Engaged (Challenge series, #2)

by Kiru Taye

  “You do something wicked with your tongue. That was...” She trailed off, her face breaking into a glorious smile. His heart flipped over with pleasure. “Sorry, I can’t even find the right words. Just know that you blew my mind. If I walk around like a zombie for the rest of the weekend, it’s your fault.” She giggled, the light-hearted sound thrilling him.

  He had no explanation for the warmth that spread through his body at her compliment. He’d received admiring comments before. Yet he’d never quite believed them. He didn’t like it when people praised him. It made him suspicious about their motives as it always turned out they wanted favours from him. This time around he took Ijay’s words at face value. She really meant them. And she wanted nothing more in return. It set his mind a-buzz with elation. He could live with her praise.

  “I don’t want any zombies near me tonight. I’d rather have a warm passionate woman writhing beneath me all night long. Are you up for that?” His lips widened in a grin as he thought about all the ecstasy they could rouse together.

  “Yeah, I think I can live with that.” Her laughter was soft and tinkled with joyous warmth that rumbled through his body.

  He reached across and picked up condom, ripped the foil pack before rolling it on. He moved to roll Ijay onto her belly and stopped. Something inside him wanted to see her face when he was inside her. He wanted to watch her expression and her skin colour when it was flushed with the heat of pleasure.

  So he lifted her legs, hooking them over his arms as he knelt between them. Gently, slowly, he pushed himself into her wet heat. A soft moan escaped from her lips and she lifted her hips encouraging him further within her. He felt her inner walls stretch to accommodate his girth. He slid out leisurely and thrust in until he could go no further, his balls sitting in the valley between her round bottoms. She was hot and tight and gripping his thick shaft like a satin glove. A groan rumbled through his body escaping from his lips unhindered.

  “Oh, sweet Ijay,” he growled, his pounding heart whooshing hot blood through him. He thrust in and withdrew. “You feel so good...So good.”

  Bracing his arms on either side of her body, he kissed her ravenously, thrusting his tongue into her mouth in mirror movements to his shaft in her wet heat. He held onto the heady sensation swarming his body as he sought to drive her to bliss again. The sound of their panting breaths and smacking bodies echoed in the room. He returned to lavishing his attention on her breasts. Sensing her body tightening with need, he slipped his hand between their bodies and pinched her bud.

  “Paul. Oh,” she shouted, her body quivering as she climaxed. Her inner walls convulsed around him pulling him over the edge and he spilled into the sheath. He stopped himself from collapsing onto her body by taking his weight on bent elbows. Her eyes stayed closed when he brushed his lips gently over hers, moving her riotous mass of hair out of the way. Then he rolled onto his back, taking her with him.

  ***

  “Paul! Where’s that boy?”

  Paul ran out of the kitchen where he’d been washing the dishes, using the kitchen napkin to wipe the soap suds off his hands. He rushed into the living room, struggled to keep from slipping on the glossy marble floor he’d buffed earlier.

  “Yes, mother,” he said when he stood in front of the woman who’d been yelling out his name.

  “Who’s your mother, you stupid boy? Do I look like that dead whore who slept with married men and had a bastard like you?” his father’s wife shouted at him from the sofa where she lounged with a glass of brandy in her hand.

  “No, ma,” Paul replied as he cowered his ten year old body. He’d learned early to keep his distance from her especially when she was drinking. She had no problems taking out whatever frustration she felt on him.

  “'No, ma,'” she mimicked his words. “Peel two oranges and bring them to me quickly. Don’t make me wait.”

  “Yes, ma” he replied and raced off back into the kitchen to peel the oranges before he got into trouble for being late.

  His hands trembled as he peeled the oranges and tried not to cut himself. He put the peel oranges on a small porcelain plate and took them out to the living room. As he put the dish on the side table, one of the oranges rolled off, onto the floor.

  A hard slap connected with his face, knocking him back onto the floor. His head hit the stone floor making him feel dizzy.

  “You stupid boy, can you not do anything correctly?” A foot connected to his side. Pain rocketed through his body. He raised his hands to fend off the blows.

