PAWN IN A GAME OF SEX

Title: Pawn in a game of sex

Author: Olagoke Ajanaku

Genre: Romance/Mystery

Damn！I slept with my ex. No！He slept with me.

Either ways, considering the past we shared, what was I expecting when I showed up in Desmond’s hotel room a month to my wedding？

A day before; a Friday, I went for lunch break at an eatery, and was returning to the office when I bumped into this staunch, handsome young man who turned out to be Desmond.

“Te-ni-o-la！”

“Desmond.”

“My-oh-my，” he exclaimed and was coming to hug. I brushed his hands aside. He may have a memory as short as a fuse however what happened three years ago was still fresh in mine like it was  yesterday.

“Teni, I know I have hurt you, but please give me a chance to explain.”

“Explain what Dez？That you have been away in America for three years in the name of going over to make ends meet for us but I never saw or heard from you again since you traveled till now？”

“A lot happened in-between you should know.”

“Whatever happened doesn’t matter anymore. I have moved on.”

“Moved on？”

“What were you expecting？That I send a search-team after you while I wait？ Look Dez, I need to get back to the office, I am running late already.”

“You work around here？”

“No.”

“Where do you work？”

“None of your business.”

“Alright. Can we meet here tomorrow so I can clear my conscience？”

“No, we can’t.”

“Can I at least get your number？”

I rattled off the digits, stepped into my car and zoomed off.

Ahaa…Dez…, after these years, charming as ever.

I thought of him all day, tried getting him off my mind, but climbing Mount Everest would have been a lot easier..

I was about going to bed when my phone rang at exactly 9P.M.

It was a strange number calling. I knew immediately  it was Dez, waited for a while before picking, deceiving myself I hadn’t been expecting his call all day.

“Hello Teni,”

His baritone voice sent some vibes down my spine.

“Hi,”

“How are you doing？”

“Fine.”

“Teni-baby, you looked gorgeous today.”

“Call me that again and I would end this call.”

What was he trying to do referring to me as he did when we were lovers？

“Sorry about that.  Earlier in the day， I wanted you to know…，”

We spoke into midnight. By then, I had simmered down. Desmond was one unfortunate guy. After he arrived in Georgia USA, he got a job as a cleaner at a Jewelry store. 6  months into  the job, two white guys came in to rob the place. The police showed up before they could escape and got them arrested. While they were led away, one of them pinpointed him as their inside man. That was how Desmond ended up spending about a year and half behind bars. His skin colour was his major disadvantage. I felt for him as he narrated his ordeal in the hands of fellow inmates and prison wardens. The truth was eventually unraveled. He was released 5months ago.

“Teni, I lost your number, couldn’t find you on facebook. I returned a week ago, went over to your place at festac the following day, but was told you had moved out. Teni, can’t you see our meeting today was fate giving us another chance？ Teni…Teni…？”

“I’m here.”

“What do you think？Say something dear.”

“I don’t know what to say Dez, I am in a serious relationship heading for the altar.”

“Quit it, and let’s continue from where ours stopped.”

“How can you say such a thing？”

Shile Adeoti is a good, perfect gentleman to the core. Though we linked through our  matchmaking parents, the journey of almost a year had been with no regrets. What reason would I give to jilt him？

“Babe, consider the past we shared, your happiness is what matters. Do you love him？”

Do I love Shile？ No one ever asked me that, so I never had cause to answer.

“If I don’t, I won’t be getting married  to him next month.”

“Teniola, do you still love me？”

“Dez, why are you doing this to me？”

“If it’s about the wedding, we can convince our families, get married at the registry, and travel to the states to continue our lives. If they don’t agree, we elope.”

“Dez！Are you out of your mind？ That’s not possible.”

“Of course it is baby. Let me give you time to think about it.”

“There is nothing to think about. Dez, please let’s forget about us.”

“Just like that？You don’t even care about my feelings.”

“Of course I do, but there is nothing I can do at this point. I am sorry.”

“How miserable the rest of my life will be without you.”

“Please don’t say that.”

“Alright then. Can we meet for the last time？”

“Meet where？”

“At Trophy Hotel. I lodged there on arrival to await some loads before going home. They have been delivered. My stay expires tomorrow, Let’s meet by 3P.M.”

“Dez, you are making this whole thing hard for me.”

“It’s hard enough for me that I am leaving you to another man. If I don’t see you latest by 3, I’ll take it as you’re not coming. Sending the address over, see you tomorrow, goodnight.”

