by Nana Prah
“Chale. I’m married, not dead. Of course I’m attracted to other females. But I know how much of a mistake it would be. I’d lose the one who’s perfect for me. I can’t risk that.” He frowned. “It would break me.”
“Don’t let it happen, man. You were a mess when you lost her. I had to scrape you up with a shovel. I wouldn’t able to handle it.”
Jason laughed. “How about if you follow me home and say ‘hi’ to Ora.”
“I’m not drunk. Why would I want to do that?”
“Ora has malaria.” Jason repeated the information he’d mentioned earlier about his wife.
“You said she was fine.” Then it hit him. Esi and Ora were closer than Siamese twins. Of course Esi would be with her while she was sick and Jason had to work.
Adam knocked over his bottle in his rush to stand up, spilling the rest of his beer. “Let’s go.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Esi should be canonized as a saint while still alive for what she’d gone through for the past few days. Ora could be mean and surly when sick. Add pregnancy to the mix, and Esi would have been happier cleaning out all the gutters in Nima than trying to help her cousin recuperate. But now, Ora’s old loving self graced the world with her beautiful, plump smiling face.
“Where did Jason say he was going?” Esi asked.
“To hang out with Adam.”
She’d thought a lot about Ora’s comments about him being in love with her, but didn’t believe it. To avoid his calls, she’d removed her main chip and used the spare one she had. He didn’t have that number. Her heart felt too heavy to listen to his voice. “Okay. I’m headed home. Now that you’re better, I can leave you alone until Jason gets back.”
Ora waved her off. “I had a touch of malaria.”
“A touch?” Esi ticked the points off on each finger. “Your malaria smear read three out of four pluses. You were running a high fever. And you could barely get out of bed a couple of days ago. ‘A touch’ my behind.”
“Okay, so I had a rip roaring case of malaria. Does that make you happy? I’m fine now, so you can go. What are you up to tomorrow?”
Esi sat on the arm of the couch. “Being on leave with no plans is fun. I was thinking of going to the beach.”
“Which one?”
“Pristine Sands. I’ve always wanted to go there.”
Ora tucked in her chin, shifting her eyes up as if she were gazing at her over a pair of glasses. “By yourself?”
“Do you want to join me?”
“Smartass. I heard the place is romantic, with its blue water and clean, white, imported sand.”
Just the kind of environment she needed to lose herself in to do some thinking about the inappropriate man who had captured her heart. Me, the vast sea, and a mixed alcoholic drink…or two. She was looking forward to the day trip.
“Will you go swimming?” Ora asked.
She patted her head. “You know I just got my hair done yesterday.”
Ora giggled. “Sorry. I forgot.”
Esi picked up her bag. “I’ll call you when I get home.”
Jason walked through the door as she stood to go. Esi plopped back down when Adam, in a pair of black slacks and a light yellow button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up, followed him in. She recalled the feel of rubbing her hands along his dark skinned muscular forearms and struggled to keep the excess saliva in her mouth.
Jason gave a general greeting and headed for his wife. Their conversation was lost on her. Adam’s mesmerizing eyes had zoned in on her. He moved forward, but she stayed stuck to the arm of the couch instead of flying into his arms. She held back a whimper as shivers of awareness his presence evoked shot down her back. She shouldn’t enjoy it so much.
Ora’s voice cut in. “Good evening, Adam.”
He averted his gaze, allowing Esi to drag in a breath. “How are you feeling, Ora?” Did her imagination have her hearing his voice huskier than normal?
“I’m better. Thank you. What brings you here?” Ora rolled her eyes. “Why am I even asking? Esi does. You don’t care about me one bit. You think I’m two kinds of crazy right now. I don’t blame you. I am. And I can’t stand it.” Her eyes softened when she looked at Jason. “It’s a good thing I have the most patient husband in the world. Any other man would have left me by now.” She leaned her head on Jason’s shoulder. “These two stubborn people need to talk.”
