by Kiru Taye
“Yeah, I tried that and earned myself a lecture on keeping my body pure for the marriage bed. Seriously, I don’t know what to do anymore.” Ijay slumped her shoulders in resignation.
“He gave you a lecture? This is serious...maybe it isn’t such a bad idea to wait. I mean you’ve waited this long already and you only have a few weeks to your Igbankwu traditional marriage ceremony. After that you’re technically married so you guys can get down and dirty.”
“I know. That’s what I keep telling myself. I guess I’ll have to,” she acknowledged.
Still six weeks suddenly seemed like a long time, especially since she was going to see Paul again. It didn’t help that she remembered every detail of their night together. She just didn’t want to be swarmed by those memories any more. Not now she had Vincent. She loved him.
So it wasn’t a fiery passionate love. Her body didn’t tremble every time Vincent was around. Though, he was kind and caring. And he loved and respected her. Those attributes were good enough for her. All she wanted now was for them to make their own hot and sweaty memories. As a result, Paul’s image would dim into the background. She wouldn’t have to wake up in the middle of the night craving his touch.
She couldn’t do it if Vincent wouldn’t even kiss her, let alone touch her to ignite any passion. Sighing, she stood up. “I need to get back. I’ve got calls to make this morning.”
“Sure. I’ve got a list of things to sort out before lunchtime,” Sonia said behind her. They walked back to the staff room.
“Thank you so much for listening. I’ll catch up with you later,” she said, giving her friend a brief hug.
“No worries. I’m only happy to help. I’ll e-mail you the details of your flight and hotel booking once I get the confirmation from the travel agent.” Sonia was the Office Manager and was in charge of organising business travel for the staff. Ijay was always grateful for her help.
“Okay. Thanks. See you later,” she said before walking out of the meeting room. When she got back to her desk, she found a text message on her phone from Vincent telling her he had to cancel their dinner date for tonight. He worked as a temporary cover doctor and was sometimes required to work on short notice.
Ijay was slowly getting used to the fact that his job required long odd hours and also some travel. As much as she was disappointed she had to live with it. She hoped he’d eventually settle for a permanent role once they were married. Of course, how soon that would happen, was anyone’s guess.
Picking up her phone she sent a reply telling him not to worry. They could rearrange for another day. With the text sent, she turned her focus on the work at hand—preparing for the trip to Nigeria and facing Paul.
Chapter Six
She’s coming to Abuja.
The words swirled in Paul’s mind as he stared at his computer screen. The open page was of the e-mail he’d received from Havers & Child detailing the names of the people who’d be working on the PR awareness project for his food processing business.
POD Foods had been processing food products for other fast-moving consumer goods businesses in Africa for years. Recently, they started producing their own branded packaged food items.
He’d put out an invitation to tender for a team to help with boosting their brand with consumers. Havers & Child had won the bid. It helped that one of the owners was an old school friend.
Paul, Frederick Conte and Charles Havers had all studied for their MBA at London Business School. However, the decision had been purely business driven. The bid team from H&C had presented the best package for his fledgling business requirements.
So it had nothing to do with a certain Ms. Amadi working for the firm, then?
Exhaling deeply to calm his racing pulse, he turned away from his desk and the source of his excitement, momentarily ignoring the question that flashed in his mind. His top-floor office was very modern with its clean lines and sleek surfaces—a minimalist’s dream office.
Much like in his life, he hated clutter in his work environment. In an ideal world, he’d have glass walls everywhere. In this case he’d settled for a mix of style and functionality. The stark white opaque walls offered him much needed privacy, offset by the stylish black burnished steel of his desk top and leather chair. There was a small round table at the corner and two black leather sofas facing each other on the far end. The floor was covered in hardwearing grey carpets.
Swivelling his black soft leather executive chair, he stared out of the glass windows of his high-rise office block overlooking Independence Avenue. The mid-morning traffic was light. He paid to little attention to it. He stood up, his gaze stretching north to the lush greenery of Millennium Park in the distance.
Some days when he needed some space to think with clarity, he’d stroll through the park. On other days, he loved just watching it from this vantage point. It was one of the reasons he loved working up here. He had one of the best views of Abuja City Centre although he was bang in the middle of the business district.
Today, though, the beautiful scenery was superseded by a more urgent one. The name he had seen on his screen scrolled through his mind like one of those ticker-style headline flashers he saw in airports or train stations. It was a name he’d tried not to remember in the past six months. Yet there seemed to be no escaping it.
Wanting to confirm what he’d seen the first time, he glanced back at his laptop on his desk. The name Ijay Amadi stood out bold and black against the flickering white background.
Instantly an image flaunted in his head—of her sumptuous body spread-eagled across the crisp white cotton sheets of his hotel bed—lush lips slightly parted with expectation, intelligent brown eyes smoky with lust, willing body curvy and delightful. A pulse of desire flared in his veins, heat skimming his skin at the rate of electric currents, hardening his body in the blink of an eye.
He could never argue with her effect on his eager body. Even as a memory, he still responded as if she was here in his office with her spread-eagle on his desk. As if he could smell her sweet fragrance and feel her body heat in every pore of his skin. His ache pulsed in tune with his pulse rate.
