CHAPTER 3: THE BOSS OF LOVE
1322 Words
(Aisha’s POV)
There are moments when you don’t think.
You don’t analyze.
You don’t question.
You just… feel.
And for the first time in what felt like forever, I let myself fall into that space.
Kay didn’t ask this time.
He didn’t test the distance between us or wait for permission, wrapped in hesitation. He simply closed it.
Completely. It was like his desires took over him or his love for me.
His hand found my face first, steady, deliberate, as though anchoring me before anything else could pull me away. His fingers traced along my jaw, tilting my head just enough for him to look at me fully—really look at me.
There was something different in his eyes.
Not just desire.
Something deeper.
Something that unsettled me more than it should have.
“Aisha…” he murmured, my name quieter than I had ever heard it from him.
And then he kissed me.
It wasn’t soft.
Not cautious.
It carried weight, weeks of distance, months of silence, everything we hadn’t said pressing into that one moment. I felt it immediately, the way my body responded before my mind could catch up, the way I leaned into him instinctively, like muscle memory had taken over.
My fingers found his shirt, gripping lightly at first, then tighter, pulling him closer as if distance itself had become unbearable.
The towel around me loosened.
I didn’t notice at first.
Not until his hand slid along my back, warm, firm, and the fabric shifted further, slipping just enough to expose skin that had been covered moments before.
Air brushed against me.
It was so cool and sudden.
And yet, I didn’t pull away.
His touch followed, not rushed, not careless; it was just aware. His hand was resting against my bare chest, grounding me, holding me in place as though he was afraid I might disappear if he let go.
My breath caught softly.
Not in protest.
In recognition.
Because this… this was familiar.
And unfamiliar all at once.
The towel slipped further.
Not dramatically.
Just enough.
Enough for my chest to rise against him without the barrier that had been there before. Enough for the line of my body to be felt, not hidden.
I should have stopped it.
Should have pulled back.
Should have remembered everything that stood between us now.
But I didn’t.
Because for that moment…
I didn’t want to remember.
And then—
The door opened.
I froze.
Not gradually.
Completely.
The shift was immediate, violent in its stillness.
Kay’s lips were still close to mine when I turned my head, instinct overriding everything else. My body reacted before my thoughts did, my hands moving to hold the towel in place—but it was already too late.
Chidi stood at the entrance.
And just like before…
Time betrayed me.
There are different kinds of embarrassment.
This one burned.
Because it wasn’t just exposure.
It was repetition.
The second time.
The second time someone had walked in.
The second time, I had been caught in a moment that was supposed to belong to just us.
My grip tightened around the towel, pulling it up, securing it against myself, but my expression had already changed.
Annoyance.
Sharp.
Immediate.
Without thinking, I reached for the remote resting on the table beside me and pressed the lock.
The door clicked shut behind him.
Chidi blinked, caught off guard.
“I—” he started, raising his hands slightly, “I didn’t know—”
“Clearly,” I cut in, my voice controlled but edged.
He exhaled, running a hand through his hair, visibly uncomfortable.
“You’re in the living room,” he said, as if that explained everything. “I didn’t expect—”
“No one ever expects,” I muttered.
Kay, however, was unbothered.
Completely.
“Why are you here?” he asked, his tone flat, almost dismissive.
Chidi shifted his attention to him, grateful for the shift in focus.
“Francis told me there was a meeting,” he replied. “Kirby Construction.”
Kay nodded once.
“There was.”
Chidi frowned slightly. “Was?”
“I told Francis to finalise it.”
That stopped him.
Completely.
“What?” Chidi said, stepping further into the room now, his discomfort replaced by something sharper. “No.”
Kay’s expression hardened slightly. “No?”
“No,” Chidi repeated firmly. “You shouldn’t go through with that deal.”
The tension shifted.
Instantly.
I felt it.
And this time… I leaned into it.
“Why?” Kay asked.
Chidi didn’t hesitate.
“Because I’ve looked into Kirby,” he said. “Properly. Not just surface-level.”
Kay crossed his arms slightly. “And?”
“He doesn’t have the financial capacity,” Chidi replied. “Not for this kind of deal. Not even close.”
That was all it took.
I straightened slightly, the towel secured now, my focus completely shifted.
Finally.
“Exactly,” I said, turning toward Kay. Covering myself up properly, this time with a gown. “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you.”
Chidi glanced at me briefly, a flicker of agreement passing between us.
Kay noticed.
Of course he did.
And something in his expression changed.
Subtle.
But there.
“So now you both agree,” he said slowly.
“This isn’t about agreement,” I replied. “It’s about logic.”
“It’s about risk,” Chidi added.
Kay let out a quiet breath, shaking his head slightly.
“You’re both missing the point.”
“Then explain it,” I said.
He looked at me.
Directly.
“I’m not entering a partnership with Kirby,” he said. “I’m taking him over.”
The words landed heavily.
I felt it immediately.
“That’s even worse,” I said.
Chidi nodded. “It’s reckless.”
Kay’s jaw tightened.
“It’s strategic.”
“No,” I countered, stepping closer now, drawn fully into the argument. “It’s exactly what he wants.”
“And what’s that?” Kay asked.
“A way in,” I said. “Control. Influence. A seat at the table he didn’t earn.”
Chidi added, “And if he’s already financially weak, then you’re not acquiring an asset, you’re inheriting a liability.”
Silence.
For a moment.
But it wasn’t an agreement.
It was resistance.
Kay looked between us, something unreadable settling behind his eyes.
Then, unexpectedly, he shifted.
Completely.
“Did you bring it?” he asked Chidi.
The question cut through the tension like it didn’t belong there.
Chidi blinked. “What?”
“The package,” Kay said.
Realisation flickered across Chidi’s face.
“Oh,” he said, exhaling. “Yes. I did.”
I frowned slightly, looking between them.
“What are you both talking about?”
Chidi shook his head lightly, a faint smile forming.
“You’re being dramatic,” he said to Kay.
Kay laughed.
Actually laughed.
And it caught me off guard more than anything else that had happened.
“You’re trying to spoil it,” Kay said.
“Spoil what?” I asked.
Neither of them answered immediately.
Which only made it worse.
Chidi glanced at me, then back at Kay.
“Happy anniversary,” he said finally, his tone softer now.
Then he added—
“And drive carefully.”
The words didn’t settle right.
Not at all.
Something in my chest tightened.
I turned sharply to Kay.
“Drive?” I repeated.
He didn’t answer.
Not immediately.
And that was enough.
“Kay,” I said, my voice rising slightly, “why would you get another car?”
The question hung in the air.
Heavy.
Loaded.
Because suddenly…
This wasn’t just about business anymore.
Or interruptions.
Or even us.
It was about something else entirely.
Something I wasn’t ready to face again.
And from the look on his face…
He already knew that.
- Writer
