Chapter Seven

He leaned back into his leather chair and steeped his fingers together as he watched me closely; a gold wedding band glinted on his finger.

He was most definitely unavailable. I tried to ignore how disappointed that made me feel.

"So, Miss Fayola, what unique quality do you think you have to offer my company and why should I hire you? Be convincing."

This office was his territory and we both knew it. I sat up straight and gave him my interview-ready reply. Thankfully, it was one of the top 10 interview questions articles that I had read and practised my answers for after reading them on a blog recently.

Show no fear Eni, remember you need this job.

He continued to ask regular questions and soon, I started to feel comfortable. He was almost too predictable and I began a private victory dance in my head. I almost did not notice when he stood and slowly walked over to my side of the desk.

His impressive height and stature became even more pronounced from my seated position. When he sat down on the desk, to my left, I began to fidget with the straps of my handbag. I shifted slightly to the right to put some distance between us but his sharp eyes did not miss it.

"Do I perhaps make you uncomfortable?" He asked slowly, in a low voice.

His words seemed to come alive and glide through the air between us. My skin prickled unpleasantly with goosebumps as if caressed by an unseen force and it felt like the temperature in the room suddenly dropped or maybe it increased. I felt hot and cold at the same time.

The image of the lady I met outside his office door suddenly flashed through my mind. I wondered what he did to make her run out of his office in tears and if it was the same thing he planned to do to me.

Was this some sort of intimidation tactic?

"I would prefer that you kindly keep your distance, sir."

I did not know what to make of his actions but I was sure that if I received any more strange behaviour from him, I would lose my regard for him and the job too.

"You are a very beautiful woman. Surely, this does not come as a surprise to you." He murmured the words softly while his eyes were still fixed on mine.

I stood which put us at roughly the same height with him seated on the desk.

"This has nothing to do with the job, sir. If this is how you plan to waste my time then I am not interested." I hissed and turned to leave.

I was disgusted. Some men did not seem to know where to draw the line anymore.

He was married for crying out loud! I jerked the door open, one foot was already out the door.

"Congratulations Miss Fayola, you are hired."

I slowly turned around, confused. My hand fell away from the doorknob. He was seated on his side of the desk again, the image of tranquillity as if the last few minutes hadn't even occurred. All signs of seduction were wiped from his face and body language.

"W-what?" I stuttered.

"I said you are hired."

"But..." I trailed off. My mind was yet to process his words. He leaned forward in his chair and spoke.

"You see, I like to make sure that my employees have strong values and most importantly, character. I am sure you saw the young woman who came in here before you. She saw this as an opportunity to obtain favour with her soon-to-be boss and offered herself to me on a silver platter. I do not want employees like that. There is a lot of competition in this industry and I can't have shady characters working for me."

I scoffed and stepped back into the office after I shut the door. So it was just a test.

"Welcome to the company, Miss Fayola." He smiled as he stretched his hand out toward me. I stepped forward tentatively to accept his outstretched hand for a handshake.

#

Saturday was the day of my scheduled meeting with Akin. I arrived at the restaurant and tried to ignore the way my heart raced as I saw his familiar face among the crowd. Several couples and families were also there to enjoy a meal on the weekend.

Sounds of laughter floated in the air which greatly contrasted with my mood. When I was a few steps away from our reserved table, he looked up and quickly stood to pull my chair out for me. He had always been the perfect gentleman after all. It was one of the things that had attracted me to him.

I sat and smiled hesitantly at him. I couldn't help but notice that something was off about him that day or maybe it was both of us. He avoided my gaze and looked nearly everywhere but at me. I signalled a waiter to bring us two glasses of sparkling water and we sipped it in silence for a few moments.

"So, what is it you wanted to tell me?" I decided to break the silence.

After his visit the previous week, I decided it was better to hear him out once and for all. Akin looked up and finally, maintained eye contact.

"Eniola, please don't be angry with me. I honestly tried to get out of it when I first found out." He hesitated. 

A sinking feeling filled my chest and I knew I would not like what he was about to say.