“You’re one to talk about stubborn,” Esi mumbled.
Ora tugged her ear. “I heard that. Your punishment will be to go to the bakery. This time I’ll order a whole cake. Those cupcakes weren’t enough.”
Jason laughed. “A whole cake, Ora?”
“I deserve it.” She squinted. “Why? Are you saying I’m getting fat?”
Esi sprang up and headed for the door to avoid the eruption of Mount Ora. “I’ll call you when I get home.”
Adam was hot on her heels. “I’m glad you’re feeling better. I’ll talk to you later, Jason.”
As soon as they closed the front door, they looked at each other and burst out laughing. It felt good to be with him again. She sobered as soon as she recalled they weren’t together in the way she longed to be. They never could be, because his main goal in life was to have fun with as many women as possible.
He shoved his hands into his pockets, drawing her vision towards the area of his groin. Heat crept onto her face as she remembered how he’d brought her to fulfillment that night. She tore her gaze away when he spoke. “I don’t have to offer you a ride home anymore. How’s your car?”
“I love it. Thanks for helping me to pick it out.”
“No problem. I know a mechanic who works exclusively on Toyotas. He’s fair. I could introduce you to him. If you want.”
Esi opened her car door. When did he become timid? Any other time, he would’ve told her he’d pick her up to take her to the guy’s garage. No discussion. Of course, she would’ve put up a fight before setting a time and date to go. “That’s okay. Thanks. My brother recommended one. He was mad I didn’t ask him to go car shopping with me.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“He has no time. He’d do it, but he’s too busy. I would’ve been waiting for years if I had to rely on him to take me. Unlike with….”
You, who made me a priority. The words hung unspoken between them. “I should go. I have a lot to do tomorrow.”
He leaned a hip on the back door of her car and crossed his ankles. He appeared calm, but she could feel the energy radiating off of him. “You’re on leave. What could be keeping you so busy?”
“You’ve been asking around about me?” Of course she knew the answer, Martha had called her to dish out the juicy information.
“You wouldn’t answer my calls and weren’t coming to work. I got worried.”
“Why? I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself.” Except when it comes to guarding my heart against you.
He shrugged. Disappointment pierced her heart. What had she expected, undying love? Not from this man. Find yourself someone who will commit.
She slid into her car. “I’ll see you around,” she said as she closed the door. Her bottom lip trembled. Blurred vision was not conducive for driving, but she had to get away from him fast. She refused to break down in front of him.
Turning the key in the ignition, the engine sparked to life. She put the vehicle into drive and pulled out onto the empty street. One look in her rearview mirror showed him still standing there, staring at her tail lights. She drove away from the man who’d unwittingly captured her heart and then smashed it.
She made a right at the corner, then a random left at the next one and parked in the middle of the block. She couldn’t go on like this. Looking at her watery eyes in the rearview mirror, she comforted herself. “Breathe. This too shall pass. The spearing pain in your heart will go away. You’ll be stronger for you. You don’t need Adam Quarshie to be happy.” She took in a shuddering breath. “Leave him to the lifestyle of his choosi
ng. You’ll find a man who wants to have more than sex with you. A man who will love you like you deserve to be loved. You are worthy. Never let anyone tell you differently.”
After her pep talk, she felt stronger and more able to deal with the stress of being in love with Adam. From this point on, she would put more of an effort into finding someone who didn’t consider marriage to be repugnant and be on the hunt for a good man. The man of her destiny.
Chapter Twenty-Three
It had been two weeks since he’d seen Esi. He’d blown it. He’d been so happy to see her that he’d had no idea what to say. Adam wasn’t on board with the whole marriage thing, but now a sense of doom and misery loomed over him.
If this was love, he considered it to be a major travesty. He had no room or time for it in his life. All he wanted was meaningless sex. And Esi. He took a mental hammer and beat the crap out of the thought.
