by Kiru Taye
Turning to Anuli, she shook her head. “We have to go.”
She turned to walk away but Anuli held her arm. “Tessa, calm down. Listen to me.”
“What?”
“I’ve done the calculations. Say we’re earning fifty grand every week for the next year, which you know only happens only around festivities or when a big roller comes into town which is like once or twice a year. But say we’re earning fifty gees every weekend for one year. That’s two point six million each. This guy is giving us two point five million each. Guaranteed. This is the best deal we’ve ever had, babe. Think about all our plans.”
Tessa’s anger fizzled out and she sighed. “I know, Nuli. But we choose different men for a reason. We don’t want to give any one man control.”
“I know. But you said he’s a good guy, right? And we’re going to be together all the time. And you know if he tries to hurt anyone of us, I won’t let him. You know that, right?”
Tessa nodded her head as she swallowed a lump in her throat. Her friend had gone to great lengths in the past to protect her, even putting her life in danger. But she wasn’t sure Anuli could protect her from Peter. Somehow she sensed the threat from Peter wasn’t going to be physical but at a level that neither Anuli nor anyone else could help her.
Tessa would have to work doubly hard to protect herself anyway she could. She couldn’t let Anuli down. This money would be life changing for both of them. Anuli needed the money as much as she did. Her friend had always done so much for her. A year would soon fly by. And as long as she had her friend with her, then she’d hopefully survive whatever Peter threw at them.
“Okay. Let’s do it,” she said to Anuli.
Anuli pulled her into a hug and whispered in her ear. “I won’t let him hurt you.”
Tessa didn’t miss the threat in the other girl’s voice. She also knew Anuli meant it. She squeezed Anuli’s around the midriff. “I know.”
Anuli released her and stepped back. “I’ll let you handle him. We know he likes you so let’s use it to our advantage. Come on.”
They walked to the dining table and settled in the seats they’d been eating in. She sat at the head of the table and she used the position to boost her confidence. Anuli wanted her to take control of the situation and she would as far as she could.
They pushed the plates aside.
“We’re ready to sign the contract,” Tessa said as she gave Peter a determined look.
Peter leaned back in his chair, one arm on the table top, his body angled to the side to face Tessa and the other hand on the back of the chair separating them. Peter’s pose proved he was the figure of authority in their little gathering.
The next year was going to be full of power tussles to find out who was in charge.
“This is a simple employment contract that has been amended to accommodate our special arrangement,” Peter said in a steady voice. “But if you want to get a lawyer to look it over before you sign it, I’m happy to wait until tomorrow for you to sign it.”
And prolong the situation further? No. He was being reasonable but she wasn’t willing to wait. The sooner they got started, the sooner the year would be over and she could have her life back. Plus Anuli was right. Lawyers were expensive. They couldn’t afford one.
“No. That’s not necessary. Just give me a moment to read through it,” she said as she turned to the first page of the contract.
“Sure,” he said but she didn’t look up.
The document appeared like a normal contract, not that she’d seen many of them in her life. But she’d signed a tenancy agreement for the place they lived so she’d seen legal documents before.
She read Peter’s first name and surname as well as his address which was listed as this hotel. There were black spaces in the first paragraph for her and Anuli to add their names as the named ‘Employees.’ She spent time thinking of the words which were written in plain English mostly. There wasn’t a job title although there was a clause that stated that the ‘employees were to perform the duties as specified by the employer.’
“It doesn’t specify the actual job,” she said as she glanced at Peter.
“Well, we all know you’re here as my escort. But I’d rather not have that written in black and white. My requirements are not complex.”
“But how do I know you won’t ask us to do something unreasonable?”
He met her gaze and said in a calm voice. “What do you classify as unreasonable?”
She couldn’t think of anything so she glanced at Anuli who gave her a shrug. “I don’t know. Anyway, we don’t work during the week days.”
He gave a slow grin that annoyed her. How did he manage to be so unruffled?
“I saw you at the club on Friday night.”
She huffed. “Yes. We work Friday nights but not from Sunday night to Friday night.”
“For five million naira you’ll work any day I say,” he said with a touch of arrogance.
“Then the deal is off.”
“What?” The grin disappeared from his face.
She struggled not to smile at the little victory although her stomach churned. She didn’t really want to walk away from five million but some things were non-negotiable.
“We only work certain days. You either take it or leave it.” She hoped she wasn’t screwing things up and glanced at Anuli who nodded at her in approval. She breathed in relief that at least her friend supported her in this.
Peter’s eyes narrowed, his brows wrinkled in a frown as his gaze darted between Tessa and Anuli. “Are you seriously telling me that you don’t work during the week?”
“That’s what I’m saying.” She leaned back into her seat and eyed him.
“Why don’t you work during the week? What do you girls do?” He shot glances at them.
Tessa sucked in a deep breath and said in as calm a voice as she could muster. “Every employee is entitled to time off work. What we do in that time is private and none of your business.”
He shoved his chair back and stood up, pacing away and back. His body was tense, his shoulders muscles coiled and his hands clenched.
