The Designer's Wicked Intentions

by Yvonne Sibanda

  She could hear Ethan talking over the phone and wondered who he might be speaking with. He turned in time to see her come down the stairs and the look he gave her made her feel shy. He coughed, said a few words over the phone and hung up. Dressed in a light grey suit with a Chinese collar and buttons that arrayed the front in a slanting fashion to match her outfit Aggy took note that they wore a couple’s outfit.

  The jacket had flowers the same ones on her lace though from far it seemed plain. “Did I disturb you from your call,” she pointedly stared at his hand with the phone feeling nervous at the same time that the reprieve she thought she had gained had been for nothing. Her mind had taken the forever three hundred and sixty degree turn; he will never be Cookie to her.

  “Just girlfriend trouble, nothing for you to worry your pretty head about.”

  She giggled, flipping the statement aside and not believing a word of it. Ethan didn’t do girlfriends; he only loved her. He appreciatively stared at her, whistled as she glowered at him. “Look at you, all spruced up girlfriend,” he airily stated pulling on the womanly mannerisms, except she now knew his secret. Never would she ever under estimate him again. She had done that before by thinking him harmless, she thought as she watched him walk towards her and take her hand before twirling her around.

  “Shall we,” he asked and placed her hand in his crook at the same time managing to send her body into a fritz, took her out for dinner, wined and dined her making her forget on what’s his name. Yes off course horrible Luc, her ex-husband.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Nine months later….

  ETHAN WOKE up to a pounding headache or was it someone pounding on the door. He nearly cursed at the intrusion since he wasn’t expecting anyone to show up, stared at the clock near his bedside and groaned after taking note it was already past eight a.m. He might as well wake up, he thought. He would have wished to sleep further since it was a Saturday but his schedule didn’t always give him that luxury.

  He had been busy with work and was fatigued. Sighing out of frustration brought about by the unwanted visitor ringing the bell before pounding on the door he woke up from the comfort of his bed. The security man should have warned him of the visitor yet he had become somewhat lax over his duties. What was the need of being in a penthouse when he didn’t get the privacy he needed?

  He reluctantly moved towards the door to the relentless unwanted visitor who kept on ringing and knocking the door after, yanked it open, glowering and about to yell at the intruder, except all that caught on his throat when he realized who it was.

  “Ethan” Aggy gasped while her eyes suddenly became like saucers after taking note of his naked torso. “Hey Aggs,” he greeted and opened the door wider before moving back into the apartment to his bedroom where he grabbed a clean t-shirt from the closet and donned it on.

  Walking back to the living room where she had settled down on the couch, he smothered a laugh when he took note on how uncomfortable she was and her eyes were already bright as she pretended to be indifferent over the situation. Her expressive face was already revealing more than words could say. He decided to give her a break by sauntering to his kitchen instead and putting on the kettle before asking, “Aggy love, what can I do for you?”

  He softly spoke in his modulated voice that appeared to put her at ease.

  Aggy cleared her throat before answering “I need your help.” A raised brow from Ethan followed as he wondered what kind of help Aggy needed this time since he no longer fancied any of them, having become somewhat of a depraved eunuch if ever they were anything like that. Going onto neutral ground in his mind he asked, “Is it about Elsie, your problematic child?” and watched her roll those beautiful eyes at him. “It’s Nita.”

  He dramatically clutched at his heart before stating, “Not my beautiful princess Nita, nooo” and could see Aggy’s eyes fill up with glee as she laughed. That suited her more he thought as he coughed and cleared his throat, hoping she hadn’t noticed him gawking at her. He busied himself by taking the coffee mugs from the shelf and putting the coffee powder into each before pouring the hot water. “Black as you like it?” he asked and watched her nod, before he got back to putting sugar and cream in his, while he put some sugar in hers and carried it to the couch where she sat.

  “So tell me, what did my princess do?”

  His eyes were drawn to her tiny teeth as she chewed her bottom lip before she replied, “Well it’s her birthday next week. With Luc still in prison I don’t know what to do for her. She doesn’t want a party, she is not talking much, has become reserved and also I was wondering if maybe you will do what you did with Elsie.”

  Ethan took a sip of his coffee with a thoughtful expression on his face, before remarking, “Well for starters Elsie is a good sport and she rather likes being wined and dined.” His grin widened at the thought of Aggy’s first child who could be a handful. At seventeen already the girl made him seem ancient by the things she managed to get herself into. She had toned down a bit but Luc’s blood apparently flowed in her in larger quantities than compared to the rest of her siblings.

  Pastor Garret had somehow been the one to make her tone down and everyone held their breaths hoping she would not snap again and lose control. He had rather enjoyed her seventeenth birthday by taking her out on a date while they chatted pertaining to relationships and how a man was meant to treat a woman. He loved all of Aggy’s girls and wished the best for them. Finally he said, “I will see what I can do.”

  Aggy was already berating herself for coming to Ethan and meeting him at his place. She should have called him instead and spoken about the matter over the phone, except she was a sucker to torture and she wanted to see him. The moment he opened the door to the penthouse, she had caught herself from drooling over his exposed upper body which she couldn’t get over.