After the call, my head was heavy with all kinds of thoughts swimming through. Two opposing voices stood distinct: one against my going, the other urged me on. A buzz from my phone notified me of a new message, it was Dez’s description to the hotel.

I was still in thought when I slept off. I woke into that doomful Saturday feeling groggy. I was drifting off when I noticed it was already past noon. My eyes flung wide opened. I was expected at Trophy Hotel in the next 3hours and was still undecided. Maybe if I had had more time to think, it would have been a different story.

At quarter to three, I was at the entrance to Dez's hotel room. Its door clicked open after a light tap. At the sight of Dez, my depth rocked to rumbles. His alluring smile that got me always. His sleeve-busting biceps in a cream Soldier T-shirt on a gray three-quarters. His red eyes？ was he sleeping？why would he be crying？Or he was…, 

“Teniola, I was almost concluding you weren’t coming. Please come in.”

While he shut the door, I stepped into the body of the room and caught sight of a half-emptied bottle of whiskey by a corner.

Will Dez ever give up alcohol？

“Make yourself comfortable，”he said as he joined me. 

There was a moment’s pause of staring into each other’s eyes. I went weak within, felt a trigger like ticking  bomb. It was my heartbeat pacing off.

“That’s a lovely outfit you have on.”

My heart was going  to burst; thank goodness he broke the silence. And what was so lovely about a sheer red blouse on blue jeans？

“Thank you,” I was still saying when I felt his mouth against mine, his red slimy tongue mingling and wiggling.

The breath of whatever brand he was drinking was almost choking.

Did he sense I was going breathless and couldn’t bear my  weight much longer or was it my pulsating movement that was so obvious？

I hung onto him as he lifted me off the ground. His hands cupped my buttocks, grabbing as though he owned them. He carried me over to the bed, placed me gently on it.

His shirt went off in a jiffy, exposing fine ridge-like abs. Whether my blouse was removed or ripped, I couldn’t exactly tell. It happened so fast I was bared at the snap of the fingers. I froze when his hand glided over my breast. That moment, Shile’s face flashed through my mind and I was guilt-stricken. I drew back. It was a chance for a stop. As I moved to do just that, I felt the warmth of his mouth on my hard nipples.

Gosh！

Like rubber faced with iron, I melted under him. After getting his fill he went for my tight-fitted jeans. That was another chance for a rethink, but I had been so drained of defense within that even if I was  buckled with a padlock he still would have broken through without breaking a sweat. Like a sheep surrendered to her shearer I laid still as he pulled off all that was left on me.

There was this fire that came with his caresses. My skin felt warm as he worked his hands all over like magic in a way no masseur could at that moment..

The foreplay was so intense I was suspended in cloud 9 in no time, throbbing and gasping for air. If that was all he had to offer it still would have been a moment to remember forever. However, I was dying to have him in me. I was at the verge of…, ‘Ouch！’ was that his…？I exploded. Like a starved man he ate me raw, rode as if he was being chased.

We agreed never to reach out or see each other again. Dez gave his word he wouldn’t. Several times after, he crossed my mind, especially the moment we shared but I knew I would  get over him with time. 

My wedding day came and went  as planned.  I had anticipated the wedding night on one end and dreaded it on the other. It was the first time I and Shile were going to know each other in bed.

We had an agreement of ‘no sex before marriage’, which I brought up at a time he made advances at me. We were family friends, both hailed from Idanre, Ondo state. I didn’t want to appear an easy catch. If only he had  tried another time as expected I would have given in. But from the look of things Shile was a stickler for agreement. After waiting endlessly for him to make another move, I went over to his place dressed in a way that would have run any man crazy. When he seemed not to notice me, I went around the house pretending to do  something, striking all kinds of seductive poses, even a eunuch would have been turned on. When my man just remained crouched in the couch with face glued to kiddies TV show, I realized I had succeeded in shooting myself in the foot.

Although I wanted to lay the fears I had developed as regard his performance  to rest, I was extremely  tired from the wedding exertion I could sleep in my wedding gown. Shile must have sensed this.

“My love, I can wait till another time if you are not yet ready.”

It felt like I was pushing him away.

Not again! Once beaten, twice shy.

I drew him close and undid his buttons. It was as though I flipped on a switch. Gentleman Shile turned out  a wild beast in bed. He still had  more terrific weapons in his arsenal when I was already blown away. 

