This is Not a Double Date

by Grace Risata

  This Is Not A Double Date

  A Suspenseful Romantic Heist

  By Grace Risata

  Copyright © March 2019 by Grace Risata

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Synopsis

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  In Case You Were Wondering…

  Authorly Information

  Synopsis

  Andi Cartwright is intrigued when her best friend invites her to a concert and insists it is not a set-up. Yes, she’ll be meeting Cara’s new boyfriend and his cousin, but it was made abundantly clear that this is not a double date.

  Much to everyone’s surprise, Roman hits it off with Andi. The normally antisocial man recognizes a kindred spirit, and can’t stay away from her no matter how hard he tries.

  After a series of group outings including an escape room, family game night, and a food eating competition, it becomes apparent that all is not what it seems.

  Once Roman’s true motive is revealed, will Andi be able to put her feelings aside and move on…or will she simply become another victim caught in a web of lies?

  This is not your typical ‘boy-meets-girl’ story. With plot twists around every corner and sinister intentions behind seemingly innocent actions, who can really be trusted?

  Chapter One

  Andi – Saturday Afternoon

  The ringing of my cell phone instantly startled me, snapping my attention away from the words on the page.

  “Hello,” I mumbled, grabbing it and answering without looking at the caller ID. Not many people had this number, so whoever was calling must be someone important.

  “What are you doing tonight?” my best friend asked with a hint of mischief in her voice. Ever since she started seeing someone new last month, everything had been roses and sunshine.

  “I’m currently halfway into this amazing book about Egyptian mummification techniques and how they—”

  “That sounds truly fascinating, Andi,” she interrupted, “But how about you start living in the present instead of three thousand years ago? We have plans tonight.”

  I didn’t bother correcting her on the exact timeline of Ancient Egypt. Been there, done that. Instead, I furrowed my brow and tried to come up with an excuse to decline whatever invitation she might offer.

  “You’re going out with me, Tyler, and his cousin,” Cara explained before I could get a word in edgewise. “Don’t freak out and think it’s a double date, because that’s definitely not what it is at all.”

  “What is it then?” Was Tyler’s cousin not single? Was he sixty years old? Had he just escaped from prison and she knew I probably wouldn’t be attracted to a murderer? Should I be more concerned with the exact details of the evening instead of obsessing over the fact that it wasn’t a double date? Possibly.

  “Okay. Here’s the thing,” she began, launching into some sob story meant to gain my sympathy. “You know I’ve been seeing Tyler for almost three weeks and he’s absolutely perfect. He’s a real man, and nothing like the guys I’ve dated in the past. I haven’t felt this way about anyone in a long, long time. There’s potential for a future with him. I’m thirty years old and I might have finally met ‘the one.’ I’m being dead serious here.”

  Cara was a serial relationship kind of girl. She had a high school sweetheart who was her soulmate, the college boyfriend that taught her about true love, the married co-worker that promised to leave his wife but never went through with a divorce, and the latest and most epic failure: Bruce.

  Bruce lasted a solid two years but failed to lock her down and put a ring on it. This one was entirely my friend’s fault. The guy was a decent, hard-working fellow, but nothing he ever did was good enough. Yes, he gave her attention and flattery, but that wasn’t expensive jewelry. No one could ‘see’ compliments, but a bracelet and a watch were another story entirely. After failing to live up her unrealistic expectations, Cara kicked him to the curb with a heavy heart and a vow that she wouldn’t make any more mistakes.

  “Okay, you’re dead serious,” I repeated in a bored tone while returning half my attention back to the Egyptian book I’d been reading before she called. “How does this involve me not going on a double date with you?”

  “Tyler got tickets for some band he follows…I guess he knows the drummer or something…and we had plans to go see them tonight as kind of a group thing with his best friend and the guy’s girlfriend. I know I don’t need to tell you how important this is, right?”

  “Uh…” Evidently I failed to grasp the significance and needed to be given a little bit of a mental push in the right direction. History, Ancient Civilizations, and cultures of the past were all things that made perfect sense to me. Relationships? Not so much.

  “Tyler isn’t just treating me like some random chick to pass the time, Andi. He wants to share his musical tastes and introduce me to his inner circle. Meeting his friends and hanging out with the people who are important to him…this proves he’s getting serious about our relationship.”

  “Okay. I’m still not seeing where I come into the picture. You want him to meet me in order to reciprocate the friend sharing or what?”