  That body was seen all over, in magazines when he advertised his denims trousers without a shirt on and even on billboards in his formal wear. Yet seeing it live made her feel she needed a dose of some form of condemnation to make her come to her senses from having wild thoughts which she wasn’t meant to have about him.

  She hoped her breath hadn’t turned loud like a foghorn while Ethan sat next to her, staring at her with a raised brow. The first thought that had come into mind when he asked what he could do for her, was to yell, take me and make an honest woman out of me, having forgotten for a second the reason why she was there.

  Clearing her throat with a cough before she answered, she took in her fill of him and said “Thanks a lot darling,” finished off her coffee, placed the mug on the glass coffee table before she abruptly stood up, “I should get going. Sorry if I disturbed you.”

  Ethan merely smiled and stated, “No problem Aggs, you know I love the girls.” She nodded at that fact since he appeared to be more like the father compared to the biological one who was still incarcerated after syphoning money from his grandfather’s company.

  Pamela’s voice drifted into her mind at the wrong time making her want to escape. With the way Ethan was grinning, it was as if he could read her thoughts and she wished she could claw that knowing look off his face. Damn you Pammy, her mind screamed yet her voice still drifted through as her cousin advised her to just give into temptation and go with the flow. They were now standing by his door, Ethan staring at her as she tried to bluff through her thoughts.

  “And you is they something I can do for you Aggy.” She dismissively waved her hands. “I am fine. Goodbye” and quickly turned to walk away.

  Close the door, please close the door, her mind willed him while she walked away. At the sound of a click signaling he had closed the door, her shoulders sagged in relief.

  She would definitely have a sound conversation with her cousin Pamela the next time she saw her, for even suggesting she have a safety net.

  “What you need Aggs is a man who will just love and make you feel special,” her cousin had said some months back when she was still moaning over her br
oken marriage. They had been lounging on the couch, sharing a 500ml tub of chocolate mint ice cream while they chatted over their bodily needs.

  She should have guessed that only Pammy girl would come out with such an absurd idea. “Look for someone who is safe, that you know will not push the boundaries and yet will hold you and kiss you to your heart’s content.”

  She had chuckled in return and asked, “Is that even possible. What’s the purpose of being touchy and feely if it ends there without any action happening.”

  “Well are you ready to move on?” Pamela had asked and glanced at the PJs she was still wearing on that Saturday afternoon.

  “Besides they are other ways one can receive pleasure without going all the way,” the hussy had continued with that knowing look as if Aggy was the younger one between them. “It just sounds so wrong,” Aggy said while Pam giggled and shrugged her shoulders, “Suit yourself. I am not the one lying on the cold bed and wishing if only it was different as you try to find ways to satisfy the urge. I gave you the perfect solution. Get a man”.

  She had been torn and her cousin suggested Ethan. Of all men, the one she definitely knew wouldn’t deny her anything.

  Coming out of the huge building she walked to the car and opened her hand bag, ruffled through it, wondering where her keys had disappeared to and remembered she had been holding them, meaning she might have forgotten them on the couch. Aah man, she thought and started retracing back her steps to the lion’s den, this time knowing she was doomed.

  Ethan shut the door and moved towards the coffee table where the mugs were. He took them and placed them in the sink. Aggy had disturbed his sleep, he might as well take the shower and got ready for the day, he thought as he moved to the bedroom. Staring at the mannequin near the window, he was satisfied that the design was coming along just great. By the time he was through with the summer collection, it will be set for him to showcase it.

  He loved what he did and was grateful for his mother who supported him to pursue fashion and not what his father had termed, manly careers. His career choice had once been a bone of contention in his family. Now his father beamed with pride and was quick to point out that Ethan was his son after seeing how successful he had become. Chuckling at that thought, he managed to push aside the way he felt when Aggy was around. The woman surely knew on how to turn his intestines into knots by her presence.

  Staring at her while she stood at the door, looking cute had been torture as he had wanted to take her in his arms and give her what her eyes longed for. He took off his shirt and moved towards the bathroom where he started by shaving his one day beard. He was in the process of toweling his chin and contemplating on getting his cornrows renewed when he heard the bell ringing and wondered who it could be. Coming out of the bathroom, he wore the t-shirt this time and moved towards the door. He was surprised to find the woman who managed to plague his thoughts standing with an apologetic expression on her face.

  “I forgot my keys,” she said and got into his house, headed for the couch where she sat and moved the cushions around, searching with her hands. “Got them,” she chuckled before finally looking his way and this time lingering on his chest and sighing out loud in the process. The woman definitely had a chest fetish; Ethan thought rather feeling naked from her gaze as he took note that she nervously bit her bottom lip.

  Chuckling at the thought of her past time of late, having caught her ogling men online like pieces of meat to be sampled and of course using him as a guinea pig, he knew just one touch from him, could ignite her passionate nature in no time.

  He rather enjoyed seeing her sweat as she usually had that same effect on him, except she didn’t want what he was offering at the moment, commitment.

