Imani's Dilemma (Drumbeats Romance)

by Kalinga, Kiki

  Kevin came and stood beside her, his shoulder touching hers. She felt the current course through her at the brief contact, and made no move to shift away.

  She was so aware of his presence she could barely breathe. Her every instinct told her to move away, but she was rooted to the spot. Kevin turned to look at her and pulled her into his arms.

  “You’re so beautiful,” he said, gazing intently into her eyes. She was conscious of the heat from his body and felt faint as he pulled her closer to him.

  “I’ve missed you so much, Imani,” he murmured as his hand caressed the back of her neck. He brought his mouth down onto hers. As her body curved into his, Imani felt weak with desire. She hadn’t realised how much she had wanted this to happen. She would have wanted to stop it, but the beauty of nature surrounding them, and her desire for Kevin overcame her.

  His hands roamed hungrily over her body, with a sense of urgency. His mouth moved down to her neck and her knees went weak as she inhaled his musky aftershave. She returned the kiss with the same passion. It had been years since she felt this alive. Her body responded as though it was on fire.

  He began to undo the buttons on her shirt. She couldn’t stop him; she had stopped thinking, she was just reacting blindly to the aching need she felt. She pulled him closer to her and ran her tongue along his earlobe, tasting the rain on his skin.

  The sound of a car hooting made them both jump apart. “Who the hell can that be?” Kevin’s face was as thundery as the weather as he strode over to see who had intruded on their privacy.

  Imani hastily buttoned up her shirt, shocked at her response to Kevin’s touch. How could she just lose control like that? Was it the case of the ex-factor? She took a calming breath, then stepped round the thatched hut to see what was going on. Two uniformed men walking towards them, their car parked at the side of the road. KWS rangers.

  “Habari.” They waved.

  “What can we do for you?” Kevin asked, still looking annoyed.

  “You have to leave this site now,” one of them replied affably, “The road is bad and you cannot drive in rain like this.”

  “We have a four wheel drive, we’ll be fine,” Kevin replied.

  The two rangers looked at each other and laughed. “We have had to pull out three vehicles just like yours in the last week. This black cotton soil is very sticky. You should go now, before it gets worse. We will escort you to the tarmac.”

  Kevin looked at Imani and gave her a wry smile. “I guess we will just have to leave.” Imani folded up the picnic blanket, unable to decide whether she felt relieved or regretful. She kept her eyes on the ground, unable to look at Kevin as he packed their things.

  The rain was still pounding heavily as they followed the ranger’s cruiser towards the main gate of the park. She couldn’t read what Kevin was thinking, his eyes were on the road. Her thoughts, though were a mangled mess. Get some hold on yourself Imani. What are you doing? What about Mike? She felt a surge of guilt. It was as if he didn’t exist, in that moment when she was with Kevin. She hadn’t even thought about him.

  Kevin interrupted her thoughts by placing a hand on her shoulder. She realised with a start that they had already reached Lang’ata Road.

  “Imani, I think we have to finish this conversation.”

  “I don’t know,” she mumbled, looking out of the window.

  “Can we go home?”

  “No, sorry, I can’t,” she replied, almost before he finished his question. She was scared of how things would progress in the privacy of his home. Given what had just happened, she couldn’t trust her emotions around him and didn’t want to do something she would later regret.

  She suddenly felt ashamed of herself. Here she was, with Kevin, and on the other hand, she knew she had something going with Mike. Did this make her a two-timing cheat? Was it any different than from what she had thought Kevin had done to her?

  “Are you alright?” Kevin asked her, gently, which made her feel worse. “Even if you don’t want to come home, let’s go out and have an early dinner.”

  Imani was tempted, because she still felt like they had left things unfinished. But she just needed time alone. Not with Mike, not with Kevin. Just time with her guilty conscience and decisions to make. As much as she wanted things to smoothen out, she was determined to be sensible and not to rush blindly.

