Ayoola’s eyes snapped open, rescuing him from the clutches of a vivid, erotic dream. Beads of sweat covered his body, despite the fact that the room was cold from the blasting Air Conditioning system and his heart hammered  heavily in his chest. His erection pushed against the tent of his boxers and a groan tore from his throat. 

Swearing under his breath, he rolled out of bed and went into the restroom. Sucking in his breath, he splashed cold water on his face and stared at his pale face in the mirror. He could still taste her on his tongue and felt her lush, voluptuous body under his wandering fingers. The mind-blowing kisses, their tongues twirling around each other , their moans and groans mingling. Oh God! He stared down at the wood poking his boxers, hard and aching so much he had to stroke continuously,craving a kind of relief.  

He had to stay away from her. His heart ached  from the mere thought but it had become a necessity for the sake of his sanity.  He brought this on himself and he deserved every torment he got. The universe had just taught him a lesson. He couldn’t get everything he wanted in life, no matter his persistent and doggedness. Evelyn was the kind of woman who stayed loyal in a relationship, no matter how bad it was and she wasn’t going to leave her husband for him. It was a trait he admired in her but that was also working against him. What an Irony life is!

A harsh bitter laugh escaped his dry lips and he rubbed a hand wearilly down his face. Being her instructor at the gym centre was like pouring fuel in the burning furnace. Training her body and muscles was fueling his imagination and she had become a part of his waking and sleeping hour. No minute went past without him thinking about her. She was like a drug he was fast becoming an addict to and it was doing him no good at all. It was a torture seeing her almost on daily basis, wanting her, guiding her on her weighloss journey and yet, knowing he had no right to want or need her that way. He should stay away from her. He had to stay away from her. 

His nodding erection pulled his attention from his miserable thoughts and he stood over his toilet to jerk off. Feeling a bit relieved, he took his bath, changed his dressing and went into the kitchen to make coffee. The dawn was breaking. He could as well start his day. After a few stretches, and push ups, he decided to attend an online Tech course he had abandoned. A persistent knock  snatched his attention and he got up to see who was at the door. 

“You have been avoiding me.” Kemisola was standing on his doorstep, her voice full of accusations. 

“Good morning to you too.” He forced a smile as he stepped back and watched her walk into his sitting room. She was a beautiful woman, ebony and curvy but he was simply no longer attracted to her. He had probably never been attracted to her. He closed the door after her and turned to face her, wondering if he should tell her the truth. Could she handle it? “How have you been?”

“I am not fine. I have been at your bar countless times. I called your number and you refused to return my call. What did I do to you? Have I ever offended you in any way?” There was hurt in her eyes as she stared at him and he felt like the bottom of a pot. 

“I am sorry, Kemisola. I have no excuse. Honestly, there is no excuse. Please forgive me.” He moved to take her hands in his and squeezed as he stared at her face.

“Is there someone else? Are you in a relationship with another woman? Let me know so I can move on.” Her eyes searched his face , watching for any sign at all.

A deep sigh escaped his lips and he dropped into a seat. She sat beside him and kept looking at him, expecting an answer. Should he tell her the truth? Would it make her go away? If she went away, what did he intend to do with his life? He wasn’t getting younger and he couldn’t continue waiting for Evelyn forever. Was Evelyn even aware he was attracted to her? He was such an emotional mess right now and didn’t deserve any woman.

“My emotions are so messy right now. I am not sure I can deal with the rigors of a relationship.” His voice was weary, even to himself.

“Is there a woman? Please tell me the truth, Ayo.” 

“Well, I am not in a relationship. I can answer that truthfully.” but he was in love with a woman who wasn’t available to him. 

“As long as there isn’t someone else, I can deal with that. Let’s start with friendship and see where it takes us.” A smile spread over her face as she took his left hand and placed the palm against her cheek.

Kemisola was a great woman but impatience wasn’t a virtue of hers. When she wanted something, she wanted it almost immediately. He doubted she would be willing to wait till he gets his shit together but there was no harm in trying. 

“What happened to the fine boy in your office?” She got into a relationship with a colleague after they separated and he was honestly happy for her.

“He was a fraud. He was dating two other women in the company. As an accountant/Auditor, it was with great relish that I dug into all the corporate accounts he was handling and was glad to find a few discrepancies.” A malicious smile caressed her thin lips.

“To cut the long story short, he has been fired, right?” He grinned at her.

“Yes oo. Don’t joke with women.” They both laughed.

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned! He hoped to God he wouldn’t be the one at the end of her fury when this ended. If it ended.

******

Evelyn Wright

Belema was busy , cleaning the sitting room when Evelyn came down the staircase. She stood at the base of the staircase and watched the young girl, moving slowly around as she cleaned the tiled floor. She had employed the girl out of pity when a casual acquaintance introduced her and the girl had turned around to start sleeping with her husband. Could she blame her? Wasn’t it her husband who left their matrimonial bed to go and meet her in the staff quarters. Bitterness and anger swirled in her and she took a deep, calming breath to steady herself. Either Belema or her husband didn’t deserve her emotion. Memories of the sex scene between Belema and Her husband threatened to rise in her mind but she blocked it. 

