by Tia Siren
She laughed. “I found your baby daddy. I told you it would happen someday!”
“Yes, you did. Now what are we going to do about it?”
“You’re going to sign up for this show. Well, once it is a show, which I’m, like, ninety-nine percent sure it will be. I’m supposed to do some research into these kinds of things, which reminds me, I should go,” she said, checking her watch.
I handed her the photo, reluctant to let it go but doing it anyway.
“Wait.” I stopped her when she slid it into the envelope. “What’s his name?”
She burst into laughter. “This is crazy,” she said as she pulled out the envelope. “Tyler Case, thirty-five years old, and he lives right here in the city.”
I took a deep breath. “Thank you. I can’t believe I know his name. Four years and now I know.”
The sense of relief I felt at knowing the identity of Tommy’s father brought tears to my eyes. It was all quite overwhelming.
“You’re okay, Em. This is all going to be okay,” Sarah whispered, giving me a big hug.
I nodded, feeling a little choked up. It was as if a huge burden had been lifted.
“Tommy,” I called, turning back to him, “we’re going to the park! Come on. It’s a beautiful day!”
Chapter Five
Tyler
I was pacing across the plush beige carpet in my office, wearing a nice path into it, staring out the window, then checking my watch and getting pissed all over again, then pacing some more. The longer I waited for my wayward assistant to show up, the more frustrated I became. He had said he would check in with me first thing in the morning. It was damn near nine, and I’d been in the office since seven. He knew I came in early on Fridays!
I stomped to my desk, grabbed my phone, and started pacing again.
“Connor, where are you?” I growled when he answered his phone.
“In the hall,” he replied, his dry tone revealing his irritation with my call.
To be fair, it wasn’t my first call to him that morning. I wasn’t known for my patience. When I wanted something, I went after it and got it. He had been giving me one excuse after another since Wednesday. I wanted a damn answer.
He didn’t bother knocking and came right in. I stopped my pacing and looked at him, my hands on my hips, my suit jacket held back with the motion. “Well?” I asked.
He smiled. “I got it.”
I pumped my fist in the air. “Yes!”
“We need to have a little sit down,” he said, and that faint brogue came through.
I quickly took my seat behind the desk, waiting for him to tell me what he had accomplished.
“Tell me.”
“We’ve got a meeting scheduled for two today. This isn’t set in stone, but I can tell you the production company I’ve been working with is interested. They’re interested because I told them they were,” he said pointedly.
I rolled my hand, encouraging him to keep talking. “Fine. You bullied them. Whatever works. I expected nothing less.”
“After a little persuasion, they thought it was a great idea. They want to meet with you in person and go over the details. They’re anxious to get this thing going.”
“So am I,” I said, checking my watch, frustrated to see I still had hours before the meeting.
“Do you want me there?” Connor asked.
I cocked my head to the side and gave him a look. “Yes, of course.”
“I’ll be there. If that’s all, I’ve got things to do. You keep me a very busy man.”
“I’ll see you at two,” I said in a firm voice.
Once he was gone, I shot out of my chair, too anxious to sit still. This was my one chance to find her. I hated that everything was coming down to this one embarrassing move. I would never hear the end of it from people in my social circle. I didn’t care. I’d deal with all that.
Sitting down at my desk, I focused on the multitude of emails and memos that needed my attention. No matter how hard I tried, I kept thinking about seeing her again. How would I respond? Four years was a long time. I had been a cocky guy back then. Who was I kidding? I was still cocky, just not quite as obvious about it.
“Mr. Case.” My intercom rang out. “You wanted me to let you know when it was close to your two o’clock.”
I checked the time and nearly hooted with glee. Apparently, I’d worked straight through lunch. That was good since I’d been neglecting my business as of late, with all my attention stolen by a mystery woman.
“Where’s Connor?” I barked into the intercom.
I heard a little snicker before April cleared her throat. “He’s here.”
“Connor, dammit, get your ass in here!”
The man opened the door, a smile on his face. I hated that he liked to fuck with me so much. Any other boss would have fired his ass a long time ago. I couldn’t. I actually liked the man and he was very good at his job.
“I have a few notes for you,” he said, handing me a brief. “You don’t want to appear too eager.”
I nodded. “Okay. You’re right.”
Quickly reviewing his notes, I was reminded why I liked having him on my side. “I don’t want to get paid,” I said, looking at line item number four.
He shrugged a shoulder. “Donate it. They’re going to make money off your relationship woes.”
I nodded my head. “You’re right. I doubt they pay much anyway.”
“You deserve something for putting yourself out there.”
We didn’t get to argue any longer, April buzzed in, letting me know the production company representatives had arrived. I quickly put my jacket back on and straightened my tie. I had no idea why I was trying to put forth a good image. Old habit I supposed.
April opened the door, escorting the men inside, and I suddenly felt overdressed.
“I’m Gabe,” a tall man in jeans and a T-shirt announced. “This is Jack, my producer.”
“I’m Tyler and you know Connor,” I said, taking my seat and gesturing for the others to find seats.
