"The prince doesn't ea-"
"I heard you the first time." She cut her off.
"But why? That's unhealthy." She complained, while Arinze shrugged.
"The few times I took breakfast to him, I almost lost my job." Arinze shivered as if recalling a bad memory.
"Why didn't you inform the queen?" Ella asked.
"He told me not to and I couldn't disobey." She shrugged.
"You know what?" Ella asked.
"What?"
"We're taking breakfast to him." She simply stated.
"I'm not taking breakfast to him! Have you seen how frightening he is when mad?" Arinze didn't care at that point if she was being disrespectful to the princess.
"Who said you are the one taking it to him? I am." She claimed, while Arinze felt like she could finally breathe.
"Are you sure you want to do that? Well, you're his wife, so, he wouldn't be that mad." Ella tried to maintain a passive expression. If only Arinze knew what really was going on.
"Whatever happened when I take the food to him, let that be my worry." She was just trying to play the good wife part. He better be nice. Who was she kidding though?
*
"How is it?" Ella stared at Arinze expectantly, biting down on her lower lip in anticipation. She wasn't the best of cooks but she wasn't the worst either.
"Splendid. Where did you learn to cook this so perfectly?" Arinze sounded awed.
"My mother taught me how to, of course." Ella stated in a 'duh' tone, with a wide smile playing on her face.
"She must be a good cook then." Arinze licked her fingers gingerly.
"Certainly." Ella beamed, proud of her skills.
"My cooking skills don't even measure up to this." Arinze praised some more. Ella did her best to hide her smile. Arinze obviously wanted to be in her good graces.
"So, you and the guard...." Ella trailed off, waiting for Arinze to catch the hint and suit her curiosity. She wanted to know if the guard was taking advantage of Arinze, or if he truly liked her. Although Arinze was an adult who knew what was best for herself, Ella still wanted to know.
"He's my lover." Arinze shyly stated.
"Hm." Ella hummed.
"How does it feel to have a lover?" Ella's curiosity was piqued.
"You feel cared for, you feel loved, adored and you feel you can achieve whatever you want to with that person by your side. Let's just say that you'll feel whole." Arinze smiled dreamily.
Ella blinked rapidly. She missed so much then. She wondered if Jackson would ever love her. Would she ever experience those feelings? Would she love him ever? Perhaps, if he let her. Would there ever be love and friendship between them, or would her marriage become her prison?
"Are you alright?" Arinze asked with a frown. Ella seemed to have been lost in deep thoughts, whilst a frown adorned her face. She blinked, getting rid of the disturbing thoughts in her head, and then smiled at Arinze. "I'm good."
"Where can I find my husband?" She asked as she placed a mug of steamy hot tea on a fancy looking tray, accompanied by five slices of bread and butter.
"Where can I find my husband?" She repeated to Arinze who gave her an 'are you sure about this' look which she ignored.
"He should be in his study upstairs. Come, I'll show you."
*
Taking in a calming breath, Ella knocked on the door to the Prince's study. A deep sound 'come in' was heard, and she pushed the door open. With her thudding heart, she went straight for the table, not sparing the interior of the room even a single glance. When she got to his table, she placed the tray on it, careful not to spill the tea, before she then lifted her gaze to meet his.
There was a questioning look on his face as he regarded get carefully. "Good morning....my husb-"
"Don't." He cut in with a grimace on his face.
"Don't call me that, my name is Jackson." He grumbled out coldly as he shut the book in front of him closed.
Ella swallowed hard. She felt suffocated all of a sudden under his piercing gaze. He looked even more attractive in the white long sleeve shirt he was wearing, which clung to him, showing off his mouth watering muscles. The shirt was buttoned halfway, and a silver necklace with a cross sign on it, adorned his neck, coming down to rest on his chest. He looked...hot.
He oozed so much sex appeal which had Ella wondering how smooth his skin and how taunt his muscles would be underneath her fingers. She had never been kissed and never paid any mind to it, but his full pink lips had her wondering what it would feel like to be kissed. Why was she reacting that way? Why was she thinking of all those things? She wasn't supposed to, she had to keep her emotions in check.
"Ok. Good morning, Jackson, how did you sleep?" She asked, trying to sound as enthusiastic as she could.
"Well. What do you want?!" Straight to the point, uh? He didn't even ask how she slept. Ella nibbled on her lower lip before plastering a small smile on her face.
"I brought breakfast!" She announced cheerfully, trying to tame her wildly beating heart. She couldn't stop thinking what his reaction would be. He stared straight at her for a long time which had her smile withering, and her breath growing uneven. Why does he stare so much? She thought.
Looking in those dark beady eyes of his, was like looking into an unending pit of darkness, with a cage in it, waiting to capture and lock you up.
"I'm not hungry, thank you." He eventually stated calmly, before turning to concentrate on an open book on the table before him, which he had been reading, while Ella stood there unmoving. He wasn't being temperamental, and it was a good sign right? That meant that he could have a change of mind and eat the food, right? His gaze was soon fixed on her again, and this time, the anger was obvious.
