A Valentine Challenge (Challenge Series, #1)

by Kiru Taye

  Peter raised a toast and they lifted their glasses, drinking to their agreement.

  "We’ll meet next week and find out if you met the challenge," Paul said when he put his glass down.

  "Oh, don’t you worry. I’ll win this challenge," Michael said confidently, relaxing back into his chair. He glanced over to Kasie. She took a sip of her drink. The movement of her delicate neck as she swallowed punched his gut with longing. On his tongue, he could almost taste the victory of possessing her. It would be a sweet and sumptuous triumph.

  "You do realise women like her only look at men with money. If she thinks you can’t keep her in the lifestyle she’s accustomed to, she wouldn’t even give you a look in. How are you going to charm her without any show of wealth?" Peter asked, his face creased in a concerned frown.

  "Why are you worried about him? It’s Valentine day in a couple of days, so the love god is already smiling down on him. She’s likely to be more amenable anyway, the lucky so and so," Paul interjected.

  "It’s a bit late to start worrying now, my friend. The game is on."

  Michael patted Peter’s hand, ignoring Paul’s jibe. He already had a plan working in his head. The army had taught him a few things, one of which was how to think on his feet, on the move, in tight situations.

  The ability had saved him from more than a few hairy scrapes in the past. It certainly came in handy now. He didn’t have a long time to work his usual magic with Kasie. So he needed to put himself in a position where he’d be in her presence regularly. An idea occurred to him.

  "Does she use Prestige Car Services?" he asked Paul. If she was a guest staying at the hotel, then she would need to hire a car to get about. While public transportation was good in Enugu, he didn't quite see Kasie as the kind of girl to hop on a bus. A car hire service seemed right up her street.

  "I believe so. But there's no harm in checking." Paul waved over a waiter and whispered something in his ear. The man nodded and walked off. "I sent him to find out from reception."

  The three of them co-owned the hotel, the restaurant and adjacent night club, so there wasn't much that happened here they couldn't access. Michael had come up with the initial idea of running a hotel and his friends had backed him with the finance.

  "What exactly do you have in mind?" Peter tapped the screen of his phone absently as he asked the question.

  "You'll find out soon enough," Michael replied.

  The waiter returned. "Yes, she's booked with Prestige Cars all week," he said.

  "Thank you," Paul said and the man departed.

  "Great. She’ll have a new chauffeur in the morning." Michael allowed his body to relax into the soft leather of his stuffed armchair, his grin widening as his plan took shape.

  "Brilliant. The owner of Prestige Cars will become the driver. This could get very interesting." Paul's amusement evidenced by his chuckle.

  Michael shrugged off his friend's banter. When he started the business, he’d worked as a chauffeur himself until the business had taken off. He knew the ins and outs of the job. If there was a way of getting close to Kasie, it was as her driver. To top it off, he didn’t have to pretend to be something he wasn’t.

  Unlike his friends, he hadn't been born into money. His mother had raised him alone, scraping by to make ends meet as a petty trader. He could barely remember his father who had died when he was just a boy. He got through school by sheer force of will and determination.

  Everything he owned now he’d had to work or hustle for. Going to sleep and waking up hungry had been a regular occurrence of his youth. Poverty had dogged his footsteps. So acting the lowly driver for a few days shouldn’t be a problem.

  Last night, the thought had been crisp and clear in his mind. However, sitting in the driver’s seat this morning with Miss Ice Princess in the back, his confidence lost some of its lustre. He hadn’t realised how much being ordered about would infuriate him.

  He just had to live with it for a few days and then it would be over. Moreover, knowing he’d get to defrost Miss Ice Princess here made it worth the discomfort.

  When he pulled into the premises of Apex Bank, he stared in the rear-view mirror again. Their eyes connected in the mirror. Golden brown pupils looked back at him. He read curiosity, heat and for a brief moment, fear in them. He held her gaze wondering what thoughts were in her head but she lowered her eyes.

