Chapter 2 TWO

One economy class ticket and a dream was all Lolia had when she entered the airplane bound for the USA. The land of fucking dreams where the oxygen was filled with so much hope you could do nothing but dream of a better life just sniffing it in. The American oxygen of possibility was intoxicating especially mixed with the Nigerian heart of perseverance and wisdom. It was a recipe for success.

Lolia groaned as she let the liquid of the eye drop splash into her eyes. She needed this to protect her weak eyes from the sun's hurting rays. It was one of the cons of albinism. Once both eyes had obtained a dose of the eye drops she proceeded to cover her skin with sunscreen. Today was Friday and on Friday afternoon she spent time by the pool with Eric playing chess and conversing about their days. These days however their Friday meetings were mostly quiet because there was simply nothing to talk about anymore.

Eric spent most of his days indoors because of his condition while Lolia did the same because she was taking care of him. He had nurses but she could not bring herself to leave him alone. She owed him so much thus taking care of him and loving him was the only way she could show her gratitude. He had too much money to count.

You are slowly letting your life slip away. Kachi had said in one of their conversations. Lolia had dismissed Kachi immediately assuring her that she enjoyed spending time with Eric. It was not a lie but it was also not true. As much as she would dislike agreeing with Kachi sometimes she felt like life was passing her by and she was just fading away without tasting it.

Eric's face spread into a wide smile once Lolia emerged from behind him. She was the only thing that brought him joy these days when he was practically bedridden with ailments and his children chose to boycott him. He thought things would change after his birthday two months ago. Nik had come to the house after almost a year of not seeing his oldest son, Lolia had managed to make Nik come over and made that day a memorable birthday. Rick and Anitta called from time to time but Nik never called nor visited.

"Are you ready to lose?" Lolia asked with a big smile playing across her face. Her curly golden hair was packed on the top of her head in a neat bun and her baby hairs were laid to perfection. Her blue eyes were forced into a squint because of the sun and her skin condition.

"No!" Eric replied, "I am winning as usual."

Lolia rolled her eyes. She always lost to Eric. Her winning sprees were sparing and almost nonexistent. As they began the games Liza came to them with a tray of cool orange juice and puff puff, pastry.

"Nigerian dough balls." Eric chimed "My favorite." Lolia had told him the name but in his own words his accent would butcher the pronunciation instead, he went through the hassle of calling it 'Nigerian dough balls'. He never really liked to stress himself with the pronunciations of Nigerian words and terms. He even butchered the pronunciation of her name, so he gave up early and shortened it to Lia, "sweet and simple" he had said.

Lolia gave a cheeky smile as her manicured pale blue fingers used her queen to kick Eric's bishop out of the game. Eric nodded impressed. He made a hissing sound as he scratched his close to skin white beard examining the board with a devil's eye. He smiled as he picked up his knight and took out Lolia's bishop. She frowned at this point she had no pawns, one knight, her Queen, and King. She would lose again.

Eric reached for his fork and stabbed two pieces of the round, golden brown pastry. "Don't have too many now." Lolia reminded. He was always stubborn with his eating habits. "Your diet!" This is why Lolia had to be at home taking care of him.

Although ALS did not have a cure, with the right diet and proper medication it could be managed. Eric was already at a point were he did not walk much, his legs gave way quick so he used a cane for support. The doctor had advised a wheelchair to be used sometimes especially around the house but Eric was stubborn.

"I know." He grumbled with his mouth full. Lolia laugh and picked up a paper towel from the tray. She proceeded to cleaning of the gleam of oil from his lips before she kissed him. It was supposed to be a simple kiss but Eric deepened it. Lolia was not complaining about this. The distance between them soon began to annoy her so she stood up from her pool chair and climbed over Eric, straddling him.

"You are not hurting are you?" She asked just to make sure. She would not ignore his pain just because of her primal desires.

