Kamsi was lying on the mattress she shared with Esomo, her face up, reading a novel which had begun to bore her- she had no choice though, because it helped take her mind off her present predicament - when her phone rang. She hurriedly reached for the phone and for a moment, her heart stopped when she saw who the caller was. Esomo. Without hesitating any further she tapped the 'answer' icon.
"Hello...Kamsi are you still home?"
What a relief! Kamsi thought. At least she sounded much more relaxed and at ease now.
"Errrmmm...yes i am, any problem?"
"No. i just want you to meet me up at Monty Suites in 20 minutes by the pool".
Before she could utter another word, the line went dead and couldn't help but wonder why Esomo sounded so curt but whatever the reason, she was relieved that she sounded more relaxed than she had been before she angrily stormed out of the house earlier. Determined to mend fences between them, she decided to find her way to Monty Suites- only if that would please her.
She scanned through her own section of the wardrobe and picked out a 'not-so-short' blue lycra gown. This dress did well to accentuate her curves and the colour simply enhanced her appearance. Although she wasn't given to makeup and much artificials, she played with her eyes a little and perfected the look with a nude lipstick. She went for a pair of white flat sandals and after spending about 25minutes in front of long wall mirror, she felt she was good enough to go.
At about 8:32pm, she alighted from a taxi, paid the driver and tried to call Esomo but she couldn't get through and it was then she realized she had no choice but to go into the hotel premises to scout for Esomo who mentioned she was going to be at the poolside. Loud blaring music and hearty cheers of men- the old and young- filled the air. As she approached the poolside, she decided to give Esomo's line one last try because finding her in the midst of plenty seemed a herculean task. Alas! it rang.
"Where are you??been trying to get through to you".
"Just come and meet me by the gate".
"Alright..give me a second".
Kamsi began to make her way back to the gate and in split seconds, Esomo came from behind her, pulled her by the right arm, tugging her towards the poolside.
"Relax nau..you've not told me why you called me here and you're dragging me like a goat".
"See eh..just maintain oh because i don't want to talk plenty now". Esomo had a blank expression on her face but Kamsi knew exactly what this was about.
"Hehehehe....i hope its not what I'm thinking, because.." she was cut short immediately.
"Because what would happen eh?? respect yourself and just be nice oh, afterall, a little break from the norm wouldn't hurt.Would it?"
Esomo gave a long hiss and didn't wait for an answer before getting hold of her right hand, this time with a firmer grip.
She found herself in the midst of three men- one of them, was obviously middle aged while the other two were slightly younger. They all had sheepish smiles on their faces and Esomo had began with the introductions- it didn't even occur to her.
"Hey guys, meet my friend Kamsi, and Kamsi this is Engr.John".Esomo said pointing at the older man sandwiched inbetween the other two.
Kamsi couldn't help but notice his round bald head and bulging eyes which gave his dark rugged face a roundish figure. She muttered an inaudible 'hello' and outstretched her right hand for a brief handshake. Engr.John gave her a wink, took her hand in his, gave her a gentle squeeze before saying it was his pleasure meeting her.
".....and these are his friends Stanley and Canon".
This time, Kamsi gave a dry smile and waved at the other two who seemed pleased at the sight of her. With the introductions over, Canon pulled out a seat for her and she settled beside him. Empty bottles of Black label and a half-finished bottle of Amarula Cream Liqueur lay carelessly on the table but Kamsi simply requested for a glass of Chapman with ice-cubes.
They all kept chattering for the next 45minutes while Kamsi kept mute wondering why Esomo would call her out here knowing fully how she never joked with her sleep. Esomo kept exchanging suggestive glances with her- whatever they meant, she had no clue.
Just about then, Stanley received a call and soon announced he had to be on his way and the moment he left, Canon requested to see Esomo privately. Kamsi smelt a rat but she put her mind at rest when she thought Esomo would never do a thing to hurt or harm her- she never could be too sure.
Away from prying eyes and ears, Canon was giggling like one who just hit a jackpot.
"You told me about your friend but i didn't know she was this pretty, very calm and yet sophisticated..." He said to Esomo giving her a mischievious wink.
"Abeg, abeg, abeg..i don't have time for idle talk, we came here to discuss business...besides we shouldn't take long because i don't trust your friend over there with her". She replied looking away.
"Now, what exactly am i offering you?".
"You should know, you don see the market so na you suppose know how much you go price am".
He only let out a chuckle and then reached for his wallet before handing her crisp 1,000 naira notes. She took the money carelessly with her left hand, counted it, and gave a nod.
"You don try shaa...but errmmmm, one more thing"
Canon had grown impatient.
"What is it again?"
Esomo pulled her left ear to signal emphasis before she began.
"Look here, i brought this girl here in one piece and i want her back in one whole piece...and if you must know she's not what you think she is, so please don't go hard on her".
This time, Canon couldn't help but laugh and afterwards, began to stare at her in disbelief.
"You think its funny?...if you try anything silly, you sure wouldn't want to know what i'd do".
Canon only smiled and gave her a 'mock salute'.
"Yes ma!!!"
Before they left, Esomo made it clear to him that he should only act on her wishes- he shouldn't try to force her to do what she didn't deem fit- because deep down, she had a motive, afterall Rome they say, wasn't built in a day. This ought to be a gradual process and this was but the first phase.
Back at the table, Kamsi and Engr.John didn't get along well and he gave up after trying to initiate conversations but got several curt replies. When Esomo and Canon came back from their long sabbatical, Esomo whispered something barely audible to Kamsi, gave her a stern look, and then resumed her drinking.
Right now, the last thing Kamsi had on her mind was to upset her friend. So she decided to keep calm and flow with the tide but just like Esomo, Kamsi had a backup plan...
It was about 12.45am now. Engr.John and Esomo had left a few minutes ago leaving Kamsi in the care of Canon. All through the drinking and chattering, she couldn't help but wonder what would become of her if she didn't take the necessary action. She just had to think of something and right now, ideas were failing her. Normally, she went about with a blade or her pepper spray but today was different because she only thought it was an honest outing but unfortunately things turned out that way. Now, here she was at the mercy of a stranger whom she barely knew, who could ravage her if he so desired with her doing little or absolutely nothing.
As her mind wandered, her eyes caught hold of something on the table- the heavy wine opener. Although, it made no sense to her at that instant, her eyes kept lingering on the metallic object on the table and like someone being remote-controlled by some strange force, she carefully and quietly slipped the wine opener into her bag.
In another 20minutes, she was in a room-Room 301- with Canon. She settled on a sofa with her eyes glued to the tv and pretended not to notice the uneasiness Canon exhibited.Although, the conversation he had with Esomo kept replaying in his head, he waved it aside and thought that afterall, she was just a girl like the others and saw no reason why he should give her special preference- he paid for the commodity and therefore should maximise its utility.
Canon got up from the bed where he'd been sitting for a
while now, sat beside her on the sofa and without mincing words, he told her the very reason why they were there because according to him,time was far spent. Kamsi only gave a slight nod and fixed her gaze on the tv. By now Canon had grown visibly angry and he wondered if her senses were 100% intact because of the manner with which she stared at him and only shook her head at intervals whenever she meant to say NO.
Whatever attitude she put up, Canon's determination to get it all done and over with, was what pushed him. He
quietly went into the bathroom, took a quick shower and in no time was out in only a pair of boxers. He was startled to find Kamsi in the same position he left her and it was then he became quite convinced that it was either the girl was possessed or mentally imbalanced, but whatever the case, it wasn't going to deter him...
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