The smell of strong Turkish coffee and fried eggs toasted with bread welcomed me in the womb of the cozy room as I step inside through the back door.
For the first time in three weeks, I felt like a man entering his home. Home, how pleasing it sounds.
"do you mind joining me in the garden," Ruby said from the kitchen doorway with a tray in hand, walking passed me.
"....will be with you in a millisec, Ruby."
I simply change into clean clothes in the guest room on the down floor, where I was now living.
I combed my beard in three broad strokes before the mirror and headed for the garden.
Sitting under the trees in her lose white garb, carelessly resting on her blossoming shoulders, reaching down to the knees, gave the lady an enthralling look that held me captive.
I knew after this morning, our life's in this house will never be the same.
"help yourself kuga," she said in a domineering nonchalant air of a crown princess.
Here we go again. Obviously, the lady is angling to win back some points.
"so you are the managing director of wodmax right?"
"yeah, although Diana is teaching me the ropes, and you've asked me that same question a countless times."
avoiding trouble, I evaded the latter phrase and angles for the former....
"she is that good. Have you been hearing from her?"
"mostly through zoom meeting, although I am on vac."
"I am securing a seat for you in finance department, I learnt that had been your area before you went to prison."
"no, until…".
"until what kuga?".
"damn! until your father put me in a solitary confinement in one of his ships," I fired back angrily.
"not until father save you from prison, risking his credibility against all odds to hide you in one of his ships."
"is that what he told you?" I asked incredulously, with adrenaline pumping.
"look, I don't know your connections and dealing with my papa and his folks okay. All I know is, we need you as director of finance at wodmax group."
"what I am doing here? Why can't I simply walk away from this nightmare. Go somewhere else and start over. what is wrong with me?" I was talking more to myself... than the lady across the table.
"I can't believe anyone can be this ungrateful kuga. Papa compensated you with a million dollars after having saved you from your own mess.
Mess that got you on top of the hit list of some really bad guys. Now, you turn to spit on the hand that fed you?"
"who feeds you with all this none sense?" I asked the question, and myriad answers echoes back at me.
what sort of game are these people playing now? Why are they turning Ruby against me? I knew right then, that no amount of anger, attempts to prove my point right will suffice.
But how long can I tag along to prove my innocents to this one person, I wanted to trust me so bad?
Perhaps that's what this is all about. trying to prove my innocents to the woman will only ensnare me to the woman.
One thing was clear though, and that is; the woman sitting across from me didn't know I own the company she is directing.
But how long is that status going to change?
*****†***†****†*****
"I have a mission Ruby. And that is to get you to remember a profound memory we shared.
Maybe that's never going to happen. Maybe this is the beginning of something new."
"should I take that as a yes to my offer?". "I'm in Ruby."
"then we are done here…. The company will get you your condo. I will get a new personal trainer."
"why are doing this Ruby?"
"I don't need you here anymore, not after all I learned about you so far."
"you're not running away from me lady, you're running away from yourself…..
guessed you heard this song by bob Marley;
'and you running, and you running, and you running away... but you can't runaway from yourself…'
eh! Ruby? You can make this journey to yourself very long, or short. It's all in your hands Ruby.
Sometimes to move forward, you have to travel back in time to make some key resolutions.
Your fear is yours to keep, and believe me, it's going to hunt you Ruby. Like a parasite it will itch and eat you from the inside….."
"enough of the foul talk kuga. And how dare you pry into my life? Who are you to tell me about fear in a past I wish not to remember?
you don't expect to live with me under the same roof while I am your boss, do you kuga?", she asked with incredulity.
"oh, I will live Ruby, it's only a matter of time. I will leave when I complete this mission. And just so you know….
Well, forget it. I need a little more time with you Ruby. Give me this much, and I will walk away from your life when it's time."
Ruby regarded me quietly from across the table with the cool air of a discontented superior, about to thwart the authority of a stubborn employee. I could see through here charade though.
She is having trouble deciphering the new awoken sensations within her. Reticent about the whole experience intellectually, only amplify the needs of her body a thousand fold.
Capriciously the body will go in search of its food from the source that trigger its hunger.
"we have unleashed a food chain, Ruby."
"how long are you going to stay?"
"once we complete the chain. Stop evading the inevitable. Can you smell it? the sensual energy we did ignited. It hangs in the air; it's not going anywhere, Ruby. we can let it invigorate and nourish us, or try fighting it…"
"is this some kind of game? I know your type kuga. you want to dominate, and get a woman crawling to you. perhaps, another helpless prey in your food web. Has it ever occurred to you that it takes two to play that game?"
"ah! How glad I am to have you on the same page my dear Ruby. How about we play the role of couple under one roof. We can pretend and tolerate each other for a while, and let the language of the body prevail."
"suit yourself kuga… we shall see about that. just so you know, left unto me I will send you parking this very minute. But father insisted I give you a grace period."
"ah! About that; how do you intend to send me parking, when you are the one living under my roof? You can call the realtor and make enquiries."
"and how much do you know about the spooky you claimed to have connection with?"
"all I know is, we had a profound connection. Whatever it was, it felt beautiful, desirable and honorable. But that's something you can't understand, can you....you piece of scum?"
"no Ruby, honor is not my thing. Let the weaklings shroud themselves with the cloak of honor in contentment.
I wouldn't find them disgusting, not in the least my dear, for I was once among these flock.
Aye! let's not waste time dwelling on what is honorable. No, I will choose to experience desire in its purest. And what is beauty, but desire at the highest peaks?"
"oh, what a ghastily pompous thing you are. Infuriating, immorally rude. Just when I thought I could trust you, good Lord, I broke down before you, and nearly gave into your ways…
this is the same reason why I did want I different trainer. Whatever it is we have going on here isn't healthy," she said, fidgeting and biting her lower lip, perhaps in hopes of curbing them from trembling.
I knew she was battling tears as she stood up glancing away from me.
I wanted to apologize but I was tired with the wilds of the woman.
Besides, getting her to melt down her frozen emotions is a therapy in itself.
She stood up abruptly, and rushed pass me hastily to hide her tears. extending one hand, I held on her fore arm at the same time standing to draw her into my arms.
She battles, hit and claw at me, but I held on to her against my chest trusting my instincts.
She kicked me hard on the groin and my knees turned jelly. I felt like I was going to die from the pain as I fell to the wet ground like a doll.
My intuition did fail me after all. the sky seems to be spinning all around me out of control.
It went quite in the garden as I lay there heaving in agony. My balls so inflamed, I had to lay flat on my back and open thighs to.
The pain however seems to climbed into my abdomen up into my navel.
I tried to stand up but to no avail. And the woman simply disappeared, leaving me to suffer my fate.
"ruby! Ruby!... please I need your help!". I don't know whether she heard me or not. The point is she never showed up.
baffling, unrepentant, no sympathy…. Perhaps the woman needed a real professional to handle her, I thought to myself as I finally managed to stand up, crouching low, for I couldn't stand straight.