Bound to Favor

by Kiru Taye

  “Hey. If I had a condom I’d show you what else I can do.”

  “There are some in my bag.” She pointed at where she’d left her tote on the carpet.

  He reached down and lifted it to the bed. She dug in and grabbed the box of condoms she’d bought.

  He eyed her as he tore the film packaging before opening the card sleeve. “You came prepared, didn’t you?”

  Her cheeks heated again. It had been wishful thinking to hope that something would happen. But she’d always thought it was best to be prepared. “I was a Girl Scout, you know.”

  He chuckled. “Of course. That’s why you’re so great in the office.”

  The words seemed to give him pause. He tilted his head and he held onto the condom wrap in his hand. “You really want this, don’t you? We can stop now and I can walk out of this room.”

  The fact that he was offering when she could clearly see his straining erection only made warmth bloom in her chest. He would deny himself the pleasure on offer. She didn’t want him to go. Ever.

  “Don’t you dare walk out. You promised me several more orgasm.” She curled her lips and wiggled her hips.

  He chuckled again as he tore the foil and rolled on the condom. “Of course. What my fiancée wants, my fiancée gets.”

  He gripped her thighs and speared into her wet channel, up to the hilt.

  “Oh,” he groaned. “You are so hot and slick.”

  He jerked his hips and she moaned, clamping down on his hard length.

  He thrust into her again and again, in hard, desperate motions, as if he’d been starved of her body.

  He drove her mad with lust, her desire rising again, threatening to crash any moment.

  He leaned over and pressed hot kisses on her chest and collar and neck.

  She shifted, widening her hips and taking him even deeper. She undulated and strained against him wanting that rush of fever. He was so addictive. She had come a few times already but she couldn’t get enough.

  His thumb settled on her clit, plucking and teasing and circling until she exploded into another orgasm.

  “Nawa,” he gritted out.

  Now that she knew what that meant she wanted to possess him too. To own him. To make him hers.

  “Mine,” she said and tugged his head down.

  He smiled as he let her take a kiss. She possessed him at this moment. He was hers, here and now. No one could take that away from her. Neither his sisters nor his mother. Nor her family.

  Kamali Danladi belonged to her for the next few days and woes betide anyone who would say otherwise.

  She felt power surge through her and gripped her pussy around him, seeking to push him over the edge.

  “Ebun,” he groaned as he lifted his head, his face contorted in bliss as he emptied his seed inside her.

  When he slumped over her and pressed a kiss to her sweaty neck, she lowered her arms around him with a satisfied smile on her face.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Kamali stayed over Ebun, taking some of his weight on his lower arms on either side of her body so he didn’t crush her. His ribcage expanded and contracted as he sucked in air in wild gulps. His lungs couldn’t seem to draw in the required amount of air.

  Muscles of her tight channel rippled around his semi-hard cock. Although he’d just spilled cum, he would be ready to take her again soon.

  He enjoyed rigorous sex and as such needed a robust and experienced woman. She’d taken the pummelling without complaint.

  The thought of pounding into her again in an exhilarating ride made his dick jerk.

  Her breath caught.

  He raised his head.

  A radiant smile curled her lush lips and she let out a deep, gratifying sigh. Her eyes stayed hazy and unfocused as she took deep breaths.

  She appeared to be content, fulfilled.

  “I must have done something right,” he teased as he brushed his lips against hers. He couldn’t seem to help himself.

  Though he’d finally had sex with her like he’d thought about in years, he couldn’t seem to extricate himself from her.

  He didn’t want to move. He loved the feel of her soft, smooth skin against his, and under him.

  “You did everything right,” she said in a throaty voice and caressed his back slowly as she watched him with huge chocolate-brown eyes that sparkled with joy.

  When he’d walked into this room earlier she’d been downcast.

  Now, they looked as if he’d given her what she’d most wanted in the world.

  “I’m glad,” he shifted.