  Stepping out, he held the car door open for her. Her light perfume wafted into his nostrils as she breezed past him. A vision of Kasie dressed in a sundress, rolling in wild flowers assaulted his mind.

  Whoa! Where did that come from?

  Physically shaking his head to dispel the vision, he picked up her briefcase from the back seat and followed her. He watched the gentle swaying of her enticing behind. A grin tugged the corners of his lips but he held it back.

  Before she reached the main entrance Kasie turned, holding out her hand.

  "I’ll take it from here. I’ll ring you when I’m ready to go," her voice was soft, her expression serious.

  For some reason, he wanted to see her smile. He wanted to watch her face light up in laughter. But maybe not right now, he thought as frown lines appeared on her forehead when he didn’t pass the briefcase immediately.

  "Sure." He nodded and handed her the briefcase. He watched her stride into the bank building. Yet her perfume stayed with him, stirring him, exciting him.

  Trouble had walked into his life. No doubt.

  Chapter Two

  Have you ever wished you could go back and start your day afresh? Today was one of those days.

  The thoughts swirled in Kasie’s mind as she walked into the white-walled concrete bank building. Hot, alien sensations prickled her back. From the moment she'd walked out of her hotel lobby to encounter Michael standing outside in the sun, this intoxicating awareness had laced her veins.

  Standing was perhaps the wrong word. He’d been lounging, leaning against the car, a man with all the time in the world. Like he owned the world.

  Powerful, overwhelming, his aura radiated from him in waves, her body, an antenna tuned into him irresistibly.

  An image of the big cats she'd seen in documentaries on the National Geographic channel loomed large in her mind. A tiger stalking its prey, waiting, deadly silent before the pounce.

  Michael had the same dark, dangerous, and deadly quality, making her feel vulnerable and under siege—heart pounding out of sync in her chest, heat swarming her body, adrenaline flooding her veins—her body preparing to flee or fight.

  All he'd done at the time was look at her, for crying out loud!

  When he’d taken a step toward her, her instinct had been to step back. To turn and run for her life.

  Hell, no! This girl was no coward.

  She’d resisted the urge to flinch when he’d said her name. The sound of his gravelly voice had an effect she didn’t even wish to examine closely.

  As usual when she was rattled or scared she went on the offensive, putting up her layers of protective walls and shutting everything else out.

  Yet when their eyes had connected via the rear view mirror of the car, for one tantalising moment, his grey eyes seemed to pierce through to her soul. He’d stared at her as if he saw through her cool facade, past the power suit to the yearning woman beneath. Angry at herself she’d looked away. It hadn’t stopped her heart from racing or heat from rising to her cheeks.

  Even now, she knew he watched her from outside the revolving doors. A ripple of awareness shimmered down her back. The urge to turn around was strong but she bit it down, stiffening her back.

  Berating herself, she walked to the receptionist, signed the visitor’s book and collected her temporary pass. She turned to find her friend and colleague Franca Onyema walking into the reception lobby.

  "Hi Kasie, how are you this morning?" Franca enquired in her usual cheerful tone.

  "I'm well, thank you. You?" The words sounded gritty and forced in her own ears as she walked toward the b
ank of lifts.

  Franca followed her. "I'm great."

  Her friend jabbed the button to call the lift. "But you don't look well."

  Kasie should've known that her friend would pick up on her less than pleasant mood this morning. They became friends when she started her assignment in Enugu and they both discover they'd both been born and raised in Lagos.

  "We'll talk about it when get upstairs," she said in a low tone.

  The lift lobby was filling up with staff waiting to ride up to their offices. She didn't want the whole building gossiping about her private affair by lunch time.

  Franca nodded and tugged her close as they boarded the first lift to arrive. On the fifth floor, they both got off and strode to Kasie's office. As soon as they got in Franca shut the door behind them.

  "Oya, spill it. I'm dying of suspense here," she said even before Kasie could toss her satchel on her desk.

  "I had an argument with Anthony," Kasie said. It was amazing how easily the words slid from her tongue when it came to Franca.

  "What happened?"

