AMBER ROMANCE
EVERY WAKING
MOMENT
CHAPTER SEVEN
Helen entered the guest suite she always used
whenever she had to spend the night at Eden castle. She dropped her overnight bag on the bed and
sat down and heaved a sigh. So here she was finally about to meet Chuck again in
a few hours. Her mind went back to that kiss. She shouldn’t be relieving it but
she couldn’t help herself. She shouldn’t be looking forward to it again but
that was all she could do to keep from running mad. To distract herself, she
got up and began to put away her toiletries. She hung the attire for tomorrow
and laid out the red bikini and lemon chiffon short gown she was wearing over
it. She wondered.
She should go out and meet others, she was sure
the living room will be filling up by now yet she could not put one foot in
front of the other. The truth was whether she wanted it or not, she was going
to see Chuck again. That wasn’t her reluctance, her fear she realized was of
her. She knew somehow that resisting Chuck if he thought to finish what they
started was zero to none. Not that she wanted to resist the man if he was
really interested in her, no she wouldn’t because she had stopped lying to
herself long ago that he was the love of her life. The only reason she was
going to try hard at resisting him was because of her amnesia. Before she
entered a relationship, she needed to find who she was, a married woman, a
fiancée, a mother? These things she needed to know, she didn’t want a case
where she would be very serious with a man and wake up morning only to find she
was a loving wife to another man. Relationship, what relationship, the only
thing closest to a relationship that Chuck Obi would be wanting from her would
be a weekend fling, beginning tonight and ending tomorrow night, if he was stayed long enough, she thought
sadly.
You are not going to solve the whole problem
right now Helen, she told herself. The best she could do was to wear her bikini
and gown and go down to meet the others. She was a grown woman and one that can handle
herself in any given situation. She was a big girl and shouldn’t let the
thought of a man who didn’t know she existed till this morning scare her off
friends, stop her from giving Nma her full support this weekend or turn her off
having fun and enjoying herself this weekend. Even the way she was hiding up
here was silly and pathetic. She was going to enjoy herself whether Chuck
wanted it or not. With that conviction she got into her bikini and gown and
marched to the mirror resolutely and refreshed her makeup.
With
determined footsteps she left the room and closed the door behind.
Helen found people gathered around the kitchen
table. Snacking while others were raiding the fridge but there was no sign of
Chuck for that she was grateful. Seeing him here would have shaken her
equilibrium no matter the pep talk she had given herself. Amber was the first
to see her.
‘Hello darling’ Amber cooed and dragged her into
the circle. Soon Helen was mingling and laughing and having fun. She tried not
to spare a thought to Chuck. He could go to blazes for all she cared. She was
glad she was dressed for the occasion; it would have been difficult to compete
with Amber in white bikini and sarong. How possible was it that any could compete
with the kind of figure Amber in her fifties could boast of except maybe Nma
when she got to that age.
‘So Helen how are the designs coming up?’ Rose
Nma’s mother in law asked.
Helen opened her mouth to answer but Chuck
entered at that very moment and she forgot what she was going to say. She just stared
at him like foolish teenager. Helen ate him up with her eyes, if anyone noticed
how hungrily she looked at him, she didn’t care because she couldn’t help
herself, all she could do was stare and admire how handsome he looked in a
jeans and white black T shirts, which did nothing to hide his bulging and
rippling muscles. She swallowed hard and tried without success to rein in her
thoughts to no avail. She wanted this man with every fiber of her being. She
wanted nothing more than to belong to him, and for him to belong to her. She
watch with growing dread and excitement as he made his way round the table
greeting family and friends he hadn’t seen in a while. She watched him swing
Shawn up and around. Though Shawn hadn’t seen him but Chuck was undeniably his
favorite uncle. Helen wondered what he would do when he reached her side of the
table. She feared somehow that he would ignore her or greet her dismissively
like he had always done. That was before she sneaked into his bedroom and
jumped him. It would be nothing short of what she deserved if he decided he
didn’t want anything to with her again, she thought sadly
An excited laughter cut into her thoughts and
got her looking up. Chuck was swinging Nma around, Helen couldn’t help the
momentarily envy that engulfed her. She wanted that same treatment she
realized, she wanted to be held in his arms, she wanted... this is not helping
Helen said to herself. So with a sinking heart she watched as Uche came to his
wife rescue neatly taking her from Chuck hands
‘Go find your own wife’ Uche said
. Nma
laughed gleefully.
‘You think that is going to earn you my
forgiveness?’
