Njideka\u2019s mouth opened.<\/p>\n
What came out was a disaster.<\/p>\n
“Yes\u2014” Wait, fuck! “No, I mean\u2026” Shut up, shut UP! “That\u2019s\u2026 fine.”<\/p>\n
Fine?! FINE?!<\/p>\n
Her brain screamed at her: “Is that all you could manage, you useless hoe?! Where\u2019s all that big-girl energy from the conference?!” But how could she think straight when this man\u2014this god\u2014smelled like expensive cologne and trouble, and stood close enough that she could see the way his shirt strained over his chest with every breath?<\/p>\n
“Thank you,” he purred, flashing a smile. The kind of smile that made her knees forget their job description. “Can I buy you a drink?”<\/p>\n
Njideka nodded like a pepper-grinding machine stuck on “yes.” Her brain had officially left the building. She watched, hypnotized, as he lifted one finger\u2014just one\u2014and the bartender came running like a man who knew tips weren\u2019t the only thing this brother was handing out tonight.<\/p>\n
“What\u2019s that you\u2019re drinking?” His voice was deep, smooth.<\/p>\n
“Uh\u2026 M-Mai Tai,” she stammered, her mouth suddenly dry.<\/p>\n
He nodded, then turned to the bartender. “One Mai Tai\u2026 and one Schweppes Soda Water with lime.” Njideka\u2019s eyebrows shot up. “Schweppes Soda Water?” The disbelief in her voice could\u2019ve sunk the Titanic all over again. He shrugged\u2014oh sweet Jesus, those shoulders\u2014and the simple motion made her thighs clench.<\/p>\n
“I don\u2019t really drink,” he said. “I like to stay in control\u2026 of myself.” A pause. A smirk. “And other things.” Then he winked. Control.<\/p>\n
That one word detonated between her legs like a bomb. Suddenly, all she could think about was the lecturer\u2014the things he controlled, the ways he controlled them\u2026 and how badly she wanted this man to take the wheel tonight. The bartender slid their drinks across the counter.<\/p>\n
Njideka took a shaky sip, her mind racing fast<\/p>\n
“That\u2019s good,” Njideka lied smoothly as the bartender slid her overpriced cocktail toward her. The glass was sweating almost as much as she was.<\/p>\n
“I\u2019m not much of a drinker either.” She lifted her drink toward him, fingers trembling just enough to make the ice clink. “Two\u2019s my limit\u2014after that, I start confessing sins even the priest doesn\u2019t wanna hear.”<\/p>\n
Kunle\u2019s grin was slow, sinful, and entirely too knowing. “To staying sober and in control, then,” he purred, tapping his glass against hers with a ting. Njideka sucked her straw like her life depended on it, watching over the rim as he threw back his drink, his throat working in a way that made her own mouth go dry. When he set the tumbler down, his lips glistened, and God help her, she wondered how they\u2019d taste.<\/p>\n
“I\u2019m Kunle, by the way.”<\/p>\n
When he reached out, Njideka\u2019s hand moved on its own.<\/p>\n
His palm swallowed hers whole, warm and rough in all the right places. That grip\u2014firm, confident, just shy of possessive\u2014sent a bolt of heat straight to her core. Every inch of him was maddeningly perfect. The broad shoulders. The stupidly handsome face. And now these hands, capable of crushing bones, but holding her like she was something precious.<\/p>\n
“I’m uh… I’m Cynthia,” she stammered as his hand slipped away from hers.<\/p>\n
Big. Mistake.<\/p>\n
Kunle’s face transformed. That panty-dropping smile vanished, replaced by a look so dark.<\/p>\n
“Well, Cyn-thi-a,” he drawled, slicing her name into syllables like a butcher with a grudge. His voice had gone colder. “Have a good evening.”<\/p>\n
With a stiff nod that screamed “You’re dead to me,” he spun on his polished shoes and started walking away like she’d just insulted his entire bloodline.<\/p>\n
“Wait!” Njideka’s voice cracked like a teenage boy’s. Her brain scrambled for answers\u2014had she spat in his drink? Forgotten to brush her teeth? What the actual hell just happened? He paused, turning just enough to give her a look so empty it made her knees weak\u2014and not in the good way.<\/p>\n
“What…what did I say?” she blurted out. The club’s music pounded in time with her racing heart as she searched his stone-cold face for clues.<\/p>\n
Kunle moved back toward her with the slow, deliberate swagger.<\/p>\n
“We both know your name isn\u2019t Cynthia?” His voice was a deep, rumbling threat.<\/p>\n
Njideka\u2019s eyes dropped in shame.<\/p>\n
“Look at me.” That command rolled off his tongue like pure honey and hot coal\u2014sweet but ready to burn. Her head snapped up, helpless as a puppet on a string.<\/p>\n
Up close, he was even more overwhelming. Broad chest. Thick arms. And those eyes\u2014dark, knowing, locked onto hers.<\/p>\n
“If you want to play this game,” he murmured, leaning in so close his breath tickled her ear, “you better come correct. No fake names. No bullshit. If \u2018Cynthia\u2019 is who you want to be tonight, then go find another man to waste his time. But me?” A slow, wicked smirk. “I only deal with real women.”<\/p>\n
Njideka\u2019s heart pounded so loudly she was sure he could hear it. This man wasn\u2019t just calling her out\u2014he was owning her, and the worst part? She loved it.<\/p>\n
“I\u2026 I understand,” she whispered, voice trembling. “I\u2019m sorry. I\u2019ve never\u2014 I don\u2019t even know why I\u2014”<\/p>\n
“Name.” One word. No room for negotiation.<\/p>\n
She swallowed hard. “Njideka.”<\/p>\n
The moment her real name left her lips, his expression shifted\u2014like a predator who\u2019d finally caught the scent of what he really wanted.<\/p>\n
“There she is,” he purred, fingers brushing her chin. “Now\u2026 let\u2019s start over.”<\/p>\n
Kunle’s smile returned.<\/p>\n
“Ah, now we’re talking,” his expression seemed to say as his eyes drank her in from head to toe.<\/p>\n
“It’s very nice to meet you, Njideka,” he said, her name rolling off his tongue. That deep voice alone should come with a warning label. He glanced around the bar with the casual confidence of a man who owned every space he entered, then nodded toward a shadowy corner where the booths promised more… private conversations.<\/p>\n
“Why don’t we take this somewhere quieter?” The suggestion was polite.<\/p>\n
“Um, okay,” Njideka squeaked, suddenly very aware of how her dress clung to her curves and how her new heels made her ass pop just right. When his big hand enveloped hers, electricity shot straight to her core. Holy Mother of Jesus, this man’s touch should be illegal. As they crossed the room, she could feel his gaze burning into her, lingering on the sway of her hips, the dip of her waist, the way her cleavage peeked out just enough to tease. Let him look, she thought, biting her lip to suppress a smirk. Tonight, she was the snack, and Kunle looked hungry.<\/p>\n
The booth welcomed them like an accomplice to crime\u2014plush, semi-circular, and suspiciously perfect for getting very close. Njideka slid in, her dress riding up just enough to make things interesting. Kunle didn’t even pretend to sit across from her; he claimed the space right beside her, their thighs brushing, his heat seeping through the thin fabric of her dress.<\/p>\n
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