CHAPTER 3

Adjusting his bow tie in front of the mirror, Steven admired himself. Clad in a Classic fit Giorgio Armani designer suit with matching pants and a pair of suede oxford wingtips, Steven knew he looked more than handsome. I mean, he was dressed up to the nines.

After strapping on his million dollar wristwatch, he donned his deodorant, grabbed his phone and walked out of his room. He was all set for the solemnization of holy matrimony between Tammy Manaois, Jhene's cousin and her fiance, Viktor Petrova.

Descending the stairs, he slipped into a Rolls Royce and zoomed off. He wasn't headed directly for the church; he had somewhere else in mind - Alexandra's place. Both had agreed to come as a pair to the ceremony.

After a while of waiting in traffic, Steven pulled up in front of Alexandra's house. After having alighted, he rang the doorbell.

"Good morning Ma'am" Steven greeted as soon as he sighted Alexandra's mom, Naomi Pitts who had come to answer the door

"Alexa's partner or better still, companion?" She queried as she raked her eyes all over him. She couldn't deny the fact that he exuded an aura of affluence.

"Mind telling me the name again? My bad that I've got memory lapses" She said, tilting her body to the left side of the door

"Steven" He smiled

"Oh, Steven. I'll just go get Alexa. She was almost done with her make up the last time I checked up on her" Naomi said and began walking away, but suddenly paused in her tracks

Turning around, she said, "You look dashing by the way" She complimented, a sultry smile following afterwards

"Oh that! Thank you ma'am" Steven managed to smile

Alexandra whipped her head to the door of her room when she heard it crack open. She cocked her head back to facing her mirror when she saw that it was only her mom.

"Steven's here and it wouldn't be nice if you keep him waiting. Run along already"

"I know that. I'm done by the way" Alexandra said standing from the stool.

After carefully adjusting the V neckline of her dress to reveal more cleavage, she checked her butt out. She was endowed and she knew it, appreciated it and hoped Steven was going to appreciate it too. Flipping her hair backwards, she turned to her mom who had been watching her the whole while.

"Just so you know, I heard the compliment you gave Steven. Twas a little too loud"

"So?" Naomi asked, her eyebrows slowly furrowing

"I don't wanna imagine the eyes you gave him after you were done complimenting him. Just look elsewhere. T for thanks"

"What's your point, Alexa?"

"Steven is off limits"

"Last time I checked, you guys ain't even dating"

"Does that matter? I know you Mom, and I'm not gonna fold my hands and watch you include Steven in the list of your conquests, or better still, make him one of your boy toys"

"He doesn't even have eyes for you, so stop this shit you're doing" Naomi rolled her eyes and clicked her tongue

"And I don't give two hoots either. We both know how loose you are; allowing every Tom, Dick and Harry stick their dicks in you. Steven ain't gonna stick his in you; I won't even allow that by the way"

Alexandra smeared gloss on her lips for the last time, smacking both lips together

"Quit being a Desperado, ALEXANDRA Anthony Pitts" Naomi called out Alexandra's full name, laying emphasis on the Alexandra

"That's my full name, ho" Alexandra said, a loud and long hiss following

After checking herself out in the mirror for the last time, she grabbed her clutch bag and shades before sashaying her way out of her room. Her red six inch stilettos clinked on the floor boards as she did, her hips swaying in rhythm with her strides.

"Hey! Come back right here and explain why you called me a hoe, you dimwit!" Naomi said, charging after an Alexandra who was already out the door

"And you kept me waiting" Alexandra said, rolling her eyes and looking anywhere but Steven, hands akimbo

"Seriously Lexa?" Steven chuckled. Lexa was his name for Alexandra.

"It was I who arrived and waited for you. Or have you suddenly forgotten?"

"Just so you know, I came out numerous times but didn't see any sign of your car" Alexandra feigned annoyance

Steven shook his head before replying.

"I'm sorry. I was stuck in traffic" Steven apologized, moving closer and grabbing her left hand which was on her waist.

He caressed the back of her palm with his thumb pad as he struggled to give her puppy dog eyes. Alexandra laughed when she noticed his futile efforts with his eyes.

