by Nana Prah
“I’ve never been to Wli falls either. Did you decide on a trip?”
“It’s in the works,” Efia said.
“Count me in. In fact, I’ll drive. It’s been a while since I’ve been to the Volta Region.” He looked excited. “Who’s going? And when?”
Martha grabbed the schedule. “This Saturday would be good. Esi, Alice, and I are all off. Sorry, Efia, but you’re working the afternoon shift. I’m sure my husband wouldn’t mind joining us.”
“I’m not going.” Esi stood to leave the group. She had to circumvent any more rumors so they wouldn’t drag her down. All eyes turned towards her.
“Why, what do you have planned?” Adam asked.
“I….” Nothing came to mind. Not a single excuse.
“So you’re coming with us.” Alice volunteered her attendance. “It will be fun. It’s been forever since I left the Greater Accra Region, and I’ve never been to the Volta Region.”
“Great. How about we all meet here on Saturday morning by five a.m. We can get an early start,” Adam took control of the planning. “I think it might be a four hour trip, but I’ll get some more information.”
“It’s four days away. I’ll be here and ready to go,” Alice said.
Martha nodded. “Me, too. With my husband.”
Everyone focused on Esi. Maybe if she didn’t comment, they’d leave her out.
“Esi?” Martha questioned. When had she become so meddlesome?
She stopped herself from pouting at being trapped. “Fine…I’ll go.” If there had been something in front of her, she would have kicked it.
“It’s settled. Are there any new patients for me to review?” Adam asked.
Alice handed him the single patient’s folder. “Nobody else has come in. It’s just Mrs. Cudjoe, and she’s still at two centimeters. I don’t think she’ll deliver during our shift.”
“You know how to contact me if you need me.” He sauntered down the hallway.
“He is a handsome man.” Alice said.
“Coming and going,” Efia added, setting them off in another fit of laughter.
Even Esi smiled through her annoyance at being pressured into an excursion that would keep her in his presence for much too long. She didn’t need him working his charms on her for hours at a time. Her shields crumbled with each encounter. She hoped the others would act as a strong buffer so she’d end the day with her heart intact.
Chapter Eight
Adam pulled his car into the hospital parking lot where a lone individual stood. The clock on the dashboard verified he’d arrived a couple of minutes ahead of the agreed upon time, but he hadn’t expected anyone else to have shown up yet.
A friendly conversation with Martha and Alice a couple of days ago had ensured something would come up to render them unable to go on the trip. He parked alongside Esi, prepared for her wrath.
She opened the door and hopped into the back seat.
“You might as well sit up front with me. We’re the only two going.”
“What?”
“Alice called yesterday evening to tell me she had a funeral to attend. And Martha spoke to me last night, saying her son’s school had an emergency PTA meeting she had to attend.”
She opened the door, leaped out of the vehicle, and proceeded to stalk across the parking lot towards the transport station across the street.
Adam jumped out of the car and jogged after her. Why the hell am I always chasing after this woman? He stood in front of her, blocking her path. “What’s the problem?”
He knew he’d landed in deep trouble when she slammed her fists on her hips.
“I’ve been set up.” She over-enunciated each word.
He feigned innocence. “What are you talking about?”
“Don’t play dumb with me, Quarshie. An emergency PTA meeting? Honestly? Why would she call you last night? If this meeting was genuine, she would have known about it at least a day in advance.”
He shrugged. “That’s all she told me.”
She mumbled something and attempted to walk around him. He glided to the right to block her exit. He had to act fast, or he’d lose this opportunity to spend alone time with her. “Have you ever been to Wli Falls?”
“No.” She tried to escape, but he was faster. “Will you move out of my way?”
“Don’t you want to see what all the fuss is about? I’ve heard it’s beautiful.”
“Not with you.” She stomped to the left, and he shifted with her.
“What can I say to make you go with me?”
“Tell me the truth.”
Uh, oh. He hadn’t been expecting that. “About what?”
“Martha and Alice. Why did they cancel?”
He sighed. “I asked them to.”
He was surprised when she didn’t try to sidestep him.
“You’re an ass.” She poked him in the chest with each word.
He didn’t deny it. There were times when he amazed himself with his manipulative techniques. “So you’ve indicated. Repeatedly.”
He held his breath, not knowing what the beautiful Esi would say next. Studying her face, he decided her ears appealed to him the most. They were the perfect shape and size. He imagined nibbling on the fleshy lobes.
“You have to make two promises.”
This woman liked conditions attached to everything. “What?”
“None of the genie promises you like to make either.” Her eyes glowed with the warning.
He chuckled. “What?”
“First.” She held up her index finger. “There will be no trying to seduce me—by word or deed. Not as we drive there, back, or when we reach my house.”
“What if you try to seduce me?”
“Not likely, Quarshie.”
“What’s the second promise?”
“You let me drive.”
He sucked in a breath through his teeth and held it. A day with her would mean giving up control of his prized possession, and the sole female that had held his heart and not broken it. “Do you have a driver’s license?”