Gabe sat and crossed his long legs, looking relaxed on my couch. I suddenly felt it was too formal for me to be sitting behind my desk and moved to one of the chairs that faced the couch. Connor sat in the other with Jack taking a seat on the couch.
“Let’s get the details hammered out,” Gabe said, leaning forward and rubbing his hands together. The man had a laidback personality. It wasn’t the usual way I did business. I had to remind myself this wasn’t a business deal. It was a means to an end and I was on their home turf in a lot of ways.
I took a deep breath, still in disbelief that I was actually going to do the damn thing. “I want to have the final say in the women who will be allowed on the show. I have a particular type I’m interested in. I don’t know how you work that into your auditions or whatever you’re calling them, but I don’t want to waste my time or the production team’s time with women who would never appeal to me.”
Gabe nodded his head while pulling a pen and yellow pad from his briefcase. “We can try to do that. Hit me with your dream girl,” he said with a wink.
“I, uh, want a woman with green eyes, chestnut hair, at least five and a half feet tall, but not too tall. She has to be witty, strong-willed, and funny,” I said, describing the woman who had been haunting my dreams.
The three men stared at me. “The looks thing, we can nail. I’m not sure any of us can judge the rest. I guess we could give aptitude tests,” Gabe said, tapping the pen on the pad. “Interviews would help gauge personality, but that’s time consuming.”
I waved my hand. “The physical requirements are a must. I’d prefer an athletic woman. If the woman meets that requirement, have someone interview her. No, scratch that. I’ll have someone interview them,” I said, looking at Connor, who looked less than pleased to have just been elected.
Gabe nodded his head. “Got it. Age?”
I blinked. “Oh, uh, I’d say between twenty-five and thirty-five,” I said
hesitantly.
I had a feeling my mystery woman was younger than I was, but I couldn’t say for sure. I assumed she’d been at least twenty-one that night, but nowadays, one could never tell for sure. I didn’t want anyone younger than that. I knew we would be incompatible.
“When do you want to do this?” Jack asked, all business.
“Today,” I shot back.
Jack grinned, showing a full set of teeth. “That’s what I wanted to hear. I think I can get this thrown together here in the next week. Is that possible, Gabe?”
Gabe nodded his head. “I can do that. We need to put out a casting call.”
I cut him off. “I want nationwide. I don’t want to limit myself to women in the Bay Area.”
Gabe cringed. “That could be a bit tough.”
“I’ll pay. Whatever it takes, I’ll pay.”
Connor shot me a glare. I glared back. He didn’t know how desperate I was to find the woman. It wasn’t like I didn’t have the money to burn.
“We’ll figure something out,” Gabe said confidently.
“I would like to have some say in the final roster,” I added. “No surprises.”
Gabe and Jack exchanged a look. “We can get into that later.”
“How will the women apply?” I asked.
Gabe shrugged a shoulder. “We’ll set up an online portal. They fill out all the information, attach a few pictures, and we go from there.”
I didn’t know if that was a great way to go about finding my girl. “What if they send fake pictures?”
Jack leaned forward. “We can’t send scouts to every city and town across the country. We can do online interviews.”
I nodded. “That works. The ones I agree to, they’ll be flown here?”
He nodded his head. “I have a scout checking out locations. We can set the women up in a house or have them in hotels.”
I wrinkled my nose. “I don’t want to visit a house. That feels like I’m going to a—”
Connor cleared his throat, stopping me. I had forgotten the two men across from me had done this kind of show more than once. They liked putting all the contestants in one house to up the drama.
“We’ll figure something out,” Gabe assured me.
“Look, I’m serious about finding a wife. I understand you have to make the show tantalizing to get the viewership needed to support the show, but this is serious. I’m not interested in a lot of fake drama and ridiculous stunts,” I said.
Jack smiled. “Have you never seen reality television?”
I shrugged a shoulder. “Actually, no, I haven’t.”
“It’s all about the drama, real or fake. Drama sells; seriousness does not.”
I looked to Connor for help. “Mr. Case wants this to work for both parties. I believe we can work out the final details once you have a better idea of how this will play out.”
Gabe and Jack looked at the big redheaded man who could be very intimidating when he wanted to be. “Sure, yes. We’ll get in touch with you early next week,” Gabe answered.
The two men stood, and we all shook hands and agreed to be in touch soon. We were all anxious to get the ball rolling. When they walked out of the office, Connor turned to look at me.
“Are you sure about this?” he asked.
I took a deep breath and released it. “Yes.”
“This is not like you.”
“No, it isn’t, which is why I need to do it. Things are going to change,” I told him.
“If that’s what you want. Do you need anything else?” he asked.
“No, thank you.”
He left, and I took my seat at my chair, spinning around to stare out the window again. I had been doing a lot of that lately—a lot of daydreaming and not a lot of work. I was close to finding her. I just knew it. What would our reunion be like? Would she be just as beautiful? Would she even remember me?
The realistic side of me knew this could all be a huge waste of time. I was basing a lot of hope on a woman I had spent one night with. I hadn’t been drunk that night and I remembered every detail, but what if I’d been fantasizing about a woman who wasn’t who or what she had claimed to be?
