He had been there, not once, not twice but no sign of this mystery lady. He questioned those he thought might help unfortunately they claimed not to know her, those who manage to, won't tell him a thing.
Use what you got to get what you want.
That certainly didn't cross his senses all that time. But was this lady some sort of illusion? No, she wasn't, she couldn't be, for he felt her that night; every tender part of her body against his. He felt those soft and juicy lips of hers against his where he thought they belonged, her big brown eyes so charming yet stained with a worrying flicker of sorrow and a pain that had him persistently intrigued.
He returned to reality at the sound of his office door creaking revealing to him a slender lady in her late forties who adorned a beige designer satin dress on a pair of black three inches stiletto. A thick white vintage designer fur coat over her shoulders complimented her elegant togetherness. To crown it all were a pair of sapphire earrings and necklace.
Her dyed wavy honey brown hair bounced at every step she took until she made herself comfortable on the seat opposite him.
"Mr. Woods," she said whilst she crossed her legs. Her aura nothing but haunting.
"For god's sake, mum quit performing."
"I'm your mum at home but not in the bureau," Marley sighed. "I was on my way to Venezuela before deciding to stop by," she smoothened an invisible crease on the material which covered her elevated thigh.
Something in her tune suddenly sent chills down his back. His mum wasn't like any ordinary mum, she was the type who could thaw an iceberg in less than a second just by looking at it. He knew from the moment she got in that he wasn't going to leave the office the same way he entered: his mood was certainly going to drop to an outrageous acidity.
"First things first," she began. "Where were you on Friday night?"
"In my office." He lied but maintained a straight face. "why ask?"
"Called your office five times in a row and six times on your mobile phone to no avail, of course."
Marley furrowed his brows, cleared his throat, and straightened on his leather chair. "I was just too busy with the forthcoming deals the comp—"
"I'm not done talking, young man. I called your Secretary who reported you leaving the office with those insignificant friends of yours."
Marley mentally noted to fire the old bitch.
"Listen to me," she added. "You are the Chief Executive Officer of the fourth well known automotive manufacturing company in and around North America and you need not exhibit shameful acts of irresponsibility. What will your workers, the board of directors, and other peers think of you?"
"Mum, I'm not as irresponsible. In case you don't know, I've been and still am unfailingly amongst the top four best Automative CEOs in the state," he said with conspicuous flatness in his tone. "May I remind you that it's been so for two consecutive years."
"I know that. But that might capsize with the way you're behaving. What CEO Expends twilight in a club?"
Marley's eyes widened and his mouth agape. "Can't believe this," he muttered, roughly diving his fingers through his hair. "Did you have me tracked down?"
"I did what a normal worried mother would do."
"No no oh no, a normal worried mother won't do this. I mean this is everything crazy but certainly not normal. You are probably forgetting I'll soon be twenty-four, old enough to differentiate my wrongs from my rights. This is my life, my intimacy and I will not want you meddling in it," he scolded.
"As long as I'm alive you remain a little boy and I have all rights as a mother to correct you when you go wrong and... I'll try to pretend you didn't just call me crazy," unlike her son, she was steady and composed, as if exchanging design ideas with a colleague over a cup of coffee.
Shit!
"Mum," his voice was barely a whisper. "If you do not want to lose me like you did Lauren, let me own my life."
Anthonia frowned then vacated her seat to begin her journey to the door. "Okay, but I just hope, Marley Austein Woods, that you did nothing that will rub mud on this family's face that night." She took a couple of majestic steps to the door. "And for the reminder, the psychiatrist will be home before five, make sure to see her. I will not tolerate any more news of your outburst regarding that gold digger of an ex."
Blabbermouth Secretary.
"And...dare you not fire Magret," she said as if reading his mind. "She's got nothing to do with my knowledge of your acts this time around."
~••~
There he was again after his encounter with his mum barely eight hours ago seated at the counter of the club he has been visiting recently hoping for the best.
He finished a glass of Hennessy in one gulp and ordered for more.
He watched the bartender fill his glass one more time before asking,
"Are you new here?"
"A year three months," he replied flatly.
Marley scrutinized his surroundings. An act which made him feel like he was about to commit a deadly crime.
"Enough to know each and every worker in this club."
