The Man I Thought I Knew Read online

  He pressed his lips to mine and kissed me, his eyes open, like he enjoyed the sight of my reaction, the way he lit me on fire, the way my body tightened and became wet for him with just a simple touch.

  I leaned into him farther, pulling his bottom lip between mine as I kissed him then did it again…and again. My hand cupped the back of his neck, and I kissed him like we weren’t in a room full of people.

  He didn’t pull away, like he didn’t care about the stares. His hand slid into my hair, and he grasped it as he deepened the kiss.

  “Uh, Carson?” Charlie said. “We’re still here…”

  I pulled away and let my hands slide down his chest to his waist.

  He squeezed my ass before he turned away. “I’m gonna get a drink. You want anything?”

  “I’m covered.”

  He headed to the bar, all eyes on him once again.

  I checked out his ass as he walked away. “That is the finest piece of meat I’ve ever seen.”

  “Kobe beef,” Kat said.

  “Are you still seeing Brian?” Denise asked.

  “Occasionally,” I answered.

  “Why?” Denise asked. “Dax is way hotter.”

  I didn’t like having only one single guy on my line. Put too much focus on them. “He is hotter, but we’re never going to be serious, so it doesn’t matter.”

  “Does he have a brother?” Kat asked.

  “I don’t know.” I still didn’t know anything about him, except the size of his dick and the feeling of his stubble against my inner thighs.

  “What about a gay brother?” Matt asked.

  “Don’t know that either,” I said. “I really don’t know anything about him.”

  “Well, you should change that,” Matt said. “Because we all want to know.”

  As the night went on, we dispersed, finding other people to talk to.

  That left Dax and me at the table.

  He was on his second scotch, unaffected by the booze—at least it seemed so on the outside.

  I didn’t drink too many cosmos like last time. I made sure my filter was still on, that I would be sober enough to get laid by the end of the night. “Do you have a brother?”

  He turned to me, slightly surprised by the question. “No.”

  “Sorry, Matt…”

  Dax chuckled.

  “Well, Kat wants to be set up with a relative or a hot friend.”

  “Well, I have a sister…”

  “Nah, she won’t be interested.”

  “She’s not attractive anyway, so it doesn’t matter.”

  I smiled, liking the way he teased his sibling.

  “I thought Kat was into Charlie anyway.”

  My smile faded away. “You picked up on that?”

  He shrugged and took a drink. “And Charlie is into your sister, right?”

  He was very observant. He clearly had above-average intelligence. “Yes.”

  “Quite the predicament.”

  Instead of shielding my life from him to keep this relationship sterile, I decided to peel back the layers, include him like a friend…just as he asked. “Kat and Charlie were together for two years.”

  He gave a slight nod, his brown eyes filling with understanding. “Got it.”

  “They’ve been broken up for six months.”

  “Is Denise the reason they broke up?” He pivoted his body toward me slightly, one elbow on the table. There were a lot of beautiful women in that bar, but he was a gentleman who gave me his full attention.

  I almost didn’t answer because it was more detail about my life, but I forced myself to adapt, forced myself to get over this hurdle and open myself up again. “She moved here from LA, and that was how Charlie met her.”

  He gave a slight nod.

  “He ended it, but never told Kat the real reason why.”

  “Damn…that’s rough.”

  “Yeah.” I felt bad for everyone involved because no one was happy. Denise was the only one immune to the pain because she didn’t know what went on right under her nose. “I’m torn because Kat is my best friend…Charlie is my other best friend…Denise is my sister. I see everyone’s point of view.”

  He watched my face, a smile moving onto his lips.

  “What?”

  “This is nice.”

  “What?” I repeated.

  “This.” He pointed back and forth between us. “You being yourself.”

  A slight blush moved into my cheeks because it was embarrassing that it was so obvious, that the difference between my guarded personality and my true personality was so obvious to this man.

  He took a drink and set down the glass. “What do you think is going to happen?”

  “Between the three of them?”

  He nodded.

  “I really don’t know—it’s a mess. Kat hopes they’ll get back together, so she’s kinda waiting and hoping for that.”

