The Crime Lord’s Girlfriend

Charlie P.O.V. On way home from work on Thursday, my phone rings and is a text from Jordan asking me to pick him and Ismael up from their individual practices. I sigh and turn around, after being so close to home. As I’m getting closer to the high school to pick up Ismael since he was the closest my phone rings. Answering without looking at the caller ID “hey I’m picking your brother up now, I’ll be there in ten” “Why are you picking up my brother?” come Jonah’s voice, I look at the phone pulling up in front of the school. “Wait… I don’t have a brother” he says. “I’m sorry Jonah, I didn’t even noticed I grabbed my work phone I thought you were my son.” “You are way too young and good looking to be my mother “ he says with a laugh. “You are such a clown, but what can I do for you? But before you tell, I don’t work after five” I tell him. “Oh thank God” he laughs, “I was just wondering two things…” he says letting his voice trail off. “Yes?” “What is your address and what time should I be over?” he asks, and I look at my phone confused. As I’m trying to figure out what I missed, Ismael opens the trunk throwing his bag in, and comes around the side of the car and gets in. “Hi Ma” my son says. “So?...” comes Jonah’s voice through the phone. “Oh, I’ll text you the address and 7ish is fine” I reply as I remember that my big mouth daughter invited Jonah to my house. “Alright, sounds good, see you later” Jonah says and hangs up. Ismael just sits looking at me for a moment, before reminding me. “Ma, Jordan is waiting for us” he says. Snapping me back to earth from being in my head and just getting more nervous about having Jonah around my sons, since Mariel seems to love him. “Ma, are you alright?” he asks me, looking at me suspiciously. “I’m good” I answer as I pull on to the road, towards the football stadium. Ismael connects his phone to the car and starts playing music, but keeps giving me looks. We get to the stadium as Jordan is walking out, and I see Mariel coming up behind him. As she gets in the car I ask, “Mariel why are you here?” looking at her through the rear view mirror. “I didn’t want to take the bus home and Beth was picked early today, so I stayed and did homework” she answers. Once Jordan throws his bag in the trunk and gets in the car, we head home. We get home and as everyone starts heading into the house, “by the way, we are having company today” I call after my kids as I get out of the car. They all stop and look back at me, waiting for me to tell them who the company is. We don’t really have people over to the house, because none of us really like it. Aside from maybe Bonnie and maybe one friend per kid, I don’t think we really invite people over. “Ask your sister” I tell the boys, walking past them into the house, and they follow “so Mariel who is it?” they ask. “Oh…”she realizes who I’m talking about and she blushes. “So…?” asks Ismael, looking suspiciously at his little sister. I take the opportunity and sneak to my room to change out of my work clothes before starting on dinner. By the time I come back downstairs again, all their stuff was put away and they were all sitting around the island in the kitchen. Ismael gets up when he sees me come in, “What are we making?” he asks. I look up at him and then at his siblings, they’re looking at me expectantly. I sigh, “I didn’t invite him your sister did and put me on the spot so I agreed. He called me when I went to pick you up and at this point it would be rude to back out.” I finish and no one says anything, “What do you think we should make?” I turn to Ismael and ask. “Is he allergic to anything? I’m not trying to kill your boyfriend on the first meeting” he says with a chuckle. “First, I don’t know what Mariel told you two but he is not my boyfriend” pointing my finger at them and they burst out laughing at my reaction. “What’s so funny?” I ask with my hands on my hips. “We just wanted to see your reaction and now we know you like him” says Jordan with a smirk. I shake my head at my children “I don’t like him like that” I pout. “Sure, sure” they say in unison, and have to smile. “What was the second thing?” asks Ismael. “Oh right, I don’t know if he is allergic to anything, I would have to call him and ask” I say, right as the doorbell rings and I look at the time on the microwave, is only 6pm. I tell them to pick what they want me to cook for dinner as I go see who’s at the door. I open the door and see Danny, “Hi Miss Perez” “Hi Danny, come in” I move to let him in the house. “Everyone is in the kitchen trying to decide on dinner.” “Right on time then” I laugh at him as we walk into the kitchen, Danny was always hungry. I walk back into the kitchen and Danny is now in Ismael’s vacated seat. “What’s the verdict?” I ask, washing my hands to start cooking. “Ground beef and cream cheese stuffed shells, rice, beans and stewed chicken, and a garden salad” says Ismael. “Well, lets get to it than” taking out the meats as Ismael takes out the seasonings. We season everything and put the pasta to boil and the rice to cook and start cooking the ground beef and then the chicken; all the was left was the beans. When the doorbell rings again, I go to see who it is and leaving Mariel cutting the vegetables