Northern Africa, circa 1949
My first day out of bed was an eventful one. I was alone in the house; Dad had taken a short business trip, taking Henriette along with him, Anna was still away, and William had gone to run errands. Olu, I'd assumed, was at the dig, supervising while Dad was away. I slowly got dressed, and made my way to the piano, which I expected to be covered with a thick layer of dust because I hadn't practiced in so long.
I went to the music room, small and cramped with the old sofa and the ancient piano. I ran my fingers over the keys, smiling briefly at its miraculously beautiful tone, and immediately lifted the lid of the bench to look for sheet music. I stopped, after a few seconds, sensing that something was different. I raised my head, eyeing the top of the piano, finally noticing the vase of exotic flowers sitting there. I stood up and sniffed them, slowly savoring their wonderful fragrance.
I wondered who'd put them there. My father had always been hesitant to put flowers in the house, saying that they only attracted more bees. After a few seconds of guessing, I went back to selecting practice music, deciding that William had put them there to brighten the room for Henriette. She had a fondness for flowers.
I took some time to warm up, playing scales and simple pieces, that I could execute from memory. I must have gotten lost in some reverie, because I almost fell off the bench when I felt a warm pair of heavy hands pressing into my shoulders. I turned around to find Olu standing over me, silently smiling.
'Oh! You startled me... What are you doing here?' I could feel myself getting nervous; my stomach had started fluttering, even after he'd moved his hands away.
'Rain is coming.'
'Is William still away?'
'His mother is ill. He won't be back today.'
'I'm sorry, if the music is disturbing you... I can stop, if you like...'
'No. It's beautiful. Please, continue,' he sat on the sofa.
I resumed my practicing, but I was growing more nervous, feeling Olu's eyes burn into me. My fingers started to tremble, and I began to skip notes here and there. I finally decided to stop playing, telling myself that I would just sit and talk to Olu. I closed the piano lid, and turned to face him.
He sat there, watching me, his dark eyes penetrating and mysterious. His gaze hypnotized me for a few moments.
'We have to resume your French lessons soon,' he broke the silence. The sound of his voice made me quiver inside.
'I know...'
'But I know you've been neglecting your music, so I'm willing to give you more time.'
'Thank you, Olu. I suppose I should practice when you're away, like I used to. Anyway, I don't think that Dad will want me to go on too many more digs, what with me getting sick.'
He just looked at me for a moment, his dark face turning from an unreadable look to an expression of tenderness.
'How are you feeling?'
'Oh... I'm feeling much better, thank you.'
'I had hoped that the flowers would brighten your day. I know that your father doesn't like them in the house... but I wanted to give you a gift...'
I smiled, overwhelmed with a sudden desire to kiss him.
'I'm sure he won't mind them this once,' I turned to sniff them again, trying to hide my blushing face.
'Olivia...'
'Yes?' I turned to face him again.
'It's nothing... I should get back to work,' he stood up suddenly, making my heart sink as he left the room.
I sat at the piano, confused and nervous, wondering if I should try to play again, or just give up for the afternoon. I knew that I wouldn't be able to concentrate on anything else, wondering what it was that Olu had wanted to say to me. I supposed that he felt as awkward about our situation as I was feeling. I didn't know what to say to him, or what to do. I knew that we couldn't go back to the way we had been before, but I didn't know what to do next.
I stood up, deciding to face him, to try to get all the awkwardness over with as quickly as possible. I wondered how he was feeling about it all, and the curiosity would eat me up if I didn't at least try to find out what his thoughts were on the matter. I walked to the study, but he wasn't there, so I turned toward his bedroom, finding the door closed.
I knocked softly, wondering if he'd decided to take a nap. I could hear his voice faintly through the door, telling me to enter.
'Yes?' he asked without turning toward me. He was sitting on the edge of his bed.
'I'm sorry to disturb you, Olu, but I think we need to talk...'
'What is there to talk about?'
'I don't want... I don't want it to be awkward between us, Olu. I want you to know...'
'We'll just forget about it,' he blurted, still facing away from me.
'I can't forget about it. It was wonderful, Olu. I liked it. I want you to know that.'
'I took advantage of you, Olivia. I've been feeling guilty about that. I know that I should never have touched you... you're too young, and your father would never have allowed it if he'd known...'
'Olu,' I walked over to stand in front of him, 'I am a woman, in more ways than one, now...'
'You should go now... I'm tired.'
I pursed my lips, annoyed at his attitude. 'All right.' I moved away from him, slowly closing the door on my way out of his room.
I sat on my bed for a long time, watching the clouds roll in from across the sky, slowly enveloping the sun and covering my room with a cast of gloom. I could smell the rain long before it began to pour, and growing drowsy, I lay across the bed, gradually drifting off to sleep.
I dreamt of Olu, his face hovering above mine, my hands lingering on his squared jaw line. He was touching me, teasingly, his fingers crawling back and forth, up and down my body, making my toes curl and the palms of my hands tingle. I gasped each time his roughly tipped fingers fell upon my skin, feeling an intense sensation of pleasure, even in my teeth. I clenched them together, shivering from the next tantalizing pass of Olu's hands across the curve of my lower back.
I woke up with a start when I felt his full lips and his tongue on my ass, gasping again as he sank his teeth into my cheek.
'Oh!'
My clitoris came to attention, and I bit into my pillow, unable to stay quiet. Olu was kissing and caressing my naked body, massaging my breasts as he nibbled his way up my back.
