The Wrong/Right Man

by Aurora Rose Reynolds

  “Don’t look at me like that.” She shakes her head. “Dating nowadays is a joke. Everyone is looking for their next conquest, and I have yet to meet a man who is even a little interested in something serious.”

  “You’re kidding.”

  “No. I mean a guy might say they are looking for a serious relationship on their dating profile, but at the end of the night, all they want is a quick fuck or a low-maintenance fuck buddy.” She eyes me with disbelief. “Don’t tell me you don’t know that.”

  “I’ve only really been with two guys, my ex-fiancé and Braxton.”

  “Count yourself lucky. You’ve found two guys who want to commit while most of us can’t even find one.”

  “I’m not that lucky, my ex fiancé cheated on me and I found out when I was in the middle of planning our wedding.”

  Her expression softens. “I’m sorry.”

  I shrug. “Me too, but I’m glad I found out before we actually got married or had kids.”

  “True,” she agrees, the happy energy from earlier turning somber.

  I shake my head. “Enough of that. Tonight is about having fun.”

  “Yeeesss, I need some fun.” She holds up her glass, and I tap mine to hers then down the rest of my wine. We finish our hair and makeup then get dressed, me in a pair of ripped jeans and a sheer black top over my black bra with my leather jacket and pumps, and her in a skin-tight, off-the-shoulder black dress and thigh-high boots with a long black trench. We jump in a cab and head across town, and then because my brother and his band are performing, we walk in past the line of people who are waiting to get inside.

  The moment we enter the bar, I latch onto Samantha’s hand as the energy of the crowd, lights, and music seeps into my system. I’m sure to someone like my brother who lives off the high, it makes him feel alive, but for me, it’s just overwhelming.

  I lead Samantha to the bar, needing a drink, and it only takes a couple seconds for one of the bartenders to recognize me and come over. We both shout our orders, and moments later, we’re heading toward the stage with our drinks. The opening act is performing, so I signal for Samantha to follow me backstage, and as soon as the bouncer lets us back, the sound is drowned out and I can hear myself think again.

  We walk down the dim hallway toward the room where I know my brother and his band will be ignoring the catty looks from the groupies who are waiting, hoping to be seen. When we get to the door, I don’t knock; I push right in and want to laugh. You would think the guys would be surrounded by women, hooking up, or getting high, but instead, they are all sitting in front of a large TV, playing some video game, and egging each other on while drinking from a bottle of Jack.

  I stand at the back of the room, still holding Samantha’s hand, and wait for them to notice us. And then I clear my throat when it takes a while for anyone to pull their attention away from the game. Lozz, the lead guitarist, is the first to turn around, and when he does, he smiles his too-charming smile then slaps Jamie on his chest with the back of his hand.

  My brother looks over his shoulder, and I wiggle my fingers. “I don’t mean to interrupt.”

  “Took you long enough to get here.” Jamie pushes off the couch and swaggers toward us then lifts me off my feet in a hug. Once he drops me back on solid ground, his eyes go to Samantha. “Who’s this?”

  I roll my eyes as he blatantly checks her out.

  “Jamie, Samantha. Samantha, my brother Jamie.” I look around the room at each of the men who seem to be fascinated with her. “Samantha is my friend, which means she’s off-limits.”

  Jinx, the drummer, smiles and shows off a dimple. Lozz smirks like he knows I’ll kick his ass but otherwise doesn’t look like he gives a fuck. And Freddie, who plays bass, and has always been the more laid back one of the bunch just laughs.

  “We work together, so be on your best behavior.”

  “I need a friend.” Jinx winks at her, but before I have a chance to tell him not to be an asshole, Lozz knocks him upside his head. “What the fuck?” He glares at his bandmate while rubbing the back of his head.

  “Show some respect. She’s Dakota’s friend,” Lozz mumbles, coming over to give me a hug and to kiss Samantha’s hand and introduce himself, a move that makes me frown. I’ve seen Lozz basically drag women out of a room to go do God knows what with them. I’ve never once seen him kiss a woman’s hand or act like he has even a bit of gentleman in him.

