POLLEN âWait a minute, he paid for therapy and also hired a critique to go through every single thing youâve written?â Mia sat up from her beach chair. âYeaâ I nodded with a coy smile. âAnd that was after he took you shopping?â âYeaâ âThis guy likes youâ Mia fell back in her chair, âIâm very sure he doesâ âCome on. He is just being niceâ âThis is beyond being nice, Pollen. Iâve been with a lot of men, so trust me when I tell you he likes youâ I suddenly went quiet as I tried to let her words sink in. At that point I was battling the urge to tell her we kissed. He has a girlfriend, saying I kissed a man who has a girlfriend makes me feel pathetic. Especially after the chaos I had caused their relationship when I popped up with a pregnancy. âIs there something you arenât telling me?â Mia adjusted her sunglasses to peek at me. âNothing at allâ I responded abruptly. âYou are hiding something from me, arenât you?â âNoâ I stressed. âOkayâ She reached for her glass of champagne
NATASHAâYou think Susan can pull this off?â I asked my mum who was at the dining table having fruits.âWhy not? Your cousin is a very smart girl, just like my sister. I told you my sisterâŠââYour sister helped you with tricks that got you that abuser you call a husbandâ I rolled my eyes, leaving my mother speechless.âYour father wasnât like that from the beginningâ My mother said in a low tone that made me think she was missing the evil man I was unfortunate to have as a father.âAre you trying to make excuses for him?â My eyebrows furrowed in shock and disgust.âNo.I justâŠââLook, mother. I have paid those guys a huge sum of money to ensure that man rots in there. I wonât have you let some flimsy emotion ruin our new chance at having a respectable lifeââI never said I missed him or still have feelings of any sort towards him. If there is anything anyone should worry about, itâs your increasing likeness for RaymondââWhatâs wrong in liking Raymond? He is good looking, rich and ev
RAYMONDThe air was heavy with the scent of good bourbon, as we, myself, Alex, Damien and Lamar reunited. Our banter and laughter, rich and warm, echoed through the house.âI canât believe Iâve been out of The States for half a yearâ Lamar started, âMen, I thought I was going to run back here as soon as I stepped foot in NigeriaââWhy?â I asked.âThe stories being circulatedâ Alex who had joined them a month after they had left chipped in.âYeah. The stories. Bro, they painted that place in a bad light and made it look like some place only people with supernatural abilities can surviveââI know rightâ Alex chuckled. âTo be honest, I was scared when you asked me to go check what they were doingâ Alex confessed and we all laughed.âWhat a coward,â I teased.âBut it was fun, not going to lie. Iâll miss their savory foodsâ Alex stated.âYea, and beautiful womenâ Lamar addsd.âWhat beautiful women? The ones throwing themselves on my crotch for a 100 bucks?â Damien threw back his head
POLLENAs the tires rolled into the mansion, my heartbeat accelerated. I didnât understand the gravity of the crime I had committed until Mia and Laura left and Ken brought me home.âWe are home already, Miss Pollenâ Ken announced when I didnât budge moments after the car engine became quiet.âOh! I didnât even realizeâ I lied.I opened the door and got out. I walked unwillingly to the door, hoping and praying I wouldnât bump into him.âWhy did I even agree to move upstairs?â I stumped my feet like a child.Then I remembered that Ken was still in the car just behind me. I spun to find him standing outside, with a little smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. I turned to face my front instantly, my embarrassment already heightened at this point.If I hadnât listened to Raymond and moved to a room upstairs, even though I had no reason to do that. Sneaking into my old room which was down stairs wouldnât have been a problem. But now the chances of being seen by him before making it to
RAYMONDâThe meals are still as bomb as ever. Donât ever fire Pamela, broâ Alex warned.He and the others trailed behind me as we walked out of the dining room after filling our stomachs. I stepped foot in the living room first,then quickly turned to my friends with a finger on my lips.âWho is that?â Lamar whispered as we all watched her try to shut the door in the most silent way.âShhhhâ I placed a finger on my lips, asking them to be quiet.âWhat is wrong with him?â Lamar asked, still in whispers.I was looking forward to the look of shock on her face as she quietly spun. Pollen looked like she had seen a ghost the moment she turned to find my friends and I in the living room.âHiâ She made a little hand wave,but put it down immediately.âHiâ I answered with a smile I didnât even realize was obvious. It was meant to be a mental expression.I watched as she hurried up the stairs.âHey. Whatâs wrong with you?â Lamar punched me lightly in the chest, but I didn't bother as my eyes we
NATASHAMy mother adjusted herself and checked her lips for a thousandth time in the little mirror she brought out of her purse when the chauffeur pulled into the venue for the sorority party. Seeing that everything was okay, she waited for the chauffeur to get the door.Still seated in the car beside my mother, I peeked at the tall building where the meeting is scheduled to hold. It will be their first time holding one in such a luxurious space.âArenât you coming?â My mother paused on her way out of the car.âPatricia has seen me before. Do you want her to recognize me and ruin our plan?â I said and brought out a pair of glasses to put on.âWho is Patricia?ââThe Pauperâs mum. How can you not know the name of someone who is likely to ruin your chances of being sorority Chairperson?ââYou know I donât care about those women, so keeping their names in my head is hardââWell, you have to keep this one. She is not someone to play with, unless you want to lose to her like I did to her
