Wrong Number

by R. L. Kenderson

  Me: Who is this?

  Cal: Cal.

  Cal: Who’s this? I’m looking for Indy.

  Me: Wrong number.

  My smile turned into a grin.

  Cal: Oh crap. Sorry. I must have gotten the number wrong.

  Me: I’m not. What’s your address?

  I waited for Cal’s next message, wondering what he was going to say to me this time.

  But rather than my phone beeping again, my doorbell rang.

  I walked from my bedroom without turning on any lights, just in case it wasn’t Cal. When I saw his dark head through the window by my door, I threw it open.

  “You weren’t supposed to come here. I was supposed to go to you.”

  Cal stepped inside and picked me up. “I couldn’t wait. I wanted to see you now.”

  “How’d you get here so fast? Were you sitting outside my house?”

  He set me down and closed the door. “At the risk of sounding like a stalker, yes.”

  I wrapped my arms around his waist and laid my head on his chest. He smelled and felt so good. “How long were you out there before you messaged me?”

  “Five minutes.”

  “Stalker status cleared. Boyfriend status instated.” I pulled back and looked up at him. “Is it okay that I call you that?”

  “God, yes. Indy, I’ve been miserable without you this week. And after you left my house today, I haven’t been able to think about anything but our fight.” He sighed. “I’m pretty sure I bombed my phone interview.”

  I winced. “Oh no, I messed that up for you too.”

  He lifted my chin. “Indy, you didn’t mess anything up for me. I’m only trying to show you how much you mean to me.” He brushed his lips against mine. “I’d rather live in poverty with you than be rich and alone.”

  “That’s kind of sweet.”

  Cal lifted his brow. “Kind of?”

  I wrapped my arms around his neck. “Baby, no one wants to live in poverty.”

  “Okay. You can be my sugar mama. I’ll stay home and raise the kids.”

  “Kids?”

  “Someday.”

  I grinned. “Someday,” I agreed. I dropped my smile. “I’m sorry I overreacted this afternoon about you quitting your job. I can see how difficult of a position you were in, and I shouldn’t have gotten mad at you.” I poked him in the chest. “But no more keeping things from me. I want to help you when you are going through something, just like I want you to help me.”

  He smiled. “I understand. You have a deal.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “And no lying. I know you didn’t want me to worry about your meeting, and that’s why you said someone was sick, but I want to know. You can’t protect me from everything. And I don’t want you to either.”

  He nodded. “Can I take you to bed now? Because it’s been over a week, and I’m dying.”

  I pretended to be irritated, and I rolled my eyes. “Fine. I guess we can go have sex.”

  “Yes.” Cal threw me over his shoulder. “I am fucking horny.”

  I laughed as he carried me down to my bedroom.

  He tossed me on my bed, and I swore, by the time I got my hair out of my face, he was naked.

  “Wow. You really are impatient.”

  He grabbed my pajama bottoms. “Less talk, more naked.”

  “Okay, okay.”

  I stripped off my shirt, and Cal climbed on the bed, over me, and then right inside me.

  “Ahh …” he said. “Heaven.”

  I smiled. “You remember that the next time you think about avoiding me.”

  He kissed my neck. “I’ll remember. I don’t want us to ever go through that again.”

  “Are you saying that because you missed me or because you missed my pussy?”

  “Both.” He lifted his head and guiltily looked down at me. “I’m sorry.”

  I laughed. “It’s okay. I missed your penis too.”

  He grinned and kissed my neck again. “How dare you. You’re just using me for my dick.”

  “And maybe because I love you.”

  Cal stiffened and lifted his head again. “What did you say?”

  “I love you.”

  “God, baby.” He kissed me slowly and thoroughly. “I love you too.”

  My heart skipped a beat out of pure joy. I ran my hands through his hair. “Say it again. This time, while you make love to me.”

  And that was exactly what Cal did.

  Forty

  Cal

  I woke up from a jab to my side.

  “Cal, your phone beeped.”

  I pulled Indy closer and buried my face in her hair. “I don’t care. I’m tired.”

  My phone beeped again. I knew that tone.

  “It’s annoying,” Indy stated.

  With as little moving as possible, I reached behind me on the nightstand and felt around for my phone. “Here,” I said, handing it to Indy. “It’s the stupid dating app. Maybe you can find my brother.”

  She snatched it out of my hand. “Ooh, I can’t wait to see all the guys who like Callie.”

  “That’s not my name.”

  “To me it is. It’s not only a female version of Cal, but Cal plus Leslie equals Callie. It’s perfect.”

  I groaned but didn’t argue any further. I was tired.

  “Your phone is locked.”

  I held up my hand and let her use my finger to unlock it.

  I managed to doze a little bit more, hearing Indy laugh or make noises every once in a while, which kept me from falling back asleep all the way.

  She made a loud gasp that woke me completely, and I’d had enough.

  I really did love the woman, but the night before was the first good night of sleep I’d had in more than a week. And she was ruining it.

  That meant she needed a good punishment.

  “You’re killing me, babe.”

