Chapter 46

"Say something, Stephen, anything." Violet said in a pleading tone as she turned around to look at him, now backing the mirror.

"I've nothing to say to you, Violet." He stiffly replied, still refusing to look at her as he kept turning pages.

"So, is this how it's gonna be? You are just gonna give me some attitude because I'm going on a date?" She was beginning to get angry too.

"Not just any date, you are going on a date with that scumbag!" He shot, looking at her now with cold eyes.

"Oh don't make it look like it's my fault! You were there and he saw what he did! He was going to humiliate you more if I hadn't yielded!" She defended.

"I wasn't complaining! You should have said no!"

"You are the man; you should have done something!"

"Something?!" He flared now, closing the magazine and flinging it on the bed. "Something like what?! Stop acting like a child, Violet! You are an adult and you should know what you want!"

"Oh well, yes I'm an adult and I know what I want!" She retorted. "What about you? What do you want?! Have you ever told me what you wanted?! No, 'cause your pride keeps getting in the away! Your stupid pride makes you act like you're unfeeling, whereas deep down, you care! You know you do, Stephen! I've seen it in your eyes several times!"

Stephen stood up began angrily to pace the room. "So, what do you want me to do?! What will you have me do?! You think this is easy for me?! Do you think I can go against my superior, especially a ruthless one?! I told you to stop taking his gifts!" He stabbed a finger down at her now. "This is all your fault! All your fault!"

"Oh, you are quick to push blames!" She fired back. "Why are you suddenly so possessive anyway?! Are you jealous?! Why does it even bother you that I'm going out with another man?!"

He stopped pacing now to look at her then sighed, "I just don't want you with him." He said calmly. "That man is bad news!"

"Stephen, you should know that I want to get rid of the colonel as much as you want to do the same, but I can't do it without your help! I can't. I can't say one thing to him while you act another in his presence. If we are to throw him off our backs then we'll need to work together as a team."

"Did you at least lie that we are dating? Did you even insinuate that we have something between us, did you?" He asked.

"God, you have no idea how many times I told him so. I have lied to that man countless times just to dissuade him but he doesn't believe me! He claims that we don't act like it."

"So, what do you want me to do now?" He calmly asked now.

"Just comply with everything I want us to do and we'll pull through this phase just fine." She calmly answered. "Besides, I've just six days left before I leave and return to the club. Can you at least promise to make the rest of my stay worth my while?"

"Yes." He uttered and when she stared at him, surprised at how easy he had obliged, he squatted down in front of her, took her hands in his, stared into her eyes and said, "Let's make a deal."

"What?" She searched his eyes.

"I know that I've really been an awful person to you ever since the first day that you started putting up with me, Violet, but I wasn't joking when I said that I want us to work things out. I want us to join hands in making your last six days here better than every other day you have spent here. I'm willing to loosen up more and show you the other side of me which I've kept locked up for so long... how about that?" He asked.

Tears sprang to Violet's eyes now but she quickly blinked them away before they could escape. "A new beginning it is then." She answered then sniffled.

"Just say anything and I'll do it." He sincerely told her.

"Good...that's all I've always wanted- your support." With her hands still in his, she turned her wrist and stared at her wristwatch. "The time is 7:54 p.m. now. Colonel Anthony should be here any moment from now and this is what I need you to do..." She said then explained her plans to him.

After her explanation, Stephen pursed his lips and sighed. "That will be a bit difficult, you know?"

"Well, you can never know your limits until you keep pushing. Stop letting other men unofficially push you around simply because they are your superiors. I don't want you to act like a soldier now, I'll need you to act like a man in this."

"Right..." He murmured then remained quiet again for some seconds, and when he noticed that she was yet to put on her shoes which she had kept by the wall near the dresser, he took them and slipped each unto her feet then helped buckle them while she watched him, smiling.

"Romantic much?" She said when he was done.

"Very!" He smiled. "And, I didn't mention how very beautiful you look tonight." He complimented.