  “Don’t move,” she said, gripping him with her arms. Her wet, tight pussy rippled around his cock, enfolding him like a second skin.

  “Unh,” he grunted as a sizzle went down his spine to his balls and toes. “Woman, you want to kill me?”

  He smiled down at her.

  She batted her long, dark lashes at him. “I don’t want you to move. I love the weight of you on me.”

  “I need to take the condom off,” he said. Not to mention that he should get out of her room.

  Fine. They’d had sex, because she’d wanted it as much as he had. Now, they could move on. And after this week, they would go back to being colleagues at work.

  There certainly couldn’t be anything more.

  His heart did a jolt in his chest at the idea of watching Ebun again from afar. She would be back to dating any man she wanted. Any man who wasn’t him.

  “Okay,” she said reluctantly and released him.

  He rolled off her, his withdrawal abrupt and almost harsh. He walked into the bathroom, removed the condom and tossed it in the small chrome bin. He cleaned himself up and stared at this image in the mirror.

  Why was his so irritated by the thought of Ebun dating other men? Of Ebun having sex with other men.

  He clenched his fists and unclenched them. Bending over, he scrubbed a hand over his face.

  He’d sworn he wouldn’t get married again. Having sex with his assistant hadn’t changed that resolve. He couldn’t trust her. Couldn’t trust any woman.

  He just had to get over whatever was making his chest tight.

  “Are you okay?” Ebun called out.

  Kamali puffed out a breath. He’d taken longer than necessary in the bathroom. No wonder she sounded concerned.

  He walked out.

  “I’m fine,” he said as he grabbed his discarded trousers.

  “Aren’t you coming back to bed?” She had a tentative smile on her face.

  His heart clutched. He had to keep going. She had to know that it had been just sex. No need to pretend otherwise.

  “It’s the middle of the afternoon. Someone is probably looking for me right now.” He pulled his phone out of his trouser pocket to check it. He couldn’t believe he’d just had sex in the middle of the afternoon in his family house like a teenager while his mother and siblings were around. He was a man in his forties, for goodness sake.

  “Yeah, I know. You’re a busy man,” she said.

  Her quiet acceptance made him glance up at her. He was used to spoilt women who cajoled and seduced to get what they wanted or nagged and threw tantrums when they didn’t get it.

  Ebun didn’t seem to fit that bill. He’d expected her to sulk because he was getting dressed.

  Instead, she met his gaze with a soft expression. She shifted and sat on the edge of the bed, her bra now discarded and she wore the black French knickers.

  His throat grew thick and his voice cracked. “Ebun—”

  “I know what you’re going to say,” she cut him off. “And in honesty I would rather not spoil what has been a wonderful experience. So, please, don’t say it.”

  He opened his mouth, closed it and nodded. She was right. Being with her had been wonderful. He didn’t want to ruin the memory.

  “I do have a request, though,” she continued.

  “Yes?”

  “For the next few days and while we’re in Katsina, will you be my fiancé?”


  He rubbed his chin and blinked a few times. “But that’s why we’re here. We are fake-engaged.”

  “I know,” she said in a steady voice. She pulled her top back on, covering her upper body. “Did I tell you that I’ve never been engaged? Not one man has ever proposed to me.”

  “You mentioned it,” he said as a sinking feeling sat in his stomach. He walked over to where she sat and settled on the bed beside her. “Ebun, I—”

  “Please, just hear me out,” she said, her voice still soft.

  He swallowed and nodded.

  “Your sisters, how old are they?”

  “Thirty-three and thirty-one.”

  “I’ll be thirty-five on my next birthday. Yet, I’ve never had a proposal, let alone a wedding. And of course, no children.”

  She tilted to glance at him. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m not complaining. I have a good life. I can afford to travel whenever I want, to buy whatever I want. Working for you and at DC is a great opportunity. I love my professional life. But my personal life? Not so much.”

