WHEN THE HEART KNOWS

MEETING THE BILLIONAIRE

CHAPTER THREE

Nma stared at him unbelievably. She couldn’t believe it, it was as if the man was following her deliberately, that or fate was calling a tune for them to dance willingly or not. She thought momentarily.

“Hello” she smiled coolly. “In what way may I help you?” she asked in a businesslike manner.

“Actually I need a tux”

“Well that’s no problem, but how did you know I work here, I could have been a customer” asked Nma suspiciously

She saw the man’s smile broaden knowingly. “I have learnt to trust my instincts, and it rarely fails me”

Nma was held spellbound by his smile. It was such a nice smile that brought out dimples on his cheeks it did things to her insides she couldn’t begin to describe.

“Very well then, I’ll just drop these” she said, gesturing at the bag she was carrying.

He watched her walk away and admiring the sway of her hips. He watched her open the door and caught a glimpse of Felix and before he knew what he was doing he followed her. He was going to find out what the man meant to her and who he was to her. How many boyfriends could one girl have? He asked himself hardly trying to get a hold on his fast rising temper.

Nma walked briskly back to Felix’s office, all the time being aware that the man was looking at her, watching her every movement, making her nervous and conscious..

She was thankful when she got to Felix’s office. She opened the door and found Felix and his wife in each others arms.

“Oh don’t mind me, you can go ahead and kiss” she smiled at them, going over to the table to drop her bag.

“Did you decide against taking those home?” Felix asked.

“No, I didn’t but someone needs my help to choose a tuxedo” she answered.

“Hmm! That person must have very good taste to choose you among the entire sales girls he saw out there” Tessy commented

“I’ll give you three guesses” Nma said to Felix

“Right now my mind is too muddled to think straight” Felix said. Nma laughed, if she was ever going to get married, she would make sure the man loved her like Felix did Tessy. The couple only had to look at each other to want to be in each others arms even after years of marriage.

“Ok, I will help you out, the gentleman who was standing around this morning” she laughed

“Run along and help him, I just hope he buys this time.”

“I wonder why you are in such a hurry to see me leave this room” Nma asked mischievously.

“Would you please get out of here and let me kiss my husband” Tessy said, smiling.

Nma laughed and started towards the door, as she opened it and stepped out, she bumped into the stranger. Hastily, she closed the door, before looking up into his eyes.

She saw in his eyes the disapproval of what he saw going on inside Felix’s office and she resented him for that, wondering what business of his it was.

“This way” she muttered. Trying to smile, after all he was a customer, and if she played her cards right, he could become a lucrative one.

“Are those your workers?” he asked as he followed her

“Felix works here, and Tessy is his wife” she answered, before she realized what he asked.

“My workers?” she asked.

“I hope my instinct didn’t let me down for the first time” he asked.

Nma gave him a hard stare and started to move

“So do you allow that sort of thing in your working environment?”

“What sort of thing do you mean?”

“Cuddling and necking in the office during office hours”

“Look” Nma began stiffly; “It is none of your business alright, your only business here is to buy if you want to and pay” she said and regretted it immediately, what was wrong with her? She would have fired any sales girl who dared to talk to her customers this way and now she was doing it. It wasn’t her fault that the man was infuriating, she rationalized. Who did he think he was, what right had he to question her about her work ethics. Calm down she warned herself.

“Touché, the perfect business woman, is this how you talk to all your customers, haven’t you ever heard the slogan that customers are always right”

“Felix and Tessy are family and they love each other very well” she answered mildly, trying to make up for her earlier outburst.

“They have other places more convenient to show that to each other”

“What exactly did you come here for, to buy a jacket or to lecture me on how to handle my workers?” Nma asked furiously. She could feel her temper returning.

“So far on office ethics, now to buy a tux”

“What type exactly do you have in mind?” Nma asked switching back to her business tone.

“It is my sister’s engagement party, she wants everything formal” he almost whined.

Nma looked at him, staring at his suit. How could someone who wore suit so naturally prefer not to like it?

The man caught her looking at his suit and explained. “Actually, I have to confess I’m dying to get it off.”

“You can’t possibly be a police man?” Nma asked jokingly. “You know policemen are rather known for their poor taste for formal wears”

The man laughed. It was a pleasing throaty sound she wondered why she was noticing

“No I’m not”

“We better get a suit then”

Nma walked to a rack and pushed through the suits. She brought out a tux which she was sure was going to do magic on his chocolate complexion, at first she thought he was dark, but being near him, she was sure, he was a bit fair in complexion.

“This I believe will work magic on your body” She told him, extracting the jacket from the rack. Without shame and to Nma embarrassment, the man began to remove his jacket.

