Mr. Charming_A Mistaken Identity Bad Boy Romance

by Nicole Elliot

  “Yeah?” said Tobias’ voice on the other line.

  “Tobias…” I said, my voice quivering in ways I wished it wouldn’t. If I was truly being watched by—I couldn’t even bring myself to think the name—I didn’t want him to hear and see how frightened I was.

  Tobias, on the other hand, instantly knew something wasn’t right. “Joanna, where are you? What’s wrong?”

  “I’m in the parking lot. I was about to leave, but…I think I’m being followed. Someone is watching me.”

  “Okay, relax. Calm down and come back inside. Who’s watching you?”

  Without wasting another second, I rushed back into the building, feeling close to hyperventilating. Standing behind the safety of the door, I closed my eyes and rested my hands on my knees, forcing a series of deep breaths to slow my speeding heart. Now that I was no longer out in the open, the feeling of being watched dissipated and my ability to think logically returned. I also was no longer afraid to think his name.

  Zander.

  He couldn’t have been out there though. He just couldn’t. I had been so sure it was him, but now, the thought seemed preposterous—or at least I hoped it was.

  I stood up straight, having successfully gotten my breathing and heart rate back under control. Just as I was about to head farther into the building and up to Tobias’s office, I heard the ding of the elevator around the corner. Mere seconds later, Tobias was rushing down the hall.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  I shook my head as he waved me over toward him. We met each other halfway, standing in the middle of the hall. “Uh…never mind. It’s nothing,” I said.

  “What do you mean nothing?” Tobias demanded. “Joanna, who’s following you? I know you’ve been holding something back from me. Enough is enough. Tell me what’s going on.”

  I sighed and took another deep breath. “I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to seem like I was overreacting,” I prefaced, “but Zander called me last week.”

  Tobias’s eyes widened. “And what happened?” he asked.

  “He sort of…threatened to come after me…”

  Tobias swore. “You mean to tell me this happened last week ago and you didn’t tell me, Jo? What the hell is wrong with you? Why didn’t you say something?”

  “Because I never told him where I was going, and he doesn’t know anything about you or this company, so he has no way of finding me.”

  “How do you know he isn’t tracking your cell phone?”

  “Because I blocked him.”

  Tobias shook his head. “You’re not making sense. And besides, if you blocked him, how did he call you?”

  I swallowed nervously and averted my gaze, looking down to the deep burgundy and tan carpet lining the floor. “He didn’t call my cell phone. He called my office phone. Here.”

  Tobias was silent for so long that I had to look up at him. He simply stared at me in disbelief. “How did he find out your office phone number, Joanna?” he finally said at the long pause. “I just gave you that line. No one should have it.”

  “I know… And I don’t know,” I said with a sigh.

  Tobias looked toward the exit door behind me as if he had suddenly developed x-ray vision and could see right through it. The grimace on his face made it seem like he was looking right at Zander, ready to smash him to smithereens. “I can’t believe you waited this long to say something, Joanna.”

  “Because it’s not important!” I said, growing defensive.

  “Is he out there now?”

  “No! How could he be? He doesn’t know where this place is, I just told you that. I just…I don’t know. It’s been a long day. I’m tired and I must have been imagining things. My imagination got the best of me, but I’m fine now, so I’m going to go.”

  I turned around, but Tobias called after me. “Not so fast,” he said. “And stop being so stupid, Jo. If he found out your office phone number, stop acting like he can’t find this place. You don’t underestimate crazy people like Zander. I wouldn’t put anything past that bastard. We need to file for a restraining order against him.”

  “Tobias, you’re overreacting.”

  “No, I’m not,” he said, his voice firm and final. “I’m not going to have my little sister getting terrorized by a creep. Not under my watch. So we’re filing a restraining order, and you aren’t leaving here without me. You don’t need to be out there by yourself with that asshole possibly lurking around.”