  Under normal circumstances, I had always hung out with Cara as kind of a ‘girls only’ type deal. We’d been friends since high school and grown close out of a mutual respect for each other’s freedom. Never had it been the kind of ‘BFF’ closeness that required us to have a whole ‘squad’ and check in with each other every five minutes. She had her life, I had mine, and we made sure to stay updated on all major events. Whether we talked twice a week or twice a month, I knew she always had my back if the situation called for it. As we got older and careers took up a large chunk of time, the in-person get togethers became less and less frequent. Being somewhat of a hermit, I was fine with that. Hence the reason her sudden need to introduce me to this new dude seemed a bit suspicious.

  “You’re missing the point entirely,” she explained. “Tyler’s best friend bailed on our double date tonight because he has to work overtime. Now we’re stuck with two extra tickets to the concert. It’s not like you have to pay any money, and this is just a spur of the moment thing and not a set-up in any way, shape, or form. Besides, you should be having fun with people and living life instead of sitting with your no
se buried in a book. This is all very ‘last minute’ and I don’t have a huge social circle to choose from. I really need someone to bring along so I don’t look like a pathetic loser that can’t scrape up a friend. Don’t make me beg here…I’ll owe you one.”

  I was quite surprised that she admitted the truth aloud. Cara could be difficult on a good day and didn’t have many friends at all. There was a married cousin she was close to, a few acquaintances from work…and me. That pretty much covers it.

  “Assuming I give in and agree to go with you, why do you keep telling me it’s not a double date? Do you know anything about this guy’s cousin that you’re sticking me with?”

  “Nothing at all,” she remarked casually, not giving a shit about who I was forced to interact with. “Tyler has been pretty tight lipped about his family, so I’m treating this as a very important step towards him trusting me. He doesn’t share a lot of personal information. I’ve been giving him space because I don’t want to pry and scare him off. Everything has been absolutely perfect between us and I’m not about to jinx it. Have you seen my updates on Friendbook?”

  How could I not? Cara posted at least a hundred pictures of all the epic adventures she’s been having with Tyler. I think they went on six dates and it seemed like each and every moment was captured and proudly displayed online. From the well orchestrated poses in front of various restaurants and night clubs, to the flowers he brought when picking her up, to the many snaps of the kissing couple…well…they completely took up her whole online profile.

  “Of course I saw your updates. It looks like you’re having fun.”

  “It’s more than just fun, Andi. Aside from our insane chemistry, Tyler has the hottest body I’ve ever seen in my life. Why do you think I take so many selfies of us? We couldn’t be any more photogenic if we tried!”

  I had to admit she had a point. Tyler was a solid eight out of ten, and I didn’t go giving exceptional scores all willy nilly. With high cheekbones, deep brown eyes, and a perfect smile, the man seemed to be flawless. I’m sure his ‘tall, dark, and handsome’ vibe had Cara eating out of the palm of his hand. She had an affinity for a pretty face and a bad boy persona. Tyler fit the bill and then some.

  “Yeah, you two are prom king and queen material for sure,” I said with an eye roll, grateful she couldn’t see my expression over the phone. “Can’t you stalk his cousin on Friendbook and see if he looks normal at least? For my sake?”

  “No can do. Tyler doesn’t have a profile on there since his got hacked and he can’t get a new one. Stupid Friendbook. You’ll just have to wing it. It doesn’t really matter anyway, since this is not a double date.”

  “I feel like you keep emphasizing that point for some reason, yet I’m not sure why…”

  Cara had never set me up before with any of her boyfriend’s friends. I didn’t date much in high school, we went to different colleges, and I guess I never really pressed the matter. While I wasn’t the most outgoing of women, I had enough gentlemanly attention to get me through life thus far. A string of ordinary men had come and gone, but nothing worth mentioning.

  “Tyler seemed insistent that I should invite someone along tonight, but he made it perfectly clear that his cousin wasn’t interested in being set up. In fact, he repeated himself at least three times when he said that it was just a group thing and not to try and make a love match. Maybe his cousin is gay? Who the hell knows! I just figured you’d appreciate the lack of pressure to get along with the guy. Flirting isn’t your strong suit.”

  She was right. I had no game.

  Before I could think of an excuse as to why I was unable to attend the concert of a band I’d probably never heard of and remove myself from the obligation to make small talk with a random dude, Cara finalized our plans and ended the call.

  “Since you have nothing better going on and haven’t flat out refused, I’m taking that as a ‘yes.’ Be at my house at seven. We’re going out for dinner before the concert. Bye!”

  She hung up and that was the end of that. I had no other course of action except to stare forlornly at my new Egyptian book and shrug in defeat.

  “Instead of a nice night losing myself in a very enthralling mummification journal, I’m going to tempt fate and hang out with two complete strangers. Lovely. I get to fade into the background with some dork while Cara and Mr. Sexy Model take selfie after egotistical selfie.”

