CHAPTER FIVE

There was a short fine roar that came from the car engine just before it was switched off. Shola stepped out of her slick Mercedes as she just arrived home. The sitting room was neat and well organised. It was quiet, too quiet, but the clicking sounds of her high heels were loud enough to break the silence of the sitting room.

"Jumie." Her beautiful high pitched voice run across the house.

"Jumie?!" she called again. Her voice echoed, bouncing off the walls, begging for a response. There was none.

She wondered where her dad or Jumie could have gone. The house was usually empty but never this much.

"Oh." She remembered. Daddy had already left for Abuja for a meeting.

Mr. Joel was extremely busy and only managed to make up time for his daughter every once in a while. At the beginning of every month, he would take a routine check on all his investments. Even though he had people in charge of that, he always made sure he did some himself just to be sure.

Once again it was just her at home, lonely, again. She was reminded of her emptiness. Jumie might have been able to help her forget. But where was she?

Should she call Samuel?

Not a chance.

After bailing out on him and not talking to him for so long, Samuel probably wouldn't want anything to do with her again. She only had work now to keep her company. She pulled out her tab on her way up to her room.

Sitting in her room, she had her back crooked, eyes stuck to her computer and ready to work. After a couple of hours she was beat, her neck sore, fingers in need of rest and her eyes had probably gotten all red. Now she would definitely sleep instantly without any thoughts running through her mind first.

"ahh." A sigh of relief as she laid on her soft bed. Her body sunk deep into the mattress, lying flat on her stomach with her eyes closed. She was tired, still she couldn't sleep. Her soul yearned for something.

What's this feeling?

She turned

She tossed

She rolled

Her shoulder begun to ache after lying on it for too long, forcing her to lie on her stomach again. After all it was her preferred position. Her neck pain morphed into a head ache. Everything was a mess and now sleep wouldn't come. It's been the same thing for two weeks.

There was a sudden sound from the living room.

Who is it?

Before she could get up and check, she felt a weight pressing against her back. She tried to move but was locked between his strong thighs. Her breath became fast but it was weak.

He swept her hair from the back of her neck, licking her neck gently. The feeling was forced but it was pleasant.

Should she struggle?

Her nose flared up as his scent got even clearer to her.

I recognise this scent... is it...?

No she couldn't tell, she was too weak to turn and see who it was either.

His hand rubbed on her back, down to her waist and even lower. Massaging her lower back gently. Not that she needed any massaging, but the sensation was strong and pleasant that she felt a constriction in her genital. He grabbed on to her pant, pulling it down slowly.

"What are you...?" unable to complete as she was more aroused by soft touches his lips laid on her neck.

"oh!" She moaned softly

A soft touch on her clit came afterwards, sending shock waves all over her body, even more to her brain.

The sensation got even stronger and more pleasant as he rubbed more on her clit.

What is this?

It was nice, strong and sticky. A skin to skin touch. This was the first time a man was this close to her.

No don't! She began to feel an input.

Then with a sudden gasp she jerked up "Samuel don't!!"

It was just a dream. Whether it was a good one or not, she couldn't decide. At least she got to sleep even if it was for a few hours. A brief look at the time made her realise she needed to take a quick shower and go to work.

It's been over two weeks since the incident with Samuel but Shola couldn't seem to forget. Talk less forgive herself. She constantly had weird dreams since then - none as extreme as this one. Thoughts of shame drowned her so much that she couldn't even picture herself talking to him.

What would he think of me, a slut?

What if he takes advantage of my weakness?

He won't.

She had all her life been wary of men and how deceitful and dirty they could be. After going so far, it would be terrible if she lost her footing.

Hundreds of droplets of water rained on her as she stood under the shower washing herself. She was going to forget the dream and forget what happened.

It was only about the fourth time she told herself that.

First she had to get to the office quickly if she wasn't to get into any trouble with her bosses.

***

Shola wasn't the only one running late for work. Mrs. Akande was busy preparing breakfast for Samuel. He hadn't been eating very well for the past two weeks and Mrs. Akande was beginning to get worried, but she had a plan.

Maybe cooking his favorite set of meals everyday will bring back his appetite.

First on the list was breakfast. Standing at Samuel's door, Mrs. Akande knocked, holding his breakfast in her hand.

Unsurprisingly he was awake already "Come in." He called, sitting at his desk reading a book.

"Good morning dear." Mrs. Ankande took gentle steps into the room. "I brought your favorite breakfast." Trying to draw out his excitement.

Her attempt wasn't enough "Thank you ma but I am not hungry." His eyes remained fixed at his book.

