Denzel walked outside and spotted Janelle standing by the pool. Arms folded and staring at nothing in particular.
He still couldn't understand why she would go on with this charade. She might be his cousin's fiancée, but he still knew her to her finger prints. She tried to sound excited in announcing her engagement but she wasn't such a good actress. She must have sensed his presence because she turned around and smiled. He walked up to her, handing her a glass of wine. "Tell me you're not a witch."
She chuckled. "I am not a witch."
"How did you know I was standing there?"
She rolled her eyes. "I always know."
He chuckled. "Wow. So, it's been finally decided, huh?"
She sighed. "Yeah. I'm finally engaged to James Morgan. I'm getting married to him in two weeks."
She said and laughed.
He turned to her, watching quietly while sipping his wine as she whispered something to herself and then chuckled.
"You sound like you're trying to convince yourself." He said.
She looked at him, smiling and placed her hands on his chest as she moved forward. "I should have strangled Tope right there if you hadn't stopped me."
He frowned. "Are you drunk? Seriously? How many drinks did you take?" He asked.
She laughed out loud and shook her head. "Do I look drunk? I'm just–” She looked down at his lips and then smirked at him beneath her lashes.
"What will happen if I kiss you right here and now, Dee?"
She asked. He swallowed hard and shook his head. She swayed a bit but his strong hands closed around her waist to steady her feet. She laughed again, with her hands around his shoulders. "Come on, stop being a killjoy."
"You're drunk. Its official."
°°°
Denzel could hardly focus on work at the office. Damn!
How was be supposed to focus even when he had a meeting in a few seconds? They've known each other since childhood. Since his parents died when he was little and James parents took him in as his foster parents. The whole marriage had been planned since they were little. And he knew that James wasn't into Janelle that much. How can a Casanova be into her anyway? James was only complying because of his parents and not for love.
Nothing would have stopped him from kissing her that night bit somehow, the saint in him had reminded him of his vow to never take advantage of her and last night, she was damn vulnerable. He really tried. Janelle Anderson was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Everything about her was perfect. Her laughter, her smiles, her stubborn attitude, the way she stomps her feet to the ground when she's trying to make a point and no one is getting it. Even her playful nature was appealing to him. Her heart was a rare one and she was always loyal to all her friends. But now, he will have to stay away from her, before he repaid the people who took him in and raised him by stabbing their son at the back.
Last night, it had been difficult to stop her from kissing him. But he did. Even when he took her upstairs to her bedroom, it had taken more than his willpower to just call Nana to assist her instead of sitting there and allowing his heart decide for him instead of his head. The sound of his ringtone, pierced through his train of thoughts and he sighed to pick up the receiver.
"I can't believe you didn't show up at your fiancée's party last night." Denzel said to James. "Man, where were you? You practically hurt her."
"I know. But I was damn busy. I told her that I won't be able to make it there. Anyway, you know that deal I was trying to close with Lara? Its finally done." James said and gave a triumphant whoop.
Denzel sighed. "Yeah, congrats. But, honestly you have to stop this. It doesn't always have to be about work. You're engaged for Christ's sakes."
"Okay, okay. Geez, one day maybe I'm going to start thinking you're the one who's getting married to her." James said and laughed.
"It's not funny, Man." Denzel said.
"No, like seriously. You act like her husband mostly. Careful, I might put you in jail for that." James said.
Denzel was quiet. James might sound like he's joking but you don't want to joke with James Morgan like that.
"Apologize to her is all I'm saying." Denzel said. "She was hurt last night."
"That's why you're there. You understand her and you can stand her childish acts all the time." James said and scoffed.
"Okay, fine. I'll apologize. Speaking of Janelle. I need a favor from you."
James said finally, after a few seconds of silence between them.
"You and your favors, James. I hope, its not as mind blowing as the others."
James snickered. "Define mind blowing."
"No, you define it. It better be something reasonable, man."
"Sure. It is. But I need to meet up with you."
"Okay." He looked at his wristwatch. "How about 4p.m?"
"Perfect."
°°°
"You missed our party for some deal you had to seal?! James, if you knew you were sealing a deal, why didn't you say so and we can push the date further?" Janelle said as she tossed clothes from her closet to the he'd, searching for a perfect outfit to wear. Her mood had deteriorated since this morning when she had woken up only to remember that she had almost kissed Denzel last night.
How she had found the boldness to drink that much and act like a sexually frustrated bitch, was way beyond her.