"Are you fucking deaf!? I told you that I'm not hungry. Leave now!" He grumbled loudly, causing her to flinch in surprise. She hadn't been expecting that. So much for being non temperamental, he was oh so clearly losing his cool.
"I don't mean to offend you, but you have to eat breakfast." His eyes narrowed at her. Okay, maybe that came out wrong.
"I mean, not eating in the morning is unhealthy, you really do have to eat." She mumbled out quietly, and braced herself for what was to come. He slowly stood up from his chair and walked around the table to stand in front of her, his eyes not once leaving her, while Ella wondered if she had managed to dig her own grave.
She stood her ground, not wanting to show any sign of weakness. She wasn't weak but strong. He was so close, so close that she could feel his body heat. So close that she could inhale his manly scent and catch just a whiff of his after shave. How did he manage to smell so nice? Ignoring her thudding heart, Ella tried to appear unaffected by his proximity. She tried to not be intimidated by his towering height and huge body that seemed to have been sculpted when God was in an extremely good mood, and was feeling the need to bless humanity, but who was she kidding? She was downright intimidated!
Not being able to take it anymore, Ella moved a step back so she could breath, but to her dismay, Jackson took a step forward. She took a step back yet again, and he took another step forward. His intense bewitching eyes seemed to leave a burning sensation wherever they gazed.
The little game of her taking a step backwards and Jackson taking a step forward continued until she was cornered to the table. She could feel her bum press again the table, while he stood just an inch away from her. She felt her heart thud in her chest, what was happening? Struggling to breath, she pressed harder against the table, wishing she could just disappear from this twisted situation. A sick kind of contented look was on Jackson's face as he watched her struggle to breathe. He knew he had that kind of effect on women. He was happy to know that he hadn't lost his touch.
Ella based her concentration on the cross sign hanging down from around his neck, making sure that her eyes didn't wander.
"What were you saying?" He leaned in to ask in her ear in a calm tone of voice. His loose dread locks brushed against her cheek teasingly, and she had to hold in a gasp when his warm minty breath brushed against the tender skin of her neck. A faint smell of strawberries attacked her senses from his hair. "
"I- i- you- i-" Ella wasn't even able to form sentence. She clenched her hands in tight fists, not liking the effect Jackson had on her one bit.
"That's what I thought. Now, be a good little girl and take that...thing you call food together with yourself, out of my study." His words though calm, cut through her like a thousand blades. It felt like ice water was poured all over her.
He leaned away from her and finally took a step back away from her personal space, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
"Leave." He walked back around the table and slumped on his seat, before regarding her with a calculated gaze. Her tongue darted out of her mouth to wet her dry lips.
"You should eat." She cringed inwardly at how the words came out from her mouth. Why didn't she just walk away?
"And who are you to tell me that!?" He snapped loudly, making her flinch.
"Your wif-"
"Don't even finish!" He snapped, cutting her off. She took a step back instinctively at the amount of annoyance rolling off of him.
"You're not my wife, and I'm not your husband, got it?" He warned.
"But we're married." Ella frowned. He stared calculatingly at her face as if trying to understand her, while Ella held her breath in anticipation.
"What's worse than getting a clingy village woman who's not even educated for a wife?" He ran his fingers through his dread locks in exasperation.
"I'm not clingy, and I can read and write perfectly." She defended in an offended tone. He played with his lower lip between his teeth, before sighing.
"Whatever you say. I want you to do one thing for me."
"What?" She asked expectantly. "I want you to take that thing you call food, and get the hell out of my study." He threw his head back in exasperation, swaying his chair, while she couldn't help but stare at the glistening skin of his bared chest, and his Adam's apple which moved up and down as he swallowed.
Deciding that she had fooled herself enough for the day, she took the tray and made to go out of the office when:
"Bella?" Her steps halted as she turned to Jackson who already had his eyes on her.
"Never come back in here, especially with food, I won't be nice next time. I don't need you watching out for me. For as long as this marriage permits, stay on your track and I'll stay on mine. Don't test my bloody patience, trust me, I don't have much of it. Be good and I'll be nice. Be bad..." He trailed off, staring straight into her eyes with so much intensity that she felt her heart beat harshly against her chest.
"You don't have to know what will happen until you're unfortunate enough. Got it?"
Ella stood transfixed on the spot for sometime, before nodding curtly.
"Words, dear Bella, words." He said In a sing song voice. At this moment, he looked so evil, wearing that satisfied smirk on his face.
"Yes, Jackson." She cringed inwardly at how obedient she sounded. She hated the fact that he seemed to have complete control over her. She should have just ignored him and walked out, but she had a gnawing feeling that he wasn't bluffing when he spoke those words to her. What could he possibly do to her though? She walked out of the room, and Arinze who had been waiting didn't need to look twice at the untouched tray of food in Ella's grip, and her upset face to know that things didn't go as planned.