THE CONTRACT
Episode 2b
Even as Andy alighted from the car about an hour later, he was still boiling with anger. Jessica had guts, he could give her that. No woman had ever confronted him hands down the way Jessica constantly did. She had the talent of getting him angry whenever she felt like. The frustrating thing was that he somehow felt that she was right. Self-centered, he muttered to himself with a grim face, his mouth tightening angrily. As he matched into the massive building, he did not notice the intense surprise on the faces of the security men; neither did he hear their greetings. He entered the office like a soldier instead of the calmly measured steps he was used to. The surprised looks he got from his employees made him aware of his environment. He returned their gaze with a stern glare and they all started pouring greetings and congratulations on his just concluded wedding at his departing back, before returning to their duties. Andy felt the eyes of his staff on him as he entered his office. Again, Jessica had been right; coming to work was a stupid thing to do. However right she was, he told himself that he ought to be at work, if not, his workers would run the company to the edge of bankruptcy. He hadn’t even sat down when the door opened. He was not surprised when he saw Tunji, his wedding best man, his assistant, as well as his best friend; standing at the entrance with a bewildered look. “Hey man” Andy called. fall wedding guest dresses
“What is the meaning of this Andy?” Tunji asked, closing the door.
“The meaning of what?” Andy sat down, feigning ignorance.
“What are you doing here? You ought to be with your wife, this is your honeymoon man, the company is not running anywhere”
“My wife and I decided to use this time wisely instead of wasting it on a leisure beach.”
“Exactly! And that is why you came in glaring like an angry lion?”
Andy ignored that, since he could not come up with anything good enough to cover up his mood. “You know the challenges we have been confronted with by our competitors, staying back would just be useless”
Tunji was glaring at him. “So you could not trust me enough to know that I would handle the company properly till you are back?”
“Come off it man, I trust you; still it is scientifically proven that two heads are better than one. My being here gives us more chances. I don’t want to have another lengthy meeting with displeased shareholders” he powered his desktop and centered his attention on it.
Tunji shook his head. “If I were a woman, I surely would not envy Jessica.” With that, Tunji left, leaving Andy with another measured level of anger. Once again, he had to admit that his coming to the company was pointless.
*****
Jessica walked barefooted on the soothing beach sand that same evening as the breeze blew at her packed hair. She wanted to remove the bond and have the breeze blow her hair into wild disarray but she quenched the feeling. She had long ago stopped leaving her hair; even when she retouched and set her hair, she always combed out the curls and secured the hair with a firm bond. She had stopped everything that could make her look attractive long time ago. She wore oversized clothes, packed her head tightly upwards and used almost no jewelry at all except the occasional s--d she had resorted to. Men had made her life a living hell and she had resorted to living her life alone until Andy asked her for a contract wedding. Why Andy had decided to pick her, of all the women, in the world still remained a mystery. Even at that, the thought that she could be bought with money, no matter the amount would have made her laugh but here she was, in an agreement to stick with a rich handsome workaholic for the sum of 20 million naira. Tears stung her eyes but she blinked them away. She had stopped crying a long time ago, she wasn ’t about to start now.
“Hey lady” she heard a guy call and she turned. He walked up to her. “I am not lying when I say you are the most beautiful woman I have ever set my eyes on”.
Jessica very nearly rolled her eyes. From the physical outlook of the guy, he looked like someone within her age bracket. He looked very slim but handsome, nonetheless. “Should I say thank you?” she asked.
He smiled. “I am Jack. You look vaguely familiar”She took his hand. “Jessica”
“Cool. J.J; Jessica and Jack. We are a perfect match” he murmured grinning.
“You dream a lot” She responded.
“Every reality started with a dream in mind”
“Not every dream sees the limelight” She returned.
He sighed. “One cannot win with you right? What are you doing dressed like this on the beach? You should be in shorts” he commented, changing the subject.
“What are you doing talking to me then? There are lots of women in shorts here”
“Well, it is very easy to notice an outstanding woman”
“Why don’t I believe you?”
“Do you ever smile?”
Jessica noted rather sadly that she had heard that question twice in one day. Andy had asked her that same question but she hadn’t given him an answer. She was about to give an answer when she heard a voice behind her.
“Hey sweetheart”. Jessica blanched. She did not have to turn to know that the voice definitely belonged to Andy. His voice was far different from every other guy’s. She swallowed and turned. He had a smile on his face but she sensed the anger beneath. “I have been looking for you” he said to her but his gaze was fixed on Jack, who, for some weird reasons, had become rigid upon seeing Andy.
“I came for a walk on the beach” Jessica responded sweetly as he stunningly placed his arm around her waist. The strength of his arm at her slim waist made her freeze in time as scorching heat seeped from his palm into her body. It took all of her resolve not to jump out of his hold.
“I knew I had seen you before!” Jack suddenly declared, breaking into her thoughts. “Your wedding was aired by almost all the TV stations” Jack’s eyes were on arm Andy put around Jessica’s waist until he forced them upwards with a frozen smile. “Congrats” he murmured.
“Thanks” Andy said stiffly. If eyes could kill, Jack would be dead and buried.
This struck Jessica as awkward as she swallowed the bile that formed in her throat. The silence that followed was so uncomfortable and Jessica decided to put an end to the awkwardness. “Drew” she called, turning to him and placing her slender palm on his chest the way only a woman could. “It is good you came. Why don’t you walk with me?”
Andrew felt the slim softness which she placed against his chest and his blood hummed in his veins. He didn’t know why seeing Jessica standing with ‘whatever his name was’ got him furious. Surely he was just getting used to the farce marriage act! However, when Jessica declared him the winner of the invisible war, Andy felt a great sense of victory that stunned him. He looked into her eyes and couldn’t look away. She was dressed in an unappealing way but the shabby dress looked to him like a challenge. It made him want to see what she was hiding underneath; besides, he had had much more than a glimpse on their wedding day. But the idea vanished immediately it came and he mentally made a strict note of never allowing his mind to go astray. He pecked her forehead, shocking her the more. He could practically feel it in the stiff way she held herself. “As your ladyship pleases” he gave a slight bow which had her grinning stiffly. The reason why he smiled back like a fool was definitely just to spite the guy who was still looking at them, invading their privacy.
“It was nice meeting you” she murmured to Jack. She would have mentioned his name but she decided against it. Andy’s arm around her waist was disturbing. Both of them walked for a long time without speaking. The place Andy had a peck her on her forehead, still throbbed, making her think about things that she definitely shouldn’t be thinking. “That was an excellent drama you displayed back there. You could make it in the movie industry” Jessica said, quenching the unnerving silence.
“Uhn?” Andy could not understand what she was saying . Maybe because he was too busy thinking about the soft flesh beneath his hand. He never knew she had such a small waist!
“I don’t suppose you were genuinely jealous, or were you?” her tone held a slight tinge of laughter.
“Who is that guy?”
“You met him too, right? You know him just as much as I do” she said with faint amusement. “We are far from prying eyes so you can remove your hand from my waist now”
Andy extracted his hand instantly, like her body suddenly caught fire. He had forgotten his hand around her. It had felt too d--n right to have his arm around her waist. What on earth was wrong with him? When last had it been since he had a woman? That was definitely the problem! He swallowed hard as he stared at the beach, wanting to dive inside for a swim. He ran his hand through the tiny waves of his hair in frustration and they walked together in strained silence until they got back to the beach house. Keeping his gaze properly schooled to cool indifference, he marched into his room without looking back.

To be continued