POLLEN’S POV When Raymond said we were going shopping for the baby, I didn’t expect him to make a detour at the female’s sector for adults.My countenance changed immediately he asked one of the salesgirl to show us their best collections. “Aren’t we here to shop for the baby?” I asked after he was done talking to the salesgirl. “Yes, but we need to get a couple of nice things for Mama bear first” He said without batting an eyelid. His gaze rummaged the store for more clothes, while my poor heart pounded in a mix of shock and excitement. Mama bear? The words echoed in my head and I gave in to the surging feeling of glee. To ensure I don’t get caught, I turned to the opposite direction to smile. I was flustered when his raspy voice asked, “what is funny?” “Nothing” I responded in a firm dismissive tone. “I just saw you smile” “It’s nothing” I mumbled and walked away from him. That darn mirror. I strolled to the back of where he was, we were only demarcated by a high stack of
RAYMOND I rested my back in my chair as Amy wrapped up the zoom meeting that was aimed at solving the plagiarism case involving Vivi Banlop and Beckham’s Fashion Hub. They all waited for me to have a final word before we called it a day. “Jasmine, ensure you are constantly in touch with the investigators. Only call me when you’ve found something tangible” I muttered. “Okay Sir” Jasmine responded in a low tone. Jasmine hasn’t been his bubbly and dramatic self ever since the incident happened. Somehow, he felt he was at fault since he was the one in charge of designs. “Enjoy the rest of your day” I said to them and the meeting concluded. I reached for my phone, which was just beside the system. I haven’t spoken to Natasha for days now and she hasn’t contacted me either. Her mother’s health must be stressing her out. I called her number and it started to ring immediately. It rang until it stopped. That is how it has been for days now. So Instead of bugging her with calls that wou
POLLEN’S POV “Hey” Raymond leaned in to whisper to me, his warm minty breath fanning my face. “Don’t push me away. I just want to make life easier for you. Don’t you think you’ve suffered enough?” He asked in a low soothing tone. “I know, I just don’t…” “Let me help you, Pollen, at least until you are good enough to stand on your own. Until you don’t need me or anyone else. What do you think?” He paused the question at me, so did his eyes. He was so close and staring at me so intently that my heart skipped a few beats. I parted my lips to say something, but the words wouldn’t come.Why was it suddenly so cold? “Raymond…” I was about to bring another excuse when he shut me up with his lips. Yes, he bridged the gap between us and our lips were locked in a kiss that seemed too impossible to be real. But it was happening. My hands were about to run all over him when he abruptly pulled away and left me hanging. “I’m sorry, Pollen. I shouldn’t be doing this. Natasha, she…” His wo
RAYMOND My Secretary, Amy, was already waiting for me alongside Jazz when I pulled into the company. “Good morning, Sir” Amy greeted first and Jazz followed. “Good morning, Mr. Raymond” Jazz mumbled. Mumbling and speaking in a low remorseful tone has been his new way of speaking ever since the incident happened. “Morning” I mumbled under my breath. Ken, who had carried my briefcase from the car, handed it to Amy before leaving the building. “What is it I hear about Vivi Banlop?” I asked. I paid no heed to all the workers who greeted me as we walked through the grand reception hall to the hallway that led to my elevator. Jazz pressed a button and we all went in. “She was gone by the time our investigators arrived at her place this morning” “How did they manage to lose her? Weren’t they paid handsomely?” “They were” “So why were they unable to do their job?” I fumed. The small space that contained the three of us went dead. “What about the guy who is meant to examine the
NATASHA I strode out of my room with my iPad in hand. I’ve been inside since the day dawned, scrutinizing my designs for the last time before forwarding them to PrimRose, a fashion company that I will be working with for a period of two months. I found my mother sprawled on the couch watching TV as usual. That has been her routine since we came to Paris, but I didn’t complain. Not like she had anywhere to go, besides it was better than seeing her with a glass of wine every damn minute. “I booked us flights for tomorrow” I told her as my eyes strained on the iPad screen. “Are we going somewhere?” “Yes. Back to the US” She sat up abruptly, “Why? Didn’t we agree to stay until the scandal dies down?” “Yes. That was my initial plan. But don’t you think it’s lame and stupid? Shouldn’t I be beside the man I claim to love when he needs me the most? I’m surprised you didn’t talk me out of running away” I rolled my eyes at her. “Now it’s my fault?” “Isn’t it obvious? You are my mother,
POLLEN “Don’t push me away. I just want to make life easier for you. Don’t you think you’ve suffered enough?” Raymond’s words re-echoed in my head for the millionth time that day. I curled and hugged myself when I reminisced on how tender and gentle his lips felt on mine after he said those words to me. “Pollen, you need help. You should feel remorse for what you did, but here you are replaying the scene over and over again in your head” I said to myself and rolled in the bed. “You are a bad person. You are helping a man to cheat on his fiancé. That’s not you, Pollen” I tried to refrain from thinking of Raymond. Everything I did to get the scene out of my head was all futile. So I resorted to staying away from him for the time. Even my anger towards him turned out to be frustration, I was frustrated that he had never taken me seriously which is partly my fault. The doorbell rang, cutting my moment of introspection short. “Did Raymond forget anything?” I checked the time and it w
