Chapter 2

Lola

Was it odd to say that I felt so good when I was supposed to be mourning my father's demise?

Last night was wonderful. Mr stranger-yes, I named him stranger because I didn't get his name-was the most wonderful companion ever. I'd gone to the club, not seeking company but for an easy escape from my grief, but the heavens surprised me with one.

Even now, I can still remember how he smelled like chocolate melted in a bucket of sandalwood. His deep set brown eyes probed into my soul each time he set his gaze on me with that Greek god body that was specially built to tempt all womankind.

Just one accidental meeting, but the feelings he aroused in me had become permanent. I was twenty-two and I could boldly say that I'd never felt that way for any man before, not even my current boyfriend.

The only sad part was his age. He was apparently old enough to be my father so why couldn't I stop pining for him?

It didn't mean that my heart didn't constrict whenever I remembered my dad, but the images of Mr stranger helped ease the pain a bit.

A persistent knock dragged me away from my reverie. Quickly, I flattened my back on the bed, shutting my eyes tightly so that my mother wouldn't have to interrogate me when she came in.

Unfortunately, the door creaked open, her flip-flops slapping noisily against the tiled floor. "Sit up, Lola. I know that you're awake," her harsh voice riled me up.

Rolling my eyes, I faked a yawn and gradually folded into a sitting position. "Good morning, mom,"

"It's afternoon. Where did you sleep last night?"

"Somewhere around. Why do you care anyways?" I retorted in a sharp, nonchalant tone.

I'd never taken that tone with her because of my father. He hated that my mother and I didn't have a good relationship, but now that he was gone there was no use pretending that we liked each other.

"Lola..." her voice cracked, lowering into a deep octave.

"Yes, mom, you will stop acting like you care about me. How about that?"

"But I do care and you live with me, Lola. Your father was buried last night and you didn't have the decency to come home. What on earth is wrong with you?"

I ran my fingers through my hair in frustration, the feeling of tranquility I'd enjoyed since last night evaporating into thin air.

"It's you, mom. We've never been in a good place, and seeing you act so concerned after everything you did to frustrate daddy before he died disgusts me. You shouldn't be here, mom. Go out. Have fun, be with those men that make you happy and stop with the pretense," I ranted.

My rant was cut short by the painful slap that landed on my cheek. My eyes watered as I scoffed.

"You should be grateful that I haven't thrown you out. Do you think your late father was a saint? Do you think I woke up one morning and decided to hate on him?"

My body shivered with rage. If she weren't my mother, I'd have engaged her in a physical combat.

"Don't speak evil about the dead, mom. He can't even defend himself," I corrected her.

She sucked her teeth, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Enough of this argument. I came in her for something else,"

I poked my tongue against my inner cheek. "What is it?" I asked coldly.

"I'll be traveling for work for the next six months,"

I rolled my eyes, settling on the bed while scrolling through my phone. Traveling round the clock wasn't new to me. It was even annoying that she had to tell me about it.

Going MIA meant that I had the house alone to myself, only that this time, it would be longer.

"Okay. Have fun on your trip. Take your time," I replied sarcastically.

"You won't be staying here for the time I'm gone," she declared.

My eyes bunched in surprise as I dropped the phone. "If I won't be here, then where will I stay?" I stared at her keenly, trying to read her mind. "What have you done?"

She sighed in resignation, flailing her arms in the air. "I leased the house for six months. We need the money for your tuition and other expenses. You know my job can't suffice for all our needs,"

I gulped then burst out laughing to ease off the tension hanging on my shoulders because everything was going too fast. Just yesterday, we were mourning my father. Today, our house was being leased.

My mother had to be the most illogical and heartless woman ever. My dad had set up a trust fund that was more than enough to take care of my educational needs, so that lease fee was definitely not going into my education.

"You're something, mom," I said amidst laughter.

She waved it off. "I've made arrangements with your new guardian. He's waiting for you in the living room,"

All traces of laughter cleared instantly from my face when I realised that she wasn't bluffing. She'd actually rented our house to someone else and now she was shipping me off to a total stranger.

"You must be joking,"

"Well, I'm not. You'd better come with me. We don't want to keep our guest waiting," she replied flatly.

A guest was waiting in the living room? I couldn't make sense of what she was saying. I was about to ask her for an explanation when she trudged out of the room.

I trailed behind her furiously, but her strides were faster, more urgent as though she couldn't wait to get rid of me.

