Evelyn had stopped responding to his messages; neither was she picking his calls.
She hadn’t blocked him but she wasn’t reading his messages and he was worried. He should be worried about the noose Kemisola was about to tighten around his neck. If she was truly pregnant and the baby belonged to him, he wasn’t going to back down from his responsibility as a father. No, he wasn’t that kind of man. The thought of having a baby with a woman he didn’t love had his tummy in knots and his heart, heavy with sadness. He shouldn’t have toyed with what he didn’t want in the first place. The only woman he wanted to be the mother to his children was Evelyn wright. If he could just talk to her, everything would be alright in his world.
He had a terrible argument with his mother that same night Kemisola told him she was pregnant with his baby and she left his house in anger the following morning. She wanted him to stop wasting time and just settle down.
“There are so many reasons people get married and love is not always among the list. I don’t know who or what you are waiting for. This beautiful good girl is carrying your child and you are still looking for other reasons for marriage. Is it a barren one you want to settle down with?”
“Mum, I don’t know what Kemisola told you and I don’t care. If I am the father of her unborn child, I will do the needful and take care of that child along with its mother. Otherwise, no one will force me into a marriage I am not ready for.” His smile had been a bitter one.
“Ayoola, omo Faleke, if you don’t propose to that girl before the month runs out , I will disown you. What is wrong with you? Your mates have kids who are already in secondary school and you are here, making silly excuses up and down.” With a hiss, she had left for her room, slamming the door behind her.
That night, he went to spend the night in the sitting room, leaving Kemisola in the bedroom. In the morning, he left the house shortly after his mother left and went to the bar.
In the afternoon, he got a call from his longtime friend and business partner, Olayemi. The acre of land they had been pursuing to lease for their proposed Animal farming just came through and he had to be in Ogun state to seal the deal. It was the perfect excuse to get away from Lagos and his troubles.
Days later, they were still in Ogun state, meeting local farmers and potential investors. A meeting with a prominent government official took them into Abeokuta where they spent the whole day and at the end of the day had to lodge in a hotel for the night. They branched to get take-away plates of piping hot Amala and a mix of ewedu and gbegiri from a local Amala joint before branching to the hotel.
“Well, we don’t have to worry about edible food for tonight. All I need is a decent bed and mosquito- free bedroom.” Olayemi teased as he pulled up in the Car Park.
“I can’t wait to dig in. Hunger is already wiring me.” Pulling his bag of food from the Car floor, he opened the Car door , stepped out and saw her. He froze as he watched her , strolling into the hotel lobby. It was her backside but he would recognise her anywhere. What was she doing in Abeokuta? In a hotel for that matter.
The knee-length combat Ankara shorts and short-sleeve ankara t-shirt she wore with a light jacket did wonders to her powerful curves. There was a headset on her head and she was nodding her head in time to the music. She held her purse in one hand and a nylon of food in the second hand. He drank in her sight like a thirsty man and watched her disappear into the hotel lobby, before he suddenly came to life.
“Yemi, I will see you later. I saw a friend walking into the hotel and I needed to be sure she was the one. I am not crazy, I swear.” He didn’t wait for his friend to respond before he dashed after her. The security man at the lobby tried to stop him. “I need to see that lady that just entered the hotel please.” Describing her in a hurry, he squeezed some cash into his hand and the securityman gave him directions to where she disappeared into.
Dashing up the staircase, he saw her down the corridor the moment he got to the landing. She was trying to open the door with her Key when he walked up to her.
“Hello Eve.” She turned her head and the key dropped from her nerveless fingers. Her naturally pink lips formed an ‘O’ in surprise as she stared at him and all he wanted to do at that moment was to lean in and kiss her. He missed her. He missed their time together. The memory of their last time together flooded his brain , jerking his manhood and he moved into her space. “How are you?”
“I’m fine.” Lowering her voice, she bent to pick her key and opened her door. “Please don’t call me ‘Eve’. The name I register at the hotel reception is Amarachi Okeke”
“Oh really? Why? Whose name is that?” He was curious.
“It is my Igbo name and my mother’s maiden name. I don’t want to attract any attention to myself. It is a matter of time before someone recognises me. I just want to lay low and sort my life quietly. What are you doing here?” Pushing the door open, she stepped in and switched on the light. He waited at the door. “Please come in and stop being a stranger.”
