It was saturday. 

She and Ayoola had a wedding to attend. It was a colleague’s wedding and she had invited him to it. It was with great reluctance that he accepted after coming up with several excuses. He didn’t know it yet but their wedding was going to be the next and she would do anything to make it a reality. There was another woman in his life but for whatever reason he wasn’t pursuing that relationship and she had no intention of giving him the space to do so.

With her make-up on fleek and the beautifully styled lace attire moulding her curves to perfection, she had arrived early and he came to open the door for her. 

“Hey, babe. I am in a meeting. Will soon be done.” With a side hug and an absent peck on her cheek, he went back to his meeting which he had set up at the dining area. Her eyes followed him hungrily.

He was a fine man. His shaved head was a contrast to his arms and  legs, covered with fine hair. The white round neck he wore hugged his wide chest like second skin, covering the upper part of a dragon tattoo on his arms and the grey joggers he wore rode low on his bum, highlighting his firm buttocks, making her mouth watered. She wanted this man and by God, she would have him.

The ringing tone, ‘More Than A Woman’ by Aliyah, blasted from his phone, snatching her attention away from him. The phone lay on the sofa, a few feet away from her and she moved to take a close look at the screen. Why did he use a different tone for the caller? She had heard his phone ring before and this wasn’t his ringing tone. The face of the caller  flashed severally on the phone screen as the call rang out and something about the face picked her interest. She looked familiar. The Contact name was just ‘Eve’. Nothing behind or at the front of the name. Who was she? Was she her unknown rival? His love interest? His ex? If she was calling now, it meant they were still in contact with each other. 

As she picked up the phone, it fell into the crack between the sofas and she winced as she dropped her wedding clutch bag. Glancing towards the dining area to be sure he was still occupied, she dipped her manicured hands into the space and came up with a soft material, instead of the phone. Frowning, she held up the material with both hands and her jaw dropped in shock. It was a woman’s panties, and the seat was dried with semen. Was he cheating on her?

Well, he hadn’t asked her out technically. As far as he was concerned, they were just friends and she had no right to question him about his women. Oh! This hurt. He was sleeping with another woman while she was waiting for him to make a move on her. Men were nothing but scum of the earth. Tears filled her eyes and she quickly dapped her eyes so her make-up wouldn’t run.  

She was done waiting and wouldn’t give her, whoever she was, a chance to come and steal her man. Time to up the game. She dropped the panties in the space and picked up the phone.

“Hey. So sorry to keep you waiting. I am ready.” Ayoola was grinning as he came into the sitting room, clad in short Agbada and trousers with a native Cap balanced on his head. He looked dashing. The grin disappeared when he saw her face. “Are you alright?”

“I am fine.” She got to her feet, trying to smile but the smile was wobbly at the edges. “You look handsome.”

“Thank you. You are not looking bad at all.” His eyes flickered down her tall, curvy figure and lit briefly with admiration before coming back to her face. “Did something happen when I was in the virtual meeting?”

Taking a deep breath, she bent, retrieved the discarded panties with a tip of her fingers and waved it in front of his face, then dropped it back. His eyes widened in shock or surprise, she couldn’t tell. “Who owns this? Are you cheating on me?” Her voice shook with restrained anger and pain.

“Are we dating? Do I really owe you an explanation about the women in my life?” His voice was detached and too cold for her liking.

Taking deep, several breaths to calm herself, she reminded herself she didn’t want to chase him away. Ayoola was a stubborn and disciplined man and using an accusatory tone on him would take her nowhere. “Ayo, I want you. You know I do. I want us to be more than friends. I asked and you told me you aren’t dating someone else. Am I trespassing on someone else’s properties?” Tears filled her eyes. That was the only tool that could work on Ayoola and it was time to use it well.

“No. Yes.” He turned away, paced and came back to her. “Please don’t cry. It is complicated. I am so confused right now. Is this the kind of man you want, a messed up one?”

“I want you the way you are. Let me love you and heal you. Let me be your comfort and your home please.”Moving closer to him, she slid her arms around him and settled her head on his chest. His heart was thudding powerfully beneath her head and she willed it to beat for her.

