Engaged (Challenge series, #2)

by Kiru Taye

  Her face warmed up both from the heat of his breath against her cheeks and his provoking words. She gulped down the lump in her throat loudly and nodded vigorously. Her mouth suddenly dry and barring any speech.

  The vision of the two of them entwined, hot and sweaty was clear and vibrant; a full high definition playback visual.

  Except...right now she didn’t want just an optical illusion. She wanted a full physical re-enactment. Her body came alive with arousal; her breasts got heavier, her nipples tautened and her core creamed.

  “No, sweet Ijay, that’s not good enough. I want to hear you say it.” He continued his exquisite entrancing caress of her hand, his finger tips drawing slow circles on her sensitive skin. “Shall we play or are you still hung up on getting married?” he said insolently.

  She flinched, blinking rapidly.

  His words stung, like a slap on the face. He’d seen through her ruse. She’d been so carried away with her plan working well that she’d forgotten how dangerous Paul could be. He was a predator only caged by his honour. Not because she’d tamed him. He wasn’t broken. The feral glint in his eyes told her as much.

  She’d been deluding herself that she was in control. He was only letting her think she was. The warning was clear as day.

  Yet, her body wanted to get intimate with Paul. The aching pulse at her melting core needed his strength and rigidity to sooth it.

  Gosh, she’d missed him—the sexy authority of his presence, the heat of desire in his eyes and the masterful pleasure of his touch.

  He was so close, his heat and spice surrounded her. Just a tilt of her head and their lips would connect. Her heart raced as her mind hovered in indecision.

  Yield; have mind-blowing sex and then what? Nothing.

  The sobering thought snapped her out of the steamy haze surrounding her body. She wanted more from Paul.

  She tugged at her hand. He held on to it, his dark brow rose in an impatient query. “What’ll it be?”

  “I won’t ask you any more personal questions,” she whispered hoarsely, barely able to speak properly, her brain still focused on feeling, smelling and seeing Paul.

  “Right.” He released her hand instantly.

  Her heart sank, her body bereft of his touch and warmth. A part of her wished she was brave enough to accept his challenge and play his game. Somehow, she knew she’d be the loser.

  “Then, let’s eat this food. Aunty won’t be happy to come in and see the food untouched,” he continued before washing his hands and uncovering the dishes.

  The spicy smell of the food wafted around the room. Ijay inhaled deeply. The food really smelled heavenly. As Paul tucked in unreservedly, she decided to push everything else aside herself and enjoy the meal.

  ***

  The next day they left early for the factory which was about an hour’s drive from Enugu. Paul had told her to wear something more casual and comfortable than a business suit which was her normal working gear. He was dressed in navy linen shirt and trousers. She’d chosen a simple sky blue linen shift dress. She was grateful for the lighter clothing as the day was hot, the sun blazing brightly in the cerulean sky.

  On the way Paul briefed her on what to expect at the factory. He was back to being serious and professional. She was grateful for the reprieve. Her close shave from last night pushed to the back of her mind.

  The scenery along the way changed very quickly from cityscape to countryside, concrete buildings replaced by trees and farmland. Halfway there they got off the dual-carriage highway onto a minor tarred road that went through miles of greenery—thick vegetation of palm trees as far as the eyes could see—before they arrived at a populated area.

  The factory was a large industrial building located in a massive plot of land surrounded by woodland in the countryside. It was marked by high concrete walls and a security gate. A small building next to the gate housed the security man who waved at them as the car drove in.

  “This is POD Foods processing plant,” Paul said when he got out of the car. Ijay’s first reaction was amazement at the scale of the building; her mouth open in awe.

  “Wow. I’m impressed,” she said when she pulled her lips closed. “I wasn’t expecting it to be this large.”

  A middle aged man in grey and black Ankara print trouser and shirt greeted them at the entrance to the building.