She beamed. "I have a positive feeling that I'm going to enjoy my last six days here."

"Trust me, you will." He took her hand, rose and helped her to her feet. She put her arms around his shoulders and locked her fingers behind his neck while he held her waist. Slowly, they started to dance in the room, on the spot to no music, but just basking in each other's presence and the moment. A minute later, they heard the horn of a car outside, and after glancing towards the front door, Stephen said, "I think your date is here."

"Yeah..." She reluctantly detached herself from him, hating that this moment had to end so soon.

He left her, fetched her purse from the bed and handed it to her. Then he gently cupped her face and placed a kiss on her forehead. When he pulled away, she opened her eyes and smiled. "You are really starting to make this hoax look real. You do know how to get into role immediately and also keep it real, don't you?"

"Doing my best, lady." He stated and started to follow her out of the bedroom. When they reached the main door, they paused and turned to look at each other with a sigh. "You really can't cancel this date?" He asked, knowing how empty the house would feel in her absence.

"Nah, it's better to have this done with once and for all." She exhaled. "Just don't forget what you are supposed to do, please." She begged.

"Definitely won't forget." He told her and opened the main door after the horn impatiently sounded three more times.

When Violet stepped out of the apartment, she flinched when the glaring headlights hit her eyes then dimmed a bit. They found Col. Anthony waiting for her in front of the apartment, neatly dressed in casuals this time and Stephen reluctantly saluted him. Totally ignoring Stephen, Colonel Anthony smiled in admiration when he saw Violet. "You look angelic!" He complimented, taking her hand and placing a kiss on the back of it.

"Thank you." Violet said with a tight smile and quickly removed her hand from his. "You don't look too bad yourself." She said half-heartedly.

"Thank you. So... shall we?" The Colonel gestured towards the car with a sweep of an arm and Violet noticed that their ride was a car different from the one she had become accustomed to seeing him with. This one was bigger and finer as if he only reserved it for special occasions such as this one and when she saw Nosa through the windshield in the driver's seat, she knew that he was playing the driver for the night. 

As Colonel Anthony led Violet to the car, she glanced back to Stephen who was still standing at attention, and as if on cue, his eyes adjusted to meet hers before she finally looked away. The Colonel who was playing the perfect gentleman, opened the car door for her and closed it after she was in. Then she watched Stephen through the windshield while the Colonel walked around the car got into it and sat down behind Nosa. Once he was in, Nosa slowly reversed, turned into the road and drove away.

When they were gone, Stephen stood at ease now, dropping his arm to his side, then he sat down on the porch and watched the car go until he could see the red taillights no more. With his elbows on his knees, he began to slightly tap the pads of his fingers together, contemplating what Violet had told him earlier in the bedroom. Soon, he got up, walked into his apartment and shut the door. He had to go get ready for what she had told him to do and he knew that he would need a lot of courage to make it successful.

                                                                                      ★★★

Violet sat with Colonel Anthony in the restaurant while Nosa sat several tables away from them to give them their needed privacy. He ordered a drink and began to go through his smartphone to keep himself busy. Colonel Anthony made his order while Violet simply ordered for something light. Before their order arrived, she pulled out her smartphone from her purse and secretly texted the address of the restaurant to Stephen under the table. When she looked up, she found Colonel Anthony practically leering at her.

"What?" She nervously asked as she took a glass of water from the table and took a sip.

"I just can't believe that this is really happening." Colonel Anthony answered. "You know, you and I finally sitting together to talk like two mature adults."

"So, taking a woman out on a date makes you feel mature?" She asked in a mocking tone.

"That's not what I mean, what I really mean is that I'm glad that you finally agreed to go out with me." He said.

"I won't get my hopes high if I were you, Colonel. This is just a date, nothing else." She stated firmly.

"Well, I'll simply say that it's a beginning to something very beautiful, don't you think?" Colonel Anthony answered.