“Oh Kemisola. I really wish you understand what I am going through right now.” He settled his head on hers, sighing heavily.

“Please let me be your haven.” Taking a step back, she rose on her heels and brushed her lips lightly over his cool, firm lips. He sighed heavily.

“Can we discuss this later please? We are already running late.” He glanced at his wrist-watch. “Give me a moment. Let me get my scent. We need to smell good.” He was grinning as he left the room in a hurry. She laughed with him.

The moment he was out of sight, she retrieved the panties, wrapped it with a tissue and dropped it in her clutch bag. 

She would find out who Eve was and confirmed if  she was the owner of the discarded panties. No one messed with her man and went scot free.

*****

Dinner was ready and the table was set when Evelyn got home from work. The new chef she hired, Efosa, was placing bowls of steaming Edikaikong and yellow gari on the table while her husband, kelvin ,stood by, supervising the setting.

Evelyn was not ready to take chances by hiring a female help and she had started using cleaning services for the house chores. The fewer help she had, especially the female ones, the better. She loved her peace of mind. She wasn’t sure if that was the solution to her philandering husband’s addiction but it was better to be safe than sorry.

It seemed her husband was changing for good but she couldn’t bring herself to share the bed with him. He wanted to touch her. No, he was eager to make love to her. She could see it in his eyes but she couldn’t stand his touch. Ayoola was out of town on a business trip to the east but he kept in regular contact with her. Now, she had saved his number with a random name so her husband wouldn’t be suspicious. He gave her a reason to wake up and go to bed everyday. She was drowning in guilt but he was like a drug in her system and she was getting addicted.

In the past few days, she had found an excuse to go to the guest room at bed-time, locked herself in and went to sleep. Trying to make the marriage work was proving more difficult than she envisaged. Her husband was doing a better Job than she was. She was in trouble and she knew it. 

“Hey, love.” He came over to kiss her on the cheek and led her to the table. “How was your day?”

“It was fine.” The aroma from the steaming soup wafted into her nose and her mouth watered. “Well done, Efosa. The soup smells great. I am sure it will taste great too.”

“Thank you ma.” The chef preened with pride, and left after he finished setting the table.

She dished her food and dished Kelvin’s food too while they made small talk. 

“How is your clothing line business?” Kelvin swallowed a morsel of gari, coated in vegetables as he glanced at her.

“It is going fine. We just won a contract to design costumes for a Nollywood movie that is about to be released on Netflix.” She was still in awe. She couldn’t believe her ears when the producer reached out to her until she and Tiaraoluwa signed on the dotted line. Ayoola was the first person she called after the contract came through and he sent her a bunch of Roses to congratulate her. He promised to celebrate with her when he returned to town.  

“Wow. That is a great one. Congratulations.” He grinned at her.

“Thank you.” Blushing, she continued eating. “How is work doing?” 

“It is going fine. This calls for celebration and we will celebrate.” 

“Thank you.” Dipping her head shyly, she paused as a wave of dizziness hit her. “Please pass me the water.”

“Are you alright?” He poured cold water into a glass cup and passed it to her. 

“I am fine.” Croaking out, she gulped the water and felt a bit better. She continued eating but after a while, her limbs and muscles felt like lead and there was a hollow feeling in her tummy.

“Are you alright?” Kelvin’s voice floated to her in the distance.

As soon as she got to her feet, she swayed heavily and everything went blank. When she woke up the following morning, her privates including her vagina and bum were on fire, there were love bites all over her boobs and inner thighs, every joint  in her body felt as if they just went through a rigorous muscle training. She had been brutally raped. Yet, she couldn’t remember a thing about the whole ordeal. 

Finding Solace is available on the blog shop for your reading pleasure.

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?

Please accept my sincere apologies for not posting last week Sunday as promised. It was circumstances beyond my control.

Chapter Fifteen of Hidden Desires will be posted next week Sunday, 11th May.

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

Thank you!