My heart beats violently in my rib cage like it's about to explode, I stretch my hand and put off the alarm. My feet land on the floor and I am met with the biting cold of the floor. I rush towards the bathroom, brush my teeth and quickly take a bath. Heading to work like someone in a marathon I hit Starbucks for coffee before getting to work. The day is characterized by me taking a photo shoot of a month old baby, the session wasn't as stressful as my other ones because the baby was asleep throughout the entire session, the family session was next and that was a breeze in the park for me " what can I say I'm good at what I do", I later went further to edit their picture in preparation for print and soft copy.
Rosie and I are at the hospital to see mum. As we walk towards her room, I notice that the door is ajar and the doctor is talking, my eyes widen in surprise, mum's awake and the doctor is talking to her as I stand there staring in awe, Rosie rushes towards her and gives her a hug and I am pulled out of my reverie. I rush towards her and join in the hug. Everything seems to be getting better, it looks like the supreme being has decided to have mercy on us.
The doctor just stares at us awkwardly till we break the hug. He goes ahead to explain how she's doing and all we need to know before he leaves us alone.
I'm so overwhelmed with joy to see my mum awake, she rubs my face with her hands and tells me she loves me, her voice is hoarse from not talking for a long while but it gladdens my heart not the less.
I tell mum of the gig I got that will enable me pay for her surgery and how I'll have some money to spare. Rosie sits there and watch us as we have our moment, till she eventually reminds me that it's time to leave.
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I arrive at the event and a tag is given to me to enable me access various section of the place the event is to be held.
As my team and I enter the hall where the event is to be held I am blown away by the display of luxury and wealth. Chandeliers with intricate designs are on full display the walls of the hall is painted with pristine white, the chairs are gold plaited as they are set around 'round' tables, the centre of the hall is left free to give them room to dance and the tables are set to perfection, the flowers are finely placed at the right location. I have never been in such a place in my entire life, such elegance, such beauty, such class, I am in awe. "No wonder they are paying so high" I muse to myself. The lighting has already been set the videographers set up the little the have to set up while I arrange my self likewise as I bring my camera out of my bag and prepare. Few minutes later the waiters are out ready to carry out their duties dressed in white and black like the theme of the party required. They males were dressed in white shirt and black trousers with a black bow tie and the females were in a black short gown making them look smart. I was dressed in a midi gown low cut dress that doesn't really expose my breast, and a red heel.
Soon enough the guests start to troop in and my job begins.
I start taking pictures of couples as they arrive and once everyone is seated I take pictures of the anchor of the event, and subsequently the conveyor comes to make a speech to which I do my duty and capture the beautiful moment he goes ahead to call his wife on stage and continues with his speech and once I find a romantic enough position of them I take a picture.
As the event progresses the most beautiful man I have ever seen steps in the hall and the hall goes silent at his arrival, his presence commands attention and power, his cold eyes scans the hall before he takes long confident strides to his designated seat, I almost forgot my duty but luckily for me a waiter bumps into me and I rush out an apology before taking a picture of the man who stepped in as he moves to his seat. "I wonder who he is to command such authority" I muse to myself.
The event proceed as he seats down but occasionally I find my eyes wandering to his direction, his jet black hair is gelled to perfection and his tuxedo is tailored properly. A few persons leave their seats to actually talk to this man. "Who the hell is this guy" I silently ponder.
I move round the hall to take more pictures and I sight a blond beauty seated by his side, the way they are conversing shows they are more than well acquainted, her hands glide over his tuxedo suit as she whispers into his ears, his hand skims the rims of his glass as she whispers into his ears but he abruptly stops, I immediately stop staring at them and take a couple pictures of them and proceed to others.
The heels on my feet are beginning to make me uncomfortable, I move towards the balcony, it's a hidden from the activities of the event and there isn't much lighting there so it's a perfect place to hide and relax for a while. I take off my red heels and place them beside me as I place my hand on the railing and relax.
"Hello" the most beautiful deep voice says to me, in an instant as the word is uttered the hairs on my skin stand up, delightful tingles move down my back and my body responds in bliss to the voice, like it's its owner not minding who it's from.
I immediately turn my head to give my attention to the owner of the voice, as I set my eyes on him the wind is knocked right out of me, because the distance I saw him at when he arrived the party and stole the moment did not give justice to how good he looked, "damn…." I lightly said unaware that I had spoken it aloud.
"Excuse me?" Came his response, I immediately apologize for my inappropriate behavior and smiled at him. My legs are wanting to give out on me because of the close proxity of this man that exudes so much authority and beauty. My eyes not so subtly scan him from head to toe and I hear him chuckle at my brash stares.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I am acting weirdly right now, is just that I wasn't expecting anyone to come here and most especially not someone like you, it just took me by suprise, I'm really sorry, please don't be mad", I rush out like Eminem. At this he gives a throaty laugh. "Relax I just came to get some air like you" he tells me, "My name is Gregory by the way what's yours" he questions, "Denise" I respond quietly.
His aura is swirling around me, notifying me of how powerful he is despite how friendly he seems to be right now. "Nice to meet you Denise" he says as he takes a step further towards me, reducing the little gap between us.
