Chapter 4: Incense, Temptation, and Forbidden Moves

4

Aunty Morayo bring out the incense from her bag.

She open small bag, bring out bottle wey get one olden days label. The thing look like all those herbal tins wey my grandma dey use keep for box. The air for room change, everywhere dey smell sweet and warm.

Sweet, thick smell fill the air.

The fragrance choke the room. E dey heavy, like say the perfume wan swallow me. My eye blink, I just dey inhale, dey enjoy, but still dey reason if e go help my case.

E different from the last one, wey dey smell like ogiri and garlic join together.

This one get sense—e dey sweet, dey smooth for nose. The last one na real punishment, I no go lie. Even mosquito no fit stay for the smell.

"Thanks, Aunty, but I no need am again..."

I dey try avoid the bad ending for the book, quick talk, but as I open mouth, my voice crack scatter.

I try talk sharp sharp, but the thing no gree. My voice betray me, come weak like say I chop frog for breakfast. I dey wave hand, dey beg make she hear word.

My words dey break, that familiar heat don start again.

The heat just rush me, like wave for Bar Beach. I dey try hold myself, but the thing dey spread for body.

I no even know as I begin pull my pyjama collar, dey breathe heavy.

I dey gasp, dey open shirt like say PHCN take light for house. My chest dey rise and fall, I dey sweat anyhow.

I wave hand, wan tell Aunty Morayo make she keep the incense, but my body just dey shake.

I try use mouth talk say make she keep am, but my hand dey tremble. I dey fear say I go fall if I stand.

Maybe she no wan make I fall again, Aunty Morayo quickly hold my wrist.

Her touch dey gentle, but e strong. She just grab my wrist, squeeze am small, dey look my face with worry.

Her finger, small rough, rub my bone gently.

Her palm warm, like person wey dey always dey work. The small roughness for her finger dey sweet me, dey scratch me, dey remind me of all the times she dey braid my hair when I small.

The thing just dey scratch me from inside.

My body dey shake, but the touch dey do me somehow. I dey try balance, but e be like say my leg no dey ground again.

That small touch just make the emptiness worse.

Instead of e to calm me, e just open another door for my mind. My body dey cry like say dem pour pepper for wound, dey find touch by force. I dey feel as if I dey float.

My body dey find more, dey beg for relief...

My eye dey red, my lips dey dry. I dey try talk, but e be like say my mouth no dey follow brain work again.

"Tobi, wetin you dey do?"

Her voice shake small, first time I dey hear fear inside. She no dey call me 'Tobi' unless matter serious. The way she dey look me, I know say she dey worry.

Since I don grow, Aunty Morayo no dey call me full name. Her voice wey dey always calm now get panic inside.

E shock me. She call my full name, voice high small. I know say e don pass normal level.

"I no dey feel fine, I wan kiss... kiss..."

I try talk, but my voice dey faint. I dey beg, but the words dey come out slow. My chest dey beat, my hand dey shake. I dey struggle with myself.

I hug Aunty Morayo, my mouth dey near her neck wey dey smell nice, my hand dey find her shirt button, I dey pant like say I run race.

Na so I rush her, hug am tight. Her perfume dey enter my head, my hand dey waka without sense. I dey breathe like say I just finish relay race for National Stadium.

Comments:

[Ah ah, Aunty Morayo really bring the real aphrodisiac incense? You this perv, talk true—na by mistake or you plan am, or you plan mistake?]

[Wetin dey happen? Why e be like say male lead really don wise—not only e reject the incense, e no even dey run from aunty touch? Before, e for say e dey disgusted.]

[Me too. Male lead dey behave somehow now, like say e dey see all these comments...]

[Our forbidden ship people don starve tire, finally we dey see something. But I no expect say na male lead go first make move. Aunty Morayo, you wicked queen, abeg finish work. No fall hand as biggest villain.]

[Hurry, once una start, everywhere go scatter. Give me hundred, thousand chapters, I no even send word count.]