"Far from possible. The manager is one of those I-don't-take-shit-guys. Workers are changed daily, weekly and monthly," he shrugged.
"But at least you should know of a pastel haired stripper."
The bartender nodded with a smirk plastered on his face.
"The lady who's caught every customer's attention? Sure I do. They come asking for her everyday. She's quite a hot cake, huh?" He snickered.
"I need some pieces of information about her, can you help me with that?"
"Oh no, sorry mister. It's against the rules of my job to disclose pieces of information on any worker of this club." He went back to cleaning the glass in his hand.
"Two hundred," If there was something which could skillfully pull out information from people of his caliber, it was definitely money.
Waving money before them was like oscillating a bone before a starving dog; they could be physically contentious—no matter how they try to hide it—yet submissive.
"I'm sorry, I really--"
"I'll make it three hundred," The guy was trying to play the game of loyalty. But it was alright, it wasn't something he couldn't handle.
The only thing better than money is more money. His grandpa always told him.
The bartender chuckled, "You see, you will need more than that to extract something from me," He winked.
Marley emptied his glass for the eighth time that night,
"Name it."
†††
"Zaphy?" kate called.
"kitchen."
Kate struggled to the kitchen on her crutches. "No work today too? It's been three days, I hope your boss--"
"Don't worry," she said, dropping a plate of macaroni on the table. "I made dinner, eat up while I get you out of the inquiries you're drowning in."
"So...here's the thing, I requested for three days permission and thanks to God they were quickly granted with the help of the Orthopaedist which explains why I've been personally supervising and insisting on your morning and evening exercises lately." she ranted, not sparing a break. "Anything else you need to know?"
A weak smile spread across kate's face,
"What would I have done without you darling?" her hand reached for her daughter's across the table. "I hope you meet that boy who reflects your caring and kind behavior."
"let's focus on the present."
The sound of the doorbell got them out of their trance.
"Hey."
At the sound of the familiar voice, the smile she wore all the way to the door dropped.
"What are you doing here?" her voice was barely a whisper. "Thought I warned you to stay away from me."
"I just..."
"Honey who's at the door?" kate called.
"Mason, but he's leaving already." She replied not breaking eye contact with the 'Once was' hottest chocolate with human features.
"Listen, babe, I just want us to talk."
"Do not babe me and it'll be of tremendous pleasure if you get going before my mum meets..."
"Mason? Is that really you?" kate was now in the sitting room, hands gripping tightly onto the wall.
Zaphrinas eyes widened at the scene- her mum walking without crutches. She was flabbergasted.
"come on in my son."
"With all due respect, I'm not here to stay. Just want you to approve of my permission to take your daughter for a walk," he glanced at zaphrina from his peripheral vision and could tell she was boiling with rage knowing he was trying to use her mum to join him in his pleads.
"No way. You can't use my..."
"Approved," Kate grinned.
"I'm not leaving." She folded her arms, her eyes wandering on anything but those in front of her. However, her walls crumbled at the beaten puppy face her mum did. "You got me there. You have twenty minutes, Mason. No more."
They were in a serene park after a seven-minute talk free ride watching the moon reflect in the still lake. The night was humid and the air was pure. She suddenly wished her life was half the air's purity.
The silence was so awkward and besides that, she was eager to get over with whatever this man had to say and return home.
"Twelve minutes left."
He let out a sigh of frustration. "Babe, don't be this hard on me. Listen, I regret everything I said and did to you but I'm a changed person now, I promise and I beg you to give me one more chance to prove it to you. Just let me in."
"Mason...I...I don't know what to say, you hurt me so much the scars will never heal...I'm really confused."
~••~
His stomach churned. His eyelids began to droop. He regretted, he shouldn't have insisted on driving himself home when a lady opted on doing it for him. Here he was kneeling before a tree trunk to release about half of the liquor he ingested.
"...much the scars will never heal...I'm really confused." a female voice said.
"I know and I'm deeply sorry for being the root of all these going on between us. Just say yes and give me this last opportunity, please." A masculine voice followed.
The lady sighed.
"I need time to think about this if you don't mind. I need to be careful about my decisions."
"I won't mind if the answer I await is what will feed my ears positively."
