Mr. All Wrong

by R. C. Stephens

  What are your plans for tonight? If you have Carter, maybe we can just hang out, and if you don’t have Carter, maybe we can just hang out. Followed by the message was an emoji with sunglasses.

  The man was smooth. I’d give him that. These last few nights he had been busy with commitments, but he texted me every night when he got home, and I looked forward to hearing from him. I never dated much, so I had a slim chance of settling down, but that didn’t mean that I didn’t crave the feeling of having someone to love who would love me back. I felt empty and tired of being alone, sleeping alone, eating alone. Especially when Carter went to Jake’s. Here I was falling fast and hard. It scared me that I could picture Colton and me getting into bed at night together, sharing meals…everything…I could imagine a life with Colton.

  I don’t have Carter tonight. But I have to go to Jake’s for dinner.

  After writing the message, I suddenly regretted agreeing to dinner with Jake and Veronica. The dots were rolling on my screen indicating he was replying.

  Dinner with Jake? I thought you said he wasn’t my competition.

  I shake my head laughing at the thought of Colton being jealous of Jake. Yes, Jake was handsome, smart and a good man who was hard to find, but Colton was the whole package, charismatic, intelligent, he loved to help people.

  Jake’s mom is having dinner with us. She’s moving to town, and I haven’t seen her in a while.

  I press send, realizing I was explaining myself to this beautifully handsome powerful man that has a heart of gold beneath his suave demeanor. Little old me. And better yet, he wanted my explanation. The fact that he even cared was enough to floor me.

  Can I pick you up after dinner?

  It will be late. I’ll be tired.

  Why was I pushing him away when I wanted him so bad? I was scared. That had to be the only answer.

  I’m persistent. I want to see you. Let me come over.

  He continued to be persistent, and I loved his pushiness. It did good things to my insides. I also wasn’t going to reject him. Sheesh! An evening alone with Colton would be dreamy. The thought was getting me stirred up, and the temperature in the classroom seemed to elevate, or maybe it was just my overheated body.

  Okay. I’ll see you at my place later. Text you when I’m done.

  The dots begin rolling on my phone as I anticipate what he will say next. One word comes through…

  Good

  I was starting to get the impression that Colton Mathis could be bossy and for some reason his bossiness made my belly tighten deliciously. I was merely too weak to deny him.

  Chapter Twelve

  Colton

  “Would you look in the damn file, Colton? The woman was arrested back in 2006.” My father hissed as he gave me his penetrating look.

  “I’m not looking in the file, Father.” I was about ready to snap. Tell him there was no way I was putting myself through a presidency race. But that same old guilt held my tongue in place. “What did she get arrested for anyway? Stealing a chocolate bar?” I snicker since he seemed so hell-bent on Evie and the Mathis family business was after all based on famous chocolate candy bars. I thought he might be taking personal offense. Of course, I was just playing with him, not that he appreciated it much.

  “No, public indecency,” he scoffs.

  I try to hold back my laughter, but it is no use. The thought of Evie naked in public made my dick turn half-mast and now was not the right time. No, I had a date with her tonight, and her son wouldn’t be home which meant sexy times with my fiery redhead.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me.” I pick up the folder. It said she was brought in for questioning and later released. She was arrested at a concert. Evie was a wild child. I liked the thought of that too. Although I wondered what a deaf person did at a concert. I felt like a douche for thinking it. I had to educate myself more on deafness. “She was released, Father. No charges were laid.” I threw the file across my desk. I knew my father well enough to know where this was leading. He was trying to say that Evie wasn’t good enough to be first lady material. Only I didn’t give a shit. I was just thinking of her fine rack. It may be pig-headed, but I was still a red-blooded male.

  “You’re missing the point,” my father pressed his palms firmly on my desk as he hovered. A tactic used to intimidate me only he didn’t realize it’s not intimidation I felt. It was more like guilt, even though I was just a child, and him choosing to take care of me wasn’t something I asked for however grateful I am. Dr. Bennett and I have dissected the issue down to its core, and no matter how she explains it, there is still the damn guilt. I blow out a breath because dealing with my father requires the patience of a saint and I’m far from it.

