Forbidden Dance
STELLA EROMONSERE-AJANAKU
Flirty & Feisty Romance
Feel the passion
There was no time to fret. Alero chewed her little finger when she heard footsteps on her doorstep. Her heart raced.
What am I doing dating Zane? I’m a married woman.
The door knocker sounded.
You’re separated, her head yelled in reply. Is no sex for six months a worthy recipe for married couples? Her heart drawled.
She sprayed perfume on her wrists and cleavage, just before she opened the door.
Zane stood there, looking debonair. “What a stunner you are, Alero! My heart is racing for you.”
Her flowing, clingy dress with a side slit in Aqua blue exposed her waistline. And the see-through lace for the top front and back covering could only be described as sexy.
Alero swallowed. “Thank you, Zane.” She refrained from giving him compliments. Warmth collected around her thighs. In her heart, she knew her relationship with him was centred on sex. The fact her husband hadn’t touched her in half a year, didn’t help.
Forbidden Dance
Copyright © 2015 Stella Eromonsere-Ajanaku
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
This book is a work of fiction. All names, characters and events in this publication, other than those clearly in the public domain, are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Dedication
My Lord, my Restorer, my Healer, the God of all flesh. Thank you for my life and writing.
Forbidden Dance is dedicated to Renee Jeffries who chose the title of this book.
Appreciation
As always, my dearest husband, lover and best friend takes his pride of place in the hall of appreciation. I love you more each new day.
And my children, who put up with my writing and serve as my beta audience, I love you so much. Thank you.
To my cherished friend and teacher, Dorothy, thank you. And to Chicki Brown for your tweak on the blurb, thank you.
Thank you, Renee Jeffries and Felicia Welch-Reevers for floating a smashing Facebook Release Celebration for Forbidden Dance.
To every reader of Flirty & Feisty Romance Novels, thank you. You remain dear to me.
Dear Reader,
I sat staring out of my bedroom window one bright spring afternoon, and Alero’s story drifted into my thoughts.
As she sped out of her husband’s home, hope of a reunion ceased in her heart. Kyle is filled with regret. Still, he is on a drive to work out how their marriage turned sour.
When he traced his wife to Casablanca, he faced tough decisions. Alero is no longer the woman he married.
In his heart, Kyle wants his wife back, but can they set aside old hurts or will Alero’s new flame prove too hot?
You have to read Forbidden Dance to know whether Kyle and Alero get back together.
Your comments on this title will be highly appreciated. Please write to me at
[email protected]
Love,
Stella Eromonsere-Ajanaku
Also by Stella Eromonsere-Ajanaku
Loitering Shadows
Stormy Defense
Beyond the Lady
The Gardener’s Ice Maiden
Sparkling Dawn
Husband to Rent
Stolen Valentine Kiss (Holiday Series #1)
Kiss My Lips (Holiday Series #2)
Royal Cowries (Cowries Series #1)
Praise for Stella Eromonsere-Ajanaku’s previous works of fiction
‘I have read Loitering Shadows, and am planning to read it again! Congrats, you really got my adrenalin running hot–’ By Orby
‘Stormy Defense is a vivid, acutely tender romance novel. It will keep you mesmerized, you can’t put it down–a must read–what a brilliant writer.’ By Theresia.
‘The introduction of Vanessa, the main character in Beyond the Lady, grabs your attention right from the start. The feisty temptress as described by the author is all that and more. The story has humorous twists & turns that makes for a very good read. Well Done!’ Rated 4 stars by Mike G.
‘I enjoyed The Gardener’s Ice Maiden. The characters are real and believable. Oliver actually jumps off the page and I could almost see him in my living room–’ Rated 4 stars by Nkem.
‘The Gardener’s Ice Maiden is a pleasant and an emotionally filling romance. Yet it is steaming enough to leave you wanting more on reaching the end–’ Rated 4 stars by S.J Wist.
‘Sparkling Dawn is an awesome piece–I cried for Chloe and fell in love with Warren for standing by her. That is true love! Believable and real. Love it, Love it, and Love it. Thumbs up’. Rated 5 stars by Lara Fisayo.
‘Stolen Valentine Kiss–This was a quick easy fun read with characters you can’t help but fall in love with’. Rated 4 stars by Leslie.
‘Kiss My Lips is filled with steamy passion, sensuality and yearning, the characters are well defined, humorous, colourful and sometimes crafty’. Rated 5 stars by Vivienne Diane Neal.
‘Royal Cowries –Believe me, there are twists and turns in this combination of historical life, star-crossed lovers, enchantment, mysticism and intrigue. I think it is safe to say you will not have read anything quite like this wonderful novel’. Rated 5 stars by Dorothy May Mercer.
One
“In three days, you haven’t said more than a few words to me, Kyle Thomson. You’ve been away for three months. Didn’t you miss me at all?” Alero knew she sounded frustrated. She had every right to be. Her husband, Mr. suntanned, super-attractive film director returned to their home in London from Los Angeles three days ago, and had been acting as if she were a nagging freak.
Kyle’s facial features hardened. “Give me a break, Alero. You want to hear me say it? Okay, I’ll say it. I missed you.” The glass of brandy in his hand swayed with his words.
