WHEN THE HEART KNOWS

STAR CROSS

CHAPTER TWO

Nma arrived at her studio c*m boutique. It was a one story building in a very high end part of the town. She parked her car and glanced at her building, the top floor showed female clothing of assorted type, from smart working clothing to enchanting evening attires. While the ground floor showed off male clothing. The top floor was already showing her latest design in evening gowns and office clothes. She walked into the building, first of all stopping at the men floor. There were already customers as she expected, today being the beginning of the weekend and also a public holiday. As she entered, eyes followed her. She knew her customers couldn’t believe it as her workers called greetings to her. She smiled and nodded at them and walked into an office.

Felix was her manager, accountant, friend, brother and every other thing in between and he was also the only one she had closest to a family. She smiled remembering when she was sixteen and had a huge crush on him. That was before her father died.

“Morning babe” he greeted.

“Good morning Felix, I can see it is really a good morning. Do you have any idea what brought these people out this early” she asked jokingly

“I guess they saw you and followed you to this place, every hot blooded man would” he said laughing.

“Were they so anxious to see me that they got here before me? Oh Felix don’t believe all you hear, I don’t attract them like that” she smiled

“I don’t listen or believe what I hear, I know what I see” he told her “You are beautiful; it is only natural that you should attract them. Besides it brings them here and when they come, they buy.”

“Anyway I hope they are buying and not just looking around”

.“The only one who seems to be looking around is that gentleman over there” Felix said pointing at a tall handsome man.

Nma turned to look at the man and her breath caught in her throat, she stared at him astonished for some reason she couldn’t understand, she had to blink severally to drag her eyes away from him. “Oh! But he is cute Felix” Nma murmured still looking at the man through the glass door. Good thing that the man couldn’t see her ogling. The glass was designed to reflect not see through. The man was tall and handsome, and his business suit fit him squarely on his broad shoulders. Everything about him spoke confidence and wealth.

“He is not merely looking around; it seems as if he cannot make up his mind on what he wants” Nma said

“Maybe he needs help” she turned to Felix

“I am sure he would be glad to have you as a guide” Felix told her

Nma was instantly thrilled at the idea of speaking to the very handsome man but she dared not, because at the same time, there was something abnormally unsettling about the man.

“Felix, my office is upstairs, you take care of things here not me” she smiled at him sweetly

“But I am sure you would be a better guide, he would want to impress you”

She turned and stared at the man and knew Felix was right, but somehow it didn’t feel right to go out there and overwhelm the man with her beauty so he could part with his money. No way, she didn’t want to cheapen herself, not with this man. She turned to Felix and smiled.

“Do your job darling and I would do mine”

Felix sighed and squared his shoulder ready to meet the man.

As Felix went to meet the man, she stood there eating up every delicious part of the man with the eyes of a designer. She couldn’t quite tell why she refused to go and meet the man; she knew she would have been more successful in persuading him to buy. But there was something about the man that was arresting and at the same time frightening. It was like the same feeling you get when you are about to fall.

Uche looked around for the hazel eye beauty, somehow reluctant to ask of her from all the sales girls hovering around. He knew the girl owned the place but somehow for the first time in his life, he was unsure of how to approach a woman. Then he saw one of the men he had seen escorting her to several events before. He felt his anger rise and with the anger came the fear that the man could actually be the girl’s husband. That should explain what he was doing here by this time of the morning. Yet that was a reality he wasn’t ready to face or accept. Husband or not, he was going to put an end to this madness the only way he knew. He couldn’t let the girl invade his thoughts the way she had been doing. In his mind there could only be one cure to lust. To his surprise, the man was walking towards him; he was indeed coming to speak to him. The man had mistaken him to be a customer, what surprise lay in store for him when he would find out that he was actually there to steal his woman. He squared his shoulders, ready to intimidate the man.