Okay, maybe he hadn’t exactly forgotten about Ijay. He’d sworn he’d after he’d woken up that morning six months earlier in his hotel room to find her gone, a quickly written note in her stead. He should’ve been happy that she’d kept to her words.
“I need you...this...for tonight. Just tonight.”
He remembered Ijay’s sultry velvet whisper. She really hadn’t wanted anything more from him, apparently. Yet he’d gotten angry because that night at the back of his mind, he’d held on to a little hope that there was more to them. That they could work something out.
Seeing her note had killed that hope and inflamed his exasperation. If he didn’t know himself too well, he would’ve given heed to the thought that he wanted to do away with his policy of a lifetime—Stay clear of distance relationships. Usually if a woman wasn’t within an hour’s commuting flight of him, he’d never consider her. Yet in his darkest moment that night, he’d considered giving Ijay a shot.
Eventually, the initial anger he’d felt had fizzled away. In its wake his restlessness returned. Ijay’s presence had subdued it. Now it was back with a vengeance. Nothing seemed to shake it. Not even the company of other women.
The fact that he’d dated other women yet hadn’t made love with any of them wasn’t helping either.
It wasn’t that his body wasn’t able. It was that his mind wasn’t willing. His mind was on Ijay. The only reason he could come up with was that they’d only had one night together. He’d had a taste of her. It wasn’t enough.
Usually his relationships lasted months. With Kate it had been over a year. So by the time they’d broken up he’d been ready to move on.
With Ijay he wasn’t ready to move on yet. He needed a bit more than one night for that to happen. He should’ve known one night with her was never going to be enough.
The opportunity to r
eturn to London hadn’t come up. He’d been busy working practically all waking hours on his new business, shuttling between the factories and his head office.
Even if he’d had the time, he certainly didn’t have the inclination to go to London just to chase after a woman. He hadn’t been reduced to that. He wouldn’t be reduced to that. He might share a genetic makeup with his father but he certainly wasn’t ruled by his dick. He’d never allow it to rule him.
Blowing out a frustrated sigh, he returned to his desk and sat down. He typed his password to log back in via his screen saver scrolling across the screen.
So maybe he’d secretly hoped Havers & Child would win the bid to work on his project. And that they’d send Ijay as part of the project team. While he would’ve never allowed the lure of a woman, let him chase across the Atlantic Ocean to seek her out, there was no reason why he couldn’t manipulate matters to suit him. He’d done his bit by offering the project and letting fate determine the rest. At the moment, it seemed fate was on his side and wanted him to see Ijay again.
He’d requested to see a list of those travelling from London to Abuja, although he hadn’t needed to. Pamela, his personal assistant, was liaising with Havers & Child for any visa requirements and travel arrangements.
However, seeing Ijay’s name on the list, he couldn’t quell the excitement that bubbled under his skin. Nor the pounding beat of his heart against his ribs. He’d see her again. She wasn’t just a member of the team. She’d manage the project. This meant he was going to be working closely with her for six weeks while she was in Nigeria. Very closely.
The possibilities!
A big wide predatory grin spread across his face. A thrilling warm shiver ran down his spine. This time around he’d have her in his territory. To command. To seduce. To pleasure. It seemed sweet Ijay could play hardball. She’d walked away from their glorious night together without looking back.
Well, she’ll soon find out I can play hardball too. I’m so looking forward to it.
She wouldn’t be able to run like she’d done in London. He’d have her attention Mondays to Fridays and even weekends when necessary. They’d get to re-enact their time together, get to create new gratifying encounters.
It wouldn’t be just for one night, too.
Oh no. He had six whole weeks to fulfil her fantasies as well as his. Every craving he’d ever envisioned involving her would be realised. When she returned to London he’d finally move on without craving her any longer. Ijay would be flushed from his system. At last.
And if she doesn’t want you?
“I’ll make her want me, damn it!” he spoke out loud, smashing his fist on the steel table top, finally letting his frustration get the better of him.
The items on the table rattled and jumped. The phone of his desk buzzed.
Breathing in through his nostril first, he slowly exhaled from his mouth to calm himself. He was in his office. He shouldn’t let anything upset him. Definitely not for a woman who was only going to be in his life temporarily. Just like every other woman he’d ever had any dealings with. Yet, six months of keeping a lid on his disappointment disintegrated all because he opened an e-mail and saw Ijay’s name on the list.
Feeling calmer, he reached out and picked up the phone receiver. “Yes, Pamela,” he spoke into the phone.
“Michael Ede is on line one for you,” she replied in her usual calm efficient voice.
“I’ll take that, thank you,” he replied before pressing the button to connect to line one. “Hello, old boy. How are you?”
“I’m doing great, thank you,” Michael replied jovially.
Along with Peter Oranye, Michael was one of his closest friends. They’d all met when they both attended College of Immaculate Conception in Enugu as teenagers. In those days, if one of them got into trouble, they all invariably were in trouble too. They’d had each other’s backs.
