Engaged (Challenge series, #2)

by Kiru Taye

  Ijay pulled out Paul’s business card and gave it to Sonia. “Here are his contact details just in case. I’ll see you back at the apartment. Don’t wait up.”

  Ijay smiled, the words making her feel reckless. Staying out all night was never really her thing. It felt good to be doing something unlike her for a change. Ijay picked up her purse and jacket to leave.

  “And you know what? Make his night unforgettable,” Sonia said giving her a big grin and a wink.

  Ijay felt a smile spread on her face as she walked back to the balcony and the hunk of a man waiting there. It felt great to know someone was looking forward to her company. Even if it was just for one night.

  Tonight she needed someone to take away the aching loneliness she felt inside. A few minutes with Paul on the balcony had dulled that ache. A whole night of his presence would act like a sedative ensuring when she eventually slept there would be no more tears.

  For nights after the split with Frederick she’d cried, wondering what was wrong with her. Why she wasn’t the one happily engaged. Tonight there’d be none of that. Just the bliss of sleep.

  Chapter Two

  The ten minutes wait for Ijay dragged on interminably.

  The air around Paul suddenly felt closed in. A cold sweat broke on his skin. His heart rate fluctuated from rapid to skipping. For a man who usually enjoyed his own company and was known for his fortitude, he now found he neither liked being alone, nor having to wait.

  When it came to this one woman, his usual tolerance levels were shod and threatening to destroy his usual composure. He contemplated going back into the bar and soaking up the atmosphere to take the edge off. Yet he knew instantly that wouldn’t be the solution. He also contemplated ordering a much stronger drink. That too wouldn’t cut it, he decided. There was only one thing that could satisfy his craving—only one person he wanted.

  Ijay Amadi.

  With his hand he massaged the back of his neck. He paced the enclosed space of the balcony like a tiger in a cage. Occasionally, he stopped and looked at the crowd through the glass doors expectantly hoping for Ijay to appear any moment.

  A thought occurred to him. Perhaps she’d changed her mind. She’d decided that spending the night with him wasn’t such a good idea. He wouldn’t blame her if she did. It wasn’t as if he lived in London. He didn’t do long distance relationships.

  And he wasn’t the kind of man that kept a woman at every port. He was purely a one-woman man. He could never tolerate men who kept more than one sexual partner at a time, no matter how discrete. Men like his father thought it was their God-given right to have multiple partners and illegitimate children all over Nigeria.

  Yes, Ijay was probably right to snub him. He didn’t do one-night stands and wouldn’t be offering her more than tonight anyway. She was better off without him. He’d get over the snub with a good night sleep.

  Resigned and ready to give up the waiting, his nerves wound tight, he froze for the briefest of moments when the sliding door opened again.

  “I’m back.”

  Ijay stood there with a bold smile. The bolt of hunger that hit his solar plexus nearly buckled his knees. His body’s need for her was simple yet primal, a new and yet age-old desire. It gave him a single-minded objective squashing all his previous doubts about getting together with her.

  This was all wrong. Yet she was all right.

  He couldn’t stop his legs from moving forward as if of their own will toward her. His hands reached for her, pulling her against his body. He moved one hand to the nape of her neck while the other wrapped around her waist. Tilting her head up, he claimed her lips hungrily.

  He heard her soft surprised gasp. Still, she didn’t resist his lips’ onslaught. Instead she wrapped her arms around his neck, her body clinging to his in seemingly wanton supplication.

  Suddenly the world was right and yet off kilter at the same time. Her warm and gentle cuddle was like a hand wrapped around his heart, squeezing it tenderly. He hadn’t been prepared for her affection. He’d expected their encounter to be that of cool strangers satisfying a pure need and moving on.

  Yet in the moments of their kiss, as she opened her yielding lips for the voracious sweep of his tongue and he tasted her eager submission, it occurred to him that their encounter could be more than he’d initially thought.