He must admit the guy wasn't the type to give up easily. Too pushy. Guys like him should rot in hell.
His stomach churned once again, only, this time, it felt like a whole bunch of his internal organs would spill. His esophagus began to fill up leaving behind traces of that familiar burning sensation.
It was a warning, one which denied to walk on its own without help from his past. A warning he had never wanted to reconsider no matter how many times it showed up right in front of his face in those boldly capitalized red letters.
The most he could do was curse the gods to have let him see other days to endure every moment of the torturing after-effects; hangovers, desiccated throat, and worst of all hurtful memories. The stinging liquid successfully exited his buccal cavity and sprouted onto the poor weeds, which were only noticed occasionally.
Mehn I'm sorry. He mentally apologized, both to the weeds, to the unfortunate eyes to be fed with his gross mess come morning, and to the gloves yet to uproot them.
"There's someone else here," the female said.
Marley struggled on his wobbly legs as he made his way to his car.
"Mister, are you alright?"
The lady who had snappily caught up with him quizzed.
Marley bit his lips from laughing his lungs out at her absence of observation. Like...did he fuckin' look alright to her?
"Yeah, I'm alright hick!" he lied. "You both...can resume..." he let out a loud burp. "from where you finished off hick! Pre-tend I wasn't here."
"He definitely can't drive in this condition," The lady turned to her irritated looking boyfriend.
"I'll drive him home." Boyfriend offered.
I better serve my life to death on a golden platter by taking my drunk ass home.
"let me."
"You sure? You don't even know this guy, for all we know it might all be a facade. What if he does something to you somewhere."
Marley wished he had enough energy to punch this guy in the face using his alcoholic situation as an excuse. The dude already did enough damage to manhood for being an asswipe.
"I know him. Just go home. I'll be fine."
"Call me when you're home, ok?"
The schmuck finally gave up.
The lady helped Marley reach the passenger's seat before hopping to the driver's seat. She waved the boyfriend who didn't like the fact that she was driving him home.
"OK, Mr. ill- mannered," She flicked the light above their heads on. "Where are we steering to?"
He definitely wasn't mistaken about the familiarity of the face. She was the one, the aggressive lady from the hallway.
Zaphrina was getting all comfortable with the silent ride so far until the barfly sitting next to her peforatated her inner peace with, "What's...your name?" He managed to ask despite his too far from sober state. His breath diffused in the car and stunk of a smooth amalgamated mixture of alcohol and puke. For crying out loud is the name really necessary right there and then? She shot a glance at his limp body on the passenger's seat before returning her full attention to the road. He hadn't even strength to break open his eye lids. What a mess of a man. "Zaphrina." She quickly answered praying it will be the first and last question of the ride but boy, she was wrong. "That's a nice name for a boorish lady." The fuck! That spoil button he just broke got her legs abruptly landing on the breaks, almost causing him to fly through the windscreen. "Holy crap!!!" he exclaimed, bracing himself against the dashboard. His sights partly washed off of half his somnolence. "What did yo
Twenty more minutes. Just twenty little minutes and I'm out of here. Liza thought as her body twisted in different acrobatic styles. It certainly wasn't helping her stomach the least bit especially after her encounter with Dean. He threatened to fire her yet again when next she went awry. Now, the population in the room had suddenly doubled from a couple of minutes ago, she knew too well that it wasn't as a result of more customers filing in--well if at all more really did come in what about the double tables and drinks, did they come in too? Liza's belly gurgled more and louder with time as a huge lump slowly began to build up to her buccal cavity. Her throat lurched, ready to empty it's suffocating contents but she managed to out smart it by posing into an erect pole stance. Delightfulness tickled her lips but that was just for as short a while as she could remember because nature could really not be cheated. Damn it
"God's a wonderful man, All of you will agree with me this God of ours doesn't take something good without something better in return," he beamed one of those contagious smiles he ever owned, "he is the way, the truth and the light. He keeps not a record of our sins. Can somebody say a big Amen to that?" "Amen," Came the congregational chorus. "You know, he knows the moves you have taken and the ones yet to come. He is waiting on you with arms wide open saying 'come onto me and have rest', he doesn't care about your past; abortions, fornications, drug abuse, just to name a few. Whatever it is, repentance is your key to him. God..." he trailed and closed his eyes for a moment. "Jesus! This man is just wonderful," Pastor Jones he was called. The altar was his home and the Bible he fed on. Zaphrina looked up at him with admiration and a little guilt blending as his words sipped into her soul; for a moment, she felt like he was referring to her all through.