  "We broke up." Was she even sad about it? She didn't know anymore. Right now anger was the prevailing emotion.

  "You did?" Franca pulled her close into a hug. "I'm sorry."

  Kasie allowed the words of comfort and warmth from her friend soothe her. Interesting having their roles reverse. Usually, Franca was the one having relationship drama and Kasie was the one listening or consoling.

  Kasie's life had been all mapped out until this morning. Tears stung the back of her eyes. Now she didn't know who she was any more.

  Franca took one look at her face and tugged her over to her chair.

  "Sit down, dear, and tell me why you guys broke up. I thought everything was going great between the two of you."

  "Until I woke up this morning to find at text from Anthony saying we needed a break, I thought everything was fine."

  "He did what?"

  The shock in her friend's voice reflected the way Kasie had felt this morning when she'd read the sms message.

  "Here—" Kasie dug in her hand bag and took out her phone, swiping the screen to unlock it. "—read it for yourself."

  Franca took the phone from her.

  "Atta girl. I love your reply to him." A wry smile curled Franca's lips as she handed the phone back. "What did he do after that?"

  "He called me straight after asking why I was being so rude, that everyone takes a break sometimes, that it would be good for us." Kasie shook her head as her anger rose. "What a cheek?"

  "The man is an idiot."

  "I told him that."

  "That's my girl."

  Franca smiled and Kasie couldn’t help smiling in return. Her friend was the one person she trusted enough to share some of her troubles with, through there were still some things she wouldn't share with anyone.

  "Listen." Her friend placed a hand on her shoulders. "Don't even waste a tear on that man. He doesn't deserve it. He wanted to take a break so he could date other people and still expect you to be there waiting for him."

  "As if." Kasie huffed as she rolled her eyes heavenward. "This train is moving on without him."

  "Absolutely. And I approve your choice of passenger." Franca winked at her.

  "Huh?" Kasie blinked. "Passenger, ke? What are you talking about?"

  "The guy who dropped you off, of course."

  "Who? Michael?" His name slipped from her lips before she could stop herself. The sizzling awareness returned to Kasie's spine.

  "Is that his name? He looks like a man who packs a lot of heat between his legs and knows how to use it if you know what I mean." Franca gave her an exaggerated wink.

  Mortified, Kasie’s mouth dropped open at her friend’s words. She lifted her hands to her overheated cheeks.

  "Franca! He's just the chauffeur from the car service."

  "Is he now? I've never seen a hire car driver who looked that great. He's welcome to drive me anywhere anytime."

  "Don't even go there. He's a driver for goodness sake." Kasie couldn’t hide her outrage although she didn't want to acknowledge the true emotion behind it.

  "He's also a man. A hot, oh-so-lickable man. And they don't come around that often."

  "Yeah, but—"

  "There's no but about it. I know your family think you have to marry some stuck-up, rich guy whose father is a political godfather or whatever. But the rest of us have to deal with real men. And they don't come any realer than men like Michael. And take my advice; you'll have a much better ride with the Michaels of this world than with the Anthonys."

  "I know what you're saying but after this morning's burst up with Anthony, I'm not even going to be looking at another man for a very long time."

  "The way Michael was looking at you, I'd say that resolution won't last very long."

  "The way he was looking at me?" Did Franca really notice their attraction? "You're reading things that don't exist. I'm not interested in him or any other man."

  "You won't mind if I ask him out then."

  For some reason she couldn’t explain, a flash of anger passed through her body.

  "Yes, of course. Go for it." She forced the words out of her mouth although inside her something ugly rose at the thought of her friend being involved with Michael.

  What was wrong with me anyway? Why did Michael affect me so outrageously?

  "Right. I'm going to head to my desk. I'll see you later."

  Franca’s words echoed in Kasie’s head for the rest of the day as she worked. Good men were rare. True. Yet the vibes she’d gotten from Michael had nothing to do with good. Unless one could define good as dark, dangerous and decadent. Those were the words she’d use to describe him. Those were the same reasons Franca needed to stay away from him.

