Worthy (Challenge Series, #3)

by Kiru Taye

  Anuli stiffened, her frown increasing. “That doesn’t matter. I’m not going to sit on the floor and you can’t make me.”

  She pulled out a chair and sat on it. Tessa stood where she was as if unsure of what to do.

  Peter nodded as he pulled his phone out and pressed the button for Christopher. The man picked the call after the second ring.

  “Morning, Chris,” Peter responded to his greeting. “Is Tope from the security team on duty today?”

  “Yes, he is.”

  “Good. The two of you should come up to the penthouse.”

  “Sure. I’ll be there shortly.”

  He hung up and saw Tessa whispering to her friend. “Anuli, please. Let’s just sit on the floor. It’s not a big deal.”

  “Ha. I’m not doing it. Anyway, what’s his problem? Why are we suddenly sitting on the floor?”

  Sighing, Tessa settled on the carpet, pulling her knees up to her chin with her arms around her legs.

  “You know exactly why I’m doing this. When this deal began I told you the rules. And I told you there would be punishment if you disobeyed my instructions.”

  “Yeah. And?” Anuli countered.

  “And I specifically told you that you didn’t have permission to have sex with Tessa. Still I come back to find the two if you naked and in the aftermath of sex.”

  “You can’t prove anything,” Anuli retorted. “People do sleep naked in bed. It doesn’t mean they had sex.”

  “Well, let’s find out if it’s true or not that you had sex.” He turned to Tessa who had been watching their exchange with increasing incredulity. “Tessa, did you have sex with Anuli last night?”

  Her brow furrowed and she twisted her lips as she stared from him to Anuli.

  “Anuli, did Peter tell you not to have sex with me?” Tessa ignored Peter’s question, her face squeezed in a confused frown.

  “Yes?” Anuli shrugged.

  “When did he tell you?” Tessa sat up, her hands pushing her off the floor as she knelt.

  “What does it matter?”

  “Answer me, damn it? When did he tell you?” Her hands curled into fists.

  “The night we signed the contract.” Anuli looked away, fiddling with the placemat.

  “So he gave you specific instructions and you still went ahead to persuade me into it. Why do you keep fighting him? I don’t understand you. You’re the one who wanted to be part of this deal. You’re the one who convinced me to sign the contract. Yet, you’re the same one making us antagonise him. Why?”

  Anuli shoved the chair back. “Because you belong to me, damn it. Why should he tell me what I can or cannot do with my girlfriend?”

  Tessa’s mouth dropped open. “What? I’m not your girlfriend. Yes, we’re best friends. Yes, we have sex. But we’re not dating. I’m not dating anyone. You of all people know that.”

  “Are you saying you don’t love me?” Anuli narrowed her eyes, a scowl on her face.

  “Of course I love you. But I’m not committed to anyone. I don’t want to be tied to anyone. I’ve said that again and again. You are my best friend and that’s it.”

  “So you don’t want to be tied to me. But you will be tied to him for the next year.”

  “Anuli—”

  “Fine. Whatever.” Anuli sat back on the chair and turned her back to Tessa.

  Tessa sighed dejectedly and turned to face Peter. “I’m sorry, Peter. Yes, Anuli and I had sex last night,” she said before pulling her knees back up to her chin.

  Seeing her like that tugged at his heart and he was tempted to pick her up. However he was saved by the knock at the door. He got up and headed in that direction. He opened the door for Christopher and Tope and let them in.

  “Morning, sir,” Tope greeted.

  “Thanks for coming, guys,” Peter said as he led the men back to the dining area.

  Anuli still sat in the chair and Tessa on the floor, although she sat up stiffly when she saw the two men.

  “Chris, take Anuli downstairs and introduce her to the rest of the housekeeping team. She’ll be working in housekeeping every weekend from now until the date specified in the contract which I sent you a copy.”

  Anuli leaned back and snorted. “Me working in housekeeping?”