  “I should go,” she finally whispered as if coming from a deep slumber, stood up from the couch and walked towards the door. Her lip quivered and for a second Ethan pitied Aggs because she looked like a young girl about to cry. She wasn’t one who could voice out her frustrations. His dear Aggy, he thought and was shocked when the woman meant to be shy turned, stood on her tiptoes and kissed him, giving in to the temptation she had been holding back. “This is wrong,” she whispered and Ethan wasn’t having none of it, but rather took that hint to draw her close and kiss her sweetly and tenderly before picking her up and shutting the door with his foot. Moving further into the room to the couch, he continued to kiss and touch her as she squirmed delighting in how he felt.

  Aggy could feel her resolve melting and also a bit of confusion settling in, on where her relationship stood at the moment. She wasn’t in any way asking for her friendship with Ethan to end and this, what they were doing would definitely end their relationship. He shifted her onto the couch and removed his shirt in one swift fluid movement as her eyes widened.

  “Relax Aggy.” He said before pulling her close as she wound her arms around him and kissed him back.

  He knew they were both playing with fire yet he couldn’t resist her. She was soft and sweet, all womanly and her tiny frame seemed to have been made for him. How he desired her. She stroked at his smooth abs marveling at how strong and alive he felt. After they had drifted up to reality to catch a breath Ethan asked, “Aggy do you know the story of a boy and a dynamite.” She shook her head negatively as he shifted and made her lie on top, while she stroked his chest. “Heard it from Pastor Garrett, at one of his preaching’s.”

  Aggy chuckled, was he really going to preach after this?

  “The boy would light the wick of the dynamite and blow it off thinking he is safe. Indeed he was, but unknown to him every time he lit it and extinguished it the wick became shorter. Finally he lit it and you already know what happened.”

  She giggled at the story, “what’s your point.”

  “You should consider my marriage proposal before it all blows over.”

  “Don’t be silly,” she said with a lilt in her voice while she continued stroking the contours of his abdomen. He grasped her hand firmly from doing so and sighed deeply thinking over the conversation he had with his friend Greg, to let Agatha go than settle for that. He couldn’t find it in his heart to do that. Was he doomed to being tortured in this manner?

  Agatha had approached him a month ago and hesitatingly requested that he pleasure her to his shock.

  “I don’t mean that we sleep together Ethan. I just miss being touched and treated like a woman,” she had whispered. “It’s ok, if you do not want this, I will find someone else,” she continued and his resolve crumbled to smithereens.

  The thought of her getting into more trouble from an unscrupulous male person, out getting what he wanted instead of giving her what she needed, made him agree to her preposition. He reasoned that he had self-control and could stop in time, except now with her in his arms he found it harder and harder to pull away and was slowly losing the fight. He treated her the way she wanted, pleasuring her and never taking any for himself while Greg crossly remarked that he stops or he could lose her for good.

  Well Greg could afford to give ultimatums and Sophie wouldn’t buckle like Aggy from the challenge. She hadn’t broken down after all when the media exposed her history in that she was once a prostitute, yet Aggy had wilted after the divorce. He had literally taken her out from bed and put her under a shower so she could wake up from her depression and now denying her this, would definitely lead to her ruination. Only he could protect her from going to the edge and he couldn’t imagine denying her of anything.

  He wondered how his life had come to such a pathetic state, as Aggy was the only woman he felt something more and worthwhile. He had been attracted to boys before but now that all had seized by the grace of God, he was attracted to women except Aggy managed to make others look dim in his vision when she appeared in front of him. They seemed like mannequins to be dressed around as he measured and sewed their outfits yet with her it has always been different from the day he met her. He would instantly drop everything just to be there for her.

  “You w
ill never lose control with me. You know when to stop.”

  Chuckling at how naïve she could be considering she was the older one, he wondered on what she really thought of him. That he was a eunuch of some sort and would act the monk around her while she had her wicked way with him. Well the eunuch was suddenly becoming depraved and feared to take advantage of her in no time. He could just imagine the talk of the town. It’s not like they were still at the teenage hood stage where one had girls and boys insulting each other over one impregnating the other. In his case it will be more like the devil holding a pitchfork stating, after all those years of taking the chastity pledge, promising your Heavenly Father to do the deed in your marriage bed, you have been brought low by this slip of a woman.

  “Do you want this to stop?”

  He could hear the irritation in her voice as he shifted so they could sit up and he took the t-shirt he had easily discarded in the heat of the moment. Cradling her dainty hands in his, he kissed them before staring into her beautiful eyes.

  “I want to marry you Aggs, is that hard to believe?”

  She snatched her hands away as if scotched by fire and stood up, nervously clutching her hands fearing she might just give in, yet she knew she wouldn’t handle the onslaught to follow. “Ethan not again. What would people say? I have been officially divorced for only six months, I have six growing daughters what would they think and not forgetting our age difference,” by the time she compiled the list, she was pacing the room while he cradled his head thinking , here we go again. That was their normal argument and it was rather getting old for him. For how long did he have to wait for her to finally make up her mind?