Nancy crossed one leg over the other as she sat alone in the room.
The silence felt soft.
Expensive.
Even the air conditioning sounded different here.
Her eyes moved around the room again. The giant television mounted on the wall. The dim lighting. The bottle of wine resting inside a silver bucket near the mini table.
She stood up slowly.
Walked toward the balcony.
The city stretched below her in glowing lights.
"God abeg," she muttered under her breath.
A small laugh escaped her.
This kind of place was the type people posted online with captions like:
"soft life."
Nancy leaned against the balcony rail briefly before returning inside.
Still no Dayo.
She checked her phone.
Nothing.
Most men she met usually rushed things immediately. Some barely even let conversations breathe before touching.
But this one?
Driver.
Escort.
Luxury suite.
Waiting.
Her curiosity grew.
"Maybe he actually likes me."
The thought slipped into her mind before she could stop it.
She quickly shook it away.
"Calm down first."
A knock sounded at the door.
Nancy looked up immediately.
"Come in," she called.
The door opened.
Dayo stepped inside.
For a second, neither of them spoke.
He looked exactly how she remembered him from the club. Tall. Relaxed. Effortlessly confident. Black shirt folded slightly at the sleeves. Expensive watch resting casually on his wrist.
He smiled first.
"You came."
Nancy leaned back against the couch slightly.
"You invited me."
He laughed softly as he closed the door behind him.
"Fair."
His eyes moved over her briefly before returning to her face.
"You look good."
Nancy smiled. "I know."
That made him laugh again.
Most girls tried too hard around him.
This one didn't.
Dayo walked toward the mini bar.
"You drink wine?"
"If it's free."
He looked back at her with amusement. "I like honest people."
Nancy shrugged. "I'm not sure I am."
He poured two glasses anyway and walked over, handing one to her.
"Relax," he said. "You look like you're calculating something."
"I am."
"What?"
"What exactly all this is for."
He sat opposite her comfortably.
"And what have you concluded?"
Nancy lifted the glass slightly.
"That maybe you're trying to impress me."
"Maybe it's working."
She smiled.
Okay.
He was smooth.
Dangerously smooth.
Dayo leaned back into the couch.
"So," he said casually,
"what do you actually do?"
Nancy looked at him carefully.
Most men never asked that.
They usually skipped straight to appearance.
"I work in sales sometimes," she replied vaguely.
"Sometimes?"
She smiled. "Lagos economy hard."
"That bad?"
"You'd be surprised."
He nodded slowly like he understood.
"I respect hustle sha."
Nancy studied him now.
"You?" she asked.
"What do you do?"
"Business."
She laughed immediately.
"That answer means nothing."
"It's supposed to."
"You rich boys enjoy stressing people."
"You already decided I'm rich?"
Nancy looked around the room dramatically.
"Should I think you're struggling?"
That pulled another laugh from him.
The conversation flowed surprisingly easily after that.
They joked about Lagos traffic. Clubs. Fake lifestyles online. People pretending to have money.
Nancy found herself relaxing more than she intended to.
And Dayo noticed.
He noticed the way her shoulders loosened. The way she laughed more freely now. The way she stopped looking around nervously.
A soft knock interrupted them.
Dayo glanced toward the door.
"Come in."
One of the hotel staff stepped inside politely.
"Sir."
Dayo stood and walked closer.
The staff lowered his voice.
"The other guest has arrived."
Nancy couldn't hear everything clearly from where she sat, but she noticed the slight shift in Dayo's expression.
"Okay," he replied.
The staff nodded and stepped back out.
Dayo turned back toward her smoothly like nothing happened.
Nancy raised an eyebrow.
"Problem?"
"Nothing serious," he said easily.
"Quick business meeting."
She nodded slowly.
He walked back toward her.
"You don't mind waiting a little longer?"
Nancy leaned back comfortably now.
"I'm already here."
A smile appeared on his face.
"Good."
He picked up his phone and checked something briefly before slipping it back into his pocket.
Then he looked at her again.
"Order anything you want."
"Food. Drinks. Anything."
She stared at him for a second.
"This man really get money."
He adjusted the sleeve of his shirt casually.
"I won't be too long."
Nancy smiled lightly. "No problem."
For a second, Dayo studied her face.
Then he nodded once.
And walked toward the door.
Nancy watched him leave.
The door clicked shut behind him.
The room became quiet again.
She leaned back into the couch, the wine glass still resting between her fingers.
Then she smiled to herself.