  “I understand your point, Father, but I like this girl. Like really, truly, like her. I want to give us a chance. I’ve never wanted to give anyone a chance, but her I do. Do you get my point?” I throw his words back in his face. His features slightly soften but not enough to melt the ice that forms around him when it comes to my political career.

  “There are sacrifices that should be made for the greater good. The American people respect you…no; they adore you,” he says, raising his voice. “They deserve a good honest president, and you are that man. We can do this, Colt. Get rid of the girl. Trust me.” With that, my father winks and pushes off my desk. He straightens his tie and dashes out of my office with the same conviction he had entered. Assuming his point was made and I would follow the order. Only I wasn’t following his rules this time. I just reached the threshold of my father’s demands. That and I wanted my life, my way. Maybe it was therapy or Dr. Bennett’s influence, I don’t know, but I couldn’t hold on to my childhood hang-ups forever. My guilt wasn’t going to keep me warm at night. With that last thought, I packed up my briefcase and headed home. I had a hot date tonight, and if things went as planned, I’d have Evie writhing beneath me.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Evie

  I look at my watch. It’s eight o’clock. I am itching to get home so that I could see Colton.

  “I’ll go get Carter ready for bed,” Jake signs to me and his mother.

  “Go ahead. I’ll hang out with Evie for a while,” Veronica says and signs at the same time. I love seeing Veronica, Jake’s mom, and I love hanging out with her, but I have a very hot and very distinguished governor waiting on me. The thought makes me press my thighs together to stop the ache building between my legs at the idea of Colton merely touching me.

  “I should get going,” I say, standing up from the chair in Jake’s kitchen.

  Jake is holding Carter in his arms even though my son was too big to be carried that way. Still, I love that he has such an adoring and affectionate father in Jake. With Carter in his arms, Jake can’t sign, but he is cutting me a glare. He puts our son down and signs to him to go to his room to get ready for a shower. Carter runs off. “You seeing him tonight?” Jake signs. I notice Veronica eyeing us carefully, trying to figure out what was going on as she still works on her glass of wine from dinner.

  “Who is ‘him?’” she asks, looking directly at me. She takes another sip of her wine.

  “Colton Mathis, the governor,” I say.

  Veronica’s wine glass slipped out of her hand smashing to the table and falling to the floor breaking into small shards of glass. She has a stupefied look on her face for a moment before she snaps out of it and begins reacting to the mess she made.

  “Shoot. Look what I’ve done,” she chides herself then reaches down for the broken glass.

  “Veronica, wait…” I hope my voice sounds loud. She pauses and looks up to me, a blank look on her face. “Let me get a broom and dustpan. You shouldn’t pick it up with your hands. I don’t want you to get cut.”

  She nods silently, still standing in the mess like she is an ice sculpture. Her behavior is bizarre. I know I am just some regular person and the governor is, well, the governor, but that wasn’t the reaction I was expecting. I thought more along the li
nes of Wow! Evie, you lucky girl. I go to get the dustpan and broom from the cupboard while Jake signs he is going to check on Carter. Apparently, my assumption was off base. Her reaction just fed into my insecurities. I am a deaf woman dating the governor. Why would he want me over so many other beautiful women in the long run? I tamp down my negative thoughts. Veronica snaps out of her daze and holds the dustpan while I sweep the shards of broken glass. We dump everything into a plastic bag, and I take it to the garbage bin. If I had been excited only moments ago, now I was questioning everything.

  I return to the kitchen with a wet rag to wipe up the remnants of the wine from the broken glass. When I lift my head, I take in Veronica’s frown.

  “Oh, sweet girl. I’m sorry for my reaction. I don’t want you to think what you’re thinking. I can see your pain in the depths of your blue eyes. It’s always there and I know I’ve said this to you before, but you are an amazing woman. You’re a great mother, and any man should be honored to have you,” she says sincerely, her hands signing all the words held more impact for me. She smiles softly. “You know deep down I always wished you and Jake would finally get your acts together and make Carter a home. I know I don’t say it explicitly, but a mother and grandmother could wish,” she says, and a lone tear begins to stray down her left cheek. I don’t know what to feel at this point. Deep down I know these are her wishes.

