A SMALL WORLD - SEASON TWO

Copyright © Ufuomaee

EPISODE EIGHT

Tolu was enjoying a quiet day at home, alone on a Sunday afternoon. She’d just warmed up her lunch and was about to get cosy on the sofa to a nice feel-good movie. Yesterday had been wonderful. After her lunch with Danny, they’d strolled around the mall and gotten a few nice things. They later watched a movie together at the cinema. She smiled at the memory, her heart warming at the thought of her fiancé.

She wanted to call him to know how his day was going when her phone rang. Tolu sighed when she saw who was calling. “God, give me grace,” she prayed aloud.

“Hello.”

“Hey… How are you?”

“I’m good. Just enjoying my Sunday. How are you?”

“I’m good too. I’m outside.”

“You’re what?” Tolu stood up hastily to go to the window. She opened the curtains, and surely, Femi was parked outside her flat, leaning on his blue Lexus IS 350. “How did you find me?”

“Where there’s a will, there’s a way… Can I come in?”

“No way! Femi… This is silly. Can’t you just get the message already?”

“Not when the message is "no.” Come and take a ride with me…”

“You’re insane! Stop calling me!” With that, she hung up the line.

The next thing she heard was her doorbell going off. Oooohh, this man is so annoying! She could feel herself losing her cool already. She took deep breaths, slid on her slippers, and went to the door. At the door, she pushed him back before stepping outside, afraid that he might try to enter her apartment.

“What do you want from me?” she demanded, trying to control her rising temper.

“I want to spend the rest of my life with you…” he said coolly.

“As your prisoner?!”

A smile tugged at his lips. “As my wife… Say 'yes.'”

“If you think this is romantic, you are deluded! I’m already engaged…to a man I love. You’re too late, Femi. Please, stop this.”

“Does he kiss you like I do?” Femi asked, unmoved.

Tolu was flushed. She couldn’t answer the question because she still hadn’t kissed Danny. “It’s been years, Fe…”

Before she could complete her sentence, Femi took her in his arms and captured her mouth in his. Instinctively, her lips parted, and his tongue dived in. His mouth was as soft as she remembered it, and his kiss, so sweet. As he kissed her, he groped her left breast gently through her t-shirt, causing her nipples to become taut. Tolu forced herself to push him away.

“You’re an asshole, Femi! A real jerk. Leave me alone.” She quickly retreated into her flat and shut and bolted the door.

Leaning against the door, she breathed heavily. What had just happened? Her heart was pounding wildly in her chest and her lips quivered from both passion and anger. She could still feel his mouth on hers, even though he was on the other side of the door. She’d forgotten that he was such a good kisser. What was she going to do?

***

“Mehn… You know, I still can’t believe Jenny was trying to pin her chlamydia on me.”

“You’re just one chick away from getting it yourself. You need to slow your roll, bro.”

“I am always strapped. I don’t play around, mehn. Especially after that scare!”

“Well… Don’t count on me to get you out of the ditch again. I’m serious! I may not be as popular as you, but people know me, you know? I also have a reputation to protect.”

“Hmmm…” Samson smiled, knowing his brother well enough not to be bothered by his threat.

“I’m serious, Samson. No more! I was just glad I didn’t have to lie that time.”

Samson burst out laughing remembering how Samuel had described the incident to him.

“You have chlamydia? Girl, you didn’t get that from me,” he had replied.

“Who else would I have gotten it from?”

“Beats me, but it wasn’t me. I’m squeaky clean.”

“How do you even know? You haven’t even been tested,” she’d replied, infuriated by his denial.

“Let’s just say, I know. But if you really want, I can provide you with test results tomorrow.” Jennifer had just stared at him, dumbfounded. “So, since you didn’t get it from me…this is goodbye!” Then he had shut the door in her face.

“Oh, Jesus! What I would have given to see her face at that moment,” Samson chuckled.

“Look, you can do whatever you want to do… But, please don’t use the Lord’s name in vain!” Samuel rebuked, and Samson calmed down.

“Sorry, bro,” Samson said, still giggling quietly.

Samuel couldn’t help but giggle as he thought about how funny the situation was. They were even more relieved when they discovered that Samson was actually clean. So, the mystery remained on how Jenny got chlamydia.

***

Ijeoma was thrilled, dressed in a teal and cocoa cocktail dress that she hadn’t worn in ages. She looked and felt like Julia Roberts from Pretty Woman. Chuka was finally taking her out to an expensive place for dinner, as they were celebrating his new job at Solomon Investment Bank. As she had expected, he had excelled in his interview, and they had hired him on the spot. She was so proud of him.

She hadn’t known where he was going to take her and had been hopeful that they would dine in one of the big hotels in Victoria Island that had exquisite dining services. She was not disappointed. He had taken her to the new five-star Intercontinental Hotel & Resorts. She had been longing to go there since she first learnt of it.

“You look beautiful, Ijay,” Chuka said, admiring his wife as they walked into the restaurant together. She was a vision. Wealth suited her well, he thought. And no one would ever guess that she had ever had a child, not to mention three!

