by Kiru Taye
“Felix would be so angry if the test is positive. He was quite adamant about having no children as a clause in the pre-nuptial agreement.” She stared at the hallway door, her hands shaking from nervousness.
“Listen, you need to stop stressing. First things first, we need to see the result of the test. It could be negative.”
“And—”
Faith cut her off. “And if it’s not, we’ll sit down, think about things clearly, and deal with it. There is always a way. So shall we go and check it?”
“I don’t even think I can bear to look. Can you check it for me, please?” Ebony swiped the tears with the back of her hand.
“Okay. We’ll go to the bathroom together and I’ll check the kit for you. How’s that?”
Ebony nodded, dread weighing heavy on her shoulders. When they got to the bathroom, Faith picked up the stick. She held out her other hand and squeezed Ebony’s fingers reassuringly.
“Okay. Don’t panic, but it is positive.” Faith squeezed her hand again. “We can do another test, just to be sure.”
Feeling faint, Ebony shook her head. “No. It will still come up positive. I am pregnant.”
The words felt strange on her tongue, her mind woozy. She sat on the covered toilet seat and lowered her head. She let the confirmation wash over her. Being pregnant wasn’t bad news to her. It would be bad news for her relationship with Felix, a relationship she wanted to keep.
“What am I going to do?” She voiced her despondent thoughts.
Faith massaged her back with gentle care. “Let’s go sit in the sofa and we can decide what to do next.”
Her calm voice cut through Ebony’s panicked mind.
In the living room, Faith brought her a glass of water. Ebony took a sip, the cool liquid soothing her dry throat.
“What are things like with Felix at the moment?” Faith enquired in a matter-of-fact manner.
Ebony focused her thoughts, remembering the events of the last few months with Felix. “Things have been absolutely wonderful. Before we got married, he’d been so cold and withdrawn. I’d thought he wouldn’t show up on our wedding day.”
Ebony’s eyes clouded over with pain as she recalled those horrible days when she’d been so worried Felix would cancel the wedding at the last minute. She’d dreaded it would be like Dele all over again. She’d been so relieved when the wedding had gone ahead. But then, disaster had struck on their wedding night.
“Since he woke up, he is almost like a different man. Of course, the fact he can’t remember meeting or marrying me could be the reason.”
“What? He can’t remember you.” Faith stared at her wide-eyed.
“Sorry, that’s another thing I had to keep quiet. Felix has amnesia.”
“Seriously?” Her friend covered her mouth.
Ebony nodded. “The day he woke up from the coma, he didn’t recognise me. It was a nightmare.”
“I can imagine.”
“And also a blessing in disguise. He has been kind, gentle, and loving. I swear to you, Faith. Like he loves me. You should see the way he behaved last night. He practically worshipped my body.”
“Girl, I think you are confusing great sex with love.”
Ebony understood her friend’s scepticism. Faith had a difficult life growing up; it had made her close off her heart to sentiments.
It didn’t stop Ebony from glaring at her friend with defiance. “I think I can tell the difference, thank you. What we did last night and this morning, we made sweet love. My body is still humming just thinking about it.” Ebony hugged her body again, a smile tugging at her lips. “Seriously, though, he’s been amazing, generally. But then, I keep thinking he’s going to remember everything and things are going to go back to how it was. With this pregnancy, it’s going to be even worse now.”
“If he has been as great as you say he has, then, it might not be as bad as you think if you tell him. He might actually welcome it as a way of sealing you newfound love.” Faith waved her hand in the air to emphasise her point.
Our newfound love that’s about to die an untimely death in its infancy.
“I hope he sees it that way. I don’t want to lose Felix but I want this baby, too. Is that too much to ask?”
“No, it’s not. Talk to him. I’m sure he’ll understand. It’s not as if you planned it. Just make sure you tell him first before he finds out himself. Okay?”