I wouldn’t want to compare him with Dez, they both have their different styles that could make 'oliver twist' of any girl. Except i wanted either of us to pass on to the great beyond, would I have asked for another round with same knock out intensity. He was obviously fagged out after orgasm, and so was I.

The hotel we lodged in for our two weeks honeymoon bordered the Landmark beach. It was a beautiful view of the sea from our room. It had a pool, fitness center, all kinds of amenities one could think of. Fresh 

tasty seafood —grilled prawns, shrimps and oysters were also

 available.

Shile was a pack of fun it was hard not to fall in love with him. His gentle ways of romance was irresistible. As if it was payback time for letting him wait for long, he hardly let me out of his sight, not the least bath alone. It was clinging and gumming here and there and everywhere.

We went horse-riding at the beach, ran about its shores like kids. Don’t know how he got a band of ‘all guitarist’ who entertained us at a time; we danced lightly and further rocked to trending Nigerian vibes in the confines of our room. He made love to me in the pool, carried me to bed many nights after dozing off on the couch coiled up in his arms like a baby.

I wished the time could last forever, didn’t know I’d just spent the best of my days.

Shile and I agreed to do away with our phones during the honeymoon. On returning home, hundreds of text messages and missed calls awaited us. I was busy attending to them when a call came through, it was an unknown number. 

“Hello Mrs. Adeoti,”

From the husky voice texture, I sensed it was Desmond.

“I thought we agreed not to contact each other again,“

“Does that include calling to congratulate you？”

“Thanks for the wishes.”

“So, that dark and chubby fellow is the man you left me for？ how is he in bed？”

“what？”

“I bet he is one lousy twerp.”

“I don’t trade words with drunks.”

“You should be grateful this drunk saved your ass. I should have indicated my presence when the priest announced the final banns of marriage, and claimed what belongs to me.”

“Which is？”

“You, of course.”

“You must be out of your mind.”

“Yes baby, crazy in lovvveeee. Teniola, not even a word of appreciation for the gift I sent you.”

“What gift?”

“Ohh, you haven’t seen the boxed pair of panties, one to replace the one I ripped in the heat of the moment, the other to serve as insurance should such happen again. We never can tell.”

“God forbid. Over my dead body.”

“Girl, watch what you say.”

“Now I know you are sick. Don’t ever call this line again.”

On disconnecting, I raced down to the master’s bedroom where we stored our wedding gifts. After rummaging through, my heart skipped a beat when I came across the one from Dez. I removed and  dumped it somewhere in my wardrobe, glad it wasn’t Shile who found it first.

It was no big deal, didn’t take it to heart till two days  after when Dez called again. 

Ignoring him would get him off my back.

So I thought, till he sent me a video on Whatsapp. It was a porn scene with the caption ‘your husband could learn from this’. Then I knew I was dealing with a Psycho. The face of the man in the sex clips was blurred.  I was an inch close to a heart attack when that of the woman resembled the one I see each time I looked into the mirror.

I am doomed！

Dez called few minutes after. 

“Hello Desmond,”

“I thought you still wouldn’t pick.”

“Dez, why are you trying to ruin my marriage？”

“Quite the contrary. What would become of it if your husband gets to see the video, or it goes viral？”

“Dez, please don’t do this. But you gave me your word you wouldn’t contact me anymore.”

“My word？ You are dumb to have believed all those craps. You think I’d leave you just like that？”

“What do you want？”

“Nothing much. Just to be sharing you with your husband. He'd have you to himself most of the time. An hour or two whenever I need you is not too much to ask, same hotel, same room.”

“I beg you Dez, don’t do this.  A married woman？What if a friend of my husband or relative sees me？”

“Then you need to play smart girl. Don’t get caught！Let’s see  tomorrow, 6pm. Don’t try to do anything stupid as well. Ciao！”

The line went off. Laid still on the couch, I stared helplessly at the ceiling. My world was starting to crumble right before my eyes.

Shile worked as an auditor in an accounting firm, he hardly made it home before 9.

By half past 6pm the next day, I was attending to my one time lover turned maniac, what used to be pleasurable became abusive, mouth that once wooed and chased now flung daggers of threats my way. After having his way, he said he'd contact when next I was needed. 

For how long？ Till a sweet replacement like me is found, according to my slave master.

On four different occasions, I was at Dez’s beck and call, playing along, covering my tracks the best I could. 