"No." Eric replied capturing her lips with his. She tasted just as sweet as ever. He was already hardened for her and Lolia could feel it. She grinded her clad core on his growing hard member. She was so grateful for this rise. She went to his buttons and began to undo them. She could barely recognize herself but it was raw evidence of how much she needed this. She was so bloody starved.

"Wait." Eric muttered. "Here?"

"Mhmm." Lolia replied kissing him again. The older man she had married did not care where they were once upon a time. Once she freed his shaft she pushed her tong aside and sat on him throwing her head back at the pleasant feel of the intrusion. She began to ride him.

At this point she had no idea why she hoped for any satisfaction from Eric anymore. Most times if his shaft was not getting hard he came in two munites or less. This was one of those two munites times.

"I'm coming." Eric whispered into her ears.

"What?" Lolia could not believe her ears. He had to be joking. However when she felt his body begin to vibrate and his seed pour into her she knew that indeed Eric was not joking.

No! No! She cried within, never to Eric's ears. She did not want him to ever feel bad for being unable to pleasure her so she did what she usually did, fake her orgasm.

"Oh yes!" She cried adding a vibration just for vigor. At this point she deserves an Oscar or an Emmy since this was becoming a natural occurrence. Just to seal the deal she kissed his lips again faking a pant she did not feel.

Intimate sessions with Eric despite the large age gap had never always been this bad. In fact Lolia once a enjoyed them to a certain extent. When she met Eric she was a twenty two year old book nerd in her third year at Business school. Taye and Kachi where the only reason she truly tried to have fun. Kachi was a party animal and Taye back then was the same but a little more reserved that Kachi. Taye loved to dance like she had no care in the world thus clubbing on Friday night was natural to them even though Lolia went sparingly, she joined on this particular day, the day she had met Eric.

She had worn a silver dress with a low back. Her favorite part of the dress was the way it's short, thigh lent A line skirt flowed with her when she danced. Eric had been sitting in a boot at the VIP section with his friends who were all within his age bracket. The girls had noticed that he would not take his eyes of them. Taye and Lolia swore he was looking at Kachi. Kachi was the prettiest and sexiest among them, with carob brown skin and a body to die for. Girls went under the knife to get what God had so freely given Kachi. She had the body of the gods, she knew it and she was not humble about it around these men.

It would also make sense If it was Taye. She was tall and slim, similar build to a model. In fact she should be a model, but Taye was more interested in the business of making people look good, not strutting a run way.

"He is older." Taye muttered to Kachi.

"He is hot as hell never the less." Kachi chimed. "What do you think Lo."

Lolia had shrugged. Yes he was attractive but he looked like he was probably older or the same age with her dad. Lolia had not been in much relationships she had too much on her plate for that. She had her books here in America and her sick father in Nigeria to think about. Men and their drama could wait. As much as the age was a point for some worry, the major issue was that men his age were usually already married. She could not be that girl that ruined another woman's marriage, her conscience would not let her.

"We'll don't look now he is coming over." Kachi stated.

"Hello." Eric said. His voice deep, yet packed a kindness to it. Lolia did not reply instead she turned around looking for Kachi and Taye for support or a save. The two she goats were already on the other side of the club. Taye mouthed a sorry, but Kachi, the wench she gave a cheeky smile and waved with her fingers.

"Hi." Lolia replied turning around to meet Eric's face once again. He was in a dark blue suit that fit his large frame perfectly. Up close he was even hotter but she still was not interested especially when the possibility of him being married hung over her head.

"My name is Eric." He stated "Eric Larsen." She frowned because the name was farmiliar. She has heard it somewhere. Later on she found out that she had heard the name because she had applied to LarDon Enterprises for the position of an accounts intern. Eric Larsen was CEO of LarDon.

***

Once upon a time today 20th of June, meant nothing. It was just another day for Nikolia and his siblings but on this day two years ago, their mother had kicked the bucket. Cancer had slowly eaten her up while their father had pushed her to a quicker grave with a nasty divorce that left her nothing and remarried barely months after to his side thing many years younger than he was.

