“I don’t mean to get ahead of myself, but I can see you’ve truly approved of this place. I would love to pay all fees incurred.” Antonio said softly, looking directly into my eyes.
I was momentarily stunned by his request. He looked so earnest as he implored me with his facial expressions to say yes. Though, I wanted to, I mean, it would get some of the stress off my shoulders, I couldn’t do it. I didn’t want him to think I was stringing him along for benefits. It’s a weird feeling to have as I did that weekly, but I still couldn’t do it.
“I appreciate the offer, but I’m sorry I can’t accept it.”
“What?” Pelummi practically shouted in disbelief.
Why does she have to show her greed at every point? Couldn’t she hide her greed for a moment? It was becoming annoying and I might stop stringing her along when I’m out w
Jumoke had called me late at night to inform me of her rash decision to drive Adanna out of the house. I was beyond pissed. It wasn’t right. It wasn’t because I gave a hoot about Adanna and her feelings,but the fact my business would suffer as a result.She was one of the most sort after girls in the trade. I hadn’t been wrong to support Jumi when she’d brought her in. It was one of the best decisions we’d made. It is true that Jumoke wasn’t my slaveanymore, and we were almost equals, though, she still had a long way to go to measure up to me. Yet, we oftentimes shared contracts. I signed some of her girls to my top clients, and in turn, I sharedthe money between us. It was how it worked.Right now, I hoped to remind Jumoke that this girl has been a great source of income to us. The other girls tried, but they couldn’t measure up. There was something about her youth, that turnedmen on. I’m pretty sure th
We arrived at the street. It was as busy as it had been yesterday. I had a feeling that schools were on holiday. That was the only explanation I could conceive of children loitering around so early in the morning. I don’t know much about schools like I’d used to, because I don’t like to think about what I’d lost. It never solved anything.I stepped out of the taxi with Success in my arms, feeling a sigh on my heart. It was easier to look at things now without feeling any external pressure. I would be living here, in this fierce environment. Now, that I was here, I knew I couldn’t call it ghetto. There were worse places than here. Yet, it had this offbeat feel to it. It was the type of place that everyone knew everyone. Nothing escaped their eyes. This was quite evident in the way some people looked at me coyly, and others openly as I looked around. “Madam, where do I keep your bags?” The driver’s voice pulled me
I unpacked my bags carefully, making sure I had Success items at a strategic location. The bare floor begged for a mat. I would have to go out to get one. It shouldn’t be that difficult getting the necessary items here. And, I was grateful for that.I turned the travelling box upwards and sat down on it with Success in my hands. Having a child without any external assistance from people was beyond stressful. I wished I had someone to help me. There should be someone to at least look after Success while I carried out my duties. Mama Monserrat would have been the best option, but I didn’t want to disturb her at this point. There are times, being completely dependent on others cropped insults and neglect to the fore. But, I wasn’t sure of what to do either. A blue wrapper caught a glint in my eye from the distance. The answer to my problems was here. I could easily back my little bundle of joy. What a relief this is! I grabbed my purse on the floor, flipped my ba
Jeremy was one of my clients while I was still working with Jumoke He was a spendthrift, but demanding all the same. There was something about him, though that made us all excited when he called. It was his money and mannerisms. Normally, he went through Jumoke to get our services. I was quite surprised he was calling me directly.I swiped my screen, and it connected me to him. He barely said a word, just breathing through the phone.“Hello?” I answered.I clicked my key in the door hole, turning it right and the door sprang open. The room was still so bare, but at least it was better than nothing.“Hi, is this Adanna?” Jeremy queried.“Yes, it’s me. Is there any problem?” I asked as I walked deeper into my room, kicking the door shut.“Should there be?” He asked right back.I kicked my shoe off, sitting down on the bare floor without bothering with the box this time. “No, no
“Adanna!I turned towards the voice and stared at Antonio who was looking at me with such an intensity that took my breath away. He stood by the side of his car looking breathtaking in multicoloured shorts and a white t-shirt. He seemed too good to stay in such an environment. Yet, the smile on his face was as calm as ever.It’s been a day since we last had a decent conversation with each other. I remember he promised to take me out on a date. I also remembered we didn’t know each other so well. He hasn’t even touched me sexually, despite the heavy flirting. I did not know what to make of it. It seemed too good to be true.He effortlessly pulled away from his car, moving in my direction. It was the way he slipped his feet through the mud as he walked towards me that did it for me. I don’t understand why this man affected me this way. I didn’t like it. It was so different from the normal interactions I had with other men. I did
I was on the bus going to the Chicken Republic at Okota. The bus was half-filled with passengers, but still, the driver wouldn’t make a move, claiming it wasn’t filled up yet. We just needed three more passengers for the bus to be filled up. This was one of the reasons I didn’t vibe with commercial buses. But, what to do in this situation?Some of the passengers were complaining severely about the delay, but the driver was unperturbed about the situation. He gave it to them as hot as they gave it to him. I sighed in frustration at the whole thing. While a few passengers were buying drinks from hawkers and others were fast asleep. There was nothing I wanted more than for the bus to get moving, but there was nothing I could do. Finally, two market women stepped onto the bus with a teen coming behind them. The conductor hit the car in response and jumped on the bus so quickly, the passenger nearest to him, had to shove him forward. I gritted my
I fiddled with my handbag as I looked out of the window, my mind was a whirlwind. If Jeremy worked for Madam Apple, then it was only natural that he had been sent by her, right? He couldn’t just pick me out of the blue. No matter what he had claimed about me easily getting contracts, it didn’t just add up. I wasn’t the only one getting contracts in spades and I wasn’t under Madam Apple but Jumoke. Yes, Jumoke answered her, but I didn’t. So, how did he know about the job I went out to do. It didn’t make sense at all.“Stop the car.” I snapped at Jeremy.He gave me a sideways look that showed how irritated he was. The car was moving at a snail’s pace, thanks to the heavy traffic. But, still, I was locked in by Jeremy, so I couldn’t just get out of the car even if I’d dared to perform such a fit.“Why?” He queried.I gritted my teeth. “Don’t ask me any q
His presence seemed to make the room heated to a hundred degrees. The tension was palpable, and he didn’t seem bothered about it. Not once, did he look at me? His attention was fixed on Inspector David, his uncle.“Antonio, my boy, we don’t do things this way. And, how exactly do you know this young lady?” The IG queried.I bit my lips as I waited anxiously for his response. With the situation on the ground, I’m pretty sure things would get worse from here.“Uncle, is this the time to talk about this? I know that whatever happened, wasn’t her fault. I hope you will let her go.” He said once more.Inspector turned his gaze to me, observing me closely. I wondered what he was thinking. Maybe, he was imagining a way to torture me once more for entrapping his nephew. Finally, he looked away from me to Antonio.