Ebony nodded, glancing at her watch. “Oh, gosh. Is that the time? I have to go. I only said I’d pop out to the shops quickly. We are supposed to be going to the beach for the day. He’ll wonder where I’ve gone.”
She stood up and picked up her handbag.
“Well, have fun and call me if you need reinforcements.” Her friend smiled at her reassuringly.
Ebony gave her a quick hug and raced downstairs to her car.
Outside in the garden, Felix sat on the bench under the shade of the acacia tree, his favourite spot in his vast estate. Eyes closed; still he became aware of Ebony before she reached him or spoke. The swish of her dress as she moved, and the patter of her footsteps against the cobbles of the stone path that weaved through the back garden announced her presence. As she approached, he smelled her essence. He didn’t open his eyes. Instead, he inhaled deeply as his body stirred.
“Hi, darling.” Soft lips brushed his in a brief kiss.
Within his body, desire sparked. Alarm bells rang in his mind. His spine stiffened with suspicion. She called him “darling.” She’d never used that word on him before. Something must be definitely wrong.
Eyes opened, he stared at her through his dark sunglasses. A smile curled her beautiful lips, but her usual radiant glow seemed diminished, somehow. Dark sunshades covered her eyes so he couldn’t see them. Loose, dark curls lay swept over one shoulder, her dress a sea-blue sundress that showed off long, smooth legs.
His body didn’t care what she’d been up to. He wanted to sit her on his lap right here and sink into her wet core. To rock into her and make her forget whatever could be on her mind. He wanted her to bare all to him. To hide nothing from his gaze, from him. To hear her cry out his name over and over again like she’d done this morning.
Drawing in a long breath, he controlled his baser urges. He wouldn’t be reduced to an animal regardless of how much she pushed him. Actions borne out of rage had resulted in his accident. Evidence that he’d already lost himself to his wife if whatever they’d argued about had resulted in him storming out.
Moreover, he had other things to consider. Even as his house sat enclosed and not overlooked, his security team were out there. Not visible, but still out there. Watching in silence.
“Did you get everything you needed?” he asked instead. He wondered how much she would tell him.
“Yes. And I stopped over to see Faith quickly.” She sat down next to him, her warmth enfolding his body.
“Faith?” he asked, his nonchalant manner belying his raging emotions.
“Yes. You remember Faith? My best friend? I was telling you about her this morning. You met her at Reams. She was my maid of honour on our wedding day. You’ve seen her picture on the wedding album.”
The knot in his stomach tightened. A rambling Ebony only heightened his suspicion. Maintaining his outward calm, he nodded.
“Okay. Now I remember. How is she?” He watched her lips, fighting the urge to pull her closer and savour their sweetness. The same lips hiding truths from him. He swallowed the bile in his throat and looked away from her.
“She is fine. Are you ready to go?” Her voice remained cool but he didn't miss the way her hand on the bench tightened with tension.
“Sure. You get organised. I’ll meet you inside. Pack a bag, too. I’ve decided we should stay overnight at the resort.” He hoped the time away with just the two of them would help her open up to him. One way or the other, he would find out what she hid. He hated secrets.
“Great. Don’t be long.” She stood and strolled off back into the house.
<
br /> He took out his phone from his pocket and typed a message.
What’s the report?
The response back read: She drove to the local pharmacist, to her friend’s house in Lekki, and then she came straight back home.
Felix let out a breath he hadn’t realised he’d been holding, relief flushing his mind. Ebony had told him the truth about her whereabouts. Yet, some of the tension remained in his body. He still couldn’t shake the feeling something was wrong.
He stood up and walked into the house.
Ebony pushed her current dilemma to the back of her mind. Not much she could do about it at the moment. Instead, she focused on sorting out the picnic items and things they needed for their day away.
Fragile and uncertain about her future with Felix, she debated about telling him she was pregnant that night but settled on revealing it to him the next morning. Wanting to spend one more day with the loving Felix eclipsed her sense of guilt and responsibility. After months of stumbling from one disaster to another, she needed a break from the hell to be unleashed when she spilled the beans.
