Higher Bidder

Hey guys, it’s been a while. Been quite busy but hey, I missed y’all plenty. So this is a story that was written based on a picture on a friend’s blog. It’s a flash fiction and I hope you enjoy it.

If you do, don’t forget to drop those lovely comments of yours and if you don’t enjoy it, well, still drop me some comments. Would love to hear your feedback.

Gracias.

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His eyes widened at the computer screen.
It couldn’t be.
He smiled, something sinister. He wanted to stand on his chair and dance a jig or something, he wanted to whoop as loud as he could and punch the air with his fist. But he didn’t. He couldn’t, after all he was still within the office premises and even though everywhere was empty, the cameras might pick his movement and suspect something.
He had just struck gold, the information on his screen was worth…what? Well, he knew his story was about to change.
What should he do about this info? Turn it in? Or sell to the highest bidder?
Mark pretended to think about it, even though he knew that beneath it all, his greed was larger than life.
It wasn’t a question of whether he should sell, it was who would be the higher bidder? NPP or APP?
Which political party was willing to grease his palms with just enough cash?
In all his years of being an investigative journalist, it dawned on him that he had made more money from the ‘investigative’ part than the actual journalism.
He had promised Izzy something sweet this year, she had been nagging him to resign his job. She said he didn’t make enough money at it. Now was the opportunity to prove her wrong. He would sell this information and maybe retire on the proceeds, for now. Then he would keep a low profile, because with what he knew, his life was worth something too.
Thankfully, he had contacts at both political parties ; one of the perks of being a journalist was that you knew people. And they knew you.
Quickly his fingers moved over the keyboard and he typed the message and sent simultaneously.
He waited, eyes skimming the pop-up on his screen. This was a freaking gold mine and naturally he was supposed to take it to his boss or take it public, do something heroic for the nation, but was the information worth anything when publicized? Would anyone thank him? Would they give him a medal or money?
He shook his head to clear it. This was the best thing to do. Maybe not the right thing but the best. For himself and his future.

He waited for the reply.
“What info?” came from his contact at NPP.
“Something you’d really like to get your hands on. Something the public shouldn’t know. Something regarding oil. Something big.”
He didn’t want to give away much and yet he wanted the info to sound juicy, he wanted to dangle it in front of them so they would bite.
“Confirm info.” the message was from APP
He frowned. These ones were usually harder to bait.
Immediately he made a decision. He took a screenshot of the information and sent. That was safe. They would not doubt him now and besides APP was the richer party, he would absolutely love to do this business with them.

He didn’t count the minutes that passed as he sat glued to his system. His hands shook with excitement, anticipation of wealth. He also did not notice the blinking light on his phone.
The last thing he heard was the rasping sound as the bullet tore through the netting and buried itself in his ear.

 

He fell face flat on the keyboard, his eyes lolled back in his head.
He did not live to see the black-clad intruder enter, pull off her mask and kiss him lightly on the temple before carting his computer away.
“You should have listened to me Mark. I’m sorry.” Izzy whispered before leaving.

Mimi. A. ©

Lookout For Miss Right- 18

      Standing in the doorway like a bull getting ready to fight was someone I had come to fear more than the devil himself. Sonia.
Barbs and I scrambled to our feet, half-naked. I was clad in my blue boxer shorts, Barbs in her bra and panties, clutching the pink bed sheet.
“What is going on here?” Sonia bellowed again. She began advancing into the room, a crazed look in her eyes.
“Sonia, let’s talk about this please…” Barbs was saying.
“Talk? Talk? Okay…let’s talk about how you stole Austin from me! And now Jake!” Sonia screamed. She turned to me. “Is this your sick mother, you bastard?”
I didn’t know what to say, especially now that I knew her mental condition.
“Sonia…” I began.
“Shut up! Just shut up!” She yelled. “Barbara , you slut! I warned you never to come near my man, didn’t I?”
“It’s not my fault they prefer me,” Barbara wasn’t backing down. “And don’t you dare call me a slut again! How did you get in here? Get out! Get out now!”
Her words were cut off with a resounding slap. I hadn’t seen that coming.
Barbara reared back like a wounded cat. I thought she would start crying, the next thing I knew she had landed an equally resounding slap on Sonia’s face.
I was confused. If there was one thing I had learnt, it was never to get in the middle of a ladies’ ruckus. But I couldn’t leave them to kill themselves.
“Ladies please…” I began
It was no use; they had pounced on each other already. I did the first thing that came to my mind. I packed the rest of my clothing and exited the room as quickly as possible.
Why did trouble always have to catch up with me? I asked myself as I crawled into my car and slammed the door behind me.
Within minutes I was out of there and on my way home. I changed my mind when I remembered that Sonia knew my house and could easily find me.
I went to the only place I knew I could go. Oscar’s.
I didn’t know how I was going to face Femi, knowing what I had almost done. We hadn’t had sex technically, I consoled myself. But you were going to, another voice reminded me.
Well, Femi didn’t have to know about it. I couldn’t stand having him mad at me. So, I decided to keep it a secret and hope that Barbs would too.

