Forbidden Allure

Chapter 4

“I told you to have your punani pounded hard a long time ago. You wouldn’t be in this situation if there was no unmarred land there to conquer.”

Aleah closed her eyes and squeezed the bridge of her nose. “Not today, Satan,” she grumbled.

She really didn’t need Jessica’s twisted version of I told you so today of all days. Not after only two hours of restless sleep and fighting a migraine hell-bent on making her cry.

But she should have known the moment she made the conference call with her two best friends that this was the direction the conversation was going to go. She loved her friends and couldn’t imagine her life without Jessica and Ivan. Aleah just wished they would say something helpful or soothing right now. She needed comfort, not sass and critique.

“Excuse me. What?” Ivan asked in a choked voice.

“This is not for your ears to hear, Ivan.” Jessica snapped.

“But I’m on the line! How am I not supposed to hear the disgusting words falling out of your mouth?”

“Just close your ears and hum for a few seconds while I remind Aleah that her stubbornness led her to this situation right here.”

Feeling like all the strength had just been sucked out of her, Aleah fell on her back on the bed. She threw the phone next to her and folded her right arm behind her head for support while the left one covered her eyes. She had to adjust a little when the arm on top almost pulled the Bluetooth earpieces out of her ear, although she was tempted to just pull them out so she didn’t have to listen to Jessica talk.

“I don’t think you should gloat so much,” Aleah told Jessica after the girl stopped taunting Ivan. “It’s not exactly praiseworthy to advise your friend to sleep around with every hormonal teenager in school who just discovered what the thing between their legs is supposed to do.”

Jessica huffed as though offended. Her voice even turned sulky. “I did not encourage you to sleep with every boy in school. Besides, did you look at the boys in our school? That wasn’t even tempting. I’m so glad we are done with all that.”

“I was a boy in our school,” Ivan cut in.

“Yes. And I sympathize with you,” Jessica retorted without missing a beat. “Anyway, I never suggested some stupid boy… It just had to be a decent enough guy to punch your V card.”

“And then she was just going to inform her grandfather like… Hey, gramps. So… ya, your plan can’t go through because I’m not pure and untouched, as you blindly believe,” Ivan said sarcastically.

“You would be planning my funeral right now if I said anything like that,” Aleah broke in and shuddered as though she could already imagine the hell that would have broken loose had she done and said such a thing.

It was highly possible that part of the reason Aleah had kept her virginity was for fear of what her grandfather would do to her if he found out she was sleeping around. The other part had to do with the fact that no guy had ever affected her that way. Of course, her friend didn’t understand that.

Aleah could practically hear the eye roll in Jessica’s voice. “You two are so overdramatic. The old man wouldn’t have killed you. If he tried… you simply run away and come to my place. You know this isn’t five-star, but there is always space for you. My dad wouldn’t mind. And let me remind you… you are eighteen, Aleah. You’re an adult and can leave.”

“I actually like that idea,” Ivan said. “For once, Jessica isn’t talking s**t. You could just run away.”

Aleah shook her head, even though no one could see her. “And go where? I know you think we can squeeze into your place, Jessica, but let’s be realistic. Your dad is barely keeping the roof over your heads. We can’t add more stress to his shoulders. And don’t underestimate Charles. He would hunt me down and bring me back kicking and screaming.”

A sigh left her on an exhale, as no one argued with her words. They all knew she was right. “The only option is to disappear on my own. But I have no money and although the idea of marriage turns my stomach and makes me sick, the idea of leaving on the streets and getting gang-r***d sounds far much worse. Even if I thought Tyler would elope with me. I couldn’t do that to him. He just got accepted at the university to study business.”

Her situation was dire when she thought about it, but she didn’t want to drag her boyfriend into it. Tyler and she had been dating for six months now and he was the perfect gentleman. He hadn’t asked for what she wasn’t willing to give. He had even been okay with keeping their relationship a secret. Only Jessica and Ivan knew about it, and none of them particularly liked Tyler. Aleah wasn’t sure why. So, it wasn’t a surprise when she heard Ivan curse under his breath about the “bastard”.

Jessica quickly cleared her throat and asked, “Have you told Tyler about this?”

“No. I only got the news last night, remember?” Aleah answered. She looked out her small bedroom window at the bright morning sunlight. Damn it. She had woken up hoping it was all just a bad dream, but the ugly reality remained. Her grandfather had arranged a marriage for her to Logan Poverly, and she was meeting him today. That last bomb had been delivered the moment she stepped out of her room this morning.

“Why didn’t you call last night?” Ivan’s suspicious tone cut through Aleah’s thoughts.

“Uhm…”

“Aleah? What did you do?” Jessica quickly jumped in upon hearing Aleah’s hesitation.

“Nothing!” Aleah hissed before her eyes darted to the door and she lowered her voice. “I mean… I tried to off the dude, but I got caught and sent home?”

She didn’t need to see their faces to know they would both have wide eyes and gaping mouths. They obviously hadn’t expected that confession.

Of the three of them, Ivan was the quiet, brooding one, but he was also a planner. When they had a problem, he was their man. He planned and executed the plan until the problem went away. His method had worked well for them in school when their biggest worry was an impossible assignment or money for new shoes.

Jessica was the spontaneous one, and on a good day, she behaved like a slut. For Jessica, almost all problems could be solved with a flirtatious smile. Her method of doing things hadn’t worked anywhere except to cut the line at the coffee shop.

Aleah, although she had been friends with them since before they hit puberty, had always been a little hesitant to jump at the drop of a hat. She didn’t plan like Ivan, but she didn’t act on impulse like Jessica either. Except for last night.

