by Tara Wylde
Wrong Number, Right Guy
Tara Wylde
Holly Hart
Red Cape Romance
Contents
I. Wrong Number, Right Guy
1. Ella
2. Jason
3. Ella
4. Ella
5. Ella
6. Jason
7. Ella
8. Jason
9. Ella
10. Jason
11. Ella
12. Ella
13. Jason
14. Ella
15. Ella
16. Ella
17. Ella
18. Ella
19. Ella
20. Ella
21. Ella
22. Jason
23. Jason
24. Jason
25. Jason
26. Ella
27. Ella
28. Jason
29. Ella
30. Ella
31. Jason
32. Ella
Epilogue
II. Keeping Her
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
116. EPILOGUE: SARA
III. The Chase
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
Chapter 128
Chapter 129
Chapter 130
Chapter 131
Chapter 132
Chapter 133
Chapter 134
Chapter 135
Chapter 136
Chapter 137
Chapter 138
Chapter 139
Chapter 140
Chapter 141
Chapter 142
Chapter 143
Chapter 144
Chapter 145
Chapter 146
Chapter 147
Chapter 148
Chapter 149
Chapter 150
Chapter 151
Chapter 152
Chapter 153
Chapter 154
Chapter 155
Chapter 156
Chapter 157
Chapter 158
Chapter 159
Chapter 160
Chapter 161
Chapter 162
Chapter 163
Chapter 164
Chapter 165
Chapter 166
Chapter 167
Chapter 168
Chapter 169
Chapter 170
Chapter 171
Chapter 172
Chapter 173
Chapter 174
Chapter 175
176. EPILOGUE: CASSIE
IV. His Sword
Chapter 177
Chapter 178
Chapter 179
Chapter 180
Chapter 181
Chapter 182
Chapter 183
Chapter 184
Chapter 185
Chapter 186
Chapter 187
Chapter 188
Chapter 189
Chapter 190
Chapter 191
Chapter 192
Chapter 193
Chapter 194
Chapter 195
Chapter 196
Chapter 197
Chapter 198
Chapter 199
Chapter 200
Chapter 201
Chapter 202
Chapter 203
Chapter 204
Chapter 205
Chapter 206
Chapter 207
Chapter 208
Chapter 209
Chapter 210
Chapter 211
Chapter 212
Chapter 213
Chapter 214
Chapter 215
Chapter 216
Chapter 217
Chapter 218
Chapter 219
Chapter 220
Chapter 221
Chapter 222
Chapter 223
Chapter 224
Chapter 225
Chapter 226
Chapter 227
Chapter 228
Chapter 229
Chapter 230
Chapter 231
Chapter 232
Chapter 233
Chapter 234
Chapter 235
236. EPILOGUE: AMANDA
V. Dare Me
237. Lucas
238. Lucas
239. Alexis
240. Lucas
241. Alexis
242. Lucas
243. Alexis
244. Lucas
245. Lucas
246. Alexis
247. Lucas
248. Lucas
249. Alexis
250. Alexis
251. Alexis
252. Alexis
253. Alexis
254. Lucas
255. Lucas
256. Alexis
257. Lucas
258. Alexis
259. Alexis
260. Alexis
261. Alexis
262. Lucas
263. Alexis
264. Alexis
265. Alexis
266. Lucas
267. Alexis
268. Alexis
269. Alexis
270. Alexis
271. Lucas
272. Lucas
273.
Alexis
274. Alexis
275. Alexis
276. Lucas
277. Alexis
278. Alexis
279. Alexis
280. Alexis
Epilogue - Lucas
Stay in touch!
Part I
Wrong Number, Right Guy
1
Ella
I disconnect the phone and glance at the huge, cheap clock hanging above the door.
The second hand wiggles, giving the impression that it’s stuck, then clicks over to the tiny dash between the eight and the nine. Another second of this shift gone. Only seven minutes and seventeen seconds to go.
The second hand repeats its performance. Seven minutes and sixteen seconds.
I can survive that long. I reach for my mouse, prepared to make one last call before finishing up for the day.
“Ella!”
My shift manager, Jerry Paolini’s smug face appears over the side of the thin cubicle walls.
Ugh, Maybe I won’t survive after all. Every encounter I’ve ever had with Jerry has always taken way longer than it should, and left me feeling like I need to take a long, hot shower. Even when he doesn’t touch me, and he usually finds some reason to either lay a hand on my shoulder or “accidently” brush against me, it leaves me feeling dirty.
I’d call him a weasel, but that’s not fair to the real members of the weasel family. I’m pretty sure they’d reject Jerry.