  “Ijay, this is Mr. Obi, the factory manager,” Paul said. “John, Ms. Amadi is the consultant I told you about who’s going to help us grow our brand image. She’s here for a few days to see how we work.”

  “You’re welcome, Ms. Amadi. I hope your time with us will be enlightening. If you need anything, please ask,” Mr Obi said with a smile.

  “Thank you,” Ijay replied returning the smile.

  “I’ll take Ijay up to the office briefly, and then I’ll be down to show her around the production line. I hope all is well today.”Paul led the way into the building with Ijay close to him.

  “There’s no problem at all today. Everything is on track.” The manager walked behind them.

  “Good,” Paul said before turning to Ijay. “This way.”

  Ijay followed him up some metal stairs in the hanger-type interior of the factory. At the top she looked down and saw most of the open area of the factory floor. She spotted close to twenty men and women working at different stages of the semi-automated production lines. The office was a glass-walled small space with a small wooden desk, two leather chairs and a metal file storage cabinet on the corner.

  Paul sat behind the desk and indicated for Ijay to sit on the other chair.

  “Do you need anything before we start?” Paul asked as he flipped through the folder of documents on the desk.

  “No. I just need my notepad and pen and I’m ready to go,” she said, taking out her notepad from her bag.

  “Okay. Just give me a second to glance through the weekly report and I’ll be right with you,” he said without looking up, his attention glued to what he was reading.

  She turned her gaze to the factory floor. Everyone down at each point of the chain seemed to know what they were doing. A result of robust training, she assumed. It was inspiring to watch.

  A prickling sensation on her arms made her turn around. She found Paul scrutinising her closely.

  Her breath caught in her throat from the intense heat of his gaze, the black of his eyes marbled with copper. A tendril of desire unfurled in her belly. He broke his stare and looked away.

  “Let’s walk the floor so I can show you around.”

  Gracefully, he unwound his body from the worn leather chair and walked to the door without looking at her. At the door he stopped. He stood rigidly, his back stiff, shoulders straight. His hands balled into fists before they slowly unclenched.

  Watching his response to the tension between them, her heart clenched painfully. For a brief moment, a strong urge to throw caution to the wind gripped her. She wanted to walk to him, touch his hard back and let him engulf her body in his warm embrace.

  Still, she was already set on a course and she wanted to see it through. So she exhaled a deep breath and followed him out.

  “Do your employees have to come from a long way to work every day?” she asked, happy that her calm voice hid her inner turmoil.

  “No,” Paul replied as he kept walking. “They’re all local people from Amori and the neighbouring villages.”

  “That’s great. I’d assumed they travel in from the city.”

  “A healthy portion of our staffing budget goes on training the workers. One thing I didn’t want to do was import people from the city to work here.”

  The passion in Paul’s voice touched Ijay heart.

  “We had a problem of all the young people disappearing from the villages once they left secondary school and moving to the cities. When I started this factory, I wanted something to keep the young people here and to help grow the local economy.”

  Ijay turned and gave Paul a side glance. Pride swelled her hea
rt for him. She knew he cared about the people who worked for him by the way he’d interacted with them in Abuja.

  This was a whole new side of him. His compassion and vision for his community was impressive. He wasn’t just an entrepreneur out for a quick profit. By investing in the local economy, he was making sure families could take care of themselves in a sustainable way.

  As Paul walked her around the floor introducing her to the staff in each section, she understood that fact even more. They interacted with him as if he was one of them—a brother or a son. She made her notes emphasising family and community sustainability as key brand points to focus on.

  After the tour, Paul left Ijay in the office while he returned to meet with the manager to discuss ongoing issues. The day went very quickly afterwards and by the time they made their way back to the city, it was late afternoon.

  “So what did you think of the factory?” Paul asked a few minutes into their drive back to Enugu.

  “I was really surprised at how efficient the place worked. Somehow, I wasn’t expecting that. I don’t know maybe because of my preconceived ideas about Nigeria. Honestly, I was impressed. How did you do it?” Ijay replied, unable to hide her delight at his success.