On the drive out to La Campagne Tropicana, a remote beach resort on the outskirts of Lagos State, Kola drove the car, which surprised her, considering Patrick was the usual driver. When Felix spoke, she suddenly understood the need for the change.
“When I was a boy, my father cheated on my mother.”
She gasped, turning in her seat to look at him. Felix wasn’t looking at her, his gaze focused on a point on the blacked out windows of the Porsche Cayenne whizzing down the expressway.
Why would he reveal something like this out of the blue?
“It wasn’t just a one-off affair,” he continued. “He would spend days away and when I asked my mother, she would say he travelled on business. He kept it a secret for a long time.”
The pain wrapped up in his words knifed through her. She reached for him, covering his hand with hers. “I’m so sorry.”
He turned around staring at her hand as if not really seeing it.
“Have you ever wondered why there’s only a two year gap between Mark and I? After all, my mum died when I was eight.”
She frowned. “I’ve never really thought about it. I always assumed your dad married Mark’s mother after your mum passed on.”
“You are correct. They did get married afterwards. But while my mother was alive, they were having an affair. Mark is the product of that affair.”
“Oh.” She didn't know what else to say.
Beneath her fingers, his hand clenched tight into a fist but he didn’t withdraw it and she was grateful he chose to maintain contact.
“You see, it broke my mother’s heart finding out what my father did. I would watch her crying day after day. As a boy, I swore I would never get married. Never put myself through such vulnerability and heart ache.”
Shadows clouded his eyes and his chest rose as he drew a long breath.
“Then I met you and broke that vow because I care about you. I feel as if I’ve known you all my life when as you say it has only been months. I know we are meant to be together.”
She lowered her gaze. He reached across and tipped her head back up with his finger under her chin.
“I know it as much as I know the sun will set tonight. But you’ve got to trust me and share the things bothering this pretty head of yours.” He brushed back strands of hair from her face.
She relaxed into him, some of her earlier anxiety fleeing her body. The physical contact with Felix always seemed to soothe her nerves.
“Felix, I—”
He ran his tongue around the edges of her lips, inflaming her. When his tongue probed her mouth for entry, she sighed and opened up her lips, letting him in. He thrust into her with determination and promise, and her uncertainty dissolved in a haze of passion. She remained eager for his touch to soothe her jangled nerves, suddenly needing to be closer to Felix. To hear him say her name with fervour. To feel wanted and loved. He wanted her. That proved certain. Did her love her? This morning, she would have said yes, but now, she didn’t feel so confident. Not with an unexpected pregnancy looming over them.
Her excitement rose as he moved his lips to her chin, neck, and eventually, her ear, sensitising her body.
The car slowed as they arrived at their destination, stopping their play. Felix had booked a villa for the day. It turned out to be a large, luxury hut built from wood and filled with indulgent mod-cons, located in a secluded corner of the resort and surrounded by long, shaded palm trees, the white sandy beach, and the deep blue ocean only a few metres away. The clear water of the private swimming pool sparkled next to the hut.
After the resort staff left, Ebony went into the bathroom and changed into her red bikini, tying a gauzy black sarong around her waist. She pulled her hair back, holding it in place with a band. When she came out from the bathroom, Felix had already changed into a pair of navy blue swimming shorts and a loose, sky blue shirt with the buttons undone. He sat outside on the wooden beach lounger, his leg cast covered in a waterproof protector.
“I’ve dismissed everyone so we’ve got the whole place to ourselves. What would you like to do first?”
“As much as that sea beckons, I’ll settle for the swimming pool for now.” Ebony left her towel on the deck chair and took off her sarong. “Are you coming?” She flashed him a teasing look and dived into the water, swimming to the other end.
When she turned around, Felix was beside her in the pool. She swam past him towards the other end.
“Oh, yeah? Are we racing?” he asked, his brow raised in amusement.