The name Dahlia Donatelli-Larsen was engraved into the grey marble tombstone with the year 1972 - 2020 engraved below. The epitaph had been a simple one which Nikolia chose.

Gone but never to be forgotten.

Anitta who was standing by the left of Nik snaked her hand into his and rested her head on his fore arm.

"She is resting." Rick sighed

Nik did not believe that. He did not believe that his mother was resting. In fact he knew she was not. One detail about his mother that Nikolia could never forget was the fact that whenever any of them, her children where sick or unable to sleep, she never went to bed.

Once during Thanksgiving Rick has stuffed himself with so much food that he threw up multiple times through the night, Dahlia has stayed awake. When Anitta was down with chicken pox, Dahlia remained awake. When Nik had insomnia because he feared failing a test, Dahlia had stayed awake with him and they played chess.

Nik's lips upturned into a small smile as he remembered his mothers eyelids fluttering shut and how she opened them abruptly just so she could keep awake.

This is how he knew he was not resting because he could not rest not sleep. For the past two years nightmares had become part and parcel of his sleep. Sometimes it was Lolia holding a knife and butchering his organs. Other times it was the other way round, he was the killer and she was the victim.

The latter dream brought two feelings to his heart content and fear. Content because he had finally exacted revenge for his mother and fear because as memories of that dream played in his head, he failed to recognise who he was.

For two years the hate had kept him going. The hate that he feared was slowly turning lethal because despite being terrified by what he portrayed in him dreams he wanted Lolia to suffer.

"No!" Nikolia stated. It was a reply to Ricks insinuation. Their mother did not want peace, "she wants vengeance."

Rick and Anitta looked up at Nik like some unrecognizable creature. Maybe he was unrecognizable, hate had changed him.

***

Lolia made her way out of Eric's bedroom. They had separate bedrooms now because sometimes he had to be hooked to a drip. It broke her heart to see him like this. The man who had saved her ailing father but she could not save him.

"Is he asleep?" Sarah Eric's home nurse asked. She was a small middle aged South Asian American woman.

"Yes." Lolia replied with a smile. "He wanted to stay awake but I managed to convince him that rest was important." Her phone rang and she excused herself as she pulled it out of her maxi dress' pocket. It was a FaceTime call from Kachi and Taye.

Last anyone heard of the essentric Kachi she was partying in Dubai with a rich as sponsor ready to spoil her. Kachi only dated rich men but just like Lolia she ran far away from married men. She said it was way too much drama and she could not deal with an angry wife not because she was afraid but because she did not want to go to jail for murder.

"Hey girl." Kachi chimed from the back of an Uber. Taye was still yet to pick up the call. She was probably busy with a client.

"Hello." Lolia replied making her way to her room. It was directly opposite Eric's and the second biggest room in the house. "How was Dubai?"

"Good." Kachi replied.

"And your anonymous sponsor?" Lolia asked. She was in her room now. She dropped into the bed as she listened to Kachi ramble on about how bad in bed her sponsor had been. Lolia laughed at Kachi's predicament mostly because it was ironic that she was going through the same fate.

"Don't laugh it's not like you are enjoying orgasm after orgasm." Kachi attacked resting her head on the car seat. The cab driver looked up at her with a smile. He was listening in on their conversation. Kachi returned the smile before she turned her attention back to Lolia.

"Who are you smiling at?" Lolia asked

"No one." Kachi replied "The cab driver."

"Ooh." Lolia sat up immediately. "Is he cute?"

Kachi looked up at the cab driver. He was a mocha skinned man with sharp features. His hair was curly and light brown almost red underneath the sun.

"Very." Kachi replied, her eyes were still on the cab guy.

"I know that look." Kachi was interested or just borderline horny. Either way Kachi wanted him and she usually got what she wanted.

"Speaking of orgasms you should come out tonight." She continued "Let's go clubbing, like old times."

Lolia was already shaking her head in refusal.

