Chapter 29

Before driving out of the garage of the shopping complex that houses my store, I call Mrs. B to let her know that I might return home later than usual tonight, so she needs to hold down the fort for me until I return. Of course, she doesn’t mind at all, but I feel it’s common courtesy to notify her ahead if our usual routine will be interrupted for whatever reason.

I hit the road with so much enthusiasm even though I don’t know what I am going to say to Dominic when I see him. Or if I see him, my mind corrects me. I can imagine how frustrating it must be for him, trying to figure out what I want and still not succeeding. One minute I’m looking at him with googly eyes and the next minute I’m chasing him off, acting like he’s a predator who is out to devour me. I would be pissed off if I were him, so I can only imagine how he feels now.

Here is a man who is rich enough to have his pick of any woman he wants, and he has even gone above and beyond to help me when he didn’t have to. He has made it clear to me repeatedly that he is attracted to me on a deeper level, yet my feelings keep yoyoing about and ruining everything. I’m such a sucker for doing things right, and that’s probably why a part of me feels guilty about even considering the possibility of having a fling with Dominic because I feel it’s too soon. I assume people would be less judgmental if I started seeing someone one year from now. Even my mother thinks I’m moving on too soon.

But if truth be told, when is the perfect time to get into another relationship after a divorce? Would I be thinking about all of this if I were a man? Would it matter to anyone that I have been miserable for years and now that I am finally free, I can’t wait to feel wanted as I should have been all along?

Why are you so bothered by what people think about you? My heart asks me. This is your life, Uzezi. You only get one chance to live your life, so why are you wasting precious time, wondering what people think about you? What does it matter? Why do you care so much?

Well, I’m about to fix that now. I will drive up to Dominic’s house and wait there until he shows up from wherever he has gone to. I will apologize to him as soon as he sees me and promise never to play with his emotions anymore. I will kiss him and let him kiss me back for as long as he wants, and if he suggests that we go into his house to finish what we’ve started…

Gulp.

Oh, well. It’s not like I’m a virgin or anything like that. I think at the stage of my life, I deserve to experience at least one night of deliciously wild sex – the type that will have you praying a prayer of repentance and forgiveness the next morning because of how explosive it must have been. And with a man like Dominic… he looks like the type that would be a beast between the sheets.

I feel my skin tingle with excitement as my mind travels down the erotic path that my fantasy has created. I can already imagine how his smooth palms would feel on my skin; how he would caress me, kiss me, cuddle me, and handle me like a potter molding a pot with fine clay. He would adore my body and sigh with admiration at every little flaw that has ever made me feel less than beautiful. He doesn’t appear to be the kind of guy that would shrink away in horror at the sight of stretch marks or a lump of cellulite. He seems like the kind of man that will make me feel empowered even with my imperfections.

A loud horn blares beside me, jolting me out of my daydreaming. It’s a big truck with several bunches of unripe plantains loaded on the back in a tall heap. The driver of the truck seems to be trying to overtake my car, but I happen to be making that difficult for him because I’m driving in the middle of the road, instead of sticking to one lane either on the right or left. I steer to the right to let him pass, and as he drives by, he shakes his fist in my direction with a nasty sneer on his face to show me that he does not appreciate my driving technique. I mouth a ‘sorry’ to him and watch him zoom past me like a man with the devil on his tail.

Twenty minutes later, I’m easing my car into Bourdillon Avenue and hoping that I am not about to go make a fool of myself. My first obstacle is the security in front of the gated neighborhood. They stop me to ask where I am going and whether the person, I am visiting is expecting me. I tell them Dominic’s name and let them know that this is an impromptu visit. They insist that I call Dominic to confirm if they should let me in. This is supposed to be a surprise visit, but what the heck, he needs to let me in first, anyway. I dial his number on my phone, wondering if he will respond to my phone call or not, judging by the sour way our conversation had ended only a couple of minutes ago. To my surprise, he answers on the first ring.

“Hello?” He sounds puzzled.

“Hey, Dominic. I – I’m with the security in front of your estate. Could you please authorize them to let me in?”

There’s a short pause before he speaks again. “You’re here in Ikoyi?”

“Yes. Bourdillon, specifically.”

“Are you ok? Are your children ok? Has something happened?”

His concern for my safety and the well-being of my children, touch me so deeply. This man is a gem, yet I keep treating him like a pest. I really need to do better.

“I’m fine, Dominic, and my daughters are fine too,” I assure him calmly. “I just wanted to see you again, because I don’t like how we ended things earlier today. I was wrong and I feel that I owe you an apology in person.”

Another pause.

“Hang up. I’ll call the security now,” he says.

Two minutes later, I’m driving into the opulent neighborhood that looks nothing like my middle-class settlement in Ajah. As soon as I arrive in front of his compound, the front gate automatically swings open, giving me access to Dominic’s palatial lair. I follow the windy road that leads straight to the garage and let Dominic’s driver, Johnson, direct me to a suitable parking spot. As soon as I alight from my vehicle, he steps forward to greet me.

“Welcome, madam. It’s good to see you again.”

“Thank you, Mr. Johnson,” I reply with a smile.