Tired of focusing on a woman who needed more than he could provide, he decided to do something about the situation. The most logical step was to exorcise her from his heart. In order to do this he’d found a willing, temporary female to spend time with. Someone who would blot out his sad lingering thoughts of her.
Tonight, his date’s beauty rivaled even Esi’s. Her long, straight hair framed a slim, dark-skinned face. Her large, round dark brown eyes reflected the intelligence within. He’d met Janice at the bank. Of course, he took a risk by going out with a teller. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d have to change banks if things went sour.
She was a quiet, somber, sophisticated woman. Nothing at all like Esi with her loud, sassy ways.
Janice wore a conservative dark brown wrap dress, which showed off her slim figure. He frowned when he remember Esi in her bright purple dress with red and yellow flowers. She’d looked radiant.
“Are you all right?” Janice’s soft voice broke through his thoughts.
He forced a smile to his lips. “I’m fine. Thank you for joining me this evening.” He’d brought her to one of the most exclusive restaurants in downtown Accra. The extravagant restaurant had been built the on the top floor of the hotel. The huge bay windows revealed the twinkling lights of the city below. High chandeliers illuminated the room, showing off original African artwork scattered throughout the room. The owners must have had an inside tip it would become the hot spot for the affluent business class of the Ghanaian society, so they had invested heavily in the project. The impeccably uniformed waiters hovered, ready to cater to their customers while providing them with the privacy they desired.
“Thanks for the invitation.”
He’d made it clear when asking her out he wasn’t the dating sort of man. Her well-groomed eyebrow had lifted. “You’re a hit and run sort of guy then?”
“More like saunter away.”
“I don’t mind. I just got out of a long term relationship. I could use some fun.”
Finally, a woman who could get with his program. A few nights of sex, and then they’d be back to acquaintances. That’s the way his game went.
When the waiter brought their drinks, they gave their food orders. Both decided to partake in the all-you-can-eat sushi-and-salad bar. The choices were varied. Most of the food looked appetizing but unfamiliar, so he picked up a little of everything.
Janice made faces at all of the food and went for the plain green lettuce salad.
When they’d returned to the table, he pointed to her plate. “Is that all you’re going to eat?”
“I’ll go back for some more salad.”
Adam took a bite out of a sushi roll. He’d never tried it before, but he was willing to try almost anything once when it came to food. The fish didn’t taste raw. Instead, the flavorings of the rice, carrots, and avocado hid any of the heaviness from the fish. He liked it. “Won’t you try any of the other food?”
She crinkled her cute nose. “I’m a picky eater. I don’t eat much.”
The total opposite of Esi. He smiled as he thought of how high she would have piled her plate with a little bit of everything. After clearing the dish, she would’ve gone back for seconds and thirds. He loved her adventurous nature. Willing to try things just to experience more out of life. If something didn’t work out, then she’d move on. Like she had with him.
He and Janice discussed newsworthy topics. She didn’t have an opinion on anything. She tended to drift towards his line of thinking, even though he was pretty sure she didn’t agree with everything he said.
Another radical difference from opinionated Esi. He always knew where he stood with her. One more thing he loved about her. That’s the last comparison I’ll make tonight.
He headed to the salad bar for his third plate when the woman who’d been occupying his mind for the past two weeks caught his eye, sitting alone. His step faltered as he took in her turquoise dress. A bit conservative for her, but gorgeous none the less.
All thoughts fled as his feet moved him towards her table. Their gazes clashed as he reached her. He could have sworn everything moved in slow motion as his heartbeat accelerated.
Her look of astonishment must have mirrored his own. Of all the places he could have met her, he would never have guessed here. It didn’t seem like her kind of place. Not that she didn’t fit in or wasn’t sophisticated enough for the establishment. His Esi was more the type to enjoy hanging out in a more relaxed atmosphere.
“What are you doing here?” he asked.
Her eye twitched. “Waiting for my dessert.”
