King

My laptop was on, different tabs were open, some of which I couldn't remember opening. Each word looked foreign, letters seemed to be dancing on my screen, their meaning lost on me. The more I looked, the less I saw, the more irritated I got.

The words slowly faded, my vision blurred and I saw a hand with a familiar wristwatch reach out to close the laptop. I was here alone in the office but my thoughts: the good and bad had taken up the seats in front of my desk, trying to suffocate me with theories, explanations as to why I was feeling this way. Like a piece of me had been chipped off.

Why did she allow him to touch her? Why did she kiss him back? Why didn't she say no?

My thoughts were a mess, every voice in my head fought to be heard. I told myself not to think, to delete that particular image of him on his knee but it was the same as asking a blind man who got his first eye surgery to keep his eyes closed.

I had so many questions and all of them seemed to be bringing me back to the same conclusion: I wasn't good enough for her.

The negative part of me was quick to point that bit out and I was starting to believe it, more than I did yesterday. It had always appeared that way from the start, with me having to cajole her before she agreed to do any of the things she did. But I had simply assumed it to be the usual way with the ladies, the stalling that came before they finally opened up.

Thinking about it now, she never willingly spent time with me, except I begged her or there was an incentive attached to my request. Now, my chest hurt so bad and there was no one to blame but myself. I should have walked away when I had the chance or as soon as he stepped out.

What happened to the King who would set the ball rolling and wait for the ladies to come after him?

She was happy to kiss you, the positive part of me tried to reason.

And truly she was. Every moment we shared together was punctuated with her laughter and sincere smiles. She was happy, I made sure of that. So, what went wrong? Was it the age difference? Age was just a number, like any digit on the scoreboard. It shouldn't be taken seriously. I didn't care.

A violent knock sounded on my door, jolting me out of my thoughts. Before I got a chance to usher the person in, the door opened and Wole strolled inside.

"I've been knocking on that door for ages," he said, slightly pissed. I stared at him with as much interest as I would at a junk mail, bidding the seconds until he took his leave.

He came to sit on my desk, one leg crossed over the other. If he had stood up to dance at the centre of the table, I would have cared less. I let my eyes roam his body instead, anything to keep me distracted.

His choice of outfit was different from the last time I saw him. His glasses were missing and he seemed to be seeing great without them. His suit, though ironed to perfection, as usual, was the most beautiful shade of maroon I had ever seen on anybody. It was perfect for his skin tone.

This was my first time of seeing him in an outfit different from those grey, black and brown suits he always alternated between. His feet were clad in black shoes that were so well polished, I could almost see my reflection. Even his eyebrows had taken on a definite shape. He was looking good.

"What do you want?" I had no strength in me for a fight, all I wanted was to be left alone. I shouldn't have come to work today.

"I came to let you know that we will be having a board meeting on Tuesday." He stood up from the table but remained in that position, openly glaring down at me.

Monday was supposed to be the day I announced to Mr Adams that Madiba now had ownership of Tibi's land. That way I was certain my position as the CEO would be solidified in the next board meeting.

Wole shoved one hand into his pocket, eyes ablaze with something akin to mischief while he awaited my response. It was the job of the Human Resources manager to send that kind of messages. I was certain that if I had paid attention to my laptop, I would have seen the email from her.

I was in no mood for an argument with him so I resorted to a simple answer. "Thank you."

He hesitated, his smile faltered a little. I would have been happy at this small victory but I had other things to handle now. While I was busy trying to serenade someone's girlfriend, my rival got himself a makeover. A new look for this position of CEO which I had no intention of handing over to him.

Picking up my phone, I dialled a number I swore never to contact anymore. As I waited for the voice on the other end, I caught Wole still staring at me.

"Your office looks great." The sour look on his face betrayed the smile he was trying to pass off alongside his poor attempt at a compliment.

Yes, my office, not yours.

With a smile similar to his, I said, "close the door on your way out."

* * *

"You are here," I muttered to the female sitting cross-legged with a magazine in her hand. A smile made its way to both of our faces when our gazes collided.

It was a surprise to see Tibi at the restaurant I invited her to, already seated at the particular spot I picked out, waiting for me. I told her to come by 5 pm but I was deliberately ten minutes late because I didn't want to go through the same painful process of waiting for her.

Tibi's relaxed stance brought back memories from our first meeting. Would I be making a mistake going through with this? The answer came to me in seconds, I already lost the girl. I couldn't lose the job too.

"Yes, I am." She waited for me to sit down, "I called you yesterday, you refused to pick nor return any of my calls or texts. Why?"

Because she said yes.

A deep ache accompanied that thought, followed by a pain in my chest like someone roughly pulled my heart out and carelessly tossed it back in. I dug my nails into my palm until it drew blood, at least I could handle this kind of pain.

"Work. There was a lot of work at the office." The lie spilt easily from my lips, there was no work for me yesterday. I had made a U-turn back to the house, stared at the TV for a greater part of the day until I realised I never turned it on. "It doesn't matter anymore, I'm here now."

"I wonder why." She dropped the magazine on the table, called a waiter and ordered a drink for us.

"I want to make you another deal."

"Mr King Daniels, th-"

"Please, call me King."

"King." The way she pronounced my name reminded me so much of one person and I almost took back my words. I fumbled with my tie, trying to distract myself, bury the image of the brown lips that just popped into my mind. I was doing this one for me.

