by Kiru Taye
She stopped in front of him, stood on her tiptoes, and reached for his neck. Then she leaned in and kissed him. "I know you will make a great dad one day."
Chapter Nine
"I think we’ve finally got a means of getting rid of Petersen," Chief Essien said.
Mark, Felix, Tony, and Kola sat on the upholstered sofas in the Essien patriarch’s den. The room rambled large enough to have a bank of four sofas on one end and a wall covered with bookshelves and a large desk at the other. Their father’s sanctuary, where he entertained his guests and, on a Sunday like this, where they met up to discuss the Apex business dynasty outside of office hours.
Once a month on a Sunday afternoon, the Essien brothers got together at the family home in Ikoyi. Mark’s mother had started the tradition when the two older boys had moved out of home and bought their own places. She’d wanted a means for them to come together outside of work. Truth was, Mark saw his brothers regularly, anyway.
He used to have weekly meetings with Felix when neither of them were travelling. But that had been before his brother’s marriage to Ebony, and even less now since the arrival of baby Alex. His brother loved spending all his spare moments with his family.
Right now, Ebony and Alex were with his mother.
Faith should be with them, too.
His jaw tightened. The woman still refused to be seen anywhere with him and had turned down all his previous invitations to similar gatherings.
Anyway, the Sunday lunches being a strictly Essien affair, bringing her here would amount to declaring his intentions to his family. Was he ready for that? Perhaps it proved a good thing she refused to date him publicly. He didn’t have to deal with the speculation from his entourage or the media.
"What do you mean?" Mark asked, his thoughts veering back to the matter being discussed.
"There’s a rumour that Petersen is involved in insider trading," his father replied.
"In which case, the EFCC need to investigate his share trading activities," Mark said matter of factly.
"The downside of that is that we would have to expose EFCC to Apex," Felix said. "After the recent failed board coup and vote, it wouldn’t be a good thing to put Apex PB under scrutiny."
"I don’t want the EFCC anywhere near Apex," his father said. "This is where Kola comes in. I’ve asked him to investigate Petersen’s financial activities."
"I’ve already set the ball rolling," Kola said. "I’ve got our best data forensics specialist on it. Whatever paper trail exists, he’ll find it, whether it is physical or digital."
"Good," Chief Essien said. "In the meantime, there’s an opportunity to strengthen our holdings. You remember Francis Okolo?"
"Sure. What about him?" Mark piped up.
"I met up with him at the Ikoyi Club yesterday. He informed me he will be retiring soon and is looking to handover to a new successor."
Mark sat up. Francis Okolo was the majority shareholder at City Investments Group. The same firm where Faith worked as Strategy Director. Did she know about this?
"Does that mean City is up for sale?" Felix asked the question on Mark’s mind.
"Not openly. His retirement is not public knowledge yet, just a conversation among friends. But I know he will consider offers privately. This is where you come in, Mark."
"City has very big influence in the Oil and Gas sector," Mark said. "For years, we’ve been trying to get into the same market segment with little organic progress. Buying City would be a great development for Apex Investments."
"It would," Felix concurred as their father nodded.
"You want me to make Mr. Okolo an offer?" Mark asked just to be sure he knew where his father was headed.
"Put together a proposal. One he can’t refuse," Chief Essien said. "Francis treats City as his baby and he would want to make sure that it is in good hands when he retires. He is big on continuity, but none of his children are interested in running the business apart from as investments. So we want to guarantee him that we will keep up the good work with minimal job losses through an acquisition. Of course, the fact that we’ve been friends for years should smooth the way."
"No problem," Mark said. "I’ll find out as much as possible about City and work on a proposal before the weekend as I’m going to New York next week."
"Good. I want the bones of this fleshed out before your trip. I will call him and arrange a meeting for Friday. The lawyers can work on the details while you’re away."
Mark nodded and pulled out his smart phone to punch in a note on his calendar. A notification pinged that he had a message.
His pulse jumped in anticipation. The ID confirmed the text came from Faith. Not a day went by without some form of communication between them. He swiped the screen and opened the message.
How’s your day going?
The conversation around him had moved on to other, more domestic issues, so he excused himself. He needed to hear Faith’s voice although she’d only left his apartment a few hours previously.
He strode outside into the gazebo and pressed the button to dial her number. She picked it at the first ring.
"Hello, handsome." Her velvety voice came through.
A smile curled his lips. It always did when she addressed him that way. "Hi, sweetheart. What are you doing?"
"Just chilling. I was trying to sort out my chores since I spent all of yesterday hanging out with you."
His smile got wider as he remembered all they’d done the previous day. A lot of it had been spent horizontal, even if not all in bed.
"I can’t seem to think about anything else when I’m around you."
"Yeah, don’t I just know it. Muscles I didn’t know I had are still aching."
He chuckled. "Sex is a great workout, you know."
She laughed this time, the tinkling sound going right through to his groin. His granite need swelled and he groaned out loud.
"Do you know what the sound of your laughter does to me? I want you right now."
"Mark!" She giggled. "You had me more times than I can count yesterday."