Violet rolled her eyes. "While we await our order, why not make this worth my time. I'm really beginning to get bored." She said and deliberately yawned into a fisted hand.

Colonel Anthony carefully cleared his throat and adjusted a bit in his seat. "So, let's talk about you." He began.

"Trust me when I say that I really have a boring life and I don't want to bore you with the details, so I'd rather we talked about something interesting. Why don't we talk about it instead?" She quickly turned the tables.

"Okay..." He answered, not liking that she was stealing the authority from him by taking charge of the conversation. He didn't like it when women were too forward but he would tolerate this one for now. Even though he already had tonight planned, she was ruining it gradually, but hoping to regain the reins of the conversation soon, he decided that it won't hurt to oblige her for now. "Fine, so what do you want to know about me? Ask anything." He said and just then, the waiter arrived and served their order on the table.

Violet picked her cutleries in both hands now, placed her hands on either side of her plate, then asked, "I heard you were once married, what happened to her?"

They began to eat now.

"Oh!" Col. Anthony said with a mild unpleasant look on his face. This hadn't been what he had expected her to ask but he wasn't too surprised, because he was certain that she was bound to find out one way or the other as long as she was in the barrack. "She's fine... I heard that she is planning to remarry very soon in Imo state."

"I see, you two have any children together?"

"We had one but he died after three months or so. He was a stillbirth."

"Oh, sorry about that." Violet sincerely said.

"It's fine, it happened years ago, I've already put it behind me a long time ago."

"Is that the reason your wife left you?" She asked.

"What do you mean?" He raised a brow.

"Didn't you two part on the grounds of infidelity on your part?" She deliberately pointed out.

"Well..." Col. Anthony hesitated, stuttered. "How about we change the topic?" He quickly suggested.

"Why?" She suppressed the desire to smirk. "Does discussing your infidelity make you so uncomfortable? I thought it was something you were proud of even at the detriment of your former marriage." She pressed.

"I didn't ask you out on a date only to end up discussing my ex-wife." He said coldly.

"So why are we here then?"

"To get to know each other better."

"I think that I already know all that there's to know about you, Tony, and I have come to a conclusion that you are a complete asshole and you are definitely not the kind of man I'd want to end up with." Violet said bluntly.

Colonel Anthony stopped eating now as he glared at her. His fist tightly wrapped around his fork while his jaws twitched a bit. "You know, Violet..." He began slowly, trying not to let her get to him. "... I've come to realize that you deliberately play the bitch just to get to me and make me very upset...but..." He smiled now. "...tonight is a wonderful night and I refuse to let you ruin it."

Violet glared at him. "Perhaps, you should stop chasing after what does not want to be chased."

"I'm a determined man and you are a beautiful woman. Trust me when I say that we'll make such a beautiful couple. I'm not a man known to back down." He said confidently then his eyes slowly ran down to settle in her exposed cleavage. "I have a feeling that you're very fertile and you'll make me plenty babies."

"I'm not a birth machine, Colonel and I'll stop fantasizing if I were you... From the look in your eyes, I can bet that you are already imagining me naked under this gown right now, aren't you?" She huskily asked. Her phone beeped and an SMS appeared on the screen. When she secretly read it under the table, she realized that it was Stephen telling her that he was now outside the restaurant, and she replied him, asking him to come into the restaurant. 

Colonel smiled smugly as he replied her. "I'll like to slowly peel it off your body."

"Oh, so now we have gone from flirting to talking dirty, aren't we?" Violet placed her arms on the edge of the table, leaning forward to look into the Colonel's eyes. "Since, we are openly flirting, talking dirty and imagining things now, do you know what I feel like doing?" She asked in a sultry tone.

"No, do tell." Said the Colonel, already feeling his dick swelling in his pants just from the way she was talking to him. The look in her eyes could send any man groveling at her feet, begging to take her to bed and he had a feeling that tonight might just be his lucky night. 

"I feel like ruining my lipstick right now." She said then slowly licked her upper lip in a seductive manner.