  “I know, and I hate that you feel disappointed,” I say, and she stops me from continuing.

  “No, sweet girl. I’m not disappointed. You and my son have done a great job raising Carter. I’m proud of you both. I’m so sorry if my reaction caused you to doubt yourself because you should have no doubts.”

  “How could I not have doubts?” I ask. What I wanted to say was that my mother didn’t want a deaf child because it was too difficult. Why would someone like Colton want me long term?

  “I know what happened with your mom still hurts, but I hope it hasn’t defined you. I’ve always prayed for that. Look at all you’ve accomplished. You’re special, Evie, there is no doubt about that.”

  “Thank you.” I lean in and hug Veronica.

  When I pull away, the lone tear has turned to several.

  “Ignore me, I’ve had too much wine with dinner, and I am too emotional,” she waves me off.

  “I’m going to give Carter a kiss goodbye,” I say, walking toward the back of Jake’s apartment.

  I see steam billowing from the shower, so I just stand in the doorway hoping to project my voice as much as possible. “Have a good night, honey!” I can’t hear a reply, but then I see Carter’s small hand wave outside the curtain. I walk by Carter’s room where I watch Jake getting his bed ready for sleep since there are a ton of toys poured over top. I tap his shoulder and sign for him to have a good night. He doesn’t seem in an overly friendly mood so I place a peck on his cheek too and tell him I would see him at school tomorrow.

  “Have a good night,” I say to Veronica who is in the kitchen clearing off the table.

  She lifts her head and says, “You too.” I can’t get over the solemn look on her face when she says it. And with those last words, I leave the apartment even though an unsettled feeling has come upon me.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Colton

  My phone rings on the Bluetooth in my car. Cassy’s name lights up the screen. I’ve ignored her calls all day, but I can’t keep ignoring her. I also can’t say what I have to say over the phone. Even though things have always been casual between us, our on and off again flings have been going on for quite some time. I press the answer button on my steering wheel. “Hello.”

  “Colt, darling,” Cassy’s sultry voice purrs through the line.

  “Cassandra. Where are you? I was hoping we could meet.”

  “I’m home at my condo. I knew you would come to your senses. You can’t live without my pussy. I’m already dripping wet for you baby,” she coos and it does nothing for me. In the past, Cassandra’s dirty talk used to get me all riled up. Now I’m feeling nothing.

  “We need to talk,” I respond, hoping I don’t come off too strong because Cassy can be sensitive.

  “That doesn’t sound good, Colt. I think we should fuck then talk. I’m horny,” she whines.

  I sigh to myself hoping she doesn’t hear my reaction. Cassandra does not like hearing the word no.

  “See you soon.” I press the phone button on my steering wheel to end the call. This is not going to be easy.

  I continue my drive over to her place. I want to make it a fast talk because I’m itching to see Evie. She already texted me that she’s on her way home from dinner. As excited as I am about seeing Evie, it irks me how close she is to the father of her child. Even though on a different level I respect her for it. I seem to be all over the map these days where she’s concerned. One thing is sure, I’m attracted to her on a level I’ve never felt before. I pull up to the front of Cassandra’s building and leave my car running for the parking attendant.

  “Hi, Mr. Mathis. Should I park her for the night?” he asks, referring to my new Tesla Roadster.

  “Keep her close. I won’t be long.” I grin to the attendant and turn to go inside the building. At least I hope Cassandra doesn’t keep me long. Riding up in the elevator, I feel like I’m sitting on pins and needles. It’s the end of an era like I’m giving up my bachelorhood when all I’m doing is trying to be monogamous with a woman that genuinely intrigues me.

  The elevator stops on Cassandra’s floor, and I exit. Cassandra is waiting for me with her door open. As I approach, I notice what she’s wearing. It’s a lace bodysuit, mostly see through and a pair of fuck-me red high heels. Nope. Cassandra wasn’t going to let me go easy.

