Fatima felt the softness of the red rug under her feet as she walked across the air-conditioned rom and stood erect before the full-length mirror with gold-plated frame. She was cold, but she would be out of the room before it becomes unbearably cold.
That was her decision; it was something private, covered by a deliberate and convincing performance. Her partner – she does not see him as one – would never know that.
She cupped her breast, one in each hand and measured their weights; not too big, not too heavy. Yet succulent enough to entice a man to bed, excite him in bed and drive him nut.
She smiled at the heavy-set round-faced man who lay inert on the bed; he was admiring her spotless silky smooth skin and the thought hit him that he wanted her body endlessly, he wanted to make love to her, all night long.
The man – Johnny – swung his feet off the bed and walked naked – his thing like a pendulum between his legs – across the room to her side. She mixed drinks for them both and they toasted to a new found love.
He drained his glass at a swig and she refilled his glass again. Johnny held his drink with one hand and tickled her breast with the other. She took in the smell of his perfume as she snuggled up close to him, spilling his drink and they kissed. She traced imaginary lines on his hairy chest; she knew he loved it, she knew it from his breath. She smiled. He drained his glass hurriedly spilling some on his hairy chest and lifted her off her feet
After a delirious love-making, the lay close together in each other’s arms, tired. While Johnny slept, Fatima’s mind flashed back to her first victim.
On the day of her first catch she had walked into a dim-lit restaurant in Sinkor and was accosted a well-mannered gentleman who left his companions to meet her where she was sitting alone. He wanted her to spare him a few minutes. If you don’t mind, or are you waiting for someone? She had a great this and that and it would be his pleasure if she would be so kind to allow him to buy her a drink.
Well, she shrugged and asked him to have a seat.
He ordered food and drinks. Dinner was served and they ate in silence. She savoured the mellow taste of the exotic wine and felt fulfilled. Meanwhile, the man’s friends came to the table to see what was going on; who is this pretty girl that seemed to have arrested their friend?
He introduced her as his next girlfriend, Fatima chuckled but decided not to be offended by this presumption; she greeted the men – all in black suit like her handsome victim – with a shy smile.
The man’s friends left after the greetings – not without suggestive thumbs-up and winks for their friend – ; so they were alone and she encouraged him to talk about himself. He works with a consultancy firm that is running a programme in collaboration with the UN and the Liberian government…..He talked a lot about capacity building and empowerment and million US dollars….blah blah blah.
Later that night the restaurant turned up the volume of their music player; a love song was in the air, as if someone had been watching and knew what was next for the night. As they danced to the music he whispered endearments into her ears. The perfume she wore made his heart beat gbim gbim gbim, he confessed. The softness of her body gave him a certain feeling he could not describe with the precision of words, he droned on like a true lover.
If she could make him feel like this, then maybe they should take the party to his bedroom so that he could show her what he was all about. Fatima viciously struck him across the face and make a lot of people who heard the contact stop and stare. Before the melee died down she had picked up her bag and had left the restaurant as if the place would soon be on fire.
The man had run after her, got ahead of her, and got on his knees like a beaten dog. She calmed down after a brief while. She would forgive him, she would go home with him, but just to talk, not to go the whole way; and the man would have to drive her back to the restaurant later in the morning so that she could get her car.
He agreed; he was trapped. He was good at being trapped but he had a different thought of his goodness.
As he ignited the engine and engaged the gear, a young waiter came running towards his car. Recognition dawned on him – in the restaurant he had noticed SIMON GLAY on the man’s name tag and had been sure from the accent that he was Krahn like him –; at the touch of a button the glass came down. In the squabble that had ensued between them a wine glass was broken, the waiter explained. It would therefore be appreciated if the broken glass be paid for and the bill incurred be settled. The waiter poked a sheet of paper at him. The driver snapped at the paper and opened the compartment beside the gear box. Several wads of money nestled comfortably in the compartment and Fatima could smell clean money.
He counted some notes and paid for the broken glass. Keep the change. The waiter’s smile was full of teeth.
Men think that they own you, Fatima thought as the man kissed and fondled her breasts in his cosy seaside apartment. She surveyed the exotic décor in the sitting room and thought the man must be rich. What would she require, he queried, Cognac, Hennessey, Moet? None.
He smiled and began to undress while she watched without emotions. He invited her to his bedroom and plainly demanded for sex as if she had not told him that she was only visiting to continue their conversation. She obliged.
After a round – and it seemed he was not going to stop after just one –the lady explained that he needed some dope before he could go any further. This got the man wide-eyed. What are you talking about? No way!
Then, with tears in her eyes and pain in her voice she got down on her knees and asked him to please do it for her in the name of God. He needed it so that he could take her to the sexual height she wanted.
The gentleman has not done a thing like that before, couldn’t she understand?
There is always a first time for everything. Men use performance enhancing drugs all the time, does that mean they are all drug addicts? This is just a need that the occasion requires!
And suddenly he was blinded by sex; he grew so big it was a pain for him to say no. Measure by measure, dose by dose, Fatima fed Mr Gentleman with cocaine from her bag. His appetite mounted and he never had enough till he became a mumbling stooged. All washed out.
Working like a machine Fatima got his car key, and took all the money in the car. As she sat behind the steering ready to leave she realised she was naked. She smiled and went back into his house to get her clothes. Then she drove the Toyota –which she had thought was white but was metallic grey – back to the restaurant where she abandoned it and left in her Honda.
That was two months back. Now, in the room with Johnny, Fatima leaned over him, fondled his penis which was now the size of a fourteen year old’s, checking to know if he was really sleeping. He was. Quickly Fatima left the bed, dressed, did what she came for and sneaked out.
Johnny woke up with a terrible headache the next day. When he became aware of the loss she had caused him, when he dialled the fake number she gave her and the computerised voice announced that the number does not exist, he punched the wall and got a sharp pain on his knuckle.
He had gone to the ATM two days ago, he had two hundred thousand naira in his house for a building project he was working on, because he had people to pay in cash; he had a thousand US dollars cash.
His wife and children will return from South Africa and wonder why he had not roofed their new house as he had promised. They would have to spend their anniversary in a rented apartment. His wife would ask about the jewellery box on the table beside the bed, and her Louis Vuitton bag.
Fatima returned the rented car and made it back to her university campus in time to remove her make-up and her wig which people thought to be her natural hair. She told her confidante, roommate and course mate about her latest exploit. Sandra kissed her and held her in a warm embrace.
They ate dinner at a nearby cafeteria and retreated to their campus room where laughed at the story of the foolish men and their swift love as if love was some strain of flu. They shared some white powder and made erotic love together.
