The Mr. Wrong Series

by Madden, A. M.

  “Oh, you know they are,” Vanessa said confidently. “They’re addicted… as they should be.” Her statement caused a flutter, reminding me of Dante using those exact words. The feeling was mutual.

  Dante

  If it weren’t for Cassie’s brunch date with her friends, and my promise to meet the guys at the gym, we’d still be in bed right now. The workout had managed to keep me occupied, my body at least. My mind was set on a seductive blonde who fucked me up in so many ways. This came out of the blue, and for some odd reason, rather than fighting it, I welcomed it.

  Afterward, the guys all dispersed to get back to their women. However, my woman banned me from seeing her because her day was filled with errands and chores. Even though I offered to help, she declined, knowing we’d get nothing done. So instead, I went home and called my mother.

  During our Skype call, Ma insisted on speaking English to practice what she’d been learning. Now that her favorite son had an American girlfriend, she was on a mission to be fluent in time for Luca to visit Milan with Sabrina and Mikey.

  But that only caused the call to be even longer than needed. Not to mention, for the tenth time in as many minutes, the screen scrambled with a distorted image of my mother’s face. The call would go on for days at this rate, which was why I was the bad son who barely called. My patience began to wear thin.

  “Dante… Dante… Where are you?”

  My sigh preceded my confirmation, “I’m still here. Ma, when I come visit I’m getting you a new computer.”

  “This one just fine,” she argued. If it was just fine, then why was it taking forever to merely say a few words? Her image reappeared, only to show her face so close to the screen all I saw were nostrils. “Ma, please back up.” Instead of moving her face back, she pushed the monitor away, but miraculously it worked. “Okay, don’t move.”

  “Okay, I try. So your brother tells us you have a girlfriend.”

  Her statement stunned me, so much so, she now thought my screen had frozen. That bastard. I would kill my brother… first maim him, then kill him.

  “Dante… I know you hear me. What her name?”

  I truly would kill my brother for this. There was no avoiding the subject, and if I tried I’d no doubt get a phone call a day from her until I came clean. “Her name is Cassie,” I conceded.

  A visible frown marred her forehead, even through the static. “Cassie? Luca has a friend Cassie.”

  “Yes, he does.”

  “Same girl?”

  “Yes, it is.”

  “She’s very sweet. I like her a lot, but Dante…” She stopped, and I knew the rest of her comment would warn me to tread carefully. My mother knew me well, and after Charlene she doubted I could commit again.

  “Yes, she’s very sweet. And I need to go. We have a date,” I lied.

  “Dante…” The suggestive tone meant I was about to get an earful

  “Ma, I know what you’re going to say. We’re only dating, not getting married, and I need you to focus on Luca for now. I hear he’s asking Sabrina to marry him.” There… that’ll teach the jackass.

  After a short pause, she began rambling in Italian at Mach speed, and I loved that I had managed to derail her. “I love you, Ma. Say hi to Pop. I’ll talk to you soon.” I kissed the air, tapped the end call button, and instantly dialed my brother.

  “Hey.”

  “Don’t fucking hey me. A little warning would have been nice, you dick.”

  He chuckled at my rant. “Enlighten me as to why I am a dick?”

  “Ma.”

  “Oh.” Another laugh came over the phone. “She wouldn’t stop asking questions on when I’d propose to Sabrina, so to deflect, I told her about you.” The tone of his voice held no remorse when he added, “Oops.” Oops my ass.

  “Well, I told her that proposal was soon. Touché.” I hung up, feeling confident the fake news to my mother had earned me some peace and quiet for now. That was, until Luca spoke to our mother again, got harassed, and threw back his own volley. My brother and I had played this rat each other out game since we first learned to speak. Over the years, the stakes grew, and I could only imagine what he’d say to her to get back at me. Payback was a bitch, but game on.

  I spent the rest of my afternoon catching up on emails and edits. One email I received late last night, the request for a custom shoot in San Francisco, meant I would be traveling most of the last week of October.