She was most likely somewhere with her fiance, living her best life. I scoffed. It was barely twenty-four hours since the proposal and she was already flaunting her engagement ring on her WhatsApp status.

Yes, I was stalking her. Even rereading our old messages, going through our pictures together, plus the ones I had taken of her without her knowledge. Torturous? Yes, but it was the only reason I got any sleep at all.

"King," Tibi placed a hand over mine, I shrugged it off. I called her here but it didn't mean I wanted her touching me without my consent. "The deal is off."

What?

"What?" I voiced out. She made to place her hand back on mine but I stopped her with a stern look. Only one person was allowed to touch me. "Hear me out first, okay?"

The nod she gave encouraged me to continue. "We could make the baby, you wanted a baby, right?" I didn't wait for her response before I continued. "We could make the baby, whenever you are ready.

But I want to be a part of its life, be a part of the journey. I'll pay for child support, whatever expenses that might be incurred. My friends and I will take turns in babysitting as we have experience in that area. If it's a girl, you even get to name her-"

"King."

"-you can pick out the kid's school, I don't mind. I'll even attend PTA meetings."

"King!"

"I just want to be a part of the process."

I had thought long, well, not so long and hard about this. I would be thirty in a few months and the idea of a child wasn't as bad as I initially thought. Spending the little time I did with Emma and Esther made me realise what I was missing. Now, I wanted mini versions of me running around my overly empty house. After all, kids were much easier to handle than women.

Mother would also be ecstatic to have a grandchild and I wouldn't have to bother about babymama drama because Tibi was of the elite class. She wasn't clingy nor demanding. She was smart and pretty too, maybe not bald or skinny or tall but our kid would look great. It was a means to an end for both of us. A win-win situation.

"We could even have sex if that's what you want." I was desperate now, the idea of having a baby had never appealed so much to me until now. It even made me forget about her for the moment which was all the sign I needed to know I was doing the right thing. "But I'll need to see your test results, to be sure you are clean."

"King." The waiter came back at that moment, placing a tray in front of us.

She took a sip from the glass of wine the waiter poured out for us, her eyes never departing from mine. I took the time to appraise her look, something I had not done since I stepped in. Of late, nothing held my interest.

Her white long-sleeved shirt covered every inch of her upper body, leaving little to no skin on display. The shirt was tucked into a brown flay skirt which was paired with sandals of the same colour and it stopped below her knees. Her outfit was simple, yet classy. Her makeup was light, barely there. She looked different, almost glowing and it made me hopeful about my request.

"I'm pregnant."

If I was drinking water I would have spat it out but it didn't discourage my body from doing the next best thing, which was choking on my own spit. Through blurry eyes, I saw her stand up before her hand descended heavily on my back, hitting me until I coughed, then took in deep breaths.

"Are you okay?" Her concern was genuine but I wasn't moved by it.

She wanted a baby with me and now she was pregnant for someone else that wasn't me. I shouldn't feel the way I did upon hearing those words from her but I did. I felt cheated, betrayed. I couldn't even bring myself to sincerely congratulate her.

"How?"

"How am I pregnant?" Her voice now irritated me, the smile in her words mocked me. I wanted her to stop talking, at the same time I wanted to hear what she had to say.

Her shock lasted only a few moments then her thumb and index finger formed the shape of an "o". She passed her right index finger into the hole twice, "I got pregnant by doing this with a man. No condoms."

Despite the situation, I couldn't help laughing but at myself. Wow. This was not the time for her dirty jokes. A lot was at stake for me and a miserable office life awaited me if this failed to work. 

Another look at her and I noticed the calmness around her, she looked extremely happy. I could only hope pregnancy made women nicer as I decided to push my luck. "If the deal is off, can I have the land?"

She sighed, took another sip from the glass or so I thought until I took a glance at it. It was the same quantity as when the waiter first filled it. Same as my untouched glass.

"No."

"What of in exchange for something else? Think about a partnership between the two biggest real estate firms in Calabar."

"I'm sorry."

I couldn't help the gnawing feeling in my throat that her response had something to do with a certain man who worked in my office. I let out a suppressed sigh, this could not be happening to me.

"No?" I held her gaze for longer than I should have. "Is Wole the father of your child?"

"I have to go." She pulled out wads of naira notes from a bag I hadn't noticed, prepared to foot the bills like last time. I wasn't going to allow that. It was the only thing in my control right now and I couldn't let it slip.

"Let me." I stopped her before she could beckon on the nearest waiter.

"No need, consider this a farewell gift. I won't be bothering you anymore." She patted the money on the table, smiled and stood up. "Good luck."

Out of spite, I picked up the naira notes, prepared to tear them into as many pieces as I could then throw it at her retreating back. My eyes met with the security man who opened the glass doors for me on arrival and my fingers stilled on the money.

When the waiter came, I ordered him to bring the POS. After paying, I stepped out, not without shoving the money Tibi left into the security man's hand. His prayers went through one ear and came out of the other, if only his prayers could save me.

*****

The plan wasn't for Tibi to get pregnant, I don't even know how that happened. On the bright side, she's out of the way now. 

Anyways, thank you to everyone that's reading, voting and commenting. Cheers to both new and old readers!

Question: What do you think is next for King? 

For the long-awaited book of the chapter, check out Melanin Diaries by Illusionistic3. It's also a Nigerian themed story and I enjoyed reading every bit of it, maybe you will too and possibly join forces with me to convince her to update.