"What is the matter Samuel?" She decided to be direct with him. "You have been like this for too long and I am getting worried." She placed her hand on his shoulder to gain his attention

"Nothing is..." His denial was cut short

"Samuel I am your mother." Mrs. Akande sat on the desk "I know something is wrong with you. Tell me." Eager to know.

I can't tell her.

He stuck to denial "Really mom, I am fine." Wearing a fake smile, in attempt to fool his mum.

Mrs. Akande wasn't buying it "Remember what you always did when your dad scolded you?" Bringing up his past

"Mooom!!"

"You'd come up to your room and start reading novels all day." She placed her palm beneath his chin and raised his gaze at her "Do you remember what you said when I asked about it?" She asked wearing a knowing smile.

"I said I did it to forget what happened." Grinding his teeth.

Getting of the desk, Mrs. Akande pushed his breakfast towards him "I know something is bothering you and you don't want to talk about it. But you need to know you can talk to me about anything." A gentle smile drew across her face.

She left Samuel to his thoughts, sitting at the desk as she made her way to the door.

After a brief period of acquiescence, Samuel turned his chair around "Mom?" Calling her attention "Thank you."

"You don't need to thank your mom. This is why we are here." Mrs. Akande stood, holding the door knob. "Eat your breakfast. You need it." His mom added just before leaving the room.

For the first time in two weeks, Samuel felt a little relief. Even though he hadn't told his mother anything about what had happened or why he was so down, knowing that he had someone to back him made him feel a little better. For the first time in a while it felt like he knew what to do next.

He drew the food closer to him with a sinister smile, ready to jump into the meal like a pilfering barbarian.

What was I thinking saying no to this?!

***

"I must say, that was a very good presentation Shola." Mrs. Akande and Shola walked out of the conference room.

"Thank you ma."

"Shola..." Mrs. Akande threw her a curious look "you don't look so good."

"Uh?" Shola exclaimed

Oh no! I have tried so hard to hide it at work, I hope Mrs. Akande doesn't figure.

"Your eyes are like you haven't been sleeping well." Mrs. Akande's curiosity grew even stronger.

Shit! What do I do now?

Shola had to come up with something fast and she knew it "Ummm... Mosquitoes." Lying was never her strongest trait.

With a crease between her brows, Mrs. Akande retorted "Mosquitoes? I don't believe that Shola."

Of course! With how empty her house was, even mosquitoes would be absent.

Shola was never the kind to discuss her problems with anyone, especially not at work. She always tried to stay happy at work and show people her perfect life, she was definitely not ready to tell anyone about what happened between her and Samuel, most especially not Mrs. Akande. This wasn't how Shola wanted Mrs. Akande to know about her and Samuel.

With a sigh of concession Shola decided to tell the truth "Mrs. Akande there is something I need to tell you" She looked up at Mrs. Akande with a deep breath "I and Sa..."

"Mrs. Akande!!!" A call from the general manager cut Shola short.

"I am sorry, I will be back." Mrs. Akande quickly attended to the call, leaving Shola alone.

Phew! Saved.

Shola returned to her desk to continue her work. It was already closing hours, but unlike others at work, Shola was still busy working.

"What is she always working on self?" Some wondered.

As always, she had her eyes fixated at her screen and her right hand wrapped around the mouse. After a few clicks and drags and a couple of sharp movements with her eyes. There was a humming sound from her phone as she received a message but she didn't check, she remained focused on her work.

About an hour passed and it was finally time to relax a little, the cool breeze from the rainy night seeped into her lungs as Shola took gentle breaths. Everyone else had left for their houses except Mrs. Akande who sat adjacent to Shola's table, the usual duo.

Shola leaned her back on the chair, stretching her hands out releasing a loud screeching sound.

"Ahh." She picked up her phone with a sigh of relief. Her eyes dilated as she read the message on her phone "No!!!" She jumped out of her chair and with a sudden burst, started sprinting out without even wearing her shoes.

"Shola what is it?!" Mrs. Akande Stood up worried but got no response. "Ah! Kilode?!" She was left baffled by what occurred.

Despite the heavy rain outside, Shola didn't even think of taking her car. She burst out of the runway of the office, without an umbrella, without her car and even without her shoes. She could have easily been mistaken for a mad woman roaming the rainy night. Details of the message began to reflect in her memory as she run in the rain.

