Competing for Love

Chapter 5 - Chance Encounter

After their dinner, Hayden saw Natalia to her waiting car before walking home with a spring in his step. He enjoyed his time with her. She was intelligent, funny, and easy to talk to. It had been a long time since he had appreciated the company of another person as much as he did with her. As he was walking, lost in thought, he felt someone tap his shoulder. When he turned around, he instantly became annoyed.

"What do you want, Shania?" He asked, shaking her hand off him.

"I saw you inside, and I wanted to know if you wanted me to come to keep you company tonight. We haven't seen each other for a couple of months. I thought maybe you were ready to take me back." She tried to give him what she assumed was a sexy smile as she tried to take his hand. However, to her dismay, he looked at her in disgust and pushed her hand away.

"How can I take you back when we have never officially been together? You need to stop this, Shania, and get a life. We will never be together." Hayden looked at the woman in front of him. She was of average height with a pretty face and short black hair. They had fooled around a few times, but he was never serious about her. It was understood they had s*x and went their separate ways. However, she started getting attached and following him, so he cut off all contact. To say she hasn't taken it well was an understatement.

"How can you say that to me? I have been your girlfriend off and on for over a year. You are the only man I want. Why can't you see that I'm the woman for you?" She desperately tried to throw herself into his arms and kiss him, but he stepped back, so she fell short.

"You have never been my girlfriend. You knew from the beginning that our relationship was only s*x and nothing more. Now leave me alone. If you come near me again, I'll get a restraining order." Hayden started to walk away when she yelled at him.

"So you think that blonde b***h you were with tonight is better than me? Think again. I will ruin your relationship with her or any other woman until you accept me." He turned around with fire in his eyes and walked over to her. Shania felt fear looking into his angry face. He put his face just inches from her, and she could feel the fury coming off him in waves.

"If you go near her, I will have you arrested for harassment. I will never accept you, and I'm warning you if you try to meddle in my life in any way, you'll regret it." He strode away as she stood there in stunned silence with tears running down her face. This wasn't over. Hayden was not going to get away with humiliating her.

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Natalia was humming to herself as she walked into her apartment. Her dinner with Hayden had been nice. She thought their business deal would be a good one that would benefit them both. She turned on the water in her bathtub and added some bath oil and bubbles.

As she sat in the hot water, she thought about Hayden. He was a nice man that she had enjoyed spending time with. Natalia couldn't remember the last time she had been with a man who wasn't trying to get her into bed. It had been refreshing to have a conversation with someone who was in her line of work. It would be interesting to see how they did moving forward as partners.

The following morning, it was Saturday, and Natalia had some work she wanted to do but would do it from home. After having a cup of coffee, she decided to go for a jog. She liked to keep in shape, so she exercised regularly. She ran with her earbuds blasting, not paying attention to the people she was passing.

Hayden was walking down the street toward the gym when he saw Natalia jogging toward him. She was wearing tight black capri workout pants and a snug pink t-shirt. He waved, but she was obviously in her own world and didn't see him. He decided maybe it would be better to go for a run rather than the gym, so he started jogging behind her but a few paces back.

He watched as her clothes became wet from sweat, but her stride stayed strong. Hayden enjoyed following her without her knowledge, although it made him feel like a stalker. He thought she must live nearby to run in the area. As they came upon a small park, she started slowing down to a walk, and he took this opportunity to approach her. He tapped her arm, and she jumped as though he had hit her.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." He said with a smile as she took the buds out of her ears.

"That's okay. I had the music loud to drown out all the other noise. What are you doing here?" Natalia asked, feeling a little funny running into him like this. She didn't like people she knew seeing her dressed like she was and covered in sweat.

"You see that tall black building about six blocks back? I live there. I tried to wave at you when you ran by, but you didn't see me. Do you live in this area as well?" They began walking through the park together.

"I don't live far. I usually go to the gym during the week, but I enjoy running on the weekends." She looked at him in his athletic shorts with a fitted t-shirt, and he looked younger. His hair was a little messy, and he had a light sheen of sweat on his muscular arms. Natalia looked away to get her thoughts from going astray.

"Now that we know each other, how about we start jogging together?" Hayden looked at her hopefully as she thought about it. She wanted to say yes but didn't want to encourage him to think she wanted anything more than a business relationship.