  “I’m sorry, but—”

  I knocked my phone out of her hand, pulled her leg up and over my hip, and slid inside her body.

  “Holy crap,” she said breathlessly.

  I ran my hand up her body, cupping her breast and brushing my thumb over her nipple until she began to rock her hips.

  I kissed the back of her neck, sucking on the skin there, as I slid my hand in between her legs, going straight for her clit.

  She wrapped a hand behind my neck and dug her claws into my back, and I held her tight around me while I thrust inside her as deep as I could go with the goal of bringing us both to orgasm.

  Indy began making little mewling noises, and her clit swelled under my fingers.

  She was close, and so was I, so I moved my mouth to her ear and whispered, “I love you.”

  She was like a firecracker in my arms, exploding. I grinned as I slammed inside her and let my own orgasm take hold of me.

  We lay there for a few more minutes, not moving as our breathing returned to normal. I ran my hands over her again, but this time, it was in a soothing way. I loved feeling her bare skin under my fingertips.

  “What was that for?” Indy asked.

  “For keeping me awake.”

  She laughed. “But I had a good reason.”

  She pulled away from me, and my cock wept as it withdrew from her body. I cupped my hand over him to let him know it would be okay; we weren’t going to go that long again without having sex with Indy.

  Indy crawled off the bed. “I hope you didn’t break your phone.”

  “It’s just a phone.”

  She found my cell and crawled back onto the bed. She pulled the sheet over her lower half, but her breasts were exposed, and I couldn’t help myself from taking a taste.

  I was getting hard again, but she pushed me away.

  “Cal, I found your brother.”

  I froze. “What?”

  “Yeah, I found him. He changed his username, but he’s still on here.”

  I jerked my phone from her hands. “What a dick.” I scooted up further on my bed, so I could lean against
the headboard and look at my screen.

  Indy was right. There he was—Gallant7487. He really was a dick. Gallant men didn’t cheat on their wives.

  Indy pulled the sheet over her chest and laid her head on my shoulder. “What are you going to do now?”

  “What do you think I should do?”

  “If you hit that heart there,” she said, pointing to my phone, “it shows you’re interested in him. You could do that and then wait to see if he messages you. Or you could message him right away.”

  I looked down on her. “What did you do?”

  She turned her eyes toward me. “He liked me and messaged me. I didn’t find him. He found me.”

  I smiled. “For some reason, that makes me feel good.”

  She bit her bottom lip. “Does it bother you that the first night I texted you, it was meant for your brother?”

  “To be honest, I’ve tried not to think about it.”

  “To be honest, I was hoping you hadn’t been either.” She lifted her head. “I want you to know that I have a hundred times more chemistry with you than I did with him. I really did text him that because Leslie had encouraged me to. And because I hadn’t had sex in a very long time. You could say, I wasn’t being very picky.”

  I raised my brow. “Hmm … so you’re saying you were desperate when you had sex with me.” I was teasing her a little, but I also wanted to know how she truly felt.

  “Desperate is too strong of a word, but you have to remember, you were a stranger.” She peeked at me from the corner of her eye. “Do you think less of me now?”

  I put my arm around her neck and pulled her close to me. “I don’t think less of you. I am a little jealous that my brother was the guy you sent that text to—I can’t lie about that—but if you hadn’t sent it, we wouldn’t have gotten together.”

  “But then you would still have your job.”

  I lifted her chin and kissed her. “I think I already said this last night, but in case you forgot, I’d rather be jobless with you.”

  “You said something like that.” She smiled. “I’m your sugar mama, remember?”

  I laughed. “Not for long. I have a couple more interviews lined up next week.”

  “You could have led with that.”

  I laughed again. “Sorry, baby.”

  She rubbed her nose against my neck. “I’m so glad you’re here with me.”

  “Me too, Indy. Me too.”

  She poked my phone screen. “Now, you need to figure out what you’re going to do about your brother.”

  My screen had long gone dark, so I unlocked my phone again and hit the heart button. I’d wait and see what he said to me.

  Forty-One

  Indy

  Monday, I went to work with determination flowing through my veins, and the first thing I did was pull up my work email.

  Dear Mr. Malone and Mr. Randu,

  Thank you for the opportunity to broaden my horizons and expand my skills, but after giving my new position a week, I have decided that being supervisor is not in the best interest for the company. Being a supervisor is more paperwork and less software work, which is my area of expertise. This is where my skills excel, and you would be missing out on my services in making me supervisor.

  I understand the company is in a tight spot, having lost two employees at once, so I will help with the position until a new person is hired or promoted.

  If this is unacceptable to you, then you may consider this my two weeks’ notice.

  Thank you for your time.

  Lucinda Scott

  I hovered my mouse over the Send button as I reread my email five times. I was nervous about sending it, but I asked myself, What’s the worst that could happen?

  They’d let me go, and I’d have to find a new job. That was it. I’d still have my health. I’d still have my family and my best friend. And I’d still have Cal.

  I closed my eyes and hit the left button on my mouse.

  “Uh … what are you doing?” Leslie said as she came up behind me.

  Now that I had decided to send my email and step down, I was sitting at my desk again.