"I’m just saying. You make me feel like a horny teenager, and I can’t seem to get enough of you."
"You make me feel like a beautiful, desirable woman, and I love it when you touch me." Her silky voice dropped an octave, setting fire to his body.
"You are killing me," he growled and shut his eyes, imagining her bare, curvaceous body under his as he rode her, driving both of them to completion. "I’m going to need a very cold shower tonight."
"Perhaps you should come over, after all."
He opened his eyes. He found himself very tempted to hop into his sports car and race over to her house right now. His family wouldn’t be happy if he cut short their Sunday ritual, though. They hadn’t had dinner yet. He took a deep breath and common sense prevailed.
"But you said you had chores to do."
"It’s all done now."
He let out a sigh. She’d complained of being sore and he didn’t want to be selfish, as much as his body hated him for that choice. "I rode your body pretty hard yesterday, partly because I knew I wouldn’t see you today. I think you should rest."
"Aww. Spoilsport," she said, but he heard the humour in her voice.
He laughed out loud and stopped when he spotted his mother walking towards the gazebo. "Listen, I’ve got to go."
"Okay, But call me later tonight. I think I’m in the mood for some phone sex." She giggled.
He suppressed a groan. "Oh, I’m going to get you for that."
"Promise?" she teased.
"Bye, sweetheart."
"Bye, handsome."
He tucked his phone back into his back pocket as he stood from the chair.
"Mum, is dinner ready yet?" he asked, wondering if that was why she’d sought him out.
"Yes. But I wanted to talk to you one-to-one first before we go in."
"It sounds serious. Is everything okay?" He waited for her to sit before he settled back in his chair.
"Of course. I just wanted to catch up with you. I don’t see you so often these days. Is all well with you?"
"Sure, Mum. Everything is good. Business is great." He lifted his shoulders in a shrug.
She nodded. "That’s good to know. Are you seeing someone?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, do you have a girlfriend?"
"Mum, what kind of question is that?"
"It’s a simple question, my son." She smiled. "You either have a girlfriend or you don’t. Knowing you, you are rarely between girlfriends."
"How do you know how often I have girlfriends?" Not as if he’d been bringing girls home since he moved out of the family home to go to University.
"You ask that as if your girlfriends are supposed to be secrets."
True. But Faith was a secret he hadn’t shared with anyone except Felix. And Felix would never share a secret.
"Mum, what is this all about?"
"Look. The gossip magazines usually have pictures of you with one girl or the other. But for the past few months, I haven’t seen anything, so I’m just wondering if there’s someone."
He scratched the stubble on his jaw, contemplating whether to let his mother believe he had no girlfriend at the moment. But the idea of lying to her didn’t sit well with him. So he settled for the partial truth.
"I’m seeing someone but it’s just fun. Nothing serious."
"That’s all right, then, because I invited Wumi Adekunle to join us for dinner. She’s a really nice girl, from a nice family—"
"Hang on a minute, Mum. You invited Wumi...for me?"
"Yes, I know she likes you, and the two of you used to get along when you were younger."
"Mum, that was then. I mean, we are friends, but that’s all there is."
"If you give her a chance, there could be more."
"I’m not looking for more. Wumi wants engagement rings and wedding bells. I’m not interested in that. I’m quite happy to just have fun at the moment."
"There’s nothing wrong with wedding bells. Your brother, Felix, is married and he is happy. You can have the same."
Here we go again. His competitive mother in action. He'd thought they'd gone past this phase of comparing him with his older brother. Obviously not.
"I don’t have to do what Felix does. Moreover, he loves Ebony. I don’t love Wumi. Huge difference." He stood and paced to and from the gazebo. If he’d brought Faith here, he wouldn’t have to be dealing with all this. But his mother spoke of wedding bells and he wasn’t ready for that even with Faith.
"You can grow to love her. You just have to give her a chance. I’m sure the two of you can have fun, as you put it, to start with. Then, after a few months, you can start making plans for a future together."
"I can’t believe we’re having this conversation. You cannot pick my girlfriends for me."
"Wumi is not just girlfriend material; she is a potential wife." His mother leaned forward. "This is just going to be a family dinner with her around. Talk to her."
"All I’m going to do is talk. I can’t promise you more than that."
He couldn’t believe he was agreeing to this but sometimes, it just proved easier to agree with his mother than to argue with her. Moreover, Wumi knew the score. If she didn’t, he would reiterate it. They could never get involved that way.
"It’s good enough for me." His mother smiled and stood. "Come, let’s go inside."
He heaved a sigh and followed her indoors.
Everyone had regrouped in the family room. Tony, Felix, and his father watched a football game on big, flat-screen TV hanging on the far wall, while Wumi bounced baby Alex on her lap as she chatted with Ebony.
"Hello, Wumi," he said when he entered the room.
She beamed him a smile, handed the baby to Ebony, and stood. "It’s good to see you again, Mark."
Courtesy demanded that he give her a welcome double kisses on both cheeks. With his family looking on, he didn’t want to be rude. So he strode across to her.
