The Forbidden Love

Chapter Eight

It's been a week since Nalishebo last her foot at her workplace, and things at the company have never been the same that week, all her workmates had missed her including her boss Mark who’s been throwing his tantrums on Tamara who was covering for Nalishebo during her absence. And everyone at the company has been wondering why their boss’s mind has been preoccupied with rage ever since Nalishebo stopped showing up for work.

The following week during lunch break, Tamara thought of calling her friend, she really wanted to chat and talk sense into her, the phone rang twice and it was answered.

Nalishebo:" Hey Babe, how have you been? And how's work?"

Tamara: "Babe when are you planning to report back for work?”

Nalishebo:” Babe chill out, what a temper, why are you in a bad mood anyway?”

Tamara:” Your boss has been exploding like a volcano, I am tired of working with him, so please come back and relieve me from him I beg you the name of God Nana.”

Nalishebo:” I guess you have a terrible memory, have you forgotten that I quit last Sunday evening.”

Tamara pumped sense into Nalishebo. She cautioned her of what they had discussed earlier that year, about Nalishebo wanting to get back to college to further her studies in interior designs like Tamara, attain a degree and start earning some good income so that she can be able to help to stabilise the financial crisis her family was facing.

Nalishebo herself confided in Tamara the reason why she never wanted to pressure her father who had a lot on his plate to bargain. One of them was the farm, he had invested all his annuities in farming, he always had a passion for becoming a commercial agriculturalist.

He imposed so much effort into the farming program, and everything changed to the point where life was hard each day that went by and at times even difficult to afford three meals. Nalishebo didn't want to inflict any burden on her father to pay for her studies, instead, she vowed to work extra hard and raise money for her tuition fees on her own and support her family until it got back on its feet. To top it all off, her mother was a full-time housewife who had no slight idea of the meaning of being independent, she depended on her father’s source of income all her life.

What was going to happen to her plans and her dream? In case it never clicked in her head that jobs weren’t easy to come by nowadays and how it was tough to get one.

Tamara:” come on Nana be serious! you can’t quit your job over a mere kiss and let your dreams shatter down just like that?! Who knows maybe his mind was loaded with stuff and mistook you for his girlfriend.”

Nalishebo:” Perhaps you might be right, maybe I misjudged him for something he is not, the good part is, I was careful not to let my tongue loose to disclose what happened to Mama, in fact, I had lied to her that I was on leave for a week or so...as you know my Mama is old fashioned and takes tradition and customs seriously. ”

Tamara:” I know, you did right but am not encouraging you to lie, remember it takes one lie to give birth to a thousand lies, may this be your last.

After having a long conversation with Tamara, Nalishebo felt at ease and was happy to have a colleague like her who was always straightforward and dared to tell her straight to her face to start acting like a grown-up that she was unlike a six-year-old child who was still clinging to her mother’s skirt.

On Wednesday morning, Nalishebo had a quick bath and pulled out a black pair of skinny jeans and a red pollneck body top and matched with pair of red suede heels, though she was from a middle-class family and bought her clothes from a charity shop, she had good qualities of fashion.

Combed and tied her kinky natural hair into a neat afro puff exposing the soft skin of her neck, did a little makeup and wore seduction perfume a Rasasi brand. After getting ready and all dressed up for work, Nalishebo rushed out of her room and beseeched for luck to be on her side to find her father still hanging around and not gone she wanted to ask her him for a lift. the next thing she remembered was being dropped off in front of Mark Morgan construction company.

The moment Nalishebo walked in, Mark's car drove in, and his heart was consumed with anger and jealousy seeing her being brought for work by another man instead of him, little did he knows that he had clenched his fist out of bitterness. He hated the fact that she played innocent and yet had a suitor while she avenged him over a kiss.

Mark got confused why he felt that way, could it be he was falling for his secretary or were his feelings conspiring against him?

Mark couldn’t understand or speculate what was going on with him anymore. He had no idea what this lady had done to him that made his mind revolve around her and why he felt so weak and obstructed whenever he never saw her, he sure had no answers of what was behind these sentiments and it surprised him because he has never in his life experienced something like this for any woman not even Gwenn whom he has been dating for a long time now.

When Nalishebo reached the reception area, she never stopped by to ask if there were any new schedules for her, she just greeted Monica, without waiting for her response, and paced to her office.

She unlocked her office and walked in, leaving the door ajar. When she looked up, Nalishebo was dazed to see a lot of documents loaded up next to a bouquet of red roses which had a small card attached to it on her desk which read:” Thinking of you always!”

Nalishebo was overjoyed and frightened at the same time, cause she has never received a bouquet of roses from anyone let alone from friends. And secondly, the card had no name on it. She got the bouquet, closed her eyes and sniffed its sweet scent afterwards she grinned.

When Mark was passing through the passage, he stole a glimpse of her and was delighted to see that she had liked the gift. He drew away when one of the company secretaries greeted him questionably, of which he responded coldly and left for his office.

She put the bouquet down and dialled a reception line and said,” Monica can you please come to my office?”

“Okay Ms Nalishebo, give me two seconds, I’ll be there.”

After she had hung up, it didn’t take long for Monica to show up in her office.

“Monica! Here you are, may I kindly know who did the honour of bringing me this?” she pointed at a bouquet that laid on her desk.

“Mmm...I have no idea Ms Nalishebo.”

Nalishebo never wanted to stress Monica or force answers out of her which she had no clues to, in short Nalishebo wasn’t satisfied with her response and it gave her the benefit of a doubt, being the receptionist, literally she had all the records and information of who came in and out of the company premises. She was the best person who was supposed to know how a mysterious bouquet found its way to her office, she never wanted to make things harder than they seemed, so she had to let it slide.

