The right kind of wrong, p.4
The Right Kind of Wrong, page 4
“Because he’s pretty straight with me. He has been from the start. He always said he doesn’t do relationships and that what we have is as good as it gets.”
She nods. “And you think you can change him?” she asks.
I laugh. “Honestly… no. I don’t. Still, I can’t stay away. I know that what he has going on is irreparable and I don’t know why that makes him even more so damn attractive.”
She smiles.
“What?” I ask.
“Sorry. It’s just that I’m a psychology major. This stuff intrigues me. That’s all.”
I laugh. “Being intrigued is what leads most women straight to his bed. And there are a lot. Trust me.”
She tilts her head to the side and grins. “Let me help you get to him,” she says and I almost spill my drink.
I laugh. “You can’t.”
“I can try. What do you have to lose?”
I shrug. “Nothing, I guess, but he’s not the type of guy who gets played. Trust me. He’ll see it coming and he’ll end up playing you.”
She shakes her head. “It’s not about playing him. It’s about tearing down this wall he is holding up and getting to him.”
I laugh. “So you think you can fix him?”
“I’m up for the challenge,” she says.
I shake my head in disbelief that I’m even considering it. Desperation makes you do crazy things.
“Tell me what you know about him,” she says.
I sigh. “I know his dad is a complete jerk. His mom died a few years ago. His brother lives far away, so it is just him and his dad under the same roof, and trust me, that man is awful.”
“What is one good thing about Owen?”
I cock my head to the side and I hesitate. That is the thing that made me fall for him and I wonder if that is the soft spot that will get to her too, and I know that she senses it.
“Look. I’m not interested. At all. He’s not my type. He’s arrogant and just not my cup of tea.”
I raise an eyebrow at her. “I’m sorry, but your guy has been to the club before and arrogant fits the description.”
She lets out an awkward laugh. “I guess it does. But trust me. I’m not interested.”
I sigh. “He has a habit of saving people,” I say in a low tone.
She looks confused… or maybe surprised.
“I don’t know the whole situation with his sister-in-law, but I know that he rescued her from a bad situation. He did the same for me, and then he helped me get the job I have now.”
She nods. “Do you know the story between his mom and dad? Any sign of abuse?” she asks and I shrug. “I don’t know, but I wouldn’t be surprised.”
She nods again. “Look, I’m not saying I know what I’m doing, but I would really like to help you.”
I try to fight any signs of hope, but I’m not sure it works. I want him. I want him to be mine.
I nod and she smiles. She then calls Craig.
“Hey…. I had a few drinks and I don’t feel comfortable driving your car back. Would you ask Owen to give you a ride to Shayne’s? He knows where she lives,” and she hangs up.
They show up about thirty minutes later. Emily opens the door. Craig comes in, and then Owen follows and he looks at me.
“Feeling better, I see,” he says as his gaze lands on the shot glasses.
He sits down and Craig walks over to where Emily is sitting. He gets her to stand, and then he sits, grabs her hips and sits her on his lap.
Owen watches them curiously.
“So, what did we miss?” asks Owen.
Emily shrugs. “Just girl talk.”
He nods, and keeps watching her, or to be more precise, he watches Craig’s hands on her.
He looks over at me and nods over toward the bedroom.
“Can I have a word with you?” he asks.
“I—I guess.”
We go in and I close the door behind us. “I’m not in trouble at work, am I?” I ask and he closes the distance between us and picks me up to where my legs wrap around him. He steps back, putting me against the wall and unzips his pants.
His fingers tangle up in my hair, and he kisses me. “I want you to be loud for me, sweetheart. Can you do that?”
I put my hand on his chest in an attempt to keep him from kissing me again. “To impress her?” I say in a bitter tone that surprises me.
He cocks his head to the side. “No. It’s to show that douchebag that you are mine. Did you not see how he watched you?”
“No. I was busy watching you,” I say. “So, I’m yours, huh?”
He stares into my eyes in an intense way and nods. He moves away from the wall and then presses me back against it. “Every single inch of you,” he says and I do as he asked.
CHAPTER SEVEN
I don’t expect to find them still waiting when we go back out, but there they are. Craig made himself at home and he’s sitting on the couch, watching TV with Emily. They both look at us. Emily quickly looks away and then, back at the TV. Craig grins at me in a way that makes my skin crawl. I find myself taking a step closer to Owen, who protectively puts his arm around me, pulls me closer, and whispers, “Relax. I got you.”
“We didn’t want to leave without saying bye,” says Craig and I can tell that Emily is frustrated.
Owen pulls away, walks to the small bar I have in the living room, grabs a bottle of whiskey and hands Craig a glass. Owen doesn’t drink his, but Craig keeps drinking. After a while, Owen says he’ll take them home.
EMILY
I can tell by the look in Shayne’s eyes that something changed. I wish I could find out what. I don’t understand why he intrigues me so much, but I truly want to help her get to him. I know guys like him. They all have a breaking point.