  It wasn't her place to choose her friend’s boyfriends. But somehow, the thought of Franca getting together with Michael, made her uncomfortable. They wouldn’t make a good match. Simple.

  In her world money was important. At least to her family and her friends in Lagos. She’d been born with it and never lacked it.

  Her parents expected her to marry a man they approved—he would have to be from a well-placed family and wealthy. As such all the men she'd been involved with previously, had similar backgrounds to her. they were family friends and people whom her parents could trace their backgrounds.

  For now, she didn't care how much money a man had in his bank account.

  As far as she was concerned, men were off the radar. Well and truly off the menu. She was taking a much deserved break.

  Heaving a sigh, Kasie worked through the spreadsheets on her laptop, her mind going back to her relationship with Anthony.

  If she was honest, the split wasn’t a huge surprise. They’d been dating for over two years. Anthony was focused on building his career as a lawyer and was focused on her career as an accountant. It was inevitable things would slow in their relationship. With work commitments and different social circles, they spent more time apart than together.

  Besides, she’d always felt there was something missing from their relationship.

  Yes, Anthony was good-looking, wealthy, from a well-known family and had a successful career. Even her father, who had disapproved of her previous boyfriends, actually gave his consent for their relationship.

  A part of her had been relieved to be finally in her father’s good books after years of being labelled the ‘bad apple’ of the family. So Anthony had certainly ticked most of the boxes of her relationship requirements.

  But when the chance had come to take the assignment in Enugu, she'd jumped at the opportunity to get away from her family and Anthony.

  As far as she was concerned, the break was good for her. She needed the downtime from men to reassess her priorities.

  So while Michael was all kinds of sizzling temptations, she wasn’t even going to go there. If Franca wanted him, she could have him.

  So why does your stomach churn with envy when you think of
the two of them together?

  "Are you going to sleep here?"

  Kasie looked up from her laptop to find Franca standing in her office doorway.

  "What time is it?" Kasie asked absentmindedly, trying to bring her thoughts back to the present.

  "It’s quarter to seven. I thought I was a workaholic but even I can’t compete with you. I’m off home but I’m going to stop over and grab something to eat at Panache restaurant. Why don’t you come along? I noticed you didn’t eat lunch today."

  Kasie nodded in accord. Sometimes, she skipped lunch, just to give herself more time to get her work done. She hadn’t realised how late it was already. Her stomach chose the moment for a loud protest. She laughed.

  "I’ll pack up and join you."

  Suddenly she remembered she was going to have to call Michael to pick her up. For some reason, she wasn’t in a hurry to see him again. She turned to Franca, hoping her friend would drop her off. "We can use your car, right?"

  "Sorry. I didn’t bring my car today. I was hoping we’d use yours," Franca replied, shrugging as she smiled sheepishly.

  Kasie thought it strange Franca didn’t bring her car but didn’t ask why.

  "Ok. I’ll ring the car service," Kasie said, slumping her shoulders with resignation. There would be no avoiding Michael tonight, to her chagrin.

  The Prestige Cars phone operator informed her Michael was on his way to pick her up already. She thanked the lady and hung up.

  "We should head downstairs, he’s on his way."

  "Okay, I’ll grab my things and meet you by the lifts," Franca said as she headed out of Kasie’s office.

  Downstairs, Michael was waiting outside, casually leaning against the car, his back against the driver's side door, hands in his pockets and legs crossed at the ankles. The setting sun framed him in a halo of gold and purple. He didn’t move. Just stood there watching her with a hooded gaze. He looked so cool, so unruffled. Yet she couldn’t miss the tightly-coiled energy radiating off his body. Only a fool would miss the marauding alertness surrounding him.

  Their eyes connected, she could have sworn the air crackled with electricity. The impact of seeing him again hit her stomach, knocking the breath out of her. Just like this morning. Her steps faltered. Heat travelled up her body spreading to her face. Everything within her stilled, if she didn't move, perhaps the predator wouldn’t see her.