  With that realisation, he pulled back his head, breaking the kiss. He heard the pounding pulse of his heart rate above the sounds of the night. He inhaled rapidly, his breath coming out in puffs of steam; the air around him thinned and cold. Closing his eyes, he leaned his forehead against hers. Her essence seeped into his body through his nostrils saturating every pore and nerve ending.

  “I want you...” he let the words trail off in a whisper, his throat jammed with emotion he was sure he shouldn’t be feeling—couldn’t be feeling.

  It was Ijay’s turn to pull back her head. She opened her eyes and for a brief moment he could’ve sworn he saw pain reflected in the profundity of her chocolate eyes.

  “I can hear a 'but' in that statement,” she said, staring into his eyes as if searching for answers in their depths. “Don’t tell me you’ve changed your mind.” She looked away from his face into the distant night sky, lowering her hands from his neck until they dropped beside her.

  He caught the hint of disappointment in her voice and his gut tightened with guilt he couldn’t quite understand. It was strange that earlier he’d been worried that she’d changed her mind about being with him. Yet now it seemed she was undergoing the same misgivings he’d had. He felt remorseful for making her feel that way.

  He put his fingers under her chin turning her head to face him, while he pulled her body until it was flush with his again. “I haven’t changed my mind. I just want to be sure that you want to do this. I’ll be leaving the city tomorrow. I don’t know when I’ll be back and I don’t believe in long distance relationships.”

  She beamed a warm smile at him, her lips lifting at the corners, her cheeks dimpling. “I understand totally. I’ve just come out of a long term relationship. Truthfully, I’m not interested in starting a new one.”

  She lifted her right hand and caressed his cheek. A warm quiver spread from his face, as her palm rubbed against the stubble on his face. “I need you...this...for tonight. Just tonight,” her voice dropped to a sultry velvet whisper.

  He shivered in warm expectation. Her straight-forward and bold honesty appealed to him on so many levels. His plentiful experiences with women had taught him to read them with relative ease. One thing was guaranteed. They all had agendas. Even before they said hello to him, they were already calculating what they wanted out of him. And it was usually more than one night in his bed. Most wanted the ultimate prize—his ring on their fingers.

  With Ijay, his suspicion radar seemed to be malfunctioning because Paul detected no ulterior motive. No calculating move to ensnare him for better or worse. The idea of a woman who only wanted him for one night should be freeing. Liberating. Yet he took her words with a pinch of salt.

  She was a woman after all. And he was still Paul Arinze—distrustful of those outside his close circle of family and friends.

  Yet in her confession, Ijay had laid herself bare and vulnerable, though he felt she was a strong capable woman. It amazed him she was willing to be so open, as if they were lifelong friends and she trusted him.

  Her assured actions transcended his physical need, reaching the emotional side of him. The rush of primal protective need through his veins caught him unguarded. He shoved the feeling aside and brushed his lips against hers quickly.

  “In that case, let’s get out of here,” he said, before stepping toward the door. When he opened it, he turned back and stretched out his hand. With a willing smile and sure steps, she placed her hand in his.

  Hand in hand, they waded through the crowds to the lift lobby. While in the lift, he pulled her closer, their bodies pressed against each others. The silence between them was comfortable an
d companionable. He found that he didn’t need to say anything to her. Just having her warmth seep into his skin was enough for now. The connection between them seemed so intimate and relaxing, it felt like spoken words would ruin the moment.

  Outside the building there was a light drizzle of rain. The doorman with his big umbrella quickly ushered them into a waiting black cab. As if sensing their need for solitude, the cab driver said nothing after Paul gave him the name of his hotel. They rode the cab in silence, huddled together, their eyes barely registering the London landmarks as they drove past them. With Ijay’s head leaning against his shoulder, he stroked her arms up and down.

  After a while he realised that his nerves had lost some of the restless energy he’d had for so long. The agitation that had plagued him for months was now muted. The person responsible for his relative state of serenity—Ijay. Before he could analyse the implication of that knowledge, the taxi pulled up in front of his hotel.

