THE CEO paced the marble floors of his office, frustration etched across his face. Nathan and a few of his guards stood at attention, waiting for orders. He turned to them, his voice a low growl.
“We have searched everywhere in the building. Where could she be?” He rhetorically asked.
“Boss?” Nathan called, “how about her phone, have you tried it yet?” He asked.
Jeremy sighed.
“Countless times,” he replied, “it is ringing, but she isn’t picking up,” he added.
For almost two hours, they had been on the search for Jasira. Jeremy was so ignorant of her whereabouts, she had told him nothing before leaving the house early in the morning after driving around in her new car and he didn’t bother asking because he felt she must have left for something personal and he didn’t want to poke nose.
But very unlike her, she hadn’t called called to check up nor messaged him, and he became worried hence, asking his guards to begin the search, hoping she wasn’t in any kind of danger.
One of the guards, a burly man with a scar across his cheek, stepped forward.
“Boss, we haven’t checked her house yet.”
The CEO paused, considering this, why the hell did he forget to check there or even think of it?
“You are right. Let’s go.”
The convoy of black SUVs sped through the city, the CEO lost in thought. He had been dating her for months, and yet he realized there was still so much he didn’t know about her. As they pulled up to her house, he felt a strange sense of unease.
They approached the door, and the CEO knocked, his heart pounding. There was no answer. He knocked again, harder this time.
“Boss maybe we should force our way in,” the scarred guard suggested, and Nathan nodded to this.
The CEO nodded, and the guards moved to break down the door. As they did, his mind raced. What if something had happened to her? What if she was in danger?
The door splintered open, and they rushed inside. The house was eerily quiet. They spread out, about to search each room, but they need not go far, for there on the couch lieing down was Jasira.
“Boss, she is here,” Nathan said and Jeremy quickly ran up to her. The floor around was a mess, the broken glasses, the bottle of Whiskey and the liquor spilled on the couch and floor.
“What!” He gasped lowly, “she had been drinking,” he added and scooped her in his arms. The minute he did, she began forcing her eyes open.
“There you are,” he said in a whisper, relief flooding his voice. “I have been looking everywhere for you,” he added.
She looked up at him, her expression unreadable.
“Wha… what are you doing here?” She managed to ask.
He chuckled then headed for the master bedroom upstairs, a guard followed behind instantly.
“I was worried about you,” he replied, ascending the stairs.
The other guards had immediately got down to work, spreading themselves around the house as they had decoded their boss would be in there for some time, having seen him go upstairs. Then Nathan sent for two maids from the mansion to come clean up the mess in the living room.
“What happened?” Jeremy asked, “why are you drunk? What happened?” He repeated.
“Why not another man?” She asked and he pulled up a curious face.
“Why- I don’t get, what are you talking about?” He asked.
She belched and the stench smell of liquor filled his nostrils, he recoiled.
“You really drank a whole deal,” was all he could say.
They got to the room and the guard with them quickly went forward to open the door and they went in, then he closed the door and took a position beside it.
Jeremy carefully laid her on the bed and tucked her to sleep, then sat beside as he watched her sleep like a baby, her breasts rising and falling to the rhythm of her breath.
He took out his phone and the time told him it was half past 5pm, he wasn’t seeing himself going back to the mansion, he was gonna spend the night with her.
His stomach rumbled and immediately, he put a call across to Nathan telling him to tell the maids he had sent for, to fix them dinner, then he dashed into the bathroom for a refreshing bath.
Jasira woke up two hours later, shocked and astonished to see herself on the bed, neatly tucked under the duvet.
She yawned and turned over to behold Jeremy seated on the sofa working on his laptop, her surprise deepened. Her yawning sound made Jeremy look up from his laptop to see that she had woken.
“Finally awake sleeping beauty,” he said, “or should I say, drunken beauty,” he added and chuckled.
She frowned.
“You… was I drunk?” She asked as she sat up.
He laughed.
“You weren’t only drunk, you were mumbling incoherent words, and I was able to deduce some words,” he said and she gasped, her mouth agape.
“Was I?” She asked and he said nothing, but turned back to his laptop.
She sighed deeply, the reason she had drank to stupor came flooding back in her memory in full force, her uncle, the task, manipulating Jeremy, or eliminating him.
“Oh my God! No!” She exclaimed, suddenly forgetting she wasn’t the only one in the room.
Jeremy quickly shot her a look. She noticed him staring and shivered, trying so hard to compose herself.
“Is everything alright Jasira?” Jeremy asked.
Jasira started with a nod.
“E… everything is alright,” she said, her voice so low as though she had spoken in a whisper.
Jeremy shook his head.
“You don’t seem alright to me babe. Are you okay? Are you fine?”
She kept mute, lowering her gaze.
“You know you can always talk to me, I am here to listen and render help if need be,” he insisted.
Jasira sighed.
“I said I’m fine,” and she scrambled out of the bed, and began heading towards the bathroom.
Jeremy watched her as she went.
“What man were you talking about?” He suddenly asked and she stopped in her tracks, then slowly turned to him.
“Man? What man?” She inquired.
“You had talked about a man while I was carrying you up here, you said, why not another man? So, which man is that?” He asked.
Jasira gasped. Oh my! She had said that?
“Ugh, you can’t possibly take the wordings of a drunken woman so serious, it’s just talk,” she replied, forcing a smile and immediately dashing into the bathroom to avoid further enquiry.
She got into the bathroom and went for the sink, staring at her reflection in the mirror, the whole thing flashed through her head at once.
“Ohh gracious me! How am I going to do this?” She lamented as she turned on the tap and began washing her face with water.
***
Three days later saw Jasira at the Lucario’s mansion, at his study to be precised. She had arrived very early in the morning and was seated waiting for him.
The door opened and he entered, grinning from ear to ear.
“Look who we have very early in my study this beautiful morning, I hope all is well?” He asked, a glint of mockery in his speech.
Jasira scoffed.
“I have accepted to carry out the task,” she said.