              

Thinking of Barbs made me feel guilty. I had left her alone in the hands of a maniac. What if something terrible happened? Sonia was crazy and would go any length to have me. What if this led to something more serious?
With these nagging thoughts, I made a U- turn and began driving back to Barb’s place. I was partly responsible for the situation, so it only made sense that I do my best to salvage the damage.
I arrived barely twenty minutes later and rushed inside. The living room was empty as before, so I guessed that they were still in the bedroom. I made my way to the room cautiously and stood at the door. Both women stood facing themselves, like a staring contest. They were obviously tired of using their fists. I don’t think they knew I was there.
“He’s mine. I don’t want you near him,” I heard Sonia say.
Barbs threw back her head and laughed drily. “If he’s yours…what was he doing in my bed?”
“You seduced him, just like you seduced Austin.” Sonia spat the words out with venom. “Just like you seduced my father!”

I gasped. Chief Odeniran and Barbara? Oh my God…
“Oh please…your father wanted me. He came after me. Guys find me irresistible, deal with it!”
Was she actually boasting about it? I wondered. The thought dawned on me that I had become one of those guys. First Femi, then Austin, now Chief Odeniran… what else didn’t I know about Barbara Bode- Johnson?
“Guys find you cheap! Irresistible is in your imagination. Stay away from me, Barbara…or you’ll see the bitch in me!” Sonia said in a menacing voice.
“Get out of here! You’re crazy!” Barbs yelled
It was at this point I stepped into the room. Both ladies instantly quieted.
“I think it’s time to leave, Sonia.” I said as calmly as possible.
She glared at me, the pointed a finger in my face: “You belong to me…and if I can’t have you, no one else can.”
With that she stormed out of the room. We waited until we heard her slam the front door behind her before our heart was put at rest.
“I thought you left?” Barbs asked.
“I did. Then I came back.” I watched her. My earlier attraction had faded.
She managed a small smile, and then touched my face. “My hero. See how crazy my cousin is? I can’t believe she threatened you.”
I moved away from her. There was a lot about her I didn’t know, and it made me uncomfortable.
“What’s wrong?” She asked. Her face was swollen in the places Sonia had hit her.
“Why does Sonia hate you so much?” I asked.
“Sonia hates everyone. It’s her mental condition.”
“Is she really your cousin?” I asked.
“Why all these questions? Am I being interrogated?” She was frowning at me.
“Just answer me,” I said shortly.
She stood. “No. I’m going to take a bath. You can help if you want.”
I stood too, and held her by the arm. “Answer me, Barbs.”
“You are not my boyfriend! I don’t have to answer your questions!” She yelled. “Let go of me!”
“So, who’s your boyfriend? Femi or Chief Odeniran?” The question was out before I knew it.
“You son of a bitch!” She loosened herself from my grip and raised her hand to hit me. I was faster than her and stopped her hand in mid- air.
“The truth is bitter, huh?” I asked sarcastically.
She eyed me furiously. “Well, deal with this truth… Femi is on his way here. I wonder what he’ll think when I tell him what transpired between us.”
I glared at her, and noticed that my heart began to beat a little faster than normal.
“You’re bluffing.” I said.
“Try me.”
I stood, wondering if I was ready to take that risk.

I Hope She Means More To You

Emeka lay there naked, watching his wife’s skinny body rise and fall on him. Her blond straight hair covered her face so he couldn’t read her emotions and he wondered how they had gotten to this point. When did having sex with his wife become more of a chore than a fulfilment of desire? When did her trying not to scream as she came start reminding him about his lover? His lover he had been with for the past six months

His lover never tried to suppress her screams, instead she let out a barrage of explicits that made Emeka know exactly that she was coming and who was making it happen.

‘Wow. Darling, that was really good. I really needed that.’ Lisa said as she fell on him all her energy spent 

‘Did you come darling?’ She raised her head just above Emeka’s hairy chest. Her eyes staring into his suggestively. 