  With the same trusting composure, Ijay took his hand after he’d paid the cab driver and walked into the hotel lobby. In the lift Paul sensed Ijay’s body tense up as he pulled her closer.

  He turned to look at her, his eyes searching her face worriedly. “What’s the matter?” he asked, his palms rubbing down her arms as he sought to quell her disquiet.

  “I’ve never done this before,” Ijay said, her earlier confidence deserting her now that she was in Paul’s hotel and the reality of what she was about to do became a strong possibility.

  It was one thing to stand in an anonymous bar with a crowd of people not too far away and chat up a stranger. That required boldness she could easily tap into. Working and interacting with people even strangers was part of her daily life. She could do that with relative ease without worry of any consequences.

  Still, picking up said stranger and ending up in his hotel room for the night, was a new event. A new adventure through uncharted territory. The possibilities of things going wrong were huge. For one she wasn’t a sexy seductress used to charming scores of men. She could count the number of sexual partners she’d ever had in less than one hand. And none of them had ever been a one-night stand.

  “You’ve never kissed a man in a lift?” he asked jovially, his black eyes twinkling with mischief.

  Ijay couldn’t help the smile that tugged her lips lifting her spirits. She loved the easy relaxing way they interacted with each other. As if they’d known each other for a lifetime instead of for just a little over an hour.

  “Stop it,” she said, swatting his chest before sliding her hand upwards. “You know that’s not what I meant. I’ve never picked up a man before and ended up in his hotel for hot sex.” She nearly cringed as soon as the words were out of her mouth. The gentle chuckle from Paul set her at ease again.

  “I know it’s your first time doing this. And I’m glad you picked me,” his voice rumbled with a husky timbre and his hand palmed her face.

  The effect on her body was a warm shiver travelling down her spine and melting her insides. She inhaled sharply taking in a lungful of a mix of his cologne and his masculine spice.

  “You know it’s my first time? How?” she asked, curious as to how he could read her so easily especially something she’d barely been able to articulate.

  He lifted his shoulders in a casual shrug. “I sensed it. You didn’t look like someone who prowled the bars looking for a man to take home. Trust me I’ve seen a few of those women in action and you’re not it.”

  For a brief moment, she didn’t know whether to be glad that he didn’t think she was a hussy or whether to be worried because he read her so easily. Meaning he already knew she was inexperienced at this sort of thing. Before she could contemplate her next course of action, the lift doors pinged and opened.

  Paul led her out of the lifts, down the corridor before opening his hotel room door. She walked in when he opened the door and held it open for her. It turned out it wasn’t just a room. It was a modern luxury suite of rooms. He must be doing very well for himself because she knew rooms like this cost a small fortune especially for a hotel in the middle of Mayfair; one of the pricier areas of London.

  She stood in the main sitting area with embroidered upholstered sofas, a reading desk and chair with matching cover all in earthy browns and off-white complementary colours. A door led off the space to what she assumed was the bedroom.

  She heard the door shut behind her. A sense of finality overcame her. This was it. There was no turning back now. Not that she wanted to change her mind. Her decision still stood. She wanted a way to finally get rid of Frederick in her mind and move on with her life. Tonight will provide that.

  Luckily, Paul wasn’t staying around long enough for her to mistakenly fall in love with him. Nobody fell in love with a stranger from a one night stand. Yes, she was attracted to him. He was a good-looking, intelligent man. Perhaps if he lived in London and they dated a few times there was a chance that she could fall in love with him.

  He’d be gone by tomorrow. Just the way she wanted it. There would be no time to lose her heart. There would be no resulting heart break. Boldly, she turned around and faced him, taking her jacket off in the process. She laid it on the arm of the sofa.

  “What would you like to eat and drink? Let me order some room service,” he said as he pulled off his jacket and tossed it over hers. There was something about the way he did that that seemed like they were already living in domesticated bliss.

  “You don’t have to order anything on my account,” she replied, eager to get on with the night before she lost her nerve totally. From her purse, she took the pack of condoms she’d bought from the vending machine at the nightclub, placing it on the table. She might be having a one-night stand but she wasn’t totally reckless.

