Inside out, p.18
Inside Out, page 18
Nkoyo approaches her parents and their friends, something she didn’t do in her old life. The new her realises it’s vital to create beneficial relationships in the high circles, which usually rests on being nice to everybody.
“Good evening, daddy. Your majesty,” she curtsies nicely to Liman, who laughs and catches her in a loving hug.
“You do know I would have found you this night if you hadn’t appeared?” Liman jokes, still holding her to him.
“I was a bit held up, but there is no way I’d have missed Wofai’s party. She’s more like a sister now,” Nkoyo says, and the monarchs nod in pleasant acceptance.
Nancy snorts, not so quietly, when Nkoyo refers to Wofai as a sister. Unfortunately, Nkoyo hears it.
“That’s what I like to hear. This is the minister and….” Liman introduces Nkoyo to the men, and she greets them solicitously. They beam with self-importance, and she knows they will jump to her bidding if ever she needs a favour.
Her gaze finally moves to the girl who snorted.
Nkoyo suspects she is the lady Wofai mentioned in their many conversations about her life. Nkoyo towers over her and isn’t ashamed to intimidate her with it. Nkoyo pauses as though she wants to say something pleasant to her but then appears to change her mind and looks away as though Nancy isn’t worth the stress. It is an obvious snob, one that isn’t missed by the monarchs or the victim. Nancy can’t control the slacking of her mouth.
“I need to find the couple and congratulate them,” Nkoyo says with a smile and only leaves the group when the monarchs nod.
“Close your mouth, dear,” Jesam softly advises Nancy as she watches Nkoyo walk away. Affy hides a smile behind the dainty sip of her wine.
The young lady snaps her mouth shut and seems to bristle. There is no need for the introduction to the queen of Atam kingdom any longer. She obviously already has her choice of a daughter in law.
But as she walks away, she fumes; how dare that fat bitch snob her so openly? Nancy regards herself as the queen of social snobbery. To be on the receiving end of that sentiment rubs her the wrong way. This is her town. The young ladies here revered her superiority. She will show the out-of-towner that she might be a princess, but she is still a stranger in Atam kingdom.
Nancy keeps Nkoyo in her sights as she rallies some of her loyalists for bitch warfare, so she is privy to Wofai’s ecstatic scream when she sees Nkoyo.
So, Wofai made a small friend in her travel, she thinks acerbically. It makes no difference. Wofai might be engaged to a prince, but she is still the easily intimidated girl Nancy remembers.
***
Nkoyo tightens her arm about Wofai and smiles, genuinely happy she overcame her reservations to be there. It would have been terribly unforgivable if she had skipped the party. Wofai and Ekong are her friends now, a luxury she didn’t know she was missing.
“I’m so glad you came,” Wofai gushes. “I already told you I have no friends out here. All the girls congregate with Nancy,” she reports with a grin. “Thanks so much for coming. I know the struggle you went through to get here. Thanks, Nkoyo.”
“Okay, enough with the thanksgiving,” Nkoyo chuckles, even though her heart hammers in expectation. She dreads when she’d come face to face with Onen.
“I’m just so glad. Have you seen Ekong?”
Nkoyo turns and finds her former fiancé in a circle of his princely-looking friends. They aren’t all princes, but they are reputable. Ekong’s gaze wavers for a moment and catches hers. Nkoyo waves enthusiastically. He grins widely and gives her a thumb up.
“God, look at that smile,” Wofai comments and sighs in blatant love.
“Way to make me feel better, Wofai. Jesus, I know you had it bad for him, but it seems these few weeks we’ve been apart, it has gotten worse,” Nkoyo jokes and both ladies giggle.
“I’ll be eternally glad that you’d refused his kisses. It might have changed your mind about him, and I’d never have had a chance,” Wofai says, sighing heavily with a sincere expression.
“There was never an urge, and besides, babe, you’re freaking awesome and beautiful. It is Ekong who never had a chance. I’ve never seen him act the way he acts with you. He has totally fallen,” Nkoyo points out. She understands that Wofai might have left her complex behind, but occasionally, she needs to hear that she is worth the best.
Wofai hugs her again, speechlessly communicating her appreciation.