  Knowing I’d be gone for that long, and not having seen her since earlier today, I itched to be with Cassie. I knew if I called her, she’d no doubt inform me of all the work she had to get done, since Sunday nights were when she prepared her lessons for the week. On a spur-of-the-moment move, I grabbed my keys and locked up, deciding to show up at her place unannounced. I’d use the pictures her class had taken on Career Champion Day as an excuse to be there.

  What would she do, kick me out? I’ll take my chances.

  Chapter 21

  Cassie

  As I graded papers, I laughed out loud at some of the things my students wrote down. They were instructed to write one sentence on what they were going to be for Halloween. If they didn’t know how to write the word, they were supposed to draw a picture instead. That provided me with a great perspective of how many words they knew. What I received was an array of comical responses, most of which had nothing to do with what their costume would be, but instead their favorite thing.

  I was so lost in thought, it hadn’t registered that my door buzzer had sounded. Like an idiot, I looked up and around my apartment, wondering what that noise was. Waiting for it to happen again, it was my cell phone that buzzed next.

  Where are you?

  Hawaii.

  Stop rolling your eyes, smart-ass. How did he always know? Let me in.

  So surprised he would be standing outside my door, I forgot what I looked like when I followed his command. There he stood, blatantly ignoring my no-Sunday rule, looking ridiculously handsome.

  “Hey, sexy,” he said with a wide grin. My hand flew to the top of my head, where a messy bun fastened with pencils must have looked like a squirrel had set up his home in it. Not to mention the nerd glasses perched on the tip of my nose or the mismatched pajamas that had seen better days.

  Undeterred by my appearance, Dante tugged me into his arms and kissed me like it’d been days and not hours. For a moment, he managed to have me forgetting my strict regimen. Until he pulled away and smiled with smug delight like he’d effectively won this battle.

  He skimmed his nose along mine. “Promise me you’ll wear these sexy glasses one day and nothing else.”

  In spite of my breathless state, a touch of annoyance revealed itself in my question, when I asked, “Why are you here?”

  “I wanted to see you.”

  “You did?” I asked, surprised again by this unpredictable man. “But we agreed no Sunday nights.”

  “I never agreed to that,” he said, squeezing between me and the doorjamb. “I’ll just stay an hour.” With my hands on my hips, I watched him remove his jacket before getting comfortable on my couch. “Why the chagrin?”

  “Um… because I have a ton to do, and that won’t happen if you’re here.”

  “I’ll be a good boy. Plus, I have these for you.” He reached inside his jacket, retrieving a small manila envelope. “Here are the pictures your class took when I was there.”

  I pulled them out, sitting beside him to flip through them. “These are great; they’re going to love them. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” He waved toward the papers scattered all over my coffee table. “Need some help? Coloring was my best subject.”

  I looked at him with mock exasperation, although my heart betrayed me as it fluttered wildly in his presence. “My class was told to share what they were going to be for Halloween.”

  Dante leaned forward and picked up a student’s paper. He furrowed his brows and turned the paper every which way until it was upside down. “Is…�
� He tipped his head to read the name. “Matthew going as a penis?”

  “What?” I snatched it away and scoffed, “It’s a banana, you pervert.”

  “Oh.” He snatched it back and pointed to the two circles at the base of it. “What are these things? Coconuts?”

  “That’s the peel. It loops at the bottom.” Dante squinted as if he were looking at one of those Magic Eye pictures and waiting to see what I did. “Just give that to me. You’re incorrigible.”

  “I’m going to need to see a picture of this kid in his costume.” His long fingers continued to pluck through the rest of the pictures, raising them one by one to admire the work of a kindergartner. From the corner of my eye, I saw him drop one as if it were on fire.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing,” he quickly responded, burying the picture deep under the pile.

  Narrowing my eyes at his atypical behavior, I dug through and pulled out what he had been looking at. “Do you have a problem with Teddy’s teddy bear?”