  “Hey, Colt. Haven’t seen you in a while.” Her lips painted with fire red lipstick turned down in a pout. She moves her long raven hair to one shoulder. As I take in her motions, I realize how she uses her sexuality with me, always. Our relationship is based on sex. I shouldn’t complain, we’ve had hot times together. It’s beyond me why I crave more now, or specifically Evie who doesn’t use her sexuality at all, and yet I find her so mouthwateringly sexy. Shit Colton, focus here. You can’t be getting your dick excited about Evie when we have to deal with Cassy. I chide myself.

  “You know. Things have been busy.” I walk through the threshold of her apartment, and Cassy immediately tries to plant a hot kiss on my lips. I stop her by holding her shoulders back. I can’t have the taste of another woman on my lips when I go to see Evie. “We need to talk, Cassy.” I let out a heavy sigh as I walk further into her apartment. Everything is white, her furniture, the walls. I take a seat on the white leather sofa in the middle of the room. “Have a seat, Cassy.” I pat the spot beside me.

  “You’re scaring me, Colt,” she says, and I can see the fear in her eyes. Before Cassy met me, she was in an abusive relationship. I don’t want to say I saved her, but I got her old boyfriend to back off, then showed her that a man could be tender with a woman. Cassy, in a way, depends on me.

  “Nothing to be scared of sweets.” I pick her hand up for reassurance. She may come off tough on the outside, but she’s a ball of mush on the inside. “I just need to cut things off between us. No more hooking up. I’ve met someone.”

  The second those last words leave my mouth, Cassy pulls her hand out of mine and shoots up from her seat. Her arms are folding protectively over her torso.

  “Cassy.” I stand up and place a hand on her shoulder. “Look, I’ve always been upfront with you about what is going on here between us.”

  “I know,” she shrugs out of my grip.

  “It was never my intention to hurt you. You’re a beautiful woman. You have a lot to offer—”

  She cuts me off. “I want to have a lot to offer you, Colt.” Her dark eyes looked sad, distressed. I knew this would be difficult. I just didn’t realize how difficult.

  “Cassy, I never made you any promises. You know how I operate. I’m sorry if I gave you hope for us. I nev
er intended for that to happen. That’s why I was always straight up with you.”

  “I know, I know.” She bows her head shaking it back and forth. “You’re quite a catch. A girl can dream.” She says softly, picking her head up to give me a small smile. “I should put something on.” She looks down at herself with an embarrassed look.

  “I should get going,” I say. “You take care, Cassy.”

  “You too, Colt.”

  I show myself out. I expected more of a fight from her. I didn’t think she would let me go that easily, maybe I was wrong, or perhaps my damn ego is too inflated.

  Now, I can’t get over to Evie’s apartment fast enough. I don’t know if tonight will be about sex, but I was sure hoping it would be. Even though Cassy wasn’t a formal girlfriend, I am now a free man. A part of me should have felt nervous on my drive over to Evie, but I felt invigorated, alive for the first time in a long time. The change was a good thing. Me taking a leap of faith where Evie was concerned was a big deal. My past relationship issues were based on the fact that I couldn’t trust the women I was with. I saw them as back stabbers, which I know sounds crazy, but go figure, childhood trauma plus the fact that I was raised by a man that didn’t value relationships. It was all I knew until my little rude awakening, better known as a cream pie to the face, and the exquisite lady behind the throwing fiasco woke me up. I only hope I don’t regret my leap of faith with Evie because if I can’t make things work with her then I will lose all hope for myself, and I would hate to turn out to be a bitter old man like my father.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Evie

  I tried to wipe the last half an hour out of my mind as I rushed home to take a shower and shave my legs, armpits, and bikini area. After my shower, I rubbed on loads of coconut scented moisturizing cream. I couldn’t let my insecurities bring me down. Even though I felt like an amateur, a young, inexperienced girl next to these models that Colton had been photographed with. I wasn’t sexy and wild. I was simple, too simple.