Nma found that she could not stop watching the man; she concluded that she was curious to know how Felix fared with the man. The reason why that should matter to her was lost to her but still she stood looking at the man. Suddenly the man dipped his hands into his trouser pocket and brought out his cell phone, he spoke in it for a little time and turned abruptly and left just as Felix was walking towards him. She almost laughed as Felix stopped, looking amazed and frowning at the man’s retreating form. She could imagine a thousand different curses Felix was silently heaping the man. Nma used the back door not wanting Felix to discover she was still watching the cute man.

She walked into her tiny office and sat down looking at a list of things to do and people to see, she had never been comfortable behind a desk. She was more comfortable bent over a table with a material spread on it or with pins in her mouth pinching in and holding a dress. But she just had to do the paperwork and talk to those boring sponsors, if she was really going to have her exhibition. Having worked on so many designs and colors, she wondered in amazement if she still had more designs to show. Talented she was, she had to agree with people. Somehow those designs kept coming into her mind just like that, especially when she picked up her pencil and sketch pad. Her last show was successful, the most successful ever since they started Nma collections. That was the name her father had chosen for their label and boutique. Nma was fast becoming a household name and she was still wondering how. Nma put her mind at rest and concentrated on the job at hand, feeling that she had lost so much time already. But no sooner had she done that did her thoughts take another turn. It returned to mystery man. What was his mission in her boutique this morning? It was obvious he wasn’t there to shop, and whatever he came for, he didn’t get. That left a niggling thought in her mind that the man might come back. Her heart lurched at the thought. Whatever was wrong with her she scolded herself, what if he came back, what business of hers was it? He was a stranger and that was all he was going to be. A very fine stranger, probably the finest thing on two feet but a stranger all the same and her heart should know that and stop doing a jig in her chest. She shook her head trying to calm her mind and clear off the thoughts of one strange man. She picked up the pen which she had dropped as her mind wandered and turned back to her computer, frowning with concentration.

Uche opened the door to his massive office and closed it firmly behind him. He was calling himself a thousand different kinds of fool for what had transpired. He had behaved like a teenager having his first crush. Where was his finesse? He sighed, what would the tabloid say if they saw him this morning. Billionaire playboy tongue tied over a woman. He shook his head in self disgust and wondered for the hundredth time what was wrong with him? It was not as if she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Yes she was indeed beautiful with a very perfect figure that would have every hot blooded man aching at very uncomfortable places. But that was not an excuse to follow her to her work place. He was loosing it, he thought. He moved behind his massive executive table and sat down. Nma was going to have to wait for another day when he had better reason to seek her out. But he didn’t like that one bit; he was surprised at the fierce wave disappointment that washed over him. He closed his eyes briefly trying to block out the face of one very enchanting woman. He was going to have her, he thought but it wasn’t today. He looked up as a slight knock came to his door and his personal assistant entered. As always his eyes widened with appreciation of the woman. Star was one of the finest women he knew. She was very shapely and possessed such charisma that intimidated others around her and he had employed her for that singular reason. The other reason being that she was also very intelligent and he was impressed with the way she was climbing both the corporate and social ladder. There was a time when she first came to work for him they could have had an affair because he was quite attracted to her and she to him but common sense had prevailed. They worked well together and they found out that they wanted that more than their canal feelings for each other and a deep bond had developed afterwards. Today she was looking exceptional in maroon red short skirt suit. He smiled because he knew that Star dressed on purpose and she knew exactly what her legs did to a man’s libido. He looked at her remembering then that it was an urgent call from her that had saved him from making a total fool of himself.

“What was so urgent that could not wait?” Uche asked assuming the boss’s role.

“I thought I should let you know, Steve has been distressed, there has been some disturbances at the Niger delta”

“And that is supposed to be news?”

“Not when it involved our company”

“What happened?”

“Steve thinks you might want to come to Port Harcourt because the locals are stirring up again…”

“You know I can’t, I have Uju’s engagement party this night”

“This one is also important, we have been lucky because the locals think we are different from other oil companies, because of all we have given back to the community but Steve believes that someone is stirring them up and a visit from you would calm them down”

Uche thought about it for a while.