I wasn’t going to know if it was real or a silly fantasy if I didn’t find her.
But I was going to find her.
Soon.
Chapter Six
Emily
“Harder,” I rasped, feeling the man between my legs, my body pinned against the wall. I moaned in pleasure, on the verge of what I knew was going to be a violent climax that left me seeing stars.
I opened my eyes, and he was staring back at me, watching me as he pushed me higher, physically as well as sexually. Every nerve ending tingled as he filled my body with every last glorious inch of him. I closed my eyes again, wanting to concentrate on what he was doing to me.
He was a master of sex. Every move, every stroke, every touch took me a little higher. I was so close. It was within reach, just a little higher. My breath hitched, waiting for the last touch to send me over the edge.
It wasn’t the wall of the hotel room against my back. It was my lumpy mattress.
“Dammit,” I whispered into the dark room.
It had been another erotic dream. The man had visited me often over the past four years. Each time he left me on the verge of a climax, and I would wake up feeling hot, achy, and desperate for his touch.
I squeezed my eyes closed, hoping I could go back into my dream. I loved those dreams. I smiled thinking about the many ways he had made me come that night. That hotel room had been thoroughly used and abused. The man was very creative, I thought with a lascivious smile, remembering some of the more interesting ways he had fucked me throughout that night. Honestly, it had been the best night of my life.
We had used condoms, so it had been a shocker to find out I was pregnant. One of the condoms must have broken, which made sense considering the vigorous sex we’d had. The memory of being pushed up against the wall of the hotel room sent a bolt of electricity through my veins.
There was no way I could go through the day like this. Every time I moved just right, I would be on the verge of a climax. It was time for a little relief.
My hand slid down my belly and directly to the point between my legs that was emanating heat and already wet after the erotic dream. I knew my body well. I had to. Being a single mother left little time for dating. The men I did meet were never what I was looking for. I stroked my wet pussy and sucked in a breath through my teeth. The few men I had gone to bed with never measured up to the man who had rocked my world that one magical night.
I let my mind and body drift back to that night while I stroked my clit. The familiar spiraling sensation started low in my toes, taking me higher and higher. I slid one finger inside my slick passage and groaned with pleasure.
“Tyler.” I whispered the name, testing it on my lips.
Hearing it and saying it brought me a great deal of pleasure. I rubbed faster, probing deeper, thinking of the man.
“Tyler,” I cried out again, my body weeping with juices as I climaxed.
I gave myself a couple minutes to calm down before getting out of bed, showering, and getting ready for another long day at work. I hated my job. It wasn’t terrible, but people could be real jerks sometimes. I had to take a lot of shit and got paid little to do it.
It was the usual rush to get out the door and drop Tommy off at daycare. When I got to work, I wasn’t surprised to hear that one of the other waitresses had called in sick. It was a typical day of busting ass to make up for someone else. When we were shorthanded, the customers waited longer, which meant I got smaller tips.
“I’m going on break,” I shouted back to the office, where the manager was sitting on her ass, as usual.
“Make it quick!” she hollered.
Rolling my eyes, I replied, “I’ll make it ten minutes.”
I already had my phone out of my pocket as I walked out the back door of the restaurant. I didn’t smok
e, but I didn’t want to utilize the break room and have the sounds of a busy restaurant in the back room as a distraction.
“Hello. I’d like to talk to Tyler Case,” I said in my friendliest voice possible.
“Who’s calling please?”
I cleared my throat. “A friend,” I said, wanting to keep it vague for now.
“I’m sorry, but Mr. Case is in a meeting,” the female on the other end of the phone said, then promptly hung up.
My mouth fell open and I stared at the screen of my phone. I growled low in my throat, determined to talk to the man. I’d call on my next break. At least I knew I had the right place. It had taken a quick search on the internet to find out he owned a successful investment company. I should have known it would be hard to get through to his direct line.
I went back to work, got through the lunch rush, and took my lunch break, determined to get through to the man.
“Mr. Case, please,” I said, trying to sound more professional and hoping to get put through.
“I’m sorry. He’s not in right now. Can I take a message?” the familiar voice asked.
I sighed. “I really need to talk to him.”
“Is this a personal or business matter?” she asked tersely.
“Personal.”
She let out an exasperated breath. “If you have his private number, I’d suggest you call that line. This is his office number and it really isn’t appropriate for you to call it for personal matters.”
“I don’t have his cell number,” I said with frustration.
“I’m sorry. If he has your number and is interested in calling you back, I’m sure he will. Have a nice day,” she said and hung up the phone.
I wanted to scream and throw my phone at the brick wall of the building across the alley from the restaurant.
“Of course I don’t have his cell number!” I shouted at the sky.
I got another idea. I quickly pulled up the company website, clicked on his profile, and then clicked the link to send him an email. I typed out a quick message, not revealing too much, and sent it. Within a couple minutes, I got the alert I had a new email. I hurriedly opened the email, anxious to see what he had to say.
