Page 34 of Flawless
“I wonder how Diaz feels about going up against his home team, Jack?”
“Especially considering that he tried out for the Brazilian team but didn’t make it. I’m sure he wants to rub a win in their faces.”
“We’ve got some notable celebrities here today, including renowned supermodel Nica.”
I glance at the stands, looking for my woman. I don’t see her as I scan the stands and return my attention to the game.
“She’s with Johan Jurgen, the multi-billionaire president and owner of Horoscope Studios.”
My gaze goes up to the executive suites upon hearing that name. Through the glass, I can see the man lean in and nuzzle Danica’s neck just before he kisses her lips. The kiss is intimate and lengthy. All I can see is black. Nausea fills my stomach, and all I want to do is take someone’s head off.
“Hey, buddy. Guess your girl already knows you’re on the losing team. Looks like she picked herself a winner,” Miguel Silva, a member of the opposing team, says, pointing to where Danica sits with Johan Jurgen.
Miguel starts laughing like it’s the funniest thing he’s ever seen. Humiliated at the show of affection between Dani and Jurgen happening in the suite, I embrace the rage surging inside of me. My fists clench, and my jaw locks as Miguel says something to his teammate, and the two of them look up at Danica and Jurgen then back at me before dissolving into laughter.
I know that I should display more emotional control and ignore their ignorance, but it’s hard when the two whom I really want to take my rage out on are out of my reach.
There isn’t that much distance between Miguel and me. So, as he’s walking backward and still laughing at me, I charge him and headbutt him.
The headbutt isn’t enough because as he falls to the ground, I jump on him and begin to pound his face. The shrill sound of the referee’s whistle pierces the air as players charge the field. Arms pull at me, dragging me away as players from my team argue heatedly with players from the Brazilian team.
I don’t pay any of that attention. My gaze goes straight to the suites and lands on Danica who’s watching me with a horrified expression.
9 – DANICA
“It calls for half an onion, Z. Why are you chopping up the whole thing?” I ask, looking over his shoulder.
“The last time I checked, I was the cook between the two of us. The only thing you ever did was order takeout or go out to eat,” he teases me with a smirk.
Rolling my eyes and sucking my teeth, I reply, “Whatever. But why are you using an entire onion?”
“Because,” he says, dipping the knife back into the cold water and then returning to expertly chopping up the onion. “It called for a half of a medium onion. This is one small onion, so it’s roughly the same size.”
“And why did you rinse the onion off with cold water?”
“The cold water removes the pungency so that it doesn’t burn your eyes and nose when you cut them. It also doesn’t leave that strong smell on your hands,” Zenon explains patiently.
“Oh,” I say, hopping up on the countertop and swinging my legs back and forth.
“Did your mother ever teach you to cook?” he asks.
“Nope, Mom didn’t cook during the weekdays. She was busy at the hospital, and then on the weekends, I was busy with my extracurricular activities.”
“So, that’s where you get eating out from all the time. Your parents didn’t cook during the weekdays,” he says matter-of-factly.
“I didn’t say that we ate out, though. We had a cook who worked during the weekdays and prepared all our meals.”
“What about your dad? Did he ever cook?”
“On the weekends, he and my mom used to cook dinner together,” I say with a smile as I recall earlier times.
“Could he cook?”
Nodding, I say, “My dad was a great cook, and so was my mom. It just wasn’t what they spent most of their time doing. I didn’t have an interest in it, so I never tried.”
“What about your brother?”
Laughing, I answer, “Onyx was too busy chasing girls. I mean, he might know how to cook now that he’s settled down with his own family, but I doubt it.”