But as Shakespeare said, 'there's no art to find the mind's construction on the face,' so there was no way I could have known that behind that beguiling smile of his, lies a very dark heart, well hidden from the world. A heart that's as deadly as that of a rattle snake.
By the time, I found out, it was almost too late for me. So, how did I end up with such a man? Please read my story to find out...
A stressed banker
Our paths crossed while I was working in a bank. I was in the marketing department which was not an easy section to be as we were most times given targets running into millions of naira as deposits from customers to meet. The pressure to meet up targets was intense, causing a lot of stress for us in the section.
I had gone out one day to see a prospective client, a rich businessman based at Lekki, Lagos when I met BJ.
My client, Mr Goddy introduced us stating:
"Oluchi, it's a good thing you are here. You need to see BJ. He's the kind of client you are looking for. He has a lot of money to deposit in your bank."
"Ahh! Goddy! You know I'm just struggling to come up to your level," he protested, laughing.
But Mr Goddy scoffed.
"Don't mind him, Oluchi. Make sure you take his contact before he goes," he said, turning to me.
I studied the guy closely. He looked in his thirties and was simply dressed in a grey T shirt and jeans, with a pair of brown sandals on his feet. He didn't look like someone who had money, at least not the kind of high net-worth individuals we usually hustled for deposits.
However, I still took his card, promising to call him later. But I didn't contact him as I was busy chasing after other clients who looked more promising.
Then one day, I was in the office when I was told I had a visitor. At the reception, I saw a very well dressed man, a stranger I had not seen before.
He then introduced himself and that was when it clicked.
"I'm really sorry, sir. I didn't recognise you," I apologised. In his well cut suit, designer, expensive looking shoes and other accessories, BJ looked really different from our first meeting.
More high net-worth kind of look, I thought. I was impressed and quickly invited him to my office, a small cubicle which I shared with Isabel, a colleague.
"I was expecting your call," he stated, gazing intently at me. I apologised blaming pressure of work for not calling.
"It can get really hectic in here," I explained.
"So, what can I do for you, sir?" I asked eagerly, praying silently that he really had lots of money as Mr Godwin said.
I really needed a wealthy client to meet up my target that month as my boss was on my neck to deliver. The pressure for deposits was becoming really intense and some who failed to meet up were being shown the way out like a colleague who was sacked the previous week.
I didn't want to lose my job as there was too much at stake. He smiled, showing white, even teeth that contrasted nicely with his coffee brown skin.
"First, stop calling me sir! It makes me feel old. The name's BJ," he said.
"Alright. BJ," I stated. I didn't care whatever he wanted me to call him as long as he had enough money to deposit.
He then invited me out, stating we could discuss business over dinner. What choice did I have but to accept. He took me to a nice Chinese restaurant at Ikeja, Lagos. We had a great time. And what made the date even better was that BJ agreed to deposit a huge sum of money with my bank.
I kept thanking my stars that night for bringing BJ my way. The best thing about it was that I didn't even have to hustle for it. Unlike what I went through with some of my other clients to get them to deposit money such as doing a lot of leg work, cajoling, sweet-talking and other means (like being told to either sleep with them or no deposit), BJ had brought himself to me.
I had underrated him because of his appearance the first time we had met, but he ended up surpassing so many of my other wealthy customers.
That night, I slept soundly for the first time in weeks, having not only met my target for that month, but even overshot it with the deposit from BJ.
Besides, I had made a large amount as my commission and that gave me a lot of satisfaction.
***
I did not hear from BJ again for nearly a month. I was a bit disappointed because I had felt a connection with him. It wasn't just that he was very rich (though that didn't hurt), but he seemed a decent kind of guy.
It was not just me alone for he had also made a deep impression among the ladies in my office who kept asking after him. That too was not surprising as most rich men always made an impression on most of my deposit-hungry colleagues!
Even Isabel was encouraging me to date him.
"Girl, don't let that guy slip through your fingers," she said one morning in the office while munching greedily on a doughnut.
I looked up from the computer screen on my desk where I had been working.
"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked.
"For one thing, he's loaded, a multi-millionaire. He's good-looking too and a sharp dresser..."
"So?" I queried.
"Is that all you can say? What more do you want in a guy?" she wondered.
"All he did was take me out to dinner. He hasn't asked me to be his girlfriend, not that I'm interested anyway,"I pointed out.
She sighed.
"Maybe you didn't encourage him. Some guys need that to make a move," Isabel noted.
"Aren't you forgetting something! Jamie," I stated emphatically.
Jamie was my fiancé of over five years. He worked in a government agency in Abuja while I was based in Lagos. It was not easy for us being in a long distance relationship but we kept in touch by phone and also tried to see each other as often as possible.
"I know you love Jamie. But Oluchi, can you trust him to remain faithful being so far away in Abuja?" she said.
I assured her my fiancé loved me too much to mess around with other ladies.
"That shouldn't stop you from keeping BJ close to you. He's a big fish that most girls would love to hook," she advised.
I had told Isabel I was not interested in BJ romantically, but that did not stop me from feeling excited when he called one evening after work.
He explained he had been out of the country on business and wanted to take me out again. I smiled to myself after the call, pleased that he had missed me.
That weekend, I went out with BJ again. This time, he took me to the cinema. We later attended a dinner party that was held in a swanky hotel on Victoria Island that he had been invited to.
It was a nice evening and I didn't want it to end. Later, we took drinks at the poolside of the hotel, chatting and taking some snacks.
It was a balmy night with a cool breeze blowing from the lagoon nearby. That night, BJ told me a bit of his background. It was a grass to grace story that really touched me (more of that later).
As he spoke, my mobile rang. It was Jamie. We spoke for a while and as I hung up, I felt a little guilty. He thought I was at home in bed, not realizing I was out on a date with a rich customer of my bank.
"How's your man?" BJ asked.
"He's ok," I replied.
"He's such a lucky guy. I envy him," he said.
"What's there to envy?" I asked curiously.
"Because he has something precious, something I would love to have but is currently unavailable," he stated, his eyes boring into mine. They were mesmerizing eyes that seemed to draw me into them and I found it difficult tearing my eyes away.
"I'm sorry, I don't understand," I said, though I knew quite well what he meant.
He smiled a little.
"I bet you do. You should know by now that I like you. I'm not looking for a fling. I can get that from anywhere. I want something deeper, more meaningful."
I shook my head.
"You know that's not possible. I..."
"Yes, I know. Jamie, your fiancé. But even with that, maybe you can create a little space in your heart and life for me. Is that too much to ask?"
I thought about it for a while.
"I will try," I stated with a coy smile.
"You look so sweet when you smile like that. You should be smiling more often, you know," he said.
I laughed, feeling really relaxed and happy.
He then leaned forward and taking my hand in his said softly:
"Oluchi, I've a proposal for you. Will you...?"
What's BJ's proposal all about? Log on tomorrow for the juicy details!
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