Shola, the moment I saw you there was a certain feeling I had and till now I feel the same thing. I got curious about you and at a point it felt like you were giving me the chance to explore those curiosities. For a brief period I felt joy. No, I felt love, even if it was only for a day. I wish to pursue that feeling, but surely only if you feel likewise. It might seem sudden and ridiculous but I find myself falling for you. Your office should have closed by now. I will wait for you at Café Noir, please lets talk. I will be there for an hour and if you don't come it could only mean one thing. So I will let you be and you will never see or hear from me again.

Shola sprinted desperately to Café Noir hoping to still meet Samuel there. The rain blurred her visibility as heavy drops of water slapped her face and some into her eyes, but she was determined to get to the destination in time.

What did he mean by "you will never see me again"? Surely he wasn't planning to kill himself, was he?

The more Shola thought about it, the more scared she would get. She was scared to see him but she wasn't ready to lose him, especially not in this manner. She got to the shop but was too late, it was already closed. Luckily for her a waitress there was just leaving.

"Excuse me?" Shola rushed up to her "please I am looking for a guy wearing a tank top abou..." the lady cut her short

"Yes he left a few minutes ago. He went that way." Pointing down the walk way. Not allowing Shola get too close to her.

"Thank you!" Shola rushed off instantly

"Ahan! Nawa oo." The waitress was left slapping her palms together, perplexed by Shola's state. Another story for her to narrate when she got home, probably.

After a while of running around aimlessly, Shola's search seemed to have finally come to an end. Standing before her was a figure beneath a street lamp. A silhouette looking like that of a man, it just stood there with it's head down. Drenched by the rain but careless of the fact. It looked sad, tired and uninterested in anything.

Shola took gentle steps towards it, hoping to see clearly who it was. It was no use.

"Samuel?" Her shivering voice called out. Evidence of the cold

The figured raised it's head in response of the call "Shola?" It was Samuel

It's him!

Shola dashed at him, attacking him with a strong embrace and tears gushing out of her eyes "What are you doing, don't you know you will catch a cold" still worried about his health

Samuel squeezed her back, as tears slowly rolled down his eyes too "And you? Where are your shoes?" Placing his chin on her head as her head laid on his chest.

"Samuel I am sorry. I don't know what was wrong with me. I shouldn't have..."

"Shhh... stop." Samuel cut her short, pressing his finger against her lips. "All that matters is that you here with me." He gently stroke her lip with his thumb.

Unable to hold it anymore, Shola asked, "Samuel. Did you mean what you wrote in the message?" Gawking at him, hoping for a positive response.

"Yes! And I don't want to ever be away from you again." Samuel responded, grabbing her waist and pulling her even closer to him. "I love you Shola!"

Her anxiousness suddenly turned into relief and joy. Her blush was so obvious that if she was white, her face would probably have been all red. The dilution of her pupils were more than enough for Samuel to understand how she felt about him even though she was stunned by his response.

He rubbed her cheek with his index finger, holding on to her waist with his other hand. Lowering his gaze to her luscious lips, he could only think of one thing next as his face drew even closer to hers.

Shola could feel her heart racing faster by the second as well as his. The rain poured continually, flooding her eyes with water and reducing her vision. But she didn't need it, she could tell how close he had gotten to her. She knew what he wanted and she wanted it too.

Please kiss me!

Her demeanor begged for it, her lips puckered a little underscoring her hunger for it. And she got it!

Samuel lowered his head and pressed his lips against hers, launching a direct assault without hesitation. Her lips were soft, deliciously soft.

Shola was suddenly hesitant from his aggression, but not for long. He used his tongue to tempt her mouth open. He wanted to taste her, every bit of her, to feel that tongue of hers. And she gave in rather quickly, separating her lips and allowing him to come in, and he didn't hesitate going in greedily. He swept his tongue in, caressing hers. Her lips, her tongue, her taste, all of it was so delicious. A mix of her saliva, sweat and rain all together, he tasted it all. She was sweet, far more than he had expected.

Shola would back down no more, she let loose her tongue, held on to his arms tightly, allowing his masculine body to rub hers. She loved it.

Her soft breasts were crushed against his chest as he run one hand over her body and the other sqeezing her cute ass. Instead of her wetness, he felt her body heat on him.

Shola never felt like this before, the squeeze, the kiss, the heat, it was all so sensual that electric flashes sent down her loins caused her to have a constriction for real this time.

The kiss lasted a few seconds before a sudden thunder clap interrupted them. They both smiled at each other, the rain washing them none stop.

"How about we get out of the rain?" Shola suggested

"Yh." Samuel agreed.

The night had ended, they had to head home but they were both happy. And Samuel hoped things would only get better from now.