"You wanted to go ahead with your party even when I told you to wait."
"Excuse me? My party? It's not my party, James it is ours. "
"Alright, fine. Ours. Jesus, you talk too much. I wonder how I'm going to put up with you forever. Anyways, I'm taking a trip to China. I'll be back before the wedding."
"China? James, we haven't seen each other for like three days and you're already running off to China. Can we see today? Just for a few minutes, please, James."
He let out a silent curse. "You've been seeing me since we were kids and you'll keep seeing me for as long as we will be married! So, I don't think a few days will matter much!" He snapped.
She sighed. "I'm sorry." She said silently. "So, what are you doing in China?"
"Business related." He said curtly. He sure sounded like he was finding it hard to keep his anger in check. "I'll call you back when I get there."
"When will you be leaving?"
"Does that matter? I just told you I'm travelling right? At least you know that."
She sighed again. Why is he making it so damn hard?
"Okay. I lo–" The beeping sound of the line cut her off. He had already hung up. She sighed and sat at the edge of the bed. A tear appeared at the side of her left eye. She wiped it off. It was no news that James was only marrying her for the same of his parents. There was only love from her angle. But will it hurt to show her a little affection?
"Hello. Denzel speaking."The bold and authoritative voice of Denzel came in through the receiver, bringing Janelle to a jolt."Hey, Dee. What's up?" She nervously shifted on her seat and looked at Candace who sat beside her at the exclusive restaurant. There was a brief silence and Janelle was holding her breath like she was waiting for another shoe to drop."Jay? What's up? What happened to your phone? Did you change you number?""No. This is Candy's.""Oh, okay. So, are you alright?""Yeah, I'm good. How are you?"He was silent. And he does that whenever he's trying to figure out something about her attitude. Janelle held her breath again, hoping he won't notice how nervous she was."Is this about last night?"Great. There goes my shabby pretense. She thought with a sigh."Yes, it is. I'm so sorry I acted like that. You know I won't have, if I were in my right senses."He chuckled. "I
Janelle scolded herself as she drove home that night. She couldn't believe she was angry. At what exactly? She had never been jealous of Denzel's numerous girlfriends before and Denzel has many. Tara's presence came as a shock to her, she told herself. Tara don't even tell her she was back from Benin. And Denzel was dating her? She felt hurt but couldn't understand why."Ugh! He's your fiancée's cousin, not your boyfriend, Silly."She told herself. And she acted like a love sick bitch. HerHer cellphone rang and she rolled her eyes at the caller ID, then picked up."Hey, Tara. Done cooking?""Hey, Babe. You just left like the speed of light. Where are you?" She asked."On my way home. What's up?""Come over to out usual spot."She sighed. "Okay. On my way." She made a turn after hanging up.°°°"What?!" Candace exclaimed a
Janelle walked into his house again Two days later. One thing she liked about him, was that he never pushed her away for wanting to spend time with him. Since their childhood, Denzel had always been her best friend. Even after having two girlfriends, he was still her other best friend. The one who could talk with her for as long as she wants. He shut the door behind him and followed her to the living room. She turned around and sighed. He was in his sweat pants and was totally shirtless."I'm sorry. I know it’s late and I shouldn't be here but, I just needed to talk to someone." She said.He nodded, with his hands on his pockets. "Did you sneak out of the house again?" He asked. Denzel knew that attitude was still there.She shrugged. "Old habits die hard. I'm sorry, I know I'm causing an inconvenience." She sighed and sat on the sofa.He sat beside her. "What is it?""It’s James. He hasn't called. I'm worried
She blew offa frustrated sigh as she stepped out of her car the next morning, ignoring the greeting the maids gave to her on her way into the house. Why was it so hard to focus on her fiancé? Janelle tried to forget about what happened last night. Anyone would think that she had gotten a good night's sleep but it all had to do with a tall, light skinned handsome guy with a tattoo on his left arm and left chest, invading her thought all through the night. She paused at the bottom of the stairs and sighed, trying to get her mind at ease. It didn't help that he had to be the one to wake her up this morning with a tray of breakfast. That didn't help at all, because she had suddenly started getting the thought that perhaps, he could be this sweet to Tara.Stop being a bitch. She's your friend for crying out loud! She told herself."I can't believe this." She muttered to herself and walked up the stairs.James had
