The faint sound of a door opening somewhere filtered into Ayo’s blissful sleep.He made a sound of protest when he heard a whisper and the warm paradise in his arms moved away.“Come back to bed,” he muttered against the pillow without opening his eyes.He felt her hand flutter over his, then she moved away before he could turn his palm upward to pull her back into bed.Preferably landing over him at the right angle and spot.He wondered if it was morning yet, as his drowsy mind started to slip under again.He really hoped not. He wanted more of the night.More of her supple skin whispering beneath his hands as he worshipped her perfection.Another intruding whisper came from farther away.“Who is she talking to?” He wondered briefly as the whisper seemed to become urgent.Before he could turn over, he heard the door open and close again.He rolled over and blinked blearily at her.She had her short peach-coloured robe on, and the tantalising creamy mound peaking in the plunging neckl
Tanya met Meg on the phone when she got downstairs.“Okay, keep me posted,” Meg said to the person on the phone before disconnecting.She sighed in exasperation as she pulled out a chair from the mini-meeting seating arrangement set off to one side of the living room.“That bastard is driving me crazy,” Meg muttered.“Thank you,” Tanya said as she sat. “Has he done something else?” She asked with certainty that she wouldn't like whatever it was that Meg just heard.“He got to Prime!” Meg said as she waved the standby staff over, with his cart of coffee and confectioneries. “I hear he is going to have an interview. My source just informed me.”“None for me, thank you,” Tanya said as Meg told the staff to pour her a generous hand of coffee.“I believe you are going to need it,” Meg said as she drank hastily and swore when it burned her tongue. “Damn it. Nothing is going right this morning,” she said as she glared at the coffee.Tanya tried to hide her smile as she said “Relax, Meg.”Meg
They would bide their time.In the meantime, Tanya’s public relations team would do their best to assure the public that the integrity of their favourite actress was still as impeccable as ever.And so was that of the man she had chosen as well.The team would have to pull double weights, since not only would they have to deal with the backlash that would come from Tanya choosing another man, but now they had to ensure the world was aware that the man she chose was worthy after all.Tanya and Ayo would have to have an interview, but before that, Ayo needed to be trained.When Meg had used that exact word, Ayo had thought her ridiculous and had even laughed out loud.It didn’t take him long to realise that she was not joking.None of them was.In a few hours, he already had an assistant, a tutor, a new phone and number and many other things he couldn’t believe would be happening to him a week ago.Added to that, he had not seen his wife since that morning.After handing him over to the
By midday, Ayo already felt like he would go crazy soon.The continuous talk of Ruffs and the constant buzzing around by the assistant was getting on his nerves.What more? Ruffs wouldn’t go away despite Ayo’s protests.“Princess needs me to teach you all you need to know before the end of the day” had been his constant mantra.For a moment, Ayo had almost despised Tanya for all of this. Almost.He tried to call her to get her dog off his back, but it was useless.Meg had picked up the call and told him in that frosty tone that Tanya was not available to pick up calls.“Please, focus on your training, Mr Taiwo. You will need it sooner than we thought,” she said before disconnecting the call.“That woman!” Ayo had gritted out before going back to his punishment. Ruffs was showing him the proper ways to use certain weird-looking utensils then.Why the hell did he need to remove the snail from its shell when the cook could have done that? He wondered in frustration.Apparently, it was su
Ayo knew what that tone meant.The scathing look on the lady’s face was not necessary for him to know what she meant by that single question.He was not welcome here.Oh, he knew that, but then the premium card in his pocket beg to differ.He was already feeling like shit and having it slammed on his face that he was an impostor was not sitting well with him.Still, he managed a thin smile as he said, “I am here to get some clothes. Thought that was what this place was meant for?” The lady’s nose flared in contempt as she gave him a once-over and said; “We don't have something you can get.”“Really?” Ayo asked innocently, then he pointed at a shirt on the rack behind her. “I think I would like to take that.”“It is not for sale” she said immediately without looking back.“You mean it is not for sale for me, don’t you, sweetheart?” he asked with a wink.Even as a blush tinted the lady’s cheek, she cleared her throat and looked pointedly at the door. “Please, leave before I call the co
“I can’t believe this. It is one thing after the other with you,” Meg fumed as she paced the patio.Ayo hung his head in a show of embarrassment.In truth, he wouldn’t mind returning to that store to punch that man’s face all over again.At least, he would be satisfied that it had been worth the trouble after all.He only got in two punches and wiped the floor with one of the security guards.His flying kick had done that while the other guard had stayed back.Ayo had not realised that the coward was calling the cop.He was surprised when they got there within minutes.In this part of the world where the cops can arrive at a robbery scene hours after the incident, he was shocked to realise that they would rush over for such a trivial thing.The manager’s nose was bleeding badly when they got there and it didn’t take much before the cops held his arms behind him and cuffed him.Within the blink of an eye, Ayo was pushed into their vehicle before he could even explain himself.The manag