There was no way he was going to miss Eva’s party without his family thinking he was still angry with Charles. At the same time, he couldn’t afford any kind of upheaval with his pipelines. He heaved a sigh and looked at Star.

“You go” he said to Star and she gasped

“Why not they know you as well as they know me and you can do it as well as I can and even better, you can charm them with your alluring smile”

“I don’t think… it is you they want”

“Why do I pay you a six figure sum if you cannot fix something like this” he glared at her. “You are an expert manipulator Uche; I will go so I can at least justify my pay”

He smiled at her. “I expect that and more, you leave tonight”

“Lucky I don’t have a man in my life, the way you drive me, he would turn tails”

Uche laughed as she left and he shook his head, he knew he could have easily gone had he wanted to, truth be told he hadn’t wanted to and at the back of his mind it wasn’t because of his sister’s party, he could very well see the hazel eyed beauty. He sighed and turned on his Laptop.

“Oh! One more thing Uche” Star turned around and he looked up. “My regards to Eva and Charles” she smiled mischievously at him.

“I take it you knew about the visit this morning” he had forgotten that she was one of her sister’s closest friends and that was how they had met.

“She called me to find out if you were back”

“How is a man supposed to survive when his sister and personal assistant team up against him” he said exasperated.

Star laughed, even her laugh sounded like she had practiced long at it. “And the very evil she warned you against about is about to…” she didn’t finish because just at that instant, Angela walked in looking very beautiful in a floral short gown that did nothing to hide her perfect figure. Uche shook his head. He was going to do something about beholding a woman first thing in the morning. This was the fourth beautiful woman to distract him today.

“Hi” Star greeted very cautiously

“I know you hate it that I am here so cut the pretense” Angela retorted holding the door for Star. Star turned to Uche and mouthed, “good luck” she left.

Angela closed the door and turned to Uche with a smile. She walked up and threw herself on him; Uche had to catch her to stop her from knocking him over. Now what, he thought?

“When did you get back honey?” Angela asked giving him long kiss. Uche managed to put her away from him.

“May I remind you Angela that this is a working environment?”

She smiled at him “I know but you are the boss” she smiled sweetly at him “I was only showing you how much I have missed you. I came to buy you lunch”

“It is hardly lunch time”

“I know but I couldn’t wait. We can do brunch. besides we haven’t talked about Eva’s party, what time are we going?”

Uche shook his head irritated, and cursing his sister and the hazel eyed witch for putting him in this mess. He wasn’t in the mood for Angela’s volatile temper but there was no help for it. It was high time he ended this madness with her anyway. As far back as he could remember Angela had been after him but two months ago he had given in to her demands and had taken her out on one date. He thought then that they were both adults and could handle an affair but the unfortunate thing was that same night he had set his eyes on the hazel eyed witch. And she bewitched him good and proper. Since then anytime he thought about taking Angela to his bed, he saw only her, the woman he had come to know as Nma. He had tried to fight this intrusion, this sudden yearning for a strange woman but the fight was one he had finally accepted he was not going to win. And it would not be fair to Angela if he took her to his bed while thinking of another woman. The only right thing to do was to tell her so. Since then, he had been looking for ways to do so but the girl was like a leech never giving him a breathing space. Even though for the past two months he had done nothing to show he was serious about her except taking her out once in while, yet she had maintained an iron grip on him. He couldn’t go on with it, he was going to buy her that lunch and quietly dismiss her. He looked up as he heard her speaking again.

“And Uche, it’s been two months since we started going steady. Now that your nosy sister is finally becoming busy with her own life I think we should take our relationship to a new level” she said smiling at him boldly

“Really” that was all he could say

“I am not going to allow you drop me at my house with a chaste kiss, I am coming home with you this night”

“Angela please” he chuckled as he gently put her away and stood up, walked to the window. He needed to collect his thoughts; he knew he was threading a sensitive ground now. He turned to face her. “I can’t believe you came all the way here to let me know you are going to have your wicked way with me tonight” he smiled at her.

