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Chapter 7 - Past Baggage
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
Competing for Love Chapter 8 - Cooking
Natalia went against her norm and did not return to her office to work. Instead, she decided to continue talking with Hayden. She wanted to make sure she was making the right decision to get involved with him before they went any further. Hayden felt like he had just won the lottery when Natalia said she would give them a try. He hugged her tighter and felt a sense of relief. "Do you have any family?" He asked her. "My parents were killed in a car accident when I was eighteen. They were hit by a drunk driver and died instantly. I have no siblings or any other family." Natalia kept the tears from falling. She missed her parents every day, and it still hurt to talk about them. "I'm sorry about your parents. If you didn't have anyone, how did you take care of their affairs, funeral, and everything else?" He couldn't imagine being eighteen and suddenly alone with no one. Even though Hayden disagreed with his parents on many things, he wasn't alone. "My parents
Competing for Love Chapter 9 - Different Positions
Natalia quickly finished the fantastic meal Hayden had made her, with excitement growing in her belly. She wasn't new to sex, but she had to admit that each man she'd been with hadn't been worth mentioning after they were done. It was always quick and unspectacular. When Hayden said he wanted to show her what making love was, it made her anxious to see what she'd been missing. Hayden watched her with amusement as she finished her dinner. He planned to do things with her that he'd never done with anyone else. He wanted to bring her so much pleasure that she was going out of her mind. He scarfed down the rest of his food and headed to the kitchen to clean up. "You cooked; why don't you let me clean up?" Natalia asked, joining him in the kitchen. "It will be faster if we clean together. Although, I did say I would be your butler for the day." She smiled and opened the dishwasher that she had never used. "I think faster is better." They quickly cleaned up and put the
Competing for Love Chapter 10 - Unwelcome Surprise
Natalia woke up Sunday morning and stretched. Her body was sore. Who knew having so much sex was more of a workout than going to the gym? She was wrapped in Hayden's arms and rolled over until she faced him. He was softly snoring and had some stubble on his face, making him look even more handsome. As she watched him sleep, she was conflicted. What if all they had was one amazing weekend? Would he come to his senses on Monday morning and realize he doesn't want anything more with her? She frowned as she thought about how fast things escalated between them. Was she too quick to give her heart away? "Hey, what's wrong?" Hayden woke up and saw the sadness on Natalia's face. He leaned down and kissed her hoping to cheer her up. She was smiling when he pulled away. "I was thinking that you may wake up tomorrow morning, go to the office, and decide that you were wrong about wanting to start anything with me." She was always honest about what she was thinking. "Tomorrow
Competing for Love Chapter 11 - Moving Fast
"I said, what the hell are you doing here?" Hayden asked, furious. How did she get in? "I was waiting for you. I didn't want you to be lonely, so I thought I would surprise you. Now, why don't you get rid of the blonde bimbo and come warm me up." Shania had no shame. She was hoping Natalia would think that there was something between them and leave, but to her astonishment, the woman started laughing. "What are you laughing at, and why are you in my boyfriend's apartment?" Shania asked, not caring that she was still on the bed naked. She was hoping to entice Hayden, but he was holding onto Natalia while looking at Shania in disgust. "I'm laughing at you. Hayden told me about you and how pathetic you were. Breaking into a man's apartment to throw yourself at him is beyond desperate. Why waste energy on someone who clearly doesn't want you? Now we're going to have to burn everything on his bed." Natalia looked at the naked woman with pity even though she felt like dragging her out by
Competing for Love Chapter 12 - Third Date
As the car stopped, Natalia looked around. They were in a part of the city she wasn't familiar with. When Hayden helped her out of the car, she looked at the restaurant that looked like it was from another era. It was made of grey stone with small windows and a large, heavy wooden door. The front and top were covered in ivy, making the building look almost hidden. "Wow, I like this place just from the outside," Natalia said as Hayden took her hand. He smiled when he opened the door. This was his favorite restaurant. It had a romantic atmosphere that he thought was perfect for their date. "Their food is excellent. I usually sit at the bar when I come here because I always come alone." She looked over at him with a light in her eyes. "This seems like an extremely romantic place to eat alone." Natalia looked around as they walked into the dimly lit restaurant. It was rustic Italian, and there were candles on every table. It was crowded, but there were still a few empty spots. Mos
Competing for Love Chapter 13 - Making the News
