False Pretenses 24

Kite was distracted. Too many things were happening at the moment, her weekend had been shitty, starting with the kiss she’d shared with Williams on to the fight with Lucky and Di and then there was the issue of Princess and the next stunt she might pull, to crown it all up, there was Izu who was beginning to ask when they would hit the sheets again. She wasn’t sure if moving in with him had been such a good idea, being under the same roof like they were was going to make it harder for them stick to her rule of no sex yet. So far, he’d been okay with it but she suspected it wouldn’t last for too long .

She couldn’t exactly put a finger on why she wanted them to hold off from sex for a while, maybe she wanted to regain her trust in him, that he wouldn’t up and leave her again without a word again. He’d promised her that it was never happening again and she wanted to believe him but a part of her was still holding back from giving in to him totally. Aside from that, she seemed not as drawn to him as she used to be, Izu was a fine specimen of a man and she used to be madly attracted to him but somehow the spark had kind of fizzled her and she didn’t know why, was it also because of the six months apart? Kissing him used to be so much more exciting than it was these days, she wasn’t so much into his kiss or his touch. Saturday evening they’d made out a bit in his apartment but she’d found her mind drifting to her dark skinned, pink lipped boss whom she’d shared a kiss with.

Over the weekend, the kiss had constantly kept coming back to haunt her thoughts. From the first moment his lips had met hers, she’d wanted it, she’d wanted him. Her heart beat had quickened and she’d held on to his arms for fear that he knees would buckle. It had taken her all to break it off, she hadn’t want to but she’d found the strength to pull away from him. How could she be with someone but be craving kisses from someone else? Craving to be held by him and for him to know her intimately.

She shook herself, what was she thinking? She had to push those fantasies away, Izu was the one for her, they were just going through a rough patch at the moment, it would smoothen out eventually.

She wasn’t so sure about her friends though, Lucky had been really angry with her and Diamond had been quiet but Kite knew she also wasn’t happy with her at hearing her news. They were her friends, why didn’t they just support her? What were friends for after all if not for support? She hated fighting with them, they were wonderful friends but they’d given her no choice. They’d made her choose between them or Izu and who else could she choose but the person who she was in love with? She really hoped Izu wouldn’t make her regret her decision, there was nothing she hated than ‘I told you so’ from her friends.

She looked up as Princess walked out of Ise’s office. Their eyes met for a second as she walked out to the reception. Princess had been giving her some werd eyes all morning.

Kite recalled that morning when Princess had come into the office and seen her behind her desk. Since the query she’d begun arriving before 8 a. m so that wasn’t what had made Princess do a double take. Kite suspected she’d not expected her to be there, maybe she’d thought she’d be fired for what had happened on Friday. Too bad for her that her plans hadn’t worked. Kite had been tempted to confront her but she knew that would be a huge mistake, she would just let it slide for now until she had a chance to pay her back in kind.

Princess came back into the room and took her seat behind her desk, Kite decided it was time to get her head into her work but that didn’t happen. Just as she was about to go back to work, a lady walked in and Kite couldn’t help but stare at her spell bound, even Princess stopped what she’d been doing and looked up at her.

Eneze, the receptionist was with her, she led her to Princess’s desk “ Princess, this is Dr. Sholanke, the one Mr. Williams is expecting.”

“Alright, thanks Ene.” Princess said dismissing the receptionist, if Princess thought the lady looked sensational she didn’t show it, she was a real professional at hiding her feelings. Kite on the other hand was ogling shamelessly. The woman was a Kim Kardarshian look alike, such beautiful olive skin, long natural tresses that was more beautiful than the most expensive weave. Stylishly dressed and with an air of importance.

Was she a client or a friend of Williams’s, she wondered.

Kite stared at her until she was behind Mr. Williams’s door, the spell was finally broken. ‘Wow’ She thought, some women fine sha. Those were the types that mingled with billionaires like Williams, not a Warri brought up local champion like her. Kite knew she was hot but the lady who had just gone in flogged her especially as she had the class and money to back up her looks.

Her intercom rang and she picked it up immediately, forcing herself to get back in touch with reality.

“Miss Omoh speaking,” She said.

“Yeah, Miss Omoh, this is Zainab from admin, please could you come down whenever you are free? Your car has just arrived and we need you to sign some things down here.”

Kite frowned “Please come again.” She wasn’t sure she’d heard right, she wasn’t expecting a car.