NATASHA I arrived at the mansion at exactly 5pm, after a whole 10 hours flight, only to meet no one waiting for me. Did I not make myself clear or is Pamela having some sort of hearing disability? I clearly stated that EVERYONE, including the pauper, should be expectant of my arrival. What’s with the dead silence and emptiness? I quietly kept my bag on the floor as soon as I let myself in since I knew the entrance passcode. I could hear voices from the kitchen. The clattering sound of a kitchen utensil followed. I remained at the spot I was, close to the kitchen door to hear everything going on. It was Pamela and the Pauper, the pauper had sustained a cut in the process of helping Pamela. Not long after, The Pauper came out of the kitchen holding the injured finger. She was startled when she saw me. “Natasha, you are back” She called my name so casually like we were acquainted, and it only worsened the hatred I have for her. “Yes. Anything wrong with that?”I folded my hands ar
RAYMOND Amy pulled into my office after a knock. I was behind the desk going through the file of Vivi Banlop, the designer whose designs my company was accused of plagiarizing. “Anything new?” I asked Amy, my eyes fixed on the file. “No,Sir. The house called, Sir” “What is it?” “It’s about Miss, Pollen” I looked up immediately when Pollen’s name got mentioned. “What about her?” “She passed out. Dr. Glen is on his way to the house as we speak” “Tell Ken we are leaving. Now” I said and closed the file in my hands. “Yes,Sir” Amy answered and spun to leave. The door was opened before she got to it, it was Mark. Amy greeted him on her way out and shut the door behind her. “You seem to be in a hurry. Is everything okay?” Mark asked. When I didn’t utter a word, he sighed and continued, “Well, I came to say thank you for all the effort you are putting into ensuring the Company’s reputation isn’t tainted. That way I have nothing to worry about when I take over” When I was done cle
Laura’s POV“What are you doing?”“Giving you what you want, of course.”My body arose like a flour kneaded with yeast, my nipples erected and ready to burst out of the white crop top I was wearing.“Not here, please,” I said in a whisper that sounded more like a moan.“Shhhh!” He placed a ding on my lips. It was the first time his bare skin was touching mine. I never imagined his finger barely touching my lips would send such electrifying waves of desire through my entire body.“I will have you wherever I want and whichever way I want." His hoarse voice ordered, “Now, take that top off.”Without questioning a single word he said, I yanked my top over my head. My boobs fell out with a bounce and pointed directly at him.“Now close your eyes and touch yourself; nothing will turn me on more than seeing you play with yourself.”Like a fool, I shut my eyes and touched myself while he stared and watched. I didn’t realise how satisfying having him watch me felt until I experienced it. It w
Laura’s POV“What are you doing?”“Giving you what you want, of course.”My body arose like a flour kneaded with yeast, my nipples erected and ready to burst out of the white crop top I was wearing.“Not here, please,” I said in a whisper that sounded more like a moan.“Shhhh!” He placed a ding on my lips. It was the first time his bare skin was touching mine. I never imagined his finger barely touching my lips would send such electrifying waves of desire through my entire body.“I will have you wherever I want and whichever way I want." His hoarse voice ordered, “Now, take that top off.”Without questioning a single word he said, I yanked my top over my head. My boobs fell out with a bounce and pointed directly at him.“Now close your eyes and touch yourself; nothing will turn me on more than seeing you play with yourself.”Like a fool, I shut my eyes and touched myself while he stared and watched. I didn’t realise how satisfying having him watch me felt until I experienced it. It w
Laura’s POVThe girl I went to sit next to welcomed me whole heartedly, unlike when they will purposely put their bags on empty seats just to avoid being next to me.“Thank you” I muttered politely and turned my attention to the lecturer who immediately looked away like he was caught stealing.The entire class was unable to focus since everyone was whispering about things that were obviously about my new look. I couldn’t only hear them, I could feel their eyes on every part of me.Chase. Where was he? Why wasn’t he in class? Is he even in school? It will be a shame if he doesn’t see me in this dress.The class eventually came to an end and everyone started talking aloud.“Oh my God, who would have thought she is this pretty” A girl started.“I know right” the second girl cooed.“We should go and say hi”“Should we?” When I heard that I spring up abruptly and turned to face the entire class, but came face to face with Queen.“A swine will mistake itself for royalty because it was fo
