Dedicated to  EnyonamAugusta for all her love for this book. Ilysm :)

Song: Sisa — King Promise.

"I really don't want you sleeping in my room." Kofi said. He was inching his way around my blankets and rug, not wanting to touch them.

"I don't want to sleep in your room either. Here's a good idea, take me back home and you can have your room all to yourself. Yes?"

He stared at me. Unamused. "Come on."

"Where to?" I asked, following behind him.

"You heard the doctor's orders."

The mention of food made my heart jump with happiness. I had hoped I would get to prepare it though. I didn't trust other people much when it came to my happiness aka, food.

"What am I having?" I asked, trying to keep up. He was walking too fast.

"The same thing everyone else had."

"Won't it be cold? I don't like cold food."

He stopped and turned around, backing away from me. "Stop getting so close."

I smirked. "Germaphobia?"

"No. I still don't know what you have. It could be contagious so stay away."

I frowned. "You can always send me away."

"For the last time, Elorm, forget that. You're staying here until you die."

"Don't say my name like you know me."

"What?" He asked, his poker face slipping for a second to show confusion.

"Don't say my name like that, Elorm, like you know me or we're friends." I glared at him. I didn't like being treated like I was disgusting.

He folded his arms. "What do you want me to call you then? Annoying bitch?"

"Anything but Elorm," I nodded out of spite.

"Fine, annoying bitch."

If there was anything I hated being called, it was that 'b' word. It oozed disrespect, making me boil with anger. "Take me to the food." This time, I walked ahead of him, even though I didn't know where we were heading.

With a tissue carefully wrapped around his hand, he unceremoniously steered me into a kitchen and from there, into the attached larger room that was the dining room. It was large, with a forty–seater table, and airy. The floor–to–ceiling windows were left open so that a fresh breeze wafted into the room. A chandelier hung from the centre of the roof, although quite unnecessary in the bright morning sun.

"There's no food here. And why is the table set with empty plates and glasses?"

"I assume you know nothing about decor in your village?"

I smiled viciously. "It was just like at the palace. Houses that looked like they could be in a magazine but will never have a homely feel. I always shivered when I passed by the dining room. So pretentious."

He didn't deign to reply.

"Um, the food?"

He turned around and walked out whilst I seated myself at the head of the table. When he came back in, he was closely followed by two servers. One of them placed before me a bowl of oatmeal along with a plate that held sunny–side up eggs, bacon, sausages, and baked beans. The second server simply poured me a glass of orange juice.

I looked at Kofi. "This is disgusting!" I exclaimed.

"What do you mean disgusting? Have you ever had a meal of this calibre?"

I frowned. "Such an English breakfast. Years after freedom and we still act like we're colonised."

"There's no harm in eating foods of different origins. It doesn't mean that we have completely abandoned our local foods. It gives us variety, you don't expect to be eating the same foods every day, now do you?"

I guess that made sense. "But what's with these disgusting half–cooked eggs? Ugh, white people are so weird."

If he wasn't a mask of indifference, he would've been wearing an exasperated scowl. "Get her some scrambled eggs please."

The servers all but bowed and soon enough they came back with a plate of eggs. And they were literally scrambled. I had never eaten eggs like that but oh well, what's the harm? They're fried eggs anyway.

When the platter was set before me, I dug in and ate to my fill. I didn't have to bother about my waist getting bigger or my tummy getting less flat because I had the best metabolism known to man.

"I guess they don't teach you any manners either," he drawled.

I rolled my eyes and finished off the last sausage. I didn't touch the OJ during the meal because I knew that it wasn't good for the body, I see that on television all the time, but I couldn't exactly wait then come and finish the juice later. I just downed it quickly and sat back contentedly, staring at the annoying curly–haired man before me. He was playing with the stone once more. I scowled at him. Apart from Linda, I'd never instantly disliked someone so much.

"What do I do next?" I asked him.

