A CHAIR SCRAPES ACROSS THE FLOOR AND HIS STRONG ARM PUSHES ME SOFTLY ONTO THE SEAT. "Are you okay?" He whispers quietly to me and I shudder in reply. "Don't forget the deal. All you have to do is play along." He pulls away but not before clasping my hand in his.
"Sorry my parents. She just felt a little bit dizzy." I would have found his reference 'my parents' funny under normal circumstances but I am way too shocked to connect with the part of my brain that deals with humour.
"Is she pregnant already?" His mother asks and my eyes bulge out of their socket. It is only by the grace of God that they do not fall out and roll across the table. First it was the engagement, and now it's pregnancy. What the hell have I gotten myself into?
"No mother." Eric says without a falter nor a waver to his voice. I turn my gaze to him and I frown at how utterly composed he is. But then again, he is the one who brought up the whole issue. Of course he should be calm and collected and not slowly going crazy like me. "She is not pregnant. She just feels tired today. This is why we may not be able to stay for dinner."
"Are you sure?" Mrs. Onikosi asks. She seems to be the only parent who cares. "The chef will be serving the food in just a few minutes."
"No it's fine mother. We will be okay." Speak for yourself. I think. Now that my stomach isn't making me feel queasy like before, I actually would have loved to get some food. It is too bad that a certain someone has chosen to do all the talking.
The discussion between father, mother and son goes on but I tune out of the conversation and find solace in my own world where I am back in my room gisting with Dessy and not sitting in a hall with strangers, engaged to a man I barely know.
"Miss Adannaya." I only snap out of my fantasy when I am addressed by Chief Onikosi.
"Yes sir." I smile nervously while Eric squeezes my hand underneath the table.
"Did you go to school?" He asks with a piercing gaze that could force a man to cower behind an object. It is obvious where Oga Eric gets his glaring talent from. Somehow though, the old man does not scare me. I feel a bit intimidated yes, but that is only because I want him to see the good side of me just like I always wanted Nnam to.
"Yes sir." I reply and I am surprised by how firm I sound. "I am a graduate in Business Administration with a second class upper degree, and I also have a solid foundation in Designs as I was able to take most of the courses in my extra year in university."
"Interesting." He nods as if in deep thoughts. "Are you working now?"
"Not at the moment sir." I say truthfully.
"Do you have siblings?"
"Yes sir. Four." I smile at this.
"And you are the oldest?"
"Yes sir I am."
"How are your parents faring?" The chief raises an eyebrow at me.
"My father died almost five years ago and my mother lives in the village with my siblings."
"So your family is poor?"
"Justice!" His wife calls out.
"We survive sir and I think that is more important than being rich." I say evenly. Being called poor no longer has an effect on me. It once did before, but not now. Not when I know peoples' opinions are not worth a mere kobo.
"Being rich is important." He says.
"Only to vain people." I snap back.
A suffocating silence follows afterwards and I desperately wish I could leave. Without turning, I can feel Eric's gaze on me and I make the effort to keep my head straight. He tries to hold onto my hand but I keep it out of his reach. He soon gives up and retires his hand to his thigh and for some reason I don't understand, I wish he is still holding me.
"I think we have had enough of dinner today Father." Eric stands and reaches for me. "We will be leaving now. Do have a great dinner." He announces in a tone I know proves he is holding back his anger. I wonder if he is angry at me or his parents. Most likely me. I infer and push down the sigh threatening to escape my lips. Only God knows if I will still be paid for the rubbish I have succeeded in doing.
I expect him to offer an arm as he did before, but he doesn't. He instead slings his left arm around my waist and pulls me closer to him. Then he kisses my cheek right in the presence of his parents.
"What are you doing?" I yell discreetly in his ear. It is a good thing I am wearing my six inch heels as his height does the unthinkable of making an average 5'6 seem like a joke.
"Putting on a show." He kisses my forehead and I pinch his side not knowing what else to do.
"That's enough."
"Ow." He says then winks at me as he leads me towards the reception area. I note he isn't mad at me and the corners of my lips lift uncontrollably in a grin. "Wait here. I need to lose these clothes." He uses his commanding tone once again and I feel like punching his rich, gorgeous ass in the face.
A few minutes pass by quickly and he returns with a fresh change of clothes on. "Shall we?" He asks.
"Shall we what?" I squint my eyes at him not understanding what he means.
"Shall we leave?" He opens the door after giving me a weird look.
"Oh I see. Yes of course. Thank you."
"So were you dropped here by my secretary?"
"Secretary?" I frown unconsciously. "I don't think so. Except if your secretary is a young yet also balding taxi driver."
"My secretary is a woman." He narrows his eyes but not at me. I avoid gawking at his jawline and pointed nose by refusing to look directly at him. How is this man my fiancé again? Fake fiancé Ada. I remind myself before I get too carried away.
"No woman came to pick me up." I shrug, wondering why it matters to him.
"And you came in a taxi?"
"Yup." I pop my 'p' loudly. "Why? Is there a problem?"