Laura’s POVChase.His name is Chase.I mean the guy I saw in a class room fucking another girl whom I badly wish I could trade places with.Ever since I saw that incident I haven’t been myself, I had masturbated twice the number of times I usually do, just over the weekend. To make matters worse, it was with no one but Chase. And because of the perverted things I had done with him in my mind, I even feel embarrassed at the thought of bumping into him, even though that was nearly impossible. As I walked through the hallway to my locker that morning, all eyes were on me. If I hadn’t done something else like terminating the air with the fart spray trapped in my locker I would have sworn that someone caught me touching myself while Chase and Amelia, as I got to know was her name after so much digging, had sex. But from the way they held they noses whilst whispering and sniggering, I knew it was the fart spray incident.I exhaled deeply and paused for a second before punching in my new
Laura’s POVIt was a Thursday, two days after Queen had purposely drenched me with tea. I was having a phonology class so I stopped by my locker to get the books I would be needing.I punched in the passcode to my locker and it gave me access. I opened the little space where I keep my stuff only to be hit and nearly killed by a pungent smell that nearly sent me to the afterlife.My face scrunched up and I hurriedly used the hen of the big black hoodies I was putting to protect my nose.“Did she just fart?” A student in the hallway asked.It was only then that I was brought back to my surroundings.I spun to look at the person who spoke with frantic eyes, hoping they’ll believe whatever I was going to say.“No, I didn’t. Someone must have trapped fart spray in my locker” I tried to explain.“You think we are stupid don’t you?” Another student asked, her hands covered her nose and her mouth.“Ewwww” More than half of the crowd that had gathered said in a sync.“I swear it’s not me” I w
Laura’s POV“You definitely did, I can’t recall giving you money for such exquisite things” “Well, Pollen did”“When? Why? That selfish girl can never do anything good for another person”“Then maybe we’ve judged her wrongly all this while, because she gave me twenty grand”“Twenty what?!”“Mum, I’ll fill you in when I return. That’s if I don’t sleep over at Mia’s”“You have to come back tonight. I need to hear everything” She persisted.“Okay Mum”I rushed out of the house as I had only thirty minutes left. Since I no longer use buses, I should be in school before my class starts.The cab guy who has been waiting for a while now was staring at the door when I came out. I walked dismantled the fleet of concrete staircases that spread to pavement where the driver has been waiting.“I’m sorry for keeping you. How much will that cost?”“Seventy-eight bucks, waiting fee inclusive” he said.“Here’s hundred” I gave an additional twenty two dollars.“Thank you” He received it with a smile.
Laura’s POVFor some days now I have staring at my phone, waiting anxiously for Mark’s call.The day he took my number at the bar, he had called my phone right there. That means I got his own number that day too, something that felt too good to be true. But Mark hasn’t called me as he promised, and it scared me at first. I was even tempted to initiate a call, but that would have automatically switched my position with his. It would have turned me from the Prize to the chaser, a situation Shera Seven always warned girls about.“Is everything okay?” My mother asked, her eyes straining hard on a laptop screen.“Yes. Why did you ask?”“You seem distracted”“Well—” My iPhone dinged and I hurriedly sat up when I saw who it was.It was a message from Mark. A big smile appeared on my face. I started to punch on my keypads instantly, but paused mid-way. I locked my phone and kept it away from me.Responding immediately depicts desperation and beautiful women shouldn’t be desperate.“Laura?”
Mia’s POV I clocked in late that morning. My eyes were groggy and my hair still looked messy even after combing it like every other day. “Hello Elsie. Amanda and James” I waved at them absentmindedly as I walked to the empty chair in a corner. I plunged myself in it and sighed. “You are late. Kilan was here to look for you” Amanda who spoke abruptly just Elsie was about to say something. “He did?” I tilted my head to look at her with my sleep depraved eyes. Apart from the cleaning I had been assigned to do for two weeks, which I have been doing for only three days, I haven’t been able to sleep properly. The pains from bending and scrubbing for three days straight has left me aching and groaning in the little sleep I manage to get every night. “He wants you to clean after the chefs in the kitchen instead. He said the employees on the floors you cleaned are complaining of how you suck at cleaning. They’ve been having reactions ever since” That was absurd, I know I might not be t
Natasha’s POV When I left Raymond in a fit of rage, I went to my room to cool off. How could he tell me not to address mere servants the way I want? It felt like he was choosing someone else over me again, even after doing everything I could to get rid of the pauper. I paced the space in my room to organize my thought, but there were just too many things running through my mind which I can’t overlook. Like the pauper for instance, even though she was no longer in his sight he still find ways to think of her. Now he wants to use their failed contract as an excuse to keep in touch with her. But I wasn’t going to let that happen. I will cut every string binding them together, even if it meant paying the compensation money for her. I brought out my phone and scrolled through it for her stupid number. I pressed ‘call’ and it started to ring. She didn’t pick immediately, when she did she refused to say a word. “Hello” I went first. “Hello? What do you want from me?” “Who is it?” I h