He looked at me, looked at my plate, then back at me. "The others are working out right now."

The sound of exercise made me want to puke. I'd never needed to exercise; I might look fit what with a small waist and wide hips; a lean hourglass figure but I don't think I could survive one minute on a treadmill. I was as unfit as they come.

"You don't look enthusiastic."

"Can I just go back to bed?"

"I really don't want to let you back into my room."

I rolled my eyes.

"You might meet some hot guys at the gym. It's one of the few spots where the male and female prostitutes get to meet."

I eyed him suspiciously. "I thought you said hook–ups amongst the prostitutes was unethical."

"Aye, you're right. I don't want you giving them whatever it is that you have either."

I tried not to show him my middle finger. Emphasis on 'tried.' There was a lull in conversation as I stared at the beautiful birds chirping happily in the morning sunshine. Wherever we were, the sun was less harsh with the heat but shone brightly. It was almost cheerful, if I wasn't stuck in a building surrounded by prostitutes and a judgmental bastard and the scary possibility that I might become a prostitute myself.

"Do you ever wonder what drives a capable grown man to become a prostitute?"

"Devastatingly good looks. Rugged body. More than average sexual organ."

I glared at him. "You could be many things if you had all that. Model, actor, pretty much anything indecent."

"Not everyone who has what it takes makes it."

"Maybe you don't have what it takes. Maybe that's why you're not a prostitute." I was trying to annoy him and it might have worked if he weren't so indifferent about everything.

He managed a chuckle. "I have much more to do than indulge in primitive worldly desires."

"You talk like you're never going to have sex." I told him pointedly.

"If I don't find someone I'm willing to share my soul with, then I guess you're right. Enough about my sex life, tell me about yours."

"W-what?" I stuttered, stunned.

"I'm wondering why a young beautiful woman like you is still pure. When I lived in the United States, all the girls lose theirs in high school and a lot more before. Now I don't know about Ghanaians but..."

"Something like your reasons. Sorry to burst your bubble, but you're not the only man alive who thinks with his brain. My fiancé," I sighed, thinking about Michael. He would think that I stole from him and abandoned him. We never signed the papers for our faux marriage so I would be a single woman come January thirty. "He's the same age as me and he has never been with a woman."

Kofi chuckled. "Maybe he's impotent."

This man made my blood boil. "Funny, I was thinking the same thing about you."

He gave me a bored look. "If you're trying to tempt me to have you on your back, it's not working."

I laughed. I threw my head back and bellowed with laughter. "Like I would want to sleep with you. I don't do shrivelled up sticks."

He managed a small smirk. "You don't do anything at all. Here's a theory, perhaps you're a bore in bed and no one –"

"Even if I were a bore in bed, no one has the pleasure of knowing that. You on the other hand, one look at your microscopic penis and the girls are nuns."

He still had the poker face on, but I could see the irritation in his eyes. "Get up," he ordered.

I ignored him and closed my eyes but soon enough, his tissue covered hand grabbed on to my arm and pulled me up quite unceremoniously, making the headache I was beginning to ignore – because it had settled for a mild throb – flare up.

"Let go of me, you're hurting me."

"Oh, I'm sorry, that's not my intention at all," he said sarcastically. His face was set into an annoyed scowl.

"Where are you taking me?"

"Listen here you insolent little bitch," he threw me against the wall. I collided with the marble wall with an audible thump, successfully crumpling into a pathetic ball of pain on the ground. My head had started up again. "You're in no position to make demands. Be grateful I haven't put an end to you already."

I turned my nose up at him.

He grabbed me again, forcing me onto my feet. With the patience of a speeding bullet, he led me outside the mansion and threw me into a car.

I daren't ask him where he was taking me again. I didn't want to annoy him further. I was scared for my life now. I stared ahead in silence, nestling my throbbing arm. His grip on me was anything but gentle. It turned out that I didn't have to wait for long. In about fifteen minutes, we had arrived at another plush building. This one had a long thick wall fencing the entire place and a gateway. At the top of the archway, 'FAYE POLO CLUB' was impressed.