Way to go Uche, he said to himself in disgust, you couldn’t have given her more blatant green light.

“Normally you should be the one demanding for this Uche, what’s wrong?”

He heaved a sigh “about that lunch, I am about ready to go”

“No we are not going anywhere till we trash this out, so tell me, is it another girl, I don’t interest you enough or what? I know what passion you are capable of Uche, when you kiss me, I can feel the restrain you put on yourself. So tell me why I am the one demanding this and why you are being reluctant?” her eyes were blazing with anger

“You want the truth, yes there is another girl Angela and I am taking her to the party this night” he wanted to kick himself so hard for being such a jerk and he expected her to rant and rave like she use to but she stared up at him and smiled.

Okay that was a new one Uche thought, telling himself that Angela’s calmness was a sign volcanic eruption.

“How long is this one going to last, is she some kind of passing fancy or…”

“Are you telling me you are willing to accommodate my passing fancy?” Uche please, he cautioned himself, do yourself a favor and shut up.

“About that lunch, I am ready to go Uche, it is Eva, isn’t it, she has asked you not to bring me to her party”

“It is not Eva, and Nma is not a passing fancy” by then nothing he did to compound the situation would surprise him.

“I have watched you go through many women Uche, at the rate you do, I am not afraid for one second” she picked up her hand bag and faced with him an icy smile “Shall we?”

“Definitely” he led her out of the office. He prayed for time to fly.

A knock on her door brought her head up; Nma wondered who else it could be? She thought she had attended to everybody that needed her attention and she was just about going off to her studio. “Come in” she called mildly, after getting a hold on her emotions. She watched as the door opened and Ken stepped in

“Still working” Ken asked jovially.

Nma was about to ask him what brought him, when she remembered that they were supposed to have lunch together.

“I can see you forgot our date” Ken asked stiffly

“Of course, I didn’t” she laughed, and how correct he was, she forgot. She was so engrossed in her work and didn’t notice that time was flying. She stood up and hung her shoulder bag. “I was just trying to finish writing these before I go to powder my nose and wait for you” she lied smiling sweetly to him.

“I hope you’ve forgiven me enough to spare me a few minutes to powder my nose in the ladies?” She asked him, putting on her best smile.

“Yes of course, but only a few minutes” he said.

Nma walked into the ladies, though she didn’t really need to go into the ladies to do this, she just wanted sometime alone to think about what she was going to tell him. Just seeing his face had unsettled her. She didn’t want to hurt anybody, at the same time she didn’t want to hurt both of them by pretending she was feeling something she wasn’t. So today she was going to tell him to look for someone else, someone who deserved him better, she thought ruefully as she hastily freshened up, placing a nice smile on her face she walked back to her office and on to her lunch date.

To her surprise, Ken chose a nice, exclusive restaurant. It was not as if they hadn’t eaten in exclusive restaurants before, but all the other times it had been dinner. To her lunch was something you could get anywhere.

“What are we celebrating?” She asked as they entered the tastefully furnished restaurant.

“You will soon find out” he answered, smiling contentedly.

A waiter showed them to their table and in a daze Nma took in all of these, still wondering what he had formulated in that brain of his.

“I see I have succeeded in rattling you” Ken announced in open contentment.

Nma almost laughed, as he openly congratulated himself on this one achievement.

“I’m just impatient to see or hear the rest” she answered, not trying to kill his obvious joy.

“Lets order first, shall we” he asked, indicating the menu. Nma picked up her menu and glanced through it. “Nice” she murmured. She decided to indulge him by choosing a hearty meal of coconut rice with vegetable salad and stewed beef. Ken never liked the way she ate; he said she didn’t eat enough to sustain a bird.

“That’s better” Ken murmured, ordering edikakong with pounded yam and an expensive bottle of wine.