"Quit trying to give me the puppy dog eyes, Steven. It doesn't look good on you. Anyways, apology accepted. Let's get going so we won't be late"

"Shall we?" Steven opened the car door for her

Alexandra slid into the passenger seat and strapped on her seat belt. Steven turned over to the other side, got behind the wheels and sped off.

•

"You may now kiss the bride" The Priest said as Alexandra and Steven walked inside the church.

"And we came just in time to see this" Steven said as he located seats for himself and Alexandra

Alexandra giggled as she nudged him in the side with her elbow.

"Probably in the next one or two years, you should be standing at an altar just like Viktor," Alexandra said, lowering her butt into the pew.

"Well, well" Steven scratched his hair

"I don't think I'm ready yet. Besides, I don't even have a girlfriend"

"You should get one, Steven. You're not getting any younger"

"I know, right?" Steven sighed

"I've probably not found HER yet" He laid emphasis on the Her.

"And that's because you're not looking in the right way; my way Steven, my way" Alexandra wanted to say, but restrained herself

"Just keep looking and you'll find her soon. I could probably help you search too" Alexandra said instead and Steven turned to look at her, a smile spreading across his lips

"Hey Man" Steven felt a hand on his shoulder and turned around to see who it was.

It was Iphan. Summers stood beside him, all dressed up. After greeting Steven, she went over to where Alexandra sat.

"Yo! What's up?" Steven said, shaking hands with Iphan

"I'm good. When did you arrive? Was searching all over for you"

"Few minutes ago. Was stuck in traffic. Came in when the Priest asked them to kiss"

"Oh!"

"Where's Kane by the way?"

"I'm here" The quartet heard Kane's voice from behind.

"And Jhene?"

"Right here" Jhene appeared from behind Kane.

The ladies exchanged pleasantries while the men did their signature handshakes.

"Your cousin is so damn beautiful. I love her wedding dress" That was Summers

"I know, right? So glad she's finally married" Jhene said and Alexandra felt a part of her sink. Somehow, she wished she was the one in that white dress getting married to Steven.

"Where's Baron?" Iphan asked

"He's not here and won't be coming. He said he'd only come for the reception" Steven replied

"Seems like it's the wedding's over. It's time for the reception" Summers said as she noticed the congregation trooping out of the church.

"Let's get going then" Steven said standing

•

With chandelier lights hanging low from different points in the ceiling and an aggregate of flowers held by strings at strategic points on the wall, the reception venue for the Petrova couple was exquisite. The upper part of the wall as well as the seats were draped in velvet, with ribbons as embellishments.

The Big Four alongside their girlfriends and partners were already seated and were enjoying the speech by the emcee. Ellie Goulding's 'Love Me Like You Do' played at a considerably low volume from the speakers around.

"Hey Man" Steven felt a hand on his and turned to see who it was - Baron.

"You. You've finally arrived. And as usual, you have a lady by your side. One of your friends with benefits, huh?" Steven used 'friends with benefits' to avoid saying 'fuck buddies'

"Maybe" Baron replied absentmindedly as his eyes strayed to the couple that were all lovey dovey in their seats

"Aren't you even gonna introduce her?" Kane asked

"Zelda, babe, meet my friends, Iphan, Kane Steven and their girlfriends" Baron said to his companion who was tapping away on her phone.

She was watching the Petrova wedding ceremony which had already gone viral on the net and was enjoying a million views and still counting.

"Oh! Hello there. I'm Zelda. Zelda Waverly" She introduced herself, flashing a smile, her perfect dentition coming into view

With an exception of Baron, The Big Four and their different companions returned Zelda's smile and exchanged pleasantries as well.

"Babe, I'll be right back. I need to make use of the rest room" Zelda said standing

"Be back in a few" Baron replied

And almost immediately as Zelda left, Steven felt his phone buzz in the pocket of his pants. Adjusting himself in his seat, he pulled his phone out. Ace was calling.

"Excuse me, guys, I'll be right back. I need to answer this" He said as he swiped the answer icon and placed the phone against his ear

"What is it, Ace?"

"Boss, one of our warehouses was raided by some unknown gunmen. Probably a rival gang"

"You said what? Unknown gunmen?"