I tried as much as possible to be my normal happy self around Shile. 

That Wednesday, though seated on the couch watching 'sour grapes' with Shile, I was far gone from his presence.

Dez had asked for an overnight the coming Friday. 

That was pushing his luck too far. What'd  I tell my husband？

“Didn’t I tell you he'd come to the end of himself should he decide to rape Mitchel？” said Shile about the villian in the American movie. 

“Honey, honey！” he called repeatedly and tapped before I  raced back into my body.

“A penny for your thought？” “Just thinking of how lucky I am to be married to a loving man like you.”

“Aww！” he drew me close. I shuddered as he wrapped me tight in his embrace as though from his squeeze, he sensed the double life I had led in the last 2weeks

I can’t continue to live like this！

That moment, an idea crept into the dark corners of my mind.  As much as I didn’t want it to come to that, Dez left me with  no other option.

By eight:forty-five on Friday, I entered Dez’s hotel room and found him seated on the bed doing God-knows-what on his laptop. He was so taken by it he barely acknowledged my presence.

“See what I bought for you.”

He paused, stared at me as I held out Squadron; his favorite drink at him. 

“To what do I owe the occasion？”

“Nothing much. Just felt it would be a long night, so I needed to relax and get a bit tipsy myself.”

“Really？ That’s the spirit！ Drop it on the cabinet”

I went for a quick shower and returned clad in his towel. He’d helped himself with part of the drink. His eyes ogled my body, smiling lusciously as he went from head downwards. 

“I’ll be with you shortly,” he said and pressed on the keyboard.  

After having gulps of raw alcohol forced down my throat on first two encounters,  a blend of squadron and juice wouldn’t do much harm.

I was still halfway down the tumbler when Dez was already knocked out, snoring heavily. I didn’t expect the powder-like substance I slipped into his drink would have such quick effect.

Watching him splayed on the bed, I thought of strangling him in his sleep or tying him up and carving out his balls like Mitchel did the villain in 'sour grapes', but I couldn’t live bearing that on my conscience.

I searched his phone and laptop  thoroughly for any implicating video, wiped the ones I saw and formatted his storage devices. I wasn’t surprised when I saw he was into internet fraud, but was shocked on discovering he peddled hard drugs abroad.  He escaped arrest and fled into the country.

He should still be fast asleep when I arrived home at dawn of Saturday. 

Shile suffered all through the night, worried concerning my whereabouts. I intentionally left my phone at home. He couldn’t reach me.

“Honey, just thank God I’m still alive. On my way home from work, Policemen intercepted a gang of armed robbers along Obalende road. The gang resisted arrest which resulted in a gun clash with the police. 

Everyone scampered off into safety. I ran into a church in the company of three others. Sound of gunshots went on for over two hours. In a corner where I cringed in fear, all I could do was blink till daybreak.”  

May God have mercy  

At about noon, a call came through from Dez.

“Teniola, I believe you are in possession of my passport.”

“Yes I am. It would interest the police to know the country is harboring a fraudster and fugitive.”

“What do you mean?”

“Quit acting dumb. Dare to trouble me again and I’ll make sure you rot in jail”

“You bitch! You haven’t heard the last of me.”

“Buzz off.”

It was a great relieve to be finally rid of my nemesis.

In the course of the following week, I suddenly became easily irritated, nervous and snappish. Shile found it hard to relate with me. I couldn’t explain exactly what was wrong. A female colleague sensed hormonal imbalance and suggested I saw a doctor. 

After running a test, the doctor's diagnosis revealed  I was 8weeks pregnant.

8 weeks?

Couldn’t have been Shile's, Oh no! Dez again? But I was on pills when we met the first time in his hotel room. How manage?

I asked the doctor. After a couple of questions, it appeared an antibiotics I took around that time affected the potency of the pills.

How can I bear a child from that maniac?

As quick as abortion came to mind, so I shut it out. 

Early into our relationship, about four  years ago, Dez got me pregnant. He pressed for abortion. Although I wasn’t ready for a child as well, I couldn’t stand abortion either. My Mother once said one could die in the process. In fear, I held onto the pregnancy till it was 10weeks old. After much sweet-talking and promises, I gave in to Dez's pressure. He employed the service of a doctor who happened to be a quack. I ended up hemorrhaging and was told I would be risking my life or chances of conceiving, if I ever aborted a pregnancy  again.