Nma slightly raised an eyebrow at this wondering what exactly was happening or going to happen, and she could tell that Ken was so impatient to tell her

“How was work today?” Ken surprised her by asking.

Nma looked at him, “Fine” I got there today and found plenty of customers hovering around and demanding the attention of the cashier” she smiled proudly at him.

“And that’s only all you care for isn’t it” Ken asked.

Nma was taken aback, the way he said it angrily, as if she would sell her soul to the devil to have this morning repeat itself. She decided not to let him see that he had hurt her. “I’m a business woman Ken and every business person would care for a continuous repetition of this morning very much and I guess you too would enjoy and care about it too”

“I have other priorities other than making money, like I think about what I’ll be in the next twenty years”

“That far?” she chuckled. Most people would probably think of what they would become in the next two or maybe five years but not Ken his sense of reasoning was something she didn’t bother about at all. The man was weird and she was not going to waste her time figuring him out. She looked up and smiled at him. “So let’s hear it Ken, what will you be twenty years from now” Nma asked offhand, hating the way he was talking.

“A proud father of an eighteen year old boy at least and husband, with a nice business” he told her seriously, adjusting his double lens.

All right she thought, fine dream but she didn’t want to satisfy his arrogance by telling him, she craved for the same thing or at least the child part.

“So your turn, where do you see yourself in the next twenty years” Ken asked her. She was growing angrier by the minute; there was something about the tone of his voice that was very infuriatingly. And she decided to give him as good as she was getting. “Twenty years is a long time for Nma to be recognized all over the world, imagine Nma rubbing shoulders with Versace, Gucci, Armani etcetera” she said, dreamily

Whatever he was going to say was interrupted by the waiter, as he placed their food on the table for them.

“Don’t you think about marriage at all? Ken asked her, as he started eating.

She was about to answer when someone familiar came in, and she immediately recognized him as the cute man in her boutique that morning. She felt a stirring in her heart, something she had never experienced before, the fact that he wasn’t alone sent a feeling of resentment down her body. She was shocked at her feeling and with all her will power dragged her eyes from him. She tried to remember what ken had asked, but found out that her brain wasn’t finished with the man a few tables away with the elegant woman by his side.

“Don’t you ever think of marriage?” Ken asked again

“Of course I think of marriage” she answered dreamily. The image that readily came to her mind was that of the man a few tables away. Mad at herself and her imagination, she tore her eyes from the man and concentrated on her partner.

“Well I’m happy to hear that” Ken said smiling.

Nma wondered if he was going to ask her to marry him

“Marriage is important in ones life, especially for a girl as successful as you are. You need a man to help you handle the success; it could get to the head sometimes”.

Nma laughed quietly but inside she was fuming with anger. “Success can never get to my head, and I don’t believe I will ever need a husband on those terms”

“On what terms would you need a husband?” he asked seriously.

“Love” she answered.

“You know I love you Nma, surely you must know that by now” Ken said quietly.

Nma made the mistake of glancing at the man a few tables away. She felt her nerves jump in anticipation; he was so very handsome and showed off an aura of self confidence, respect and wealth plus there was this roguish thing about him to add to her already interested heart. Suddenly the man looked back at her held her gaze.

Uche couldn’t believe the fierce wave of resentment he felt when he saw her yet with another man. Today looked like a special occasion for them. Who was this particular one, he asked silently, he had already concluded that the man in her office might be the one in her life. This proved he was not. He couldn’t tell how that made him feel, good or bad? As he held her gaze, he knew he had attracted her attention for first time and she couldn’t look away from him, he smiled at the thought. Her unusual eyes sparkled and he wanted nothing more than to feast on those luscious lips of hers. Lust, he thought was as powerful as love and he wasn’t going to deny that what he was feeling was lust and he was going to have his fill of her till he sated this lust. He didn’t see that as a problem, from what he had seen so far, she seemed like a woman who enjoyed men. But if it was just lust why did he feel like shooting every other man he had seen her with especially the book worm sitting with her. The answer to that he thought was lost to him. But then he had always been a territorial man, if he was going to have her, he was not going to share her with any of her numerous male friends till he was tired of her.