Her eyes shifted around the dreary cream and silver themed lounge. It was her husband’s favourite place in the whole mansion. Personally, she didn’t care greatly for a room that reminded her of a hospital or a show room. Yes, the egg shaped chairs were contemporary and truly beautiful. They blended with every decorative item; including the wall art, table lamps and marble side stools. They left her cold.
“Just so we’re clear, I missed you terribly Kyle. Isn’t it high time I return to LA with you? That way, we can be together, start a family and rebuild our relationship. Your constant absence has put a strain on our marriage, whether or not you admit it.”
Her husband stroked the day old stubble on his sharp jaw. It added a hint of rascality to his attractive features. When she first set eyes on him four and half years ago in Warri, Nigeria, where she worked at Shell Petroleum Company, he had stolen her breath away. Every woman had remarked about his exotic features – his sun kissed skin, clear grey eyes that rocked the soul, angular jaw, and his body - muscled and toned as a body builder. And the fact he was three inches taller than her, worked in his favour. At five feet eleven inches, she was a leggy woman.
“Alero, we have had this conversation over and over again.” He set this glass down on the cream marble side stool and
approached her.
Her heart raced a fraction. She loved this man more than he deserved. But he was her husband. That’s the way it ought to be.
Kyle turned her jaw with two fingers. A jolt of lightening flashed across her chin to the pit of her stomach. “I don’t want you in LA with me. You know why. Those wretched male models won’t give you a break. I don’t want any idiot messing about with my wife.” His tone was flat and uncompromising.
Alero shook her jaw free from his hold. “I want to have my husband with me. Like a normal couple. I’m lonely, Kyle. Your absence is hurting me, here.” She placed two fingers on her chest. “You haven’t made love to me since you came home. It’s either you’ve had your fill with other women or you don’t find me attractive.” She glared at him. In her white see-through chemise, and matching lacy thongs she wore all day, she expected him to throw her across their silky sheets, and pound her till she screamed out his name, but he hadn’t, and she was very worried.
“Give me time to de-stress, Alero. Three months of constant work takes its toll. I want you. And you’re an attractive woman. Always have been. Nothing has changed.”
Alero eyeballed him. “Everything has changed, Kyle. It’s high time you face it. Unlike you, I don’t want to bury my head in the sand. You don’t want to talk about work, you don’t want to touch me, or go on a date with me. What exactly do you want to do? Sit around our sprawling mansion sipping brandy all day long. We don’t have a life together anymore.” Her heart sank at the reality she had lost her husband’s affection somewhere along their four-year marriage. She didn’t sign up for this loveless nuptial. The fondness and friendship had slowly faded away, and the worse thing was, she had no clue how to fix it. With a husband who worked away from home, her options were limited.
She let out a rush of air from her lips.
Kyle pushed both hands inside his jeans pocket. “Stop sounding as if the world is coming to an end, Alero. I’m here with you and you keep having a go at me. Is it any wonder I’m seldom around?”
Bitter anger exploded behind her head. “How can you say that Kyle? The loving and charming man I married seems to have gone on exile. I don’t recognise this cold and insensitive man standing here.”
His eyes thinned to slits and he ground his teeth. “I can’t do this right now. You’re wound up and I don’t want you to wind me up.” He turned to leave, with his drink in one hand.
“Then stop running away from your responsibility Kyle. I didn’t bargain for a chaste life with you. It’s a joke that I’m married to a sexy film director and yet, I don’t enjoy sexual benefits. Other women who have graced your bed have more sensational stories to tell.”
Kyle stomped towards her, seized her arm, bent her head backwards, and kissed her neck and collarbone. At first, she stood still, too shocked by his aggressive stance. But his tongue traced a heated path to her lips. He ground his hot mouth over hers, and she softened. A wave of heat flushed her skin, and she wrapped her arms around his surf board waist. She moaned and dipped her tongue inside his mouth. He tasted so good, she melded her flesh to his taut frame.
And just as soon as it all started, it ended. Kyle put her away and strode upstairs.
Cold waves doused the flickering light, leaving her furious and frustrated. Alero slid to the carpeted floor, tucked her head between her thighs and indulged in a good cry.
She could not remember how long she sat staring out of the bay windows. Across the undulating green hills, horses wandered and grazed. Ducks paddled in the serene blue lake. Summer flowers dotted the landscape. The sky was almost white, with specks of grey.
“I’m flying back to Los Angeles tonight,” she heard Kyle mutter from somewhere in her subconscious. “Dickson called half an hour ago. We landed a huge project with Walt Disney. I’ll be back before you know it. Goodbye, Alero.”
Alero did not dignify his exit with a smile, a wave or reply. The only words that ridiculed her life were the words, all that glitters is not gold.
Two
“What a hopeless four and a half year marriage!” Alero shrieked at her father-in-law, the bearer of bad news.
Only minutes ago, Wyatt Thomson walked into her matrimonial home with a three year old boy clutching his thickset hand. The toddler’s grey eyes looked around her tastefully-decorated living room. And his gaze landed on the oversized white seashell on the coffee table.