“This has to stop.”“Explanation, please,” Ayo said in a deceptively soft voice.He had watched her pace to and fro since they entered her bedroom.The fact that the gesture resembled what her manager was doing earlier annoyed him enough that he turned his mind to something more interesting.How much were they paying those bastards for them to risk their lives that way?Climbing a tree to take pictures? As much as it annoyed him at the time, he couldn’t help but be amused.Maybe being a paparazzo paid a lot.Why didn’t he think of that before settling for working at a car wash?His initial anger seemed to have seeped out of him somewhere between her soft lips pressing against his and the ridiculous sight of grown men up in the trees.In the wake of his anger was a sudden weariness that made him want to stick his middle finger at the world at large.And now, she had to say that. She turned to look at him, and something shifted inside him.She really was beautiful in an ethereal way. T
“I don’t like spending your money, I don’t need Ruffs breathing down my neck, I don’t need your manager scolding me like a child and I definitely don’t need a thousand and one designer wears. What more? Who cares how I hold my fork? I just want to eat. You agree with me that all those aren’t necessary, don’t you?” he said with a bit of frustration.For the first time since they entered the room, she gave him an easy smile, “You need them,” she said apologetically. “If you really want to do this, then all these things are needed. They will tear you down anyway, but then if you are equipped in the right way, the sting will be less,” she said sincerely.Ayo considered that, and he liked the sound of it, “I don’t want to go about with your card,”“We will get you your own,” she said smoothly.“It will still be your money.”“We can consider it a sort of payment for doing this,”His look darkened before he said, “Don’t insult me,” “I am sorry. What about we count it as a loan? You can pay
"Why is he here?" Tanya felt Ayo's hand tighten on hers.She turned her head to see Martinez down the hall surrounded by his new manager and his bodyguards.She noticed that the bodyguards were fewer than he normally had.She supposed he had to keep up pretenses because she of all people knew that he could no longer afford them.He could barely afford the clothes on his back as he was so neck-deep in debt that she was sure he wouldn't finish paying for them in a decade, even if he decided to straighten up and do better.Since that didn't seem to be in the cards anytime soon, she was sure even his pretences would crumble soon enough.She saw Derek, a heavyweight champion, pointedly snubbed Martinez and walked away.When he spotted them, he turned towards their direction, but Tanya looked at her security head before turning away.She knew he wasn't going to get to her family even if he became a fly."Ignore him," she told Ayo. "Some people still believed that his old music, Gangrene, des
“It will be fine,” she told herself firmly.She had to believe it.She told her men to stay out while she looked for him.She entered the hotel and was directed to the ballroom on the second floor, sectioned off separately from the main floor.Tanya took the stairs that led to the ballroom just as someone was coming down it.“Why must I always see you everywhere I go? Isn’t it enough that you ruined my life?!” Susan’s shrill voice dampened Tanya’s mood.She wondered what she was doing here, especially coming from that part where the receptionist said it was closed off to the public for the day.Despite her curiosity, Tanya decided to ignore the bitch so she could go away with her trouble. She had something better to deal with, and she was not going to allow her to ruin it for her. She continued up the stairs expecting Susan to shut her trap if she didn’t respond.She gasped when she suddenly felt a hand pull her from behind, and she slipped backwards.“Tanya!” she heard Ayo’s voice as
“I am pregnant?” Tanya started at the doctor in shock.“Yes, princess. That explains all those feelings you’ve been having. Congratulations.”Tanya couldn’t believe it.She stared blankly at Dr. Aguilar then looked down at her stomach.Cupping it, she stood up from the bed and walked slowly towards the door.She flung it open and Christianah almost tumbled in. She had her ears plastered to the door, while Meg leaned against the railing with a worried look on her face.Meg hurried forward while Christiana steadied herself, “Well?” she asked while peering into Tanya’s pale face. “What is it? You are fine? You are fine, right?”Her worried tone made Tanya nod automatically, and then she said quietly, “I am pregnant. He said I am pregnant.”“Pregnant?! That is good news!” Meg said excitedly, then “Come, you shouldn’t be standing. You are pregnant…”Tanya didn’t believe she could squeeze laughter past the ball lodged in her chest, yet it erupted as she looked at Meg’s face. “Pregnant, not s
