The Man I Thought I Knew

by E. L. Todd

  He chuckled quietly, his voice raspy. “Not a morning person, huh?”

  “Not a cunt kind of person.” I turned over onto my back and ran my fingers through my hair, seeing the two of us close together on one side of the bed, leaving the other half empty. The morning light poked through the blinds on the window, highlighting his sculpted physique in the dark, the lines between his various triceps, the distinctive line between his pecs.

  “She’s just doing her job.”

  “Well, she’s a cunt anyway.”

  He moved over me and sprinkled kisses along my collarbone, my neck, the valley between my tits. “Is this better?”

  With my eyes closed, I nodded. My arms wrapped around his shoulders, and I held him tight. When he came closer, I felt his hard dick against me, rubbing against my stomach, the moisture oozing from his tip.

  He moved farther down, over my flat stomach to my hips, his face disappearing under the sheets.

  I just lay there and enjoyed it.

  Then my alarm went off…again.

  He stilled before pulling the blanket off.

  “What a fucking bitch.” I reached for the phone on the floor again.

  “You must have put it on snooze.”

  “Whatever.” I grabbed the phone and stabbed my finger into the screen before I turned it off altogether. “Damn cockblock. Can’t you see I’m trying to get laid right now?” I threw the phone down again.

  He moved back on top of me. “Sweetheart, you don’t have to try to get laid.” His mouth moved to my neck, and he kissed me again, this time smothering me, pressing me into the mattress. “Because nothing is going to keep me away from you.”

  The bathroom was just as stark as the rest of the house. I did my business, washed my hands and face, brushed my teeth with some toothpaste on my finger, and then returned to the bedroom.

  He stood in his closet, which only had a couple articles of clothing inside. He grabbed a few things and started to get dressed. He didn’t shave or do his hair. He only brushed his teeth. He still looked incredible, but with that messy hair, he didn’t exactly look ready for the office.

  “Did you recently move here?”

  He sat at the edge of the bed and put on his shoes. “No. Why?”

  “You just don’t have a lot of stuff.” I sat beside him, slipping on my heels.

  He shrugged. “I’m a minimalist kind of guy.”

  “I just figured your wife took everything in the divorce.”

  He rose to his feet then grabbed his phone. “Yeah, that didn’t help.”

  When I was ready, we left his apartment and headed to the street.

  “I’m running late, so I’m going to grab a cab.” I raised my hand, and immediately, a yellow taxi pulled over.

  “Alright, sweetheart.” His arm circled my waist, and he gave me a quick kiss. “See you later.”

  I watched him turn away before I got into the cab. “See you later.”

  Eighteen

  Charlie

  “Why was it weird?” I sat across from Carson at the bar because we’d decided to get a drink after work.

  “I can’t explain it…” She held on to her wineglass as she searched for the best way to describe it. “It just seemed like he didn’t have anything. The apartment was really empty. There was nothing in his fridge…”

  “He’s a bachelor. It’s not that surprising.”

  “You’re a bachelor.”

  “But he was married. Maybe he’s still used to having a wife, so he doesn’t know how to shop for groceries and pick out furniture, you know?”

  “Maybe…but he seems pretty independent.”

  I shrugged and took another drink. “He’s only been divorced for a year. He’s starting his life over.”

  “I get that. But… I don’t know.”

  “And maybe he has a ton of student loan payments or something. Old medical bills. Maybe he just can’t afford to furnish his place.”

  “That’s fine if that’s the case, but then he shouldn’t be taking me out for a hundred-dollar dinner.” She swirled her glass and watched the wine spin in a circular motion.

  “He was trying to impress you.”

  “An expensive meal doesn’t impress me. And a man like that doesn’t need to do anything to impress me.”

  I drank my beer again, not alarmed by what Carson was telling me.

  “And he didn’t have any clothes. He had, like, a couple shirts in his closet and a few jeans.”

  “His wife threw them away,” I reasoned. “Isn’t that the cliché? Throwing his clothes out the window and onto the street?”

  “But she’s the one who cheated—unless that’s a lie.”

  I knew it was Carson’s nature to pick at things until she got to the truth. That was just how she was. It was why she was such a good investigative journalist. She found plot holes and kept poking until the lies unraveled. “Give him the benefit of the doubt, alright?”

  “I am—”

  “Don’t blow this by assuming he’s a liar.”

  “I’m not assuming anything. I just know there’s something off… I can feel it.”

  “Maybe you’re overthinking it. Maybe he lost a lot of money in the divorce. He’s broke now. Maybe he had to sell some of his clothes. Who knows? You just made progress with this guy. Don’t fuck it up by poking and prodding. Who cares if he’s poor?”

  She sighed. “I couldn’t care less if he’s poor. That’s not the issue.”

  “I would let it go.”

  She stared into her glass for a while, still swirling. “Here’s another thing—”

  “Oh Jesus…”

  “No, listen.” She held up her hand to silence me. “I put on the dress I wore the night before, because I didn’t have anything else. I went to my apartment to get ready for work.”

  “And…?”

  “He just threw on a t-shirt and jeans.”

  I still wasn’t following. “And…?”