  “Tobias, stop it!” I said, my temper flaring. “I’m not a child anymore, and you can’t tell me what to do! I said it was no big deal. I just want to go home and lie down.”

  Tobias sighed in exasperation. “Joanna, I’m just concerned about you.”

  “Well, don’t be.”

  “I’m your big brother. That’s not possible,” he said, his voice so sincere that it was hard for me to stay upset. My temper began to settle down again as I folded my arms across my chest. Tobias looked me in the eyes. “Okay. Fine. I know you’re grown now and I have to respect your decisions. So just look me in the eye, Joanna. Do you want a restraining order against Zander? Would it make you feel any better? Just to be on the safe side?”

  I shook my head. “No, I don’t want a restraining order against him,” I said, ignoring his latter questions. Deep down, I wondered if I was being stupid. But again, the thought of putting a restraining order on Zander made the danger feel too real. It would force me to admit that he was still a problem in my life, and I just didn’t want to face that realization. I didn’t want him to have that kind of power over me. If I put a restraining order on Zander, he would become the boogeyman in my mind that I couldn’t free myself from. I needed to get over him on my own. It was the only way for me to officially move on.

  “Well, do you at least want to hang out in the office until I can leave with you, so you don’t have to be by yourself?” Tobias asked.

  I could hear how desperately he wanted me to say yes, but again, I shook my head. “No. I’m fine,” I repeated.

  “How about Anderson?”

  I raised my eyebrows. “Huh?”

  “Anderson is about to leave in a few minutes. I could ask him to follow you home, just to make sure you got there safely. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind.”

  I shook my head again, but much too quickly this time. “No.”

  “Are you sure?” Tobias said. “It wouldn’t be a problem.”

  “Tobias, I’m fine. Just let me go.”

  He held his hands up in surrender. “All right. Fine. Just be careful. I’ll see you later.”

  I nodded. “Yeah. Bye.” And with that, I headed back for the door, putting on an act of appearing much braver than I felt.

  Fortunately, this time when I stepped out into the parking lot, I did not get the feeling of being watched.

  He was gone.

  No, he was never here in the first place, I corrected myself. I have nothing to worry about. It was all just my imagination.

  I got into my car, Tobias’s car that he lent me, and got on the road, already envisioning taking a long and comforting bath to relax my mind.

  CHAPTER 17

  Anderson

  “I’m so sorry, Anderson,” Lauren said.

  I closed my eyes in exasperation for a moment and rubbed my temples. “Lauren, you’ve known this was coming for months,” I said, unable to believe she was bailing on me at the last minute. The agency’s gala was coming up, and each consecutive year, it became a bigger and more extravagant event. Lauren, a friend of mine, had agreed to be my date months ago. We did this for each other, went to the galas, the fancy dinners. We were a good date and it was strictly platonic. She was the best girl to take, but now, all of a sudden, she was claiming to have an obligation with her family that she couldn’t get out of.

  “Anderson, my sister needs me to help out with the kids. She’s going through a tough time right now and she needs me.”

  “I understand that, but do you mean to tell me she
honestly can’t spare to handle things on her own for one day, just for a few hours?”

  “I wish it was that simple,” Lauren said.

  “Well, what’s making it complicated?” I demanded.

  Lauren pursed her lips and folded her arms as if I had somehow offended her. I didn’t care though, because I felt she was being ridiculous to cancel on me at the last minute like this. I had already paid for her ticket and our table was filled, so it was going to look exceptionally awkward for there to be an empty seat next to me. And at such short notice, I saw no way to remedy the situation.

  “Anderson, don’t be a jerk,” Lauren said.

  “I’m sorry, but I’m not the one being a jerk, Lauren. If you knew there was a chance you weren’t going to be able to go, you should have said something a long time ago.”

  “Well, forgive me for not being able to predict the future,” she snapped.

  I muttered under my breath, quickly losing my patience with her.

  Lauren sighed. “Look—do you want me to give you your money back for the ticket?”