"I will not take no for an answer you always in the house bitch." Kachi flared playfully. "The last time you got dressed and danced was still within that house and through it all you were still taking care of Eric and dealing with his ungrateful ass kids."

"I am not complaining." Lolia insisted.

"Or you know you are." Kachi stated. It was a reminder that once upon a time during one of the few movie nights the girls had at Kachi's apartment, Lolia had gotten tipsy and bared all her pain to the girls. They were in the middle of watching A walk to remember with tears in their eyes when. Lolia began to bare out her entire soul, all the bottled up pain. Exposing that she hated her life and the choices she had made.

"C'mon." Kachi insisted "It will be fun."

Lolia sighed. Kachi was right staying in doors was adding to the already building up depression. "Argh" She exclaimed, a small smirk following after. "Fine."

"Yes!" Kachi punched the air. "So Taye is nowhere to be found, so we are on our own tonight."

***

The coloured lights within the club pointed in different directions. Nikolia undid the single button of his grey suit jacket as he dropped into the soft black seats of the booth James, a friend of his from University had reserved for them.

James has been chasing a major merger for his company. This merger was so important to him that for weeks before the deal was closed that was all he spoke about.

Nikolia hardly went to clubs to party and dance. The only club that fit his interests was Sensitive an exclusive sex club of which belonged to his cousin Dario. This sex club had belonged to the Donatelli's, his mother's family for years. Rik frequented the club but Nikolia had not gone for a while.

"To James, the handsome bastard for another big win." Rick announced holding up his glass of whisky.

"To James." The group cheered.

"You need to chill man." Nik looked up at Rik. He had been answering a business related text and Rick knew this. After his mother's death and the field between them and their father Nik drowned himself in work. It was his copping mechanism to work both his grief and his anger.

"You can not be working at the club." Rick cautioned. "It's a fucking crime."

Nik smiled at his younger brothers' protest. He was right nevertheless, so Nik listened and stuffed his phone into his jacket's inner pocket.

"Good." Rik said bopping his head to the music. "Now lets enjoy the night."

Nik watched the dancefloor with a glass of liquor in hand. Sweaty bodies molded against each other in an unsynchronised rhythm. The music flooded the club, it's tantalizing beats taking over. Asides from the music, the women also pulled attention.

"Who the hell is that?" Marcus asked, he was James co-worker. Nik did not like him very much and from their conversation neither did James but Marcus had a knack for always wanting to be around. He was like an ingrown hair you could not pull out.

James and Nik turned their attention to the dance floor at the person Marcus pointed at. She was dark skinned woman with the body of an hour glass. Nik could not make out her face but he was sure every man in the room had their eyes on her. He turned his attention to the lady beside her.

Her skin was the colour of eggshells, her red curly hair clashed with her skin making her all the more alluring. She did not have the perfectly sculpted curves her friend had but her body was just as beautiful.

Nik continued to stare as her bare waist twisted to music. She was dressed in a dark blue skirt and a matching cropped blouse leaving her flat stomach open. She flipped her hair and Nik caught a faint glimpse that made him feel that there was something familiar about her.

"Hey." Rik came rushing up to them. He had absconded to the dancefloor with some blonde girl with fake tits and an even faker ass. "It looks like step mummy is here."

Although Rick and Anitta disliked Lolia, Nik's hate for her had crossed into a path that scared even Nik himself. It had gone from being unable to stand her to point of feeling rage just at the thought of her name. The fact that she existed was slowly turning him into a psychopath. He wanted nothing more than to see her burn.

Nik followed Rick's direction and his eyes landed ironically on the same eggshell coloured lady with red hair. His eyes narrowed into slits as he began to see red, blood red once he recognised that the woman he had been ogling at was Lolia.

The woman who had ruined his family and made his mother's last days on earth hell. Try as he may he could not bring himself to forgive her. She did not deserve his forgiveness. This was his chance to enact his mother's vengeance.

"Rick." He muttered grabbing his brother's shoulder. "I am going to need you to distract the friend."

Rick narrowed his eyes at Nik. "Why?"