She was dark-skinned and tall, taller than Faith. But while Faith came across as a bundle of silky-smooth curves, Wumi appeared athletically slim. A member of the Ikoyi Running Club, she also played tennis regularly. To be fair, she was a pretty woman, and dressed in a brandy-coloured, long-sleeved draped v-neck designer dress and matching sequin-embellished T-strap high-heeled sandals, she knew it, too.
As he quickly brushed his lips against her skin and inhaled her musky fragrance, nothing stirred within him. Nada. Ba kome. Ihe efu. Not a spark.
A smile played on his lips as he remembered how the smell of Faith made him feel at home. Sunshine and lavender.
"Oh, no!"
The men behind him chorused and Mark turned to see what was happening on the TV. Another of their Sunday family rituals, watching Premier League football together.
"I can’t believe he hit the bar again," Felix said and met Mark’s gaze, his brow quirked in a ‘what’s going on?’ query.
Mark shrugged and took a seat on the arm of a sofa away from where Wumi sat so he could watch the match. Nothing should interfere with this one ritual.
His mother stepped into the living room. "Dinner is ready. You can watch that game later."
Well, except for dinner, of course. Nothing messed with their food. Not even football. They all stood and filed out, heading to the formal dining room.
As they all sat down, he wished Faith sat next to him, instead of Wumi. Only one thought got him through the next hours—his upcoming telephone conversation with Faith.
Luckily, Wumi didn’t stay long after dinner. He walked her to her Mercedes SLK200 roadster convertible. She’d received it as a birthday present last year from her family; he’d been there at the party.
Her father was a wealthy industrialist, and she had a great job as Assistant Finance Director at City Investments, Co. She lacked for nothing, and he could never accuse her of gold-digging.
But he’d never seen her as anything more than a friend. Even when they’d been teenagers and she’d played sports with the boys, he’d never thought about hitting second base with her, although they’d shared a kiss once.
She would make a good wife to some guy. Just not him.
"Would you like to get together sometime this week, Mark?"
Her soft words drew him out of his reverie.
"I’ve got a very heavy schedule this week. Perhaps another time."
"Okay, I’ll hold you to that." She smiled gracefully. "I haven’t seen you at tennis for a while. Will you be there on Saturday?"
Warmth crept up his cheeks. His Saturdays had been so taken over by Faith that he’d stopped hanging out with his friends. If only he could persuade Faith to come with him to the Ikoyi Club. She didn’t have to play. She could just watch him while he played.
"Perhaps I’ll be there this weekend," he said.
She leaned forward to kiss him and he turned his face so her lips brushed his cheek.
"See you soon, Mark." She lowered her body into the car seat.
He shut the door and straightened. "Bye."
He didn’t stay long afterwards. Before he got into his car, he sent a text to Faith.
I’m heading home now. I’ll call you when I get in. Wear something sexy.
Chapter Ten
"I’m sorry to have to change our weekend plan," Faith said into her phone.
She should’ve known that throwing down the gauntlet for Mark would only make him more determined and rise to the challenge. His persistence in pursuing her in the year since she’d met him at the conference in South Africa had proven his determination.
And even after that long night they spent together at his apartment, she’d thought his interest would’ve waned because he’d achieved what he wanted—racking up another notch on his bedpost.
They’d been seeing each other for the past six months, although not as frequently as the first few weeks. These days, making time had become trickier, especially since she still didn�
��t want anyone else to find out. Only Ebony and Felix knew about them.
"So you mean I’m not going to see you this weekend?"
Mark didn’t sound altogether pleased about that, although his tone came across as teasing.
Faith held her phone to her ear as she waited in the queue to check into her flight to Benin.
"I won’t be back until Sunday," she said in a low voice but tried to keep it loud enough to be heard over all the other people in the busy domestic flights terminal.
"But I’m on a flight to New York on Sunday, so I probably won’t see you then. I’ve got an important meeting on Monday with some investors that I can’t miss."
"Oh." Disappointment curdled her stomach. She hadn’t realised he would be going away for the week. "How long are you away for?"
"I’ll probably be gone a week. But I’ll try and be back as soon as my business is concluded."
Strange. Since they’d started their affair, they’d seen each other regularly and for periods of no more than three days apart at a time. Even with Mark travelling frequently, he only stayed away two or three days in one go.
She wanted to ask him about the nature of his trip. But they’d agreed earlier on to keep their business dealings separate from their relationship. They never discussed work, at least not when it had something to do with their businesses. They discussed generic industry matters but nothing that could be construed as corporate operations.
"Do I take it you’re going to miss me, then?"
"Perhaps." She shrugged though he couldn’t see her. In her heart, she knew she would miss him. She’d been hoping to see him as soon as she returned from Benin, knowing she would need his brand of pampering. Visiting her parents always proved a stressful event.
"Well, I’m going to miss you," he said in a husky voice that had her insides melting. "I wish you could come with me."
"Yeah, right. What am I going to do with myself while you attend meetings all day?"
"It’s New York, sweetheart. You can always shop. Women love that, right?"
She smiled. "Some retail therapy would be good."
But something about going with Mark and playing his mistress while he worked didn’t quite sit well with her.