Chapter 305 – Beginning with a Daring Encounter

“And what makes you think so?” Her oldest sister asked as they all watched her.

“Don’t tell me he knows that you are behind the scandal?” Their mother asked, her lips curled in disapproval.

Anita swallowed as she looked up at her sisters with tears in her eyes, “He came to me first as a broke guy, but we ended things before I knew his true identity. I think I lost my chance with him,” Anita explained, and they all looked at her in surprise.

“Oh, dear! You mean he came to you as a broke guy and you rejected him because he was poor not knowing that he was Benedict Delgado?” The pregnant sister asked trying to put things in perspective.

“Yes,” Anita said with a nod as she explained their relationship to her family, only leaving out how she had tried to matchmake both Benne and Celsie since she didn’t want to look more stupid than she already was.

“That just means he was originally your man to begin with. What other proof do you need to be sure that you are supposed to be the one standing next to him, and not her? You have to take back what is rightfully yours,” their mother stated matter of factly.

“Did you hear a word of what she just said? She rejected the man! You don’t expect him to accept her now and dump the woman who loved him even when she thought he was broke, do you?” The pregnant one asked incredulously, looking at her sisters to be sure they agreed with her.

“This is more complicated than we thought. Why didn’t you mention this before now?” The eldest sister asked with a slight frown.

“Lisa is right. It will be difficult now. Especially with that girl in the picture. He isn’t going to look at you twice,” the second eldest said with a sigh.

“Then we take her out of the picture. As long as she isn’t there, he might reconsider Anita,” their mother said matter of factly.

“Good Lord!” The pregnant one screamed in disbelief, “What do you mean by that?” She asked their mother before turning to Anita.

“Anita, please do not listen to her. Just give this up, okay? Don’t worry, your own man will come, and you won’t even have to resort to such means to get him,” she assured Anita, and then turned to her sisters, “Aren’t you both going to say something?” She asked when they just remained quiet.

“It is Anita’s decision to make, not ours,” the oldest said, and they all turned to Anita.

“If you tell me you want him back, I will get her out of the picture for you. Just say the word, darling,” their mother said as she approached Anita.

“Tell me now, are you willing to lose to someone like that? Someone that classless? Someone beneath you? You are not a loser nor a quitter, my darling. I raised you better than that, didn’t I?” She asked, going to stand in front of Anita and using both hands to cup her cheeks while looking directly into her eyes

“None of this makes sense. I can’t believe what I’m hearing. I won’t be a party to this. I’m out of here,” the pregnant one said as she picked up her handbag and left since she knew that there was no way Anita was going to go against their mother. Not when she was being asked such a question in such a manner.

Neither of them stopped her nor called her back as she left. She had always been the odd one in the family, and they had all been surprised when she actually brought home a distinguished suitor.

“Ignore your weak sister. If Benedict was interested in you once, then he can be interested in you again as long as there are no distractions. All we have to do is get rid of her, and then show him how suitable you are for him,” their mother said, and Anita gave her a nod.

“I want him.”

“And you will have him,” her mother promised solemnly as she turned to look at her other two daughters, “You will both help your sister all the step along the way,” she said before going to sit down, and Anita did the same.

“By the way, did any of you hear from your uncle? I haven’t been able to reach him since yesterday afternoon,” their mother asked, and the others shook their head.

“He called me yesterday, and he sounded okay,” Anita said, remembering the call she had received from her uncle.

“I hope he is okay,” her mother said as she relaxed on the couch and started brainstorming on how to go about their goal.

Knowing that she had the support of her mother and her older sisters now more than before, Anita’s confidence was restored, and she felt at ease once again. As long as Benne and Celsie didn’t know that she was behind the scandal, everything was going to be fine. All she needed to do now was relax and let her mother help her get rid of Celsie.

“Jamal doesn’t know what you do, does he?” Sonia asked Candace after Jamal had left them to be with the men whose company he seemed to enjoy more.

“I doubt I’ll be going back to that job now, so there won’t be any reason to tell him,” Candace said as they all sat down on the balcony, while Celsie looked at them in confusion, wondering what the nature of her job was.

Seeing the confusion on her face, Candace smiled at her, “I was a stripper. That’s how we met,” she said, knowing that even if she didn’t say it now, Sonia was going to tell Celsie later, so there was no point in not saying it herself.