In some of his darkest days as a young man, his friendship with Michael and Peter had ensured he stayed on the right track. Their friendship had remained fast in all the years though they’d gone on to different Universities. Eventually they’d come back to settle in Enugu and had some joint business ventures. He didn’t trust people easily. He trusted those two with his life.
“When are you getting to Enugu this week? There’s something I want us to discuss,” his friend continued, his voice still calm. Michael had a great poker face. He was one of those people who were always cool under fire. Yet they’d been friends for so long that Paul could detect the even merest inflection in his voice when nobody else could. He sensed all wasn’t right.
“I’m not in Enugu this week,” Paul replied remembering that he hadn’t called to inform his friends he wouldn’t be available for their usual game night on Wednesdays. It was really a time for them to catch up with each other rather than any serious gambling. And sometimes the idea of new business ventures sprang from their time together.
“I have some consultants coming in from London for POD. I want to be here to help them settle in before we come down for factory visit. Is there something wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong. That’s good news about the POD project.” Paul sensed his friend changing the subject. He let it slide. “I didn’t realise they were coming so soon. How’s the project going overall?”
“It’s going very well. We’ve finally confirmed and sourced the materials for the packaging. Part of what I want the team to do is confirm the branding for the packaging before we place the orders, which is why I want them here sooner rather than later.”
Also because a certain sexy lady will be here soon too.
Heat flared to his face and Paul shifted uncomfortably in his chair as his trousers felt tighter. He was glad his friend was on the phone and not sitting in front of him right now so he couldn’t see Paul’s disquiet in his body's blatant arousal. Michael had the keen sight of a hawk and wouldn’t have missed a thing. That’s why he’d done so well working security details and intelligence gathering during his stint in the army.
“No worries. I hope all goes well with that. I’ll let Peter know about Wednesday,” Michael said.
“What did you want to discuss? Can we chat about it over the phone?” Paul asked wanting to get more details of what was bothering Michael.
“It’s nothing that can’t wait. We can chat about it some other time,” Paul could sense Michael’s dismissive shrug but he wasn’t giving up yet.
“How are things between you and Kasie? I noticed you are spending more time in Lagos these days.”
Michael chuckled. “That’s how I find things. While she still works partially in Enugu, majority of her time is spent in Lagos. As they say the bee has to fly to the nectar, not the other way round.”
Paul shook his head as he laughed too. He’d never believed his friend would fall hard for Kasie when they’d initially challenged him to date the girl for a bet. Yet within a few days of meeting Kasie Bosa, Michael had fallen head over heels in love with her and had even wanted to forfeit his plane that he’d bet in the challenge just to win the lady over. It had been love at first sight.
Yet he couldn’t understand that kind of love. Couldn’t understand how a man would want to give up something of importance to him just to keep a woman. He’d never allow himself to care that deeply for a woman. He didn’t even know how he could.
“So it seems, my friend,” Paul replied in jest.
As they chatted and later ended their conversation, in his mind he knew differently. He didn’t have to go to the nectar. He could work things to suit himself. And he had. In his case he was getting the nectar to come to him. When he’d sapped as much as he wanted, he’d send it back. It was that simple. He wouldn’t have it any other way.
Chapter Seven
It’s good to be back on African soil.
Ijay inhaled deeply to quell the nervous energy making her body tremble as she stepped out of the lift into the lobby of the Hilton Abuja hotel. Having only just got off her fl
ight from London less than five hours ago, she should be feeling naturally exhausted. Yet the butterflies in her stomach were not from tiredness but from excitement. She was going to see Paul Arinze again after six months.
Blowing out the breath through her lips, she reminded herself that she was here on business and focused on the matter at hand. Her boss, Charles Havers was waiting for her in the lobby so that they could head off to POD Head Office. She walked through the lobby covered in marble to the lounge. The opulence of the hotel matched the other Hilton hotels she’d been in. Charles was already there, seated on one of the sofas. He stood when he saw her.
“There you are,” he said, giving her a broad smile when she approached. “How do you feel? I know we pre-arranged to meet at POD this morning. But it was a long flight. I can arrange the meeting for later if you prefer.”
Charles was a typical English gentleman. For a Harrow School old boy he was very congenial and his concern for his staff's well-being always showed. Ijay always preferred working with him compared to Philip Child the other co-owner of the agency. Philip was more task-orientated. Charles was a people person. This was why he always headed any bid teams and was more client-facing than Philip.
“I’m fine. I thought I was going to be more exhausted but the shower, change of clothes and light breakfast seemed to have done the trick. I’m ready to go,” Ijay said.
Even if she was feeling exhausted, she was hardly going to admit it to her boss on the first day of a new project when they were supposed to be meeting the client. She couldn’t give Charles any reason to think she couldn’t deliver this project.
This was an important initiative for Havers & Child since it would be their first project in Africa. It could open the door for more projects out here, if she successfully delivered. So it wasn’t just her reputation at stake, it was the company’s reputation too.
“In that case, let’s go. The car is waiting.” Charles picked up his briefcase and headed toward the hotel entrance. Ijay followed him with her laptop case and bag.