“Legally?”
He rested a palm on his forehead. The woman would give him a migraine.
“Just kidding. Yes. I’ve had one for the past seven years. I haven’t gotten around to buying a car. I have a sort of phobia about spending large amounts of cash at once. So I’m hesitant.”
“Can you drive standard?”
“Yes.” She pulled her shoulders back as if proud of the feat.
He never let other people drive his car and had to be going crazy to consider it. He’d rather go out of his way to give someone a ride than to give up control of his vehicle. Was the prospect of time spent with her worth such a sacrifice?
“You can drive there.”
She stared at him. “What about the whole seduction part?”
He had no idea how he’d get through a whole day by her side without touching her. Even now, he craved to kiss her. “No seduction, unless you want it.”
“Do you have any intention of getting married one day?”
“Hell. No.”
“Then it won’t happen,” she said with a definitive nod.
His heart beat faster. “Does that mean you would want to marry me?”
She tilted her head as if considering the question. “It’s a moot point isn’t it? Now give me your keys so we can get on the road. The faster we get there, the sooner we return.”
He handed her the keys. When their hands touched, a jolt of electricity passed between them. Her hand jerked back, and the keys fell to the ground. He broke their intense eye contact and bent down to pick them up. He wanted to touch her again to see if the strange sensation was a fluke. Instead, he tossed her the keys.
For the first time since planning this pseudo-kidnapping, he was having second thoughts about spending so much time with the woman who captivated him more than anyone had in a long time.
After the first thirty minutes of sitting in the passenger’s seat, Adam app
eared to relax. Relax may have been too strong a word…he no longer seemed primed to grab the steering wheel.
“Are you okay with me driving?”
He grunted. “It’s not as a bad as I thought it was going to be.”
“‘It’ meaning my driving or you relinquishing control?”
“Both, if you must know.”
“At least you’re speaking the truth now,” she mumbled.
His seat belt restricted his motion as he rotated towards her. “What makes you think I’m not usually honest?”
“It could be because you tried to manipulate me, and you’re a womanizer.”
“There you go, throwing that word around like it’s a bad thing.”
Please tell me he’s kidding. She whipped her head around to assess him. She maintained eye contact for a few seconds, shaking her head when she realized he’d been serious. “In my opinion, it is.”
“Why? Two consenting adults can’t agree to have a good time with no strings attached?”
When he put it that way it didn’t sound so bad. “I prefer my relationships to be on a deeper level.”
“Uh huh. And how’s that working out for you?”
He had a point. She’d been single for over a year. The men who had come through her life in the past weren’t trustworthy, and she’d ended up dumping them. Kwesi with his cheating wasn’t even the worst of the batch she’d dated.
Over the last year, she’d taken to deep introspection—contemplating her life and how she could find the right guy for her. None of the ones who asked her out caught her attention enough.
Maybe because I’ve been pining away for Adam. She admitted it to herself. But nothing can or will happen between us. I refuse it.
“Have I done the impossible and stumped the woman who has an answer for everything?” He patted himself on the back as he smiled. “Good job me!”
She giggled.
“I must be on some kind of roll. I’ve made her laugh, too.”
Esi bit her bottom lip to stop laughter from bursting out. He groaned, and she glanced over at him. He was watching her lips. She struggled to swallow.
The air became charged with the currents of their attraction. She couldn’t understand it, and at that point, didn’t want to. She had to annihilate this overpowering pull so it wouldn’t destroy her. Reaching for the radio tuner, she switched it on asking the first question that popped into her head. “What kind of music do you listen to?”
He shifted in his seat. “I like all kinds.”
“All kinds? Even country?”
“Yes.”
She didn’t believe him. “What about hard rock music from the UK?”
“I don’t listen to it a lot, but I like a few of the groups.”
“Hiplife?”
“Of course. How could I not like old school dance music from Ghana?” he said. “How about if we listen to my MP3 collection. Then you can be the judge.”
“Okay. I’m not picky when it comes to music. If it has a good beat, I like it.”
“Let’s Get It On” by Marvin Gaye flowed through the speaker system as soon as he hit play.
Adam pressed the “next” button after less than thirty seconds. If he hadn’t, she would’ve. The sexual tension in the car had her gripping the steering wheel. Listening to such a sensual song detailing what she wanted to do with him wouldn’t help the situation. They spent the ride to the bridge at Akosombo with the music as a substitute for conversation. She would never have guessed he possessed such an eclectic taste in music.
Her eyes took in the beauty of the wide expanse of Volta Lake as they waited to pay the toll. Fishermen sat in their boats waiting to pull in their catch, and children swam along the banks. Esi envied their skills in the water. She’d grown up in Takoradi, a seaside city, but had never learned how to swim. “I always enjoy crossing this bridge.”
“The structure is well designed,” he said.
“Spoken like a true scientist. I was talking about the beauty of the area.”
“That, too,” he said and looked around at his surroundings, as if for the first time.