  “It’s taken hard graft and a lot of money. I have to say I’m grateful for my backers who bought into my vision. And the local support of my hometown people who have helped me along the way even before I had the money to build the factory. I was given a free lease of the land. So really, it’s a community project.”

  “What about the raw materials, the fresh foods? Are they sourced locally?”

  “Most of it is sourced from local producers. The farmers have a cooperative and we also source from local plantations.”

  He stopped and waited for her while she scribbled a note.

  “If you need to see a list of our suppliers, I can give that to you tomorrow.”

  “Sure, that’ll be fine. So you do this weekly?”

  He raised his brow in a confused query.

  “I mean, visiting the factory,” she added.

  “Yes, except when I’m out of the country.” He shrugged dismissively as if it wasn’t remarkable. She certainly thought it was.

  Sensing he didn’t want to talk any more, she returned to reviewing her notes and making a list of things to do the next day.

  ***

  “On your knees.”

  Ijay scrambled up from her lying position to do his bidding. She didn’t know why but the powerful tone of Paul’s voice compelled her to obey without question.

  He’d previously bound her hands to the bedpost while they made love. Now her hands were free. So she leveraged her body to kneel in front of him.

  He stood magnificently erect by the edge of the bed, his presence imposing, and his expression hungry. She’d seen his body all night.

  Yet she couldn’t get enough of looking at him—toned broad shoulders, arms and back with tight muscles that flexed each time he moved, a six-pack chest and stomach that tapered into narrow hips and powerful thighs that drew her attention to his distended erection.

  Slowly, he stroked the length of his hardened shaft. A pearl of his seeds glimmered at the tip. Consciously, she rolled her tongue along her lips. She’d never taken a man’s length into her mouth. Yet she wanted to taste Paul’s. Wanted to feel his strength plundering her cavernous depths.

  Paul must have read her thoughts because he chuckled.

  “You want me in your mouth.”

  She couldn’t explain the powerful emotions evoked within her in his presence. With him, reserved and sensible Ijay disappeared replaced by a wanton and adventurous woman she barely recognised. She was discovering so much about herself that she didn’t know she possessed.

  For starters, she’d never known she wanted a dominant man in the bedroom. Yet the mere sound of Paul’s deep take-charge voice had her body creaming and trembling for his touch.

  Looking up, she saw the amused glint in his fiery gaze. She nodded, swallowing hard as her body flushed with heat.

  “Come closer.”

  She shuffled to the edge of the bed on her knees, her heart ramming against her chest in anticipation. Lithely, he moved behind her and secured her hands with the silk tie. With her hands tied behind her, her breasts jutted out higher, heat and desire making them sensitive and heavier. Her core pulsed in tune with her heart pounding in her chest.

  Paul combed his fingers through her messed-up hair and leaned down. His body heat surrounded her as he kissed her lips tenderly, swiping his tongue along the rim of her lips before pulling back. It always amazed her how he could be rough and ready one minute and yet be tender and loving the next. She felt beautiful and sexy, secure and cared for in his arms.

  She let out a soft sigh of yearning. She would give anything for him to love her.

  He straightened up. With one hand on her head, and the other stroking his rigid erection, he guided it to her eager lips. Tentatively, she licked the drop of essence from the engorged tip, savouring the slightly fruity taste exploding on her tongue.

  Paul let out a low groan as she swirled her tongue around his tip again. Feeling emboldened by his response, she licked and kissed the rest of his turgid length, amazed by the feel of the satiny surface against steel beneath. She continued her caressing attention, laving his balls with her tongue before returning to the shaft.

  “Open your mouth,” he said, his voice hoarse with lust. “I want to feel your sweet mouth swallow me whole.”

  Eager to give him pleasure she opened up to his instruction. As his blunt head slid in, she opened her mouth wider, sucking him in. She bobbed her head, pumping him quickly.

  “Slowly, sweet...Slowly.”