“My oh my, isn’t this quaint,” Nancy says sarcastically. Her comment elicits several derisive chuckles from the four skimpily dressed ladies behind her. “Wofai and her new best friend.”
Nkoyo’s brow elevates in surprise. She cannot believe what is currently unfolding before her. The Nancy girl has really taken the snobbery to heart, and this is her payback.
“Are these your friends, Wofai?” Nkoyo asks nicely and hates that her friend stiffens beside her. She looks like she’s just seen a ghost, which is true. Nancy has bullied her almost all her life.
Nancy scoffs with a flick of her wrist at Wofai and rolls her eyes. “Friends…with an insane girl? Please.”
“So, who are you?” Nkoyo waits for the flash of animosity in Nancy’s eyes before continuing. “Oh wait, don’t bother.” Her gaze flickers over Nancy’s torso in plain derision. “If you weren’t important before, you still aren’t now. But you girls make good impersonations of princess wannabes.”
“We should go,” Wofai whispers when she gleans Nancy’s fury coming to life in the flash of her eyes.
“That’s right, run away as usual. At least your brother taught you that skill well,” Nancy snaps while her followers make supporting noises.
Nkoyo’s hand snaps out and holds Wofai in place. Oh, the bitch cannot talk about Onen in that insolent manner. Her anger surges, but she channels it into a smile.
“Well, of course, we royalty have in-built self-preservation—”
“From what, sanity?” Nancy interrupts, her wrist flicking at Wofai to show the direction of her barb and laughs deprecatingly with her cohorts.
“From gold diggers,” Nkoyo concludes and is satisfied to see the cohorts’ mouth widening in shock.
“Bitch, please,” Nancy derides. “My parents have money.”
“Then the dear prince must have been running away from certain diseases that are inherent in your….” Nkoyo clears her throat after staring pointedly at her torso, and the point is clear.
“…anyway, the gods show us, royals, these things. So, there’s no need to be mad, Nancy. rather, try treating yourself of germs and next time, you might have better luck with the prince of nowhere.”
A male audience exclaims, “Oooh!” behind Nkoyo. Apparently, Ekong’s princely friends draw near to watch the catfight. “Babe, just go home!” someone comments, and the guys laugh.
Nkoyo’s eyebrow goes up, and she seems to be waiting, “Well….”
Nancy breathes heavily. She is ashamed, especially because she hopes to fraternise with the prince’s friends at some point. It’s okay when she is the one doing the decimation. But it is a travesty as she’s on the receiving end now.
“Cat got you tongue, Nancy?” Wofai asks in a tiny voice that makes Nkoyo chuckle.
Nancy’s eyes flash desperately, her mind struggling for one more thing to snipe at the smug princess.
“You’re fat, and she’s insane. Stop raising your hopes because Onen isn’t into elephants. I’m more his type,” Nancy preens, flipping her long hair over her shoulder.
Wofai gasps, her eyes widening, giving Nancy satisfaction that she has scored a point. The girls behind her chuckle and belligerently fold their arms over their chests, waiting for Nkoyo’s retort.
Nkoyo’s heart skips a beat. The defence she created for all things Onen shifts slightly, but the pain she feels at the possibility of Nancy speaking the truth doesn’t reach her eyes.
Instead, she smiles.
“Seriously, is that all you’ve got?” Nkoyo asks in mock dismay. “I’m sorry, but I left kindergarten centuries ago. You will have to look for your age mates if that’s all you’ve got. Oh, wait,” Nkoyo widens her eyes in realization, “…they are right behind you.”
“Sniper shot!” another guy exclaims, and masculine laughter fills the whole place. It is as though they created their own party away from the actual party.
Ekong slides his arm around his fiancée’s waist then and pulls her close. He searches her face, asking if she is okay, and she nods. He smiles then and kisses her temple before turning his attention to the unfolding drama.
Nancy’s friends begin looking uncomfortable. Two of them shift slightly away from her. It is one thing to be embarrassed in front of females. Still, another to take such a hit in front of potential husbands who seem pretty interested in finding out which group will win the slinging match.