“You are not listening to me” Angela said cutting into his thought. He took one last look at the Nma and turned to Angela.

“I am sorry what were you saying?”

“What will you have, the waiter is waiting?”

Uche turned to the waiter.

Only when he turned back to his partner and broke off the connection did she stop looking at him. Who was the man and why did he have such effects on her? What was wrong with her, when did she become such a giddy teenager getting a man’s full attention for the first time? Blast the man she fumed, why did he have to hold her gaze when there was another beautiful girl before him? Given, the man was handsome and probably rich but that was no excuse for his behavior, he must think she was cheap, lusting after him when she was with another man.

“Your mind is preoccupied or don’t you believe I love you?” Ken said.

“I know you love me” she answered and cursed her mind for not concentrating, now she had gone and given Ken the opening he needed to pop the question.

“Then marry me Nma” he said, “What else do we need to talk about?” he asked smiling.

Nma was so furious at his ignorance that she gave him a hard stare. “What about how I feel?” she asked coolly.

“I know about your feeling and I’m alright with it” he answered.

Speechless Nma stared at him; she didn’t know how to put into words what she wanted to tell him. To add to her shock, he brought out a ring and grabbed her left hand. Nma resisted and was about to take her hands back when she looked at the handsome stranger. She saw his face harden; it was as if he was angry at what was going on in her table. She wondered if he felt that the chance to have her was being taken away from him. That angered her the more and she wondered what made him think she could be had”

Uche frowned he knew this was a special occasion but it was even more than he expected, the bastard was asking her to marry him. Was the guy right in the head at all, he couldn’t believe how furious he was. There was no way he was going to let her marry another man not when he had just found her. With growing anger he watched what was happening on their table. And he was glad to see that the girl wasn’t over the moon with the proposal in fact she was saying no. Angela cut into his thoughts again

“Is she someone I know?” she asked

“Who?”

“The girl you are taking to the party”

He heaved a silent sigh of relief, for just the tiniest moment he thought Angela could read minds.

“Oh the girl, I very much doubt you do” he said instead.

“Are you sleeping with her?”

“Not yet”

“But you are going to, this night possibly”

“Angela! It is not proper to discuss this with you”

“I was eight when I fell in love with you, and I have stayed in love with you all these while and you tell me what’s proper?”

“Stop it, you sound like a martyr, you know very well that I never made any promise to you, you knew it was just an affair”

“Except that it never quite got to that stage, did it? We were more like friends”

“Some relationships are like that; maybe it is because I have known you almost all my life”

“Don’t give me that, I am not your sister! And you have never kissed me like a brother. It is something else, and I refuse to believe it is another girl or are you trying to tell me that all those stuff written by the tabloids are lies and…”

“Are you deliberately trying to annoy me?

“ Alright Uche, you might not know it now but I am the only one for you and I know that after this fancy passes, you would come back to me, you always do anyway”

Uche wasn’t paying attention; his attention was on the other table where the limbless bastard was still trying to persuade the girl to say yes to his proposal. He began to frown again. What was wrong with the man, couldn’t he see that the girl wasn’t interested and take no for an answer.

Nma could feel the man’s gaze on their table and she wondered what was going through his mind but she didn’t have time to dwell on that because the next minute Ken was again demanding her full attention and that was what she needed if she was going to convince him that she wasn’t going to marry him.

“Come on Nma, you know you will never regret marrying me” Ken said bringing her back to earth.

“I’m sorry Ken, but I can’t possibly marry you. you see, em… you said you know my feelings and that you’re content with it, but my feelings matters a lot to me and if I don’t feel like you do, there is no way I can marry you” explained Nma.