  “No,” he muttered, leaning his body farther away from mine. “I’m thirsty. What do you have to drink?” Popping up off the couch, he beelined into my tiny kitchen to rummage through my fridge.

  “Spill it, Benedetto. You know you can tell me anything.”

  “I know.” He leaned against the counter, putting as much distance between himself and the drawing I held in my hand.

  “Then why are you all the way over there?”

  I watched as he took a long swig of water and waited for some sort of explanation. Dropping Teddy’s artwork on the pile, I folded my arms and waited, much like he did whenever he wanted me to talk.

  “Fine, but can you stick that under another picture?” Only after I followed his request did he come back to sit beside me on the couch. “No one knows this except for my family, and I will deny it if you tell a soul.” After a quick nod, I crossed my heart while rolling my lips over my teeth to avoid laughing. I couldn’t imagine what it was that had him practically sweating beside me. “When I was a kid, and Luca was a baby, someone gave me a haunted teddy bear.”

  The church giggles that used to plague me as a child hit full force. He took one look at my soundless, shaking body and bolted off the couch. “See, this was why I didn’t want to tell you.”

  “I’m sorry…” A strangled snort escaped before I raised my hands and pleaded, “I didn’t mean… I just…” Oh, fuck it. I let the hysterics take over, doubling at the waist as my laughter consumed me.

  During the time I lost my shit, he remained calm beside me. “You know, for a kindergarten teacher, you’re not very sympathetic.”

  “I’m sorry,” I repeated, running my fingertips beneath my eyes to catch the tears that leaked. By placing a supportive hand on his arm, I attempted to demonstrate the sympathy he claimed I lacked. “Okay, sweetie, tell me what happened.”

  “No.”

  I leaned in, placing my lips on his ear, and whispered, “Please. I promise I won’t laugh again.” To up the ante, I nipped his lobe between my teeth as my other hand fondled his piercing.

  “You’ll have to do better than that, Brooks.”

  With my lips still on the column of his neck, I murmured against his skin, “Okay… what if I agree to a Sunday sleepover?”

  “Now I know you really want to know.” A long, dramatic sigh came, and then he gently pushed me away. The torment he felt was obvious in the frown lines on his forehead. He looked so distraught, I felt bad for laughing. “I had gotten a teddy bear that had one of those stupid voice boxes. Every night, just as I was about to fall asleep, it would hiss, ‘DANTE,’ all sinister and evil.”

  Using every fiber of my being to maintain my composure, I blinked slowly. Sounding more like a psychiatrist than a teacher, I encouraged him to continue. “Go on.”

  “That’s it!” He looked at me like I had grown antlers. “It wasn’t supposed to say my name. In front of everyone else in my house, including Luca, all it ever said was ‘Ti amo.’” His eyes widened to prove his point. “Ti amo sounds nothing like Dante. Ti amo my ass, that bear never loved me. He hated me.” The last of his confession came with a sexy little pout, as he adorably mumbled, “No one believed me.”

  “Aww, I believe you.”

  His brown eyes softened, looking more like Puss in Boots than my sexy lover. “You do?”

  “Yes. If you say it happened, then I believe you. And I promise I’ll always protect you from teddy bears.” I closed the distance and wrapped my arms around his torso.

  “Thank you,” he said genuinely. “Now you. What are you afraid of?”

  “Jellyfish.”

  The corner of his cheek twitched, but he knew better than to laugh. “That’s a legit fear. I promise I’ll never allow a jellyfish to touch you. Is that why you freaked out on the beach with me?”

  “Yes.”

  He offered his hand and I took it in mine. “No more mentions of teddy bears or jellyfish. Deal?”

  “Deal.” I pushed my glasses to the top of my head so I could stare into his eyes. Deciding to change the subject, although I would have loved to tease him about this for hours, I said, “Speaking of, Halloween is just around the corner, and we’re all going to Dispatch for their annual party. Last year, it was the guys versus the girls, but this year, since everyone is paired off…” My nerves suddenly spiked. What if he didn’t want to go as a couple? Then what would I do? Get a blow-up doll? Shit. My fingers began to fuss with the ribbon on the waistband of my pajama pants.