‘Yes, yes I did babes. Thanks for asking.’ Emeka hated this; the need to ask, the please and thank you-s they said before, during and after, but he knew he would rather be polite than go through it again.

Lisa’s head fell back on his chest, her hands played with its hair, her light skin contrasting with his dark one. Emeka thought he should be grateful. This would be the first time they’d had sex in three months. She said it was a treat, he had been a good boy; patient and understanding. So they had pencilled it in the week before, and true to her word it had happened. Not that Emeka cared anymore. There was a time he would have eagerly waited for today, but since his lover he didn’t care anymore.

His lover was the realisation of every thing he thought he was missing being married to Lisa. It wasn’t even the sex that made him think of his lover all the time. He knew it was a cliché, people always said it. He even said it about Lisa once upon a time, but his lover really completed him. They would sit over a glass of wine and talk about everything, the effects of Ebola on a continent they both loved, the fact that Ed Miliband had no charisma but they still believed labour would win the elections, the next position they should try in their book on tantric sex. The one they were both looking for on the day it started.

He was looking for it because Lisa wanted it. Her best friend had told her she needed to read it, told her that reading it with Emeka would take their relationship to the next level. So in a way it was Lisa’s fault that he started the affair. At least that’s what he told himself every time he made love to his lover.

‘I love you Emeka, no matter what happens today I want you to know I love you.’ Emeka didn’t respond to this declaration of love. There was no need for him to, Lisa always did it before she got on a plane. He knew it wasn’t a sudden rush of emotion that overcame her, emotions that would need assurance or validity by him responding.

‘There’s something I need to tell you Emeka, something I planned to do but after what we just did maybe I’m going about it the wrong way. Maybe I should just tackle it head on. Running never solved anyone’s problems. Maybe after I tell you, we’ll be able to resolve…’ 

Emeka would not hear the rest of her sentence and if the truth had to be told he didn’t hear the beginning either. He hardly listened to Lisa anymore, not since he knew listening always resulted in him ending up with him spending money or another errand.  

‘Mummy, daddy, wake up lets go, its holiday time.’ The door to their bedroom suddenly burst open and two excited ten year olds ran towards them, climbed their beds and soon they were jumping on it. 

Emeka saw that look he knew too well on Lisa’s face. That look that said I can never trust you to get anything right. He wondered what he had done to deserve it, then he remembered she told him to lock their door just before they started having sex.
He caught and pulled his twin children Tobi and Tasha to him, kissing them while Lisa got out of bed careful not to expose her naked body. Soon a mad frenzy would take over their house and the fact that Lisa and him had sex that morning would seem an eternity away. Then Emeka’s phone buzzed alerting him to a text message

Lover: Can’t you steal a moment away before you leave? I really need to feel you inside me.

Emeka: I don’t know if it would be possible, I thought you were happy last night.

Lover: I was, darling, but that was until I woke up this morning. Knowing I wouldn’t have you again not for the next two weeks and suddenly I just knew I had to have you again.

Emeka: I don’t know babes, I really don’t know. I’ll try.

Lover: Don’t try, make it happen.

Make it happen! How does she expect him to do it? Emeka thought. He knew he wanted her too. He knew immediately Lisa asked him that morning if he had come, but going to meet her was like looking trouble in the eyes and then opening your hands out to embrace it.

‘Hey darling, I need you to do me a big favour.’ Lisa interrupted Emeka’s thoughts.

‘It’s Yemisi, her car broke down yesterday, so you have to go pick her up and bring her to the house.’ Emeka couldn’t believe what he just heard. Going to pick up Yemisi, Lisa’s best friend was the answer to his prayers. Now he had the perfect excuse to go see his lover.

‘Come on Lisa, we only have four hours to get ready and get to the airport, can’t she take a taxi?’ Emeka knew he couldn’t act eager to leave.

‘I’m not going to ask my best friend to take a taxi after she has gone out of her way to agree to house sit for us. You should be grateful to her, you know if she didn’t volunteer we wouldn’t be going on this holiday in the first place.’ Emeka smiled, he heard every bit of annoyance from Lisa as she said this. Good. He thought, at least when he got back late she wouldn’t be able to accuse him.

On his drive to go pick Yemisi, Emeka thought of that day in the bookshop when he met his lover. He knew who she was, knew her well but they had never gotten along. She invited him for coffee; an offer he accepted reluctantly. As they sat down and talked, they both realised they had a lot in common. Then there was that moment that made Emeka realise his feelings towards her had changed.

‘Do you want my last slice of cake?’ Another cliché Emeka thought, but it’s true what they say, it’s the little things that count. Lisa had never offered him the last of anything, in fact she constantly ate hers and then his.