  Gripping her head tightly, he stopped her fast pace. She relaxed, letting the movement of his hips and hands guide her pace. Gradually she took most of him, her mouth widening to accommodate his large gait.

  She relished the deep sounds of enjoyment he emitted. She was the one on her knees but she felt powerful and sexy knowing her actions brought him pleasure. She loved the heady sensation sweeping through her body, ensuring her juices ran down her thigh.

  She glanced up and noted his head was tipped back, his eyes closed, and his expression tight. When his grip on her head slackened, her excitement made her rush the pace. The blunt head rammed the back of her mouth. She choked.

  Tightening his grip on her hair, he opened his eyes. He pulled out. She inhaled deeply drawing air into her lungs until the stifling sensation passed.

  “I told you to go slowly, sweet Ijay.”

  He grinned at her wolfishly before claiming her swollen lips in a kiss. This time was fierce, his tongue delving into her mouth like a marauding warrior invading a castle. When he broke the kiss, she panted in shallow breaths, disappointed and wanting more contact with him.

  “Now, let me look at you properly,” he said and moved back as if inspecting her body.

  “That won’t do, sweet Ijay,” he continued, shaking his head. “When you kneel for me, I want you to part your thighs. I want to see all of you.”

  Her core wept with excitement as she moved her legs further apart, revealing her shaved pussy.

  “Oh,” he groaned. “You remind me of a confectionery of pink marshmallows surrounded by caramel. Do you want me to taste you, my sweet?”

  “Yes,” she gasped out, her body trembling expectantly.

  Nodding his head, he knelt before her and pulled her closer. He leaned forward and separated her lower fat lips. She held her breath, waiting. Leisurely, he swiped his tongue from her slit to her swollen nub.

  “Ah.” Her body jerked with riotous emotions.

  That was another contradicting observation about Paul. Despite his authority—she was the one bound and vulnerable—he worshipped her body like she was his queen, the most important woman in his universe.

  He held onto her thighs, flattening his tongue against her tightened bud. Sensation exploded within her body sending her
closer and closer to the edge, her essence leaking from her body like a waterfall.

  He didn’t let up but lapped up everything she gave and gave her move. Leaning her upper body back, she arched her hips off the bed, breathing heavily and shouting, wanting more of him.

  “Paul...please.” She couldn’t believe the rasping needy voice was hers.

  “Say it,” his voice sounded hoarse and alien too. She knew then he was as affected by this combustible lust as she was.

  “I want you,” she said in between catching her breath.

  “Not yet. You’re not ready,” he said, his voice thick and husky, blowing air on her sensitive clit.

  He plunged a couple of fingers into her, working her body to a frenzied awareness with his mouth and hands. Then he removed his fingers and breached her back passage with his finger.

  She gasped as heat assaulted her body with the pain and pleasure of the alien touch.

  “Damn, you’re so tight,” he said against her hot skin.

  Gently he worked her tight passage, pumping in and out before inserting more fingers into her wet heat. She felt deliciously full as her body shot up with more dizzying sensation. She couldn’t control her movements any longer as his fingers stroked her front and back and his tongue worked her enlarged bud.

  Before long she flew off the edge, screaming his name. Then she was freefalling into nothingness.

  With a jerk, Ijay opened her eyes. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the darkness of the room. She realised she was in her bedroom in Paul’s house. Her body was slick despite the cool air from the air-conditioner. But he wasn’t with her. It had been a dream re-enactment of their night together in London.

  Letting out a frustrated sigh, she leaned back into the pillows and closed her eyes, hoping the dream would return.

  ***

  The next day they arrived early at the factory. Everyone was gathered in a group unlike yesterday when they’d all been busy already. Mr. Obi, the foreman approached them. He looked harassed, wringing both hands together when they arrived.

  “John, what’s happened?” Paul asked.

  “We arrived this morning to find that someone broke in and damaged some of the machinery,” John replied, still twisting his hands.