We were at a polo club. Why was he bringing me to a polo club? I was going to ride horses as a punishment. I laughed and said, "For all this 'I don't care about anything' attitude, you're a real softie."

He ignored me.

"Who's Faye?" I asked, trying again.

He still ignored me. When the car came to a stop, he dragged me out in the same manner. "I think we've already established the fact that I can walk by myself." Even with the feeling of general sickness, I was still trying to be brave. I felt the coiling begin in my stomach. If I couldn't stable myself soon enough, I'd be vomiting now that I'd had food to eat.

We were heading for the horse stables. This much became clear when the stench of horses – and their dung – reached my nose, making my eyes water. He was pretty much dragging me at this point as all my energy was focused on keeping my breakfast down. I was slightly shivering by this time because the wind was getting cooler by the second, even though the sun was a ball of brightness in the sky.

The stables were big enough for the horses to lay down. They could probably even walk around in circles if they were up for it. The horses had stacks of hay and clean water and they looked well groomed.

Before I could ask anything else, he unlocked one of the stables and threw me in. The manhandling was not helping my headache. I groaned in pain and balanced my weight on my arms so that I could look at him. "What the hell?"

"Maybe a few hours with Fluffy and you might gain some common sense."

I choked back a laugh. "Fluffy?"

His scowl lessened and he motioned to the horse with a slight nod of his head. I turned around to see the breath–taking pure white stallion, breathing hard and staring me down. He looked angry, he was sweaty and had an air of haughtiness surrounding him.

"You're going to leave me here with him? What if he kicks or tramples me?"

"Bummer," he shrugged. He began to leave. He must've been really stupid if he expected me to stay. I could easily reach the lock if I reached over the small door.

I clumsily made it to my feet, staring the stallion down. Just as I tore my eyes off it and reached for the sliding lock, the stallion bucked and neighed loudly and even grabbed a mouthful of my hair. I screamed and was immediately knocked to the ground. I scrambled away from the white demon as fast as a could with two hands and legs and rested my back against the stone wall behind me.

Kofi came back and he was laughing. I couldn't help but notice how handsome he looked with a genuine smile on his face, even though it was only as a result of my suffering. "I forgot to warn you. Fluffy can be a handful sometimes." The said horse lowered its head as he affectionately petted it. He looked truly happy for the first time since I had known him.

"It's going to kill me."

"If only you annoy him, or try to escape," he paused, then added. "Or sneeze."

"Sneeze?"

He smiled again. "Just don't sneeze. Or do sneeze. Good riddance." Saying so, he went away whilst I screamed my throat hoarse. He didn't even look back.

Keeping my breakfast down was too much of a struggle in this position. I groaned and pushed myself up, leaning my back against the wall. "Hello Fluffy."

The stallion looked at me, as if wondering why I was talking to him, then he turned his arse to me and made his way to the farthest corner from me.

"Okay then," I replied, ignoring him too. I wondered if I should dare sneeze. I was tempted to, really tempted, but I decided against it. Death by trampling was not epic enough to be deserving of me. I'd always wanted to die on a mountain hike, after I was beautiful and classy even though a grandmother. My husband and I would find our very own cave and wither away slowly, returning to mother nature.

We'd bring along a few models of iPhones and English writings and other things from our century so that when the archaeologists from the future do all their excavations, they'd find our remains and I'd be on display in the museum along with my husband's primitive twenty–first century penis.

The horse had a mess of birthmarks shaped like stars on the lower half of his bottom. He was pawing at the ground and breathing hard, letting off steam. Someone had anger issues, just like his master. They really were the perfect pair. I made my way towards the horse again, trying to see whether the stars were real birthmarks or they were burned onto his skin.

