SUGAR TRAP

A Plan

I had reached the venue 30 minutes before time so that I can settle in before Alex arrives, the low lighting of the place also suited my purposes. But when he walked in the door, it was as though a spotlight was shining on him. he saw me stand up nervously, and he walked over, took my hand and kissed it confidently. "Hello, May," he said in that sonorous voice. "It's a pleasure to meet you in person."

He motioned for me to sit down and he followed. I must have been staring because he laughed and said, "Well, how do I look?"

We've all seen movie stars on the big screen or models in magazines. They're gorgeous but they're not "real." But now I was meeting one of them in person, and the impact was overwhelming. The Alex was stunning, his dark eyes, high cheek bones, reddish lips, the way he styled his hair, his athletic frame, danm I could go on and on, but the fact was that for a few moments all I could do was stare at him in silent wonder.

he smiled and broke the silence. "I'm going to take that to mean you approve," he said.

"Oh, yes, I'm sorry," I stammered, "I just, for a moment, that is . . ." My voice tailed off in embarrassment.

Thankfully, at that moment the waitress came over to take our orders. I don't even remember what I ordered, but Alex settled for a salad with chips on the side. As the waitress wrote down his order, I could tell that she had fallen under Alex's spell as well. She kept glancing at him until finally, she burst out, "Aren't you a newscaster with channels tv?"

Alex smiled at her sweetly. "No, I'm afraid not," he said, and the waitress walked away mumbling to herself.

Their little exchange allowed the rational part of my brain to re-engage. I looked at Alex curiously. "I'll bet that happens to you often."

he nodded consciously. "Yes, it happens quite a bit."

"Can I ask you a question? Why aren't you on television or modelling, instead of, well, you know," I asked, stumbling a bit at the end.

"I've looked into it," he acknowledged, "but that's a very cut-throat world. I may look good to you, but I'm just one of many in that world. The odds against making it are about the same as a basketball player making it in the NBA. But in this line of work, I stand out. And unlike modelling or acting, I didn't have to starve for years paying my dues. From the day I started, I was making top Naira and am investing big time because I know I wouldn't have to do this for long and if I am lucky I will also find a nice partner to complete me and make a family", he finished

I couldn't help nodding. I didn't agree with the career he had chosen, but he had certainly approached it sensibly than others

At that moment, the waitress brought our orders. After she'd served Alex, she looked at him again and said, "Are you sure you're not on TV? I just feel certain I've seen you before."

Alex shook his head. "I don't think so. If I had been, I'm sure I would remember it."

I tried to subside my laughter as the waitress backed out.

When we began eating, he looked at me carefully. "So, May, why don't you give me an idea of what you have in mind? Chris indicated that this is something a bit out of the normal."

I smiled lightly and began to tell him my story. When I replayed my conversation with Billy after catching her and Emily in bed, Alex gave me a sympathetic look. "That was pretty cold," he said. When I described Emily Douglas and the way she was acting, he nodded knowingly. "I've met a lot of her type."

he wiped his mouth daintily and then folded his hands on the table. "So what is it exactly that you want to do, and how do I come in?"

I spent the next twenty minutes describing what I hoped to accomplish over the next month or so. When I finished, I admitted that I had a lot of doubts about what I was trying to do. "But I just can't sit by and let the two of them treat me like a fool without fighting back and now that I've met you, I'm beginning to think this just might work."