The door opened and Janelle's mum smiled her way into the room. Janelle, who was still busy with her designs, looked up from her mum and gave her a weak smile. She was still feeling very bad after her brief and disturbing encounter with Tope. The thought stuck with her even after Tara had assured her that it was nothing of the sort. Tara had always been good at making her feel better. And even after they had gone off to Candy's, she was of no help at all. She rolled her eyes and sat up reluctantly. It wasn't new to her anymore that her parents were early at home. Most times, they were hardly at home for close to a year. Her parents had their own businesses and had it going well for them. Her mum owned a fashion house and that's where Janelle got her talent and passion for fashion and clothes. Her father was a very popular owner of an oil company. It was going well for him too and he travelled most of the time. That's how t
"The baddest!" Douglas hailed on his way towards Denzel and James who were both sitting at the counter of their usual club. He just returned from China and it was time for a guys' night out since none of them had gotten any time to hang out much. Each was either busy or not in the country at the moment. Douglas – one of the Morgan twins, – walked into the club with his twin brother, Ethan. While Denzel hardly spent time with them, while they were growing up, Douglas would rather spend his time in his father's study. He preferred the four walls of an empire. The Morgan Empire that had been on for generations has continued to remain strong with the help of these four handsome bachelors; Denzel, James, Douglas and Ethan.They weren't identical so it was easy to tell from the Casanova to
Janelle was heartbroken, trying so hard to forget what she had seen in there. And it seemed like she was still hearing the moaning of both James and the bitch. She squeezed her eyes shut and covered her ears with her palms, so tight, her head was throbbing. But she still heard them. Moaning loudly like two wolves on a full moon. She turned around to leave, although a part of her wanted to walk in there and scream at them and possibly kill someone and face the consequence.But she walked away still. Her cellphone shook in her hands. She wanted to go downstairs and drink it all away, but she will have to pass the guys and Candace and her face will certainly give her away. She wasn't in the mood for some pity talk tonight. She pulled out her cellphone, thinking of whom to call. The only person she had always
James sighed and pulled out of her in content. She had filled him in a way he never could imagine. One thing he loved about Tope was her sexy ass body and her large ass. He didn't forget to add the fact that she was so good in bed. The last time he had felt this good was two weeks ago with a Chinese prostitute who had all it takes to take him to the top. Another had been a businesswoman, he had to seal a deal with. There was no way he could do that without having a go with his dumb and stupid secretary who coup give information at the sight of a big sized dick. One which he had. But, Tope reminded him of his former lover. That was the last time he had a long term lover. He could still feel her touch on his skin and yet she was way older than him. Way older. Yeah, she had a daughter. Someone he was still yet to find.
Candace turned to the bars from where she sat, looking out the small cut out window at the top of the small jail room. The window one could never see through no matter how tall you are. As if she would want to escape anytime soon. But the thought that Janelle was still alive and her mother was well again, gave her the urge to throw up. It wasn't like she wanted to receive visitors at all. But somehow, everyone seemed to be visiting her today of all days, as if each person wanted to be sure she was already behind bars or escaped. "What are you doing here? To be sure your daughter was living the life you always wanted?" She said to her mother, few hours ago when she came to visit. "You show up after so many years and it has to be at my lowly prison. How convenient, mother." She said, laying emphasis on the word 'mother'.Ireti shook her head
"Candace, what are you doing?" James asked. And for the first time, she saw fear in his eyes. The truth was obvious and it irritated the hell out of her."Oh, shut up, James." Candace said. "Don't act like you care about what I do with my life. Didn't you tell me yourself that you don't care?""Candace, we can talk about this like civilized people. Just let her go.""Civilized? What's the first thing you know about being civil? Nothing! You, James. You caused all of this. It could have been easy. All you had to do was love me, but you went ahead and put a ring on her finger!" The Detective gave his colleagues a sign to lay low. Candace turned from them to Tara, standing beside Seyi, using him for a shield. "You. I knew I should have slit your throat an hour ago. I knew there was something odd about you going upstairs to ease yourself.""But yo
Denzel sighed when he turned and half expected it to be someone his heart had been thinking of in a few days now. It happening to be James."Bonaparte, please." He said to the bartender who gave his most polite smile and turned to the lined up drinks on the shelf. James glanced at his cousin who silently ignored him and sipped his share of wine as though he were alone. None of them had spoken to each other since their awful fight and not like Denzel wanted it to be that way, but when James was acting like the big baby, the only solution was to let him be. "This is getting way too old, don't you think?" Denzel asked. James glanced at him, after receiving the glass of wine from the bartender with a nod. "Well, that depends."Denzel turned to him. "On what?" James shrugged."Listen, bruv this whole thing is too. . . We are w