Before I could get too close, the horse kicked with his back leg. I jumped back but not enough as the horse's back leg caught the part of my left leg just above my ankle. My right leg gave out too and I was knocked down and fell hard on my face. Panic flooded me to the point I was nearly delirious. My nose, it was almost like my nightmare.

I managed to push myself halfway up with my hands and rested my weight on both elbows. I touched a hand to my nose and it came back wet. The pain in my nose was excruciating, but there weren't any protruding bones, thank God. My leg was throbbing too.

I rolled myself onto my back and that proved to be a mistake. I puked my guts out. The worst part was that I could see some undigested baked beans and sausages. I turned away in disgust, just as the stupid horse screamed and bucked. He didn't like people vomiting in his personal space, I guessed. Then again, I didn't like people breaking my leg and my nose in one go.

I crawled back against the wall as the stallion huffed angrily. He looked like he wanted to kill me and honestly, I wanted to do the same thing to him. I wasn't really thinking about survival, all I wanted to do was get back at the creature sent from hell. I cupped my hands over the lower half of my face and faked a sneeze.

The stallion lowered his nose to the ground and began pawing again. He looked like he was going to charge. This was a bad time to be on the floor. I put all my weight on my uninjured leg and pushing myself against the wall, I managed to make it to both feet. I stared the horse down as it breathed heavily. If it looked angry before, it was furious now.

I thought desperately. I had to end this horse or it would end me. There was nothing sharp within reach, but there was a thick length of rope I could use to strangle it to death. I didn't see how though. I don't think I'd be able to hold it down feeling so weak and with an injured leg.

The horse ran at me. Without thinking, I flung myself halfway across the stable and into a steaming pile of horse dung. My eyesight blurred as my headache intensified. It was more dangerous than ever now. I didn't think I'd be able to make it to my feet; I was going to vomit again. My nose was still bleeding and worst of all, my left leg was useless as it carried all my weight. At the moment, I don't think I realised that I was sitting on top of it.

I felt too weak to try and move, but the horse was preparing to charge again. It would probably deliver a killing blow to my head if I didn't do something. But what? It's funny that only yesterday, I was fighting with my childish father–in–law to be and today, a horse was trying to kill me. I just stared into the stallion's angry eyes and then, I closed my eyes.

This was a great opportunity for my prince charming to come to the rescue. Though I never needed a prince charming, I didn't see how I could possibly get myself out of this one. When I opened my eyes again, the demon was just staring at me, his nose high in the air. He had gotten over his vendetta apparently. He dropped to a resting position and munched on a little bit of hay. I noticed a bucket of oats at the other corner of the stable and a stack of apples. This horse didn't eat much or he was overfed.

I kept my distance. When I tried to move out of the horse dung, his head shot up sharply, and I abandoned all thoughts to escape. I relaxed to a resting position, even though it was dangerous with a stallion so near. The dung wasn't half as bad if you were inhaling the fumes long enough. It helped settle my stomach and my nose finally stopped bleeding.

The bad thing was that when the adrenaline stopped flowing in my system, I could feel the pain spike. I was seeing things in twos and threes and my head was spinning uncontrollably. It wasn't long until I gave in to the darkness, probably from the fatigue or the pain.

When I was awake again, the stallion was sniffing my face. I nearly jumped away but realised I was too weak to even move. My left leg was swollen, at least my ankle. He had kicked me above the ankle but it was enough to shatter my ankle bone and maybe a bit of the bone above. I'd seen on television how dangerous horse kicks are but I didn't know that it was this dangerous.

The stallion had realised that I was alive, so he huffed in annoyance and went to stand in front of the stone wall where I was at first. It was dark in the stable, and I wasn't sure how many hours had passed since I blacked out, but I felt lightheaded and really weak.

I heard noises. Human voices were getting closer. Finally, Kofi was coming to take me out of here. I was hungry again, but I didn't think that the stallion would be kind enough to share his apples with me.

