On my terms
Nothing had made Demelza’s day better in a long while than knowing she had just put Nathan in a tight corner. The video was a blessing and she had Katherine to thank for this edge.
A ladies night would be perfect for that on a day she had no work to do. First, she had to meet Nathan at the coffee shop as he had requested. She opened up her wardrobe, and went through her clothings. It wasn’t anything serious she was going for, so she picked up a black jean neatly folded in two. The jean was a baggy one, but it fit properly to her shape whenever she wore it.
Convinced with her pick, the top was the next item for her to choose. One by one, she brought a few, placed them on her upper body and faced a mirror to see how she looked. A red crop top seemed to be her final choice, as she smiled lightly in approval after one glance at the mirror.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.
In ten minutes, she was done with dress-up, and was ready to leave. Her eyes cut across to the part of the wall where she kept other accessories. She needed an extra touch to her look, and she found it. Her hair was packed in a rough bun, so a little covering wouldn’t be so bad. She walked up to the black cap hanging amongst others, pressed it onto her head and stared at the mirror again. A perfect fit. She made her way out of the door.
The coffee shop which Nathan had requested for the meet wasn’t far from Demelza. The weather was mild too, with only a few people walking the lane. She decided to walk the distance, as she wasn’t in a hurry and just in case he was yet to reach the cafe.
She felt her phone ring. She took it out from her front pocket to see the caller. It was Nathan. She silenced the phone and dipped it back into her pocket. It was a sign he was there, but sadly, he had to wait. She kept walking. It wasn’t far ahead anymore and if she wanted to count her steps, she wouldn’t get to a hundred before she arrived.
Coffee Bar, the building right in front of her, was a popular sit out for regulars mostly in the morning and fewer people in the evenings. She loved their coffee, and always preferred how they served it with side dishes like Chicken and fries. The thought made her salivate.
It wasn’t hard to locate Nathan’s position as she walked through the open glass doors.
“Hello,” she greeted the stationed door-man who held the door ajar for her.
“Welcome, ma,” he had responded with a nod.
Demelza marched directly to Nathan’s seat, her hands clutched to her purse. He sat up when he saw her coming, and adjusted to create room for her close to him.
She didn’t take his offer, and rather chose to sit opposite him. He looked like he had words to spill, but waited till she sat down before he started.
“What’s the meaning of what you sent to me? Where the hell did you get it from? What the fu…” Nathn tried to query further.
“Nathan. Please.” she called out to cut him short. “I just got here and entertaining myself with these questions isn’t the right thing to do. At least you could be a gentleman and offer me a drink.”
“A drink?” he asked, overly surprised at how she shushed him only to request a drink.
“Yes a drink, and I think it’ll be to both our favors if you treat me nicely while I’m still here.” Demelza replied, adding a tone of superiority to her words.
“Fine. What do you want, Demelza?” He threw a direct question at her.
“For what exactly. Because right now, I want some fries, chicken and a cup of expresso.” she folded her hands and sat back to take in his reaction. Then she continued, “for what I’ll need for the other case, I’ll let you know after I eat. I’m quite hungry right now.”
Nathan could decipher at once that she was serious and signaled a waiter to come. When the waiter was close enough to listen, he asked Demelza to make her order.
“I’ll have a plate of chicken and chips. Then get me your finest cup of expresso.” Demelza ordered to the hearing of the waiter as he took notes.
“Is that all, ma’am,” He asked.
“Yes, that’s good for me.” Demelza responded, her eyes fixed at Nathan, expecting him to say something.
“What about you sir?” the waiter directed at Nathan. “Would you like anything?”
“Oh no, please. Maybe just a cup of coffee, though. Yeah, I’ll have that one.” Nathan finally resorted.
“Alright. Be back in no time, please.”
The waiter left, leaving trail of silent stares between Nathan and Demelza. Nathan had a lot of questions on his mind, but Demelza kept a composure that showed she wasn’t ready to start a conversation. Her eyes would go to the counter side to check how the order was coming up, then a glance at the purse on her laps, which carried her phone before she rested them on him.
“You seem quite hungry. At this rate, you could devor the incoming meal.” Nathan made a sour attempt to clear the tension between them.
She turned her focus to him, nodded and went back to looking away. The act angered Nathan, and as much as he would like to talk and call her out here, he held back. She was in a position of power and her action had a form of cuteness to it, too.
He watched her pretty face squeeze and turn in her bid to keep an annoyed countenance. He knew she had him by the balls, and wanted to squeeze them so tight till he begged. Anyone would do same with the kind of information she had now. Well, he had to sit this one act humbly.
The waiter glided down to their table with the food tray in his hands. He carefully laid down the plate of carefully arranged chips and chicken in front of Demelza. The coffee cups were not in his possession, but as he made the table, another waiter joined him with the cups of finely poured coffee.
Demelza thanked them both, and immediately dug in as they left with their tips. She bit the chips and enjoyed the sound that her mouth made, as Nathan watched her. His emotions were torn between feeling anger towards this woman who was attempting to blackmail him using his director or being utterly captured by her personality.
Their history was a rough one, and as he watched, he could see flashbacks of the moments they had shared. She was cute to watch, but it wasn’t what he let his mind fixate on. He needed to think out his next line of action.
Demelza on the other hand, seemed totally unbothered by the looks Nathan gave her. The tasty chicken before her gave her a soothing feel with each chunk she took. She took a sip of her expresso, after a satisfied moment with her chicken bits.
“Do you care for some?” She offered Nathan.
He concealed his worried thoughts, “No, I’ll pass. Thank you for the offer though. I had taken you for one to eat alone.”
She laughed. “We don’t like the same thing if I’m to be defensive.”
He laughed too.
“Nathan. I don’t mean to use this video for anything. Neither do I have intentions to soil your name and reputation.”
“But?” He cut in.
“You may give me no choice.” She stood up and went over to Nathan’s side, the space he had kept for her earlier. “Let me show you the entire video first.”
She dug out her phone from the purse she held, scanned a few files, and finally played the video for him to see. It wasn’t an entirely clear scene, but it had Ryan in it and two other men. They were naked, with their genitals dangling side to side as they took turns to play with each other.
The sight of them sucking on each other, sacs and all made Nathan cringe. His reaction was so dramatic, it had Demelza laugh at some point. She had seen the video a couple of times, so it didn’t give her any of those feelings anymore. Now, it was only a tool for her to get what she wanted.
As the video continued to the end, the pleasure the men derived from their acts disturbed Nathan physically. His entire countenance showed disappointment and disgust. He couldn’t believe Ryan his trusted director stooped so low to do this.
“It’s all over you.” Demelza paused the video, and pointed out. “The disgust, I mean.”
“This cannot see the light of day, Demelza.” Nathan washed a hand across his face, letting it settle on his beards as he stroked them.
“Well, it’s in your hands, Nathan. You have a choice. You know what my price is. You know what I’m asking, only this time, I’m not exactly asking you.”
“Demelza, I’ve told you before. I’m sure I’ll be able to do this. It’s against…”
“A certain code, not written in the law?” I broke in, with a sarcastic response. “Well, we just have to find out what happens when this video goes viral in two days. Two options, Nathan: represent my father or lose everything you’ve struggled to build.”
…