Forbidden Dance: Will She Forgo Her Marriage for a Lifetime of Happiness? (3 page)

An hour later, Kyle was on his father’s doorstep.

His dad opened the door. There was a scowl on his face and a young boy by his side.

“Hello dad.”

“Welcome home, son. Geez! You stayed away so long this time. Are you working for the US president?”

He left his father to shut the door, while he walked straight to the second living room, where he knew his parents watched daytime TV.

His mother was on her feet beaming from ear to ear. He hugged her and pecked both cheeks.

“I’ll get you a drink, Kyle. What a joy to have you home.”

His heart thudded in his chest. There was so much he wanted to know.

“Where did my wife say she was going dad?” he asked, facing his father who was settling the young chap in the newly created play area at the far end of the huge living space. “I trusted you to take care of her. What happened?”

“Here,” his mother pushed a glass of scotch into his hands.

“Dear mum, I need a clear head right now. Where’s my wife?”

“She left,” his father answered. For the first time, the indifference he had often detected in his dad’s voice turned to relief.

Kyle ground his teeth. “Please forgive my stupidity. I don’t understand. Gone where? Tell me where she is. I want to go get her.”

Wyatt straightened his bulky self.

“Sit down, Kyle. Allow your father to explain,” Lydia intervened with a small smile.

His mum had never pretended to care much about Alero, but he had assumed it was because she had expected him to marry Leona, the senator’s spoilt daughter. That was six years ago.

“Mum, let me handle this. Dad, where can I find Alero?” In truth, how he managed to keep his tone steady baffled him. Maybe the short counselling with the priest rubbed off on him.

“Your wife said she was going away and never coming back.”

Kyle held his head in both hands to prevent it from splitting in two. “That doesn’t make sense,” he countered. “What on earth did you do this time to make her run away?”

“What do you mean by that? Are you saying I kicked your wife out?” His dad’s severe words didn’t match his expression. Amusement lurked in his eyes.

“You understood me correctly, dad.”

Wyatt Thomson faced his son. “What do you want me to say? Alero’s an adult. She packed and left after describing your marriage as a ‘hopeless four and a half year relationship’. I knew you should never have married her. Now you have good grounds for a divorce.”

If his father had stuck a knife in his chest, it would have been better. “What the hell are you talking about? For all the troubles you have had in your marriage, why haven’t you divorced mum? Why haven’t you?”

“Kyle!” his parents shrieked in unison.

Kyle threw both hands in the air. “Oh, see how that hurts. Why do you think you have a right to pack up my marriage behind my back?”

His dad wagged one finger. “Look here, you have no one to blame but yourself, Kyle. I didn’t ask you to father a child out of wedlock or stay away from your wife for long periods.”

His mother had taken the child away from the room. Thank God.

The truth slapped some sense out of his head. “I fathered a child?”

“Yes, you did. Or so Bethany said. She popped by our gate yesterday morning, and dropped young Kyle with an instruction to hand him over to you.”

Kyle dropped into the arm chair near his right leg. “Is this the joke of the year, dad?”

“Did you know about young Kyle?” His father’s eyes fastened on his.

Kyle shook his head. His mouth refused to form any word. Bethany was one of the models he frolicked with after he got married. He had not planned to sleep with her at all.

“She didn’t tell me she was pregnant. I didn’t know about any son,” he whispered after a while. He sat up, his eyes focused on his dad’s, but he wasn’t sure who he was looking at. “How did my wife find out?” The question popped out after a long while. It was possible Bethany phoned his wife. After all, they worked together in the past.

“I took Kyle to your home and introduced him to your wife.”

Kyle jumped off his chair. “You did what? What the hell did you do that for?”

His mother returned to the room.

He swung on her. “Mum, you allowed dad ruin my marriage? I trusted both of you. Is this how you reward me? You took a child I have never seen from an alleged affair to my wife?” Tears stung his face.

God, please tell me this is all a dream, please.

“It was the best way. If you take a look at the child, he looks like your double. It was better she found out sooner rather than later.” His mum’s words were like salt on his open wound.

Kyle growled, snatched his glass off the table and smashed it against the fireplace.

“Kyle! Take a hold of yourself. She was not the woman you should have married in the first place. I always knew she had more golden beauty than good sense.” The word,
golden,
sounded sinister enough to sponge out every good judgment he ever had.

“Again, we told you marrying an African woman wasn’t a good idea from the start. You had three white women of good character to pick from, no, you had to settle for a woman who simply refuses to shed her Nigerian and Algerian roots.” His mother’s words kept his wounds fresh, he feared they would never heal.

