BXBX NOVEL Chapter 116 - Jamal
He discreetly tailed her to find out where she lives. He had watched as she picked up her little blonde boy who looked like he was seven years old from the nanny's place, and had then followed them down a couple of blocks to their apartment while watching them talk and laugh.
Seeing the neighborhood she lived in, he could tell that she was earning well from her stripping job to afford it. He watched as they walked over to a white-painted building with a picket fence surrounding the little garden in front of the house. The place looked so homely and one would never guess that the occupant of the house was a sensational stripper.
He had kept asking himself all through the previous evening why he liked her or wanted so desperately to be with her.. He had come to the conclusion that it could be infatuation, or maybe because of his bruised ego at her rejection, or maybe it was because she was very interesting and aroused his senses. Whatever it was, he wanted to get to know her and find out himself without being judged simply because he was a celebrity.
Standing in front of the white oak door, Matt took in a deep breath before raising a hand to rap the knocker on the door. What was the worse that could happen? He was either going to be welcomed or thrown out and even if he was thrown out, he intended to keep visiting her until she gives in to him.
"Mom? There is someone at the door. I think aunt Andy is here," Matt heard a little boy's voice from behind the door followed by the patter of his little feet running towards the door before it was pulled open.
He watched as the happy smile on his face transformed to disappointment, "Oh!" He exclaimed when he realized it wasn't his aunt Andy as he had expected, "Who are you?" He asked cautiously, looking at Matt warily before glancing behind him.
Matt looked at the cute little boy and noticed that the only resemblance between the kid and Candace was the brown eyes and bow-shaped lips. Apart from those the kid looked nothing like his mother.
Matt flashed him a friendly smile when he noticed the distrust in the kid's eyes, "Hi! I'm Matt, your mom's friend. What is your name?" Matt asked as he squatted in front of the kid so that they were both at the same eye level, before extending a hand to him for a handshake.
"Jamal..."
Candace who was dressed in a bathing robe, coming towards the door with a towel in one hand and a hairdryer in another hand, stopped halfway when she caught a glimpse of the man talking to her son, "Jam!" She called out sternly.
"Mom," Jamal said, turning to look at his mother before taking some steps away from the door.
"What did I tell you about answering the door and speaking to strangers?" She asked in a scolding tone, while Matt looked at her as he straightened up.
She looked pretty as usual with her rough wet hair looking like it needed his fingers to comb through them. She looked fresh out of the shower and he wanted to bury his neck in the crook of her neck and drown himself in her scent.
"I'm sorry mom. You were in the shower and I opened the door because I thought it was aunty Andy and I didn't want to keep her waiting for too long. Besides, he says he's your friend, so he isn't really a stranger, is he?" Jamal asked, looking back at Matt, and then to his mom again.
What was he doing here? She thought she had made it clear that she didn't want anything to do with him, so why did he keep showing up around her? "Go to your room," Candace ordered in a sharp voice.
"But mom..."
"NOW!" Candace snapped at him, making Jamal run off immediately in what Matt suspected to be the direction of his bedroom.
"How did you know where I live? And what are you doing here?" Candace asked as she hung the towel around her neck and adjusted her bathrobe self-consciously as she tried not to remember the previous evening.
"What do you think?" Matt asked without bothering to step inside the house. He couldn't do that without her invitation. Although he wanted to talk to her, he also wanted her to invite him first.
"Did you follow me last night? Are you stalking me? Why are you doing all of this? I really don't understand why you are being so stubborn," Candace said irritably.
"Me neither. But I would like to find out why if you give me the chance, don't you want us to?" Matt asked, making confusion flicker in her eyes as she wondered what he was talking about.
"Don't I want us to what?"
"Don't you want us to find out why I'm being so adamant about seeing you and talking to you?" Matt explained as he dipped his right hand into the pocket of his trousers while staring at her curiously.
Candace swallowed, "Look, I'm not ready for any of this, so maybe you should leave," Candace said impatiently as she walked towards the door, wanting to shut it in his face.
"How can you judge me simply because of my career?" Matt asked before she could shut the door in his face, making her scoff.
"Are you really asking me that? We both know the reverse is the case here. No one is judging you, so stay away from me and my son. Don't ruin the life I have worked so hard to build here," she warned as she reached out to shut the door again.
"I know who you are!" Jamal exclaimed excitedly as he ran out of his room before his mom could shut the door, making both Candace and Matt glance at the kid curiously.
"You are the bad man in the movie mom watched last night. I thought you died?" Jamal asked, making Matt's lips twitch in amusement as he knew the movie the kid was referring to
He then glanced at Candace who was no longer meeting his gaze. So she had watched a movie of him before going to bed?
"I thought I asked you to stay in your room?" Candace asked her son through gritted teeth, making the smile on his young face fall.
"Sorry. I got excited when I remembered him," Jamal said sadly before waving at Matt and turning to return to his bedroom.
"Do you like playing games?" Matt called out to the little boy before he could disappear. He read that the quickest way to the heart of a single mother was being nice to their kids. So maybe if Jamal liked him, he would stand a better chance with Candace.
Jamal turned around, glancing at his mother who was glaring at Matt, before looking at Matt, "I suppose I do," he said with a small shrug.
"Why are you still standing there talking to him?" Candace asked her son impatiently.
"Thought you said not to be rude to adults? He asked a question so I had to respond, right?" Jamal asked his mother innocently, making Matt's lips twitch with a smile. The kid was smart. He liked him.
"Anybody care to tell me who this fine man is? And why is he still standing out here?" A feminine voice asked from behind Matt.
"Aunt Andy!" Jamal squealed as he ran past his mother to embrace Brandy who automatically squatted down to lift him.
Looking at the ease with which she squatted down and picked him up, Matt could tell that this was something she did often. Aunt? Was she Candace's sister? Matt wondered as he stared at Brandy was dressed in a black leather jumpsuit, zipped open at the front to reveal her cleavage and boobs. She was pretty stunning.
"How is my Jamjam doing today? Missed me?" Brandy asked with a grin as she patted his blonde hair which looked like hers, before pecking his cheek while balancing him on her waist.
Brandy straightened herself to look at Matt. Thanks to the high-heeled boots she was wearing, she was almost as tall as he was, "Oh! It's you," she said with an amused smile as she turned to look at Candace, making Matt wonder just what Candace must have told her friend about him.
"It's me? I'm Ma..."
"You're Matt. I'm Candace's sister. My name is Andrea but you can call me Andy," she said, extending her hand to him for a handshake.
"Blood sister?" He asked curiously as he shook her hand.
"Take Jamal inside while I see him off," Candace instructed, cutting off their conversation.
"He is leaving already?" Brandy asked, looking at Matt in disappointment, "Are you in a hurry to go somewhere? Why don't you come in?" She asked Matt hopefully.
"Andy!" Candace called in a warning tone.
"Since you are done talking to him, don't you think I should talk to him as well? I should at least know who is visiting my sister, right Jamjam? Don't you want to know mummy's friend?" Brandy asked Jamal who looked at all the adults curiously, as he wondered what was going on between them before nodding his head.
"The man of the house has spoken. Let's go in," Brandy suggested as she grabbed Matt's hand with her other hand and led him inside, leaving Candace who was glaring at them all to shut the door.