He was dedicated and wanted to make our country a better place, which was praise-worthy. This was one of the things that made me more attracted to him because we were the same. We wanted to change the world for better.
I was so tired by the time I came home, and I wanted to hit the sack early, but I had promised my mom I would Skype her as soon as I finished with my job. So I showered, made myself a sandwich, and turned on Skype.
“Hey, Mom,” I told her when her video popped up on my screen.
A tender smile illuminated her face. “Hello, sweetie. I’m so happy to see you.”
I smiled back at her. “You sound like you haven’t seen me since last year.”
“Oh, you know how mothers are. Consider yourself lucky that I don’t call you once in every hour and demand to know your whereabouts.” She rolled her eyes. “I heard one of our neighbors does that to her son every day.”
“Mrs. Wilson, I guess?”
“That’s right. Poor boy can’t escape her, because that woman has her claws deep in him.”
That “poor” boy, as she called him, was also a junky teenager who had a criminal record, but his mother’s behavior could explain some of his misdeeds.
“So how was your first day at your new job?”
Almost instantly, the images from that closet appeared before my eyes, and I was sure my cheeks had gone red.
“It was… It was pretty interesting. It was busy and my colleagues are nice.”
“And your boss? Does he treat you well?”
“Yeah. He’s cool.”
“Good. I’m relieved to hear that. I know how fussy those politicians can be, so I’m glad your boss is not one of them. I remember Carter’s first job on the Hill, that man was a menace.”
“He isn’t fussy at all. He was kind to me the whole day.”
“And is there any love interest?” She wiggled her eyebrows. As if following a command, my cheeks reddened again. I pushed the strands of my hair to the front so that I could hide my face with them. I was acting like a teenager. Ridiculous. “You haven’t said anything to me for a while, and I was beginning to wonder if there is anyone—”
“No, there isn’t anyone,” I interrupted her, my words sounding unconvincing even to my own ears.
“Are you sure?”
I remembered how close I felt to Merritt as he held me in his arms in that closet and shuddered. I had no idea what made me unable to get him out of my head, but it had to end right now. I had to focus on my job and forget about Merritt.
“One hundred percent,” I answered, determined to keep my distance from him the next time I saw him.
I continued to do menial work for the next several days, but I was actually enjoying it. I was getting closer to the people I worked with and even the Congressman commended me for my efficiency. I was sure that if things continued this way, he would entrust me with more serious tasks any day now.
I didn’t see Merritt again, but that was probably a good thing. I didn’t have to busy myself with thinking about the ways to avoid him. The second day of work, I was anxious, waiting for him to appear from any corner, but by the fourth day, I was finally able to relax and keep him out of my mind long enough to get my job done.
I intended to keep everything that had happened between us under wraps. Luckily, no one had found out about the moment we shared in the closet.
I knew that there could be something there and was super attracted to him, but I didn’t know how to make my feelings and my new work life work together. I had a hunch things could get pretty complicated if we acted on emotions and kept seeing each other, not that I wanted it at this point.
It was for the best that we didn’t see each other again. Besides, he was probably only temporarily interested in me and would get bored with me eventually. I didn’t want to risk my career for someone like him. Yes, the sex was amazing, but I shouldn’t forget he was a playboy, even though he said those words in the closet.
Men like Merritt didn’t love. They never meant anything serious, acting on their impulses with no worries about the consequences. I couldn’t afford that luxury of screwing around with no care. I liked my job and I wanted to keep it.
The next time I saw him, I would tell him straight off there would be no more sneaking around with him. Whatever we’d had was over.
9
Merritt
The days had passed by in a blur, one meeting morphing into another, along with a couple of interviews I had to give to media outlets. I could hardly get enough sleep, surviving on coffee and microwaved food mostly.
I was attending another boring meeting talking about donors and how to continue to move forward with my career, and I had a hard time paying attention to what others had been saying. The congressional elections were coming up in less than a year, so I had to decide whether I would run for reelection or else.
My donors were a bunch of small and big corporations and individuals, and it would be in their best interest to get me reelected. The odds were on my side, so all I had to do was to make up my mind about it.
I looked at my associates, donors, and assistants, who were sitting at the conference table with me, and almost made an exasperated sigh. This meeting was dragging on and on. They were making calculations for the campaign, and usually I was all about this stuff, but I hadn’t seen Camilla in a few days, and my mind kept returning to her.
Before, all I needed to do to lose my interest in some girl was to fuck her. So after we got out of that coat closet, I thought I would be able to get her out of my system, especially since I’d already had her more than once. I was sure I was going to continue with my day as I did usually and forget about her despite the strong connection between us that I felt in that closet.
Camilla proved me wrong time and again. I had gone to a bar, knocked back a few, and began to look for someone to spend my night with, but my plan flopped. Sure, they were all sexy, but no one was as beautiful or interesting as Camilla. I had continued to compare her to everyone else without even realizing it. My dick was hard, but not for those chicks that paraded in front of me in their flashy dresses, but for Camilla.