  “There’s no way he wears a t-shirt and jeans to work.”

  “I mean, that’s not that crazy—”

  “He’s a financial advisor for Clydesdale Software. I’m sure he doesn’t dress that way at work.”

  That was a valid point. “Huh. Maybe he went to get breakfast?”

  “And he didn’t do his hair or anything. He just brushed his teeth.”

  “Maybe he’s off today.”

  “On a weekday?” she asked incredulously.

  “Or he goes in late, and he was going to go back and fix himself up?”

  “But do you see what I mean?” she pressed. “Something feels off, and I can’t figure out what it is.”

  I didn’t believe Dax was a bad guy, and if he was hiding something, it was harmless. “Maybe you’re right. But you need to give him the benefit of the doubt. You’re starting over, and that means trusting people until they give you a reason not to.”

  “Well, he’s kinda giving me a reason not to. Maybe I can look—”

  “No.” I already knew where she was going with this.

  She sighed. “Yeah, you’re right. I can’t do that.”

  “I’m sure whatever he’s hiding is personal. And if you’re wrong, you’re going to sabotage this relationship. Maybe he got fired, and he’s in between jobs. Maybe he doesn’t even work at that company.”

  She cocked an eyebrow. “And you think that’s not alarming? I don’t want to be with a guy who lies to me.”

  “I’m just saying, give him the benefit of the doubt.”

  She grabbed her phone and opened her social media apps.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Looking him up. See what I find.”

  “I already asked him. He doesn’t do social media.”

  She set her phone down and lifted her chin, her eyebrow raised. “The only people who say that are over sixty-five.”

  I shrugged. “Maybe he just doesn’t need the validation of his peers over everything little thing he does.”

 
She grabbed her wine again, visibly tense.

  “Don’t jump to conclusions. Just give this a chance. Keep an open mind. Trust him.”

  She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “You know how hard that is for me. All the clues of infidelity were right in front of me, but I blindly trusted him and ignored every one of those signs—”

  “Not the same situation, alright?”

  She took another deep breath.

  “Think about what we do know about Dax. He’s a great guy. Don’t focus on all these little things. And honestly, you just started to date. You can’t expect him to show all his cards, just as he wouldn’t expect you to show all yours.”

  She stared at me, still resistant, but at least listening to me. “I do really like him…”

  “I do too. Just let this go. Give it time.”

  She grabbed her glass and took a drink. “Alright. I’ll give it time.” She set the glass down and scooted to the edge of the booth. “I’m going to take a piss.”

  “Such a lady…”

  She left, and I drank alone, looking out the window.

  A moment later, the voice that echoed in my mind reached my ears. “Hey.”

  I turned, seeing Denise with her purse strap across her chest, her blond hair in curls. “Hey.” I cleared my throat, my heart suddenly racing because her appearance was so unexpected. Carson didn’t tell me she would be joining us.

  She scooted into the booth and helped herself to Carson’s wine.

  “I can get you something at the bar.”

  “No thanks. I already told the waitress. She’ll be out any minute.” She sat across from me, wearing a pretty summer dress. Her lips were painted red and her eyelashes were thick. She had a softer voice than Carson, because she was softer in every aspect.

  “How are you?” I never knew how to talk to her. She made me nervous, which was a first. Women never made me nervous. I could make jokes, carry on a conversation, be charming. But all that went out the window with Denise.

  “Good. Had a long shift last night, so I slept in pretty late.”

  “How’d that go?”

  “We were slammed,” she said. “There was a pretty bad accident with a lot of casualties.”

  “That’s terrible.”

  She shrugged. “I’m used to it. But there are times when it gets to me.” She turned to the waitress when she brought her cosmo. “Thanks, honey.” She placed Carson’s drink to the side then drank from her glass. “What’s up with you?”

  It’d been months since I’d met Denise, and I was afraid I already waited too long. She probably saw me as a friend at this point. But I couldn’t just go for it and hurt Kat. We hadn’t been broken up very long, and it would just be awkward for her if Denise and I started seeing each other. I’d already tried to forget about Denise by seeing other girls, but it never worked. Sometimes I thought about asking her out in the hope she would reject me and I would have closure to move on. But it seemed pretty weird to ask out someone and hope it wouldn’t work out. Very disingenuous. “Carson was telling me about Dax.”

  “Oh good. She’s seeing that hunk again.”

  “Yeah. But she’s getting a weird vibe from him.”

  “In what way?” She took a sip then licked her lips when she was finished.

  Ugh. I hated watching her drink or eat. Fucking distracting. “His apartment is pretty bare, it didn’t seem like he was going to work today, stuff like that.”

  “Sounds a bit shady…”

  “I think Dax deserves the benefit of the doubt. I’ve been hanging out with him a lot, and he seems like a good guy.”

  “But what do you really know about him?”

  “Well, he’s got a lot of friends. Assholes don’t have a lot of friends.”

  She gave a loud laugh. “My high school bully was the most popular bitch on that campus. Your assumption is false.”

  “Guess that’s true. But I still think Dax is a good guy.”

  “Can’t you look into him?”

  I shook my head. “I don’t want Carson to sabotage this relationship before it even starts.”