  She took a deep breath and puffed it out. “Considering a proposal will never come and I’m already here acting as your fiancée, I want to feel like a bride-to-be. Not just act it, but feel it. I want to feel as if someone—you—have fallen in love with me enough to marry me, at least once in my life.”

  His heart jolted in his chest at what she was asking. She seemed vulnerable, opening herself up to him in this manner with such raw honesty. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

  “Someone will propose to you one day,” he had to force the words out of his tight throat. The thought of her spending the rest of her life with some guy who wasn’t him conflicted with the ongoing pain of the betrayal he had suffered from his previous marriage. How could he ever let it go?

  “Perhaps, but I doubt it.” She gave a rueful smile as she lowered her gaze to her hands that were twisting on her lap. “So will you do this for me? I promise I won’t ask you for a favour again.”

  He sighed. She was doing him a favour by acting as his fiancée. It was only fair that he repaid her. “So what exactly do you want me to do?”

  She turned to face him, a smile playing on her lips. “I want you to make me feel as if I’m the most beautiful woman in the world. When we’re both in a room filled with other women, I want to feel as if you only have eyes for me. I want my stomach to flutter and my heart to race with the excitement of a bride-to-be.” She placed her cool hand over his. “I want to feel loved.”

  “You’re not asking for a lot, are you?” He grinned at her.

  There was something childlike and innocent about her request that made him want to grant all her wishes.

  In truth, she wasn’t asking for anything he couldn’t deliver. He thought she was one of the most beautiful women he’d ever met with her natural elegance and grace. And when they were in a room full of other people, he only saw her.

  Her eyes lit up, making his heart beat fast. “Will you?”

  He lifted her hand and placed a kiss on the back of it. “It will be my pleasure to grant your request, nawa.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Ebun floated on a cloud, weightless. The back of her hand tingled where Kamali had kissed her.

  Without thinking, she leaned forward and pressed their mouths together. He seemed surprised at her gesture although he let her brush her tongue against his luscious firm rims.

  He tasted of her and his masculinity.

  Warmth spread through her chest that he carried her essence on him. She sucked in a deep breath, hoping he smelled like her.

  A primal emotion swept through her. Like an animal marking its territory, she wanted to mark him as hers so that every other woman would keep away.

  At least for the next few days.

  Forever, if she could help it.

  But she wouldn’t worry about forever.

  He’d promised her the next few days and Kamali was a man of his words, if nothing else.

  She pulled back a little and looked up at his smouldering dark gaze. “Thank you.”

  “I haven’t done anything,” he said with a smile that made him look dangerously handsome.

  “Oh, you don’t know how much you’ve already done.” For the first time since her father left, she glimpsed hope and possibilities. “Well, I guess you better go before someone thinks I’m hugging you all to myself. Although, I’d love to hug you all to myself.”

  He chuckled. “True. That’s the fun of families. You have to find time to fit everyone in. Otherwise, you get accused of favouring one over another. It’s like politics sometimes. You have to learn the art of diplomacy.”

  “Yeah, I’m getting a crash course on families. I grew up as an only child of my parents. My father gave me all his attention for the years that he was with us. I guess I was spoilt. So I don’t know how your grandfather paid all his eleven children attention. And you have over forty cousins.”

  “Honestly, growing up with so many cousins had its good and bad moments. We were, still are, very competitive when it came to winning accolades and recognition. But the fun part was that I never felt left out or alone. I certainly never felt neglected. I guess my problem was finding a quiet moment sometimes.” He tilted his head as he studied her. “Didn’t you ever feel lonely being an only child?”

  Her throat constricted as his question brought up painful memories. She swallowed and looked at the wall. “Not until my father left and I suddenly didn’t have him as part of my daily routine. It was then that I knew loneliness.”

  “I’m sorry.” He cradled her cheek. “It must have been hard for you. Did he keep in touch?”

  “For a little while. Then, the communication petered out and I gave up on him ever coming back—” A ringing tone distracted her.