“You did what?” Jessica asked incredulously after the long beat.

“I think she just said she tried to… Wait. Who found you?” Ivan’s voice ended in a low, concerned tone.

Her hand came up to rub against her temple, where she could sense a serious migraine starting. “I don’t know. Some man. Probably security detail.”

Silence filled the line for a beat again before Ivan asked cautiously. “And he just let you go? Just like that?”

“Was he handsome?”

Jessica’s question came out of left field, earning her a growl and reprimand from Ivan. “For Pete’s sake, Jessica! Try to think of something other than your insatiable appetite! Aleah could be in real trouble!”

“There is no need to shout in my ear,” Jessica fired back. “And I know she’s in trouble. My question was actually genuine.”

“Really? How so?” Ivan demanded, and Aleah had to agree. She wondered how her friend was going to spin that one.

However, they should have known better. Jessica didn’t hesitate. “Cute guys are kind and understanding, so of course, he would let her go.”

“That is the worst load of bull I ever heard,” Aleah couldn’t help voicing.

Ivan seemed to agree. “Going by that criteria, Logan would be a saint. Isn’t the man handsome like a model?”

“There are exceptions to every rule.”

“No. You are just full of—”

Aleah tuned her best friends out as they bickered, even going off-topic and discussing the latest movie released last week. She waited another minute, but when it was obvious Ivan and Jessica had completely forgotten they were talking about Aleah’s impending arranged marriage, she disconnected the call and flopped back on her bed, staring up at the stained ceiling.

Jessica’s question floated back into her mind. Aleah scoffed and shook her head, but then she paused and thought about it. She hadn’t wanted to admit it to herself, and especially not to her friends. The mysterious man had been handsome in a rugged kind of way, despite the smart clothes he had worn. He had looked like the kind of man who would be at home working hard under the scorching sun but also fit right in behind a desk in an office, giving orders.

There had been an unquestionable strength in his arms when he held her and she could have sworn a flash of recognition had entered his eyes when he first saw her. But that wasn’t possible. Aleah had never met the man before last night. She was certain she would have remembered if she did.

Her reaction to him had been unsettling. Firstly, because she didn’t know the man and second, because she had a boyfriend. Adding to the awkwardness of the situation was the realization that Tyler had never made her feel that way before. If he had, she could probably have let him have his wish a long time ago. He never voiced it, but she knew it was there. His desire to claim her in the most basic way. Aleah wasn’t so interested.

Perhaps she should give it more thought now, she mused, still staring at the ceiling. If maybe she got together with Tyler, then her grandfather’s plan would be ruined. He had mentioned how Jacob Poverly was impressed she had kept herself pure at the age of eighteen, as though it was unheard of. And that Logan would be pleased. Just remembering the words made her gag.

Aleah shot up abruptly and gasped in a lung full of air. Her tiny room swam before her eyes as she tried to regain some calm. The entire situation was sick. She really felt like a heifer being auctioned at the market. Her grandfather might as well have stood next to her and shouted for all the world to hear. “Never been bred before. Good genes. She will produce strong, healthy young ones and lots of milk.”

God damn it! She had to get out of this nightmare.

Unfortunately, whatever plans Aleah was going to come up with to escape her predicament had to wait because twenty minutes after the call with her friends, her mother came to her room and announced she had to get ready for the lunch invitation at the Poverly house.

As though to ensure she looked the part of the sacrificial lamb, Lauren had brought her a new dress for the occasion. Usually, Aleah loved new clothes. Especially the ones that came from a boutique with the tag still attached and smelled unused. This new dress was all of that, but it brought a bad feeling to her stomach and almost made her scream in frustration.

After she got dressed, Aleah stood and looked at herself in horror. The damn thing was white. So white and clean, that she had to blink just to readjust her eyesight to how it almost glowed in the sunlight streaming in through the window. As though that wasn’t enough. The dress had long sleeves, and the skirt reached her ankles.

It was not form-fitting unless she counted the sleeves that wrapped around her arms. Rather, the dress draped over her body like a curtain except for the white belt she secured at her waist to at least demarcate the two halves of her body. The neckline came up all the way to her throat and felt like it was choking her.

She had left the long curls hanging loose around her shoulders and had added a little lip gloss, but there was no way to improve the look. Aleah felt uncomfortable and humiliated to the core. So, by the time they arrived at the Poverly house, her mood was beyond sour. Unfortunately, she couldn’t freely express herself and so had to paste a stiff blank look on her face and keep her eyes low.

“Charles!” she heard a booming male voice call out as soon as they stepped out of the cab. Aleah kept her eyes down on the white gravel beneath her sandals. She wasn’t even curious to see what the monstrosity of a house looked like under the blazing sun. Nor did she have an inkling of interest to meet the Poverly family.

Her grandfather chuckled like a man meeting his best friend, but Aleah wasn’t buying it. Until Charles had announced the marriage, Aleah hadn’t even been aware that the two men knew each other.

For the next few seconds, she listened as Charles asked about the trip before he remembered his manners and introduced them. Lauren was first, and Aleah felt more than heard the stiffness in her mother’s tone as she greeted Jacob Poverly.

“Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Poverly.”

Then it was her turn and there was no way she could keep her eyes to the ground anymore. Aleah lifted her head just as her name slipped out of her grandfather’s lips. Then she froze.

Not because she was face to face with the imposing, distinguished Jacob Poverly. No. What grabbed her attention and froze the air in her lungs was the presence of the mysterious man from last night standing behind Jacob, occupying the space by the door.

As though he couldn’t help it, his eyes landed on her and held her gaze. Instantly, Aleah felt a tremor travel through her body. Dear heaven. She was in trouble.