Owen insists on driving us back to campus. I say goodbye to Shayne and ask for her number. When we get to the parking garage, he stops in front of a black Ferrari. He then turns to Craig. “My car only seats two. I can call you a cab and drive her home.” Craig puts his arm around me then and I just tilt my head to the side and stare at Owen. “I’m not leaving him. I’ll just take the cab with him.” Owen doesn’t seem amused. He stares right back at me and lets out a frustrated sound. “Give me your keys”, he tells Craig. “I’ll just drive you and get a cab back for my car.”
Craig throws the keys at him. Then Owen unlocks the Ferrari and grabs something off the front seat. “That is your car?” I ask and he lets out the biggest grin as he nods.
He parks in front of Craig’s building and we all get out of the car. Craig is already about to pass out. He just says he’ll see me in the morning and takes off following one of his friends inside.
“Charming,” says Owen in a sarcastic tone. “I’ll walk you to your building,” he offers.
“You don’t have to,” I say.
“It wasn’t a request, jailbait. I’m either walking with you or following you to make sure you get in okay.”
I shrug and start walking.
He chuckles after a while.
“What?” I ask him.
He shrugs. “Nothing…”
I roll my eyes at him but I still allow curiosity to get the best of me. “What did you tell her tonight?” I ask.
“Huh?” he says confused.
“Something about Shayne changed after you went to her room.”
He laughs, “Well, obviously. It’s not what I said so much as what I did.”
“Cocky much?” I laugh. “I don’t need nor do I want any details. You said something - maybe something romantic or sweet. There was just something… something changed. Something gave her hope.”
He glances at me and raises his eyebrow. “And you can tell that just by the way she was acting?”
“It’s my special superpower,” I say.
He grins. “I told her that she is mine.”
He looks at me then, watching me intensely. “Why would you tell her that?” I practically yell at him.
“Because that is what she wanted to hear,” he says nonchalantly.
“That is unfair,” I say.
“I don’t see why. She knows the deal. She knows what she is getting out of what we have and that there is no hope for a future with me.”
I shake my head and he gives me that half smile. “So, do you still think you can fix me up for her?” he asks.
My eyes widen. I stop walking and look at him.
“What do you mean?”
He smiles and starts to walk again. “You think guys like me can be turned into a project. You think you can fix me for her.”
“Why would you think that?”
He grins. “It’s my superpower.”
“So, there is no hope?” I ask.
His grin widens. “I would like to see you try. In fact, I challenge you to.”
Chills run through my body.
We stop in front of my building and he stares into my eyes. “I’m serious,” he says. “I’ll answer whatever questions you have. I’ll make this as easy as possible for you. Yes, I have daddy issues. I’m likely your dream case study. Are you up to the challenge, jailbait?”
I roll my eyes at the annoying nickname. “I’m twenty-one, you know?” I remind him. “And challenge accepted.” I grin.
He chuckles. “But I have to warn you, you’ll be begging me to fuck you before you make any progress at all.”
How can someone be so blunt? I try to keep my composure. I know that he’s wrong. I have no interest in him. “We’ll see about that,” I say and something about the way he looks at me changes. I just hope he doesn’t see that as a challenge of his own. I pause. “So, you’ll answer any questions I have?” I ask and he nods.
“Good. You know… I was wondering how come you haven’t asked why I’m back with Craig after—”
He cuts me off and I’m a bit surprised by his answer. “It’s none of my business,” he says.
I take a deep breath. “Can we meet tomorrow?” I ask.
He nods. “Tell me when and where,” he says and I’m the one grinning now and by his reaction, I can tell that I actually caught him by surprise. “Your house. I want to meet your dad.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
OWEN
Fuck. I didn’t expect her to say that. Maybe I underestimated her a little, but I know it won’t take long to satisfy her curiosity and move on.
I pick her up after breakfast the next morning. I time this just right. I know dad has a meeting before lunch, so we’ll get back to the house just a few minutes before he has to leave.
I pull up in front of her building and send her a text. She texts back saying that she’ll be out in a minute, and when she does, I’m a little surprised to see her wearing ripped jeans and a light green hoodie, her dark blonde hair up in a messy bun. I’m actually amused by the thought of how dad is going to respond to that. She gets in, looking cheerful… unlike me.
“Not a morning person?” she asks.
“Not when I have to spend it with my father.”
“Oh,” she says, still cheerful. “Come on, he can’t be that bad.”
I glare at her. “Don’t they teach you in psych101 that you shouldn’t make assumptions about people?” I actually feel bad as I see the cheerfulness drain from her face.
I turn around, put the car in drive and take off.
“Does Craig know you’re with me?” I ask after a few minutes of awkward silence.
She shakes her head. “No… Not that I’m trying to hide it from him. It just didn’t come up.”
I let out a laugh. “You don’t have to justify it.”
“Okay, maybe I avoided bringing it up,” she admits.
I chuckle. “Why would that be?”
“It was late when we talked last night, and—” She nervously looks away and I see right through that lie, and she knows it. “I don’t think he cares for you that much,” she finally admits.
I shrug. “The feeling is mutual.” I pause. “I have to ask though. You are on this impossible mission to ‘fix’ me,” I shake my head. It’s cute that she thinks she can. “But who is fixing him for you?”