  “Forget the damn ticket, Lauren. Just…whatever. Do what you gotta do.”

  “I’ll make it up to you next year,” she said.

  I laughed and rolled my eyes. She had another thing coming if she thought I was going to consider accepting her as my date the following year. I wanted to tell her to not hold her breath, but that seemed a little too harsh.

  Lauren sighed and someone knocked on the door of my office.

  “Come in,” I said, welcoming the interruption.

  We both turned toward the door to see Tobias saunter in.

  “Hi Tobias,” Lauren said, as she began making her way to the door.

  Tobias nodded at her. “Hey Lauren. Nice job earlier today.”

  She smiled politely. “Thank you,” she said, and then turned toward me. “See you later, Anderson.”

  “Yeah, later,” I said, not even bothering to look at her as she made her exit.

  “Uh oh,” Tobias said, coming in to sit at the edge of my desk. “Trouble in paradise?”

  “Who said Lauren was anyone’s paradise?” I said, annoyed.

  “I thought she was one of your…uh…escapades?”

  I shook my head. “Nah, we were always just friends. We both agreed it was easier with no sex attached.”

  “What happened?”

  I folded my arms. “She bailed on me. Granted, she and I haven’t had much going on lately, but she was supposed to be my date to the gala. Now she’s claiming she can’t go. Some bullshit excuse about her sister suddenly needing help with her kids.”

  Tobias shook his head. “I always told you that one of these women were going to get you back one day, man,” he said and then chuckled.

  “Don’t laugh. You know how ridiculous that empty seat is going to look next to me?”

  “Well, fill it with someone else,” Tobias said, shrugging his shoulders.

  “Someone else like who?” I asked. “It’s too short of a notice to ask anyone.”

  “Is there no one else in your life? No one you could ask?”

  I’d been standing at my office window looking out at the traffic on the road when Tobias asked the question. I froze, feeling his gaze on the back of my head, but not daring to turn around. I stuffed my hands into my pocket. “No…” I said. “Why do you ask?”

  “Just curious,” Tobias said. “The Anderson Lawrence I know just isn’t the type of guy to stress over getting a date, that’s all. What happened to the line of females you typically have, waiting their turn for a shot?”

  I forced a laugh and chanced turning around to face him. “You’ve had me working too hard, that’s what. I don’t have time to keep up with them anymore.”

  “Hey, don’t blame me. Maybe you’re just losing your touch, man.”

  “No, never that,” I said.

  Tobias sat silently for a moment, appearing to be deep in thought. He then scratched at the stubble at his chin. “Hmm…” he said.

  “What?”

  “I might be able to help you out.”

  “I’m not taking you as my date,” I said.

  Tobias laughed. “Good. Because you’re not my type anyway.”

  I laughed. “What are you talking about, man?”

  “Why don’t you take Joanna? She probably doesn’t have anything to do that day.”

  I swallowed nervously and hoped that Tobias wouldn’t notice the abrupt change in my demeanor. Taking Joanna had been the farthest thing from my mind because the gala was considered a workplace event, and Tobias, of course, would be there. Taking her would feel like confirmation of our relationship, or whatever it was that we had going on. It just seemed too risky.

  “Oh come on,” Tobias said. “Don’t look like that.”

  “Don’t look like what?” I asked, hoping my voice didn’t really sound as high as it did in my own ears.

  “Don’t look like taking Joanna is the worst idea you’ve ever heard in your life. She’s mellowed out a lot since she was a kid. It wouldn’t kill you to take her. And considering you’re in quite a bind already, it would be the quick fix you need.”

  I ran my hand through my hair and almost laughed in relief. Tobias thought I was repulsed by the idea of taking her, which meant he was still in the dark about how I really felt. “I don’t know,” I said, trying to play along. “I mean…Joanna? Really?”

  “She would probably love it,” Tobias said. “She certainly could use a fun night out after all she’s been dealing with lately.”