What was it about the girl that was attractive to her husband though? She was slim with a slight curve. She was a pretty girl, no doubt but nothing extraordinary. It seemed her husband had body types he was attracted to: slim girls with slight curves, so why did he marry her? They could have just had an affair and went their separate ways. It would hurt but she would have moved on by now. Was it her money? Or the fact that her father offered him a job? God! She had been so gullible. She had been so flattered by his attention that she ignored all the red flags before her.

Frowning, she stared at Belema’s tummy. Was it her imagination or did it look bigger? Fear skittered down her spine. Was she carrying Kelvin’s baby? What would she do if she was? Well, there was only one way to find out.

“Belema.” She moved into the sitting room.

“Good morning ma.” There was a tentative smile on her face as she curtseyed in greeting.

“Are you pregnant?” A shocked gasp escaped Belema’s lips as the mopping stick dropped from her hand. It was all the answer she needed and pain bloomed in the middle of her chest.

“No ma.” It was a stammer.

“Go and dress up. We are going to the diagnostic centre right now.” She sat down on the closest chair and placed her hand-bag on her lap.

“I am not pregnant ma. Please believe me” She fell to her knees, begging desperately. Tears welled up in her eyes and cascaded down her face.

“Why are you crying? Either you are pregnant or not, we will find out at the lab.” She was confused as she stared at the young girl and waited as she weeped profusely. “I am waiting.”

“Yes, I am pregnant.” It came out in a small voice.

“Oh I see,” She felt as if a knife was twisting in her wound and her hand rubbed unconsciously over her chest. “Who is the lucky father? Is it my husband?” 

Belema’s lips parted in surprise as she stared at her, then she lowered her face to the floor and her hands shook as she clasped them together, “No,ma. The baby doesn’t belong to Oga. I have been sleeping with him  for the money.”

“Oh!” She didn’t know if she should be relieved or not. What kind of sick dog was she married to? Was he even aware he was sleeping with a pregnant woman? “Does he know you are pregnant? I mean Kelvin.”

“No ma.” Her face bent lower as if she wanted to enter the floor and Evelyn had to lean forward to hear what she was saying. “Oga is only concerned about breasts and toto. He doesn’t notice anything else. He only noticed my breasts are fuller and mentioned that he loves it that way.” 

Yes, she was definitely married to a dog. How else would Kelvin be sleeping with a pregnant woman and not even noticed it? A headache began to brew in a corner of her head, “What happened to your boyfriend? Does he know you are doing this?”

“No, ma.” Tears ran down her face and she sobbed quietly. “I am a student. A part-time student. We are both students and still struggling to pay our fees. When I got pregnant for him, he was worried we won’t be able to take care of the baby and I don’t want to do abortion. My mother died when she wanted to abort my younger brother/sister. The plan was to pin it on Oga if he had noticed but otherwise, I just needed his money to take care of my baby and myself.”

Evelyn got the gist. Kelvin was the moneybag. He would sleep with the girl in exchange for the money he was spending on her. The girl was gathering the money for herself and future family. If what she witnessed was the way he slept with Belema, then it was worth all the money he was spending on her. 

“How old is your pregnancy? When will you be due?”

“Seven months ma.”

“What?” She was still working hard and servicing another man on her back with a seven month old pregnancy? “Okay. I am firing you right away.”

“Please, Madam, don’t do this to me. I need all the money I can get at this time of my life.” She held onto her feet, begging with desperation in her voice. She looked pathetic and Evelyn sighed tiredly.

‘Stop it. Get up from the floor and sit down.” Belema did slowly and that was when she noticed the strain on her face. “I will pay you off, enough to take care of you and your baby for a while but you are going to stop working for me. You need to rest and take care of yourself.”

“God bless you, madam.” Belema prayed as she rose to her knees.

An hour later, Belema left her household with her account ringing with the hefty amount Evelyn had  transferred to her and Evelyn was still sitting in the same spot, wondering what to do with her life with this dog of a man she was married to.

How many Belemas were out there that Kelvin was sleeping with? Would she keep cleaning up after him?

FINDING SOLACE is available for your reading pleasure on blog shop.

The Blurb

Araire Falade, a beautiful, wealthy, and single woman in her 40s, is trying to slow down her ticking biological clock, and her boyfriend, Bamidele, has said he will only propose if she gets pregnant. 

Seeking help, she approaches the sexy, handsome but married fertility doctor, Chibuike Azuke, and they soon become great friends. 

Glowing and pregnant, her happiness doubles or so it seems when  Bamidele finally proposes.

All hell breaks loose when Araire discovers she has been duped, not only by the man she was engaged to, but also by the man she had come to trust and love with her whole heart.

Will love find her again or she is destined to remain single and alone forever?

I am apologizing in advance. The Chapter Eleven of Hidden Desires will be posted in next two week Sundays, 06th April 2025.

Thank you for your understanding.

Don’t miss it and don’t forget to leave a comment.