  “I hope they’re the right size.” She turned her back to him again before asking in a low voice she hoped was sexy, “Can you unzip me, please?”

  She felt the tingle of his body’s heat on her back before she felt the rough graze of his fingers on her nape as he swept her hair aside on one shoulder. The slow sound of the zipper had her enthralled. She stood still in anticipation. Then the feathery touch of his lips on her back as he kissed her skin gently on several spots. Slowly he pushed her dress off her shoulders until it dropped on the oriental carpet, leaving her in her black lace bra, thong and wedge sandals.

  She heard the soft sharp intake of his breath and turned around to face him worried that something was wrong. Instead the look of pure intense admiration in his dark fiery eyes had her inhaling sharply too.

  “You have a perfect body. And I’m going to enjoy each second of exploring every inch of it.”

  Chapter Three

  Overcome by emotion, Ijay stood still, frozen to the spot. Her ribs took a battering as her heart raced. Paul’s compliment boosted her confidence. It wasn’t as if she ever really paid any attention to her body shape. She loved her food too much to ever diet. Her only concession was eating some yoghurt and fruits for breakfast sometimes.

  Thanks to her paternal Nigerian genes, she’d inherited full bosoms and flared hips, which meant she could never become Britain’s Next Top Model. On the other hand, her maternal English genes had gifted her with a narrow waist and long legs. So as far as she was concerned she got the best from both parents packed into her hourglass figure.

  However, in the years she dated Frederick he’d never said any compliment close to Paul’s words about her body. At best he’d mentioned she looked nice in an outfit. Praising her wasn’t Vincent’s thing.

  At least it was what she’d thought at the time. Until he’d turned around and told her he didn’t love her any more. Her world as she’d known it had shattered in an instant.

  Shaking her head so she didn’t get sucked into the depressive feeling threatening to blanket her, she focused her attention back on Paul. He moved closer to her, bent his head and inhaled deeply with his eyes closed.

  An excited thrill went through her body and she trembled sl
ightly. Though he wasn’t touching her at the moment, just being this close to him, having captivated his attention was sexy and liberating. To know this man wanted her was a new high for her.

  Boldly she reached across placing her palms on his chest. Beneath the smooth silk shirt, his body heat singed her palms. She felt his chest rise as he inhaled sharply before opening his eyes. In their dark depths she saw hunger so raw her mouth dried out. Yet there was also tenderness so gentle her heart flipped over. Nobody had ever looked at her that way; like she was the sole focus of their existence at that moment.

  He slid his hand behind her shoulder and pulled her into him, claiming her lips. This kiss lacked the ravenous nature of their first kiss, still it was more intense. Slowly his firm lips grazed hers from corner to corner. She couldn’t help the soft moan that escaped her lips as she clung onto his shirt, closing her eyes to savour the sweet delight that swept through her body. Gently coaxing her lips apart, his tongue swept into her welcoming mouth, her instincts yielded to the mastery of his movements. Tingle after tingle, sensation after sensation flooded her body. Instantly she lost herself, swept up in the feverish heat rushing through her body.

  Seeking more of him, she pressed her body closer to him, her nipples through her bra squashed on his chest, her hips pressed to his. The hardened evidence of his arousal, pushed against his trousers, pressing into her belly. Warmth and excitement rushed through her. If her lips weren’t currently being crushed by the firmness of his, they’d be curved up in a victorious smile. Paul was aroused by her. It was a powerful heady realisation that she could have that effect on him.

  She felt a growl rumble through his body before he broke the kiss and swept her up in his arms. She yelped as he carried her toward the bedroom. “I’m not a lightweight, you know. Don’t go breaking anything,” she said jokingly.

  This was another first for her; being literally swept up into the arms of a man. She found that she liked the sensation of being high up, close to his heart. It made her feel cared for and sheltered. For a thirty year old independent woman who was jilted by the man she thought loved her, it was a refreshing feeling.