Monday morning came too quickly for the couple. They had lived the weekend basically in their own bubble, and now it was time to get back to the real world. They took a shower together when they got up and began getting ready for work. Hayden wore a dark blue suit and a white shirt. Natalia wore a dark grey skirt suit with a pink shirt. Hayden made breakfast sandwiches while Natalia made the coffee. Neither had checked their phones, not wanting anything to interrupt their morning. They were sharing a car to their offices, and as they sat in the backseat, they took out their phones. They both had multiple missed calls, texts, and emails. Natalia groaned when she saw a text from Patrice telling her congratulations on her relationship with Hayden. She shared pictures that had shown up online of them kissing at the restaurant last night. The headline read Did Hayden Sumner thaw the ice queen? She showed it to Hayden, and he laughed. "If only they knew how hot my queen gets." Natal
Competing for Love Chapter 14 - Rumors
Hayden walked Natalia to the elevator and gave her a long kiss before letting her go. He wanted to make sure that there was no doubt in the minds of others that she was his. After the doors shut, he walked back to the waiting car and went to his office. Natalia's face was flaming red as she felt the stares of those on the elevator. She loved that Hayden was letting the world know they were in love, but she didn't like being in the news due to her personal life. When she finally got to her floor, she walked off the elevator, and her entire staff was waiting for her with smiles. Everyone started clapping and cheering when she walked in, which embarrassed her even more. "I'm sure you have seen the news. Yes, Hayden Sumner and I are seeing each other. Also, we are going to become business partners. When we come across a company wanting to liquidate, we'll refer them to Sumner Enterprises. When they have a company that wants to be saved, they will refer them to us. We should be getti
Competing for Love Chapter 15 - Missing Each Other
Natalia looked at Cliff's post in disbelief. He tried to rape her, and now he's trying to make it look like she was sleeping with him to help her business. She couldn't hold back her laughter when she saw this nonsense. Patrice looked at her in concern. "Why are you laughing?" She asked quietly, thinking maybe Nat had lost it. "It's nothing more than a desperate attempt to get back at Hayden and me for making a fool of him. When he tried to rape me, I kneed him in the groin, as I told you. However, after I left, Hayden went back inside and broke his nose before punching him in the stomach. Report it as fake and put our own counter post stating that Natalia Crawford has never had a relationship with Clifford Judd. Put something about this being a pitiful attempt by a man who tried to force himself on a woman who declined his advances. You're good at wording this stuff correctly, so I'll let you handle it. Let me know if there's anything else." Natalia looked at her compu
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Competing for Love Chapter 75 - The Promise
Three Months Later Natalia finally had the casts off her legs and was working with her physical therapist, Hannah. She was able to take a couple of painful steps before having to sit back down. It was slow work, but it would be worth it in the end. Hayden came to every appointment with her, much to the delight of Hannah, who had an obvious crush on him. Hayden avoided her as much as possible while staying near Natalia. It made him uncomfortable each time Hannah accidentally touched him when there was no reason for her to do so. Natalia laughed it off, telling him he should be used to it by now with how handsome he was. However, Hayden was getting seriously annoyed and was close to saying something to her about it. "How soon before Natalia will be able to walk like she used to?" Hayden asked Hannah, rolling his eyes when her face turned red, and she fluttered her eyelashes at him. "It may be months. So you may have to come here for a while." She answered, pretending to accidenta
Competing for Love Chapter 74 - Taking Down the Hitman
Nick, Colby, Teo, and Kyle sat in the van across the street from the apartment building, waiting for Simon Allegri to show up for work. It was close to seven in the morning, so they expected him soon. They were upset about not being able to take out Jon before the authorities got him, so this was a way for them to redeem themselves. A few minutes before seven, they saw Simon walking toward the entrance. He was carrying a duffle bag they were sure had his gun hidden inside. They weren't going to make a move while he was in the apartment building. Instead, they would follow him when he left and take him off the street. It was time for the hunter to become the hunted. They didn't move all day while they waited. The four men got ready for quitting time so they could follow the hitman. When he walked out of the building, Teo and Colby hopped out of the van to follow him on foot while Nick and Kyle stayed in the van. As they followed him, the four men were conscientious, knowing Simon
Competing for Love Chapter 73 - The Two Simons
"I never thought they would sink that low to kill us because we got their daughter locked up. They have taken this too far." Hayden pulled out his phone, ready to call the Blacks but changed his mind. Natalia had been right. The pain medication was helping his pain, and now he could think clearly. "What do you think we should do?" Natalia asked, noticing that he was no longer grimacing with every move. "We need to talk this through. I was going to call Simon Black and give him a piece of my mind. However, I don't want him to know we're on to him. We need to make the hitman disappear and then give proof to the authorities of who hired him." Hayden looked toward Dorian, who was nodding in agreement. "We at least know he's got a job here in the building, and he starts tomorrow. We also know what he looks like, so I can have my men take care of him. Let me work on getting something to hand over to the police about Simon Black." Dorian sent a message to his men and aske
Competing for Love Chapter 72 - Who Hired the Hitman?
