"Ekemezie, you may be one of the most respected men in this village but to me, you are a fool. Where is the love you promised me? Where is the person who once composed songs for me? You say you love me, ha! You do not know what love is! For your information, I am not spreading my legs for you this night. Go and find one of your other wives. Now get out of here so I can sleep."
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"Ulinwa, sometimes you amuse me. So you do not want to give me Onyeka?! In case you have not realized, I own you! You are my property! I did not pay five cows, ten goats, four hundred tubers of yam and one thousand cowries on your head for nothing. Love? What do you even know about love? Why do you like to call someone that I saw pack and leave this house when she realized that her presence was unwanted . I did not come here for bickering because I am not a woman! What I need now is your complete submission. Now, spread your legs! Tonight is your turn to entertain me."
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'Bend Down Select' tells the story of Ekemezie and Ulinwa. Two hard-headed individuals who fall in love. The former, a man who is prohibited from showing affection to his loved ones due to the cultural definition of masculinity . The later, a woman with a bit of feminism in a community that sees women as quintessences of wealth and submission, who would rather live single for the rest of her life than be tied down by an egocentric cow - her words not mine. Still in forced denial of their love, a third party decides to come in.
Just when she's decided to leave the Town, Lady Cressida Belverst is forced to marry Lord Calan Haverston, the man who coincidentally knows a way out. Agreeing to marry for all the wrong reasons, can Cressida and Calan find out where their hearts truly belong?
***
It is impossible to leave the Town, but one woman is determined to escape with the help of her betrothed.
Lady Cressida Belverst has always been judged as a walking scandal. Oh, how she tries (on some rare occasions) to be proper! When her parents arrange for her to marry a rich lord, Cressida has had enough. She has to leave the Town because she will not be forced to live with a man she doesn't love. But what happens if the very man she's betrothed to is the only one who can help her get out?
Calan Haverston, the Lord of Easton, takes the risk and helps his betrothed by using his knowledge of the Town's secrets because he is as willing as she to stay free of marriage for reasons completely different. He has dark secrets he cannot share with her, and his life is not one he can likewise open to anyone. But what happens when she leaves after awakening desires he thought he has under control? And what happens when he finds himself longing for her?
Cressida goes to a completely different place, one she has only heard in stories and read in books, with hopes of finding what her heart has always longed for. But love, mystery and secrets will chase her and it will only be a matter of time before she realizes what her heart truly desires.
*This story is a standalone title in the Haverston Family series.