“Dad! Mum! What you’ve done is vile! You sit together in a warm embrace, in a less than perfect marriage, yet you break up mine. Is there any place you know where they renounce parents?”

His mum’s hands flew to cover her mouth.

“Your son is a beautiful child. When you get to know him, you’ll thank us for taking him in. Don’t come blaming your mum and me. You never stayed home long enough to make your marriage work in the first place,” his dad fired.

“You know damn well I was working. And what I do is important.”

Wyatt spread wide his hands. “You have a weird way of showing your love for a woman you all but abandoned. We only finished the job you began.” If only there was a way he could undo the past.

“Right now, I regret ever letting you anywhere near my wife and my marriage. It is the biggest mistake of my life. And I won’t make the same mistake twice. You may not see me again for a long time. Goodbye dad. Goodbye mum.”

“Kyle!” his mum screamed at his retreating back. “I’m sorry.”

“Kyle!” his dad called.

He drove home in a daze. Too wound up to eat, Kyle brought out the bible given to him by the clergyman. At first, he simply held the book to his chest and wept. The tears were for his misplaced priorities, his unbelievable folly, his devious-minded parents and his wrecked marriage.

Indeed, life dealt him assorted cards and he foolishly shuffled them out of his hands. He had made so many bad decisions in his marriage. Although, Alero had pushed him away now and again with her jealousy and insecurity, it was not a good enough excuse to neglect her the way he had.

Can I blame her?

She was only seeking his attention. Now she had left him, he suddenly understood how badly she had needed him to be here. Every sound echoed in the mansion. How isolating. She had begged him to invite her brothers from Warri to keep her company. Out of pride and selfishness, he had put off the decision.

He opened the bible and read until he lost track of time. If there was a God up there, he needed him now.

Hours later, he prayed with his heart and soul. “If you help me find Alero, and you help us work through our many problems, and you return her home, I’ll serve you all the days of my life.”

Do it for me dear God, please.

His phone rang.

He checked the name flashing past the screen. It was his assistant director.

“What is it, Dickson?”

“Everything okay over there? You dashed off as if your home was on fire.” His friend laughed.

“My home is on fire, Dickson. There’s nothing cheerful about it.”

“Oh Kyle. I’m sorry to hear that. I had no idea. I was only mucking about.”

“I’m not going to return to LA for some time. Watch my back, buddy. Complete the project. Make up an excuse to the client. I need to sort out my life.”

“You sound devastated, Kyle. Are you sure you’re going to be okay?”

“Don’t know where I’m going to start from yet. But I must believe in hope. Will keep you posted.”

Before he rang off, his friend added, “If you need my help with anything, let me know. And, don’t do anything silly.”

He nodded.

I wish you had said that years ago, Dickson.
“Thanks pal.”

It had been over a month since Alero relocated to Casablanca. The choice of moving to North Africa was to guarantee her husband’s deep search party never found her. And with her maternal grandparents from next door in Algeria, she felt safe. Although she had never visited them, she had their address, if the need arose.

Alero had bought a rundown relic one-storey building on the outskirts of the main city. She found it as she drove by one hot afternoon. She got help from one local builder, and other artisans to restore the building to its former glory. The workers had finished painting and she was almost done with decorating it to her taste.

Casablanca was a lively city. Arabs poured out from every corner. The black community was small. It suited her very well. A place to get lost, where no one recognized her or knew her past.

A knock sounded on the front door.

Thank God she had locked it. Apart from the workmen, she didn’t know anyone else who would stop by. She strode to the door and looked through the peep hole.

“Oh my, God!” Alero clutched her chest. “No, it couldn’t be.” She checked again. The similarities were striking.

“Who do you want to see?” she asked without opening the door.

“No one in particular.” The voice was his. The cocky, striking young man who drove alongside her in London. She shook her head. Her body trembled.

“I was passing by and I saw this old relic looking grand again. And I wanted to say thank you to the person responsible for giving some love to this historic building.”

She opened the door. Her tongue was completely tied.

His light brown eyes widened with recognition. “You don’t say!” He smiled and his eyes laughed at her. “Once again, hello beautiful! What brings you to my city?” His deliberate jagged tone sent shivers down her spine.

In his grey, tight-fitting top with three front buttons, jeans and a baseball hat turned backwards, he appeared rough and ready.

“I should be asking you the same thing. What are you doing in Casablanca?”

He thrust out his hand. “My name is Zane Abdul. I have lived in this city for the last ten years. It is home. And I’m a renowned car dealer in Casablanca.” He corked his head and added. “Didn’t you read the card I left in your car?”