  “Thanks Kevin, but I think I need to get home. I just want to be alone,” she said quietly, but firmly.

  “Well alright then,” Kevin said regretfully, as he headed towards her home. As Imani got out of the car, he came around and held the door for her.

  “Imani, I meant what I said. Promise me you’ll think about it.”

  She nodded and turned to leave, but once again, he took her in his arms and gave her a kiss. This time, she pulled away before she could lose her resolve.

  That night, Imani couldn’t sleep at all. What if Kevin had actually never betrayed her? After their afternoon together, she was sure he was telling the truth. She also realised her feelings for him were as strong as ever. They had not died over the years as she had thought; instead they had deepened as she had matured. But were feelings enough? What about trust and reliability? Could she just rush back to Kevin after three years, when he had disappeared so completely from her life? And what did this mean for Mike and her? She couldn’t possibly lead him on, and he had been so nice to her! Imani knew she hadn’t committed to Mike yet, but she still felt like she was doing something wrong. She had to make a choice, and soon.

  She knew eventually she had to make the decision: Mike or Kevin …

  ***

  Imani woke up the next morning to the insistent ringing of her phone.

  “What’s up Imani, you’re not at work yet?” It was Mike.

  Imani jumped out of bed, shocked to see that it was past nine! She had clearly overslept, having not gotten to sleep until sunrise.

  “I’m on my way,” she snapped, “I got held up.”

  “You know, my week doesn’t start unless I see your lovely face. I walked into the office and you weren’t there …” His jolly tone over the phone worsened her mood, and after a quick ‘I’m coming soon’, she disconnected.

  Despite a sleepless night full of thoughts of Kevin and Mike, Imani still hadn’t come to any decision. As she hurriedly got ready, a thought came to her mind. Why couldn’t she take things slowly with both of them? Who said she had to choose so soon? As long as she didn’t lead Mike on too much, what was the harm if she saw Kevin? Only, she would have to be careful not to let her desire consume her. She could not afford another ‘moment of passion’ with either man.

  When she finally arrived at work, she found a bunch of roses at her desk. There was a card that said ‘Dinner Wednesday?’ It was simply signed ‘Kevin’. The flowers should have made her smile, but she quickly shoved them aside, out of sight, and focused on her computer. She still had a job to keep, and there was less than two weeks to the launch.

  She went through the client database she had sent Mr Shutu and realised there were some new leads she could approach. She set up several meetings with new potential buyers and invited them for the launch. She would leave no stone unturned to make as many sales as she possibly could.

  “Mrembo, you know it’s lunchtime, right?” Mike was standing at her cubicle.

  She smiled back at him, her mood improved by the prospect of new customers. “Nope, I had no idea.”

  “All work and no play, huh? Let’s grab some lunch. Its on me!”

  “Sure!”

  But lunch with Mike was not as fun today. There was an underlying tension that affected their easy camaraderie, or at least that was how Imani felt. If Mike sensed it, he didn’t make any comment. But Imani was sure even he was less animated than usual. Maybe the pressure at work is getting to
him too.

  ***

  “How could you be so stupid, Imani?” Fawzia screeched.

  “I wasn’t thinking, OK?”

  “That is obvious,” Fawzia retorted.

  “Come on Fawzia,”

  “After that guy broke your heart and left you three years ago, he just comes back and you crawl back to him? Are you serious?”

  “It’s not that simple,” Imani defended, “So much has been going on: my job, mum’s health, the bills, the launch, Mike … and now Kevin.”

  “Yes, Mike. What about him?”

  “I don’t know, Fawzia. I just …”

  Imani was close to tears. It was unbelievable how things could change in two weeks. Dinner with Kevin had led to subsequent lunch and coffee dates. And finally, the previous night, it had culminated in dinner at his place. It had started casually enough, but over a bottle of wine, they had gotten to reliving old times. And as if a sign from above, Papa Wemba’s Yolele began to play on the radio and Kevin had suggested a dance to their favourite tune. The music and dancing had broken the ice and before she knew it, they were back to where they had always been. It was as if the years had changed nothing, as if the misunderstanding had never happened.