"You've got to be fucking kidding me. Who would hire a hitman to come after us?" Hayden said with fury coursing through his veins. Hadn't they been through enough? He looked at Natalia; her face was void of emotion, as though she couldn't process this information right now. "I don't know who, but I'll see what I can find out. In the meantime, he'll be working in the building, so we need to be on high alert. He'll find whatever way he can to get to his target." Dorian sometimes hated that he was so good at doing what he did because it made him the bearer of bad news more times than not. "Do you think Jon would go to these lengths?" Krista asked, looking around at everyone. "I think he's more hands-on. It's not about us being dead for him. He wants to experience the killing for himself." Natalia spoke in a monotone. She felt as though she was ready to break. Why would someone hire a hitman? Her life was turning into something of a bad movie that seemed never to hav
Competing for Love Chapter 71 - What Now?
Hayden and Krista helped Natalia into the restroom. Actually, Krista helped while Hayden supervised. He couldn't stop the nagging feeling as though someone was watching them when they went for their walk. When they returned to the living room, Hayden looked at Dorian. "Are you able to tap into the cameras outside the building?" He asked his cousin, who looked at him in confusion. "Yeah, were you looking for something specific?" Dorian asked as he turned on his laptop. Krista sat next to him, plastered to his side. It was their favorite way to sit together. He had never been in love before, but he knew that's what he felt for her. He just hadn't had the nerve to say it yet. They'd only been together for about a week. "When we were walking, I felt like someone was watching us. I may be paranoid, but I just want to be sure. We've had enough surprises." Hayden glanced toward Natalia, who was staring at him with concern. He hoped he was wrong. They had enough to worry
Competing for Love Chapter 70 - Hitman
Todd got comfortable across the street from Natalia and Hayden's building. Those who hired him originally only wanted Natalia to be killed. After seeing how connected she and Hayden were to each other, they decided it was better to get rid of both of them. Todd was a hired hitman, and the people that hired him had a lot of money. He didn't understand why they wanted this young couple dead. From what he'd read about them, they were decent people. However, they seemed to have someone constantly trying to tear them down. Todd didn't need to know his employer's motivation, but he liked to have the background of those he was hunting. He knew Natalia had no family and had built her business from the ground up. After being pushed in front of oncoming traffic, a serial killer started hunting her. Hayden was from a wealthy family whose business had been struggling until he took over. Neither of them seemed to have many close friends, only acquaintances. From what he found, neither had bee
Competing for Love Chapter 69 - Sofia's Downfall
Sofia was so sure that she was going to cause a scene that she crossed her arms and leaned back with a smirk. However, she saw Hayden and Natalia look at each other before they started laughing. "You thought that was going to be breaking news that caused Hayden to suddenly want you or something? First of all, I know Hayden has never spent all night with anyone besides me. Even if you did sleep together, I'm sure it was a one-and-done like every other woman he'd been with before me. You were obviously not good because he doesn't even remember you. So if you thought this would cause some type of conflict between us, you're mistaken. Hayden and I both have pasts, and we're not jealous of them. Unlike you, we look to the future." Natalia had a fire in her eyes, causing Sofia's face to turn red as though she'd been slapped. It was then that she realized Hayden was on the phone. "Hi Paul, this is Hayden Sumner. I need to talk with you regarding Sofia Spurling." Sofia felt sick as she
Competing for Love Chapter 68 - Sofia's Jealousy
Sofia looked between Hayden and Natalia wanting to bring up the fact that she was with him first. She wanted to break their happiness and have it for herself. However, the longer she waited, the more her nerve started to fade. Seeing how Hayden was with Natalia, she knew talking about their few minutes of sex that obviously meant nothing to him wouldn't matter to either of them. "What did you want to say?" Questioned Natalia with a small smile. "I just wanted to say that I am going to do everything I can to have Jon sentenced to death. He has killed too many people to skate by, with life in prison. I want his head on a platter." Sofia spoke with conviction as she pulled out a pad of paper from her briefcase. She was still going to get around reminding Hayden of who she was, but she decided it would be best done in private. Maybe he would see her out when she was leaving. Natalia looked at Sofia, not believing she was being completely honest. It felt as though she had
Competing for Love Chapter 67 - The Prosecutor
Jon sat in the interrogation room across from Andy and Dennis with a smirk on his face. He hadn't asked for an attorney yet, but he would eventually. He knew there really wasn't a point in having an attorney when he flaunted all of his crimes online and even bragged about them. "Do you have anything you'd like to say?" Dennis asked, letting his disdain for him be heard in every word. Jon shrugged. "What's there to say? I killed a lot of people. I think about killing people all the time because I get off on it. Think about the best orgasm you've ever had and multiply it by a thousand. That's how it feels when I cut those whores into little pieces. Although when I get out of here, I think I won't only kill women. I'll kill men, too. After all, blood is all the same color no matter who you are." He started laughing like a maniac as Dennis and Andy stared at him with disgust. "You were good at disguising yourself. Even walking right in front of several officers as a w