POLLENMy hands trembled with excitement as I grabbed the ornate door handle.I have been looking forward to this moment since I moved in, but thought it was never going to happen because of the contract agreement that stated âNo friends or family allowedâ,but finally,my friend Mia and sister Laura were about to experience the grandeur of Raymondâs beautiful home. With a deep breath,I swung open the door, revealing Mia and Laura looking around the yard with their feet planted at the front door.âYou guys are here!â I smiled broadly.âFinally!â Mia squealed when she saw me.Laura was too engrossed with the environment to say a word to me.We hugged briefly before entering the mansion.Mia's eyes widened, her mouth agape. "Wow...Pollen, thisâŠthis is incredibly beautiful!âLaura's gaze darted around the living room, taking in the crystal chandelier, the sweeping staircase, and the exquisite furnishings. "Pollen, this is heaven!" Laura gasped.I beamed with smiles, thrilled to share my
POLLEN âWhy did you lie to me?â Miaâs face was right in front of mine as she outlined my eyes with a brown eye pencil. âWhat do you mean?â âYou said Raymond has no friends when I asked you to introduce me to one of his friendsâ âThatâs because I never saw him with any friends. I got back from the beach last Sunday to find tons of them in the living room, I was too shocked to utter a word myself â âAm I supposed to believe this?â Mia paused with the eyeliner trapped between her fingers. âBelieve whatever you wantâ I joked. âYou know you are under my mercy, right?â âTalking like I canât decide to go to the book launch with a bare face. I have a great skin you knowâ I winked at her. âKeep that ugly of face of yours let me finish what Iâm doingâ She placed one hand on my head while the other carefully drew a line on my eyelid. âWhy do you want a man when you have one already?â âI have told you countless times that Jeff and I arenât datingâ âWhat are you doing then?â âUsing eac
Lauraâs POVâWhat are you doing?ââGiving you what you want, of course.âMy body arose like a flour kneaded with yeast, my nipples erected and ready to burst out of the white crop top I was wearing.âNot here, please,â I said in a whisper that sounded more like a moan.âShhhh!â 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.âI will have you wherever I want and whichever way I want." His hoarse voice ordered, âNow, take that top off.âWithout 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.âNow close your eyes and touch yourself; nothing will turn me on more than seeing you play with yourself.âLike a fool, I shut my eyes and touched myself while he stared and watched. I didnât realise how satisfying having him watch me felt until I experienced it. It w
Lauraâs POVâWhat are you doing?ââGiving you what you want, of course.âMy body arose like a flour kneaded with yeast, my nipples erected and ready to burst out of the white crop top I was wearing.âNot here, please,â I said in a whisper that sounded more like a moan.âShhhh!â 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.âI will have you wherever I want and whichever way I want." His hoarse voice ordered, âNow, take that top off.âWithout 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.âNow close your eyes and touch yourself; nothing will turn me on more than seeing you play with yourself.âLike a fool, I shut my eyes and touched myself while he stared and watched. I didnât realise how satisfying having him watch me felt until I experienced it. It w
Lauraâs 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.âThank youâ 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 couldnât only hear them, I could feel their eyes on every part of me.Chase. Where was he? Why wasnât he in class? Is he even in school? It will be a shame if he doesnât see me in this dress.The class eventually came to an end and everyone started talking aloud.âOh my God, who would have thought she is this prettyâ A girl started.âI know rightâ the second girl cooed.âWe should go and say hiââShould we?â When I heard that I spring up abruptly and turned to face the entire class, but came face to face with Queen.âA swine will mistake itself for royalty because it was fo
Lauraâs 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 havenât 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 hadnât 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
Lauraâs 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.âDid she just fart?â 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 theyâll believe whatever I was going to say.âNo, I didnât. Someone must have trapped fart spray in my lockerâ I tried to explain.âYou think we are stupid donât you?â Another student asked, her hands covered her nose and her mouth.âEwwwwâ More than half of the crowd that had gathered said in a sync.âI swear itâs not meâ I w
Lauraâs POVâYou definitely did, I canât recall giving you money for such exquisite thingsâ âWell, Pollen didââWhen? Why? That selfish girl can never do anything good for another personââThen maybe weâve judged her wrongly all this while, because she gave me twenty grandââTwenty what?!ââMum, Iâll fill you in when I return. Thatâs if I donât sleep over at MiaâsââYou have to come back tonight. I need to hear everythingâ She persisted.âOkay MumâI 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.âIâm sorry for keeping you. How much will that cost?ââSeventy-eight bucks, waiting fee inclusiveâ he said.âHereâs hundredâ I gave an additional twenty two dollars.âThank youâ He received it with a smile.
Lauraâs POVFor some days now I have staring at my phone, waiting anxiously for Markâs 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 hasnât 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.âIs everything okay?â My mother asked, her eyes straining hard on a laptop screen.âYes. Why did you ask?ââYou seem distractedââWellââ 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 shouldnât be desperate.âLaura?â
Miaâs 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. âHello Elsie. Amanda and Jamesâ I waved at them absentmindedly as I walked to the empty chair in a corner. I plunged myself in it and sighed. âYou are late. Kilan was here to look for youâ Amanda who spoke abruptly just Elsie was about to say something. âHe did?â 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 havenât 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. âHe 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. Theyâve been having reactions ever sinceâ That was absurd, I know I might not be t
Natashaâs 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 canât 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 wasnât 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 âcallâ and it started to ring. She didnât pick immediately, when she did she refused to say a word. âHelloâ I went first. âHello? What do you want from me?â âWho is it?â I h