I could remember asking her two years ago if she was my mother after smashing my phone all because I forgot to go on an errand for her.

She never answered, and what she just did cemented my suspicion.

"I need answers, mom. You can't just do this. I'm sure dad will be stirring in the grave because of your irrationality," I rushed behind her until we got to the living room. "I'm not leaving this house until..." the words died on my lips when I glanced at the visitor.

A gasp eluded me. "Mr stranger?"

He looked at me, standing up, a bit flabbergasted however he masked it with a small smile. "Hi," he greeted curtly and turned to my mom. "Is she your daughter?" he asked her, completely ignoring me.

Chapter 3

Lola

"What are you doing here?" I took my eyes off him, fixing my attention on my mother. "Mom, is he the man I'm going to be living with?" I was both jittery and excited at the same time.

It felt like a dream.

After he dropped me off this morning, he told me that it would be the last time we might see each other. He didn't even ask for my contact so all that was left of him were memories. Now, he's here in my house, and I'd have to live with him?

Someone should pinch me back to reality.

"Yes, so, sit down so that we can talk," Mom replied flatly. "Please, have your seat," She said to him.

He sat, but wasn't relaxed. Tension radiated from his taut shoulders and I wondered why it was that way.

Did I make him uncomfortable? Why couldn't he look at me properly?

"He's your late father's best friend. His name is Rowan Myers," She dropped the bomb.

A chuckle slithered out of my mouth, slowly transcending into laughter. Best friend indeed.

"If he is indeed my father's best friend, how come I never met him? Why wasn't he present at the funeral yesterday?"

Why did we have to meet in a club if they were truly best friends? I wanted to add.

He cleared his throat and shifted on his chair. "Your father and I fell out some years ago due to some business issue, but then I realized that he wasn't at fault. I tried to reach him but my attempts were unsuccessful until last night when your mom reached out to me. I'm still pissed that she didn't call me when he was ill. I'd have done everything within my power to help him stay alive,"

"Well, he didn't want that," mom cut in.

"But you should have sent me a message, a clue or something. Anything," Rowan's voice rang hard with regret.

I could imagine his pain. Death was a permanent event. There was no coming back from it, and knowing that he would never be able to apologize to his friend for the past was soul-crushing, yet my mother who could have done something about it trivialized the issue.

"It's all in the past now. Let bygones be bygone. You can seek retribution by taking care of his daughter because I can't possibly be responsible for her alone right now. The funeral ceremony took a lot from me,"

It would have been fun to air her dirty linen in public, but I thought against it. One would think that she single-handedly funded the funeral ceremony, however, my dad had already made arrangements for that before his death

"I'm twenty-two, mom. I have a part-time job, you don't have to make it sound like I'm a burden," my irritation at her stance was palpable.

He finally gazed at me even though it was fleeting. "I'll do everything to make sure she's comfortable with me. You don't have to worry,"

"Alright then. She can leave with you right now. There's no need for her to keep staying here since I'll be traveling tomorrow," She said hurriedly.

I darted a stupified gaze at her. "Do you really want to get rid of me that fast?"

She stood up, ignoring my question. "Go pack your things. I'm sure Rowan is a busy man,"

"Oh no, she doesn't have to hurry. I can wait," He countered.