“Thank you. And you are very dashing, my prince,” she beamed at him.

They took their seats, and the waiters brought their menus. Ijeoma looked around at the rich and tastefully decorated hall, admiring every intricate detail of the design. She especially loved the ceiling to floor windows, which served a great view of the vibrant business district.

Her gaze returned to Chuka, when she had finished taking in her surroundings. He was on his mobile phone. She placed her hand on his, and he lifted his head from his phone with a sheepish smile.

“Sorry, bad habit.”

Ijeoma returned his smile. “How about we take a selfie for the road?”

She brought out her phone, and they brought their heads together and snapped a happy picture. Afterwards, Chuka stole a kiss, and Ijeoma giggled.

A basket of hot buns and a complimentary bottle of wine were placed on their table, with two glasses. Chuka did the honours of serving them both.

“What do you think of the place?” he asked as he brought his glass of wine to his lips to taste.

“Oh, I love it! I’m so glad you brought me here. I hope their food is as good as the environment.”

“Yeah…me too. But I’ve heard some good reviews. I’ve really wanted to take you to a place like this since we got married. I’m glad I finally can. And I’m really looking forward to when we can take our first international trip together. You really deserve the holiday.”

“And you do too. I’m so proud of you, baby. To greater heights,” Ijeoma raised her glass in a toast.

“To greater heights and deeper love!” Chuka replied, beaming at his wife. The joy on her face as their glasses clinked was worth every naira in his bank account.

After their lovely three-course meal at the hotel, they were so full, they decided to take a tour of the grounds to recover from their feast. They eventually made it home at 10:30 pm that Sunday night. The kids were already in bed, and everywhere was dark and quiet.

Ijeoma was about to head to the bedroom to change out of her clothes when Chuka tugged at her arm and pulled her to sit on top of him on their sofa. She giggled quietly.

His hands were swift as he groped her breasts and caressed her flat stomach through the satin fabric of her dress. She smiled brilliantly, knowing exactly what he had in mind to do. She loved his spontaneity and instantly kicked off her shoes. Without saying a word, she brought her lips down to his and received his kiss.

***

Promise was in her office going through the receipts submitted by Cindy as part of her management report of the kitchen and supplies. She’d asked Cindy to report directly to her for the first three months because she wanted to monitor her closely. So far, it was all looking good and thorough. Things were adding up, and she was beginning to like the lady. She was efficient, diligent, and humble, just as Ope said she would be.

Cindy had been with them for about a month now, and Promise was already feeling like she could trust her to handle things in her absence. Having Cindy around allowed her more time to address other pressing issues with running such an establishment like a hotel, and of course, more time for herself too. She smiled as she put away the receipts to forward to the accountant.

There was a knock on the door. Promise looked up as she said, “Come in.”

The door opened, and the man she had seen talking to her husband some weeks back, strolled in. A chill ran down her spine as she was gripped with fear. So many feelings rushed through her as she began to chide herself for not telling Ope about her relationship with the man sooner. What was he going to do?

Richard gave a weird, low chuckle, with his mouth sealed, as he looked about the room. “So, you’re somebody’s wife?”

Promise felt stuck. There was only one way out of the room, and he was blocking it. If there had been a panic button, she would have pressed it by now. She looked at her phone, wondering if she should just call her husband.

She swallowed. “You’re not welcome here. Please leave before I call the police.”

“Go ahead,” Richard dared her. “I wonder what you’re going to tell them… Have you gathered the courage to tell your husband about me yet?”

“He knows more than you know. He knows who I was and who I am. You can’t intimidate me. For the last time, leave my hotel right now!”

“Believe me, I’m not trying to intimidate you. Only trying to understand why a good and brilliant man like Ope would be beguiled by the likes of you.”

“People change. I am not that person anymore…”

“Oh, well, you’re set, aren’t you? It has always been about the money with you, hasn’t it?”

Promise took in a deep breath and tried to still her shaking hands. “I love Ope. He means everything to me. You may never understand, and I really don’t care. Do what you like, but leave my office right now!”

“Do what I like…? Are you sure about that?”

Promise swallowed. He was standing by her desk now, towering over her. God, what do I do?

Richard reached out to grab her face, but there came another knock on the door. He quickly withdrew his hand as Promise said, “Come in.”

Cindy walked in and sensed the tension in the room. “Should I come back?”

“No, please. Richard was just leaving. Thanks for stopping by,” she said, standing up and looking at him pointedly.

“Anytime… I’ll see you later. Maybe, I might even book a room,” he said, smiling mischievously.

Another cold chill ran down Promise’s back, but she tried her best to retain the smile on her face. She swallowed when he had shut the door behind himself. She leaned on the table as she took her seat again, trying to regain her composure.

Cindy presented the document in her hand. “I just wanted you to look over the new menu we discussed.” Her boss looked haunted, and she wondered what the relationship was between her and that man.

To be continued...

Photo credit: www.canva.com

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