“Good evening, Chief,”
Chuks greeted him, giving a slight bow. As he raised his head towards me, I
felt a tingle in my body as his gaze met mine.
I
stood transfixed, by the staircase, unwilling to leave the room now that he was
around.
'Evening,
Madam," he said. I nodded at him.
‘My
God! What’s it about this man that makes him so irresistible to me?’ I thought
as I stared right back at him over my husband’s head. There were so many things
I wanted to say to him, but I could not especially with my husband around.
"Oh,
you're here, Chuks," said my husband, dropping his glass and waving him to
a seat.
"So,
how did the meeting go?" Before he could reply, my husband called out over
his shoulder:
"Koko
dear, you should place an extra setting for dinner. Chuks is joining us."
"Ah,
Chief! There's no need for that! I can always stop over at an eatery on my way
home," he said.
"Eatery
food? When you can have a nice, home cooked meal prepared by my Cook? No way!
So, how was it? What did the MD of Global say about the new concept we are
working on...?"
As
they began to talk business, I made my way to the kitchen to deliver Chief's
message.
Later,
upstairs in my room, I quickly changed into a long, caftan like gown with
intricate embroidery at the neckline and sleeves. It was a gift from Chief and
it was my first time of wearing it.
I
stood in front of the mirror, admiring the outfit, at the way it skimmed
lightly over my figure, emphasing my curves.
I
inspected myself critically, noting that I had put on a bit of weight. My face,
breasts and hips looked fuller than usual.
I
made a mental note of resuming my regular workouts at the gym we had in the
compound. I had neglected myself due to the stress of looking after an invalid
husband, running a household and other responsibilities.
But
there was a good reason now for me to stay in shape. Chuks. Thinking about him
made me smile. I picked up my phones and quickly left the room.
***
After
dinner, he left for home. Not too long after, a message came in on my phone.
'Chat
soon.'
I
went up to my room, leaving Nurse Agnes, the woman we had employed to help take
care of my husband, to prepare him for bed.
We
were online for the next hour or so chatting. I was curious about something:
his change of mind. We had been on this issue for over six months; I had been
open about the way I felt about him and my desire for us to be together, to
become close.
'I've
also been attracted to you. But couldn't act on it for obvious reasons-Chief!'
'Glad
you changed your mind. You don't know how happy you've made me!' I replied.
That
night my dreams were full of Chuks- both of us together on the beach, walking
hand in hand like lovers, eating together at a restaurant, in a car talking and
laughing, my head resting on his shoulder...
The
following morning, I hummed softly to myself as I prepared for a new day. Now,
I was sure of what I had to do...
Two
days later, a Friday, I kissed Chief goodbye and set out on the long
drive to Ajah, on the outskirts of Lagos. I was on my way to visit my cousin,
Anna, who had just had a baby. That was what I told Chief . I had another plan, though he was unaware of...
***
"So,
how's my in law, Chief doing?" asked Anna as she sat on the bed
breastfeeding the infant.
"Fine.
Except for the drinking. He gets grumpy sometimes too."
"What
do you expect? Someone as energetic as Chief being stuck in a wheelchair; the
poor man must be going crazy," she said.
Later,
I left her and went to get my bag and car keys.
Anna,
who had just put the sleeping baby in its cot, gazed at me wonderingly wih
raised eyebrows.
"Going
out?" she asked.
"I
need to see a friend in town."
"Didn't
know you knew anyone in Ajah," she said.
"It's
an old schoolmate I reconnected with on Facebook," I said. With time, I
would have to tell her about Chuks. We always confided in each other anyway, so
it was not something I could keep from her. "I might stay long so don't
wait up for me," I said as I headed for the door.
The
resort was about twenty minutes drive from the town. Getting there was not
difficult as I had been there for an occasion some months before. I had liked
the serenity and quiet ambience of the place and that's what informed my choice
as the spot for our meeting.
After
checking into the room I had earlier booked, I dialled his number.
"Just
got here. Where are you?"
"Quite
close. Will soon be with you," he said.
"Can't
wait!"
I
felt restless, my heart palpitating with excitement as I waited impatiently for
his arrival.
***
They
sat close on the settee in the room, drinking and talking. At a point, she laid
her head on his shoulder.
"I
was scared."
"Of
what?" he asked.
"That
you weren't coming," she said. "I still can't believe you're here.
With me. It's like a dream."
He
smiled at her. "I'm here now. For real."
"Yes.
You know, I've liked you since you started working for Chief. I tried fighting
it; the attraction. But it was no use. I couldn't fight it any longer."
"Same
here. I kept resisting, pushing you away. But," he said, lifting her head
so he could look into her eyes. "You're too beautiful to resist."
Then
his head drew even closer till his nose pressed against hers, their eyes fixed
intensely on each other...
To
be continued...
This
story was scheduled for yesterday evening but it could not be posted due to
some technical hitches. We apologise for the delay.
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