  “Yes. The hotel housekeeping team cleans the rooms and the spaces inside the hotel outside of the kitchen, restaurant and lounge. You are now part of the team until the end of our deal.”

  “Nonsense.” Anuli said in a low voice as she stood up. “I’m just going to get my things and leave.”

  “You can’t do that, girl. You owe me a lot of money. If you won’t go to housekeeping willingly then Tope has my permission to lock you up for as long as I wish.”

  She eyed Tope up and down with disdain. Tope was a huge man—bald head, dark skin, powerful legs and broad shoulders. He instilled fear just by his presence alone. Although you couldn’t tell by the look Anuli was giving him.

  “He doesn’t look like Police,” Anuli said, still eyeing Tope.

  “He’s worse than Police. He’s ex-military and he is in charge of hotel security. There’s a guard house on the premises and he can lock you up for as long as is necessary which can be for the rest of the year.”

  Michael had recommended Tope to work in the hotel as he’d known the man from his days in the SSS.

  “Anuli, please.” Tessa stood up in rush. “Go to housekeeping. It’s not that bad. It’s only for weekends and at least you can come and go freely. Biko.”

  It was the first time Peter had heard her speak Igbo and she sounded desperate for Anuli’s sake.

  “Fine. I’ll go. But what about you? What is he going to do with you?”

  Tessa turned to Peter. “Am I going down to housekeeping too?”

  He shoved his hands in his pockets. “No. I have a different punishment for you.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Tessa hadn’t realised how serious Peter had been about the ‘special punishment’ waiting for her until they had disembarked from a flight to Abuja and were in a car heading to an unknown location.

  When Christopher and Tope had arrived in the penthouse, Tessa had known something bad was about to go down. The guy, Tope, had put fear in her heart. He’d looked fierce. That was the only word she could use to describe him.

  And when Peter threatened to have the man lock Anuli up, Tessa had really feared for her friend. Anuli was just too damned stubborn for her own good. Tessa had to convince her to go with Christopher.

  At least Christopher seemed like a nice man. He’d been cordial even after the debacle with Telema and he’d had a glass of champagne with them after they’d signed the contract with Peter.

  The sight of Anuli been marched out of the suite had gotten Tessa agitated again. What would Peter have in store for her? His punishment to Anuli had been harsh but expected in a way since they had been at loggerheads since the beginning.

  He hadn’t said much to her except to order breakfast. She’d said she wasn’t hungry but he’d insisted that she ate. With him sitting right next to her and watching her every move, she’d had no choice but to stuff the food into her mouth and chew, even if she hadn’t tasted much of it.

  Afterwards he’d sent her to the bathroom to shower and told her to be out and dressed in ten minutes. When she’d come out of the shower, she’d found her clothes laid out on the bed.

  “I want you to wear this.” He’d pointed at a long red and black Ankara dress with a tie holding up the bodice round the neck and a flowing maxi skirt.

  He’d even picked out the shoes, a matching Ankara platform sandal with diamante sown into the side panels, as well as sunshades.

  When she’d finished dressing and looked at her image in the mirror she looked like royalty, perhaps the countess he’d been calling her previously. He’d stepped up to her from behind, a jewellery encrusted necklace in his hand and placed it on her neck.

  Now she fiddled with the necklace nervously, too worried to
figure out how expensive it must have been as she sat in the back seat of the Lexus SUV. They drove for an hour on the highway and she wondered if the city of Abuja was very far from the airport. Then they got off the highway and drove for what seemed like another hour on a country road. They were nowhere near a city. All she could see where farms, farmhouses, small towns and villages.

  The sun was low in the sky when they pulled up to a large white ranch house that seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. It was surrounded by a high wall and security men opened the black metal gates.

  When the car stopped, the driver held the door for them while servants greeted them in a language she couldn’t understand and took their bags.

