UNUSUAL VOCAB
Ouma: (noun)(sing) A Grandmother
Eish: (exclamation) Used to express a range of emotions, such as surprise, annoyance, or resignation.
Voetsek: (exclamation) Get lost or fuck off.

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⌞C H E S T E R⌝
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⌞♠⌝      God only knows how long I had been sitting in utter darkness, devising a foolproof plan to get myself out of this date.

Johan knew me better than any other being on this planet, which scared me more than anything else. He knew everything, specifically my taste in women. Normally, this wouldn't faze me, looking at my past experiences with ladies I deemed to be in my league. There was no reason for me to be so preoccupied with the idea of being smitten by the mysterious girl when the truth was that she'd be the one enamored by my mere presence and worshipping my body when I was done with her. However, something about this time around provoked my nail-biting and had me constantly shuffling in my seat.

Little did he know, my army was out there doing my dirty work, and I was waiting for their call.

Anytime now. I know she's here. Her flight arrived two hours ago.

How did I know that you ask? I hired some people to follow my dearest Mr. Pretorius and security, and they confirmed her arrival. However, I was waiting for more information to come through.

Impatience and restiveness made me get up from my seat and walk over to the massive blackout curtains that hid me from the rest of the world. Slipping my index finger through an opening in the material, I peered out to be greeted by the slightly cloudy, lapis morning sky and the astir streets below. My eyes narrowed into a squint, trying their best to adjust to the brightness, but after a few seconds, I retreated into the darkness like a fleeing vampire poisoned by sunlight. Mornings were difficult for me, especially in the summer when the sun rose early and was fiercely hot.

As I pulled myself from the window, a ringing filled my office. I moved toward the sound and found my phone vibrating. It's an unknown number. Most wouldn't answer, but I knew who it was. The corner of my lips curled up. I swiped the answer icon and then lifted it to my ear.

"Hello? Boss? I hope I'm not intruding on anything. Is now a good time for you?"

The raw huskiness of the voice made it evident it was that of a man. However, his thick Zulu accent and the way he stressed 'boss' were dead giveaways.

My restlessness calmed down as I sat in my chair, saying, "Relax, Bongani. No, you're not disrupting anything."

Bongani sighed. "Thank goodness."

"Yeah, so what updates do you have for me?" I grabbed a nearby pen and paper and prepared myself for any important details. My tone grew stern as I demanded, "I want every detail."

"Yes, sir!" The man on the other end of the phone answered immediately. "So we followed Mr. Pretorius as instructed. However, honestly, boss, it was odd. It was too easy."

The last word you'd associate Johan with was easy. Confusion slowly took over my features as I inquired, "Bongani, what makes you say that?"

"He didn't seem too worried about security. It was very open."

Now I was drowning in bafflement. Johan almost always had security on standby. South Africa, although undeniably beautiful, was a very dangerous place when it wanted to be. I brought the pen to my lips, bit on its metallic cap, and then asked, "Sorry, Bongani, but could you elaborate on that."

"Of course, boss. According to what my team witnessed, he picked her up in person and alone."

Alone? In-person?

My mind couldn't process a reason as to what would push him to do that. However, now that I think about it, he was that risky in our younger days. However, he would only go on his own if he wanted to keep it intimate and personal. The only people I had ever witnessed him doing that for were my grandmother and my sister. However, I was aware of their existence, unlike this girl... Seriously, who the hell was this woman?

And what is her relationship with Johan?

Now I was intrigued. "Hmmm, interesting. Anything else?"

"Oh, yes, a young white man about your age with bright green hair accompanied her."

A man? Could it be her brother? A friend, maybe? Why would she come with him?

There were so many questions, yet so little time.

"I see. What race is this woman, if I may ask?"

"Honestly..." Bongani paused. It was the kind of pause where someone was deep in thought. "Boss, that's hard to tell. She could be a very light-skinned black girl or a mixed-race or colored young woman, sir. I can send you some pictures of her if it helps."

I liked that idea very much. "Yes, please send them over."

My phone vibrated with ten text notification alerts. Without a second to spare, I jumped into my messages and opened every image I received. Anticipation made me restive as the high-quality images loaded. Even though the pictures took only six seconds maximum to download, it felt like an eternity. They finally revealed themselves to me, and my eyes widened.