“What do you mean she's missing?" Candace said over the phone. "I'm sure I spoke with her yesterday over the phone."Tara sighed. "Candy, I'm as confused as you are. I wish I had spoken to her too. What could have happened to her?""Wait. . .Nana said she left the house in a haste, right?" Candace asked. "Have they checked with James or Denzel? That's the only place she would be when something happened to her.""Denzel hadn't seen her either. He is as shocked as we both are."Candace raised an eyebrow, smirked and turned to look at the bleeding Janelle in front of her. The lady looked weak and could probably pass out any minute, but she won't allow it. "Wow. That's very odd." She said. Janelle slowly raised her head to look at Candace. The phone call was on speaker so Janelle could here how much everyone was searching for her. "Tara!" Janell
"Welcome back." The voice said to her as soon as she opened her eyes, looking around to take in her environment. The blurry face, smiling down at her, became clearer. "Must have been hard coming out of La la Land, huh? Let's play." She said. Janelle shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut. This must have been a big dream she would probably come out from.As if reading her thought, Candace chuckled. "Oh no, sugar. You aren’t dreaming.""It was all you? Everything that happened was all you?" Janelle's voice finally came back."Ah, thank God. You still have that smartness in you. At least Harvard wasn't a waste." Janelle looked up at her.Candace scoffed. "You can imagine. You even had to attend Harvard and I had to attend a boarding school in Nigeria. Who does that? If he didn't want me to be noticed, he should have taken me abroad, but a far different school from yours. No
JUST LAST NIGHT. . . Janelle rushed out of the house, ignoring the voice of her Catherine, calling her back into the house. This couldn't be happening, she thought struggling with her car keys as she stepped into the car, pulling out from behind and at the same time, honking impatiently at the security man who poked his head out the window post in fright as if to be really sure of what was happening. The gate opened as soon as he got the message. Catherine rushed to the side of Janelle's car, knocking desperately at the window and pleading with her to stop and come out. She couldn't really make out what her mother was saying and she didn't care to wait for it. As soon as she pulled into traffic, thinking back at what her mother had just told her. Janelle shook her head trying to shake off the words, but they seemed t
Denzel looked around the room as if to be sure there wasn't any intruder that shouldn't be in there and that earned a smile from Janelle who walked in before him. She turned around and laughed at him. He still had that serious and worried expression on his face. It was nice enough that her mother's let him come upstairs with her. James still insisted on driving her home, because obviously, he didn't want Denzel to do him the favors. But Janelle's mother had reminded him that he had an appointment with the court today and wouldn't want to be found as a suspect he isn't. But it wasn't hard to dismiss the story stare he passed his cousin. Janelle couldn't believe that she was the center of this feud. She hadn't signed up for this. She had never wanted to be the one to break such brotherly love. She knew how hard it had been for Denzel and James to finally
Denzel rushed to the pool as soon as one of the maids screamed and rushed into the house with eyes as wide as saucers. He panicked as soon as her body floated on the surface of the pool. The thought of the fact that she could be dead gave him shivers. Bad shivers, such that he dived in for her. At the sight of her body being pulled out with him, one of the maids fainted. Two of her friends tried to hold her up as well as resuscitate her. Denzel had no choice but to give Janelle mouth to mouth, while screaming her name to come back. He knew he couldn't afford to lose her now. Or ever. Not even like this. Why hadn't he come earlier? He felt uncomfortable leaving her alone at the house that night, but she had refused to go with him to see James. And as soon as he came into the house, she was nowhere around. Her body was still warm to touch and he moved right into action.&
"Tara, abeg nau. Just help me get it from the house." Janelle whined over the phone, pouting with her lower lip pulled out like a five year old. As if Tara could see her.Even of she could. That lady was not of this planet. She definitely did not have a heart. She thought. Tara groaned over the phone. "But is it not your house? Why are you finding it hard to go get your iPad yourself?"She let out a loud breath through her nostrils, sucking her upper lip with her tongue and rolled her eyes. "You're not making this easier for me, Tara." The model from the other line laughed out loud. "Okay, I've heard you. But, nawa for you sha oo. All you just have to is walk in there, call their bluff and simply take what you want to take and leave there.""I'm not ready to listen to anyone just yet.""Now, why do I have the f