The problem is Nancy ticked Nkoyo the wrong way, which is quite unfortunate because the princess isn’t finished yet.
“And as for wishing that you are the prince’s type, how is that working out for you, seeing as it’ll always be only in your dreams? The prince, dear Nancy, has taste.”
“You don’t stand a chance—” Nancy spews in anger but is once again interrupted. Of course, it doesn’t help that the guys she wants to impress are now throwing dirty comments at her.
“Oh, please,” Nkoyo cuts her off, “It isn’t about blinding decent folks with your…” her eyes roam Nancy’s body again. “…depreciated body parts.”
Nkoyo is furious and ignores the roar from the guys. It is also of little consequence when she sees Nancy’s cohorts trying to draw their dresses down. She is simply on a roll.
“What I see is an inferior person putting others down to have some relevance. Wofai will always be better than you, not because she’s a princess, which you’ll never be, but because she’s smart, and beautiful, and hardworking, despite being a princess. And for the coup de grace, a prince is madly in love with her!
“Wofai is marrying a prince. Yes, Nancy, the insane girl you’ve bullied in the past, is doing the coveted deed before you, deal with it,” she concludes. Nkoyo’s eyes flash fire, and she looks ready to take on whatever Nancy has left.
But Nancy flees the scene looking close to tears.
“Flawless victory!” another guy exclaims, and the masculine laughter once again resonate with the atmosphere, attracting curious glances from the other guests at the party.
“Thanks for doing that,” Wofai murmurs with a broad, happy grin, currently cuddled in her fiancé’s arm.
“Babe, that was nothing. It was like drinking tea and, well, it had to be done,” she comments casually, still trying to calm the adrenaline charging through her system.
“I got the feeling you went smarting mad when she insinuated something untoward about the prince,” Ekong says, emphasizing the prince. He noticed Nkoyo refused to use the said prince’s name in the battle.
Nkoyo looks away from Ekong’s knowing gaze and tries to come up with some sort of joke to avoid his observation. Just then, a masculine arm circles her waist and draws her close, saving her from having to answer her friend.
Before he speaks, she knows he isn’t Onen. He smells wrong, and his touch has the effect reminiscent of darkness in the night, no effect at all.
“Babe, you killed it,” he praises, and Nkoyo gives him a polite smile while struggling to leave his arm.
19
Onen finds a secluded spot to drown his disappointment and pain. However, no matter how much he drinks, he finds it difficult to get drunk due to an unfortunate hereditary characteristic.
After circling the party once and doing his princely duty of greeting monarchs, and influential people, he retreats to this dark spot to be alone.
He is painfully aware Nkoyo is absent.
As he contemplates clothes to pack for his journey to Efik kingdom the next day, the roar of masculine laughter jolts him back to the party, though he has no urge to join in.
It is the familiar regal and haughty tone of a voice he’ll know anywhere that finally penetrates his consciousness. Instantly, he scrambles from his seat with a racing heart to check if his ears are tricking him.
His eyes, voraciously, eats up the lovely sight of her. She is more beautiful than he remembers.
He moves closer and hears all she says. He is tempted to move in and simply kiss her in front of everybody when Nancy implies Nkoyo isn’t his type and calls her fat. Instead, his gaze remains on her face, and the slight show of uncertain pain there gives him hope.
Onen wants to scream it to anybody who will listen that she is exactly his type. Those curves and thick thighs belong to him. He is exceedingly proud that she stands up for his sister and does so spectacularly. It seems farfetched that she was ever regarded as egoistic with how she now did things for people.
Onen is glad somebody finally put the terrible Nancy in her place, publicly.
His heart soars in his chest as he wastes no time in approaching Nkoyo.
He’s a metre from her when an unknown man slides his arm around her waist. Instant fury suffuses him. Nobody is allowed to touch his woman. He growls his protest and grabs the male guest harder than he should in the polite gathering.
“Aww, man, that hurts,” the man protests loudly, attracting the interest of the people still standing around.
“Get your hands off my woman,” Onen says concisely and mentally flinches at sounding like a freaking caveman. Nevertheless, he does not care.
“Or what, man?” the guy bristles.
Onen straightens threateningly.