  When Jinx and Freddie come over, I make introductions then look at my friend. At one glance, I can tell she’s been struck by the bad-boy bug. I get it; these guys are all tall, broad, and good-looking with that tattooed look that tends to fascinate good girls who want to see if they can change their wicked ways.

  “Are you okay?”

  My brother’s question drags my attention away from Samantha, and I focus on him.

  “Yeah.” I grab his upper arm in a reassuring gesture, but I’m not sure if I’m reassuring him or myself. He eyes me warily, and I wonder what that’s about, wonder if he’s talked to Braxton over the last few days. I don’t ask. I don’t want to know—or that’s what I tell myself. “Are you ready for your show?”

  “I’m always ready to hit the stage,” he says, and I study him and can tell he’s already pumped up. His pupils are slightly dilated, his body buzzing. He’s excited, anxious to share himself with the crowd who has gathered to see him perform.

  “There’s a lot of people out there, and even more waiting to get in.”

  “Maggie will be happy about that. She’s worried about losing us when we go on tour,” he explains, and I realize then that I haven’t spoken to Maggie in a while. Not that we were great friends, but we did text every now and then before I accidentally stood up her friend and got wrapped up in Braxton.

  “Is she here tonight?”

  “If she’s not yet, she will be,” he replies, looking at the door when someone knocks softly.

  I turn at that time and see a cute girl with oversized glasses on poke her head into the room. “Maggie told me to let you guys know you’re on in five,” she says quietly, her cheeks turning pink.

  “Thanks, Ally,” Jamie replies, his voice gentle, and her face becomes an even deeper shade of pink before she nods and shuts the door.

  “She’s got it bad for you, dude,” Jinx says, looking at Jamie, and I narrow my eyes on my brother.

  “What?” he asks me.

  “I just got a glimpse of her and know she is way too sweet for a guy like you. Don’t even think about going there.”

  “It hasn’t even crossed my mind.” He holds up his hands when I raise a brow. “She’s Maggie’s niece and not my speed.”

  “You mean she’s not easy.” I roll my eyes, finishing my drink and setting the cup down.

  “She’s sweet, but like you pointed out, she’s not for me.”

  “She might not be for him, but it’s funny as shit to watch the two of them together, her stumbling all over herself, him trying not to scare her off.” Jinx laughs.

  “Shut the fuck up, man,” Jamie grumbles then looks at me. “Are you planning on hanging after the show?”

  “Maybe, it depends on what Samantha wants to do.” I glance over to where she and Lozz are sitting on the couch, talking.

  “I’d guess she’d be cool with hanging out after.”

  I smack his arm. “She’s not one of your groupies.”

  He grins. “It only takes seeing us perform once to become a groupie.”

  “Maybe you should get that printed on a T-shirt to sell at your concerts,” I say, taking his bottle of Jack and putting it to my lips, coughing as the heat hits my throat.

  He laughs, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. “I’m glad you came.” He kisses the side of my head then lets me go and shouts, “Let’s go!”

  A minute later, the guys are heading toward the stage, with me and Samantha going back the way we came. As we exit backstage, the crowd roars at the first cords of their hit song, “Drink with Me.” I lo
ok at Samantha and grin then lead her to the front of the stage.

  “Holy shit, they are good!” she shouts at me three songs later, and I nod.

  She’s not wrong; they are good, and I really do think that once they hit the road, they are going to take the music industry by storm. I’m happy for my brother but a little sad for myself, because I know things between us are changing. We don’t need each other as much as we once did. We’re both becoming adults with our own lives and our own futures. Even if those futures seem to be up in the air right now.

  Needing a minute away from the crowd, I lean into Samantha and shout in her ear, “I’m going to go to the bar. Do you want to come with me?”

  “I think I’ll stay,” she says, her eyes locked on Lozz. “But will you bring me a vodka tonic?”

  “Yeah,” I shout back then push through the mass of people trying to get as close to the stage as possible. It takes me a few minutes to make it to the bar, and when I do, I yell, gaining the bartender’s attention, then ask him for my order. When he disappears to fill it, I look to the stage and watch my brother do what he does best.

