My Neighbor is Bad News

3: Work

It had been a few days before Jenna went to her favorite diner and she craved the food that they served. There was something special about it.

When she entered, there seemed to be relief on Lonnie's face who seemed to relax. She waved at Jenna who waved back and took a seat in the booth and ordered whatever the special was for lunch.

"I was afraid I scared you away." Lonnie told her as she refilled water into her cup. Jenna smiled and felt guilt build in her chest. "Thank you for the concern. I wasn't ready to talk about it." She replied back to the older woman. "I just need to know, are you somewhere safe?" She asked her and Jenna nodded. "That's good to hear, if there is anything that you need, I am more than happy to try and help you."

Jenna was ready to give her thoughtless reply and thank the woman but an idea popped into her head. "Do you need help? I can wash dishes." Jenna asked her.

Lonnie looked like she considered it but she replied, "I have no positions, but if you work here, it'll be under the table. Do you have an ID card or anything?"

At the shake of her head she said, "I have no real work experience and I don't have anything else." Lonnie looked torn and then she said, "I can't offer you anything permanent unless you have the proper identification, but for now we could start with the basics. When are you free?" She asked her.

***

Jenna felt that she was being watched and she felt a chill in her spine. It felt chilly in her new home and she wondered if there was a reason she was being paranoid. There was a knock on the back balcony and she was wary and wondered who it might be. Chances were high that it was her dad's men and she wondered if they had already found her.

She had only been away from her family's home for close to three weeks now. Jenna looked around to see if it was possible she could use anything as a weapon. She turned off the lights and hoped that the off chance was that they would think that she was not home. Yeah, not a chance smart one. She thought to herself and knew that if her father's men wanted to find her they would already have.

Taking a deep breath, Jenna moved away from the door and their was a knock again. "Jenna, it's me." she heard the familiar voice of her neighbor and she moved to open the first lock on the glass door.

Cade was on the other side and she spoke to him through the screen. "What are you doing?" She asked. He tried the screen door and noticed that it would not budge. "Let me in." He said and tried again and Jenna stared at him. "Why should I?"

"Please." He said and she blew out a breath.

She unlocked the door and he opened the screen before entering. "I need help." He told her and she noticed that he was shirtless with sweats that rode low on his too delectable looking hips and he was not wearing any shoes. His skin was tanned and she could see that his sleeve went farther and he had a massive tattoo on his chest.

"Why were you on my balcony and where is your clothes?" She asked him and noticed that his hair was half up in a half ponytail. He was also sporting black glasses and his beard was trimmed shorter than usual.

"I have a stalker. She won't leave me alone." He told her. Jenna rolled her eyes at him, "And you were on my balcony because?"

"I need your help to hide me again."

"Why don't you just tell her to leave you alone. You're a grown ass man." She told him with her hands crossed over the other, "And quit coming onto my balcony. What if you fall?" She told him thinking how there was about two feet distance between the two and they were on the third floor.

"Why you worried?" he smirked at her and Jenna turned around to microwave a cup of noodles. "If you hide me, I will cook you dinner. I think I'm quite good at it."

Jenna turned to look at him as she cooked her dinner. "And what makes you think I want your food?"

"I hear your smoke alarm go off often and I smell the things you burn on a daily. I may be a grown man but you're also a grown woman. Can't you cook?" He asked her and she knew that she didn't have anything to reply to him without being a real jerk.

"Why don't you just tell this girl to leave you alone."

"I tried but she tries to get me to have sex with her again and again." Cade explained and Jenna couldn't understand the females that he sleeps with. There was a bang next door and she heard a voice calling out his name from the other side of the door. "Is she here?" Jenna asked.

He nodded and the microwave went off. "She really doesn't give up. Here watch my noodles." Jenna said before walking to the front door and she opened it to find the same busty blonde knocking on the door.

"Look here woman, the man is obviously not interested. Can you please stop embarrassing yourself and all the women in the world by looking so desperate. He is just not into you." Jenna said and the blonde glared at her.

"Excuse me?" she asked and turned to face her. "You heard me. I'm tired of hearing you knock on this door and the idiot is obviously hiding from you."

The blonde made this face and Jenna was almost hoping that she would try something but her hands were balled into fists at her side. "You're just jealous." she said.

"Right, about which part? Your fake boobs or your fake annoying moans." Jenna told her knowing that the walls in the complex weren't exactly the thickest. Blondie huffed and Jenna was ready for a punch. "You j-j-just don't know what good sex is."

Jenna didn't have a reply to that. She was a virgin and she didn't know what sex felt like at all. "I'm sure she has an idea." Cade popped his head out and Jenna was about ready to punch him for giving up his hiding place.

Blondie looked at him, and then at the fact that his shoulder was bare and glared back at Jenna. "Whatever, you can have my sloppy seconds anyways." She said and did an odd hairflip before leaving.

They both entered the apartment again and Jenna went to her noodles that was starting to become soggy. "Your standards are sort of low it seems." She said as she took a bite.

Cade watched her and he laughed. "Well, it has been awhile I guess. Just enjoying some freedom." He said watching her from behind his glasses that she had to think that was somewhat appealing to his face and made him seem older and more mature than what he probably was.

"So you're safe to go back to your room." She told him and he watched her intently before he nodded at her and left out the balcony. "You really need to stop doing that." She told him leaning on the railing and watched him as he stood and then did a leap in which he landed gracefully onto his own balcony. "This door was unlocked." He told her and she saw the way his muscles flexed under his skin and moonlight. 

She looked away as she tried not to ogle him too much before he got the wrong idea.  "Let me know when you will take my offer for making you food sometime. I don't think you would be able to keep your figure if you keep living off of that instant crap." He said. 

Jenna rolled her eyes at him and he smiled at her. "Don't wait on it." She told him before entering her home. "Goodnight." He called after her and she bid him goodbye. 

She felt that for some reason, she needed to stay away from him, There was something dangerous about the man and she couldn't figure out what it was.

***

"Hey boss, we found her. What do you want me to do?" 

"As of right now, continue to watch her. Wait until she is alone and take her." The voice replied back into the receiver. 

"Copy that."