  I looked over my shoulder at her, watching as she put her stuff away in her desk. “Sending an email to the CEO and president. I also CC’d the HR lady who was a part of Cal’s meeting. I told them I don’t want the supervisor position, and that if they couldn’t accept that, then I was putting in my two weeks’ notice.”

  “Good for you.”

  “Yeah, it looks like we might be roommates again.”

  Leslie and I had lived together in college and a few years after.

  She shook her finger at me. “You can move in with Cal because I’m already getting a new roommate.”

  “You are?” I narrowed my eyes, imagining another woman moving in with my best friend and having this stranger slowly replace me. “Who is she?”

  Leslie laughed. “Not she.” She reached over and patted my hand. “You’re still my bestie.” She turned her eyes down, looking almost shy. “It’s Asher.”

  I gasped and clapped my hands together. “Really?” I jumped up from my chair and hugged her. “I’m so happy for you.”

  “Yeah, yeah, let’s not make a big deal of it.”

  I let her go and sat back down in my chair. “Okay, I won’t make a big deal.”

  “Then, why are you still grinning?”

  I lifted my shoulders in glee. “Because I’m thrilled for you.”

  She laughed. “You’re a goofball.”

  “You can insult me all you want. I’m too happy for your words to hurt me.”

  My computer pinged, and I looked at my screen. My face fell.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “They emailed me back. Already.”

  “Good mood ruined,” Leslie joked dryly. “Might as well open it and get it over with. But, Indy?”

  I looked at her.

  “No matter what happens, if you really did lose your job and need a place to live, you know you’re more than welcome to stay with me.”

  “Thanks, babe.”

  She nodded her head toward the computer. “Now, read it. No time like the present.”

  I took a deep breath and opened the email from the CEO.

  Dear Ms. Scott,

  Thank you for giving the supervisory position a fair attempt. Since this was a position you had not applied for, we accept your notice.

  I looked away and started sweating. When I’d sent the email, I hadn’t really thought they’d let me quit. They had to know what info I had on them. If I wanted to, I could publicize it.

  Leslie elbowed me. “Hey, it worked.”

  I hadn’t realized she was reading over my shoulder. “Huh?”

  “They aren’t going to force you to be the supervisor and are letting you go back to your old job once they hire someone.”

  I quickly finished reading the entire message.

  We have already posted the supervisor position. Once it is filled, you may return to your original position.

  Thank you for helping the company in our time of need.

  Sincerely,

  Mr. Malone

  A wave of relief went through my body, and I slumped in relief. “I won.”

  “You sure did,” Leslie said. “They know you have dirt on them. You just made them your bitch.”

  I laughed. “I don’t know about that, but it’s a fun thought. I’m just relieved to be able to stay at a job I like with my best friend.”

  Forty-Two

  Cal

  I drummed my fingers against the table as I waited for my brother to show up at the restaurant. After LovelyLady555—or Callie, as Indy liked to call my profile—had hearted my brother, he had messaged two days later.

  Flirting with my brother was one of the most horrible things I had ever done, and I usually had to hand the phone over to Indy to finish. But it had worked because he asked me out.

  I didn’t want my brother to claim entrapment even though I wasn’t t
he police, so after I made myself known, I’d let him make all the moves.

  Joel showed up right on time, and I watched him speak to the hostess and get a table before I approached him.

  I took a deep breath and walked over. “Mind if I sit?”

  My brother peered up at me, and his eyes grew wide. He scanned the room in a panic.

  “Don’t worry. LovelyLady555 isn’t going to show up.”

  “What—how—what are you talking about?”

  I pulled out the chair across from Joel and sat. “LovelyLady555 isn’t coming because I’m LovelyLady555.”

  My brother swallowed, looking like a deer caught in headlights.

  “What are you doing, man? You have a wonderful wife at home, taking care of your kid, and you’re on dating sites, searching for women.”

  “I don’t do anything with them. I just go on dates.” He held up his hands. “I swear I’ve never done more than peck.”

  “Yeah, that’s what Indy said.”

  “She told you?”

  “Of course she told me. She’s my girlfriend. How do you think I found you, dumbass?”

  He turned his head away. “I was thinking since you hadn’t said anything after dinner at Mom and Dad’s, she hadn’t told you.”

  “Yeah, well, you’re wrong.” I sighed. “I’m going to ask again. What the hell are you doing?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know, okay? I feel smothered at home. Dana got pregnant, so we got married, and suddenly, I have a wife and kid.”

  Joel was younger than me by eight years, but he’d been in his late twenties when he got married and they had Oliver. He hadn’t exactly been a teenager.

  “So, you get a divorce. You don’t cheat on her.”

  Joel looked down at his hands. “I know; I know. But it turns out, I love Oliver, more than I ever thought possible.” He turned his eyes up at me. “I couldn’t bear it if Dana took him away from me.”

  “She wouldn’t do that—unless maybe she catches you cheating on her and does it out of revenge. Still, I can’t see that. She doesn’t strike me as that type of person.”

  He fingered the napkin in front of him. “You might be right.” He met my eyes. “What do I do now?”