The first thing that hit me was her assets.

The young lady was very gifted in all the right places, which made me smile. Next were her facial features: With a small button nose and cute rosy round cheeks, her round baby face made her look much younger than her probable age, but it was her big, doe-like eyes that caught most of my attention. Almost matching her smooth caramel skin and dark chocolate hair tightly wrapped in a bun, the orbs had a deliciously light hazelnut hue. It was the perfect color to see my naked self in as I lay on top of her and made her incessantly beg for me.

Though her shape was lovely to my lustful eyes, her body was a little thicker than I would prefer. However, I put that aside as that meant there was more to grab when we would have some intense R-rated fun tonight. Aside from that minor flaw, I couldn't deny she was very attractive.

The young lady must have been a saint in a previous life because she would be my plaything for the evening. Now that would be an unforgettable welcome gift.

Tonight is going to be a lot of fun.

The anxiety in my system was replaced with deep arousal and overwhelming avidity right away. My eyes wandered through my phone for a few more seconds before I pressed the device on my ear. "You've done well, my boy."

"Thank you, boss," said Bongani with some excitement. "We will keep an eye out for her and her companion at the Saxon Hotel."

Booking the most luxurious hotel in Jozi, Johan never faulted himself when it came to making the best first impression; hospitality was one of his many strengths. A small chuckle tickled my lips into a devious smirk as all the information registered in my head.

Dropping my pen, I put Bongani on loudspeaker and then laid my phone in front of me next to the blue files from the other day. I rested my elbows on my desk, laid my head on my hands, and asked, "Is that where they are staying?"

"Affirmative. That's where they were captured. However, according to my people, they haven't left their rooms since their arrival. The assumption is that they are resting."

"Uh, I see." I clicked my tongue, struggling to hide my grin. "They must have had a very long flight then. Yes, that would be the most probable deduction. Do you by any chance know their nationality?"

"Unfortunately, no. We couldn't get close enough to hear them speak, but we are sure they came from another country because all the flights that arrived at that time were international."

Hmm. I guess some things will have to remain a mystery. I suppose that's fair enough.

I heaved out a sigh of defeat. "That's fine. Keep an eye on them until I meet her later tonight. Bye."

"Yes, sir. Goodbye."

With a press of my screen, I hung up. I got back up onto my feet, grabbed a small remote from my drawer, and then sauntered over to the curtains. My thumb pressed a black button on the device, and, like Moses parting the Red Sea, the curtains parted to reveal the city, my soon-to-be empire. It truly was a beautiful sight, one worthy of kings.

I had spent a few minutes bathing in the African sun's warm touch and admiring the fantastic architecture of individual buildings when my door burst open.

"You disgraceful asshole!"

Irritated by the sudden, unannounced intrusion, my annoyed light gray eyes met the raging darker gray eyes of a young, fair-skinned woman in a pristine lab coat and green scrubs. I recognized her straight away and began making my way to the security button. Determined, she stormed toward me with her heels furiously tapping the ground. Making it just in time to alarm security, a deep sigh escaped my lips as I mentally prayed that she wouldn't cause a commotion.

Apparently, I didn't pray hard enough because, before I could even utter a single word to express my chagrin, her hand sliced my cheek. The slap cut through the silence with such magnitude that I momentarily couldn't even hear myself think. Vexed by her attack, I attempted to abscond, but the crazy woman was faster. With brute force, she then seized my collar and, shaking me with all her might, continued screaming her lungs out at me.

"You shit of a human! You destroyed my best friend's life! I'm going to murder you!"

Hold on. This is what you're here for?

"Look, I don't have time for this, Jaqueline."

My virulent snarl came out of my mouth as quickly as the movement of my hands. I grabbed her and, using one hand as handcuffs, locked her wrists together to immobilize her arms and cease the shaking.

Once I was sure she couldn't move, I released my frustration on her. "Fok, Jacque, would it kill you to act your fucken age and skip the melodramatics?"

"Wow. Isn't it funny?" My twin sister's bloodshot eyes narrowed as she hissed, "I could ask you the same question, you despicable man-whore."

I burst out laughing. This was ridiculous. "Wow, so you're defending your 'best friend' who stole your ex-boyfriend? Eish, sis, and here I thought I was the best big brother by doing you such a favor."