Tessa’s hands trembled on the table. Had she pushed him too far and blown it? Was he angry with her? Was he going to back out?
The warmth of Anuli’s hands covered hers and she turned to her friend who smiled reassuringly. Anuli’s trust in her made her really want to get this deal so that they didn’t have to worry about money any longer. But there was a line neither of them was willing to cross.
From the corner of her eye she saw Peter swivel and stride back to the table. She turned to face him as he stood beside the chair he’d been sitting on.
“You know once you sign this contract, neither of you are allowed to be with any other man for the next year,” he said in a tight voice.
“Hang on a minute,” Anuli cut in before Tessa could reply. “Are you saying we can’t have boyfriends or date?”
Anuli had a smirk on her face which Tessa understood the meaning. They didn’t have boyfriends and had no intentions to get any. But the question was valid. Employers couldn’t tell employees when to date or not to date.
“We all know neither of you date—” He did air quotes with his index fingers, sarcasm dripped from his voice. “—so let’s cut the crap. In clause fourteen it specifies that you’re not allowed to have any sexual contact with other men during this period whether you’re giving or receiving it and whether you’re being paid or not.”
Shit. What? She’d read clause fourteen but thought it only meant she wouldn’t work with other men. She read it again and now it became clear. He really was being specific. She couldn’t have sex with another man for the next year aside from him. Knowing him, that was probably not going to happen, no matter how many times he gave her ecstasy.
She didn’t care about not having a boyfriend but should she really be agreeing to this on principle? Could employers do this?
“As an employer, you can’t tell you
r employees when to date or have sex. This is oppressive and against our human rights.” She was reaching but what the heck? Why not?
“Yes, I can. The law allows it when there’s a conflict of interest. When you do certain jobs on a full time basis the contract of employment specifies that you can’t do a similar job for another firm. Some firms won’t even let you to work for them if your spouse works for a rival firm.”
He sat back on the chair, his upper body leaning forward with his arms on his thighs.
“The work you’re going to do for me involves using your body. I’m paying you to work for me exclusively. I can’t permit you to then do the same job for another person whether they are paying you or not. So if you want the five million, this is going to be an exclusive deal.”
Tessa swallowed hard. What he said made sense. This wasn’t a conventional job so different rules applied. Still this wasn’t a deal breaker so there was no point getting hung up on it.
“So if we agree to exclusivity, do you agree to let us have Monday to Friday off?” If he agreed to this there was no reason this shouldn’t work out for all of them.
He held her gaze for a few racing heartbeats where she thought he’d changed his mind. In the end he nodded and smiled. “Yes. You’ll be free from Sunday night until Friday night, although I’d like some flexibility as to the exact times.”
Her chest lightened as a huge smile broke out on her face. She glanced at Anuli who was smiling too. “Of course we can be flexible about times.”
As long as they could get to classes on time on Monday, there wouldn’t be any problems.
“Good,” he said as his eyes twinkled. He really did look handsome when he smiled.
Her cheeks heated up as he caught her gawping at him. She focused on filling out her name and address on the document before signing it and handing it over to Anuli who did the same.
She had a bit of unease about giving out her full name and home address. The only other place with that information was the school registration. But Peter knew nothing about her past so it shouldn’t be a problem. So she shoved the feeling aside.
Once Anuli signed the copies, Peter did the same and Christopher signed as witness. Peter gave each of the women a copy while he held onto one.
“I think we should celebrate,” Peter said as he picked up the bottle of champagne and popped the top.
Anuli cheered and Tessa smiled as butterflies fluttered in her belly. When she met Peter last weekend, he woke something inside her and she knew he would have an impact on her life. She could only hope that it would all be positive and the next year would be full of cheers.
Chapter Eleven
Peter stood hyperaware of everyone in the suite as he took a sip of champagne. The bubbly liquid fizzed down his throat into his belly even as the satisfaction he usually felt at the completion of a successful deal spread warmth across his chest.
He’d bought businesses and secured contracts worth billions of dollars in his lifetime. He’d built firms from scratch and seen them grow under his leadership.
Yet this wasn’t like any deal he’d ever done before. He’d never bought another human being before.
Okay, technically he’d bought Tessa’s time last weekend. Still, that had being just for the night. Their time together had mostly been innocent, if you ignored the fact that he’d craved her while she lay in bed with him. Of course he’d finally given into temptation and had caressed her body to climax tonight.
Now he’d bought two women. Had them at his disposal for the next year. Fifty-two weeks. Three hundred and sixty-five days.
“Sir, I’m going to head down now,” Christopher cut into his thoughts as he placed his empty glass on the table.
He gulped down the rest of his bubbly and disposed of his glass. “Thank you for all your help. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“Sure. Good night, sir. Bye, ladies.” He headed for the door.
“Bye, Christopher,” both girls chorused as they giggled.
Peter followed the man and placed the ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign outside the door handle. He didn’t want to be interrupted for the rest of the night. Not that anyone came up here unless summoned.