for the salad. As I reach the door I hear Danny “ugh, the food is taking too long I’m going to starve to death” shaking my head I open the door and yell back “Danny you could always go home for dinner.” “I’m good to wait Miss P” and everyone laughs at him. I look back at the door to see Jonah Standing there waiting for my attention to go to him. “Hi there” he says. I look at him, “hi” I say. Jonah is wearing a pair of black jeans that hug his hips just the right amount, and a white button down shirt with a black jacket. I notice his eyes watching me intently and I feel my face heat up, moving out the way I signal for him to come in and when he hands me two bottles that I hadn’t noticed him holding. One is sparkly grape juice and the other one was some pink Merlot. “Thanks, but you didn’t need to bring anything” I tell him. “I’m not one to show up at someone’s house empty handed” he shrugs. “Thank you, you can hang your jacket” pointing to the jacket closet. As he takes off his jacket I can’t help myself and I check him out and immediately my mind goes straight to the gutter. I imagine Jonah turning around and wrapping his arms around my waist pulling me flush against him and he leans in his lips only a breath away from mine. “Ma!” I hear from the kitchen snapping me out of my lustful thoughts, when I notice Jonah very, very close to me, if either of us moved forward in the slightest, we would inevitably kiss. “Yeah?” I call out, Jonah still very close to me, and I feel my cheeks burning up. I took a step back, and went around Jonah heading to the kitchen. As I head into the kitchen, I hear Mariel shriek. “Guys!...I telling mami” I walk in the kitchen in time to see Jordan stealing a piece of meat from the pot that was on top of the stove, while Mariel was trying to stop him. Only problem is that Jordan is 6’3 and Mariel was 5’3, so all he has to do is reach over. Ismael and Danny are on the stools laughing at something in their phones, “Jordan cut it out, we all gotta eat and mami’s friend isn’t here yet” says Ismael. Before I could say anything comes the sexiest voice I have ever heard from behind me. “Hi guys” and all at once all four kids turn to look behind me. I felt like I was about to pass out. “Who are you?” asked Danny standing up looking at Jonah. I couldn’t move, I felt rooted where I stood. “I’m Jonah, your mom’s friend” comes that sexy as voice again. “Umm…Yeah this is Danny my son’s,Ismael, best-friend. This is Ismael, my eldest, that over there trying to eat all the food is Jordan and you already know Mariel.” I finish. “Hi Jonah!” said Mariel pushing Jordan and coming around the island to hug Jonah, with a huge smile. I watched as Jonah hugged her back and look back at the boys, who were just staring at Jonah without moving. Jordan had come around the island to stand next to Ismael. They were no longer surprised but the look in both their eyes was hard and cold as they looked at Jonah. My sons have always been protective of their sister, me and each other, but they became extremely possessive when men were involved. I love my sons but when they got like this it took an act of God to make them take it easy on the man in question, so is time to start praying. At least Jonah was just a friend, and that is even a stretch, we are colleagues and the only reason he is in my house right now is because my daughter invited him. Snapping out of my trance “Mariel, please set the table” I said turning to my daughter who was now standing next to Jordan with a look of pity on her face as she looked at Jonah. “Sure ma” she answered moving to get the plates and utensils. “Danny, go help her please” Danny immediately stood and went over to help Mariel in the dining room without saying anything. I looked at Jonah, “you mind giving me a minute?” not really a request but I didn’t want to be rude. “Sure thing, can you point me towards the washroom?” Jonah answered. Hearing this, Danny says “Come on Jonah, right? I’ll show you” and Jonah follows him. Danny was like one of my kids, was very protective of us and I knew that Jonah will be questioned to death on the short walk to the washroom but at least he will only question him unlike my kids who look like they were about to kill him. I turn back around to face my sons, “Sit” I say to Jordan. He sits, and they both look at me expectantly waiting for an explanation. “Fix your faces, and state your issue” I finish crossing my arms over my chest. “I don’t like him” comes Ismael’s answer. “You don’t know him so you can’t not like him” I say. “Yes I can” says Ismael. “He seems pretentious” Jordan finally chimes in. “One he isn’t and even if he was he’s just a colleague that is only here because Mariel invited him” I say, kind of disappointed at my kids because they know better than to judge people based on appearances. “Do you like him?” asked Jordan in a small voice. “I don’t really know much about him, but I don’t dislike him” “Why haven’t we seen him or heard of him before?” asked Ismael. “He just moved here from New York and started at my job this week, he is working as my partner on a new project” “Okay” they say in unison. “So are we good?” I ask. “Yeah” “Alright, be nice and let’s go eat I’m hungry” I tell them giving a hug to both of them.