I had returned home that night, jerked off in my shower to the fantasies of Camilla, and went to sleep in hopes of seeing her the next day.
But the next day came and went, and I wasn’t able to see her. I was running from one meeting to another without a breather, and when lunch time came, and I passed her office, she was nowhere to be found.
And then I concluded one thing. I was missing her. I wished I could bump into her again, my pulse always picking up whenever I was near her office. I kept wondering what she was doing or if she was missing me too.
I heard from her boss that she was doing well and that she was showing promise to make progress sooner rather than later, and somehow, I was relieved. For some reason, I cared enough to want her happy and accomplished.
Cared?
“So what do you think, Merritt?” one of my associates asked me, pulling me away from this sudden, quite unexpected revelation.
I snapped my head to look at him, having no clue what he was asking me about. “Sorry?”
“What do you think about Greg’s proposition to organize another fundraising event in two months? It could attract new donors. Announce your plans for reelection then?”
I tapped my fingers on the table, suddenly too restless to stay in place. I wanted this meeting to be over with.
“I’ll think about it,” I responded vaguely, almost counting minutes until the end.
After what seemed like an eternity, we were done with the meeting, and I darted out of the conference room in hopes of seeing Camilla even though her office usually closed an hour ago.
I passed her office and even glanced inside the spacious room, but her desk was empty. There were only a few people left, and I moved away from the door before they noticed me and asked me what I was doing there.
“What the hell are you doing, Merritt? Get a hold of yourse
lf.” I muttered to myself and headed out, annoyed with my own disappointment for not being able to see her aside.
An hour later, I got some whiskey with Carter. We were sitting in a downtown hotel bar that Carter often visited because it was easy and convenient for him to just meet someone and take them to a hotel room right away. I had been avoiding him for a few days, and he was catching on. But I couldn’t tell him about Camilla, he’d freak out. Probably call their parents and send her back to our small town. Or worse his parents would call mine… Either way it’d be a nightmare. But I couldn’t avoid him forever.
“Have you seen that chick?” he asked me, pointing at the blonde that had passed us as she walked to the bar, rocking her hips in a way that left no doubt that she wanted attention. And she got it because Carter wasn’t the only guy who couldn’t take his eyes off of that ass.
I had to admit, she had a great ass.
“Wanna make a pass at her?” I asked him.
He took a swig of his whiskey. “I don’t know, man. It’s a dead heat between her and that brunette over there.” He pointed at a small woman with a curly hair standing near the bar, currently sitting all by herself and drinking beer.
“I thought redheads were more your thing.”
“Yeah, but I don’t discriminate during desperate times.”
I laughed, shaking my head at him. “Desperate times? How long has it been? Three days?”
“Actually, since last weekend. I’ve been pretty busy, so now I feel like I would do anyone just to scratch that itch.”
I grinned at him. “You’re a horny bastard.”
“Like you’re the one to talk. You can’t live without sex.”
“Yeah, but I’m not obsessed like you.”
“You think? You go through women more often than anyone I know.”
I thought of Camilla and how no other woman interested me these days. Even now, I couldn’t find anyone that I wanted to spend my time with. Just striking up a conversation with someone new was annoying.
“But how about you? Which one do you like?”
I turned to look at him and froze. “What do you mean?”
He pointed with his index finger around us, holding his glass in that same hand. “The women. There has to be someone that caught your interest.”
“Not really.”
His eyes widened. “Not really? Why?”
“Somehow, all the girls here are the same. It’s not good enough for me right now.”
“Are you shitting me now? Not good enough?” He leaned toward me, narrowing his eyes. “Don’t tell me. You’re gay. I mean that audience is full of big donors, man.”
I smacked his shoulder. “Are you nuts? Only you can come up with this stuff.” I scratched my chin. “Actually, there is someone.”
“Yeah? Who?”
I couldn’t tell him her name. I could hide her a bit, with giving some truth to it. “I met her in a bar, and now she’s working for a senior congressman.”
“So she’s into politics too?”
“Pretty much.”
I didn’t like how he looked at me. He was studying me. Like he knew. Shit, had Camilla told him about her new job?
“What?”
“Was she a good lay?”
My lips stretched into a huge smile. “Yeah.”
“So are you two a thing now?”
“No, of course not,” I said defensively. A little bit too defensively.
“So you’ve banged her and that was it? Au revoir? Arrivederci?”
My response came several seconds later. “Something like that.” I didn’t know why I couldn’t just tell him that I couldn’t stop thinking about her. Maybe because it was all new for me, and I had no idea what to say. Or maybe because I was worried he would figure me out.
“I see.” He put his glass on the table. “I’m catching on to something.”
“What?” Shit. This wasn’t going to be good.
“I think this thing between this chick and you is more serious than you’re saying.”
“No, it’s not.”
“Yeah, right. And I’m Batman.”
“It’s not, really.” He didn’t believe me at all. I exhaled a long sigh, running my hand through my hair. “Fine. Actually, it’s complicated. At first, she wasn’t interested in me. She rejected me, can you imagine that?”