“Thank you.” Grinning, he stepped in and placed his nylon of food on the table. Her scent was everywhere and she had turned the shabby hotel room into her haven with little change here and there. “My friend and I are here on a business trip. We just got acres of land for animal farming in Ifo and are gathering our resources so we can start operation as soon as possible.” She was one person he could discuss anything with.
“That is great. Congratulations, Ayo! I am super proud of you.” The smile started from her lips, spread to her eyes and her face lit up with joy. The sight of her smile brought warmth to his belly and ease the knot of gloom he had been carrying around. “You should be labelled the youngest self-made millionaire under 40.”
Dear God! He missed everything about her. The smile, her support , her presence in his life. They were both standing in the middle of the room, and his gaze roamed over her body, hungrilly. Blatantly. He was a thirsty man and she was the cool , refreshing water he couldn’t wait to taste. His heart was thudding steadily for her and the pleasure of being around her was making him giddy.
“Thank you.” Placing his palm on his chest, he inclined his head towards her with a smile. “Please don’t make a grown man blush like a young girl.”
She giggled and the sound washed over him, warming and arousing him, he shifted on his feet. “You deserve it though. What do you need? When are you guys planning to start?”
“Capital. Manpower. Suppliers. We want to start animal farming with pigs , chicken and do a bit of crop farming by the side. The waste product from the Animals will serve as manure for the Crop Farming. It is a lot. I am pretty scared, I must say.” He admitted with a cheeky grin.
“Big Dreams are always scary but not impossible.” She seemed to be moving towards him without conscious thought. “I will invest. I will call my lawyer tomorrow morning and we can sort out the Capital issue so you can focus on other things. What do you think?” Stopping a few feet from him, she tilted her head to the side and gave him a curious look.
What did he think? His Eve. His kind Eve who would always put other people’s comfort before her own. She deserved the best, nothing but the best and he wouldn’t hesitate to give it to her if he had the opportunity. “I say thank you. Olayemi will be delighted.”
“What about you?” Her smile dimmed a bit and her shoulder began to droop. “Do you feel insulted that I threw my money in your face? I am sorry if it…”
“Stop it.” His voice was firm as he covered the distance between them and shook her lightly. She flinched slightly and it made him more angry. “Stop doing this to yourself. I am a businessman, Eve and I will never reject your offer because I need the Capital but you will get returns for your invested capital. I assure you of that.”
“I know. You are a great businessman. I am not scared about losing my money.” Her eyes searched his eyes, then lowered to his finger and he wondered what she was looking for. “The last time we saw each other, I threw myself at you. So I thought maybe …you think I am cheap and only trying to buy you with my money.” Her voice trailed off as she lowered her gaze.
“Oh Eve!” Pulling her into his arms, he enfolded her and simply held her until the rigidity in her body melted away and her arms went around him. “There is something I need to get out of the way.” Raising her chin, he gazed into her eyes as he lowered his head, giving her enough chance to move away and kissing her when she didn’t.
Their sighs of contentment mingled and he deepened the kiss. A moan escaped her lips and he squeezed her closer. Breaking the kiss, he angled his head and took her mouth again, his tongue in constant duel with her own and they strained against each other. The kiss went on and on while his hands roamed over her curves, teasing, touching , squeezing until she couldn’t take it any longer.
“Make love to me, Ayo,please.” Her voice was hoarse when she broke the kiss and whispered into his ears. The message went straight to his groin and his dick pushed against her lower belly. She pushed back, grinding slowly against the bulge and a groan escaped his lips. Her hands slid down his back and she squeezed his butt.
“Stop, Eve. I am going crazy here.” Snatching her hand, he held it away from his body. “Look at me. Open your eyes and look at me.” She did with eyes that had darkened with desire. “I am going to make love slowly to every inch of your gorgeous body, starting from your luscious lips, to those big nipples waiting to be touched and that river of sweetness between your laps.” Her lips parted in a moan and the nipples made an imprint through the t-shirt. He bent and bit it and she yelped in surprised pleasure. “And you are not going to run away in the morning the way you did the last time.”
“I am sorry.” Covering her face in shame, she peeped through her fingers. “Please forgive me.”
Bending his knees, he lifted her into his arms, eliciting a surprise yelp from her, and rubbed her lips apart with his own as he dropped her in the bed and settled between her laps. It was time to thoroughly worship her lips and the rest of her goddess body with his own.
He would gladly do this and more for her for the rest of his life. If only the universe would smile at him and grant his deepest wish and desire.
Finding Solace is available for your reading pleasure on the 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?
The Chapter Eighteen of Hidden Desires will be posted next week Sunday, 01st June.
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