She bit down on her bottom, plump lip. "Fuck you! If you paid attention to anyone but your egocentric self, you'd know Lerato and I had put that behind us."

"Ah! I get it. Hoes before bros, am I right?"

"Don't you dare call her that!" I knew I had poked a nerve when a small tear slid down her red cheeks. "You manipulated her, I know your ways. You're scum."

The way she turned a blind eye to reality was concerning. I wasn't the only one to blame here. Lerato had been pestering me since our high school days at Athlone College. Being the gentleman I was, with boredom as my uninvited guest, I finally gave in to her desire nine months ago. The harsh truth was that it takes two to tango, but with my sister blinded with outrage, it was pointless to even explain that to her.

She violently threshed her body, desperate to be freed, and when that didn't work, she tried to kick me and stab me with her stilettos. Luckily, I had an unoccupied hand to block her lower-body attacks. My fretting assistant and other concerned but curious workers had gathered on the other side of the glass wall, and I could imagine how unprofessional this looked. Good thing all the walls in my office were soundproofed, or the gossip train could've gotten uglier.

The whole fiasco only irritated me further as I snapped at my demented sibling, "Seriously, bitch, couldn't you have picked a better place to do this than in my office?"

Overreaction has been Jacqueline's go-to since we were in our mother's womb, whenever I breathed her way. Her short temper was as furious as the fires of Hell, so in times like this, it was unquestionably difficult to deal with her tantrums. Ugh. Her mere existence plagued my peace.

Tresses of her ridiculously long, jet-black hair whipped my face as she thrashed from side to side, trying to be free of my grip. However, I wasn't going to cave in and free her because I knew the moment that happened, her long nails would claw at my beautiful face, and I needed it for tonight.

"Let go! Chess, I said, 'Let me fucken go!'"

Like an infuriating alarm with no snooze button, Jaq's ear-piercing demands for me to release her echoed throughout the massive room. Each psychotic shriek had the same effect as nails scratching a blackboard. So I couldn't help but cringe. My ears were bleeding at this point.

Jesus Christ, why did this bitch have to be so damn loud?

To my relief, four large security guards rushed in a few seconds later and ripped the screeching madwoman off of me. She attempted to lunge at me a couple of times, but security had her tight in their grip.

"Dr. Nel, please calm down!" pleaded one of the men holding her back.

"Yes, madam!" Another person interjected in hopes of calming her down. "This isn't a good image to portray to the rest of the company!"

That only piqued her frustration and made her yell more profanities at me. Unlike the large guards dealing with my sister, I knew talking to her was a feeble attempt to soothe her. The unhinged bitch needed a tranquilizer.

Ignoring her, I took a deep breath and brushed down my now-creased white shirt and black pants.

Ugh. I am going to need a change of clothes. What a bother...

I walked up to my sister and snarked, "You really need some grooming lessons, sis. You're an embarrassment to the family."

"That's rich coming from you, jerk!" she yelled.

Just as I was about to say something else, the most inhumane thing happened: She spat at me.

My eyes instinctively shut as the globs of saliva exploded on my face. The sticky gooeyness dripped down my nose as the rest of the wetness invaded my pores. My hand, though shaking from the exponentially growing rage in my blood, vigorously wiped most of the spittle off before I allowed my murderous eyes to open and meet the crazy ones of my sister's. The temptation was pushing me to just wrap my fingers around her throat and choke her to death. However, for the sake of professionalism, I didn't dare move for fear I wouldn't be able to stop myself from ripping her head off.

I had about enough, so I gestured to the guards to take her out. "Remove her repulsive ass out of my building, please."

As they dragged her out, she made another condescending comment that irked my soul for the last time: "You inconsiderate ass! I hope someone messes with you so badly that you do us a favor and jump off this damn building!"

"Ugh! Voetsek! Get out!" I roared, banging my white-knuckled fists on the table.

Without another second to spare, they removed her from my sight, and everyone returned to their designated areas. My assistant tried to speak to me about how my sister threatened him if he dared to stop her, but I was too furious to even hear him out. So, I barked at him to leave, and he fearfully obliged.

I was seeing red as I sat on my desk. My breathing was short, harsh, and loud. Focusing on my work was out of the question for the next thirty minutes at the very least. So, with that, I decided to talk to the one person who could pacify me when I was this heated.