‘I am so sorry Portable; I couldn’t come home
for the dedication?’ Chuck apologized with a wink
Helen watching felt something tug at the roots
of her hearts, if only… stop it! She cautioned herself. This would never be,
even if Chuck remotely returned her feeling somehow, it would still not matter unless her memories
returned.
‘Portable?’ Amber wondered aloud.
Yes potable, Helen thought. it had just occurred
to her that Chuck called Nma portable and she wondered what it meant and why
she had never heard the nick name before now.
‘Chuck thinks with her height and her curves
she is pocket size and had taken up calling her portable’
Amber laughed
Helen felt her heart sink lower; she had always
suspected that there was a part of Chuck that was in love with Nma. Competing
with Nma was a lost cause because Nma was all that she wasn’t. She knew how
much he emphasized on Nma’s killer’s shape, beauty and charisma. Stop it! She
screamed at herself silently. The right thing to do she told herself would be
to leave the table so she could get a hold of erratic thoughts before she
behaved or said something she would forever regret.
‘hmm! What a nick name’ amber reflected
Helen turned to her and managed a smile. She
had to join the discussion to stop
eating him up with her eyes before anyone noticed
‘It fits’ Helen said but it came out in mere
whisper if anybody heard they gave no indication. Uche decided at that very moment
that his wife needed kissing.
‘Show off’ Chuck laughed and turned to Amber
‘Amber make me the happiest man on earth and
marry me, we could compete with those two, give them a run for their love’
‘I am a grandmother and too old for you’
‘You don’t look a day beyond thirty’
Amber laughed ‘Now that’s a comforting thought’
Helen tried to stay current with the
conversation but it seemed impossible because she couldn’t help being
disappointed that he once more acted like he didn’t know her.
He had said hi, kissed, and hugged everyone but
her. Even the hated IJ got a reluctant hi from him. She hadn’t gotten not even
a hug she thought miserably. She knew that he didn’t know she existed or cared
but after what nearly happened this morning she expected at least the slightest
acknowledgement from him. Who was she kidding, the man might have forgotten
what happened this morning. Maybe he had chunked it down to another morning in
Chuck Obi’s fabulous life. She was sure that having a girl fall out of nowhere
into his bed was normal for him, Helen fumed inside wishing she was anywhere
but sitting down stiffly and feeling invisible. Why she thought she wanted this
man, she couldn’t tell, he was arrogant, prideful and insensitive. Yes she knew
she wasn’t up to his class of girls but ignoring her in the midst of everyone
was painful and thoughtless of him and she wanted nothing more than to leave
the room but she couldn’t do that without drawing undue attention to herself. Or
worst giving the arrogant pig the impression that she was running away or that
his deliberate insult got to her.
Suddenly she felt a hand touch and squeeze her
shoulder. Chuck, her heart leaped in joy.
‘Saving the best for last’ he bent down and
whispered into her ears. Helen couldn’t help the shudder that ran through her
body as his breath kissed her skin.
‘I believe we have unfinished business; She
should say something, anything to dissuade him or to get people from wondering
what he was saying to her but her mind was clear of all thought and she was
incapable of the barest of thoughts.
‘I have been looking forward to seeing you and have been afraid that you would decide
not to show up’ he dropped a kiss and left her alone to make sense of what he
said.
Helen looked up at the others afraid that they
somehow heard or saw but everyone was engrossed in what they were doing and she
breathed a sigh of relief. Then she sneaked a look at him and he caught her
eyes and held it. Helen couldn’t look away. He was truly the definition of a Greek
god, no man had the right to be this handsome. No man should be allowed to have
this kind of powerful hold on a woman, the way he had on her. Helen felt her
mouth water then go dry, she had wet her lips. Misunderstanding the act, he
winked and toasted her with the bottle of water he had taken from the fridge.
She needed rescuing, Helen thought. Chuck
thought that the weekend was the perfect venue to finish what happened this
morning and she was very afraid because she didn’t know if she could resist him
if he made a move on her. One thing was clear she didn’t have control of her
senses or body when he was around. So she needed something or someone to save
her from what would turn out to be the biggest mistake of her life. She didn’t
want to be his lover, that is a lie, her mind whispered. Okay yes she wanted to
be his lover but she didn’t want to be his weekend lover, an itch that had to
be scratched and soon forgotten. Besides even if he offered her the world which
to her meant marriage to him, she would still turn him down because of her lost
memories. Marriage? Helen that is the definition of pipe day dream, all Chuck
wanted was to satisfy his curiosity and nothing more. She needed to do
something to save herself from the shame that might come later on if she
couldn’t resist him. Maybe she should leave, leave now and save herself. If she
did that, Nma would be hurt and confused, that she wouldn’t ever do that to Nma.