  “Where the fuck have you been?” I turn at that question and find Maggie smiling at me.

  “Work.” I smile back, moving across the space to give her a hug.

  “Well, I’ve missed seeing your face.” She lets me go and smiles once more, letting me know she’s not mad, that we’re good. “You look amazing.”

  “Thanks.” I tuck my hair behind my ear, swaying slightly.

  “It’s so funny you’re here tonight, because Adam is here too,” she tells me, and my heart sinks. “He should be here any second. He was just upstairs helping me with my computer.”

  “Maggie—” I start to tell her that I’m not interested in meeting her friend, but she looks over my shoulder and waves someone over.

  “Adam, I want you to meet Dakota,” she shouts before she spins me around without giving me a choice, and I latch onto the person in front of me so I don’t drunkenly fall on my face.

  “It’s nice to meet you too.” He laughs, and I look up at him. Oh, God, Jamie was right! He looks like my ex—or at least his smile does.

  “Sorry.” I pull out of his hold and stick out my hand. “Dakota.”

  “Adam.” He takes my hand, holding it tight while looking into my eyes. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”

  “You too.” I pull my hand away when someone whistles, startling me, and I wipe my palm down the front of my jeans. “Sorry about the whole date thing,” I blurt, and he chuckles.

  “It’s okay. Maybe we can meet for coffee or a drink sometime.”

  “You’re both here now and there is a bar a few feet away,” Maggie chimes in, and I swear I could kill her.

  “I…” I look over at the bar and see my drinks are ready. “I wish I could hang and talk, but I’m here with a friend of mine from work. I’m sorry.”

  “That’s all right. I’ll get your number from Maggie and we can set something up.”

  “Yeah, totally,” I lie, just wanting to get away. “It was nice meeting you.”

  “You too, Dakota.” He takes my hand and brings it to his lips, making me cringe.

  “Okay, well, I’ll see you.” I discreetly wipe the back of my hand on my jeans then lean over and hug Maggie, who looks like she just did Cupid’s job for him and is going to steal his title. “I’ll talk to you soon.”

  “You will,” she agrees, giving me a tight squeeze.

  When she lets me go, I walk to the bar and pick up my drinks, leaving some cash, then head back to Samantha, wondering what the hell I will do if Adam calls. I mean, if I weren’t drunk right now, I’d probably be freaking out, but the alcohol in my system is making me a little less worried about what might happen. With a sigh, I take a sip of my drink then shove back through the crowd.

  I see Samantha searching for me over the sea of people, and as soon as I’m close, she yells, “I was just going to come search for you.”

  “Sorry, I ran into Maggie who owns this place and the guy I was supposed to go out with the night I met Braxton,” I shout back.

  She starts to choke on her drink, and I pound her on her back. “What? How did that go?”

  “Maggie tried to get me to hang out with him tonight. I got out of it, but he said he would get my number from Maggie and call sometime.”

  “What are you going to do when he calls?” she asks, her eyes wide with concern.

  “Tell him I’m seeing someone. I’m not going out with him, but I was on the spot and didn’t want to hurt his ego.”

  “Girl, I need some of your man mojo.” She laughs, taking a sip of her drink.

  “I don’t think you do.” I look at the stage where Lozz is playing the guitar.

  “Oh no, no way. I would never date a guy like him,” she says, shaking her head frantically.

  “Okay, I’m going to try not to be offended by that statement. But I will tell you that Lozz is like family to me and he’s a good man.”

  “Oh, God.” She looks horrified. “I just mean that I don’t think I could handle this.” She motions around us. “The women, the attention. He seems nice, but I have trust issues when it comes to men, and this… all of this would be too much for me.”

  My face softens. “I can understand that.” I wrap my arm around her shoulders. “Men really do fuck us up.”

  “Yeah, they do, but hopefully a good one will un-fuck us.”

  “Hopefully.” I laugh.

  “Dakota.” My eyes widen when my name is called, not from the crowd but from the stage. I look at my brother, my face getting red as he motions for me to come up to him, and I shake my head. “Come on, sis.”

