The price of a suit
427 Words
Regret. The word hung in the air, heavy and metallic like the scent of spilled
champagne. Amara could feel the stares of the gilded crowd—the pity, the horror,
the schadenfreude—all aimed squarely at the clumsy woman who had dared to stain the lion.
Before she could stammer an apology, Obinna straightened, smoothly pushing off
the pillar. The dark, expensive wool of his jacket was visibly blotched.
“You’re standing in my light,” he murmured, his gaze dropping briefly to the pale
stain before fixing on her eyes again. The intimacy of the observation—treating her
interruption as merely an inconvenience—was almost more chilling than an outburst.
Obinna raised a hand, making a minute gesture toward his security detail. Instantly,
two tall men moved in, creating an impenetrable human shield that subtly directed
Obinna and Amara away from the main cluster of guests and toward a quiet, velvet-
lined hallway.
Amara stumbled slightly as he took her elbow, his grip firm and possessive. "I am so
incredibly sorry, Mr. Eze," she rushed out. "I will pay for the cleaning, or replace the
entire suit. Please, just name the price."
He stopped in the hallway. He tilted his head, the crystal lights catching a
dangerous flicker in his eyes.
"Money?" he repeated, his voice laced with rich, contemptuous amusement. "You
think the price of a suit is what I care about?" He released her elbow, resting his
hand instead on the cool marble wall beside her head, trapping her gently but
absolutely.
"Then what is it? What do you want?" Amara’s voice was a shaky whisper.
Obinna’s mouth curved into a smile that never quite reached his cold eyes. "I want
to be amused, Miss...?"
"Okoye. Amara Okoye."
"Miss Okoye," he finished, the name sounding foreign and precise on his tongue. "I
came here tonight to finalize a major deal, but my executive assistant called in sick
two hours ago. You have cost me precious minutes and the use of my most
comfortable jacket. You will serve as my compensation."
He leaned closer. "You are now my temporary assistant. You will fetch, you will smile
when required, you will take notes, and you will ensure that absolutely no one
disturbs me for the rest of the night. This is your payment."
He stepped back, radiating a silent command that she knew was impossible to defy.
Amara looked at the storm brewing in his eyes. The untouchable had just dragged
her into his orbit, and she had no choice but to follow.
- Writer