  “No!”

  Paul sat up in bed abruptly, waking from his nightmare. He looked around the dim room, trying to get his bearings. He noticed the woman sitting up beside him. It took him a moment to recall her name. She had her hand against his arm, her face creased with a frown.

  “What’s going on?” he asked looking down to find his body slick with sweat.

  “I think you were having a dream. You were moving around as if fighting someone off. Are you okay?” she asked, caressing his face.

  “I’m fine,” he said gruffly, turning away and pushing off the bed. He took out a bottle of water from the fridge and poured himself a glass, downing most of it. Then, he walked into the bathroom and looked at his face in the mirror. For a moment, the bruised face of the teary ten year old Paul stared back at him.

  Anger welled in his veins. He balled his hands into fists and fought the urge to smash them into the mirror. Instead he swivelled around and turned on the shower faucet. He stepped under the warm spray, glad to have it massage and sluice his tense muscles. He closed his eyes and leaned against the tiles, hoping the pounding water on his back would wash away the tormenting memories of his childhood.

  “Can I join you?” Ijay’s sultry voice roused him.

  He turned to find her standing outside the shower cubicle, her full round curves bare to his all-consuming gaze, her dark hair wild and tousled, her full lips pulled in a tentative smile. In her hand she held up a wrap of condom. He gulped in air as he leaned back. Perhaps she was what he needed to forget the nightmare.

  Reaching across he pulled her in, crushing her to his chest. He kissed her ferociously, seeking to lose himself in her. He wanted to forget the agony and pain of his childhood. He just wanted the pleasure of here and now. Breaking off the kiss to catch his breath he tore the foil with his teeth and rolled it on. He grabbed Ijay again, lifting her up.

  When she wrapped her legs around his waist, he backed her up to the wall and sank into her warm depth. The rage in his veins drove him as he thrust fast and furious into her slick heat. She clung on to his shoulders, his hands holding her hips as he drove into her. As her body coiled with tension, she moaned out his name. He thrust into her a couple more times before joining her in ecstasy.

  He shut off the shower and stepped out of the cubicle with Ijay still slumped on his shoulders. Guilt gnawed at his gut. He’d let his anger seep into their passion. Letting her down gently he wrapped her in the bath towel and carried her to the bed. He laid her under the sheets before drying his body. Tossing the towel away, he joined her under the sheet. He spooned her into his body, kissed her brow and drifted back to sleep.

  He woke with a jolt later. Looking up, he noted the sunlight filtering through the curtains. He glanced over at the table clock. It was seven-thirty. Stretching he reached for Ijay. She wasn’t there. He sat up in bed, thinking he should join her if she was in the shower. He noticed the notepad with a scrawled note on top. Lifting it, he read the note.

  Paul,

  Sorry, I’m not good with goodbyes. I didn’t want to just leave without telling you how much I enjoyed last night. It was the best I’ve ever had. Have a safe journey back.

  Ijay

  Stunned, Paul stood up and paced the room, scrubbing his hand on his head. He couldn’t believe that she left him and just written a note. Why had he been bothered about moving on when it was obvious she was eager to move on with her life?

  If she’d enjoyed the nigh
t so much, why didn’t she ask him to call? Or write that she’d call him. It was obvious she didn’t want any future contact from him. If that’s what she wanted he’d oblige her. Angrily, he crumpled the piece of paper in his hand and tossed it in the bin.

  Chapter Five

  “Gosh, this is so exciting. I wish I was the one going to Abuja,” Sonia raved as she stirred her mug of tea.

  Ijay rolled her eyes upward at her friend's comment. They were in the staff room of Havers & Childs offices in Soho. It was a moderate space with white kitchen units against one wall with kettle, coffee machine, small microwave oven and large fridge-freezer. At the other end were small round tables and chairs. It was empty at the moment, except for the two of them. She hugged her mug of coffee as she leaned against the kitchen counter.