"Mira called yesterday, she said she'd been trying to reach you all day to no avail," Kate said, keeping some leftover food into the refrigerator. "I told her you were probably too busy to pick up." "Yeah, I was. Messaged her immediately I saw her missed calls," she confirmed, wiping the last plate in hand. Mirabelle was the closest relative she was in touch with all the way from her paternal home town--Cameroon. Unlike her, Mira as she was preferably called, was married with two kids. A girl who was just a year older than she was. Zaphrina was just nine years old when her parents took her there. Immediately, she and Mira became inseparable. The only problem she had was communication. She knew nothing about french back then same was Mira with English, but as children are; quick to learn, eight months three weeks spent was more than enough to know every secret of the french language. The doorbell rang just in time, Zaphrina wiped her hands on a k
'Earliest hours of Monday' were his exact words to his dad on Saturday, so there he was in his private jet to France as early as seven. France wasn't much of a distance, But the approximated seven hours flight was enough to think about his encounter with this merging company. He hoped and rehoped his absent-mindedness wouldn't lead to a bigger mess in his company. The Renault company was one of the most reliable and strongest French car brand and working in partnership with them wasn't much of a bad idea though this case couldn't have idea classified under it but rather mistake. He turned to his P.A who had been standing beside him for the past eight minutes since he called him. "I'll be in France for just a couple of days, say two or three. I want my home tidy before my arrival, you know, butler, maids and all those. A maximum of sixteen maids will do. Do not recruit any from my parents home be it former or present neither should you let my mum chose t
The sun was overhead. She felt its diverging rays on her skin like million stabs, a glimpse at her wristwatch confirmed it as it read 12:01 noon. How time flies. A loud groan from her tummy etched a frown on her face whilst her hand rubbed it gently; Anticipation getting the best of her, She woke up as early as six for a job hunt that she hadn't had time to chew on the slightest edible thing around. Her eyes darted, making sure its loudness didn't pick awareness. Her mouth released a small puff of air in relief when no one did. Gotta ingest something, she thought. But not until I'm over this. Zaphrina was Currently standing in front of a grocery store where she mentally recited a short prayer. Hoping not to have a repetition of previous stores encounter. She clung her bag a little tighter than it already was before reaching for the glass door. Fortunately, there wasn't a population at the cashiers. She walked straight to a
The sound of her ringtone ghosted a dizzy groan out her lips but her eyes won't open. They were still sleep coated and resulted in her hand playing the role of her eyes with the help of her ears. Zaphrina outstretched her hand to the direction of the ringtone but tapped on an empty surface and then a book, now her lamp. Damn phone! "Hello..." Her gravelly voice dawdled immediately at the phones hold. "Will you get your ass off that bed and come help me prepare for a dinner date tonight?" "Aren't you aware of the time?" Her voice was now slowly but surely diving back into sleep like her eyes did. "I am, reason why I called." Her hand sluggishly directed the phone to a pair of barely opened eyes. Nothing reported clear to them before but the blurred figures at the top left of her screen were enough to hit her eyes open. 9...wait!! Perhaps her eyes were playing tricks on her. A couple of eye blinks got the fo
"This should be enough to complete Lola and Lorna's tuition fee." Liza carefully deposited the flaxen envelope on her mother's bed. It was still very early in the morning when Liza had decided on letting her mum know about the money Zoe and Co had gifted her after six hours of mind battles on whether to let her know or not, fear of the lady inquiring on its Genesis. Her mum immediately made her way to the neatly arranged bed where Liza sat. The lady flipped open the object and her eyes came in contact with dollar bills. They widened at the immediate sight and began fluctuating from the envelope to her daughter. "How much is in here and where is this from?" The lady poured. "Three thousands." Liza said flatly, trying to wave away the latter question, but knowing her mum too well, she would insist on the question she was trying to avoid. "It's a token from friends and co workers. You know...to keep me alive while I search for a new job." She answered an