Subdued (18+)✔️ [A Nigerian Romance]

4~Ria

"She likes you, fucking smile," Azu said under his breath while maintaining a smile for the women. Kachi lifted his lips slightly before turning away from the slim dancer he'd been watching earlier. He couldn't see much of her face, but her eyes seemed to be accentuated by the red of her mask. Her brown eyes were like pools of molten chocolate and he'd felt uncomfortable looking into their depths.

"You can do better." Chike knocked their legs together and Kachi scowled at his friend.

"This bastard has started," Azu said then groaned.

"What would you ladies like to drink?" Chike asked and the girls began muttering to themselves, except the one with the swirling eyes and red mask.

"What you have here is fine," the thicker one said and the rest nodded. She seemed to be the head of their little group so Azu focused on her.

"What do we call you guys? What are your names?"

"Bliss," she smiled.

"Bliss," Azu rolled the name around, saying it over and over again before nodding. "I love that." He turned to the red mask. "what's your name, sugar?"

"Ria," she said in a quiet voice that reverberated over Kachi's body and he found himself staring at her again.

"Is it short for something?" he asked and she looked at him for a solid ten seconds before nodding, a shy smile playing on her lips. "what?"

"It doesn't matter," Bode cut in. "Oyibo, what's your name?"

The fair lady out of the four twirled her hair in her fingers, her mouth opening in a beautiful smile that revealed her gap teeth. "I'm Jes."

"I'm CY," the last girl said.

Kachi found that he couldn't take his eyes off of Ria and was hardly paying attention to the conversation his friends were having. The Ria girl swirled her drink a few times in her glass, bringing it up to sniff without actually tasting. She did it for a few times as she conversed with the group. He was shaken out of the trance when Azu slapped him on the back.

"What?" he turned to glare at his friend.

"I was asking if they weren't uncomfortable with the mask on in this heat. It would be nice if they took it off, eh?"

"It's against club policy," Bliss said with a flip of her hair, a small smile playing on her lips. "we can't expose our face at the club."

"Hmm, what about later?"

The girl said something that Kachi didn't hear as he zoned out of the conversation. His friends seemed to have made their choice in the women, leaving him and Ria who were quiet. Bode was chatting up the fair girl and the other girl was halfway on Chike's laps. The ringleader, Bliss with the big behind had stuck with Azu. Kachi stared towards the door again, wishing the night would come to an end.

"Are you expecting someone?" Ria asked him, her gaze on her glass.

"What?"

"You keep staring at the door, I was wondering if you had more people coming."

Kachi watched her play with her drink like she'd been doing all night. The girl had good observation skills because he hadn't even realized that she'd been looking at him. Each time he'd checked, her gaze was on her friends or her drink.

"Not really, I-"

"Sir, the rooms are ready. Please follow me," the server from before interrupted. Azu slapped his hand on the table before standing and stretching out his hand for Bliss. The girl took it and they walked off.

Bode and the oyibo were next to leave and he saw Chike adjusting his shirt as the other girl stood up.

"Do you not want to go?" Ria asked him, her eyes swirling as she looked at him.

"Kachi, don't even try it. It's just one dance," Chike said.

"Kachi," he saw the movement of her mouth as she repeated his name under her breath as if trying to memorize it. It was a testament to how much he was paying attention to her, no one else would have caught the small movement.

"Fine girl, please take good care of my friend. He needs to have fun," Chike laughed before the girl pulled him along.

"It's okay if you don't want to," Ria said.

Kachi's eyes blazed as he fumed. Who was this girl to tell him what was okay or not okay? Maybe he'd been looking at her too much and she was now convinced that she had some sort of sway over his decision. Not one to ever be caught slacking and giving up control, he immediately put her in her place.

"If I say no, will you refund my money?" He gave her his characteristic cold glare, the same one his friends had been complaining about. If they were here, he was sure they'd have a problem with it.

Ria pulled back as if she'd been slapped, her eyes widening before they immediately narrowed. "I just wanted to make sure you were comfortable. You didn't have to be rude." He felt the heat of her gaze as her temper rose, but she was doing a fine job of keeping it under control. If she didn't have such expressive eyes, he wouldn't have been able to tell she was offended.

"Enough talk," Kachi grunted. "I paid two million naira to watch you dance, and it better be one hell of a performance."

She let out a low growl, one she probably thought the loud club music would hide but it didn't. Kachi heard her and watched as her chest lifted as she inhaled. The movement drew his gaze to her ample bosom. He had been so engrossed in looking at her eyes that he hadn't actually checked the girl out, which was unlike him. He only knew she was slim and had curves from when he'd watched her dance.

"Let's go then." She pushed to her feet, a small smile playing on her lips. She had caught his lingering gaze on her cleavage and probably thought she could use it to her advantage.

Kachi almost laughed. This girl had no idea who she was dealing with, but he was determined to show her.

***

Guys like Kachi frustrate me; hot one moment, cold the next.

How do you think Aria would handle it?

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