“ I said your car has arrived and we need you to…”

“My car?” She asked “ I wasn’t …expecting any car.”

“ Oh? You’re entitled to a car, didn’t you go through your …..anyway I’m quite busy here, when you’re free just get down here please.”

“Okay..I’ll do that.” Kite managed to say, still in shock. There must be a mistake somewhere. A car for her? No way! Before she could consider it much, Williams’s door opened and out came he and the magnificent woman.

They were all smiles and laughter, like they were really good friends. His suit jacket was on his arm as he led her out, waiting for her to precede him like the gentleman he was.

“Princess,” He called “Hold off all my appointments, I’m not sure when I’ll be back.”

Kite saw Princess nod but couldn’t miss the bad stare she was giving the woman. Kite frowned as she watched the sudden change on Princess’s face as her eyes darted between Ise who was shrugging into his jacket and the lady who was saying something to him. Kite couldn’t quite catch what she said as they were in front of Princess’s desk which was quite a distance from hers, whatever she said got him laughing and Princess frowning even more as she stared murderously at the lady.

It was a look that spelt pure jealousy and hatred, and it was then beginning to dawn on Kite that Princess had a thing for Ise Williams, the realisation hit her like a bolt of lightening. Ise and his lady friend didn’t seem to notice though, those ones were in a world of their own as they walked off, joking and laughing like old friends.
Kite found herself still staring at Princess whose eyes came up suddenly to meet hers.

“What? What are you looking at?” She asked and that was Kite’s cue to get back to work.

Kite had also felt a small tinge of jealousy toward them too, just that she’d managed to hide hers better than Princess had. He’’d kissed her just a few days back and now here he was cancelling his appointments for lunch with another lady just like he had with her. Had their kiss meant so little to him? He’d not even glanced in her direction for once.
She sighed, all these billionaires sef, one couldn’t understand what went on in their heads. She decided to get to Zainab’s office since she couldn’t seem to focus on her work, she needed to straighten out this thing with the car.
********

Izu was so happy for Kite. She’d sounded so excited on the phone over her new car, a Range rover Evoque. He was so happy at the change in her mood, she’d been so gloomy all weekend that this was a pleasant change. The fight with her friends had gotten her really down that nothing he could do could get her mind off it.
As he let himself into his apartment, he hoped she’ll be so happy that she might even agree to sex finally. He’d not put any pressure on her so far but he didn’t know how long he could take it especially with her tempting body under the same roof with him, on the same bed with him at night. He would wait if he had to but he wouldn’t like it.
Opening the door, he had an eerie feeling that someone else was also in the apartment. He stepped into the living room quietly to see Brenda lounging on a sofa watching television.

“What the …! Brenda!” He called

“Sweetie.” She smiled as she turned to him.

“Brenda, this nonsense has got to stop! You just can’t-“ He started but was cut short.

“Shhhhh, sweetie, there’s no need blowing your top.” She said softly getting up “You don’t pick my calls and you ignored the text I sent to you, I had to see you one way or another.”

“ See me for what? I told you..”

“shhhh, Izu listen to me, just listen to what I have to say…come on, sit.” She urged, pointing at a sofa. “Come on, lets sit and talk like two adults.”

“What do you have to say?” he asked after sitting down.

“Okay,” She sat down on the arm rest of the chair he’d chosen, just beside him, her thighs which were exposed under the short skirt she wore grazing his arm. “You are just so bull headed, You don’t listen, all you do is talk, talk, talk, and then threaten and all, you’re lucky I’m a patient person or else I would have gotten really mad myself and then I wouldn’t have been responsible for my actions.”

All that was going through Izu’s head at that moment was that this chick was definitely bonkers “Just get on with why you’re here, Brenda!”

“So impatient too, well okay, I’ll get on with it. Izu, I tried to be forgiving, I tried to give you the bensfit of doubt, I wanted to see if we could make up and come to an understanding but its obvious you don’t want to, so you’ve left me with no choice. I warned you before but you never heeded so here it is, I’m going to have to ….”

“Izu!”

Brenda and Izu turned to see a shocked Kite standing by the door. He’d left it opened so they hadn’t heard her come in.

‘Shi’t!’ was the first word that came to mind.

“Brenda?” Kite asked

“In the flesh Kite,” Brenda told her with a bright smile “Its been a while, did you miss me?”

