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Nma arrived at her studio plus boutique. It was a one story building in a very high profile part of the town. She parked her car and glanced at her building, the top floor showed female clothing of assorted type, from smart working clothing to enchanting evening attires. There were several wedding gowns and some sexy lacy under wears on display while the bottom floor showed off male clothing. The top floor was already showing her latest design in evening gowns and office clothes. She walked into the building, first of all stopping at the men floor to see how things were going. There were already customers as she expected, today being the beginning of the weekend and also a public holiday. As she entered, eyes followed her. She knew her customers couldn’t believe it as her workers called greetings to her. She smiled and nodded at them and walked into an office. Felix was her manager, accountant, friend, brother and every other thing in between and he was also the only one she had closest to a family, him and his wife Tessy. She smiled remembering when she was sixteen and had a huge crush on him. That was before her father died. “Morning babe” he greeted. “Good morning Felix, I can see it is really a good morning. Do you have any idea what brought these people out this early” she asked jokingly “I guess they saw you and followed you to this place, every hot blooded man would” he said laughing. “Were they so anxious to see me that they got here before me? Oh Felix don’t believe all you hear, I don’t attract them like that” she smiled “I don’t listen or believe what I hear, I know what I see” he told her “You are beautiful; it is only natural that you should attract them. Moreover it brings them here and when they come, they buy.” “Anyway I hope they are buying and not just looking around” She sighed “They are buying” Felix answered “The only one who seems to be looking around is that gentleman over there” Felix continued pointing at a tall handsome man. Nma turned to look at the man and her breath caught in her throat, she stared at him astonished at the man for some reason she couldn’t understand, she had to blink severally to drag her eyes away from him. “Oh! But he is very handsome Felix” Nma murmured still looking at the man through the glass door. Good thing he couldn’t see her ogling. The glass was designed to reflect not see through. The man was tall and ruggedly handsome, and his grey business suit fit him squarely on his broad shoulders. Everything about him spoke confidence and wealth. “He is not merely looking around; he looks as if he cannot make up his mind on what he wants. Maybe he needs help” ” Nma said and turned to Felix. “I am sure he would be glad to have you as a guide” Felix told her. Nma was instantly thrilled with the idea of speaking to the very handsome man but she dared not, because at the same time, there was something abnormally unsettling about him. “Felix, my office is upstairs, you take care of things here not me” she smiled at him sweetly. “But I am sure you would make a better guide and moreover he might want to impress you” She turned and stared at the man and knew that Felix was right, but somehow it didn’t feel right to go out there and overwhelm him with her beauty so he could part with his money. No way, she didn’t want to cheapen herself, not with this man. She turned to Felix and smiled. “Do your job darling and I will do mine” Felix sighed and squared his shoulder ready to meet the mysterious man. As Felix went to meet him, she stood there eating up every delicious part of the man with the eyes of a designer. She couldn’t quite tell why she refused to go and meet him, she knew she would have been more successful in persuading him to buy. But there was something about the man that was arresting and at the same time frightening. It was like the same feeling you get when you are about to fall. Uche looked around for the hazel eye beauty, somehow reluctant to ask of her from all the sales representatives hovering around. He knew the girl owned the place but somehow for the first time in his life he was unsure of how to approach a woman. Then he saw one of the men he had seen escorting her at several events. He felt his anger rise and with the anger came the fear that the man could actually be the girl’s husband. That should explain what he was doing here by this time of the morning. Yet that was a reality he wasn’t ready to face or accept. Husband or not, he was going to put an end to this madness the only way he knew. He couldn’t just allow the girl invade his thoughts the way she had been doing without so as by your leave and do nothing about it. In his mind there could only be one cure to lust. To his surprise, the man was walking towards him; he was indeed coming to speak to him. The man had mistaken him to be a customer, what surprise lay in store for him when he would find out that he was actually here to steal his woman. He squared his shoulders, ready to intimidate the man. Nma found that she could not stop watching the man; she concluded that she was curious to know how Felix fared with him. The reason why that should matter to her was lost to her but still she stood transfixed looking him. Suddenly the man dipped his hands into his trouser pocket and brought out his cell phone, he spoke in it for a little time and turned abruptly and left just as Felix was walking towards him. She almost laughed as Felix stopped; looking amazed and frowned at the man’s retreating form. She could imagine a thousand different curses Felix was silently heaping the man. Nma used the back door not wanting Felix to discover she was still watching the amazing man. She walked into her office and sat down looking at a list of things to do and people to see, she had never been comfortable behind a desk. She was more comfortable bent over a table with a fabric spread on it or with pins in her mouth pinching in and holding a dress. But she just had to do the paperwork and talk to those boring investors, if she was really going to have her exhibition. Having worked on so many designs and colors, she wondered in amazement if she still had more designs to show. Talented she was, she had to agree with people. Somehow those designs kept coming into her mind just like that, especially when she picked up her pencil and sketch pad. Her last show was successful, the most successful ever since they started Nma collections. That was the name her father had chosen for their label. Nma was fast becoming a household name and she was still wondering how. Nma put her mind at rest and concentrated on the job at hand, feeling that she had lost so much time already. And just like that her thoughts did take another turn. It returned to the mystery man. What was his mission in her boutique this morning? It was obvious he wasn’t there to shop, and whatever he came for, he didn’t get. That left a niggling thought in her mind that he might come back. Her heart lurched at that thought. Whatever was wrong with her she scolded herself, what if he came back, what business of hers was it? He was a total stranger and that was all he was ever going to be. A very fine stranger, probably the finest thing on two feet she had ever seen but a stranger all the same and her heart should know that and stop doing a jig in her chest. She shook her head from side to side trying to calm her mind and clear off the thoughts of one strange man. She picked up the pen which she had dropped when her mind wandered and turned back to her laptop, frowning with concentration.