  “Sorry.” Kamali pulled out his phone from his trouser pocket and swiped to connect the call. “Musa, yaya kake?”

  Ebun used the opportunity and sashayed into the bathroom to wash up as well as to give Kamali some privacy to take the call.

  The clean and sparkling bathroom called to her. She was hot and sticky from the travelling and sex so she needed the refreshment of the shower.

  She returned to the bedroom and unzipped her travel case, pulling out her toiletries bag.

  Kamali was still on the phone, speaking in Hausa.

  She indicated with gestures that she would be taking a shower and he nodded at her.

  She returned to the bathroom, turned on the faucet and stripped off the remaining clothes. She covered her hair with a shower cap and stepped into the cubicle. The water was just at the right temperature and she sighed with pleasure as the needle pricks of the spray massaged her muscles.

  She let the spray work its magic before she reached for the shower gel. Ten minutes later, she was out of the shower and towelling her body with the fresh white sheet she grabbed from the counter.

  In the bedroom, Kamali sat in the armchair fiddling with his phone.

  “I thought you’d gone,” Ebun said with as she grabbed her body cream and sat on the bed.

  “I didn’t want to leave while you were in the shower.” He stood and strode across to her. “Fahima stopped by to mention that dinner will be in an hour.”

  “Oh. You could have come into the bathroom, if you’d wanted.”

  “I’d wanted. But you wouldn’t have come out of there already, if I’d come in.”

  She understood his implications and her body reacted instantly. The buzz of attraction she’d always felt around him remained, even after their intimacy. She wanted him again and again.

  “I wouldn’t have minded,” she said.

  “I know.” He leaned down and kissed her. “But I have to shower too and change my clothes before dinner.”

  “Okay. I’ll see you at dinner?”

  He straightened. “Of course. I’ll see you there.”

  He strode to the door and turned when he reached it. “My room is the one at the end of the hall. Just
next door. They put you in what’s meant to be the men’s wing because they thought my guest would be male. The women’s quarters are actually on the other side of the landing. Would you like to be moved to a different room in the women’s wing?”

  She tilted her head. Sure she would’ve liked to hang out with the women. But the proximity to Kamali’s room appealed to her. “No. I’d like to stay here. Perhaps you can sneak into my room in the middle of the night.”

  “Midnight trysts. I look forward to those.” He winked at her and then he was gone.

  It took a while for her racing heart to pipe down at the thought of him coming to her room in the middle of the night.

  But the smile on her face remained as she got dressed and finally went downstairs. She wore a loose-fitting Adire maxi dress and strappy leather sandals. Seeing Fahima and Yasmin both dressed in long modest outfits made her glad she’d gone shopping and bought new outfits for this week. This wasn’t the place for jeans, not if she wanted the women around here to take her seriously.

  As she reached the bottom of the stairs, Fari and the other two girls ran across the hall and stopped when they saw her.

  “Hi, Aunty.” They greeted with smiles.

  “Hi. Fari, you didn’t tell me your cousins’ names,” Ebun said in a cheerful tone and sat on the armchair in the corner which provided a secluded sitting area from the living room.

  “Sorry, Aunty. This is Veda.” Fari indicated the taller hickory-shaded girl with natural hair bunched in a puff. “And this is Rashi.”

  The other girl was smaller, prettier with coffee-shade skin and cornrows similar to Fari.

  “Nice to meet you, Veda and Rashi. Are you sisters?”

  “Yes, we are,” Veda replied.

  “Is Fahima your mum?”

  “Yes.” They both nodded.

  Ebun smiled. She’d guessed right. Rashi looked like her mother.

  If the two girls were Fahima’s children, then didn’t Yasmin have any? She didn’t want to ask the girl. She’d have to ask Kamali later.

  “Veda, could you get me a glass of water, please?”

  “Sure, Aunty.” The girl rushed off to do her bidding.