Chapter 132

***Kenya.***

***Present day, two days later***

We sat on the terrace of Mountain Crest restaurant. A majestic restaurant patronized by the billionaires of New York. No wonder I had never dined in it, until today.

Amanda and two of her friends, arrived New York last night. When she had informed me of our reservations here, I was speechless, even in my state.

Sipping our drinks, after out meals, Amanda's friends stepped out to go and smoke, while they left both of us alone. Amanda looked beautiful tonight, dressed in a white jumpsuit. I wore a pale blue maxi, body con dress, and matching shoes.

"You didn't drink." Amanda observed.

I shook my head. I wasn't ready to break the news to any of my family yet about my pregnancy. I still needed time to recover from my shock.

"No. I didn't feel like, especially with Alec's death." My expression was rueful.

"The Cruso guy from high school you always talked about?" Amanda piped up. She knew my crush on Alec then. "Yeah, that guy's death was sad. His body was ground up." Amanda filled in.

I frowned, confused.

"Ground up? What do you mean?"

"It's all over the news, Ken. They say his body was destroyed. Left in a body bag in front of his family's estate. Only his ID gave him away." Amanda revealed.

I paled. Horrorstruck.

I hadn't looked at the news in days. When Amanda sent me the address of this restaurant, I had simply asked Steve, my designated driver to chauffeur me.

"Ineed to talk to you, Ken." Amanda's voice broke my thoughts. I nodded absently. Unable to assimilate Amanda's revelation about Alec.

"Ihaven't been there for you and I'm sorry..."

"No, AmandaIt's"

"Ken. Let me finish, please." There was a tremor in her voice. Desperation. Suddenly, I grew wary, watching her.

"I used to be a whore. A flawed woman." Amanda started. I stilled, swallowing. *The night shifts?* "I used work at a Pleasure club for the rich. We were called exclusive women. Their personal whores. They had rights to do whatever they desired. Different men."

I saw pain in my sister's eyes. Guilt. Shame.

"I was 18 when I got recruited. That was when I first saw him." Amanda said, ruefully. *Him?* I couldn't ask her questions. I just listened.

"My first job that night. I had been asked to stand in the booth, while the patrons window shopped. Still an innocent at the time. Once they learned I was untried, they had placed a high price on me.

"When the patron chose me, I was led into a lavishly furnished room. Terrified, I had stood there, waiting for this man to ravish me. Scared shitless. Rather than that, this man, handsome, his eyes kind, turned to me. He saw my fear and he sat us down. Talking. He said he just wanted us to talk.

"Asked me my name. Why I wasn't in school. He asked me about stuff. Boyfriend. I told him my name as I was trained to. Told him I liked Tobit, but he was gone to college, had a different girlfriend. He told me he lost his wife two months back. I felt sorry for him.

"That was how I relaxed. I liked him. The way he talked. His kindness. Then I told him I was ready to let him in. That I was a virgin. He asked me to keep it for someone worth it, not him"

"Oh my God, Kenya. You are a kind ass." Chelsea, Amanda's friend cried, as she and Gabby approached us. "I don't think I'd be this forgiving, after I find out that my husband once ate my sister's pussy, when she was an 18 year old virgin."

Amanda gasped, dragging my attention to her. I watched my sister turn into colors of horror, in seconds.

"Chelsea!" Gabby chided in a low tone.

"What?! Am just sighting the obvious. I mean he had skillfully eaten Amanda's pussy then and Amanda had only found out he was the same person, on Kenya's wedding day," Chelsea said.

Then her face fell on Amanda and she stilled. "Oh no, you haven't told her yet?" Chelsea asked, horrified.

I looked at the discomfort in my sister's face, the words sinking in.

Immediately, the pictures came together.

*Oh my God! Oh my God!*

I instantly rose up; unsteady from the abruptness. When I was steady again, I looked at my sister and her friends, who all looked apologetic, before I stormed out of their presence.

I heard Amanda calling, didn't stop. I continued walking to the park. Putting distance between me and my sister.

Tears spilled, blurring my vision. But I didn't clean my eyes. I was refusing to believe what I just heard.

"Kenya!" Amanda finally pulled me to a halt with one tug. I pulled my arm off her.

"Leave me alone." I cried, continuing on my way.

"No." She came to stand in my way. "Not until you listen to all I have to say."

I saw tears in her eyes, mirroring mine.

"I didn't know Levi Ruthford was the same man, until the wedding."

I closed my ears, trying to shut her off. She pried them open. Forcing me to listen.

"You have to hear me, Ken... We were all masked... Never to see each other's faces. Our patrons didn't know us and neither did we. Only business connected us together. HeHe only touched me, because I pleaded with him to, after I saw his kindness." Amanda trembled.

I was panting. My heart ripping.

Amanda was lying. She couldn't be certain it was the same man. She just couldn't. After all, she confessed they had all been masked.

Glaring at her, I said, "How did you know it was him? You said so yourself you were all masked." My voice was weak, but I held on to some hope.

My sister's sad eyes said it all. "His tattoo. I'd never forget that tattoo."