He was so happy to see her, he forgot about his date and sat down at her table. Her gaze flitted to the right.
“Are you alone?”
He could have kissed her when she sat up straighter and pulled her shoulders back. He relished how much he could affect her. “I’m on a date.”
Who had the nerve to take his woman on a date?
Hold up there! She is not your woman.
He forced himself to relax. An impossible task when he sat ready to pounce on the guy who dared to be with her. He stopped himself from slamming his fist on the table. “Who is he?”
“I don’t think you know him.”
“I’m acquainted with a lot of people.”
“You mean with a lot of women, Quarshie.”
He ignored her dig. “How did you meet him?”
Her lip curled as she snarled, “None of your business.”
Their gazes met in a war of wills.
“Am I interrupting something?” A masculine voice intruded.
Adam’s head snapped up. The new head of operations of the international branch of Finsco Bank in Ghana towered over him. He glowered until she replaced it with a smile of recognition.
“Dr. Adam Quarshie. What a surprise.”
Adam stood to shake the man’s hand. “How are you, Richard?” He cast Esi an I-told-you-so look and resisted reaching over and lifting her chin to close her mouth.
“I’m well, thank you. You know Esi?”
“Yes. We’re friends. I saw her sitting all alone and was curious.”
“No worries. I’m taking good care of her.” His wink made Adam clench the fist at his side.
“How do you know her?” Adam asked.
“We met a couple of weeks ago at the beach.”
Adam almost bellowed. Two weeks. She’d been hanging around with this guy while he’d been miserable.
“What’s going on?” Janice’s voice stopped him from asking his next question.
Damn.
He’d forgotten all about her.
He turned to her. The interest in her eyes as she recognized Richard was blatant.
Janice stuck out her hand. “Mr. Compton. I’m Janice Nartey. What a pleasure to meet you.”
Technically, they hadn’t met. Adam had been about to introduce her when she did it herself. His gaze drifted towards Esi who had set a narrow-eyed glare on his date. He couldn’t differentiate if it was because they were on a date together, or because Janice had monopolized her own date’s attention.
/> “Would you two like to join us for desert?” Richard asked.
Adam’s attention returned to Richard. “I don’t—”
“We’d love to,” Janice said pulling a chair back.
Adam grabbed her arm and jerked her away preventing her ass from touching the seat. He’d love nothing more than to intrude on Esi’s date, but the desperate look in her eyes kept him from barging in. “I think we should be heading back to our table.”
“But—” Janice started.
“It was a pleasure seeing you again, Richard,” he said as he walked away with Janice in tow.
“You too, Adam,” Richard replied.
When they got to the table, Adam let go of Janice’s arm.
She sat down so hard her breasts bounced. “Why did you do that?”
“Because you’re on a date with me, not him.”
Her laugh, or rather cackle, should’ve made his testicles crawl up into his body. “This is a date? Really? I thought it was a prelude to a screw.”
Ouch.
The woman knew how to call it. If it had been anyone else but Esi he’d encountered, he would have sat down and finished the meal with them. Even now, the thought of Esi with another man set a fire of rage within his belly. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”
“Damn straight, I’m right.” He sealed his ears from the words streaming out of her mouth. He could never understand why women couldn’t take the apology and move on. No, she had to beat it into the ground with how correct she was and how wrong he’d been.
Esi had never done that to him, and he appreciated it now more than ever. He’d be the first to admit she had a prickly temper—becoming worse when he misbehaved. Once they dealt with the situation and she forgave him his sins, the issue would be dropped.
“Are you listening to me?”
“Every word.” He hadn’t become a ladies’ man by being stupid. He let her ramble on. The beautiful, sophisticated woman he’d walked in with had turned into a shrew. As he listened to her drone on with half an ear, he knew he wouldn’t get any from her tonight. Make that ever.
He wasn’t disappointed. The woman he wanted would leave the building with another man. His throat closed off, making it difficult to breathe. He had to stop her. She belonged with him.