"Just do it." Nik probed

Rick shrugged as he jumped up from the seat. He doubted Kachi would talk to him considering their very clandestine history which he was sure that even her friends were clueless off, just as Nik. Once Rick came up to them Kachi chimed his name and jumped on him. She was drunk, now that was the only way she would acknowledge him in public.

"Rick, Hello." Lolia greeted. She seemed a lot more sober than her friend.

"Mind if I borrow her for a minute?" Rick asked.

"No she does not." Kachi threw in before Lolia had the chance to speak.

"Are you sure girl?" Lolia asked she did not care if Rick could hear.

"Yes." Kachi muttered. Then she whispered in Lolia's ears. "Your step sons wand is magic."

Lolia's eyes widened and she let out a chuckle as she watched Rick and Kachi walk away from her. She did not need more information than Kachi attesting to Rick's magical wand to let her know that they had been intimate. Kachi and Rick did not make sense. Rick was younger than her and despite the fact that he was on the Lolia hate train he seemed like such a sweet soul. Kachi was going to ruin him.

Now alone in the club Lolia made her way to the bar. She needed a drink or two and maybe after that she would go home.

Home?

The house she shared with Eric has begun to stop feeling like home, that is if it ever felt like it.

Don't be ungrateful! That voice, the same voice that had urged her to accept Eric's proposal when she did not want to. It was the same voice that reminded her that she owed Eric too much to leave him now.

"Here." The bar tender placed a martini before her.

Lolia frowned. "I did not order yet."

"He ordered it." The bartender pointed towards the left. Lolia's eyes widened when she saw Nik standing a few seats away from her. He rested his right elbow on the bat while the same hand nursed a glass of brown liquor. He stared at her with a blank gaze. Although the usual tint of irritation and disdain was absent his stare was not warm, not welcoming. He rose his drink and nodded before he turned away to give his attention to a petite umber skinned girl with waist length goddess braids.

She could not believe that Nik, Nikolia Larsen. Her husbands evil son who hated her like she was some sort of plague had bought her a drink. There had to be a catch and she was going to find out what it was. Picking up the glass of martini she made her way to Nikolia.

"Is this a truce?" Lolia called from behind Nik, bringing an abrupt end to his conversation with the umber skinned girl.

Once upon a time Lolia wished she looked like her, wished she looked like every normal black girl but that insecurity was long gone. Her egg shell skin, bright blue eyes and silvery gold hair went perfectly well with her slim curvy frame.

Nik turned around slowly. The farmilar glare filled with disdain sparked on his features for a minute, but they were gone as soon as it came and replaced with a smug look of indifference.

"No it's a martini." He replied leaning on the counter.

Lolia rolled her eyes. "You are very funny?"

Nik looked everywhere but her before he poured down every drop of liquor in his cup. He frowned as he dropped the cup back on the counter and called to the bartender for a refill.

"You need to be drunk to hold a conversation with me." Lolia asked with raised brows. He was being a little extra if you asked her.

Nik was quite, he started at her again and just like before he struggled to hide his hate. He would have done good if she did not catch him in those quick almost invisible seconds when his mask slipped.

"Fuck this!" Lolia exclaimed "I don't know why I even bother." She turned to leave.

Lolia was taken aback when she felt a strong hand grab her left fore arm and pull her back. Using her palms to control the impact they landed on Nikolia's chest. The action had both stunned her and scared her. Nikolia had never touched her, not a hug not a hand shake. Her heart beat twice as fast as she looked up at him, angry brown eyes that both terrified and...there was another feeling, one she was ashamed to accept.

"It's a fucking truce." Nik replied looking down at her. Her pale blue eyes bored into his soul. "Peace offering." His hand still held her forearm so he pushed her away as gently as he could and released her arm. "Please don't reject."

Lolia nodded taking the martini she took a large gulp. Nikolia smiled at this. It was not a friendly smile, more of a mischievous leer. Tonight you get your revenge mother. He thought as he took a sip of his drink.