“What is it exactly you don’t feel for me?” Ken asked

“I don’t love you Ken, it is important that I love the man I’ll marry. I can’t marry a man I don’t love; I’d only end up torturing him and myself”

“You love me Nma, only you have not realized it, it took me some time to realize that what I was feeling for you is love, and that I want to spend the rest of my life with you” Ken reasoned cleverly.

“You don’t understand Ken, I don’t love you now and I don’t….”

“Alright!” Ken said, cutting her off. “Why don’t you take time and think about it, really think about it, pray about it if you wish, you don’t have to answer me now” he told her.

Nma was going to protest again but she made the mistake of looking at the formidable man and his disapproving gaze. Who did he think he was to make her feel like she was incompetent by the way she was handling Ken? It was none of his business and she decided she was going to show him to mind his business. Probably if she gave the impression that she was not available, the man would leave her alone. A niggling thought in mind told her that the man couldn’t leave her alone because he had not said a word to her before and hadn’t done anything to indicate he wanted her except gaze at her…it was all in her head, she mused silently. Besides, she rationalized; this would give her the opportunity to let Ken see for himself what she was talking about.

“And while you are thinking about it, if you come to realize that I speak the truth, wear it. You don’t have to say anything but if not, I will accept it and I wouldn’t have to repeat this embarrassment, I’ll just know” Ken said, looking hurt.

Nma accepted it, seeing it as an opportunity not to explain her actions whenever she gave it back to him. As she accepted the ring she could feel the stranger’s eyes burning into hers, it took all her will power not to look back at him.

Ken opened the wine, and poured for her and for him.

“Actually I bought this wine so we can toast and celebrate, but we can still drink it in good cheer” he said moodily.

“Better than that, we could still toast to good health and life” she toasted, clicking her glass with his

Shortly they stood up to leave, as they walked out, Nma could feel the stranger’s eye follow them. She walked with her head held high, willing herself not to look at him.

Uche watched her leave with growing annoyance. How could she accept the ring? Yes maybe she didn’t agree to marry him because she didn’t wear the ring. Plus she didn’t look besotted but accepting the ring meant she was going to think about it real good and might probably say yes. That would be over his dead body he vowed violently. He was going to have his fill of her first and he wasn’t going to share till his lust is sated.

Back at work, she went straight into her studio; she worked relentlessly trying to get one strange man out of her mind. It was a surprise that all she could think about was the strange man instead of Ken’s proposal. In fact she had even forgotten Ken’s plea that she give a good thought to marrying him. She thought shockingly.

“This man doesn’t mean anything to me” she willed herself to say. Still she couldn’t get him out of her mind, the way he talked or the way he walked, the way he held his drink while eyeing her. But every time her mind carried her thoughts to his partner she felt a jolt of resentment. “This was ridiculous” she told herself.

“Am I going insane? How could I be fantasizing over a man I don’t know and may never see the man again” she asked herself.

She glanced at her wrist watch. She could go home. Take this work home and finish it there. She always worked better at home. Taking a deep breathe she found a shopping bag printed Nma in bold red, used for packaging items for the female customers only and stuffed the material she was working on inside the bag. She brought out her compact and freshened up her make up, removing the hair band she had used in holding her hair together while she worked and in a jerky frustrating movements she started towards the door. She didn’t know the source of her anger, probably because she wasn’t able to convince Ken that she didn’t love him and never would. That what she felt for him was something she would feel for a dear friend or the stranger who kept imposing her mind and her obvious weakness in banishing him from it. She couldn’t understand why her body and mind were betraying her where the man was concerned, she thought bitterly. It was his fault that she wasn’t able to convince Ken that she was never going to marry him once and for all. Had he not been sitting there, staring and daring her, she wouldn’t have accepted the ring now in her handbag at all nor would she had tried to goad him into jealousy, because she was also jealous of his partner.

“Goodness no!” she exclaimed violently. Being jealous meant love and she didn’t in any way harbor an iota of love for the infuriating man. As she got to the ground floor she decided to go and see Felix to cool her already heated mind.