  She gave in to the music and let her body move in sync with his, their hands intertwined. And when he had kissed her goodnight, she had not been able to stop herself from returning the kiss. Or lingering at the door for a second too long. She had not made it home after that. She had broken her promise to herself. She had let passion overtake reason.

  It had been a mistake, she knew, to go so far so soon, but Kevin was irresistible. And despite all her misgivings, Imani still couldn’t pretend she regretted it. It had all seemed so right, and she knew Kevin was no longer in her past. He was her present and she wanted him to be in her future. She wanted him in her life.

  “You know what, Fawzia,” she finally said, “I am going to end it with Mike. We didn’t have anything concrete as yet, and I’ve realised I still love Kevin.”

  Fawzia’s eyes softened. “You know what Imani?” she said, giving her friend a hug, “One night of passion shouldn’t force you to make such a hasty decision. For now, girl, let’s focus on your launch.”

  “You’re right, Fawzia,” Imani said, wiping away a tear, “There are just two days to go and I can’t get side tracked.”

  “That’s the attitude! You can sort this out after you save your job!”

  CHAPTER SIX

  The day of the launch finally arrived. Imani had asked for the afternoon off so that she could get her hair and nails done, but no chance. Mr Shutu wanted her at the venue to check the set up. Imani had protested that Rita would do a spectacular job with her eyes closed but he had been firm. It seemed like he wasn’t taking any chances with their biggest client.

  She arrived at the launch venue, a luxurious hotel in Nairobi’s city centre, annoyed at the unnecessary waste of her time. Thank goodness she had picked up the dress and shoes from Emma the previous evening!

  Imani was directed to the ballroom and flung open the heavy mahogany doors, still cursing Mr Shutu under her breath. Instead of the flurry of chaos she was expecting to encounter as part of the set-up, the room was already beautifully arranged. Swatches of black and white satin dominated the room, with matching cocktail tables. The flower arrangements were stunning: white roses on some tables and blooms that had been dyed black on others. The décor was more magnificent than any wedding that she had ever seen. Rita really knew how to do things in style.

  A large raised table dominated the centre of the room. On it was a huge architectural model of Acacia Park. There was a group of men in suits surrounding the model. Imani recognised Kevin before he turned around.

  “Imani!” Kevin exclaimed, looking surprised. She smiled at him. It had only been two days since they had last met, but she had really missed him. She couldn’t stop thinking about the moments of passion that they had shared at his place. Imani was counting the hours until she could see him again. Alone.

  “Kevin,” Imani acknowledged, trying to keep her tone professional and business-like in front of his partners. He crossed over to where she was standing in a few strides.

  “So, how’s everything going?” He was now close enough for her to touch him.

  “Great, we’re all set for tonight.”

  “Excellent, I am really looking forward to it. The set-up is beautiful,” Kevin lowered his voice, “I hope that we get a few minutes together this evening. I think we need to talk.” He had already turned and walked back to his partners before Imani could reply.

  Imani felt strangely uneasy. What was going on? Whatever it was he had wanted to discuss, why couldn’t he just take her aside for a few moments and say it? Though he smiled at her as she exited the room, she couldn’t brush aside the lingering feeling, that something was amiss.

  Imani couldn’t believe her luck. Unbelievably, she had spent less than fifteen minutes at the hotel. She didn’t bother going back into the office; everything at the venue was perfect and she considered her job done. Instead, she ordered the taxi to take her to her beauty salon where she would spend a guilt free afternoon preparing herself to look the best she could for the launch. It was her big moment and she really wanted to wow the buyers.

  Fawzia was already waiting for her when she got home. She was armed with a case full of her designer make up. Imani was dying to analyse her conversation with Kevin with Fawzia, but Grace was hovering by.