He locked the door. From here he could hear the sound of Tessa’s laughter at something Anuli said. The throaty sound sent tingles down his spine. Heat spread across his groin as a smile curled his lips.
That had to be one of the most beautiful sounds he’d ever heard. He couldn’t remember her laughter being this carefree when she’d spent time with him last Friday. He had to admit that Tessa and Anuli shared something more than just ordinary friendship.
The ease at which the other girl eased Tessa worries about the contract had amazed him. It was obvious Tessa trusted Anuli more than she trusted anyone else. More than she trusted him.
His ribs squeezed tight at the thought. He couldn’t possibly be envious of the relationship and trust Tessa had for Anuli. They’d obviously been friends a long time. He’d only known Tessa for a week. She couldn’t trust him as much as she trusted her friend.
Yet he was envious. He wanted her to be as relaxed with him. To laugh at his jokes with the same abandon.
Well, there was no point skulking around the corner listening to them talk. If he wanted to gain Tessa’s trust then he had to be front and centre in her life. He had to become her focus.
He’d have to find a way to get rid of Anuli. In the meantime nothing would stop him from having fun.
The word ‘fun’ reminded him of Naaza. He closed his eyes briefly and silently prayed his late fiancée approved of his choice of fun. She’d been sexually adventurous.
Although they’d both been each other’s first lovers, they hadn’t wanted to stumble upon things. So they’d researched and read books and had even visited sex clubs together while they’d been on holiday to the USA. Naaza hadn’t been a shy girl. She’d known what she’d wanted out of life, sex and her man. And Peter had made sure he’d acquired as much knowledge as possible so he could give her everything she wanted.
Now he strode back to the dining table. Tessa glanced at him. Her eyes sparkled with humour, her body relaxed in the chair.
He smiled at her as he picked up the second bottle of champagne and popped it open. Then he picked up his glass, holding both it and the bottle in his left hand as he took Tessa’s arm with his right hand. He’d been craving physical contact with her all evening and couldn’t keep his hands off her any longer.
“Come,” he said in a low voice. “Both of you.”
Tessa stood slowly. She swayed and he caught her.
“Are you tipsy,” he asked.
“A little.” She giggled. “The champagne went straight to my head.”
“Light weight,” he teased as he hooked his arm around her shoulder to steady her and guided her to the sofa.
Anuli brought the glasses and placed them on the coffee table. Peter waited for her to seat before guiding Tessa to the opposite sofa. Placing the bottle on the table, he sat down and pulled Tessa down between his spread thighs.
As soon as her bum hit the leather couch, he tugged her so her back was against his chest. She tensed for a few seconds as if reluctant to relax onto him. But he increased the pressure until she sighed and leaned against him. Having her softness against his body felt good even as her scent filled his nostrils.
“Anuli, get a bottle of water from the fridge and bring a glass.” He kept his voice soft even though he was giving an order.
Anuli frowned but she still obeyed and got off the sofa to do his bidding.
Divide and conquer has been a technique used for millennia and he wasn’t averse to using the same strategy if he needed it.
With Anuli gone he leaned forward, brushed hair away from Tessa’s face and asked, “How are you feeling?”
She moaned and turned her head to look up at him, a seductive smile curling her lips. “I’m fine. Just a little horny.”
She rolled her hips, bumping her ass agains
t his crotch. Arousal spiked through him, turning his cock to granite. He groaned and his grip on her hair tightened.
He needed a woman’s wet heat wrapped around him. Better still he wanted this woman’s pussy clenching around him.
“That’s good, Tessa, because I plan to make you horny and give you plenty of pleasure over the next year.” He stroked her skin as her breath hitched.
She frowned as she looked up at him, her expression filled with curiosity and awe. “You’re paying me—us—to give you pleasure. Yet, you’re so focused on giving me pleasure. Why is that? I don’t understand you sometimes.”
She sounded genuinely miffed. He spent a few seconds studying her face. Her insecurities sat just below the amber gaze. Something clenched at his heart and fury rose at those who had hurt her in the past and turned her into the woman she’d become. This woman that didn’t trust men enough to choose one above all others.
He brushed his lips over the frown lines on her forehead. “First of all, I’m not paying you to give me pleasure. I’m paying you to do my bidding. They are different things.”
He leaned back to meet her gaze. “Secondly, it’s obvious to me that some if not all of the past men in your life have either caused you pain or have been negligent in showing you the joys of ultimate sexual pleasure. I want to let you know that I’m not those men. I’ll gratify you in all the ways it is possible for a man to satisfy a woman in the matters of the flesh.”
Anuli returned with the bottle of water. She poured some into a glass.
Peter didn’t let go of his hand in Tessa’s hair and extended his left hand to Anuli.
“It’s okay. I’ll give the drink to Tessa.” Anuli walked around the table.
But Peter kept his hand outstretched. “Give it to me.”
The frown on Anuli’s face deepened. “Why?”
He cocked his brow. “Do I really need to explain? You are here to do as I say. I want Tessa to drink from me. So pass me the glass and sit down.”