“Just Johnson, please. I’m sure my boss is waiting for you inside.”

“Of course,” I say. “Thank you.”

I make a beeline for the front door where I find Boma, the butler, standing stiffly in his formal attire and looking like a man who has spent his entire day in business meetings. I just can’t seem to get over the fact that butlers actually exist in real life and Nigeria of all places.

“Good evening, Mr. Boma,” I greet him as cheerfully as I can manage.

“Good evening, Ms. Uzezi. Welcome back,” he says with a straight face. “Please, call me Boma. That’s what everyone here calls me.”

“Then you can call me Uzezi. There’s no need for any titles.”

“Very well,” says Boma with a slight lift of his lips. “Please, come with me. Mr. Dominic is expecting you inside.”

As I follow him into the house, I can’t help but wonder if this is the sort of protocol that I will have to go through each time I come here to see Dominic. We walk past the ginormous living room till we reach the foot of the stairs.

“He is waiting for you upstairs,” Boma informs me.

I look at him in confusion. “Aren’t you going to take me there? How am I supposed to know which room he’s in?”

“Perhaps you could call him on the phone to ask. If you will excuse me, I have an urgent task to see to.”

“But – “

He walks away from me briskly before I can even articulate my protest at being left alone to sort out Dominic’s whereabouts in that maze of rooms upstairs. By the way, why didn’t Dominic come downstairs to meet me like he did the first time I came here? Why is he making me look for him instead? Is that an indication that I am not welcome here? Was he merely being polite when he instructed the security men at the estate gate to let me in because he didn’t want to embarrass me by telling me to go away instead? Have I made a mistake by coming here?

You should probably leave; I tell myself mentally. This has been a terrible mistake. Such an uncharacteristically impulsive move. Don’t embarrass yourself, Uzezi. Leave now. Boma’s rigid reception is enough indication to let me know that my impromptu visit is not encouraged.

Don’t be a coward! My brain challenges me as I turn to leave. You came here for a reason, so why does it matter what anyone thinks? Go up there and talk to Dominic and stop being such a baby!

With a sigh, I forge ahead and take my first step on the stairs. One foot follows the other tentatively until I eventually arrive on the first floor. The den upstairs is empty, so that means I have to figure out which of the many rooms lined up here is the correct place to find Dominic. Why wouldn’t he just come out and meet me though? What is the essence of this hide-and-seek game he’s playing with me? Should I call him on the phone and ask which room to find him in?

I slowly walk down the corridor, trying to remember which room is which from the description he’d given me on the first day he brought me here. There’s the game room, the in-house theatre, then the mini-studio, the master suite, the –

Wait, hold up. The master suite. Of course, where else would he be? He’d told me it was his favorite room, or had he been joking? I lift my fist and knock softly on the hard wood door.

“Yes?” Dominic answers from the other side of the door. “Come in.”

Blowing out a shaky breath, I turn the doorknob and let myself into the room. It takes my eyes a few seconds to adjust to the darkness in the room. All the lights are turned off save for a small antique lamp on the nightstand that is providing the only dim light in the room. The curtains are drawn, and I can see Dominic’s silhouette outlined on a wing-backed chair adjacent to his king-size bed. There’s a glass of drink in his hand with some amber liquid inside it. I close the door behind me and take a few more steps into this bedroom and then I stop once I am halfway in. The silence in the room makes me feel as if I have just entered the lion’s den. The scarce lighting in the room cast a dark shadow across his face, making him look sinister.

Dominic remains silent, regarding me through hooded eyes. His hard face, blazing eyes, and laid-back disposition spark something hot inside of me. Perhaps he’s trying to intimidate me with this look, but right now, I am so turned on! The fact that the room smells like him, isn’t even helping matters because I feel as if he is around me and I am inside of him. His guarded look makes me want to draw close to him and unravel him like a nicely wrapped package with multiple layers.

“Why are you here, Uzezi?” He finally asks me. His tone is cold and unwelcoming.

I swallow hard before responding. “I wanted to apologize to you,” I explain in a small voice. “I’m sorry about how I spoke to you at the store, I didn’t mean that.”

“Uzezi, I am a very busy man. My time is very precious to me, and I do not appreciate being made to feel like a nuisance,” he says in measured tones. “And on top of that, I am way too grown to play these ‘catch-me-if-you-can’ games with you. I already told you how I feel about you, and I am not going to chase you down to get the kind of response I want. Do you understand me?”

I nod my head and say, “Yes, I understand, and I apologize for acting so… so childish before. I have only just realized now that what I want trumps what anyone thinks about me. I have been so worried about the wrong things, but now, I know what I want and that’s why I’m here now.”

One of his perfectly arched eyebrows lifts in a silent question. “Really?”

“Yes,” I answer.

“So, tell me. What do you want?”

I let my handbag fall to the floor, then I step out of my high-heel pumps. “Why don’t I show you what I want instead?”

His rock-hard features crack a little as one side of his lips turned upward in a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Go ahead,” he says.

I know it’s a dare and I know this is finally my chance to make up my mind once and for all about how I feel about Dominic. With my heart hammering wildly in my chest, I take a step forward towards him.