The house keeper ushering someone in got her
looking up and then she smiled. Somehow she could believe there was someone up
there who was watching and listening.
‘Dave’ Helen said and got up to give him a hug
and kiss. If Dave was surprised at her enthusiastic greeting, he didn’t show
it. He held on to her and kissed her more and longer than she intended.
Chuck watched the scene with a feeling he
couldn’t begin to understand. A feeling he didn’t care to put into words. He
only came to the bitter conclusion that no woman was different. They were all
the same ready to drop their pants at the sight of a bigger fish no matter how
deep their commitment to someone else was. He felt eyes on him and caught Uche
watching him; he smiled at him, and rolled his shoulder dismissively. Then he
noticed Star, ever since he came in, he only had eyes for Helen and no one
else. Had he not tried to stop himself from rushing to her by making sure he
greeted her last? And all the while he
didn’t know that the little tramp had a boyfriend. He dismissed his confused
feeling from his mind and turned to Star, if there was a woman who had been
consistent in what she felt for him, it was Star,
‘Who’s your friend?’ Someone asked
She turned to the group and introduced Dave to
all.
‘I know you’ Uche said
‘Your family own the biggest chain of malls
around here’
‘Guilty as charged’ Dave smiled
Rich as well as handsome, Chuck thought but
caught himself in time. What business of his was it if the boy was rich or not.
From the time he laid his lips on her, he had decided that he was welcome to
her. He didn’t want a woman who could profess to love someone and then kiss
another without a thought. He heaved a sigh and wondered why he was so angry at
the moment. Refusing to believe what his mind was telling, he began distracting
himself by talking to Star
‘So you are the black sheep that refused to
join the family business’ Stanley said
‘Yes that would be me’ Dave answered and sat
down on Helen’s seat,
‘I will get you another seat Miss’ the house
keeper said
‘Please don’t trouble yourself’ Dave said and
drew Helen down to sit on him.
Helen sat down not knowing what to do, had she
bitten out more than she could chew. Had she over done it in her bid to tell
Chuck that she was not one of those silly girls that fell over themselves to
sleep with him? Would she now have to fight Dave off? It would serve her right.
This was the typical example of falling from frying pan to fire, she said to
herself and looked at Chuck and their eyes met but gone was the cockiness, the
longing and desire she had seen in his eyes before for her. All she could see
was resentment and cool dismissal. That startled her and she began to wish that
she didn’t over do it with Dave. Somehow with her foolishness she had brought
back the Chuck she used to know. The Chuck who didn’t care to know she existed.
‘Okay everyone, I guess we are all here, let’s
proceed to the beach’ Nma said jovially
People began to get up
Helen felt she should make amends, she felt
that Chuck needed some kind of explanation. She wasn’t thinking right, she was
aware of that but somehow she didn’t want this Chuck that didn’t care if she
existed. She wanted back the Chuck that wanted her.
‘Go ahead Dave, I have a little thing to take
care of’ she smiled at him
‘If you say so honey’ he replied and dropped a
kiss on lips before she could turn away.
Perfect, she said to herself. How do you do it
Helen, you should be given award for always finding the worst situation to dump
yourself. As soon as Dave cleared the door, she turned and saw that the kitchen
was empty except for Chuck who was getting another bottle of water from the fridge.
‘You want some water?’ he said turning to her
‘No I… I wanted to explain about Dave’
He smiled and patted her shoulder ‘I don’t
care’
Let it go Helen, don’t embarrass yourself more
than this, but at that point having him understand seemed more important,
having him look at her with passion again was worth the embarrassment, she
thought.
‘I am you must be wondering who he is after
what happened this…’
‘Yes you right I did but that was before I
figured it all out’ he stopped on his way out of the door.
‘For a moment there I thought you were actually
different’
He winked at her and left.
Helen watched him leave, trying with success to
stifle a sob. She found the nearest seat, gasping for breath as pain, anguish
and shame shot through her. She had him and didn’t even know it. For a fleeting
moment she had her heart desire and didn’t even know it, till she lost it. No,
she said, if that was true, if he felt anything more than the usual, it was not
possible even for him to just shut out.
With that she stood up to join the party,
determined to find out what his true feelings for her were.
hello everybody, so sorry for the silence
here is chapter seven, and chapter eight will be out next week
i would love to hear from my readers, to know what you think.
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