Hidden Passion
Chapter 4

The land phone and his cell phone went off at the same time in his office. Sosanya Nathaniel ignored the less important one and picked up his cellphone due to the name it showed. It was one of the men he'd hired to help him look for a woman, around twenty-eight years old named Lillian with a tattoo on her left arm. So far, there hadn't been any tangible result, but he hoped there would as he picked up the phone. "Yes? Any news?"

"We saw Lillian and the tattoo was boldly written," the man reported from the other end.

At that, hope soared in him. "What's written? LillyNath?" Nath asked after a swallow. He was really anxious.

"No."

Nath's head fell into his other palm. His hope went down the drain. "Then, what?" He was struggling to keep calm. He had told these men all they needed to look for. He couldn't help but think they are the dumbest spies ever. "My one love," the voice in the phone said.

Nath hissed hard and flared up. "One love, ten loves, I don't give a damn! I have already told you every detail you need to know. If you have none of that, then get off the phone, please," he managed not to shout his last word and waited for the man to hang up.

"God," he muttered, and the land phone went off again. He picked the receiver and put it in his ear. "Yes. Okay, let her come in," he said and retrieved the receiver back to its holder.

Two knocks sounded on the door and he gazed up as he answered, "Come in."

A lady walked in with a broad smile and went to sit before him. "Hello," she greeted. "I'm Dorcas."

Nathaniel nodded. "Yeah, I know. The advert's model. You've been settled, right?" he asked.

Dorcas nodded with a seductive smile.

"Do you need anything else, then?" he inquired.

"Not really," she answered as he leaned backward against his seat with a furrowed brow. "I'm just hoping I can treat you to dinner tonight," she offered. She was obviously interested in him and she wasn't the type to make it vague.

Nath noticed her interest from the way she talked and moved but ignored everything. He was in no mood to flirt. "Well, thank you but I won't be available tonight. I have loads of work on my desk and by the time I finished, I would have been too tired and would want to go home straight away," he explained.

"Oh! I guess I'm disappointed," Dorcas said shamefully with her head down.

Nath leaned forward and put his hands on his desk. He didn't want to make her feel bad, so he said, "Don't be. You can treat me next time or let's do it this way, since I let you down today, I'll be the one to treat you next time. How about that?" She laughed briefly. "Okay, then. Shall we fix the date on Saturday evening?"

He nodded. "Okay. See you, then," he said, and she rose up and went outside.

***

Lillian and Dorcas went shopping on a Thursday afternoon. Dorcas had told her that she had a date on Saturday and needed her help to choose the best dress for the date.

Her friend had agreed and now, they were there with Dorcas changing from one dress to another before settling on a purple one.

"Lillian," Dorcas called, and she looked at her side as the cashier rang their items up and they paid with Dorcas's debit card. "Why don't you follow me to meet him?" she suggested as they walked outside the mall.

"Hello, there," a young man approached them and greeted them.

"Hi," the two friends answered and continued walking, but the man's voice stopped them.

"Hold on, please. My name is Richard. May I know your names?" Richard introduced.

Dorcas smiled. "I am Dorcas, and she is Ouch! Why did you stomp on me?"

"Sorry, Richard. We really have to go. Bye," Lillian said and held her friend's hands, then walked out. "Don't you ever try to tell my name to strangers," she scolded.

"Whatever! So, will you follow me to meet the guy?" Dorcas went back to their previous discussion.

"That wouldn't be proper. You might need some privacy, you know?" Lillian replied as she opened the door to her car and entered.

"Come on, Lillian. You know you can always tell who a person is just by looking. Help me again, please. I don't want another heartbreak," Dorcas pleaded.

"Okay, okay, fine," she said amidst laughter, her palms on the steering wheel. "If he won't mind, I'll be there. Text me the address and I'll meet you there," she said. Sometimes, her best friend treated her as if she was some fortune teller. "Thank you very much."

"You're welcome. You know I would do anything for your happiness," Lillian said with a charming smile. "Who's this guy, anyway?" She asked. She didn't even know the lucky man she was talking about. "Wait till you meet him, babe," Dorcas replied, and they laughed.

Lilly started her car after telling her friend to fasten her seat belt and drove off.

***

"I guess it took you a while to find this restaurant," Nathaniel said to Dorcas as she arrived. He'd been there for a while.

"I'm sorry, I'm late," Dorcas apologized and took her seat. "Have you been here for long?" she asked.

"Quite a while, I guess," Nath answered and signaled to a waiter to take their order. He ordered for the two of them after asking her what she would love to have.

Dorcas couldn't help but stare at the waiter. He was quite tall, fit and way too handsome for her. Her gaze followed him to the counter as he gave the order to the lady there who started getting plates and all.

"Hey, Dorcas," Nath called, and she intentionally glanced around the room, which made him smile. He knew what was going on in her mind, but it wasn't his business. It was not like he had anything to do with her other than dinner which was compensation because he turned her down the other day. He wanted nothing from her.

How could she be swayed so easily by another man when there's one before her? She loved the one before her or so she thought. What else did she want? She didn't get why she was drawn to the waiter, though. It couldn't be his looks because Nathaniel was definitely better looking.

"Are you looking for someone?" he asked.

"Huh? Actually, yes. My friend will be joining us soon. The one I told you would be here," Dorcas uttered.

"Okay. What's her name, by the way?" Nath asked.

"Huh? Her name is...um..." Lillian was the type who didn't tell her real name to strangers, so Dorcas thought she should make one up. "Zeece. That's her name," she lied. Did that name make sense? Zeece? Was that even a name? She just hoped it would not end up being the name of an animal because it popped up in her mind.

"Zeece?" Nath asked in confirmation. He was obviously confused. "What does that mean? Sorry to say, but it sounds weird," he said.

Meaning? What meaning could she give the name? Well, Lillian was an epitome of beauty. That should be a hint. "It means 'Beauty'," Dorcas formed.

"Okay. That's nice," he complimented.

Lillian got to the address she was given and watched in shock as she saw the man Dorcas was talking about. The man she had told her she loved. They were both sitting by the huge transparent glass window of the restaurant. The screen gave a clear view of the inside of the place.

She looked from her best friend to Nathaniel. She couldn't bring herself to go in. She had promised herself that the first time she met him would be the day she would show him the inscription on her arm if he happened not to recognize her. But she couldn't and wouldn't be able to do that now.

She decided it would be better to just leave.