Chapter 85 - The Key!

In the living room, Matt noticed the sudden change in Candace and raised a brow, "Are you okay? Why do you suddenly seem uncomfortable?" He asked, touching her shoulder slightly.

"I think I should probably leave now that your friends are here," Candace said, wanting to stand up, but Matt pulled her down. 

"Why? What is the problem? We were having a good time a moment again, and now you just want to leave?" He asked in confusion.

Candace looked away from him in embarrassment, "Your best friend and his fiancee, they know me," Candace confessed without meeting his gaze. 

"Know you? Like from the club where you work?" He asked, looking at her with interest, and she nodded her head. 

"They were at the club two nights ago, and I attended to them," she said, still looking very embarrassed. 

So Bryan and Sonia knew who she was? That explained the few seconds of awkward silence when they just came in. He was curious to hear what Bryan would have to say once he got the chance, but for now, he was more concerned about the lady in front of him.

"So what?" He asked, making her raise her head to look at him in surprise. 

"You are not embarrassed?" She asked in confusion, and the corners of his lips curved in a knowing smile. 

"Why should I be? From what I can see here, you are the only one who is embarrassed, and I wonder why."

He had particularly picked interest in Candace because she had stated on her profile that she was a stripper. He had been curious to meet the lady who had been bold enough to tell others that she stripped for a living, and that was why her sudden embarrassment seemed strange to him. 

"It is one thing for you to know what I do, but it is another thing for your friends to know. I assume you brought me here because you like me. I don't want to be an embarrassment..."

"Look, I told you this before, but I'm going to tell you again. I'm someone that likes to think that every legal job is honorable. You were proud of your job enough to add it to your profile on the dating app, so why are we having this discussion?" Matt asked, and Candace relaxed a bit.

"Besides, they patronized you, so they can't judge you. Relax, Bryan is not like that," Matt assured her. 

"I just don't want you to be an embarrassment to you or anyone else. You know people can be hypocritical," She said with a little frown, and Matt gave her a reassuring smile. 

"It's not a big deal. I only feel jealous that Bryan got to see your body before I did," Matt said with a pout, which made the dimples on Candace's face wink. 

"Can you do me a favor though?" Matt asked, his eyes glinting with mischief.

"What favor?" 

"Let's act like I don't know anything, okay?" Matt asked, making her brows pull together in confusion.

"Why?" 

"Let's just say I want to mess around with Bryan and see what he's going to do. So let's act like you didn't tell me anything," Matt said, and Candace gave him a nod. 

Meanwhile, in the bedroom, Sonia stood by the door glaring at Bryan, "Leave them alone."

"I was just going to meet them, come on! You don't expect me to go out there while they are together and tell Matt that his girlfriend is a stripper, do you?" Bryan asked incredulously. 

Sonia looked at him doubtfully, "So where were you going to then?" She asked narrowing her eyes at him suspiciously. 

"I just want to get a glass of water, I'm thirsty," Bryan said, waiting for her to get out of his way. 

"I will get you the glass of water myself. Don't step out of the room. I still don't trust you," Sonia said with a shake of her head, making Bryan want to scoff 

See who was talking about trust. Who said he trusted her either? Bryan returned to the bed and sat down, "You can go and get the water. I'm waiting."

"Good boy," Sonia said with a smile as she removed the single key from the door's keyhole before stepping out of the bedroom, making sure to lock Bryan inside as she left. 

Bryan looked at the door in disbelief and shook his head. What a crazy woman! She really locked him in his bedroom? In his own house? He couldn't believe he was in this situation. He just couldn't believe that of all the sane people in that hotel's lobby that night, he had the misfortune of choosing the one lady that behaved as she had recently escaped from an asylum. God help him. 

Once Sonia fetched his glass of water, she returned to the bedroom and locked the door using the key, "Here is your glass of water," She announced as she approached the bed and handed it to him with a bright smile on her face. 

Bryan watched in disbelief as she dipped the key into her jacket like she was safekeeping it where he wouldn't touch, "Can I ask you a question?" Bryan asked after taking a sip from the water while she bent down to take off her sneakers. 

Sonia straightened up before answering him, "Sure," Sonia said as she walked to the front of the bedroom mirror and pulled her hair back into a messy bun. 

"No offense. But are you mentally stable?" 

She glanced at him over her shoulder and tried not to laugh out loud at his funny question. Most times she asked herself if she was mentally stable too.

"I don't think I am. Why? Want to take me to a psychiatrist?" she asked with a mocking smile as she turned in his direction and took off her jean jacket, leaving only her crop top. She paused long enough to drop the jacket on the table next to her, and then slowly took off her trousers while waiting for him to answer her question. 

Bryan watched as she took off her clothes and he felt something stir within him. He had seen her in a semi-naked state the previous day when she had been dressed in just the red bikini, but that hadn't prepared him for this. 

Seeing her now, dressed in just her olive green crop top and a black lace pant, he felt his mouth go dry. He could tell she wasn't wearing a bra under the crop top, because of the outline of her boobs. She had the face of a mischievous angel but the body of a temptress. 