She flashed her fake smile at him, nudging me upstairs. "Don't worry. She'll be leaving with you shortly,"

~~~

Fifteen minutes later, I was trailing down the stairs with a box on my hand and a duffle bag on my back.

"I'm ready," I announced when I got to the living room.

I'd changed from the shorts and plain camisole I was wearing earlier to a short blue dress that was cinched at my waist with a low neckline.

His eyes ran a cursory glance through my outfit, stopping briefly on my cleavage. He gulped and looked away, tucking his hands into his pockets.

My mom joined us in no time, looking more excited than before. I could tell why she was.

With my absence, she'd be able to bring in other men to spend nights with her. I knew that leasing the house wasn't true but a facade to get me out of the picture so I wouldn't have to judge or nag her.

'A woman's got to live' those were her words every time I caught her messing up. I was very sure her promiscuous activities were a strong catalyst to my father's death.

He loved her with every fiber of his being, and that was his only mistake. Being with a woman like her.

"Please take good care of her. I'll be calling from time to time to check on her," she said.

"Sure, I will," he assured her, gently collecting the box from me. "Let's go,"

When we got into his car, I dumped the first question on him. "Did you already know that my father was your friend before coming here?"

"What are you talking about?" he ignited the car.

"I mean, last night, when we were at the hotel. Did you know that my father was your friend?"

"No, I didn't,"

I smiled and brought down the mirror to check my face. "It would be fun living in your house, you know. We had a connection last night,"

He sighed, taking a bend. "And I'm guessing you forgot the part where I said that nothing can happen between us. I might have considered you, but I'm far older than you and not just that, you're like a daughter to me. I shouldn't entertain any immoral thoughts towards you,"

My chest tightened painfully at his blatant rejection. He didn't even mince words.

"I was drunk last night, but I can still remember how you looked at me. Even today, before we left the house, you clearly wanted to eat me up," I retorted sharply.

"Were you trying to seduce me with your outfit?" his words stung.

I gasped and closed my eyes briefly to hold back the tears.

"Why would I do that?" I cried.

"Good, so have it at the back of your mind that I'm like an uncle to you, not a sex buddy. We won't have this conversation ever again. Do you get it?"

I didn't respond, I was too pained to, so I looked out the window. My eyes ran over the straight line of trees with the houses perched between them, but my mind wasn't in it.

I'd never felt so stupid all my life. I had a boyfriend who was faithful to me, but here I was thinking that I could snag this hot, arrogant buddy to myself.

Sex wasn't an option because I was still a virgin, but I couldn't deny how aroused I became anytime I saw him.

Even now, my body craved his touch, and it angered me to death because I wasn't supposed to feel this way for a man who only saw me as a child.

My dirty thoughts preoccupied me so much that I didn't realize he'd stopped driving.

"We're here," he announced.

"Oh," I said, stepping out of the car.

Like the gentleman he was, he helped me with my luggage while I trailed behind him. I took note of the beautiful flowers that decorated his patio, and the clean, minimal aesthetic of his penthouse.

The first thing that hit me was the same chocolate scent he had on. I sucked in air, clutching to my dress.

How would I be able to fight off these feelings if his scent dominated the whole house?

"Welcome to my house,"

I took in the art frames on the wall and the decorative plants standing beside the plush upholsters. "It's really beautiful,"

"I'll show you your room and then..." he was cut halfway by the steps that crunched down the stairs.

A tan skinned woman ascended rather seductively, clad in a red transparent robe that revealed her lingerie.

Her golden blonde hair fell in waves behind her, her lips smeared with a bright red lipstick.

The smile on her face withered when she saw me, but she returned her gaze to him. "Hi, Rowan," she ran her fingers through his chest. "You took so long," her voice sounded like a drawl.

Rowan seemed a bit embarrassed, but he covered it with a chuckle. "You weren't supposed to come today,"

"Because of her?" She glared at me.

"No, Lyra. That wasn't the agreement. You know what, just go upstairs and I'll come to you,"

She sighed but didn't argue. "Okay, sugar, but don't take long," she turned around, swaying her hips with each step.

"Umm, I didn't know we'd have company. A hot one that," I noted with sarcasm.

"Don't take that tone with me," he scolded.

I raised my hands in mock surrender, but deep down, my heart was melting. "Does your girlfriend know that you're lusting after me?" I teased him.

His lips parted slightly. He was tongue-tied for a minute, but then he said, "I'll show you your room, then have the best time of my life with her. You have a boyfriend. You should go be with him."

Chapter 4

Lola

I couldn't believe what I was doing, but I continued doing it anyway.

Rowan had mistakenly left his door open, giving me the opportunity to see how mercilessly he fucked the woman that couldn't stop screaming his name all night.

He looked like a beast, a handsome monster as he thrust furiously into her. I wanted to be in her place. I wanted to know how it would feel to experience such pleasure that was capable of numbing my mind.

My panties were soaked, I could feel my wetness trickling down my thighs, but I could do nothing about it. Unable to take in the torture anymore, I shut the door carefully and returned to my room.

I'd busied myself with watching the erotic scenes of Rowan and Lyra in bed, and now I couldn't get the images out of my head. Scrolling through reels on Instagram couldn't help so I searched for my boyfriend's contact and dialed his number.

Even though I was harboring strange feelings for Rowan, it didn't change the fact that Zane was my boyfriend. Thinking about him made me feel guilty for lusting after another man when I had him.

It rang twice but he didn't answer which was rather weird because he'd never ignore my call. I tried again and when he didn't answer nor return the call, I tucked myself under the duvet and waited for mother nature to take its full course.

A few hours later, soft rays of light bursting into my room stirred me up from my chaotic slumber.

I'd be lying if I said that I had a good night's rest because I didn't. My sleep was filled with erotic dreams of Rowan eating my pussy up with endless orgasms following suit.

My pajama pants were drenched, my heart thumping hard in anticipation of seeing him this morning. I just hoped that I'd be able to control myself around him.

It was nearly seven a.m which meant that I had less than one hour to freshen up and head for class. It was my last year in college and I couldn't wait to be done with it. It also meant that I could move out of Rowan's house and live on my own.

I thought about all the things that could happen with him before my graduation and a shiver worked through me.

I trudged down the stairs twenty minutes later to make breakfast when a delicious aroma of omelette and toast bread wafted into my nose.

I froze on my steps when I got to the kitchen, eye-raping Rowan who thought it wise to wear just an apron over his bare ripped chest. His muscles flexed as he stirred the omelette and then he glanced at my direction.

"Good morning, Lola," he sounded quite cheerful. "Did you sleep well?"

My cheeks heated up instantly, my mind reverting to last night.

"I didn't," I went with the honest answer.

His brows furrowed while he turned off the gas. "Why?"

"You guys were too loud. Each time I closed my eyes, it's either her moans distracting me or the loud spanks," I lied this time. He didn't need to know that I watched them the entire night.

He chuckled heartily, his face glowing up. "I'm sorry for that. It won't happen again. Breakfast is ready, you can have some before heading for class,"

"Stop lusting," I muttered under my breath. "Thank you," I sat on a stool beside the island and watched him serve me breakfast.

It was as delicious as it smelled which ticked another box on my checklist. "It's good," I admitted.

He smirked. "I know. I cook well,"

After several bites, I chugged a glass of apple juice and slung my bag over my shoulder. "I'm off to class,"

"Okay, have a good day," he said without regarding me, deeply engrossed on his phone

Outside the house, I took a deep breath. So far, we've had a civil conversation and he even prepared breakfast for me. If we continued this way then there might not be any problem.

The problem was me allowing it to continue this way. I had to admit that I wanted more, but what about Zane?