  If only I’d known at the time just how much fate had in store for me. Instead of a simple outing involving dinner, music, and small talk, the universe had other, more sinister plans. Who would have thought one seemingly innocent invitation would cause my entire life to spiral out of control?

  Chapter Two

  Roman

  “Hey, it’s me,” Tyler snapped as soon as I picked up the phone. “Change of plans. Duke can’t go tonight because he has to work late. Therefore I have extra tickets. Make yourself presentable and be at my house by quarter to seven.”

  What the fuck is this shit? Had my cousin lost his damn mind?

  “You must have the wrong number because I know you’re not asking me to tag along with you and princess. I don’t socialize well with others, nor am I about to start trying.”

  Jackass can beg and plead all he wants, but I’m not going.

  “The whole point of tonight is to gain her trust, Roman. If I don’t start proving that I’m serious about our relationship, she’s going to clam up. That’s not going to help anyone and you know it.”

  As if the playboy had the faintest hint about the real definition of the word ‘relationship.’

  “Just keep doing whatever it is that you’re doing, and there won’t be a problem. Duke is way better at laying on the charm than I am. Reschedule the date for next week. Who gives a fuck?”

  “Time is of the essence, man. I want everything to go off without a hitch. She sounded disappointed when I tried to cancel, so I offered a solution…if she’d bring a friend, then I would bring my cousin. Have you paid attention to her Friendbook feed? There are lots of selfies, but not many posts of her and her girls. I assumed she didn’t have anyone to invite, and that would be the end of it. Cara suddenly came up with some chick named ‘Andi’ and insisted everything would be fine.”

  Fuck. This keeps getting better and better. I managed to go from being the third wheel, to now acting as a wingman forced to entertain some random girl.

  “You know how I am with women. What in the hell makes you think I’ll agree to this?”

  I had a nasty tendency to attract a certain type of female. Through past experience, I’ve found the majority to be clingy, desperate, and unable to take a hint that I’m just not interested. The last thing I needed was one of Cara’s friends thinking this was a double date. Fuck that.

  “Come on,” Tyler demanded. “Get your head out of your ass. It’s one night. Put on your game face and let’s do this. It’s nothing more than a means to an end.”

  “I understand that,” I coldly reminded him. “I’m the planner and not the charmer. I’m the one who covers every detail to make sure things go smoothly with no unwelcome surprises. You and Duke do the prep work and I’m the one behind the scenes. Have you forgotten what happens if things veer off course?”

  “I’m well aware of any unforeseen consequences. That’s why it would be a good idea for you to actually meet Cara in person and get to know her better. You know…cover all the details and shit.”

  He had a point, albeit a small one.

  “Fine. Just this once. But you damn well better make it perfectly clear that I’m not interested in hooking up with Cara’s friend. If this chick gets all starry-eyed and starts talking about our future babies, I have no problem getting up and walking out without a single hesitation.”

  I could hear Tyler’s smile over the phone once he knew he’d won the battle and convinced me to go along.

  “I already made that point abundantly clear. Cara started to get suspicious when I explained for the fourth time tha
t it wasn’t a set up. I’ll do my best, man, but I’m not going to tackle this girl from across the table if she bats her eyelashes at you over dinner. Just give her your usual scowl and she’ll get the hint eventually.”

  He ended the call and I mentally smacked myself for being such a pushover. The end justifies the means. All I had to do was keep repeating that over and over, and I should be fine. Eyes on the prize.

  How hard would it be to get through one night and pretend it wasn’t absolute torture? Tyler and Duke did this shit all the time and they seemed to actually enjoy it. It’s not like anything life-altering would go down, right?

  Chapter Three

  Andi – Saturday Night

  After typing in the front door security code Cara gave me, I hesitantly made my way through the foyer and began to quietly call out her name. When I got no reply, I started yelling.

  “Cara! Where are you?”

  “Upstairs,” she replied. “Second door on the left.”

  I cringed at her lack of hostess skills. My friend knew I’d never been in the condo before, yet she still couldn’t be bothered to actually come downstairs and greet me. Thus, I was forced to tip toe past fancy décor that must have cost more than I make in a year.

  Once I found her primping in front of the bathroom mirror, I took a seat on the edge of a sunken bathtub and made myself comfortable.

  “This is some sweet pad you’ve got here,” I complimented, noting the vanity mirror with expensive lighting, the modern tile work covering every inch of the bathroom, and the plush robe she currently wore that most likely did not belong to her.

  “I know,” she replied, puckering her lips to apply a layer of gloss. “Too bad I only have it for another month before my mom’s co-worker comes back from vacation. This house-sitting business is brilliant. I just need to find a rich person who wants to stay away for two years instead of two months.”