When his gaze returned to hers, she was observing him.
“Beautiful.” The word caressed her, causing goose bumps to erupt. Their gazes held, and she felt herself drawn to him.
She jumped as the car behind her honked. She blinked a couple of times to de-glaze her eyes and drove forward.
On the bridge, she admitted another thing to herself. The wonderful side of him had burrowed itself so deep into her heart that she’d never be able to harden herself against him. But for the sake of everything considered good in the world, she damn sure would try.
Chapter Nine
The woman was a test of Adam’s willpower. First she finagled her way into driving his precious car, and then she looked sexy doing it.
One time. All he needed was to have sex with her one time, and he could move on to another conquest. She proved to be difficult by putting restrictions on all of their encounters. He’d spent the whole ride from Accra to Hohoe fighting with himself to behave.
Instead of reaching out and weaving his fingers through her twisted, natural hair, he’d clasped his hands together. Instead of making her pull the car over so he could initiate the kiss at the tollbooth, he focused on the scenery.
Attending funerals had brought him this way a few times, but he’d never noticed the stunning lushness of the place. He was impressed by how clean the villagers kept their communities. Not a single clogged gutter in sight. No water sachets or black plastic bags littered the streets.
“This is what all of Ghana could look like if we put our actions where our mouths are,” he said.
“You noticed the cleanliness, too?”
“For the first time ever.”
His new favorite feature appeared when she broke out into a smile. It was broad and free now, softening her features. Unlike the snarls she’d given him earlier.
“Say thank you,” she ordered.
“For what?”
She sighed. “Do I have to explain everything to you?”
“Just the things that make no sense.”
“If you’d driven, would you have noticed your surroundings?”
She was right, but he’d be damned if he relented. “I always notice my environment. I’m observant.”
“Yes, doctor.” Sarcasm dripped from those two words.
He waited for more of an argument, but none came. Watching her from the corner of his eye, he noticed her lips had the tiniest curve to them. Instead of sitting ramrod straight as she’d done in the beginning of the journey she slumped into the seat, allowing it to contour to her body. He’d be concerned about the way her head relaxed on the headrest if she hadn’t exhibited such good driving skills.
She’d never been this relaxed around him. She wasn’t even trying to pick a fight or be a smart ass. She looked like someone intent on enjoying life. He didn’t know why, but that made him happy.
No, Adam. There is no liking her or any woman, beyond a quick sexual encounter. He had to resist her beauty, her body, her intelligence, her quick wittedness, and her sweet vanilla scent. All of it. His sole goal was to seduce her and roll out.
“We’re almost there,” he said as the signboard for Wli Falls passed them by.
She reached forward and patted the dashboard. “Your car is still in one piece, and you haven’t suffered a major heart attack,” she quipped.
He pounded a fist on his chest. “Only minor ones.”
When she pulled into the parking area of the Wli tourist center he said a silent prayer of gratitude for their safe arrival. Sliding out of the car, he stretched to his full height, reaching his hands to the cerulean sky as he inhaled the fresh, clean air. Swerving his head, their gazes met. The blatant heat of desire in her eyes stirred his own. She blinked it away just as he was about to leap over the hood of the car to reach her.
She tossed him the keys. “Thanks for letting me drive. It ma
de my month.”
“You should get a car since you enjoy driving so much. I could help you pick one out, if you want. If you’re ready to buy one.”
They met at the front of the car. The smell of vanilla wafted up to him.
He stopped himself from reaching out to hold her hand. Handholding? Get a grip. Offering to help her purchase a car had leapt out of his mouth before his brain could analyze the offer. It would mean they’d spend a lot of time together. He wouldn’t mind so much if she would relent and jump into bed with him.
She gazed up at him. “You’d help me?”
“Yes.”
“Why? What’s the catch?” She stopped walking.
He sighed, but continued with his forward motion until she joined him. “No catch. When I bought mine, I did a lot of research and had to go through some bullshit. I’m willing to loan you my car buying expertise. I have great bargaining powers, too.”
“I can’t bargain to save my life. Ora always teases me about how such a talkative Ghanaian woman can’t manage to bargain down.” She giggled. “In fact, she refused to let me go food shopping when we lived together because she said we’d save more money if she went. So she’d go to the market, and I’d cook.”
His head jerked back at such an odd trait. He’d learned how to get the best deal when he had watched his mother attempt to feed her children on a low budget. She could out bargain any vendor and have them glad she bought their product. “How come you can’t haggle? What’s the problem? All you have to do is quote a lower price than the original.”
“I can do that. I don’t go low enough. Sellers are crafty.” She looked even more adorable when she scrunched her nose in disgust. “As soon as you stand in front of them they size you up and decide how much they’re going to add to the price. I like to be fair when buying something. I want a good price, but the trader should get their profit, too. It’s a win-win that way.”
He shook his head. “So if you know you’re going to be cheated from the start, why not bargain down harder.”
She balled her hands into fists and shook them. “Because I can never know it for certain.”