~~~

The lecture was boring as hell. To worsen the situation, Zane was missing throughout the class. His line was unreachable as well.

I couldn't take it anymore as the silence was killing me so I waited for the professor to leave before picking up my bag.

Reid accosted me before I got to the door. "Disappearing again, princess?" His arm rested on my shoulder.

"Zane isn't in class, and his number is unreachable. I just want to be sure that he's doing alright," I explained to him.

"Do you want me to drive you to his place?" He offered.

"Nah, I can manage on my own. He's going to be surprised when he sees me," I chirped, burning with excitement.

Reid nodded, taking his arm away from my body. "I suppose he will. How are you doing by the way? I didn't expect you in school today,"

"Well, my mom sent me out of the house yesterday under the guise of leasing it to someone else. I'm living with someone that claims to be my father's best friend, which is quite good for me because I can't stand her. That aside, I don't want to be overcome by grief and daddy won't be happy if I paused my life for him," my eyes watered as I spoke.

He held my wrist gently, "I'm here for you, Lola, no matter what happens. Just say the word,"

I wrapped my arms around him. Reid had always been a sweet person, and I was so lucky to have him as my best friend.

"Thank you, but I have to get going."

He let go of me. "Call me if anything comes up,"

I waved at him and hailed a cab which was already waiting at the school's gate. He zoomed off after giving him the address.

A smile broke out on my face when I arrived at Zane's apartment. He lived outside the school since he could afford it unlike me who preferred coming from home since it was closer.

After taking in two deep breaths, I started off toward his room and knocked when I got to the door. I waited for a while, but no response came so I knocked again.

The excitement I felt was slowly replaced with an anticipation that I couldn't wait to get rid of. Whatever was going on, I'll find out today.

Armed with a little confidence and curiosity, I stepped into his living room. The strong smell of alcohol and feminine scent hit me. Glancing at my right, a bra was hanging on the edge of a table with a pantie beside it.

Worry built up within me as I marched to his room. My confidence began to crash when faint moans traveled all the way from his room to my ears.

I couldn't believe it. I didn't want to believe what I was thinking until I got to his room.

With my heart thudding furiously against my ribcage, I pushed his door open and instantly my knees weakened at the sight before me.