Felix was an old dear and she had known him almost all her life. He came to work for her father in his early twenties and her father trusted him much with the financial side of the business and so did she too. Now that her father was no more, Felix was almost like one to her, but more on the big brother side. He had called her little madam at first, when those times she would come back from school and rush into her father’s studio to help him cut or sew whatever was available for her. It took her all her wit to stop him from calling her madam when she got to her teens. By then she was having a mountainous crush on him and desperately wanted him to see her as a grown up. At her sixteenth birthday, he had abruptly crushed her crush on him when he announced he was getting married.

Now thinking back made her laugh at her stupidity. How she had dressed in a gown specially designed for her birthday party by her father. That day she had planned on letting Felix know of her feelings, planning her speech so very well. She had walked up to him and opened the dance floor with him, it had felt really great being in his arms, and she had looked at him with her heart in her eyes. After the dance he still held her and led her to where her father was standing with an elegant woman, there Felix introduced her to his fiancée, there and then, her fantasy was crushed. Her only savior was her father, and he had taught her to always maintain a cool composure no matter how shattered she was inside.

“Are you not going to congratulate him sweetie pie?” her father had asked knowingly. It took her all of her wit to bring out her hand and congratulate him. She laughed as she opened Felix’s door and found him not alone but with his wife.

“Nma I was just asking about you” his wife said jovially.

Nma smiled at Felix’s wife, she had come to like Tessy very much. It was very easy to love a woman as guileless as Tessy.

“Oh, she was out with that no good banker” Felix murmured his disapproval.

“Come on Felix, leave the girl to enjoy herself, she deserves it”

“That no good banker asked me to marry him” she told them.

“I hope you said no because he is not right for you” Felix asked seriously

“Don’t mind Felix dear, if you love the guy, go for him, after all you can only really love one man” Tessy said dearly.

“Anyway I didn’t say yes and I didn’t say no either, I agreed to think about it and he insisted I kept his ring”

“Oh dear” Tessy exclaimed slowly “May I see his ring, it could tell a lot about him”

“What is there to think about, you don’t love him so you can’t marry him? The coward probably knows this and is only trying to emotionally blackmail you to say yes” Felix disclosed.

“Felix!” Tessy called with warning, “You should allow Nma to make up her own mind” she said.

“Thank you Tessy, and to be truthful, I could have fixed him for thinking he could make up my mind for me”

“Oh, you are free I’ve been waiting for someone to do it all along having no heart to do it myself”

“Thanks for the permission” said Nma smiling

“So this is how you betray me” Felix said, in a pretended shock.

“You are becoming bossy all of a sudden honey, and we need to tame you considering that we are the ones you boss around.” Tessy told him jovially

“That’s right, perfectly so” Nma said, hanging her shoulder bag.

“I’ll see you tomorrow Felix.” She announced

“You are going home early, please don’t tell me you’re meeting that limbless banker” he pleaded jokingly.

“No I’m not, I’m going to meet someone exciting for a change after enduring Ken’s company this afternoon it is not more than I deserve” she announced, winking at Tessy as she started towards the door.

“I hope you will tell me about it tomorrow” Felix suggested.

“That is how we spoil you, by letting you know everything that goes on in our lives” Tessy said, nudging her husband with her shoulders

“Nma always tells me and besides she needs my brotherly advice, right Nma?” Felix said

“Only when you are not castigating them” Nma said, shooting out of the room before the loving couple could delay her any longer.

She could not believe how fast her anger and frustration disappeared. Felix was always the medicine for her bad mood and Tessy was too good to be real.

She looked up shaking her head and then stopped abruptly. Standing in front of her with his back to her was a tall man in suit and there was only one man she knew who looked like his suits were heavenly made for his body. She thought in anticipation.

As if on cue, the man turned. Nma was taken aback, surprised and somehow transfixed on the spot. This was actually the stranger she’s been thinking about. The man walked up to her smiling.

“Hello, but I need your help” he announced in deep baritone voice.