"Yes boss"

"Fuck!" Steven cussed

"How the heck did they know about the warehouse?"

"I have no idea, Boss. Luckily, three men were gunned down but one of our men, Nick, died in the process"

"Shit!" Steven cussed again

"You know what Ace? I'm currently at a wedding in company of the rest of The Big Four. We'll handle this once we're back. But for now, take charge"

"Righty-ho, boss" Ace hung up

Turning around in annoyance, Steven didn't take cognizance of the steward who was behind him and whose hands carried a stray which held three flutes which were filled halfway with champagne and before the former could say 'Jack', he nudged the steward, causing the flutes to topple over each other, its contents spilling.

In the course of the flutes toppling and the champagne spilling, some of the drinks had drenched a lady who was standing beside the steward.

"Not this happening right now" Steven groaned under his breath

"Darn it!" The woman who was drenched said, with gritted teeth

"Weren't you watching where you..." She was saying but suddenly paused when she saw Steven pull out some dollar notes from his pocket

"Sorry about that young man; my bad. How much did the drink cost again?" Steven reached into the pocket of his pants and pulled out a wad of dollar notes

"Ohm..." The steward stammered, searching his head for a price to tell Steven

"Anyways, never mind. Just have this" Steven stretched out the notes to the steward

"Thank you, Sir" The steward bowed his head as soon as he felt the crispy notes tap his palm

"And I'm really sorry. Pardon me, please" Steven turned to the woman who had been drenched with the drink.

He had already pulled a napkin out from his breast pocket and was about to wipe the drink off her when he suddenly realized where she had been drenched - her cleavage. She was clad in a long black dress which had a plunging neckline.

"Ohm, I...I'm...I" Steven stuttered not sure of what to do

"Go ahead" The lady nodded her head

Still unsure of what her reaction was going to be, Steven reached out and placed the napkin against her cleavage. Moving a little to the left and to the right, he wiped the drink off her breasts as best as he could.

An Alexandra whose eyes had seen when Steven had reached out and placed his hand against the lady's cleavage had shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She suddenly felt bile building up in her throat.

And when Steven hands had lingered on the lady's cleavage in a bid to wipe off the drink, she couldn't take it anymore and quickly dashed out of the hall, leaving her purse on the table and making Kane, Iphan, Summers and Jhene with an exception of Baron wonder what the problem was. Baron, who had seen everything that had happened, knew exactly why she left the table and went after her.

"See? It was that simple" The lady said after Steven was done

"Yeah, right" Steven said, trying so hard not to scratch his hair

"Once again, I'm sorry"

"It's fine. No need for the apologies anymore" The lady said, her hazel eyes meeting Steven's grey ones

"I'm Vandana Larson, by the way. Dana for short" The lady said, stretching her hand out for a handshake

"Steven Chase" Steven said, taking her hand

"Nice meeting you Steven"

"The feeling is mutual Dana"

"Can I call you Dana?" Steven asked afterwards

"Yeah, sure. That's fine by me. Most people prefer to call me Van or Barbie, even after knowing Dana is the short form of my name"

"Barbie? Why Barbie?" Steven suddenly became curious

"Well, that's because I own a doll producing company, Dana's Collection" Vandana batted her eyelashes

"Oh, wow! You produce dolls! That's really nice" Steven said, knowing for sure that she was earning millions.

He knew how high the demand for dolls was in New York City. He suddenly began to wonder why he had never learnt about the company not until now. Well, his question was answered when his subconscious reminded him that he had no kids or a relative that was a toddler.

"And if I'm not wrong, you seemed to be a little upset after you hung up on the call you answered earlier" Vandana interrupted Steven's reverie

"Well, yeah, but not anymore. Just a call which reminded me about an incompetent employee"

"Oh. Talking about incompetence, it's almost everywhere now. In fact, just like you, I just got off a phone call outside before walking back inside and getting slightly drenched. I ordered for a car which was to be delivered to me in a month's time but it's been three months now and I haven't received the car yet. While I was on the call outside, I threatened that I was gonna sue the company to court if they don't find a way to refund my money"

"Oh damn! I'm sorry that happened to you Dana. The company might not actually be legit; you know, it could actually be a scam"

"Yeah, right. Scammers and their never ending games"

"Well, I own a car manufacturing company and if you want, you could try my company. I assure you of competence, one hundred percent"

"Really? What's the name of your company?"

