THE PHOTOGRAPHER 3 --by Rose

(Image source: gettyimages.com)

The Club was almost filled to its capacity. Seduction was a club mainly for the high class; the least amount one could pay as gate fee was usually about 100,000 naira. It was a hideout for many celebrities and politicians. Bode was giving his order to the bartender for himself and his guys. In no time, the bottles of Ciroc and a bottle of Moet was placed before him. The boys had not hung out for a long time so tonight was their night out and they came with girls except Bode. Before leaving with the drinks, he spotted an actress by his right guarded by a bodyguard and he quickly made eye contact. She had taken pictures with him once.  She smiled in recognition and walked closer. "The Artmaster himself! Ba wo ni?" She settled for Yoruba as they exchanged pleasantries. She quickly fixed an appointment with him for her next shoot.

It took him a couple of minutes before he remembered what was tugging his mind; the girl he met at the restaurant. He had forgotten her name, thanks to the busy life! She hadn't still called him. That was weird, girls liked him and he expected her to call immediately. Well, maybe she wasn't cut out for a man like him. There was just something different about the girl; that peace around her, pure serenity and she was beautiful in a certain way. He was a photographer who had seen half of the world, he had seen beautiful women in their different shades but this one was a rare kind of beauty, it wasn't forced nor faked, and unlike him he actually fantasized her being his wife! Crazy! He thought. He liked women and women loved him. He was a renowned player back then in school. He didn't just like the idea of one woman. As for this one, there was something different in her,  he had to find her.  He was ready for the chase.

"Artmaster!" his friends cheered as he appeared with the drinks. He took a seat at the table with his guys, it had been a while they gathered. "Tony, howfa your wife?" Bode asked and the other two burst out laughing. "You dey fyn trouble abi. At least me I don marry. Wetin una dey wait for?" Tony teased back. Bode shook his head. Tony had been in such a rush to get married to a virgin but he discovered that his wife lied and was far from one. "I love my babies bad and real no fakin," Odion, the other guy added. The rest agreed, though they knew Tolu, his girlfriend was a bona fide hypocrite. "So Artmaster what's with you, any new chick?" Tony asked. "No, that question is wrong," Odion pointed out. "You should have asked, is she black, Asian, Hispanic, busty, short...?" Damn! That was some diss. Bode smiled at his mischievous friends. They were all the same; a bunch of players. "Well, e get one babe I meet o, buh she no wan gree. I for wan marry am." His friends laughed so hard he almost felt embarrassed, though he expected it. Bode was the worst player any girl could have the misfortune of marrying. Back in the days, Bode had obtained the courage to woo a female lecturer and lay her. He understood why they laughed. "Guys calm down, I serious." His friends were far from calming.  "Bode is in love," Odion mocked in a female voice.

Some minutes into their conversation, Bode’s phone rang. "I gotta take this, guys," he excused himself. "Hello ....darling" a seductive feminine voice spoke from the other end. "Hello, I’m speaking with?" Bode replied, trying to place the caller. "Don't you remember me? Uhmmm Nadine, the girl you met at the eatery?" Geez! It was her, he thought. "Oh baby I have been waiting for this call, baby where are you?" "Don't get me wrong, I’m not Udeme, I’m her friend. She asked me to deliver her message. She has a fiancé and they are getting married in two weeks so don't bother looking for her." He swallowed hard, "but she didn't tell me anything about that." Nadine took her time to explain that the guy, Duncan who was also present was in fact Udy's man. Bode expressed his disappointment and got off the line.

Maybe God was punishing him for all the hearts he broke, how could fate be so cruel? He had just tripped for an engaged woman and it was gonna be difficult for him to force her out of his mind. He remembered her large eyeballs, big and light brown, and her smooth and brown skin that shone through the flimsy shirt she wore that day. He was so stupid, he almost kissed her and her man was standing there and she didn't say anything. It all came back to him slowly; he remembered how possessive the man had acted. He had no clue and he made himself vulnerable by expressing his feelings, something he had never told a woman sincerely except to warm her bed, but that day, "I love you" was from his heart. Maybe it was love at first sight or infatuation but for once in his life, he felt hurt and vulnerable. She was getting married in two weeks!

Well, he needed something to distract him. Her friend Nadie was very sexy as hell, as he could recall and he could run things with her but tonight, he was getting wasted and with a pretty celebrity.