The phone rang for a bit before her soft, raspy voice sang from the other end of the device, "Hello, Chess, sweetheart, is everything okay?"

Should I tell her Jacqueline and I just had a huge altercation in my office? Or how I was seconds from murdering my own blood?

No, that would add to her worry list.

She had already expressed her disappointment in my sex scandal with Lerato during our last phone call. So, my fight with my sibling would further dishearten her. Grandmother, like my mother, always wanted us to get along and, unlike my father, refused to accept our years of ruthless resentment toward each other.

So, I did my best to relax my tense muscles and told her something else that was truthful but less damaging. "Ouma, grandma. I miss you. Isn't that a good enough reason to call?"

"My little button, I miss you too," she chuckled. "But aren't you busy right now?"

Her laughter warmed my heart more than anything else in the world. A genuine smile formed on my lips. "Nah, I've got some time to spare. So howzit? How's the Durban life treating you?"

"Good, I went skydiving the other day with some friends," she answered excitedly.

"Still an adrenaline junky, I see." I smiled even harder, humored by her enthusiasm. "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. But it couldn't have possibly been that exciting."

"Why not? Hmmm. Was I missing something?"

"Yeah, me," I explained to her, feigning shock.

She laughed again. "Of course! My little button always brings the party. We should go next time you come over, and then I could cook you some of my famous koeksisters."

"It's a date," I said.

She giggled on the other end of the call, paused for a bit, and then said, "Speaking about dates, Johan informed me that you have one later tonight. Is that true?"

All the crazy drama that happened earlier had made me forget that she knew of tonight's happenings. My thumb brushed my bottom lip gently as I said, "Yes, I do."

"Ah, how exciting! You've grown up so much, baby. I was scared you'd always be messing around, but I'm glad to see you mature," confessed my grandmother, stabbing my ego a little with her word choice.

I defended myself, "Ouma, I've always been mature." At least I thought so.

"Not in the dating department," she stated matter-of-factly, crushing my soul a little. "Sorry, sweetheart, but your awful sexual history speaks for itself."

Yikes. Was I that bad? Now that stings, especially coming from her.

"So tell me." Grandma gave a dramatic pause before asking, "Is she pretty?"

Images of my mystery girl in sporty gear flashed through my mind. Her soft and round features, that great voluptuous body of hers, and her beautiful, big eyes inflamed me with excitement. She ticked most of my boxes, so of course, she was.

"Yes. Very much so," I admitted before adding, "but not as beautiful as you, Ouma. You're a national treasure."

I could sense her blushing from across the screen. "Aww. You have always been such a flirt, but I'm glad. I only want the prettiest girl for my little button. And before I forget, I have one other very important question."

"Yes? What would that be?" I queried with genuine intrigue.

"Do you know if she can cook?"

Caught off guard, I snorted. "Sorry, what?"

"You heard me. You eat a lot, button, and let's not forget that the best way to a man's heart is through his stomach! There's that, and I need someone to help me in the kitchen. Your sister, as much as I love her, is a useless cook. Eish!"

I couldn't help but laugh at my grandmother's frustrations. She was so adorable at times. I wiped some tears of joy from my eyes and then responded with an honest, "Ouma, I don't know that yet. It's our first date, and we aren't in a relationship."

Relationship? Ugh, no thanks.

Death seemed like a more enjoyable route than that lovey-dovey life. Additionally, if my parents were that desperate to marry me off, they would have arranged it by now. I mean, that was what my grandparents did for them. It was by chance that they ended up falling in love with one another. However, I knew myself better than that.

True love — or any kind of romantic love — did not exist in my dictionary, and it never would. It was just exhausting and a gateway to a broken heart and clinical depression. I was too young, prosperous, and beautiful to walk around with a broken heart, and, to be honest, love looked terrible on me.

Grandma brought me back to reality, saying, "You never know. She might be the one."

A sigh slipped through my lips as I digested her last sentence. She had always been a hopeless romantic, but I had to remind her of reality.

"Ouma, listen," I started. "Just because you picked the first jacket that appeals to you on the rack doesn't mean you should purchase it. There are several factors to consider before making that choice. For example, is it appropriate for the season? Is it the right complementary color? Does the style suit you? And the standard question: Is it the correct size?"