"Chase Motors"

"Chase Motors? I won't lie though, the name kinda rings a bell, but I'm not actually sure"

"Infact, here's my card" Steven stretched out to Vandana his business card which he had just retrieved from the pocket inside his suit

"You could ring the line on the card"

"I sure will" Vandana collected the card, her fingers running over it

"And I hope I can count on you"

"Of course, Chase Motors is very reliable. Hoping to get a call from you soonest"

"Sure thing. I'll get going now, Steven. It was nice meeting you" Vandana stretched out her hand for a handshake

"My pleasure, Dana" Steven said shaking her hand

Outside the reception hall, stood Alexandra, her hands wrapped around herself. Zephyr blew her hair sideways as she tried to convince herself that her mind was just playing games with her.

She couldn't believe what her eyes had seen back there. Yes, Steven was just amending his mistake, but it had gotten her jealous. She wished she was the one in the woman's place, with Steven's hands lingering longer and even doing more.

She didn't care if she was acting like a teen or becoming a desperado, all she knew was that she yearned for Steven and wanted every bit of him for herself. There and then, after cursing the universe for allowing what had happened inside to occur, she swore that she was gonna make Steven hers, no matter what. She wasn't sure how, but she knew she was eventually going to have him all to herself.

As she stood thinking of different ways to make Steven look in her direction, she felt a hand around her shoulder. Whipping her head to the direction the hand came from, her eyes met with Baron.

"Oh, it's just you" She heaved a sigh of relief

"Mm-hmm" Baron hummed

"You suddenly left the hall. Why?" He asked

"Nothing. I just needed some air"

"Are you sure about that?" Baron arched a brow which Alexandra didn't take notice of

"Or course. The temperature inside suddenly went from normal to hot, the more reason I came outside"

"Or rather, what you saw Steven do back there made your insides to go from normal to hot"

"Baron!" Alexandra cocked her head to look at him, a look of disapproval on her face

"There's no need denying it, Alex. Your lips say one thing, but your eyes say another. Just so you know, I can read through you"

"What exactly are you insinuating, Baron?"

"You like Steven, don't you?"

"What are you saying?" Alexandra feigned surprise

"You're in love with Steven, Alex and it's very obvious. There's no use denying it"

"And what if I am?"

"Steven does not have eyes for you, Alex. Quit giving him the green light. Channel that to someone else"

"Someone else? Who else if not Steven?"

"Any other person. Me, for instance. You know, I've always wondered what it is about Steven that makes not only you but other ladies go crazy. Back then in High School, Steven had many females flocking around him and you were one of them, but unfortunately, he was not interested in any of you. It's surprising how you still feel the same way about him even after a couple of years and to think that we attended different colleges and were apart for a while"

"Baron, I don't know how best I can explain it, but there's something distracting about Steven. There's this seductive aura he exudes, it's so tempting, it's so..." She was saying and didn't know when she closed her eyes and started building castles in the air

The next thing she knew was the feeling of something soft against her lips. Quickly opening her eyes, she saw Baron pulling away. Everything just became clear. Baron had just kissed her.

"You know, I'm resisting the urge to slap you" Alexandra's brows creased in annoyance

"You shouldn't do that again" She added and made to leave but Baron grabbed her hand and pulled her back

"Alex, how long are you planning to make me wait? You know how I feel about you, right?"

"Till the cows come home, Baron. I thought we've already concluded this discussion way back before we entered college"

"And what about what we shared in highschool and even during the times before we went to college?"

"Baron, those times weren't valid. If you ever took them seriously, then sorry for you, 'cause I didn't. If we ever had a thing Baron, then it was just a fling and nothing more"

"I'm sorry but you'd have to excuse me now. Steven might be looking for me" She added, freeing her hand from Baron's grip and walking away

"I'd have you, Alex, no matter what it takes. You'd definitely be mine" Baron muttered to himself when she was out of sight