He burst into laughter. “No way. Wait is this the girl from the other night?”
“Yep.”
“Now I have to meet this girl and give her a medal. Seriously. She rejected you and you still went after her again?” He clapped. “Amazing.”
“Yeah, yeah. Anyway, to cut a long story short, she decided she was interested in me and we ended up in a hotel room.”
“Nice.”
“And then I saw her at my work, and we fucked again, but the problem is that I can’t stop thinking about her. I haven’t seen her for days, and I feel like a kid that got his fucking candy taken away from him. I need to see her.” I finished my drink in one swallow. “You know me. I don’t do relationships. So what the hell is happening to me?”
Carter was staring at me for a long time, surprise on his face giving way to delight.
“Wow. Just wow. You, my friend, are completely in love with her.”
I whipped my head at him. “What? No.”
His smile grew huge. “Yes, you are. Look at you. Going all panicky because you have no clue what is happening to you. You haven’t felt this way before, so now that the big, bad Merritt is finally tamed, you have no clue what to do.”
“Since when you’ve become a psychiatrist? It’s not like that.”
“Keep denying and maybe it will become the truth one day. Look, you should go to her and actually try to date her.”
“Date her?”
“Don’t act so shocked.”
Yes, I was shocked alright. I was shocked by the idea of dating someone. I had just told him I didn’t do relationships but…
I looked at my empty glass, feeling like I was on the verge of reaching an important realization. I really did feel something for Camilla. I could deny it all I wanted, but my feelings wouldn’t go away. And the most surprising part? The thought of dating Camilla didn’t repel me at all.
“Since you obviously care about her, it’s only logical for you to be with her. So what do you say?”
“I…” I clamped my mouth shut, bewildered.
Yes. I wanted to be with her and I wanted to make it work. Only thinking about Camilla being my girlfriend made me unbelievably happy.
And just like that, everything became clearer to me. How didn’t I think of this before?
“You’re right.” I met his gaze. “I should try to date her.” I mean he had practically just given me his blessing, even if he didn’t realize it.
His grin matched mine. “That’s my man. If you two get married, I want your kid named after me.”
I smacked his shoulder again and snorted. “Nice try.” If we did get married he’d be my best man, if he didn’t kill me first.
He rolled his eyes. “They all say that, and before you know it, they are tying the knot and producing babies like there’s no tomorrow.”
I scowled at him. “You’re definitely on some drugs, man.”
“So? What are you waiting for? Call her and invite her to some quiet place where you can be all lovey-dovey and shit. Tell her how you feel about her and that you want to be with her.”
“Yes, Dad.”
“You’re razzing me now, but you’re going to be thanking me later.”
I reached for my phone in the pocket, but then I realized one thing. Great. “I don’t even have her number.”
The look he gave me was that of incredulity. “Good job, Romeo. Absolutely perfect. So you’re seeing this chick, but you don’t even have her number? Way to go.”
“Shut it.”
“So what are you going to do?”
I rubbed my chin, staring into the distance as I thought about my nex
t step. I heard that she was coming to work earlier than usual, which I could use to my advantage. We would have some privacy and more time to talk.
“I’ll make sure to see her tomorrow morning at work. I’ll tell her how I feel then.”
He nodded. “It’s a good plan. Now, I guess we have to make a toast.” He signaled to the waiter to bring us new drinks.
“Toast for what?”
His smile was blinding. “For the playboy Merritt finally being conquered.”
The next morning, I made a point to run into her, coming to her office with a cup of coffee. The office was empty at this time, the silence somehow making me more tense.
I frowned and looked at my hand that was slightly sweaty. What the fuck?
I never get nervous with women. I’m always composed. In control. Hell, I never felt anything to be nervous about. But now, as I waited for her to arrive, I was unusually nervous, and my heart was racing like I running a marathon.
I fisted my hand and closed my eyes, leaning further into the chair. I’d spent the half of night thinking about what I could say to her, going through various possibilities. And for the first time ever, I was afraid of being rejected. That possibility brought a strange sensation to my chest that I didn’t like at all.
No. She would be with me. She had to.
I kept glancing at the clock on the wall, tapping my foot on the floor in rising anxiety.
Calm down, Merritt. You’re being ridiculous. It’s gonna be alright.
Just when I thought that maybe she wouldn’t come earlier but at a regular time, standing up to go, the doors of her office opened and Camilla entered. Immediately, my heart rate accelerated and my mouth went dry just looking at her.
She was wearing a jacket and a pencil skirt that went above her knees, and I let my gaze slide slowly down and up her sexy legs. Her hair was now falling down in beautiful waves, a cute flowery hairpin matching the flowery necklace she wore around her slender neck.
Needless to say, I had an instant hard-on.
She didn’t notice me right away since she was looking at the ground, seemingly deep in thoughts as she walked to her desk, but then she jerked her head toward me, finally spotting me in the room.
7+Us Makes Nine: A Nanny Single Dad Romance (Baby Makes Three) Page 36