Jerry bares his teeth in what he thinks is a charming smile, but which only draws attention to his sharp, weasel-like features. “You’re looking even prettier than you did when you got here this morning. What ya doing tonight?”
I bend my own mouth into a small pseudo-smile that I know doesn’t reach my eyes and reach deep inside myself for patience. I’m going to need it. The small headache that’s been pulsating on the edges of my consciousness for the last few hours ups the ante and stabs at my temples.
“Book club,” I tell him. It’s not a complete lie.
“Oh.” Jerry sucks his cheeks between his teeth and loses himself in deep thought. Well, Jerry’s version of deep thought, which isn’t very deep at all. Most of his thoughts revolve around how to get under the skirt of whichever girl has caught his eye. For the past few weeks, that’s been me.
Just my luck. “What about after that? All that reading and talking about reading, it’s got to make you thirsty. Just thinking about it makes me want to grab a drink or two. What do ya say we get together at that brew house down the road? I’ll order a pizza and a couple pitchers of beers, and then you and I can—”
“I’m hosting it,” I hastily interrupt, “which means I have to clean up, and since it goes quite late…” I let the thought trail off. There’s no way I’m mentioning the word ‘bed’ in Jerry’s presence. He’ll take it as an invitation.
“And what about this weekend?”
Jerry is a lousy manager. He’s always one inappropriate comment away from a sexual harassment lawsuit, but no one can say he’s not persistent.
My mind races. “Um, I’m having dental surgery after work.” Okay, not the most original of excuses, but it’s been a long day. My brain simply doesn’t have the energy to be creative.
“Really?” Jerry’s brow furrows. “This is the first I’ve heard of it. You didn’t ask for any time off?”
He’s right. I didn’t. Mostly because I don’t have a dentist appointment, but even if I did, I can’t afford to take any time off. It’s not like this place offers paid sick leave. I have bills to pay.
I shouldn’t have said that. Bill is a very bad word in my world.
The pain in my head to explodes into a full-fledged migraine while bile churns in my stomach. This morning I’d woken to a reminder that another payment is nearly due. And payday is a few days away. And I’m not sure how far I can make that check stretch.
“I booked the appointment for after work and I have the whole weekend to recover.”
“I see. Well, maybe next week we can get our schedules coordinated.”
Fat chance–but I’m not telling him that. “Maybe.”
My eyes slide past Jerry’s head to the giant clock. Five more minutes, then I’m free.
“Oh, by the way…”
Uh oh. I know that tone. Jerry didn’t buy my excuses after all. He takes a piece of paper from the clipboard that’s permanently in his hands. He carries it around so that he can look busy on the rare occasions his own boss shows up.
He dangles the paper in front of my eyes. “These numbers need to be contacted before the end of the day. I was going to ask Paula to do this, but she can’t stay late. You don’t mind taking them, right?”
“But there’s, like, more than twenty names on there.”
“I know. A few of the girls got behind on their calls.” Translation: the girls who weren’t constantly shooting him down had been flirting with him rather than making their calls. “And you’re so good.”
“But I work first shift tomorrow morning! I have to be here a few minutes before eight, at the very latest.”
It’s already six and it’ll take me a few hours to work my way through the names, meaning the soonest I’ll get out of here is nine.
“Like I said, you’re good. Not only do you do the best job landing deals, but you’re also efficient.” He wiggles the list the same way a fisherman wiggles a hooked worm in front of a giant trout. “It probably won’t take you long. And you were just asking about extra hours. You might even make some extra sales and the commission would be all yours.”
The memory of the call I got this morning and the size of the bill I need to pay down looms in my mind.
“Fine,” I grab the paper out of his hand and smooth it on my cramped desk. “I’ll do it.”
“Thanks, Ella. You’re the best.” Jerry disappears behind the far side of my cubicle wall. I hear him whistling a jaunty tune. Probably going to see if whichever girl was supposed to make all these calls will go out with him now that she doesn’t have to stay late in order to finish her work.
I heave a sigh and settle my headset over my ears,adjusting my microphone before keying up the first number of the list.
The sooner I get started on this batch, the sooner I’ll reach the last number, and the sooner I can go home.
2
Jason
My nerves zing with unused energy as I prowl the lower level of my house. Just outside, the lights sparkle on the dark lake, but even though I worked my butt off putting myself in a position where I can enjoy a million-dollar view of Lake Michigan, I can’t relax enough to actually appreciate it. Sometimes I think that’s the problem: now that I’ve not only obtained my goal of financial success, but blown right past it, I don’t know what to do with myself.