“I had no choice, Alero. His mother dumped him at our gate and told us to take little Kyle to his dad. Before we could find out more, she drove away.” Wyatt shrugged his shoulders as if he was touched by this latest fiasco.
Alero could swear her interfering, stuck-up parents-in-law relished yet another opportunity to make her life miserable in a marriage she worked so hard to keep together. Kyle left for Los Angeles after their last fight. That was six months ago.
She glared at the child for a moment, walked towards the lush, white rug covered stairs, changed her mind and approached her father-in-law, who stood in the centre of the living area. Alero looked at the silver-haired, beer-bellied man who constantly stewed problems in her marriage straight in the eye, before she bent down to be at eyelevel with young Kyle.
He had her husband’s handsome features – his long, straight nose, clear grey eyes and angular jaw. Oh yes, the cute dimple on his chin and dark hair completed the picture. No doubt, he was her husband’s son. But not hers.
Tears stained her eyes but she blinked, and swallowed before she spoke.
“Hello Kyle. I wish I could stay to entertain you, but it isn’t possible. Still, it is a pleasure to meet you.”
Little Kyle’s eyes flickered at his grandfather’s, and back at her. “What’s your name?”
A small ache, the size of a coin lodged in her ribs. The little boy was so cute. If only he was her child.
Quench those thoughts, her head warned.
“My name is Alero.”
He squinted, possibly at the sound. Young Kyle didn’t attempt to repeat her name.
“You’re very beautiful.”
Alero gasped. Touched by his honest compliment. “Thank you.”
“Who are you?”
Honestly, with her heart falling to pieces, she didn’t have the will to hang around for chitchat.
“Before you walked through the door, I was your dad’s wife. But I’m not going to stick around to look after you. I wish I could. But I have to go away because my heart,” she placed one hand on the left side of her chest, “is broken.”
She fled to her bedroom. With tears streaming down her face, she threw a few clothes, undies and necessities into a compact suitcase.
Alero paused to think.
Irritated at her weakness, she wiped away a single tear drop from the corner of one eye with the back of her hand.
“There’s no time for tears,” she railed.
In one swift movement, Alero yanked her husband’s wardrobe open. And in a heartbeat, she pulled out a drawer and took out two gold coloured plastic cards. Alero shoved back the other two credit cards and closed the drawer. The small holdall already contained her documents. For months, she had agonized about leaving her husband.
When she got downstairs, Wyatt was seated on the three-cushion sofa with a beer can in front of him and, little Kyle was seated next to him with a packet of crisps in one hand, and a soft toy in the other.
Without a backward glance, Alero trudged out of her husband’s extravagant mansion. By the door, she said, “Goodbye, young Kyle.” After all, the child had no sin.
But to her father-in-law, who was hell-bent on wrecking her home, she said, “I hope you never have to watch Lydia walk out on you, Wyatt.”
Lydia, her mother-in-law, stayed away most of the time, but she was just as nosy and infuriating as her husband. Together, they had plotted to rile her to the breaking point over the years.
When she first flew in to England from Warri, located in the Niger-Delta area of Nigeria to meet his parents almost five years ago, she
had hoped for a good start. It was not to be. His parents had expressed misgivings from the first day Kyle introduced her as his friend. In her world of fantasy, she had hoped to win them over. Instead, Wyatt and Lydia have remained snobbish and disapproving. After she got married to Kyle, they became cleverer in expressing their discontent. Her husband’s persistent absence had given them room to meddle in their lives.
Wyatt stood up, huffed and puffed, his puffy face as red as tomato. His reflection through the glass door was almost hilarious.
Alero slammed the door shut and drove out in her red Ford convertible mustang. The hot London summer air carried the smell of burning rubber to her nostrils. It was mid-July and the sun was at its peak.
As the warm breeze whipped her long black hair around her face and bare shoulders, male drivers in the opposite lane, near Oxford Street station, whistled to get her attention. One handsome young man, probably in his early-twenties, winked at her.
The thought of playing cougar for one night crossed her mind. At thirty, Alero felt ancient. Her high cheek bones, tapered nose, narrow lips, and dark eyes framed by long sweeping lashes set on a heart-shaped face had snagged a few men in the past. When they stopped at a red light on a busy intersection, she snatched off her wedding and engagement rings and tucked them in the coin pot on the dashboard. The diamond ring had cost a fortune. At the moment, the gems were totally worthless to her.
Her marriage nearly hit the rocks a few times in the past three years. Her honeymoon season barely lasted one year, before she realized what a smooth sleaze she married.
Okay, I guess I should share the blame for how things panned out.
“Hang on, why do I have to take part of the blame anyway? Kyle is the one who cannot keep his fly shut. Dumping his love-child on me, is one scandal too many.” Her words were swallowed up in the noisy traffic flow.
“Who says I have to put up with Kyle’s excesses because he’s rich and influential?” she murmured and sighed. “I put up with his nonsense because he found me in Warri, brought me to England, and introduced me to modelling in Los Angeles.”
Well, by the time she was through with him, Kyle would be ready to jump from the highest cliff to save himself.
Forbidden Dance: Will She Forgo Her Marriage for a Lifetime of Happiness? Page 1