  My eyebrows shot upward in surprise, this time genuine. “Huh? What do you mean by that? What’s she been dealing with?”

  But Tobias only shook his head, deciding not to elaborate. “Want me to call her in here, ask if she’s doing anything that day? Although I already doubt she is.”

  “I thought you said she was secretly seeing someone?” I asked, testing the waters.

  He shook his head again. “No, that wasn’t it. There was something else going on with her that she was hiding from me. Here, let me call her,” he added before I could ask any further questions.

  I fought to keep the grimace off my face as I wondered what was possibly going on with Joanna. It upset me to think that she had been having a hard time, but hadn’t confided in me about it.

  “Hey, Jo, come here for a second. I’m in Anderson’s office.”

  “Seriously though,” I said. “What’s she upset about? What’s been going on?”

  “Nothing, man. I’ve got it under control, or at least I will, eventually.”

  Shortly thereafter, Joanna appeared in the doorway. She looked from Tobias to me, a panicked expression on her face and her eyebrows almost raised to her hairline. I ever so slightly shook my head, trying to relay to her that Tobias still didn’t know anything about us.

  “Relax,” Tobias said with a chuckle as he turned toward her. “You’re not in trouble. You’re standing there looking like you’ve been sent to the principal’s office.”

  She gave a tensed laugh, but relaxed nonetheless and moved farther into the office. “What is it?” she asked. “More numbers?”

  “No, not numbers this time,” Tobias said. “Anderson has a little situation on his hands. You see, our playboy here has finally crossed the wrong woman, and she’s bailed on him.”

  Joanna’s eyebrows shot up once again, and she cast a look at me that I wished she hadn’t. I lowered my head, wishing Tobias hadn’t phrased his words in such a manner.

  “Oh…” Joanna said.

  “So now he’s out of a date to the gala. I know you’ve been hearing about the upcoming gala, right?”

  Joanna nodded while I stood helplessly, not knowing what to say or do.

  “Do you wanna go? You can be his date. Do you have anything to do that day?” Tobias asked.

  Joanna stood there like a deer caught in headlights. She looked at me again, obvious questions that I couldn’t answer lurking beneath her gaze.

&nbs
p; I cleared my throat. “It was no big deal. I was just supposed to go with a coworker. We had it set up months ago,” I said, emphasizing the word ‘months’ and hoping she would catch on to the fact that the date had been set up long before she and I had been together. “I’d almost forgotten about it, to tell you the truth.”

  “Yeah right,” Tobias said. “He just doesn’t want to admit that he’s being stood up.”

  “Shut up,” I muttered.

  “So what do you say, Jo?” Tobias said. “You wanna go? It should be fun.”

  “You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” I interjected. Tobias shot me a cross look, causing me to fall silent. In that moment though, I simply couldn’t fathom having Joanna as my date in front of him. It just seemed like asking for trouble. I had no faith in my ability to not incriminate myself in front of him. He would be able to read me like a book, and I feared he would quickly figure out that I had a thing for his sister. And then a whole drama would break out right there in the gala for all to see.

  I started to feel lightheaded just thinking about it. I gripped the chair at my desk and glanced at Joanna, hoping she would find a way to save us from the awkwardness. But she looked just as lost as I did.

  “You two are a mess,” Tobias said, shaking his head. “Don’t you think it’s time to get rid of the childhood grudges by now, for crying out loud?”

  “I don’t have a grudge…” Joanna said, her voice trailing off.

  “Then you’ll go with him?” Tobias said.

  “I…I mean… If I have to…I could… If he wants me to…”

  Tobias looked back toward me. “Well?”

  I sighed. “Okay. Whatever. Sure.”

  “Great,” Tobias said, clapping his hands together and hopping down from my desk. “It’ll be fun. You’ll see,” he said to Joanna.

  She forced a smile and then exchanged glances with me again.

  And I stood there, wondering how on earth I was going to be able to be in her presence for a whole evening and keep my hands off of her.