  Fawzia had switched to her ‘Sergeant Major’ mode. She wouldn’t even allow Imani to look into a mirror until she was done. If it had been anyone else, Imani would have never allowed it, but she knew she was safe in Fawzia’s hands. Left to her own devices, Imani would have probably just made do with a little lipstick and powder.

  “Stand.” “Sit.” “Breath in.” “Close your eyes.” Imani meekly followed her instructions without a murmur.

  “You have such beautiful eyes, Imani,” Fawzia sighed, as she brushed glittering eye shadow over Imani’s eyelids. “Your ‘nilotic’ eyes are so exotic!”

  “It’s a gift from my dad,” Imani laughed.

  “You are going to look stunning!” Fazwia exclaimed.

  “Okay,” Fawzia finally conceded, after what seemed like an eternity, “No wait, just one more thing.” Imani could feel a smooth weight as she fastened the clasp of a heavy necklace around her neck. “Now look, you are so beautiful,” Fawzia announced, barely able to restrain the excitement in her voice.

  Imani turned to look in the mirror. The ivory dress seemed to hug her curves and her caramel skin, glowed. Her lips looked full, almost sensual, with a touch of lip colour and gloss that Fawzia had expertly applied. Her dark eyes looked smoky, yet innocent with the hint of glitter that sparkled in the light of the evening. She had already seen how lovely the dress looked, but even so, she was unprepared for the added effect Fawzia’s expertly applied make up had on her. The Swarovski crystal necklace and matching earrings completed the magical effect.

  “Go close that deal, my beautiful friend!” Fawzia said.

  Imani had tears in her eyes as she went to hug her dear friend; she would never, in a million years, have been able to look like this if it weren’t for Fawzia.

  Fawzia, however, had no tolerance for any sentimentality tonight. “Don’t you dare cry!” she screeched, “I’ll kill you if you smudge your eye make up!”

  Imani felt like Cinderella as she got into her carriage, though actually it was a cab. She was determined to be über-professional tonight and knew that she would be in her element, surrounded by all her clients and dressed to kill. She felt a little delicious shiver of anticipation at the thought of Kevin seeing her in this dress. What could he want to talk to her about? Maybe he had booked a suite at the hotel and wanted to ask her to spend the night? May
be he wanted to confess his love for her?

  For the second time that day she crossed the hotel lobby. She could see heads turning to look at her as she walked past and couldn’t stop a satisfied smirk from forming on her lips. That’s right. I’m going to be the star of the show. Imani could almost tremble with the thrill of it all. She was a mix of nervousness and excitement, and was bent on making a success of the evening.

  Imani held her head high as she entered the ballroom. Rita, looking resplendent in a floor length black ball gown, met her at the door;

  Rita gave a low wolf whistle as she saw her, “My, you do scrub up well!”

  Imani gave her a grateful smile as she sailed past her.

  She surveyed the room: Mr Shutu was standing next to his wife, a portly woman in a bright yellow dress, her rotundness belying her bossiness. The room was already half full; animated conversation and the chink of wine glasses filled the air.

  Imani could sense appreciative glances from all around her as she made her way around the room. There was no sign of Kevin yet, which was just as well. Imani had her evening’s work cut out for her and had no time for distractions. Imani took her business cards from her purse. Armed with a warm smile and poise, she began to work the room. She made a beeline for a jovial old couple, one of her favourite clients.

  “Hello Imani, you look lovely!” Mrs Kariuki exclaimed, smiling at Imani.

  “Hello Mr and Mrs Kariuki, I’m so glad that you could join us tonight,” Imani shook hands with her old friends. She was sure to interest them in buying an apartment.

  “So what do you think of Acacia Park? It would be an ideal investment for your family.”

  Mr Kariuki beamed at her, “Hello Imani, nice to see you. Yes, we think it is a great investment. In fact, we have already committed to buying a unit.”

  Imani felt like doing a little happy dance but was stopped short by the next announcement, “We even made arrangements to transfer the deposit this morning.”