“Oh!” Celsie exclaimed softly. For a moment, she had thought that Candace was an escort or a hooker.

“We met at the club, and she and her sister performed for us privately.”

“By us, you mean Bryan or one among your long list of exes?” Celsie asked, and Sonia giggled.

“Bryan, of course,” she said before turning to look at Candace, “What if I pay you to teach me some cool moves?” She asked with a wink, and Candace laughed, surprised that neither of both ladies was judging but instead were talking to her like it wasn’t a big deal. Not that she thought it was a big deal, she was just used to ladies, especially hard-working ladies like these ones looking down at ladies like her that took what was seemingly the ‘easy’ way out to make money.

“I could teach you both for free,” Candace offered, and Celsie looked at her and then shook her head.

“Me? I don’t think I could dance to save my life.”

“You won’t be dancing to save your life, baby. You’d be dancing to spice up your life. I mean your sex life,” Sonia said with a wink, and all three of them giggled.

“The moves are quite easy. Besides, stripteasing is not all about dancing. It’s about undressing seductively,” Candace assured Celsie, who looked skeptical about it.

“Believe me, if you get it right, Benne would be as hard as a…”

“Oh, please shut it,” Celsie pleaded and raised both hands to block her ears, not wanting to hear whatever crazy line Sonia was about to utter.

Sonia rolled her eyes, “You should be grateful that you have someone like me in your life.”

“She is just trying to say that it could be very stimulating. Not just for him, but for you too,” Candace explained with a small smile.

“Stimulating? Do you feel stimulated every time you perform?” Celsie asked curiously.

“Stripteasing or lap-dancing for someone you are intimate with is entirely different from doing it for strangers,” Candace explained, remembering how hot she had felt while performing for Matt. That had been completely different.

“So both are different?” Celsie asked curiously, and Candace gave her a nod.

“I take it you’ve never been to a strip club?” Candace asked, and Sonia laughed.

“NEVER. Hopefully, now that she has a man, she will be willing to go out and explore the pleasures of the world,” Sonia said while Celsie rolled her eyes.

Candace smiled at Celsie, “Lapdancing is as the name implies. It involves dancing on your partner’s lap. Not just any kind of dance steps, but erotic moves in order to arouse and excite your partner. Stripteasing, on the other hand, has to do with seductively taking off your clothes layer by layer and piece by painful piece. Unlike Lapdancing, when you striptease, it is mainly visual, and physical contact with your partner isn’t required. For both acts, you have to go into them feeling your sexiest,” Candace explained while both Sonia and Celsie listened with rapt attention, each imagining how to do so to their man.

After what Benne had done the previous night, Celsie was more than eager to do something to frustrate him sexually.

“The good thing about stripteasing is that you don’t need to be a great dancer to striptease. You just need to sway your hips hear and there as you take off your clothes as slowly and sexily as you can.”

“Wow!” Celsie exclaimed, feeling her cheeks warm up merely by the thought of it.

Candace smiled, “You get the picture?”

“What are you ladies doing here? I’ve been looking all over for you,” Bryan said as he joined them.

“Didn’t Jamal tell you we were with his Candace?” Sonia asked as she turned to look at him.

“He didn’t tell me where you were. And maybe if either of you had come out with your phones, it would have been easier to reach you,” Bryan complained.

“You don’t seem surprised to see her. You knew she was here? Why didn’t you mention it to me?” Sonia asked, and Bryan shrugged.

“I don’t think we have done much talking since you got here last night, have we?” He asked Sonia in a tone that told Celsie and Candace what he meant, and Sonia giggled.

“We haven’t.”

“So, at what point could I have mentioned her? Before dinner, while you were on top…”

“Oh, God! You both are a perfect match. I can’t deal. Sonia, let’s talk about the games when you’re done,” Celsie cut in as she quickly stood up while the others looked at her in amusement, “And Candace, thanks for the lecture. I will read the rest online,” Celsie told Candace before rushing away.

“She is so cute. The exact opposite of you,” Bryan said in amusement.

“So I’m not cute?” Sonia asked with a slightly raised brow, and Bryan scowled at her.

“You are not. If you are in need of a compliment, go ask Celsie’s dad,” Bryan said, and Sonia giggled.

“Alright then. I should go and meet him,” she said, walking past Bryan, and he grabbed her arm.

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