  “Anyone would think my trip was all fun and games, the way you’re going on about it,” Ijay replied before taking a sip. The sweet taste of hot coffee and chocolate rolled down her tongue, warming her body up. She loved her mochaccino drink—the sweet blend of aromatic coffee and decadent chocolate—the best of both worlds as far as she was concerned.

  “If I was the one going to Nigeria for six weeks, I can guarantee you it’ll be fun and games for me. All that sunshine, the beaches, loads of family and of course my pick of hot men,” Sonia explained, her hazel eyes taking on the dreamy quality as if she was actually picturing herself there already, her head cocked to one side.

  Ijay burst out laughing, putting her mug on the worktop so it didn’t spill over as her hand shook. Her friend had a way of over-exaggerating that left her in stitches. “I didn’t know Nigeria was known for its selection of hot men.”

  “Look who’s talking. As if your fiancé is not a ‘hot man’ from Nigeria,” Sonia said, flicking her fingers in the air to emphasis hot man. “Vincent is smart, good-looking and a medical doctor. If that isn’t hot, what is? I have to get in on the action, seriously.”

  At the mention of Vincent, Ijay stopped laughing and nodded. Sonia had a point. She was engaged to a gorgeous man who was everything a dream fiancé should be. Without thinking, she fingered the sparkling diamond ring on her finger. A ring he’d given her within only a few weeks of their meeting. Getting a proposal of her own after the fiasco that was Frederick certainly made her finally feel like a lucky woman. Sometimes she had to pinch herself just to make sure she wasn’t in a dream.

  The corners of her lips lifted in a reflective smile as memory swept into the present. It seemed her luck turned in just one night. One blissful night in the arms of a man she hasn’t seen or spoken to since. She’d earned a new promotion at work for her efforts in the products launch event and most importantly Frederick had been wiped off her radar by the enigma that was Paul Arinze.

  Heat rose on her skin as the memory of what he’d—they’d—done that night came back in a full force. Full high-definition images flashed through her mind. Her nipples pebbled, her breasts getting heavier. Biting her lower lip, she suppressed a pleasurable moan. She turned her back to Sonia in the pretence of picking up her mug. She didn’t want her friend to notice how flustered she felt.

  It had been that way since that night—thinking about Paul daily, her body coming alive with lust each time. When Vincent came on the scene she pushed Paul to the back of her mind, choosing instead to focus her attention on the new man in her life. Still Paul plagued her. Sometimes at night in her dreams, he visited her and re-enacted their night of passion.

  Frustrated that he could still have such an effect on her after so long, she let out a sigh and took a sip from her drink. What’s the matter with me? The man hadn’t called her or sent her a message since their encounter.

  Okay, so she hadn’t called him either. She’d left a note for him. Surely that counted. He could’ve sent her a text message to say Goodbye or something. She really needed to forget him. There was no point in dwelling on the past. She had to focus on her future—Vincent.

  Like Sonia said Vincent was the perfect fiancé; so perfect everyone of her friends or family who met him, loved him. Her parents cooed over him. Of course her traditional father, a university lecturer loved that he was Nigerian, a doctor and from a nice family. Apparently his hometown was not far off from hers.

  Her mother, a romantic European, loved that Vincent was a charming gentleman and worked in London. She was happy that Ijay didn’t have to relocate to Nigeria after the wedding. Still, Ijay couldn’t shake the doubt that worried her sometimes.

  “I am looking forward to the trip...it’s just,” she trailed off not sure she wanted to discuss her doubts out here in the staff room where anyone could walk in any minute.

  Sonia looked up, a line of frown creasing her normally smooth forehead. “I know that look Ijay. Something is wrong. Talk to me,” she said in a low tone, flicking a strand of braided hair off her face before moving closer to Ijay.

  “Not here.”

  “Okay, let’s find an empty meeting room.”

  Ijay nodded, picking up her mug to follow Sonia out into the corridor. They found a small unused meeting room with a white board and flip chart easel in the corner. She walked in behind her friend and closed the door. They sat down near each other.

  “You’re not worried about seeing Paul again, are you?” Sonia asked, widening her eyes with curiosity. She lowered her gaze and took a sip of her drink.