  “But I don’t want my sister to get hurt again. Getting punked twice in a row…she would never recover.”

  I didn’t want her to get hurt either. She was like a sister to me. I’d do anything for her. “I think she should give it more time.”

  She drank from her glass again. “Yeah, let’s hope for the best.”

  I drank from my beer and looked out the window so I wouldn’t stare at her too much.

  “Kat told me she really likes Nathan. I guess they have a lot in common.”

  I turned back to her. “Oh, that’s great.”

  She grabbed her cocktail straw and stirred her drink. “Is that weird for you?”

  I shook my head. “Not at all. It’s good that she’s getting out there. She’s a great girl. Anyone would be lucky to have her.” There was nothing wrong with Kat. She was perfect…until Denise walked in.

  “It seems like you’re totally over her. But I guess that makes sense…since you were the one who ended it.”

  “Yeah, I’ve moved on.” I didn’t want to be harsh toward Kat, but when Denise put me on the spot like this, I wanted her to know there was no attachment to my ex, that I was completely unencumbered.

  “What happened?” Denise asked. “If you don’t mind me asking. When Kat told me about it, she said it was sudden.”

  Did she really have no idea? I admired Carson for keeping her word and not sharing my secret. It was a strong sign of loyalty, to lie to her sister and her best friend. It really put her in a tough spot, to have Kat share her feelings, while Carson didn’t say a thing. “I just realized she wasn’t the right person for me, and I didn’t want to waste her time anymore.”

  She nodded. “That must have been hard, but you did the right thing. Better than being in a relationship when your heart isn’t really in it. That’s worse, if you ask me.”

  “Yeah…”

  Carson returned from the bathroom. “Hey, girl.” She hugged her sister before she took a seat. Then she stared at her drink, her eyebrow raised. “Hmm, that’s not my lipstick.” She turned to her sister, giving her a look full of accusation.

  Denise rolled her eyes and pushed her cosmo to Carson.

  Carson grabbed it and took a drink. “That’s right, bitch.”

  I walked into the bar with Matt.

  “Ooh, he looks good in black.”

  I eyed Jeremy. “Yeah…sure.”

  “Sorry, I forgot you only have the hots for Dax.” He gave me a playful nudge in the side as he moved forward.

  I rolled my eyes.

  Dax was there, sitting at the table with his typical scotch.

  When we approached, they all got up and greeted us.

  I shook Dax’s hand. “Hey, man.”

  He patted me on the back. “Am I the best matchmaker ever? I’ve got Matt and Jeremy giggling like schoolgirls, and Kat and Nathan seem to really like each other.”

  “And you and Carson?”

  He grinned. “I don’t kiss and tell…but that woman’s got it bad for me.”

  I chuckled, knowing he was joking. “I’m glad you guys worked it out.”

  “She’s rough around the edges, isn’t she?” He crossed his arms over his chest. “But I wore her down. Got her to sleep over the other night.”

  “Yeah, she told me. It seems like you’ve got it bad for her.”

  He shrugged. “Well, I’m not a chaser. That tells you everything you need to know.”

  I was tempted to ask him about Carson’s suspicions, but I kept it bottled inside. He was charming and easy to talk to, so he seemed completely harmless. It seemed unlikely that he had anything to hide, that he wasn’t what he seemed. He probably just had personal issues, and those issues were no one’s business.

  Nineteen

  Carson

  I sat at the dining table, working on my articles, when Charlie walked inside.

 
He had a pizza under his arm.

  “Oh, you’re my hero.”

  He grinned as he came farther inside, revealing Dax behind him a moment later.

  “I was hoping I was your hero, sweetheart.” He walked inside, all confident and tall, looking at me with affection in his eyes. He was in jeans that hung low on his hips, a t-shirt that showed off his sexy muscles, and that sexy shadow was along his jawline.

  “Well, food takes priority over sex.”

  Charlie set the pizza on the table. “Don’t take it personally, man.” He walked into the kitchen to grab plates.

  His smile didn’t drop, and he leaned over to kiss me in the chair, greeting me like I was his woman and he was my man. He even slid his fingers into my hair, giving me a hot kiss with no regard to Charlie in the kitchen.

  I melted like a grilled cheese sandwich in a hot pan. No man ever kissed me that way, lit my fuse on fire with only his heat. His lips were so good at those delicate kisses, even better at the passionate ones. His hand slid out of my hair as he pulled away.

  I was knocked off my feet.

  Charlie handed him a plate. “We got half combination and half pepperoni.”

  Instead of making a comment, I just sat there.

  Charlie raised an eyebrow as he looked at me.

  “Sorry.” I shook my head. “Mind was in the gutter…”

  Dax took the seat beside me, a slight smile on his lips.

  Charlie turned on the TV, changed the channel to the game, and then joined us.

  I shut my laptop and pulled a slice onto my plate.

  “What are you working on, sweetheart?” Dax asked.

  “A couple articles,” I said. “Nothing as exciting as the last one.”

  “Did you tell him about the FBI?” Charlie asked before he took a bite.

  We hadn’t talked in a couple days because I wanted to play it cool, so I hadn’t mentioned it.