  “Spit it out, Cassandra.”

  After a very long exhale, one that made me dizzy, I blurted, “Would you want to go together? We can be whatever you want… maybe Mark Antony and Cleopatra, or Bonnie and Clyde?” When he remained silent, I offered, “Hot Teacher and Nerdy Student?”

  “As much as I love the last suggestion, I’ll be out of town. I need to go to San Francisco for a custom shoot. I was actually going to ask you to come with me.”

  The thought of going with him excited me, but it was impossible. “I wish I could, but I can’t. There’s way too much going on at school that week; plus, I need to give more notice for time off.”

  “I can’t say that I’m not disappointed, but I understand.” He leaned close to nibble on my neck and then my ear. While there, he said, “Make sure you keep next weekend free. I’ll have plans for us.”

  I mentally flipped through the calendar in my mind. “I can’t. My mom received a humanitarian award, and my dad is throwing her a party.” The kisses stopped as he looked at my face. Feeling the need to explain, I added, “I need to go to Connecticut. My brother is coming in for it. It’s kind of a big deal.” He nodded wordlessly, and I wondered what he was thinking. “Would you like to go with me?”

  “Is this an invite of guilt?”

  “No. I’d love for you to come. I just didn’t know if you’d want to.”

  “Why? It’s your family.”

  “Because they’re very different than I am. It could be a lot to take in.” I received a blank stare as a response. “Sometimes they can be pretentious snobs, Dante. I told you this. Except for my brother, who somehow turned out normal, I can only take small doses of my parents at a time.”

  He cupped my cheek affectionately. “I would love to be there with you, but it’s your decision.”

  “I’d like you to come.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes,” I said with conviction.

  “Then I’ll come.” He moved his hand from my face to the back of my neck, tugging me close to kiss me long and hard. When he pulled away, he smiled devilishly. “Is it time for a break?”

  “No, I just started. You said you were going to be a good boy, remember?”

  “I’m always good, great even… remember?” He gave me that sexy wink that rendered me dumb. “If you finish up, I’ll show you just how great I can be. And you can make good on your deal to allow me to sleep over on a Sunday.”

  Between class parties and after-school
parades, I’d been very busy over the week of Halloween. So much so, I almost felt bad admitting that I didn’t have time to miss Dante. But sitting at home watching bad horror movies while my friends partied at Dispatch caused loneliness and longing for him to consume me.

  The screen of my phone lit up with notifications. When I opened the app, pictures that Brae posted of the gang in their costumes filled my screen. They all looked like they were having a blast… well, all except Jude, who had a scowl plastered on his face. I couldn’t help but smile when I saw Vanessa and Kyle hoisting the winner’s trophy above their heads. My smile altered to a pout when I noticed Dante had already liked the pictures.

  I pulled the blanket cocooning my legs up to my shoulders. One more day and he’d be home. How I wished I could have gone with him, but knowing I’d be once again lifting my no-Sunday sleepover ban gave me something to look forward to.

  Just as I was about to flip the channel, my phone vibrated in my hand.

  Are you awake?

  Yes.

  I responded immediately, excited he was thinking of me.

  The photo I’d taken of him and saved as his contact picture appeared on my phone.

  “Hi, Dante.”

  “Hey, beautiful. What are you doing?”

  “Watching horrible movies. What are you doing?”

  “Missing you. I just saw the pictures Brae posted and noticed you weren’t in any of them. You really decided not to go?”

  “It wouldn’t have been the same without you, and not just because of the costume contest. For some odd reason, I’ve become attached to you.”

  “That’s understandable… I am irresistible.”

  Rather than my usual sarcastic retort, I just agreed. “Yes, you are.”

  “You sound so sad. How can I make you feel better?”

  I snuggled deeper under my blanket and pressed my thighs together. “You can’t because you’re almost three thousand miles away. But just hearing your voice helps.”