In a theatrical whisper, he said, “It is that man I saw on the TV with you. I think he is your husband? Yes, that one. Such a wicked soul,” he said with disgust on his face right before he forked some lobsters into his mouth.“There are many men with me on the TV, many have acted as my husbands before too. Which one of them are you talking about?” Tanya asked with confusion on her face.“I mean the…” he cleared his throat and drank wine to wash down the hastily chewed food. “The real one. The one you married instead of Martinez. What is that name I hear people call him? Yes, Mr. Taiwo. That one.”With surprise evident on her face, Tanya leaned forward. “Are you sure about this? You must have been mistaken. After all, it was a dark street.”“I know it as sure as I know my name, princess. I won’t lie to you. If that killer wants to lie about it, I can say this right to his face!” he said firmly.“Oh? That means you wouldn’t mind repeating this anywhere?” Tanya asked.“Of course not! Mart
Tanya waved the man over as she saw him enter the restaurant.She had booked the whole restaurant for the evening and was seated alone, so it was easy for him to see her.He wore a blue windbreaker jacket that seemed to have seen better days, just like his jeans and shoes. He seemed to be in his thirties.Smiling broadly, he approached her table. "Hello, princess. I can't believe I am meeting you in the flesh. This is so surreal. May I have an autograph, please?" he said excitedly."Of course, why not?" Tanya answered with a smile. "Let's get down to business first. We can do that later.""Okay, okay," he said as he scraped the chair back loudly and sat eagerly while smiling at her.Tanya disliked his shifty eyes immediately, but she held her smile as she assessed him. Her eyes went towards the man behind the counter with his face turned away before focusing on the man giving her a once-over.She was sure she had never seen him before nor knew him with Martinez, but then it was easy to
She was ashamed.The better Ayo’s family treated her during their two-day visit, the more ashamed she felt about the way her mother had treated Ayo and was still treating him.The visit was meant to be a few hours' visit, but his sister had persuaded her to stay one more day.She could see that his mom loved the idea as well, so she immediately agreed.It had been the most relaxing and heart-filled visit she had ever had.Ayo’s mother did not treat her like a stranger at all. She treated her like she had known her for ages.Her care and compassion almost seemed alien to Tanya.It wasn’t that her mother wasn’t capable of love, she just couldn’t remember a time when things like her career and her standing in the family hadn’t overshadowed any bond they might have developed while spending time together.If she thought hard enough, maybe she could recall a time in her childhood when she had been allowed to just be a child or when her mother had just looked at her with love without thinking
She covered the distance between their hands and linked them together, saying, “I want to meet your family. It would be my honour to see your home.”Emotion clogged Ayo’s chest and thickened his voice as he said, “And after that?”“I want you back,” she said without hesitation.“Back? Like…?”“Forever,” she answered. “I don’t want to end this. I lied when I said this was just an arrangement. I want more.”Oh, baby. Ayo’s hands tightened on hers as his eyes swam with the blooming emotions in his heart. “I want more too, baby. I want it all. I don’t ever want to let you go. I will work hard to deserve you. I will…”She leaned forward to lay her finger on his lips, “Ssshh,” she said softly. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. You are more than enough for me,” she said with glistening eyes.Ayo shot out of his chair and hauled her into his arms before he could stop himself.Enough. She believed he was enough.Apart from his family, no one had ever believed he was enough.E
Excitement and anxiety warred in Ayo as he entered Avery.Avery was one of the top restaurants in Lagos with full-course international cuisines. One could request any food from Asian delicacies to oriental cuisines.The restaurant was so famous that one had to book a reservation at the restaurant at least a week before the date.Ayo had decided to try his luck that afternoon when he called. He was disappointed when he was told they were booked for the next three months.He was thinking of another place he could invite Tanya to that would be just as phenomenal when he got a call back from the restaurant.“You are in luck, sir. Someone just cancelled their reservation now. Would you like to take it?”“Yes,” Ayo said immediately.Though the reservation had taken the bulk of the money he had left, he was happy to do it for her.The security guard greeted him cordially and opened the door for him, and he stepped into the cool interior.He was surprised when he saw three attendants waiting f
“You won’t believe this!” Tanya smiled as she readjusted on the bed and asked, “I can sense it is something exciting from your voice. What is it?”“Oh my God! Excitement is the least of what I am feeling right now. I am overwhelmed.” his exuberant voice made her smile widen.Oh, she missed him. She wished she could see him right now.Even better, she wished he could be beside her at that moment. She missed him badly, but she was determined to respect his decision.“Even if it kills me,” she thought as she rolled her eyes at herself, then focused firmly on his excitement.“Do you know James Beed? I mean, what am I even talking about? Of course, you know James Beed. Mr Beed called me!”“Oh?” she prompted while grinning from ear to ear.“He called me for my book! He wants to make it into a movie! Can you believe that?! He was even talking about series, collaborations, and some other things I couldn’t really focus on. Can you believe this, Tanya? My book will be turned into a movie. I wro