"I don't think that's a good idea. I don't typically socialize with business associates on my personal time." He felt hurt hearing her say he was only a business associate. She could have at least called him a friend.

"We could be friends. I had a good time last night. You're a fun person to talk to." Hayden chose his words carefully. He didn't want to scare her away.

Natalia looked at the man who was breaking down her barriers. She had a good time the night before but worried he would want something more later. However, he had been hands-off so far and hadn't done anything to give her concern. She decided it couldn't hurt to have a friend in the business.

"I guess we can be friends. Other than my staff, I don't have any." Hayden smiled. He was one step closer to making her see they were perfect for each other. He had to show her that if she trusted him with her heart, he would never break it.

"Okay, friend, how about we go eat some breakfast?" He was glad he was by her side. Hayden didn't like the men looking at her like she was a piece of meat, and he glared at any who stared a little too long.

"You said you wanted to jog with me, and I'm not done. I just needed to catch my breath. I'll tell you what. If you can keep up with me, we can eat breakfast when we finish." With that, Natalia took off running as Hayden stared at her in disbelief. He only hesitated a minute before chasing after her.

When she heard him gaining on her, Natalia ran even faster. She ran through the park, not caring where she was headed. Her only goal was not to let him catch her.

Hayden watched as she put more space between them. How could she run so fast after running so much already? Every time he thought he was close to catching her, she sped up. His sides started hurting, and he was breathing hard, but he refused to stop.

He finally saw his opportunity when she started to run around a large fountain. Hayden went in the opposite direction. As she was looking behind her, he let her run into his arms. Natalia screamed until she realized it was him. She then bent over, laughing as he kept his hands on her.

"That wasn't fair. I was beating you." She said breathlessly.

"You were too fast for me to catch, so I had to take alternative measures to capture you." Hayden kept one hand lightly on her shoulder. When she had run into his arms, it had felt right. Now he didn't want to stop touching her.

"I should have warned you that I ran track in college. I was the fastest on the team and could run the furthest distance." Natalia laughed again as he stared at her in shock.

"Then I say you're the one who didn't play fair. When I run, it's a jog only. I've never run competitively. So now I think you should allow me to treat you to breakfast as my reward for catching you." Hayden smirked at her as she smiled.

"I'll give this one to you. Next time you better be ready because now you've been warned I play to win." They started walking to a small diner that was close to the park. Hayden kept his hand on her back as they walked, and to his surprise, she didn't push him off. He held her chair out as she sat down. Then opted for the chair next to her rather than across the table. He wanted to give the impression to anyone who looked their way that they were together, so they didn't get any ideas about approaching her.

"How have we lived so close to each other, but I haven't seen you around?" Hayden asked. He knew she would have caught his attention if he had seen her even passing by.

"Honestly, I don't get out much. I usually work until ten every weeknight in the office. On the weekends, I run and then go back home to work. I'm a workaholic. That's why I have no time for a social life." Natalia smiled at the waiter who came to their table. She ordered a black coffee and a western omelet. Hayden didn't care what he ate, so he ordered the same.

"I'm a workaholic but still make time for a social life. You're younger than me. How can you not like to go out to dinner or hang with your friends?" He was trying to see how he could work his way into her busy life. Natalia shrugged as she took a sip of her coffee.

"I told you, besides my staff, I don't have any friends. I don't date at all. Of course, I've been with men, but always casual with no strings attached. I don't have the energy for a serious relationship. It's draining, and then someone always ends up getting hurt in the end." She looked away, not meeting his eyes. Natalia knew she shouldn't still be letting Jon's betrayal hurt her, but he was her first and only love. She was scared to give her heart away again.

Hayden watched her expression and could tell she was the one that was hurt. Whatever happened to her affected her thoughts toward romance. He had to make her see that it didn't always end badly. He reached over and put his hand over hers on the table. She looked at their hands and then at him.

"Not all men are bad. Some will cherish your heart and keep it safe." Natalia felt her chest getting tight. She didn't move her hand from under his as she spoke.

"I know there are good men out there, but it's too hard to trust anyone without knowing when they'll show their true colors." She didn't know why she felt so comfortable with him, but she did. She never spoke this openly with anyone, not even Patrice. Natalia took a chance, turned her hand under his, and linked their fingers.

When their food came, they continued holding hands while they ate. Hayden was scared to move, thinking she would pull her hand back, but she didn't. He felt his heart swelling and knew he was falling for her.