The fresh, woody smell of Aunty Morayo perfume clear my head small.

The fragrance wey dey rise from her scarf and skin dey make me remember all those family events wey she go tie wrapper and spray perfume for neck. The smell dey make my mind dey clear, but my body still dey react.

But my hand no stop.

Even as my brain dey warn me, my hand dey act on its own. Na like say another force dey use remote control.

One side, the incense dey make me restless, dey find release.

E be like say the incense dey charge my body, make my skin dey find heat like person wey dey cold. My body dey ask for touch, but my mind dey fight am.

Other side, I wan test if all these comments na true.

For my head, I dey reason say maybe all these comments wey dey fly for my face get meaning. Maybe na time to find out.

Aunty Morayo—she really get those feelings for me?

I dey look her eye, dey search for answer. I dey wonder if na only me dey overthink, or if na true say she dey hide something.

Na so the story really set?

I dey ask myself, is this how everything dey start for all those forbidden love novels wey people dey talk about? I dey curious, but fear dey join body.

One, two, three...

I dey count my heart beat, dey try remember where I put my sense. Time slow down, like say na film wey dem pause for suspense.

Time just slow down. Nobody talk, na only our rough breath dey sound, the thing too suggestive.

The way her breath dey hot for my ear, I dey reason whether I go faint or shout. The room quiet, only the hum of AC and our own breathing dey fill air.

I always know say Aunty Morayo get better shape.

Since when I small, people dey hail her for compound. I just dey notice now as her body don set finish. She dey always dress neat, dey waka with style.

But I no expect say her body go fine reach like this.

This one pass my imagination. Her skin dey glow, chest dey firm, everything dey set like say na gym instructor.

Full chest, slim waist, long leg for black suit trouser, no fat anywhere, her fair skin just dey tempt person.

E dey hard to no look, I no go lie. The black trouser wey she wear dey hug her leg, her white shirt dey show her collarbone. Everything dey tempt me.

Before my head even process, my hand don reach her.

My brain dey shout, but my hand dey waka its own. I no even sabi how I reach there.

So soft...

Her skin cold, but soft. My finger dey sink small, dey enjoy the touch. I dey feel shiver run through my hand.

The woman just moan low, but she no talk anything.

She just take in breath, her lips part small. She no gree talk, but I see her eyes dey shine with wetness. The sound dey echo for my ear.

I lick my lips, see Aunty Morayo ear red like say blood go come out, I lower my head:

As I dey look her, I notice say her ear don red, her face dey flush. I dey fear, but my body no wan stop. I lick lips, my breath dey catch. I lower my head, dey beg softly:

"Help me."

My voice come out weak, but the plea dey strong. Na like say I dey surrender everything for her hand.

Comments:

[Ahh, male lead, you sef dey seduce person. Who go know say you no be real succubus? Aunty Morayo, abeg feed am, give am everything.]

[Male lead don finally wise up, wan fall for aunty hand? I been wan talk, male lead get looks, get money—na blindness make am like Zainab wey dey always wound am.]

[You dey rate Tobi too high. Na the incense dey worry am, e dey see Aunty Morayo as Zainab.]

[Una forget say Aunty Morayo be main villain? Male lead na spoiled pikin, e dey bully Sade, even try drug Zainab many times. To be honest, two of them no be saint, and this aunty-nephew thing, this forbidden love get as e be.]

[Oga, I dey read the novel already, no judge me. But true true, these two forbidden people fit pass. As for Zainab and Sade, lock them together—dem ship name go be Yellow-Green Light, yellow hair bad boy and green tea second male, small nightlight.]

As the comments dey waka, my hand don already reach Aunty Morayo belt.

Na here wahala really fit start, but my mind dey float between fear and excitement. All the things wey dey happen, e be like dream wey no wan break. The night just dey heavy with questions, the kind wey only early morning fit answer. But as my hand reach her belt, I know say daybreak fit change everything.