“We have a changing room, you know” she told him mockingly.

“I know” he smiled. “I wasn’t going to remove everything and stand natural in front of you. Only the jacket, I need a second opinion. Besides this place is hidden from the rest of the room” He explained.

“There is a mirror in the changing room and you can always change there and come out in it for my opinion” she told him exasperated. Before she could finish what she was saying the jacket was off, his fitted shirt clung to his muscular body and assaulting her senses with big and broad shoulders, wide and muscled chest, flat and hard stomach that would make every A list actor very jealous. Knowing that people could come upon them, she dragged him and matched towards the changing room.

In a hurry to get the man inside the room, she found herself inside with him. The place was built to accommodate at least two people but not with someone his size, she thought as she tried to leave. But the infuriating man caught hold of her arm. Uche smiled as he held her, he had accomplished what he set out to do, rattling her. Now she was not going to forget him in a hurry. That sounded so conceited but he didn’t mind as long as the end justified the means. He looked her over and felt a jolt of electricity he didn’t expect and he stared her at astonished.

“This is exactly what I have been trying to explain to you, this place is too small for two people, He said mockingly, releasing her.

Nma staggered out of the room. The man was stark raving mad, she thought. He was just a cave man in suit, no wonder he didn’t feel comfortable in it. She knew right from the first moment she saw him that there was something roguish about him. She was sure it was that same thing that gave him a feeling of recklessness when he was confined, especially in a suit and maybe a changing room, she thought restlessly as she waited for him to come out. “But he was so big” she exclaimed inwardly, and muscular too. She wondered what he did for a living. Maybe he was an athlete or something similar, she couldn’t just picture him behind a desk. He would find the confinement too much for his sanity, she thought. Then shocked at what she was thinking. What was wrong with her, how could she be mooning over a man she barely knew, she thought trying to banish him from her mind.

What business of hers was it, if he was a mountain climber? She scolded herself. She looked around, looking for another thing to occupy her mind before he came out. Then she realized how quite closeted they were from the others in the boutique. The room was L shaped and they were at the tail end. And the huge pillar in the centre of the room didn’t help matters. The room was divided into several compartments for different kinds of clothing. The casuals were the first thing you would see when come in, she also had traditional wears of all kinds. The evening attires were the last of all. She smiled proud for what she had accomplished so far and by the grace of God she was going to accomplish more. She looked around for the man and wondered what was delaying him? She had a mind of going to find out but her body reacted excitedly at that thought and that stopped her short. She looked at herself like she was seeing herself for the first time. She didn’t know she was capable of such wicked thoughts. She could feel fear and excitement warring inside her and hated herself for it. She saw him coming out and waited for him with a plastic smile on her face.

“So?” she raised her eyebrow at him.

“It is okay, it’s not my party, and I don’t have to steal the shine from my brother in law to be”

“You are going to, even without trying” she said silently.

“Is there some other thing you want?” she smiled sweetly, the business woman again.

“We have real good silk business suit and morning suit, I’m sure they’ll look good on you”

“Actually there is one more thing I need, to be completely ready for tonight” he started.

“What would that be? There is a nice bola hat that goes nicely with that tux” she offered.

He smiled at her and shook his head negatively at her offer “What I need is date” he said firmly

Nma was caught off guard and speechless. “A date?” she asked. Now she was sure, the man was stark raving mad. How in this world did he think she ran that kind of agency?

“Yes, a date. I was given an ultimatum to bring a new date tonight”

“I’m sure that wont be a problem, you can just go to dear old diary or phone book and look up an old friend” she laughed

“Emphasis on the new” he smiled at her “Besides I don’t have anything like that, where I write down names of women I could hook up with anytime” he said.

“Well, I don’t think I can help you, we don’t run that kind of agency here” she said. Then it dawned on her that this could be his way of asking her out, she hissed silently, she would have to be a mad woman to agree to go on a date with him, she thought. This man wasn’t her kind and no matter how tempting he was, she was not going anywhere with him. Meanwhile her heart jumped in anticipation as she wondered if she was right about what she was thinking he had in mind.

“Oh! I think you can, I’m asking you to be my date tonight”

Nma wasn’t shocked; she had known that was where he was going all along, but the shocking part was how she felt about it. She was trying to calm down her jumping heart that had already said yes and was already imagining what it would be like to spend real time with this exciting man. She had to scold herself before she could answer him.

“Sorry I can’t possibly accept, I’m sure finding a date wouldn’t pose a big problem. As you are driving out, look for pretty girls waiting to have fun, if you become that desperate” she said.