  “Of course I’m not,” Ijay replied sharply before she could bite her tongue.

  Her friend must’ve sensed the tension rolling off her stiffened shoulders immediately. Sonia rarely missed anything. Her brow arched high with suspicion.

  “Really? You’re not bothered that you’re going to work professionally with a man you had a one-night stand with?” Her friend was nothing if not blunt and direct.

  Ijay exhaled in a resigned sigh, tapping her finger nails nervously on the table top. She’d avoided facing this problem. Sonia bringing it up now meant there was no escaping it. She was anxious about meeting Paul again. Especially as she was the lead in the project her company had bid and won to run a PR campaign for Paul’s manufacturing firm.

  She’d be in Nigeria working closely with Paul for six weeks. It would be her first major project since her promotion. She couldn’t afford personal sentiments to come into it. She’d have to be totally professional with her dealings with Paul. He’d surely moved on.

  So have I.

  “Okay, maybe a part of me worries about it a little but that’s not my major concern. I can handle it.” She paused and straightened in her seat. “It’s probably just me being silly...Vincent and I haven’t slept together,” she said in a low flat voice.

  “Sorry, I don’t get it. Which Vincent? Your fiancé?” Sonia looked even more puzzled.

  “Yes, my fiancé of course. Who did you think I was talking about?” Ijay rolled her eyes upwards, waving her hand in exasperation.

  “Seriously, you haven’t had sex with him? Why not?” Her friend still looked nonplussed. Ijay couldn’t blame her. She was still trying to get used to it herself.

  She lifted her shoulders in a shrug. “He said he wants to wait until we get married.”

  Sonia leaned back in her seat, her eyes and mouth widened in surprise. “Wow. I didn’t know there were still men like that,” she gawped.

  “I know. I couldn’t believe it at first. It’s been six months and he hasn’t touched me.” She leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially, “I’ve never seen him naked even.”

  “OMG!” her friend gasped. “You’re going to marry this man and you’ve never seen him naked? Hang on a minute. He doesn’t think you’re a virgin, does he?”

  “No. Of course not. I told him when he started talking about purity and waiting for our wedding night,” Ijay said in exasperation.

  She was glad she wasn’t the only one who didn’t think it was a little peculiar. She hadn’t wanted to discuss this previously as she’d been thinking she’d get used to it when Vincent has stated they wouldn’t be having se
x before marriage.

  Now that their traditional marriage was looming, her worry was increasing. She couldn’t even discuss with her parents because they would tell her it was a good thing that he wanted to wait.

  “And how did he take that?” Sonia’s querying voice brought her back to the meeting room.

  She scrunched her face as she thought for a moment. “I think he took the news well. Though, afterwards, he did seem to go cold on me for a little while. Hey he still wants to marry me so that’s good, right?”

  “Of course it’s good. But is it to do with his faith or just a personal preference?”

  “Well, his mother is a devout Catholic so I guess his upbringing was quite strict. Still...I don’t know...Don’t you think it’s kind of strange that he doesn’t want to get intimate. I’m worried that there’ll be no passion when we eventually do it.”

  “I guess that could be a problem. You guys get on very well at the moment, don’t you? I mean, you’re attracted to him, right?”

  “Sure. Things are great otherwise.”

  “So there shouldn’t be a problem later. I personally believe you can tell how hot love-making is going to be by how hot the guy kisses.”

  Ijay sighed in exasperation. “That’s exactly my worry. He barely ever kisses me. When he does it’s so chaste. No more that a brush of the lips. It’s so infuriating because I want more. I want my heart to pound with excitement and my skin to flush with heat. And he doesn’t seem to care about that at all.”

  The room echoed with Sonia’s laughter, her eyes shining with tears.

  “You think it’s funny?” Ijay asked glaring at her friend and fighting the smile that threatened to widen her lips. Her friend’s laughter was always infectious.

  “You can’t be serious,” Sonia finally said when she’d calmed down. “Maybe you should try seducing him. Wear something sexy and kiss him passionately and see what happens.”