I had thought Dez was now out of my life for good, only to be stuck with his seed, a lifetime reminder of the painful experiences I suffered in his hands.

You bitch! You haven’t heard the last of me.

Though I couldn’t keep little Dez from  staying, I could determine the father.

I got home and delivered the good news to Shile, adjusting the date.

“You don’t mean it” he said with inexplicable joy.

“Of course I do.”

“You're pregnant?”

“Yes, 4weeks gone.” 

Shile didn’t even check the date on the report . He lifted me, raised down the roof  screaming ‘I am going to be a father!’ while he spinned me around.

“This has called for celebration ” he said as he placed me down. “ Ask whatever you like and you will have it.”

His eyes shone brightly at me, I feared they could see through me. I was lost for words.

“In short, you're quitting your  job. I’ll get you a house help.  As for the bountiful gift in you, he or she will arrive a Canadian citizen.”

All that for a child that wasn’t truly his? 

It was enough poor Shile had been fooled all the while, I felt bad he would also bear the brunt of my choices.

I became hard on myself, convinced him to let me keep my job till I was heavy, and refused a help.

“Doctor said I should keep my muscles active for easy delivery,” I said to him.

Does that mean I should work myself till I was burnt out？

Times when Shile could have gone to the office on an empty stomach and would have understood if I’d said I wasn’t strong enough to fix him breakfast, I willed myself out of bed and put something together at all cost. I could have gotten my feet massaged when they ached, but refused to tell Shile. As he wasn’t a mind reader, I suffered in silence. It was a period when wives got pampered by their husbands. Except mine offered to, I never asked.

I do not deserve it.

Shile couldn’t possibly imagine  how disturbed I was the times he kissed my belly or placed his ear like a stethoscope  against it, claiming to pick ’his boy’s’ sound. 

Before my belly started becoming pronounced, I moved to the next phase of my plan—bought a girdle to manipulate the pregnancy, strapped it to the office and whenever Shile was not around. 

I never knew that was suicidal. It’d have been better to have died than what happened to me.

That fateful Saturday afternoon, I was working myself tirelessly; better put punishing myself, slaving away at any and every chores I could find, when I blanked out.

The first sight I saw as I came through at the hospital was Shile's sad face. I didn’t need to feel my belly to know I’d lost the pregnancy. I’d have considered it ‘blessing in disguise’ but hated myself when I learnt my uterus had ruptured. According to the doctor, I needed to heal both bodily and psychologically. I could take in again in the next one month, and could  be as long as a year. My recovery depended on a lot of things. Most paramount was Shile drawing closer and preforming his duties regularly. 

After 5months of fruitless efforts, I became fed up. I should be the one pleading and persuading we don’t quit trying, not Shile.

Sex that didn’t last more than 10mins took an hour of pep talk and encouragement to get me in the mood. I wondered why he didn’t just give up on me.

Stop wasting your time, this is fate dealing me blows for what I did to you.

Patient and understanding men like my husband are hard to come by. But for how long？ I knew if he doesn’t already have another woman out there, it was only a matter of time.

One Friday evening, I was sorting his clothes for laundry when a piece of paper fell off the breast pocket of his suit. I lost balance as I went through it. Fortunately, a couch was nearby  to receive my bulk. I remained that way, looking stupefied till Shile returned from the office. He knew at once something was wrong.

“What’s the matter my love？don’t tell me you’re brooding ov…” he was saying when I handed him the paper. He wore a countenance of ‘game over’ as he settled calmly in the couch opposite me.

 “I can explain.”

What was there to explain？ The paper said it all. When was he going to tell me he was suffering low sperm count？

“How long has it been？”

“Long before we met.”

What！

I launched forward as though he slammed on a brake. Everywhere went silent while he continued.

“I had been in two serious relationships that didn’t make it past courtship because of the issue. I feared you’d leave me like the others. I was seeing a specialist, taking the recommended drugs, but how could I know I’d healed if there wasn’t a woman in my life I could impregnate？when you came up with ‘no sex before marriage’ it went well with me. Marriage was the only thing that could best help my situation. I was the happiest man on earth when you said you’d taken in. When we lost it, I didn’t grieve much since I was fit to get you pregnant again. So I thought till I went to the specialist yesterday, got tested and received the shocking news that I couldn’t have impregnated a woman by the result.”

I came in at that point, told him all about myself and Desmond. There was no use holding back anything. How unfortunate to be served in kind of my bitter pill.

THE END.