  “Welcome, Mr Oranye,” a light-skinned middle-aged woman dressed immaculately in a blue print dress greeted in a northern accent. “I am Madam Vivian. We’ve been expecting you. Please follow me.”

  “Thank you,” Peter said and waved a hand for Tessa to follow the woman.

  Tessa did and admired the interior design of the house as it was laid out like some of the expensive hotels she’d seen in PHC but also had the feel of being someone’s house.

  Was this what Peter classed as a punishment? It felt more like one of those exotic holidays she’d read about in romance novels. Still, she couldn’t complain. Compared to what Anuli was doing right now, which involved cleaning up other peoples messes, she got the better end of the deal from the looks of it.

  The woman opened a door and waved them inside. “This will be your room for the night. Everything you requested is in the drawer. Dinner is at seven. I will come back later to take you to the hall.”

  “Thank you. I’d like to speak to Sir Melaye before dinner, if he’s free,” Peter said.

  “He’s free now. If you’d like to come with me,” the woman said.

  “Wait for me in here,” Peter said before walking out and shutting the door.

  Tessa looked around the room. It looked like a hotel room with a large four poster bed at one end and a sofa and small table at the other ends. There wasn’t a TV screen. There was electricity as the overhead lamp was on and there was cool air coming from the air conditioner.

  Their bags had already been brought in and left on the tiled floor beside the bed. They were obviously going to spend the night here. Why?

  Tessa walked over and sat at the edge of the bed. She wasn’t sure what to do. How long would Peter be? She got up and walked around before sitting on the low sofa. She rested her head against her arm and must have drifted off to sleep because she was woken when the door opened. She lifted her head.

  Peter walked into the room. She sat upright as he settled in the armchair adjacent to the couch.

  “I know you’re wondering why we’re here. This is the time to explain,” he said and leaned back in the chair, lifting the ankle of his right leg to rest on the left knee. “Last weekend you made a promise to keep your body just for me. Last night you broke that promise by having sex with your friend. By doing what you did, you proved several things to me.”

  He lifted his hands and counted off the fingers.

  “One. You do not keep your promises. Two. You cannot be trusted. Three. You don’t understand the concept of fidelity. Four. You have no regards for me or my opinion. And five. You truly are a lost cause.”

  Tessa flinched as he reeled off the indictments. They were each true and she couldn’t refute them. She was guilty of all those things. But hearing him count them off made her cheeks heat and she wished the ground would open up and swallow her.

  “So I found myself at a dilemma. Should I give up on something that I truly believe in? Should I let you carry on like nothing’s happened, like you haven’t insulted and slapped me in the face? I’m a man who doesn’t give up easily. I didn’t get successful by buckling when things get tough. But I also can’t let you think that your behaviour is good. Something drastic needed to happen. So here we are.”

  He waved his hand to encompass the space.

  She held her elbow to her side and crossed her arms over her stomach as a chill ran down her spine. “What do you mean?”

  “Coming here is your punishment. Don’t be deceived by the looks of things. Everything on the outside looks ordinary. But when you get inside things start to look different. Right. Not long before dinner. Time to get ready. Stand up and walk over to the mirror.”

  Her legs trembled as she got off the sofa to do his bidding. The churning in her stomach remained. What could be so bad about going to eat dinner? What kind of food did they serve? She stopped in front of the mirror facing away from Peter.

  He came up behind her. “Do you see how beautiful you are in these clothes, with your natural hair styled appropriately and the little make up? You look like the countess you should be. Still...”

  He shook his head as if his heart was heavy and burdened. He unclasped the necklace around her neck and removed it, tossing it on the dressing table.

  “Still, you will not accept what I give you. You would rather be in the gutter, wallowing with the pigs, rolling in the mud. Well, tonight, you can return to being a whore.”

  Tessa gasped, her head jerking back. Had she heard him right?

  “What did you say?”

  “I said. Tonight you will become the whore you crave to be. Take your clothes off.”

