He waited in his car for about thirty minutes until he saw the door open again and all three of them stepped out. Candace was now dressed in a simple purple-colored knee-length gown and low flat shoes. He watched as Jamal embraced her and Brandy waved at her before returning inside.
He thought about doing as Brandy had suggested by offering Candace a ride to her tutorial, but he didn’t want to be turned down again. There was only so much that a man’s ego could take, and he had taken enough for the last three days. Perhaps he was being selfish by asking her to give their friendship a chance when even he knew that by associating with him, she would be thrown into the spotlight which she was desperately trying to avoid. Maybe it was best he gave her some time to rethink her decisions. Now that he had come to that conclusion he couldn’t help but wonder why he had been out here waiting for her for the past thirty minutes only to change his mind now..
Candace looked in the direction of the car parked away from her apartment and narrowed her eyes when she noticed that Matt was the person inside. She drew in a deep breath, ready to match over to where he was to ask him to leave her alone, but before she could take the first step he turned on the car’s ignition and drove away.
Matt watched her from his rearview mirror as she watched him drive off, and he let out a sigh. He wasn’t giving up on her, he just needed to give her time to sort out her feelings while he did the same.
Bryan had a scowl on his face when he checked the time again on his wristwatch for what seemed to be the one-thousandth time. He was mad that Sonia was yet to return after almost seven hours, and he was even madder that he was mad that she was yet to return. What was taking her so long? How difficult could it be to shop for simple clothes? And how come after he rejected the clothes she had shown him earlier she was yet to show him any other clothes?
The production team had come to the house to look around it so they would decide on where to set up the camera, and they said the next day going to be the first interview shoot.
Bryan who was seated on his wheelchair directly opposite the door glared at the door when he heard it opening.
The glare in his eyes was replaced by surprise and his jaw almost dropped when he saw the person that walked in through the door. Although they were two ladies, his eyes were glued to the stubborn sexy green-eyed witch that was like a torn in his flesh. He had asked her NOT to get those clothes, so what was that on her body?
She was wearing a red bodycon dress that was impossibly short. It was a halter dress with a deep V-neckline that revealed her cleavages. Seeing how he could see almost the entire length of her thighs, he could tell that the gown stopped slightly below her butt cheek.
His eyes returned to those beautiful long legs again, and he noticed that she was wearing a pair of black knee-high boots.. How had he missed the boots the first time when he had looked her over? His eyes moved from her thighs to the rest of her body and he noticed that her skin looked more tanned than when she had left, and her face… Something about it looked different. He blinked when he realized what it was. Not only was she fully made up, but her long curly blonde hair was now a mass of braided hair, which made her face appear slimmer and even finer.
Had she been walking around wearing this? Other people had seen her? Bryan wondered in displeasure.
Mia who had followed Sonia inside the house because she wanted to see Bryan’s reaction, grinned in satisfaction because the mission for the day was accomplished already, “I should go now. See you tomorrow,” Mia whispered to Sonia as she quickly walked out.
“I suppose you are done assessing me?” Sonia asked in amusement since it seemed like he hadn’t even noticed Mia’s presence or her departure.
Bryan snapped his mouth shut when he realized that he was almost drooling, and blinked as he looked at her lips which were moving. He knew she had said something, but he was lost in his admiration of her body that he hadn’t heard what she said. He shook his head before quickly replacing the fascination on his face with a scowl.
“I thought I asked you not to get those clothes,” he growled at her, making her giggle.
“And since when have I ever listened to you?” She asked dryly as she spun around so that he could see the backside of her gown.
“So why then did you ask me if I liked them?” Bryan asked with a scowl.
“Just to confirm that they were the perfect choice,” Sonia said with a wink as she moved closer to him.
“Maybe you should stop tempting me and start listening to me,” Bryan said in a warning tone, but Sonia only grinned as she stopped directly in front of him.
“And if I don’t, what will you do? Kiss me like you kissed me earlier?” Sonia asked with a daring smile as she sat on his thighs, making Bryan’s heat skip a beat.
Sonia giggled when she saw the surprise on his face, “Don’t think for a moment that you can predict me. I’m nothing like the other ladies you have been with, trust me,” Sonia said as she rested her head on his chest and embraced him.
Bryan’s heart fluttered in his chest, and he blinked several times. Why did it feel like their roles have been reversed? He was the playboy here. He was supposed to be the one making her feel flustered not the other way round. Was he losing his abilities?
“I missed you. I kept thinking of you while we were shopping,” Sonia said with a sigh as she snuggled closer to him, making Bryan hold his breath.
“You…” He looked up when he suddenly remembered that Mia had come in with her earlier, “Where is Mia?” Bryan asked in confusion.
“She left while you were busy eating me up with your eyes. I love a man whose eyes are so fixed on me that they don’t see anyone else,” Sonia said with a sweet smile as she pulled her head away from his chest to look into his face.
Why did her words and action seem so natural? The situation was worse than he had thought if he had actually forgotten all about Mia’s presence just because he was looking at Sonia. He needed some time alone.