“You dare to challenge a prince?” he speaks imperiously and is satisfied to see the guy pale in confusion, stepping away from Nkoyo.
“Calm down, Onen. Sorry, this is my friend Marcus and Marcus. This is the prince of the kingdom, Onen,” Ekong introduces amiably, even though he has the urge to burst into laughter at the prince’s display of ownership. But, of course, he understands. He would do the same if anybody dared lay a hand on Wofai that way.
Marcus bows slightly. “Your highness, I did not mean any insult.”
Onen nods and then flicks his gaze to Nkoyo.
She looks shocked at Onen’s territorial tone. Nkoyo can’t believe Onen pulled rank on lesser people. Yet, it is surprisingly arousing that he does it for her. He is showing ownership even though it is entirely rude and makes her appear a simpering maiden.
“Seriously?” she spits out in self-righteous anger she isn’t even close to feeling. “What did you do that for?” She frowns at him when she actually wants to smash her mouth to his in a searing kiss that will rob her of breath.
He moves close, his chest almost touching hers.
“You let him lay his hands on you.” Onen is angry at her and doesn’t know why. This isn’t the way he wants their reunion to go. He plans to seduce her, but he finds himself acting like a jealous fool.
Nkoyo is still riding her adrenaline high from her battle with Nancy. So, she knows the following words will be acerbic.
“I’m sorry, your imperious highness, that I don’t have a cloak of iron that protects my body, not yours, mine, from nice men,” she snaps. Her tone clearly indicates he isn’t one of the nice men.
They stare at each other for the longest time. Onen feels like both throttling and kissing her senseless. Her flashing gaze challenges at him, openly daring him to do his worst.
“Err…guys, you’re attracting undue attention,” Wofai loudly whispers.
“Tell your brother that. He’s the one acting all wild,” Nkoyo comments in a tone an octave lower, as though the words are meant for Onen alone. As though the phrases are a seductive compliment.
Her breath whispers on his face, and the heat of her gaze drops to his mouth longingly. Then she does the worse thing. She licks her lips.
A fire roars in his body, in his loins, making Onen groan quite loudly. He snaps his grip on her wrist and drags her away from all the eyes, none too gently.
“What the hell, Onen?” she protests weakly. A bit of embarrassment tinges her chest at all the speculative looks they are getting.
He is elegant in a fitting black tuxedo, white shirt, and a loose tie. However, the ferocious look on his face belongs to a wildly possessive man. They pass by waiters taking out trays of small chops for the party while Onen pushes her into the palace through a side door.
They speed down the corridor, and he rushes them into the first room he can find. It turns out to be the king’s study. Onen slams the door shut and locks it in one move.
“What was that all about?!” Nkoyo rounds on him instantly. His attitude gives her hope, yet she enjoys goading him and seeing the outcome.
“You did nothing to stop his touch. You must have been enjoying it,” he shouts his accusation. Onen knows he sounds, and looks like an obsessively jealous spouse and mentally, he valiantly whispers to himself to stop.
“Well, mister territorial, you should have claimed me by peeing to mark your spot. It’s what wild animals do. The other males would definitely have respected that and stayed away from your property,” she sneers sardonically.
Her comment is so graphic he immediately pictures a dog peeing over a tree stump to mark its territory. Shit, he swears. How had things deteriorated to this point?
“Why are we even quarrelling?” he asks as though suddenly realizing the senselessness of their argument.
“Well, you started it by being an as—”
He silences her with a hot kiss, instantly cutting off her unflattering remark. The kiss is so rough the effect burns in a fiery explosion. It rides through her nerves, down to her toes and then directly settles in her lady parts in one heated pool.
He kisses her like a starving man. Like a man so thirsty, and she is the fountain of life. Not even the threat of a gun to his head will make him let her go. Her sweet taste is even more delicious, and he cannot help sucking vigorously.
Onen melds himself to hers and wants to have all of her. The sound of their kiss fills the silent room and adds to the erotic moment. A part of his mind reminds him that he planned to seduce her, but he cannot help himself. He is lost, and his hands shake as he roams all the curves and thickness that he’d only been able to imagine in the past month.