“Alright, thank you that’s all I wanted to find out, you can go now.”

Monica excused herself and left Nalishebo's office pacing back to the reception desk.

Nalishebo started working on the documents, such that she deflected from going for lunch and Tamara who pampered her never came that day as it was her day off. As usual Mark and Nalishebo were the only ones left in the building. When she was done, Nalishebo took the documents she probably managed to work on to him.

***

She knocked once, and the door swung open from the inside and was close behind her, she went in and placed the paperwork on the desk without saying a word. When she turned to make her way out, Mark blocked her, when she tried to move to the left he also moved, she tried right he did likewise.

Mark started striding towards her and Nalishebo had no option but to stand still with her eyes closed not knowing what else to do, everything happened so fast, she felt as though she had been flipped over when she found herself pinned against the wall and Mark stretched his hands preventing her from escaping his trap.

Nalishebo started trembling with fear and her whole body became weak, feeling the electric sensation arouse in her, she couldn’t guess what was going on in his mind neither what he wanted to do to her, in the process her mind got disturbed by the whole scenario.

Mark said in a husky voice,” Why are you doing this to us?”

Nalishebo widened her eyes in astonishment not knowing what to say, she gulped then answered in a breaking voice “Wha-what do mean sir? What have I done Si-sir?”

“We’re both adults and you know definitely what am talking about, so don’t play smart with me.”

“I have no idea of what you’re saying, please justify so that we can be on the same page.”

“This.” He pointed at her heart, ”Listen how it’s beating an...and you tremble each time I come close to you, don’t you feel any magnetic attraction for me Umm....?”

Nalishebo divulged in her heart that he had hit a nail straight to the point, though she got embarrassed to hear the sound of her heartbeats as they become louder and with those sweet words that recited his mouth whistled like music to her ears and she never wanted him to stop but to go on and on, truth be told she prayed for that moment never reach its course.

Nalishebo didn't know how to specify whether it was love or infatuation, how would she have known when she hasn’t fallen in love with a single soul before in her entire life. She was afraid he might be right the feeling inside her was becoming too strong to fight, and she was terrified of fighting a losing battle.

When she opened her eyes, she was hit with a breath of fresh mint on her nose, she licked her lips and couldn’t resist the temptation of wanting to taste his lips willingly. Nalishebo quickly looked away to brush off the thoughts of desire from her mind. As if Mark had read her thinkings, he cupped his hands on her face and gently turned her head to face his direction.

Sir, please stop this you’re my bo........?”

Her words fell on deaf ears, Mark already concealed his lips on her mouth and gently parted her lips with his tongue and pushed its way in tangling their tongues jointly, she took him by surprise by not withholding, she kissed him back sweetly with affection. Technically, she failed to put her hands in a restful position, but lifted them and held his head following along as he led her enjoying every sweet and warm pleasure it brought. Mark loved it because she let him take full control.

He placed a few soft kisses on the crook of her neck, he wanted to feel her soft skin on his lips and to inhale her sweet smell, his warm breath sent butterflies in her stomach and goosebumps all over her body.

When they broke free from each other's grip, their breathing become heavy and Nalishebo was embarrassed and couldn’t look at Mark in the eyes, she ended up apologising for losing control and getting carried away, but Mark advised her not to because no one was at fault, except that they were caught unaware and the feelings they felt for each other got to the best of them.

Nalishebo regretted playing with fire that might burn her in the end. She started walking towards the door without any attempt to glance back, before she opened the door she turned then further said,” Please sir let not what has arisen between us leave this room nor repeat itself, let’s try to control our feelings both.”

“Why?”

“ It's not right.”

“And why do think it’s wrong, is it because of hi...m?”

Before he completed speaking she cut in and said,” There is no need for explanations and please stop insisting on one.” After saying that she matched without intentions of giving him a chance to utter a single word.

Nalishebo got her things from the office but left a bouquet of roses behind because she was afraid of raising suspicions and questions from both her parents to which she was not ready to give answers. When she was standing at the roadside waiting for a cab to pass by, Mark stopped over to offer her a lift, she never dismissed but gladly received it, cause she had no single penny in her handbag and was happy he had saved her from the embarrassment of negotiating with a taxi driver to carry her on pay forward.

Besides that, she never wanted to look childish after the incident as Tamara had displayed it the other day.

Nalishebo kept looking out the window, but she was able to see Mark smiling through the corner of her eyes, when they were almost near her place, Mark switched off the car engine. Nalishebo got despaired and asked, ”Sir why have you stopped the car?”

“Please don’t fret am not going to do anything against your will.” He took her long tiny hands and caressed them gently, then further asked in a raspy voice,” wouldn’t you like us to give it a try?”

Nalishebo shook her head in disagreement without saying a word.

“I must confess, I think am falling for you and to be honest, the first time I set my eyes on you, truth be told I have not known peace, you stole my heart away that very day.”

“Sir like I said earlier, there can never be anything between us."

“Why are you denying me access to your heart, is there someone else in your life?”

Before she answered him, she gave him a look of let go of my hands of which he made out and he let go hastily, then she cleared a knot from her throat that threatened to choke her and answered,” Sir please stop urging for the impossible, anyway as you can see am late and my parents must be worried by now, sorry I have to go, please excuse me.”

After saying that she climbed out of the car and strolled home. Meanwhile, Mark kept glancing at her shadow as it disappeared along with her from his sight and said to himself,” We will see about that unless my name isn't Mark Morgan, I will never stop trying to push you to the limit until I penalise you and finally become mine.” Then he chuckled and drove off.