Kite looked at him questioningly, her eyes asking for an explanation, before he could come up with something to say,
Brenda helped him along with it.

“Don’t worry your pretty head too much Kite, I’ll explain everything. You see, you darling boyfriend and I have unfinished business…..”

“Brenda!” Izu’s voice was warning “Kite doesn’t need to hear this.”

“Hear what, Izu?” Kite asked “What do you have with…” she looked Brenda up and down “Brenda!”

“Yeah, boyfriend!” Brenda taunted him “Tell your dear girlfriend what we have going on, about our relationship?”

“What relationship?” Izu asked her “ We never had a relationship, what we had was something that wasn’t meant to happen, a mistake!”

“Yeah, right!” Brenda rolled her eyes “You could call once a mistake but when you do it over and over again for six months, then its no longer a mistake!”

“What are you two talking about?” Kite asked but Izu could see by the look on her face that she already suspected.

Brenda turned to her “Sweetie, Your dear boyfriend and I were lovers all through his time in my house where he’d been in hiding.”

Kite’s mouth dropped “What?” she whispered, her eyes holding his. He looked away because he couldn’t bear to look at what he saw there.

“Anyway, that’s not why I’m here, you guys can sort that one out.” Brenda continued “I’m here because I’ve come to announce that I’m going to be giving information to the police on your whereabouts.”

“What?!” Izu ddn’t know when he yelled “Are you crazy?”

She smiled “Sweetheart, are you really asking that? Like you didn’t know?”

“Why would you do that? You’ve let the cat out of the bag, Kite knows now, are you not satisfied yet?”

“Darling, I’ve not even begun with you yet. You think you can use me and get away with it? Oh no, sugar. If you use this” She pointed at hersef “Then you’re gonna have to pay bigtime.”

What was she even talking about? They’d both enjoyed their time together, they’d used themselves. “So what will you gain from exposing me to the police?”

“Nothing, just satisfaction that you’ll be running again but then I’m not really sure I want to go so far, so there’s something else I’m considering.” She said.

“And whats that?” He asked. She was obviously enjoying playing with his head.

She shrugged “I’m considering you pay me to keep my mouth shut.”

Izu’s eyes narrowed “How much?”

“Hmmm” She said as if considering an amount “Lets say thirty million naira!”

“What? b’itch are you…?” He found himself yelling “Where do you expect me to get such an amount from?”

She shrugged “Does it look like I give a damn where you get it from?” She asked back as she went to pick up her hand bag from the chair it had been sitting signalling she was ready to take her leave.

“Brenda,” Izu forced his voice to be calm “Lets talk about this.”

“Too late sweetie, time for talking is past and before I forget, you have three weeks to get the money into my account.”

She began making her way to the door pausing by Kite who’d been quietly watching everything still too stunned to talk, she said to her “ Sweetie, men can be real a’ss wipes right?”

This bi’tch was definitely crazy, Izu thought as he told her “You’re not getting a cent from me, Brenda, nothing!”

She laughed as she left “You’ll be sorry then” she called out not even bothering to look back as she went out the door, closing it gently behind her.

Izu turned to Kite, if looks could kill, he would have been a goner by now. He walked toward her “Kite,” He started, not sure what to say, “I’m sorry, I didn’t know how to tell you, I…”

The resounding slap that landed on his cheek shut him up. ‘Ouch’, he did deserve it. She shook her head at him, the tears coming down her eyes as she searched for what to say but words didn’t come out, instead she turned and made her way to the door.

He called her back “Kite! Don’t go, please!”

She paused, her hand on the door knob, she turned “I’m such a fool Izuoma, I’m a fool because I love you, I’m the greatest fool on earth to think…. I don’t…”

“Kite , please,” He begged, seeing the hurt on her face “I’m sorry, I never meant for it to happen. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

She shook her head “Yo didn’t mean what? did you think about that when you were sleeping with her? Or was it after?”

“Kite please, let me explain.” He begged

“I can’t hear this right now, I just want to kill you…I can’t….I can’t” with that she opened the door and left.

Izu wanted to go after her but he knew it was best to give her some space to process things.
“ shit! shit! shit!” he yelled needing an outlet to release his own growing anger and frustration. Anger at himself at being so weak and stu’pid, Kite deserved better. This was on him, he’d brought it all on them dealing with Brenda, now he’d hurt her, the one person he loved the most. Would she ever find it in her heart to forgive him?
***********