RULE NO.25

26.Trouble In Hell

The moment she smiles I know she has something cooked, set up and served up her sleeve and I am the sole guest to that dish and oh is it gonna burn.

"You know what? Why don't you give me your number so we can catch up over tea?" She says, smiling again.

"No! That won't be necessary, I will give him your number myself" I reply, trying to suppress the stutter in my speech. An obvious sign of my agitation.

"Oh no dear, the gentleman wouldn't mind. After all, would an old lady like me have any designs on this dashing young man?" She replies, almost sounding like a blushing teen, and it didn't even help that she didn't look a day over thirty, even though she is at least twenty years older than that.

And as expected, the gentleman gallantly hands her his card so as not to offend the kind old lady and all I can do is to bite hard on my tongue so as not to cry because I know what she plans to do. Who would have thought that my own aunt would never want me to be happy.

She takes the card, pats him on the arm and walks past us, without even a word to me. She had just drawn the battle line unbeknownst to her that I am not even ready. Who goes into war with no armour, sword or shield? I am as vulnerable as can be and the boss fights dirty, there will be no rules because I dared to walk away from slaving my body. I dared.

When we get into the car, I twist my hand in anxiety, rubbing my sweaty palms against my dress and trying to calm my beating heart before it runs out of my chest.

As soon as Ray pulls out of the driveway, I look at him and say;

"Ray, I have something very important to tell you"

He doesn't reply as he stares at the road, holding tightly to the wheel. I can tell that he is trying to suppress his anger because he knows that if he flares up, he will shut me up faster than he can blink.

"I know it is something that i should have told you since, but I was too ashamed" I continue, my lips trembling slightly and my eyes shining with unshed tears.

"I didn't want you to hate me" I say in a broken whisper.

And as if he picks up on the hitch in my voice, he turns around to stare at me for a bit before looking at the road again.

"I can't hate you baby, I am just angry that you didn't tell me you had an aunt and it is obvious that she has a bone to pick with you. I wasn't happy that she caught me off guard because it was obvious she knew that I didn't know about her" He replied, sounding very peeved.

Well, that was unexpected. And the coward in me just accepted the opportunity and played along .

"I understand, it won't happen again" I replied. Now I know that it really takes a lie to cover up another lie.

I stay quiet through out the drive home and before long, I find that we are parked in his compound.

"Why are we not at my place?" I ask in a voice heavily laced with annoyance.

"It's almost 2am, this is the wrongest time to walk around in that dangerous place" He says and opens his mouth to continue, then he looks at my face and stops.

"Baby you know I didn't mean it like that" He says again, trying to hold me, but I shrug him off as I March into his house and slam the door. It would have been funny if I wasn't so mad at him. He practically implied that I live in a ghetto. Even if I am, he had no right to rub it in my face.

Before I can go up the stairs, he holds my arm. Not that again!

"Bri, stop! You know I didn't mean it like that. I just don't want to take any chances with you...I care about you" He says before turning me around and slamming his lips against mine.

I moan as I feel him slide down the zipper of my dress. I know we are not supposed to be doing this but I am going to blame it on the four glasses of champagne I had at the party even though I know that I am barely tipsy.

He carries me up the stairs and into his room, then uses his leg to slam the door behind us. We spend the night using our bodies to speak the age old language of love.

The next day, at the crack of dawn, i leave his place and head home.

I and Grace pack up our things and vacate the place before 8am.

As I leave, I know I am leaving a piece of me behind, but I won't let them ruin me a second time even if I have to die trying.

Hello fam!

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