  The crassness of his words had her in shock. She didn’t move. Just stared at him with her mouth open.

  “Take the clothes off, Tessa or I will rip them off you.”

  “Okay.” Jeez. What was wrong with him? She couldn’t believe this was Peter. But she also didn’t want him to tear the dress which was lovely and expensive.

  She undid the knot at the nape and the ties fell down. She unzipped it at the back and pushed the dress down, stepping out of it. Peter picked it up and tossed it on the bed. Next she unstrapped the shoes and tugged them off.

  “The bra and knickers need to come off too,” he said as he watched her with an unreadable expression.

  Was this about sex? Did he bring her here to fuck her finally?

  Sighing, she removed her underwear. He took and threw them on the bed too. Then he opened a drawer and pulled out something that looked like a chunky dog collar. It was made from black leather with a D-ring.

  “You are going to wear this as a sign that you belong to me tonight.” He buckled it around her neck.

  It felt heavy and constricting but soft on her skin at the same time.

  He took out a long black leash and hooked it to the aluminium ring at the base of the collar.

  Last, he took out a black whole-face mask with holes for eyes and nothing else.

  “What is that for?” she asked, feeling even weirder. What the hell was this about?

  “This.” He lifted the mask. “Is because I’m hoping that underneath all the garbage the call girl is carrying around, there is a countess inside you who will break out one day and thank me for preserving her dignity even in this little way.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “We’re going out to dinner now.”

  “Okay. I’ll find something to wear.”

  “No. You’re coming to the hall with me as you are.”

  “Naked?” Her eyes felt like it would pop out of the sockets.

  “Yes, naked. Tonight you are my slave. In these premises, slaves don’t wear clothes as you’ll soon find out. You’ll do as you’re told and do not think about misbehaving. The owners don’t take kindly to slaves who misbehave and I won’t be able to help you if you do.”

  He had to be kidding, right? This was Peter. Clean cut Peter. Celibate for years Peter.

  “You’re not serious.” She laughed nervously. It was ridiculous.

  “Why am I not serious? Aren’t you a call girl? Don’t you sell your body to men for money? What’s the point of covering it up with dresses and jewellery? At the end of the day, you’ll still be in a strange man’s bed, naked and spread out for him to do whatever he wishes. This way the
y get to see what they are bidding for exactly as it would be.”

  “Did you say bid?”

  “Oh, yes. I forgot to mention. Sometime during dinner you’ll be put up for auction. The men will bid for you and whoever wins you will spend the night with you. I mean, you don’t mind, do you? You said it yourself. You’re not committed to me or anybody else. You’re happy to go to any man who will pay for you.”

  Now she knew this had to be a joke. Peter would never let another man touch her. He was the same man who didn’t like her dancing with another man in the night club. The whole reason they were here was because she’d slept with Anuli who was a woman. So he was never going to go through with this. She would just call his bluff. She could handle it.

  “Put the mask on. It’s time to go.”

  She tugged the mask on and it hid her smug smile. She had no problems being naked in front of men. And since she had a mask on, it made it a whole lot easier for her. If he thought he would frighten her by telling her all those things it wouldn’t work.

  Let the games begin, Peter. You’re not going to win this one.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Tessa walked two steps behind Peter who led her with the leash connected to her collar. Madam Vivian sashayed in front of them.

  It was dark outside as they walked through a corridor that had small spotlights at several intervals on floor level across a courtyard filled with green leafy plants in terracotta pots that gave the place an intimate feel.

  Before they arrived at the restaurant, she heard the low vibe of music and conversations. It sounded like the place was busy.

  She had her first wave of anxiety as her breathing quickened. How many people were in there? She’d been in an orgy before that involved six people. The sound she heard seemed way more than six people.

  And in that situation, she’d had Anuli with her. Now she was on her own without her anchor. Peter who was usually ordinary was behaving strangely.