  I’m going to kill you, I mouth, walking to the stairs and climbing them slowly. When I reach him, he hands me the bottle of Jack.

  “A little liquid encouragement,” he says, and the crowd cheers and laughs. I put the bottle to my lips and fight the burn as I swallow. “Now, not many people know my sister can sing. I tried to get her to join my band, but instead, she went to college.” He chuckles when the crowd boos. “Come on. Getting an education is important. Anyway, my sister and I didn’t have it easy growing up, but we always had each other, and that’s all we needed. This is a song we wrote together one night when we needed the power of music to get us through. So I think it’s only right that she performs this one with me.” He looks over at me. “Are you ready?”

  “Are you giving me a choice?”

  “No.”

  “Then, I guess I’m ready.” I down another swig of Jack then lean into him when he wraps his arm around my shoulders and shoves the mic between us. The bass, guitar, and drums start, and I close my eyes, getting lost as I sing a sad song about two kids who lost everything but still had something to cling to. When the song comes to an end, I give him a hug then hustle off the stage and through the back doors while the crowd cheers. Needing a minute alone, I go to the bathroom and push into one of the stalls, closing the door behind me. I breathe deep through the pain in my chest, pain I somehow forgot about, pain that is almost unbearable even now.

  “Dakota,” a deep, familiar voice calls, making my heart pound.

  It can’t be Braxton. He’s not supposed to be home until Sunday.

  I wipe the wetness from my cheeks, expecting to find my mind is playing tricks on me when I open the door. I step out and lock eyes with the man I’ve been missing like crazy standing with his back to the door, his arms crossed over his chest and a look of pain in his eyes. “You’re back.”

  “Come here,” he orders, opening his arms, and I don’t hesitate to go to him, wrap my arms around his waist, and rest the side of my head against his chest as a fresh wave of tears fill my eyes.

  “I miss my parents,” I whimper as his hand smooths over my hair and comes to rest on the back of my neck, his scent and warmth seeping into me. “Before the accident, before my dad died we we’re happy, I grew up happy.”

  “I’m sorry, baby.”


  “Me too.” I hold onto him and breathe through the tears soaking up his strength. “I missed this.”

  His hand tightens and he holds me closer. “I missed this too.”

  I nod and close my eyes, feeling like I could just fall asleep right here.

  “I thought you weren’t coming home until Sunday.”

  “My plans changed,” he mutters, tugging my hair and forcing my head back to look at me. “I don’t like not being able to talk to you.”

  I swallow. “Then I guess there are things both of us don’t like.”

  “Hmm.” He uses his free hand to capture my throat then slides it up to my jaw as his eyes search mine. “You make me insane, Dakota.”

  “Ditto, Braxton,” I pant as he lowers his mouth to mine. My eyes slide closed at the first touch of his lips, and I open for him, greedy for his taste. He licks into my mouth, and I latch onto him a little tighter, the buzz of alcohol and his attention making me feel lightheaded.

  “Dakota?” Samantha knocks on the bathroom door, and Braxton pulls away, groaning.

  “That’s Samantha,” I tell him, then call out, “Just a second.”

  “Come away with me tonight,” Braxton says, gaining my attention.

  “I’m here with Samantha.”

  “Spend time with her then come away with me,” he urges, and I study him and the look of longing in his eyes and nod. When he opens the door and Samantha sees him, her eyes widen.

  “Braxton is here,” I point out the obvious.

  “Ms. Shelton,” he says, and I elbow him then shake my head.

  “We’re not at work. You don’t have to be so formal.”

  He smiles at me then looks at her. “Sorry, Samantha.”

  “It’s okay.” She laughs then looks between the two of us. “If you two want to take off you guys don’t have to stick around for me. I can catch a cab home.”

  “Sounds good,” Braxton murmurs.

  “I’m not ditching you.” I glare at the man behind me and she laughs.

  “Really, it’s okay. I think I’ve had enough fun for one night, probably more fun than I’ve had in forever.”

  “It was fun. We will have to do it again.”