Her body looked so smooth and taut that he had to ball his hands in a fist to keep himself from wanting to touch her. His eyes moved from the swell of her boobs down to her taut abdomen and he noticed for the first time that she had a piercing on her belly button. 

So sexy. He wondered why she had bothered to wear the jacket all day instead of flaunting her sexy abdomen to the world. 

His eyes continued their journey from her tiny waist, down to her slim hip, and then down to her long legs which seemed to have no end. He didn't like this woman, and seeing how his body reacted to her, he knew she was going to be a problem. 

Sonia cleared her throat to get his attention, "You are doing that staring thing again," she said in an amused tone, and when Bryan met her mocking gaze he could swear that she had stripped in front of him intentionally to get a reaction. 

"You can't put on a show and expect me not to watch," he said in a lazy tone, deciding he wasn't going to feel embarrassed about being caught staring. She could easily have undressed in the bathroom but had chosen to do that in front of him. He wasn't gentlemanly enough to look away from a body like hers. No sir!

"Fair enough," Sonia said with a satisfied smile. She was going to keep revealing her body to him little by little and make him lust over her. Lust was a good enough start for her. 

She walked over to the drawers in the closet and took out her night wears which consisted of a matching set of a sexy silk bralette crop top and silk boxer shorts with lace trims, "I'll use the bathroom first," she informed him before walking into the bathroom with her phone, and the night wears. 

Once inside the bathroom, she hung the night wears by the towel railing before turning on the shower to let it run so that Bryan wouldn't hear anything. After that she dialed Lucy's line, "Hey love! I'm home now," she said apologetically as she sat down to ease herself, after dropping the 

Lucy who had been busy reading a novel stretched out on the bed, "Yeah? So how was your date?" She asked, wanting to talk about Sonia for a change since their conversations always seemed to be all about her. 

"Not bad at all. Went really well for a first date," Sonia said with a happy smile. 

"You bullied him into taking you out on the date, didn't you?" Lucy asked suspiciously.

Sonia giggled, "He actually bullied me into going out on a date with him. He seized my laptop and writing materials," Sonia said with a smug smile. 

"He did? How come? What happened? Don't tell me he is into you now?" Lucy asked in surprise. Although she wouldn't doubt it since Sonia always had her way with guys. 

"Well, he is gradually working his way there. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Enough about me. Tell me about you," Sonia said, reminding Lucy about their conversation. 

"Well, I've come up with a plan to solve all my problems. I'm starting by hanging out with Anita tomorrow," Lucy said and explained who Anita was. 

"Hm. You are sure you want to do that?" Sonia asked uncertainly, remembering what the old lady had said earlier. 

"Yes. He likes her after all, so I'm just doing us all a favor. I need your help though. Have you been able to find out anything about my boss?" Lucy asked hopefully. 

"Just that he is very good-looking, and he is an introvert who prefers to be alone," Sonia said, and lowered her voice again, "While we were at the restaurant he called Bryan and was talking to him about you,"

Lucy's heart skipped a beat, and she sat up, "About me? Really? What did he say?" She asked curiously. 

"I am yet to get the details from Bryan. I didn't want it to look too suspicious that I am showing so much interest in his brother," Sonia explained. 

"But can you help me find out more? You can tell Bryan about my relationship with his brother, I don't mind. I would like to get close to him," Lucy said, making Sonia raise a brow. 

"You don't mind? Why the sudden change of heart? I thought I was the mentally unstable one between us both, why are you competing with me?" Sonia asked in an amused tone. 

"I figured if I become close to him, I might be able to convince him t transfer Tom to a different unit without having to lose my job," Lucy explained, and Sonia rolled her eyes at the logic. 

"Hm. Are you sure you want me to do that?" Sonia asked curiously. She really didn't mind doing it though, since that meant Lucy would be interacting with two guys, Tom and Thomas Hank... She almost giggled when it occurred to her that both guys were actually bearing the same name. Tom. Or was Tom's name Thompson? Sonia wondered.

"Yes. He is making me very uncomfortable and I just don't want to have to see him everywhere all the time," Lucy explained. 

"Alright then. I will see what I can do and get back to you tomorrow." Sonia promised as she raised her other hand to scratch the back of her head where she felt a itch. She heard a clinking sound but thought nothing of it as she stood up and flushed the toilet. 

"What's that sound I'm hearing in the background?" Lucy asked, referring to the sound of the running water. 

"It's the shower. He is in the bedroom so I'm in the bathroom," Sonia explained making Lucy sigh. 

"Let's talk tomorrow then. I love you, goodnight."

"I love you more pumpkin, goodnight." Sonia said as she hung up and dropped her phone by the basi sink. 

She started taking off her crop top and paused midway when she remembered the key. The Key! Her heart skipped a beat and her eyes flew to the toilet when she remembered the clinking sound she had heard a moment ago. She shook her head in denial when it clicked in her head that the sound she had heard was that of the key falling into the toilet when she raised her arm. No!