"Jesus! Who is this man" the alarms in my head keep buzzing, he isn't even talking to me anymore but I'm feeling hot and bothered, wait a minute is this feeling people get before they sex with someone?, Because if it is, then this means trouble, the guy isn't doing anything and I m so bothered by his mere presence"."Sir" some one utters breaking the silence we were in, we both turn around and a man in a well tailored suit is standing meters away from us, Gregory gestures for him to come forward and he does so, going straight to whisper in his ears."Excuse me err Denise, I have to attend to something", the way my name rolls out of his tongue, hmm good heavens, I don't think anyone has called my name better. I nod to his request since I'm too distracted to respond with my voice. As he steps away from me I can't help but watch him leave, my eyes linger on his firm back, moving down to his long legs that carry his body with grace. " Well that's a fine…. specimen" my inner self concludes
My body responds to his instruction as my legs carry me towards the area he is leading me to. Before you know it, we are standing before a black Chevrolet Corvette, despite my tipsy state I recognize it. I know this because I love cars even though I cannot afford one even if I wanted one so badly."Step into the car" Gregory tells me. "Gosh does he speak only few words", my mind wonders.The ride was quiet, not an uncomfortable one, on the contrary it was peaceful like the calm before the storm. I can't fully process my surroundings and all I know is that I am in an elevator with just Gregory and I in it and he is staring at me with those unfathomable yet beautiful gray eyes, like I'm the only thing that exist. He takes a small step forward and I take one back and my back hits the end of the elevator wall. My breathing is has become heavy as I stare into his eyes. He leans towards me despite his height and kisses me on the lip not just any kiss but a deep kiss. I k
The hurt I felt in my chest burnt like an inferno. Unable to hold my tears, l let it flow from my eyes like a river as I quickly dress up. I looked back at the door I came out from before turning to find my way out of the penthouse.The ride back home seemed fast because of the state of my mind when I rightly knew that it took an hour plus. But who cares how many hours it took when I just experienced this level of embarrassment. As we reach my home I pay the driver and rush out towards my flat and into my room. Immediately I got into my room I shut the door and I cry, like a child in pains I cried. sliding down the door unto the floor I cried. The scene of everything that transpired playing and replaying in my mind as I cry my eyes out. Regret and hurt the prominent thing I know as of the moment and I cry. The first time I decide to give myself to a man and he treats me like nothing, after everything we did together. After making him my first everything. I thought he actually liked
Rosie and I got to the hospital and the doctor immediately informed us that my mum needs to conduct her surgery as soon as possible. No matter what has happened to me between last night and this morning I am still grateful that I got that gig and I have money for mum's surgery. I rush to pay for the surgery and mum is prepared for surgery and immediately taken to the Operating theatre. The whole time Rosie is with me as we wait for the surgery to be over. Hoping for only the best. Rosie goes ahead to inform the studio where I work that I won't be coming in for some time. And my boss, being a nice person, accepts and sends his support. Calls have equally come in from my colleagues and she has been the one in charge of answering all the calls on my behalf. When God put her in my life he knew what he was doing because having her here supporting me all through has been wholesome and I am grateful.Three hours and some minutes later the doctor comes out and I rush towards him "Doctor how
Morning comes fast and I push myself out of bed to begin my day. I look at the mirror and inspect what's left of my face and the only difference is that there isn't blood all over anymore. Setting aside my usual routine of self pity I prepare for my day and eventually leave the house.As I arrive at the hospital, there is a little crowd of reporters in front of the hospital trying to get the attention of a man. But he is fast enough to escape them. I laughed to myself at how annoyed the reporters looked. I stride into the hospital and head straight to get my face checked. The doctor attends to me and I get a stitch where I need one. I know my face doesn't look like how it used to after the beating but I know my face will return to normal after a few weeks. After my checkup I moved in to see my mother.As I walked down the hallway I saw him, the man that made me feel so many emotions, the man that made me feel special one moment and feel so worthless the next. The man that took my pri
It's been a month now and Patrick hasn't come for his money. I have been living in fear because I don't know when he'll show up demanding for his money. I haven't been able to raise the complete money yet. I'm jumping at the slightest sound, looking over my shoulder at every opportunity. The thought of him popping out at any moment clouding my sense of reasoning. The anxiety is making me sick, I can't seem to sleep properly or even stomach my food. My mum has been pretty worried but I try to shut down her concern. I try as much as I can to act normal around her in order to ease her worries. I'm trying to edit some pictures in the studio but I cannot seem to concentrate, so I decide to take a stroll to feel a little bit at ease. The stroll doesn't seem to be working. I seem to be spinning, My eyes can't focus on a spot. Nothing prepares me for the impact of the floor as I hit it with force and immediately black out.I don't know what's going on but I can feel that my body has been pla
"Who sent you to sabotage my reputation huh?. How much did they pay you to do this to me?."I look at him confused, look, Mr Gregory "I don't know what you are talking about. As far as we are both concerned we are strangers"."Oh cut the crap Lady, you were in my bed some time back and now you're pregnant. Do you know what could happen if the press gets a hold of this, forget the press? Do you know what my enemies would do if they got a hold of this information? For years they haven't seen me slip up or have a dent on my name and now you come up and want to give them an opportunity to clap back"." Who told you I am pregnant?, And so what if I am. I never said it was yours so you don't have to worry." At this point my voice was shaking, I was scared. I don't want him to suspect that it's his. He is a wealthy man. He could hurt me and the baby just to keep his reputation clean. God knows I don't want another Patrick in my life, I only want some peace. His voice was eerily calm as he s
Standing in front of my door was no other than my new nightmare. He stood like a man on a mission his face showing no expression, his grey eyes fixed on me, anger and hatred burning through them. His eyes only mirrored mine after the initial shock of his presence weared off me. "Denise who's at the door" my mum calls out. "Nobody important mum, I'll be right in, once I'm done." I quickly reply."What are you doing here" I whisper yell as I quickly step forward and shut the door behind me. I did it so my mum wouldn't see him."Ah so you don't what your mum to know the evil you have done. Isn't that lovely, she's going to find out anyway." he steps forward."Look I have done nothing evil, it's not my fault that you don't seem to remember what transpired between us and it's fine, I've accepted my sad reality and I've moved on. Kindly do so"."I'm so sorry darling that won't be happening. The moment you carried my child inside of you and I found out, that's where life got a little bit c