“You…” He stopped and cleared his throat, “You should go and change into something else. Let’s talk after you have freshened up,” Bryan said, wanting her to leave so that he could be alone.
“Why? Are you uncomfortable because you want me?” Sonia asked, with a knowing smile.
He chose to ignore her question as he glanced at his wristwatch. “It’s getting late already. Freshen up while I get your writing materials,” Bryan said, and Sonia flashed him a smile as she pulled away from him and stood up.
“Try not to struggle too much with your emotions,” she said with a wink and bent down to drop a smacking kiss on his lips before walking away.
***********
“So, have you heard from your best friend? You haven’t seen what the boss looks like yet, have you?” Benne asked as they drove around the city while he pointed out major landmarks to her.
Celsie who was looking out the window so she would take note of every important area, turned to spare him a glance before returning her attention to the window again, “Not yet. But I think I might soon,” she said with pursed lips. The CEO was likely going to want to see her when he hears about her relationship with his prospective sister-in-law, right?
“Really? Your friend is going to meet him soon?” Benne asked, pretending not to understand what she was saying.
“No. I’m planning to meet him. I asked her to mention to her fiance that her best friend is his brother’s personal assistant,” Celsie confided in him, even though she planned to use the relationship with the CEO to stop him from being her driver.
Benne’s left brow shot up curiously since he hadn’t been expecting her to give him such information, “You did?” Benne asked, his surprise was evident in both his tone as he turned to spare her a glance.
“Yeah. Why do you sound so surprised?” Celsie asked as she turned to look at him.
“I thought you didn’t like the CEO and you didn’t want to get close to him, especially as you didn’t want people to assume you got promoted because of your best friend’s relationship with the CEO’s brother. I’m just surprised you now want to meet him. May I ask why?” Benne asked, seeing this as the perfect opportunity to clear his doubts about her.
Why? Celsie stifled the urge to laugh. How could she tell him that she had come up with the plan because she didn’t want him working for her anymore, yet she had further complicated things by being his temporary girlfriend?
“No. I don’t want to have to lie to you, so please don’t ask me why,” Celsie said with a shake of her head.
Benne’s heart skipped a beat at her response. Was she really trying to get into a relationship with the CEO? “Do you like him? Perhaps you want to date him?” Benne asked again, making Celsie laugh out loud.
“Are you seriously asking me that because you don’t know I don’t want any relationship with men, or because you feel you might have changed my mind about being in a relationship in the last couple of hours?” Celsie asked dryly, making Benne relax a bit.
Why hadn’t he thought of that? Of course, Celsie wasn’t interested in men, so it wasn’t an issue of her being a golddigger like the others. This meant that if she wasn’t trying to meet him because she was interested in him, then that left only one explanation. She wanted to be friends with the CEO so that she could get rid of her driver. That made more sense since he couldn’t assume she was doing this just to be promoted.
“I’m going to quit being your driver after our relationship ends, so if you are trying to get close to the CEO just to get rid of me, you don’t have to bother yourself,” Benne blurted out making Celsie look at him in surprise.
How did he know what she was thinking? “What? You can’t quit! I told you I’m going to lose my job if you quit,” Celsie said with a frown.
Wasn’t this the irony of life? Wasn’t this what selfishness meant? She didn’t want him to be her driver, yet she couldn’t let him quit on his own. Whoever the CEO was, he was a very mean person and she ought to deal with him, Celsie thought with an inward sigh.
“Don’t worry, you won’t lose your job. I will let Mr. Harry know that I’m relocating, and I’m not leaving because you were mean,” Benne assured her while taking note that she did not deny what he said. She really wanted to meet him just so she could get rid of him, how funny.
“But why do you want to quit?” Celsie asked with a concerned frown.
“Once I get the lady I want, there would be no need for me to remain your driver since she is the reason I took on this job just to be close to her. And if I don’t get her, there would also be no need for me to remain your driver,” Benne said, making Celsie feel something funny in her chest.
He had said she shouldn’t focus on finding who the lady was, but rather she should focus on helping him be the perfect boyfriend by being his temporary girlfriend. She was going to do just that for him.
“Don’t worry, I’m going to make sure you get her!” Celsie promised with a determined expression on her face.
“So are you still going to see the CEO if he asks to meet you?” Benne asked, wanting to see if she was going to change her mind now.
“I guess I have to. But you don’t have to worry about losing your job. You can remain my driver until you get her,” Celsie said, giving him a reassuring smile.
Now that Celsie was relaxed on her couch, in the privacy of her home, she took a moment to reflect on all that had happened at the Cinema earlier that day.
How had she not realized that Benne’s change of attitude after Anita’s arrival was that of annoyance and irritation and not embarrassment? Was she really that naive and clueless? And how come Anita didn’t give her any hint that she had been in a relationship with Benne? Especially considering the fact that they were both ‘friends’? Why was she hiding it? Perhaps she was ashamed to tell anyone that she had once been in a relationship with a mere handyman?
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.