“Getting a date is not a problem for me”

“I can imagine” she said silently. Not with a body and face like that and she was very sure the man was rich by all indication.

“But the girl I want to accompany me tonight is you” he said charmingly.

“I’m sorry to disappoint you again, but I just can’t go out with you.” she said firmly. She could hear her heart calling her a thousand different names for trying to deprive it of the company of this man.

“You do have other plans already?” he asked.

“You are right, I do” she answered dismissively, walking away.

He caught her by the arm and turned her to face him. “Cancel it, he is not worth it even from afar I could see that”

She became real upset at his arrogance. She was trying desperately to calm her temper and she was failing miserably “what makes you think that…, or just because most women would give their right hand to go out with you doesn’t mean this woman would, and for your information nosey, Ken is worth hundred times more than you do” Nma said heatedly.

“Then why are you scared, or are you afraid that some hours in my company would make you see how much he is lacking.” He said coolly.

“You are impossible. I’m not going anywhere with you, just get that into your brain”

“Do you think I’m asking you out to start a whirl wind romance? Now I know where you are mistaken but going out with me is for your own good, you are good in what you do and accompanying me to the party would give you connections you won’t get in a decade. It will be a free advertisement for you, trust me”

“Just who do you think you are?” Nma asked icily

“Uche Okoha.” He said with pride and arrogance.

Okoha! She thought. Why would any Okoha be wearing Nma, where are the Armanis and Valentinos of this world she thought frantically. Okay he was right, his mother owned one of the first class boutiques in and around the world, and just imagine Nma sold alongside Dior… but that chance was gone, she had already rejected it, there was no way she was going to turn around now and say yes, not after all she had said, she thought regretfully.

Not letting her inner turmoil show on her face as her father taught her. She looked up at him to find him looking at her rather strangely, not with satisfaction as she had thought he would.

“I guessed as much” she murmured. “I am not going anywhere with you, Okoha or not. I have a trailer load of work to do at home” she said firmly.

“I’m a busy man too, but sometime you’ve got to take a deep breathe and enjoy what you’ve accomplished” he said smiling.

He too was confused, he expected her to change her mind and say yes at the mention of his surname and the opportunity his mother’s boutique could offer her. Did he judge her wrongly? He asked himself, the girl he had been watching for a while would do anything to climb the next step in the ladder. She could be pretending, he thought and wondered why the thought seemed to annoy him.

“Come on, I promise you’ll enjoy it, I may even come in and help if the work is too much” he joked.

Nma couldn’t resist laughing, she imagined him with scissors, cutting or sewing a material in her small studio, that was if the place could take his size.

“So it is a yes, I’ll pick you up by eight o” clock prompt, no African time” he said patting her shoulder

He was gone before she had the chance to tell him again that she was not going anywhere with him. “I’m not going anywhere with this arrogant pig headed man” she willed herself to say.

She walked back into Felix’s office feeling incompetent; first she wasn’t able to convince ken she was not going to ever marry him. Again she wasn’t able to convince a complete stranger that she was not going out with him, she thought. She wondered if she was really shrewd enough for business.

She opened Felix office and found him alone.

“I was beginning to think you gave him a tour of the boutique instead” he joked.

“The man turned out to be an enigma, he was very difficult” she waved it aside. “Has Tessy gone?” she asked picking up her bag.

“You look unwell or did he upset you?” Felix asked

“He is Uche Okoha and I’m wondering why he decided to shop at Nma” Nma said.

“You have to give yourself some credit, Nma is very reputable and probably the best in the country”

“He asked me to accompany him to his sister’s engagement party” Nma pointed out, hoping Felix would see the connection she was making.

“Whoa, that is an opportunity you know, his mother is, well owns one of the best boutiques around. You could get an introduction”

“I wasn’t thinking of going, I have a lot of work to do”

“Better you go, you have thought of ways to move Nma higher, this is an opportunity, not to talk of the guests who might start shopping here” Felix admonished.

“Well, it is an opportunity, I agree but…”

she didn’t finish it, but there was something about the man that made her want to turn tails and start running for her dear life, or in this case her dear heart. That brought her down to earth, as she scolded her recently wandering mind.

“I’ll think about it though” she added.

“There is nothing to think about, this is an opportunity we cannot pass by, and unless it’s the man you are accompanying that is bothering you”

Nma hastily denied that the man was bothering her, knowing Felix he would be adding two and two and getting five.

“I’ll see you in the evening tomorrow if I go, I’ll use the whole of the next day making up for what ever time I loose tonight” she said, going towards the door.

“Wear something breathtaking, it will do the magic, even if no one introduces you” Felix advised laughing.

“Trust me to knock ‘em all out” she beamed at him as she closed the door.