"You were suppose to be served by the best available services and I thought a woman to be a better option in order to make you feel more comfortable." He says and I half-snort. If only he knew how uncomfortable most women and their envy make me. "But apparently, none of my orders were adhered to." That's what you get for ordering people around. I muse.
"I found the service quite good and the man was not awful or anything to me. I must ask though, why do you care so much?"
"How do you mean?" He asks and I scrunch up my nose at him.
"I mean it is not exactly your business. You are not my client either way."
"I am not?" He raises a sexy eyebrow at me. Shut up Adannaya!
"Obviously." I give him a duh look. "My client is..." I blank out as I am not sure who he really is. All I know is he cannot be the young and annoyingly handsome man in front of me.
"I'm waiting. Miss Ada." That intonation sounds eerily familiar. I think shortly after he pronounces my name. "I still need to drive you home, you know?"
"Do you have an older brother?" I clutch at the only straw I can find. Judging by how serious-minded his father is, I am convinced it could never be him who made the deal with me and so I am left with only one option–his older brother if he has any.
"Yes, yes I do." He stuffs his right hand in the pocket of his cuffed, brown Capri trouser and his muscles bulge out from his long-sleeved shirt–that has been neatly rolled up–along with the visible veins that run down his arm. I have to silently pinch myself to draw my attention away from his toned physique and into the conversation at hand.
"Oh, then that must be the man who made the deal with me. He's the partner in my sugar-deal."
"I see." His lips curve into a devilish smile–for the first time since I met him–that mesmerises me yet also makes me feel like he knows something that I don't.
"How old is your brother?"
"I think that is enough questioning for today miss Ada, don't you think?"
"No I didn't think so, but if you don't want to answer then it's okay." I shrug, pretending like I am not hurt.
"How about we make a deal?"
"What deal?"
"I will answer all your questions about my brother and I and anything else as long as you keep pretences with my family for two weeks."
"Two weeks?" I gasp audibly. "But won't your brother want me to accompany him instead?"
"My brother and I work together and I know he would be in support of my plan." He smiles that knowing smile again and I roll my eyes in return. Who knew he could smile this much?
"Alright then. I will have to talk to him first." I concede, fully aware that I have millions of questions to ask, especially about our 'engagement'. "But you should know that in my contract it is clearly stated that I will not have sex with my client as a part of my job under any circumstances, and that applies to you too. No sex."
"No sex huh?" He cocks his head to a side as if to view me from an angle he has not done before. "Now you are quite the intriguing one, aren't you Miss Ada?" I ponder on his words till we are outside the gate and greeted by a driver who parks a car and hands the keys to him. He opens the door of the dark, flashy Chevrolet Camero and I try not to squeal in delight as I get in.
Such a gentleman.
"How old are you?" I throw my question at him as soon as we are buckled up and the car speeds off onto the road.
He grins widely at this. "Would you like to get some drinks with me Miss Ada?"
"You did not answer my question." I say, not thrilled by his reluctance to tell me what I want to know.
"I know."
"Then answer it."
"Do I really have to?"
"I don't know." I frown and press my body deeper into my seat. "If you want to, then do. If you don't want to. Whatever." He takes his eyes off the road to fully view me in his periphery. I turn my head away in return, feeling a bit miffed.
"I am 27 years old." Just two years older than me. I nod in satisfaction and it takes the utmost self-control I have not to grin like an idiot.
Although the car is cool with the air-conditioner on, my braided hair still feels itchy underneath my wig. I know I have only two options; either I take my wig off and be my normal self or I pretend to be what I'm obviously not by leaving it on and eventually start to scratch my head like a monkey.
I chose the first option.
My emergency rubber bag rustles as I pull it out of my clutch purse. I commend myself for keeping something that could be this handy close by. As soon I take off my wig to let my head breathe however, his head snaps to me with his eyes wide open. "What?" I frown at him.
"You don't mind doing that in front of me?"
"I would if I wanted to date you or something." I state truthfully.
"You don't want to?" He seems hurt by my words. I conclude that I am only overthinking.
"I mean...why do you really care?" I hope I don't sound rude with the questions I've been asking.
"Nothing." He replies and stays quiet even till minutes later when he turns in the direction leading to the apartment Dessy and I share.
"Thank you for offering to drive me by the way." I say, but he doesn't give any reply. I pout just a bit as I stuff my wig into my bag.
"Is this the street?"
"No but you can stop me here." I entreat him. "To get to where I live, you have to go on Runs Street and I don't think you would want to be seen at such a place especially taking into consideration your status and all that."
"I don't care." He replies as he turns onto the street and drives straight on. "You know you have to give me directions right?"
"Don't you know what Runs Street is?" I ignore his question and instead ask mine.
"Everyone does." He says as he manoeuvres past a driver reversing his car without paying attention to his surroundings. "I just don't care."
"Here it is." I point at the ugly building I know as my home. "Thank you so much for the ride."
"Goodnight Miss Ada."
"Goodnight." I smile slightly and head into the compound only to meet bags toppled over each other, a few books torn and dirtied in the dust and clothings strewn all over on the ground. "Oh my God." I whisper, already aware of what has happened.