She smiled. “This is more than a coincidence,” she grumbled. Her toes tingled and so did her stomach. She swallowed and gawked at him. Groomed dark bushy eyebrows, well-trimmed facial hair, and a wicked smile gave him a take-me-to-bed look.

“Are you not going to invite me in to see your masterpiece or I’m I intruding?” He had both eyebrows raised so high, they almost vanished into the baseball cap.

She sighed, stood aside and let him in. No one had seen her new home. It felt good to have somewhere she could call home. Her husband’s mansion in London never felt like home, and he didn’t let her change anything.

“I apologise. My name is Alero.”

“Good to put a name to the lovely face.”

Oh, this young man was a charmer. Very refreshing.

“How long have you been adding your loving touch to this place?” Zane was curious as he walked from room to room.

“For about three weeks and a half. Actually, as soon as I arrived in Casablanca, I saw and fell in love with this place. I bought it and began work.”

“Well done. I love it too. You have done a grand job on it. You should be proud.” His compliments hurt so much. Kyle didn’t stay long enough to find out if she had any achievement worthy of praise.

“Did I say something wrong?” Zane was by her side. He was a fit man, well-built, much like her husband, except he was more sensitive. But aren’t all men sensitive and charming when they want to get in between your legs?

She shook her head. “Oh no, you said nothing wrong. Thank you.”

“About two hundred years ago, this building was a Christian worship centre. Afterwards, it became an out of town shopping place, much like a mini mart. But it got torched several years ago and no one returned here.”

The man who sold the building had mentioned a few details. But she was touched, Zane filled the gap. “Glad you told me the back story, Zane. Do you want a drink?”

“I’ll accept on one condition.”

Her chest shifted slightly. “Really? I’ll like to hear your condition.”

He grinned as they made their way down the stairs to the front door. “As you’re new in town, I want to invite you to a friend’s party tomorrow night. The venue is the city’s most exclusive nightclub. You’ll have a whale of a time.”

Her eyes swept over his full light pink lips and she wondered how they would feel if she allowed him to kiss her. The knot in her stomach tautened. “I’m not ready for that sort of life.”

Zane moved closer. He touched his forefinger to his lips and placed it on hers. A jolt zipped through her skin and she stepped back.

“You got away once, now you’re on my turf, I’m not going to let you go. Take as much time as you want.”

Hope reared its head. “Every man wants one thing,” she murmured and her voice shook. “I’m not going to bed with you, Zane. I have read all the signals from your handsome physique to your attractive lips.”

He smiled, his eyes sparkled with desire. “You’ve hurt me,” he mocked. “One day, you’re going to tell me about the idiot that broke your heart. I promise to smash his balls!”

Alero giggled at first, unable to believe a young man would still find her pretty enough to keep pursuing her panties.

“If you don’t mind me asking, how old are you, Zane?” She needed to know. There was no chance of a date, much more anything spicier.

“What do you think?”

She shut her eyes as if she needed to think. “Twenty-two or three.”

Laughter, like the sound of rushing water travelled round the house. Her head swung to and fro as the sound set her heart on fire.

“I wish I was that young. You’re so far off the mark, I take it as a huge compliment.”

Alero frowned. “Are you older than twenty-three?”

“So much more. I’ll be thirty-three at the end of the month. August thirty-first to be exact.”

Alero gasped. “Impossible! Take off your baseball cap,” she suggested. His high-top haircut had deceived her into thinking he was so much younger.

He took off the cap without hesitation. His hair cut was even sharper, and higher than she remembered with eye-catching curls.

“What are you thinking, Alero? Say it. I can take it.”

She exhaled. “Phew! I thought if I fell for you, I’ll be playing the role of a cougar. My mind is at peace now.”

Zane wore his cap and flipped it backwards. “I’m so pleased to hear that. You have nothing to worry about. My birth certificate states the date in clear terms. I can bet my little finger, I’m a lot older than you.”

She nodded. Her thoughts were in a jumble. Oh, Zane was so sexy and irresistible. “I turned thirty in March.”

He did a spin on his heels and wolf whistled, she had to plug her ears with two fingers.

At her discomfort, he drew closer.

“I demand an apology.” His gently mocking whisper tickled her senses.

Alero grinned from ear to ear. “When I see your birth certificate, I’ll apologise.”

“Geez! You’re one tough cookie. It would please me to see you grovel when I shove the certificate in your face.”

She enjoyed the banter with this smooth-talking guest. He was so much fun and more.

“I’ll pick you up at half seven tomorrow.”

Alero walked him to the door.

Zane leaned forward and kissed her cheeks.

It was only a slight brush of his lips against her flesh, enough to ignite a small flame in her face and down her neck.

Zane winked at her and shut the door. “Lock it behind me, beautiful.”