Then, when their hands touched as he helped her out of his car on her drive way, something kindled in them and soon they were kissing. Kissing like they had been kissing each other forever, kissing as if their lips were carved out for each other. As if, his was always meant to be the lips destined to worship hers. When they had sex later that day, Emeka didn’t feel any guilt, he just felt awakened to the happiness he knew he had been missing out on.

Yemisi opened the door wearing a bright yellow top that along with her jeans, snugly fitted her perfectly shaped ample body. This was something he missed being married to Lisa. Lisa was too skinny for his liking, he had always had a thing for curvier women, women who didn’t feel like they would break while making love.

‘Hi,’ Emeka said trying not to show any feelings, not that it mattered if he did, her back side wouldn’t have known if he was smiling or frowning.

Emeka walked into her apartment. What first hit him was the perfume from the lighted candle — lavender he thought. Then he noticed how clean and tidy the house was. He wasn’t one to claim he loved a clean house but living with two children had a way of changing a man’s needs.

Yemisi turned and handed him a drink, JD and coke, his poison. He took it, but drinking wasn’t on his mind. He grabbed Yemisi by the waist and pulled her into him. Soon their lips found each other and their hands eagerly started to pull at belts, buttons, hooks, anything that was obstructing their skins from being with each other.

‘I just had to have you baby. I just couldn’t bear the thought of you and her having sex for two weeks while I house sit your home. My mind filled with thoughts of you.’

Emeka covered her lips once again as a response and soon he was taking her on a journey that meant so much more to him than the one he had taken earlier with Lisa. When Yemisi came minutes later, he swore he had never heard her come so loud and that made him happy.

‘When will you tell her about us?’ Yemisi asked as they drove to Emeka’s house. They had made love one more time before they left and he had started to panic. He prayed for no traffic or else Lisa would kill him.

‘Yemisi we’ve talked about this before.’

Emeka knew he loved her but he knew he also loved Lisa. She was the mother of his children and he adored his twins. He knew he would never leave them. So he’d planned to tell Lisa everything while they were on holiday. He knew she would get upset. She might throw things at him, probably not talk to him for a while, but he knew she would eventually forgive him and they would work together to rebuild their lives. Maybe, if he played his cards right she might realise it was her fault that he had the affair.

‘I’m home.’ Emeka screamed as he walked through the door.

‘I hope everyone is ready, we’ve got thirty minutes.’ That was when it dawned on Emeka. The silence. The house was quiet, apart from the noise of the faulty fridge, the one he had been meaning to fix for the past three months, there was no other noise in the house.

‘Maybe they’ve gone to the airport already.’ Yemisi said and Emeka thought it could be possible. It was the sort of sensible thing Lisa did, but then he didn’t receive any text or calls from her to say as much. He remembered thinking it was strange all the time he was with Yemisi and on the drive back home, that she hadn’t called.

Emeka called Lisa’s phone and it went straight to voicemail. He left a message, asking where she was and she should call him back. Then he ran up the flight of steps to their bedroom. When he opened the door he couldn’t believe what he saw lying on his bed.

Emeka’s cry rent the air and as Yemisi ran up the stairs as fast as her heels would let her; the screams grew louder.

‘No, nooo. This can’t be happening. Who would do such a thing?

When Yemisi got to the room Emeka was in, Emeka was lying on the floor, his normal calm soft eyes had a mad look of despair in them. He was kneeling down, his eyes staring at what lay on the bed, in his hands he held a piece of paper.

Yemisi walked closely to him and that was when she saw it — the pictures. There were two sets. One set had pictures of Emeka and Lisa’s life together. When they were dating, their wedding, the day the twins were born, dinner and birthday parties and their family christmas picture from last year, the one that had Yemisi in it. She remembered how awkward she felt being in it. There must have been hundreds of pictures of them together.

The other set had three pictures. One with Yemisi and Emeka holding hands, one were they were kissing and the last one of them making love.

Yemisi took the piece of paper from Emeka’s hand as he continued to scream, a smile happily displayed on her face. There was only one sentence written on it;

“I hope she means more to you”

 
By Dike Nsoedo

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dike Nsoedo is an IT Project manager soon to become Property developer. His writing is heavily influenced by the world he sees around him and his writing style has been described as “a continuous flowing streams of consciousness.”
His stories have been published on various e-zines, like the Nukan Niche, the Naked Convos and Naijastories.
He loves nothing more than romantic stories that touch the heart. His one inspiration is God and he is driven to make his pretty daughter proud of him.