that I know what I’m talking about, but I’ve been teaching social studies for over 20 years. I don’t even know why we are even friends. I’m a lot older than you and I could be your father. I’m happy to report that I didn’t have an affair with your mother before her untimely demise. I want you to treat me as a confidant. People may not know that about me, but I’m an encyclopedia when it comes to sports. I know practically everything there is to know including stats and those that are making their mark as we speak. Ethan is growing in popularity, but that fluff piece that questioned his ethics has raised a lot of suspicion about how he got to where he is.” Travis followed her out and watched her shapely ass.
He couldn’t help himself. He tried to do it without being too obvious. He could imagine what they would feel like pressed up against him and that was the wager that he was going to propose. He wanted her and had always felt that they had something special. He wanted to transform this friendship into fuck friends with the benefits that would go a long way to satisfying both of their cravings.
“I know that you’re looking at my ass. I appreciate the compliment, but I think we both know that nothing is ever going to happen between the two of us. I would never want to give you false hope. I’ve never been attracted to white men and I’ve always been into the brothers. I’m not saying that the day won’t come that I’ll be curious enough to try something a little pale in color. It’s just that I’ve never wanted anything more than that what is between a brothers legs. They know how to hit it and really work me into a sweat.” “I’m going to pull out all the stops and Ethan has no idea of what I’m capable of. I’ve seen the way that Travis looks at me. I’m sure that he would love one night with the object of his desire. I do have to wonder if maybe my ass is truly on the line. Could it be that he has finally reached the end of his rope and is looking at this wager as a way to do what he wanted from the moment that we met.” She turned and hovered over him by a few inches in her high heels.
“It’s not gonna be easy and you have never been known for one that is subtle. Take my advice. I don’t even know why I am helping you to win this wager. I think that you should have all the facts before going forward.” Travis had respect for her.