She just laughed and kept going. His injured leg didn’t seem to be giving him much difficulty under the water as he kept close to her. They swam a few more laps before he grabbed her arm.
“I’m tired of playing chase. I’m hungry.” The husky edge in his deep voice raised the hair on her neck and arms. Nipples beaded and heart thumping, she turned to face him. The fire in his eyes heated her body up.
“Okay. I’ll dry up and sort out lunch,” she replied, licking her lips.
He chuckled and tugged until they were only separated by wet swimsuits. The hard evidence of his arousal pulsated against her tummy.
“Not that kind of food,” his voice rumbled in a growl. “I mean to have you for lunch.”
Felix crushed his lips against Ebony’s. He heard her breath hitch. He didn’t ease up. The kiss turned punishing, vengeful. All his frustration at her for hiding things from him registered in that gesture. She returned the kiss but it wasn’t a surrender; more like a duelling of tongues, a battle of wills. As he cut and thrust, she defended and parried, matching his every move.
His already inflamed blood fizzed in his veins. The intensity of his need consumed him. His hand moved down to her inner thighs, shoving the bikini aside. His finger thrust into her wet folds, checking for her readiness. She lay wet and slick, her juices coating his finger. He added another, and another. He knew he should be gentler, slower, but the thing thrumming in his blood wasn’t love and tenderness, but anger and envy.
Ebony didn’t seem to care because she thrust her hips towards him and moved her hand into his shorts, massaging his arousal. At that point, the thin control he tried reining in shredded into nothing. He needed her now. Needed to cool his fizzing blood before he went mad. He’d wanted her all afternoon, and seeing her walk out of that bathroom in nothing but a skimpy red bikini had been like a red flag to a bull. She had teased him even more by starting the race in the pool. Enough was enough.
He moved her to the edge of the pool for anchor. She moaned and wrapped her long legs around his waist. He ripped her bikini off, lifted her up, and sank into her moist depths. A deep groan erupted from his belly.
With his hands on her hips, he pulled out of her and thrust in. Again and again and again. She held onto his shoulders and met each thrust, her head thrown back in abandon. He took one breast in his mouth and suckled. She moaned with pleasure. Their breathing
got shorter and harder. He could feel her excitement building to match his. He wanted to hear his name on her lips in ecstasy. Bracing one hand behind her on the edge of the pool, he moved the other to her swollen nub and pressed the tip. He felt her splinter. Her insides contracted, pulling him in, his name on her lips rapturous. With one final thrust, he spilled his seed inside her.
When he finally got his breath back, Ebony was hanging onto him, her head on his shoulder. He lifted her out of the water, sitting her on the edge of the pool. After hoisting himself out, he pulled a towel off the chair and wrapped it around her before tying one around his waist.
He sat on the deck chair and lifted her onto his lap. She leaned onto his chest. They both lay there silently and he caressed her body slowly until he heard her fall into a light sleep.
As he drifted into sleep, his brain opened up that place his conscious mind had placed under lock and key. Bright light slowly filtered into a dark room, revealing a young boy in a park chanting the words over and over again. Felix loves Ebony.
Chapter Nine
The sound of something vibrating on a hard surface woke Felix. He opened his eyes. His phone sat on the wooden table next to him, just out of reach. Ebony still slept on him, her arms wrapped around him. She looked so peaceful he didn’t want to wake her by moving. The vibrations continued. He wanted to ignore the phone but it could be something important. He’d been expecting a call back from Mark.
When he sat up, Ebony stirred, opening her golden eyes, and smiled at him sleepily. She looked so beautiful his heart rammed in his chest. He held her head and kissed her deeply. Warm blood thrummed in his veins. When he pulled back, her eyes had darkened with yearning. Knowing how responsive she could be to him, he smiled with satisfaction.
“Is that your phone?” She turned in the direction of the buzzing device, her lips lifted in a smile.
“Yep. Whoever is on the other end is pretty insistent. I better get it.” He rubbed his knuckles against her cheeks.