Passion drove her to fire back. "I know, button, but I'm hoping this is the one breakthrough you need. Scandals aren't a way of living. You're better than that, and you know it."

"Ouma, let's not do this right now," I begged.

However, I knew better than anyone that she was far from giving up. "Sweetheart, I know relationships are scary. Furthermore, I know you have commitment and trust issues. However, if you put your mind to it, my little button, you can do it! You're a handsome young man with an intelligent mind and a loving heart. Don't spend the rest of your days alone when you don't need to."

This was my first time hearing this. I knew she wanted me with someone, but I had no idea how serious she was about it. Words couldn't form in my mind, so I didn't know what to say besides, "Eish, Ouma."

"What, Chess? Is it wrong for me to wish for you to experience at least one functional relationship before you turn thirty? What are you scared of?"

Is she right? Am I scared?

My heart swelled with a discomfort I never knew existed. I didn't have it in me to tell her that I didn't think I would ever be ready for a relationship. Yes, maybe I wasn't fond of enduring possible heartache and didn't think I was capable of being emotionally available to someone. However, scared? No, I feared nothing. Well, at least, I didn't think I did.

A knock on my door grabbed my attention. I looked over and saw my assistant signaling my iPad. My curious eyes scanned my schedule, and when I saw it, relief washed over me. I gave the man in the dark gray suit a thumbs up, and then he left.

As I walked over to the door with my phone pressed to my ear, a headache crept up on me. I bit my tongue. "Ouma, I gotta go. I have an appointment with some supervisors from Angola this late morning."

"Okay, sweetheart, but promise me one thing!" Her tone was desperate. "Promise, you'll give her a chance."

Lying to her was out of the question. So, I ignored the question instead. "I've got to go now. Love you."

"I love you too, button."

The call ended. I stood up and whipped on my suit jacket from a nearby rack. As I buttoned it on, my phone pinged. After fixing my collar, one of my hands dug deep into my pockets and brought it out.

I scanned the screen to see a text notification. So, I took a quick look at the sender's name, wondering if it was another death threat from my crazy twin monster. To my pleasant surprise, it wasn't.

It was from Johan. I couldn't help but break out into a smirk. I opened it.

It read: 'Hey. So, she arrived this morning. She had a long flight, so she's resting for a bit before your date tonight.'

Deviousness made me text him back. Let's play some mind games, boetie.

Me: 'That long of a flight, huh? She must be from outside the continent. Am I right? What's her name, by the way?'

He opened my message almost immediately. He was online, watching me.

The typing icon appeared, and I just stared at it. A few seconds later, he responded with a stern "Just make sure you're at Qunu Restaurant at The Saxon Hotel by 6 PM. Don't be late."

"That's interesting," I replied. "Can I have her number since you won't answer any of my questions? Or her room number? I'm sure that's all I need to know."

He didn't respond.

So, I took my chances and asked another obvious question that deserved an answer: 'The silent treatment is cruel, brother. Can I, at the very least, have her name then?'

He was really pulling this dumb, childish stunt on me. Minutes had passed, and I was about to put my phone away when it dinged. I whipped it out.

"No. And no." His text stated. "And another thing: Don't think your mindfuckery is going to work tonight. So, be a gentleman and be on your best behavior, or else you'll have me to deal with, and I promise it won't be pretty."

"Holy shit, did this motherfucker just threaten me?" I thought aloud as I gawked at the message. "Wow, someone has grown some real balls over the past few days."

Astounded but entertained, I exploded with laughter. This was hilarious. Johan had never spoken to me like that. His protectiveness over this woman was risible. She had to be some rare gem if he was acting this way.

Who were her parents? Were they our business partners? Or was she a princess? Fuck it, maybe she is a reincarnation of Jesus?

So many questions raided my mind, but I knew they'd be answered in nine good hours when we finally met. So, looking at Johan's latest text, venomous determination laced each word as it left my mouth: "That bastard is going to play his best cards tonight, but he forgets that I'm the king in the seduction department. So, he better have a strong deck because I'll give him a run for his money."

I shoved the device into the depths of my pants pocket and, with all the confidence in the world, promenaded to my first meeting of the morning. I had business to get to, but tonight would be the cherry on top, especially since things were starting to get interesting around here.   ⌞♠⌝