I glance at her. She’s biting her bottom lip and looking straight ahead. “Can we talk about something else?” she finally asks.
“Sure. We’re here anyway.”
I pull up to the front gate and enter the code for it to open.
She gapes at the house and when I glance at her again, I see that she seems nervous.
Dad’s driver comes over and opens the door for her and I lead her inside. I know dad will scare her away all on his own. He has a way of making women like her want to crawl out of their skin and run. This is only the first step toward her dropping this insane plan.
We go in and dad is sitting at the head of the dining room table, reading a newspaper. He looks up at us and then focuses his attention on Emily.
“I didn’t know you were bringing company over,” he says to me, while still staring at her. He’s sizing her up and down. I almost expect her to shy away and hide behind me, but to my surprise, she smiles at him. “Hi Mr. Crawford,” she says, “I’m Emily. I’m sorry. I don’t want to interrupt your morning, I—”
“Oh, it’s absolutely fine!” he says with a stupid grin on his face. “I’m just not used to my son bringing guests to the house. Please, have a seat.”
She smiles from ear to ear and sits next to him as he yells out for the maid to set an extra spot on the table.
I sit across from her, my eyes still on her; I notice this surprised look on her face when the maid comes out. When she leaves, Emily says, “I guess I’m underdressed, huh?”
Dad chuckles. “That is nonsense. You look lovely.”
She blushes and I have to keep myself from rolling my eyes at him. Well, this isn’t going how it was supposed to.
“How did you meet my son?” he asks.
“At his club,” she says and he nods.
“What’s it that you do, Emily?”
“I’m a college student – psychology major. Owen is actually helping me with a project,” she says and he laughs. “Is that so?” he asks.
She nods and he looks at me with this amused look.
She catches on and I guess she feels the need to mention the douchebag. “My boyfriend, Craig, is in some kind of membership group with Owen. At least, that is what I got out of it. I have no clue exactly what he is doing. He mentioned some kind of internship. I’m just hoping that puts him on the right track.”
Dad smiles. “Craig, is it?” He asks and she nods. “I’ll personally make sure that he’s on the right track.”
Fucking wonderful…
He goes on, “So I assume you’ll be joining us for dinner tonight. I’m hosting it for the new guys and their guests.”
“Oh. Craig didn’t mention anything,” she says as she looks down.
“Probably not his fault,” says dad. “I’m sure it slipped Owen’s mind to tell him about it, but now you know. Maybe you can pass the word for me? Seven o’clock tonight,” he says as he glares at me with a smug look on his face.
“I will. Thank you for including me,” she says.
“My pleasure. Well, I should get to the office,” he rolls his wheelchair back and then closer to Emily. He reaches for her hand, brings it to his lips, as I watch in disgust, and kisses her hand. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Emily. And good luck with your project,” he looks at me and shakes his head. “I’ll see you tonight, son.”
He leaves and I sit here, staring at Emily.
She shrugs. “He’s not that bad, Owen. Actually, he doesn’t seem bad at all.”
“Perception is a funny thing. People see what they want to see,” I say. I stand up, make my way over to her side of the table, and start unbuttoning my shirt.
Her eyes widen. “What are you doing?”
“Do you see these scars?” I ask, pointing at the ones on my chest then turning around so she can see the ones on my back.
When I face her again, she looks like she’s on the verge of tears.
I keep my eyes on hers. “Every single one was caused by his hands. You can’t possibly know people after a few minutes chat over breakfast, sweetheart.”
I put my shirt back on and button it before grabbing a bagel. She sits there and just looks down. “I’m sorry,” she mumbles.
I shrug. “It is what it is. I’m sure you have questions. I told you I would answer them. Go ahead.”
She shakes her head. “Maybe another time.”
I shrug and go back to eating my breakfast.
CHAPTER NINE
EMILY
I’m at a loss for words. I mean, I have a million questions, but I don’t have the courage to ask any of them - at least not yet. I wonder how someone can do that to their own kid.
“Are you inviting Shayne to go to the dinner tonight?” I ask. He finishes chewing his bagel without a care in the world before he replies.
“I don’t think so.”
“How come?”
He sighs. “You do realize that Shayne and I are not together, right? We fuck every once in a while. That’s as far as we go.” He grins.
Every time he says something that shocks me, he has that same grin, like he’s savoring every second of my reaction.
“So you’d rather come alone?” I ask.
“I didn’t say I was coming alone. A lot could happen between now and dinnertime. Who knows who I’m going to meet throughout the day?”
“Did your dad cheat on your mom a lot?” I blurt out. I don’t know what came over me. Maybe his standoffish attitude is pissing me off. He’s the one looking surprised now. His expression completely changes – the grin, gone.
“You could say that,” he says.
He expects me to say more. I can tell. But I don’t. I just sit here and watch him curiously. It feels like we’re in a staring contest, until he breaks the tension with a yawn. “I guess I should get you back to your dorm.”
I nod and stand up. We get in the car and he drives me back, where I find Craig sitting outside with Sarah. Craig gets up and opens the car door for me. As I get out, I catch Craig glaring at Owen as if waiting on an explanation, which of course, Owen doesn’t waste time giving.