I blinked to clear my eyes. The stallion was heading for me and I tried with all my might to move so that he wouldn't trample me, whether accidentally or on purpose. I only managed to make my arm twitch. I was that weak.

"Careful Fluffball. You might trample the lady." It was the voice of a man, and it was beautiful and soothing.

The demon must've really liked the man, so it stopped.

"I'll come to you," he said. He unlatched the door to the stable and stepped inside. I watched him with an unsteady gaze whilst he caressed the stupid horse. I watched as he readied it for a ride. He put the reigns or bit or whatever it's called in its mouth and steadied a saddle on its back, then pushed his foot into one of the stirrups and threw his leg over.

The horse bucked once, but not strongly enough to throw him off. He neighed happily at the prospect of a ride, though I couldn't understand why it was happy that some human put all his weight on him and was telling him how fast and where to go.

"I would leave if I were you," the man on the horse told me.

I looked at him, drinking his appearance in. He wasn't as light skinned as a mixed person, but for a black man, he could've been described as having a medium skin tone. His hair was long for a male. It reached his shoulders and was filled with curls. He wore a button up shirt with all the buttons undone, revealing a muscular, hairless chest for the females to gawk at. Brown eyes, thick lashes and eyebrows, full pink lips, he was a beauty.

"I would've if I could've. It won't let me leave."

"He," he corrected. "And I'm taking care of that."

"I couldn't move even if I wanted to," I told him.

His eyes drifted to my swollen ankle. "I wondered why you were resting in a pile of horseshit." He said with an easy grin. I decided that I liked him. "Tell you what, I'll take you inside and prepare a bath for you if you tell me who you are and why you're here."

I nodded. It was too much of an effort. "I'll be back in a bit. This one has been itching for a ride," he caressed the horse again. He rode the horse out as I kept slipping in and out of consciousness. When he came back, the horse was giddy and sweaty. I bristled in fear when it came closer to me. He made some noises by clicking his tongue to his palate whilst guiding the horse's hooves away from my chest.

He jumped down and held out a hand to me. When I didn't take it, he frowned and crouched beside me. My lips were hopelessly chapped and I didn't dare lick them, not wanting to invite horse dung into my system. My nose had taken care of painting the lower half of my face red, I was mildly sweating due to the fever I had developed as I slept. All in all, I looked the picture of death.

"I'm Nathan, but everybody calls me Nate." He gave me that easy grin again. Then he pushed his hands into the dung and wrapped them around my limp body and pulled me to his chest as he made it to his feet.

I couldn't help staring at his sharp jaw from the angle I was at. I'd met some really handsome men these past few weeks and this one was no exception. He didn't look like a prostitute. He was probably the one who took care of the horses.

He placed me on the horse carefully. I struggled to sit upright, because I didn't think I could walk and even though his arms were comfortable, I didn't want to be carried all the way back. It made me feel too helpless. He climbed behind me with surprising dexterity and wrapped his muscular arm around my waist. I leaned into his chest, closing my eyes to get some rest. Even with all the sleeping I'd been doing, I felt sleep deprived.

I see why the ride was necessary. Fluffy seemed less tense and generally happier than before. He certainly didn't look like a murderous psychopathic horse. Slowly, we rode out of the stables and we were soon greeted by the bright moon and thousands of beautiful little stars in the night sky. I couldn't believe that Kofi left me there till nightfall. I was slowly beginning to grasp how cruel this world could be. The movies weren't exaggerating after all.

The polo club was very spacious. There was a meadow where I'm sure the horses grazed and I got to know a little later that it was also a hotel. It was one of the rooms that Nathan had taken me too. He didn't seem to mind getting the sheets stained with horse dung when he put me on a comfortable bed.

"I'll have your bath ready in no time," he told me.

I didn't know whether he had it done in no time like he said. I had succumbed to the darkness again.

* * *

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