  “And Charlie?”

  “He wants to go for Denise, but he knows it’ll hurt Kat…and affect our entire group.”

  His brown eyes were locked on to mine, and he was an incredible listener. He could sit there and just listen…and that was enough for him. His presence was louder than any words he could say. “Do you think Denise feels anything for him?”

  “No idea. I’ve never asked. I don’t want to tip her off, so she notices the way Charlie feels.”

  “You don’t think she notices now?”

  “My sister is smart but kinda oblivious.”

  “That’s rough.” His arm moved around my waist, and he pulled me close, making every woman in that bar jealous because he was with me and none of them. “Since your friends have run off, you wanna get out of here?”

  “Please.”

  He kissed me as he grabbed my ass before he pulled away.

  I smiled, loving the feeling of a man gripping me like that, making me feel like a woman with just a simple touch.

  “You like that?”

  “Definitely.”

  He grinned then held me to his side as he walked me out of the bar. “Need to say goodbye?”

  “No. They’ll figure out where we went.”

  We made it to the sidewalk and walked side by side, moving past the other people as they headed to a club or dinner. New York was a notorious place for crime, but I never felt unsafe, even when I walked home alone in the dark. There was far more charm to this city than people gave it credit for. New Yorkers were standoffish, but they rushed to your aid the second you needed it. For a place filled with nearly two million people, there was a strong sense of community.

  “So, where’s your place?”

  He turned and looked down at me, that sexy grin coming into his features. “Two questions in one night.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Come on, let it go.”

  “You do the same thing with your other guys? Never ask them anything?”

  “Pretty much.”

  “And they’re fine with it?” he asked in surprise.

  “Most. When they start to want more, I kick them to the curb.”

  “So how do you know those guys aren’t serial killers or doll collectors if you don’t get to know them?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t. That’s what makes it exciting.”

  He chuckled. “So, the possibility of me having a doll collection is exciting.”

  “Oh, you definitely don’t have one. I think I’ve got you figured out anyway. You don’t always need to question someone to figure out what kind of person they are.”

  “Alright. What kind of person am I?”

  “Hmm…” My arm moved around his waist as I walked with him. “You’re the strong and silent type…so maybe former military?”

  He shook his head. “Never enlisted.”

  “Alright. Then you’re probably some kind of business owner.”

  “Why would you think that?”

  “You don’t have the coworker vibe. You seem like someone who prefers to be alone.”

  His eyes
were on me, like he was replaying my words in his head.

  “Am I right?”

  “No.” He faced forward and kept walking, navigating the path so I could stare at his profile.

  “Then what do you do for a living?”

  “Finance.” Now his responses were getting short, like he didn’t want to talk about his livelihood.

  “Yeah, I can see that.” I didn’t press the topic since I didn’t really care what he did for a living anyway. “But you seem like someone who would have a brother.”

  “Just a sister.”

  “Are you close?”

  “Kinda.”

  “How can you kinda be close?” I asked with a laugh.

  “We talk often.”

  “Does she live in the city?”

  “Yes.”

  “Does the rest of your family?”

  “Yes. Born and raised.”

  To be able to afford to live in Manhattan that long meant his family probably had some kind of wealth. But he didn’t seem super rich. I was around rich bachelors all the time, and they wore watches worth one hundred thousand dollars. Their suits were worth more than a car. All he ever wore was jeans and a t-shirt, so he seemed like a laid-back kind of guy.

  “You?”

  “I’m originally from LA, but I moved here after college.”

  “So, your parents are back in California?”

  “No. They’ve passed on.”

  “Oh…” His gait slowed down a bit, like those words actually wounded him. “I’m sorry about that.”

  “Yeah…thanks.”

  “My parents are gone too.”

  I turned back to him, surprised that he’d been through the exact same thing. “I’m sorry too.”

  He faced forward again and continued to walk. “Looks like we have a lot in common.”

  “Yeah, I guess so.”

  Every position with this man was good, even plain missionary. His arms were locked behind my knees, and he drilled into me, making my headboard tap against the wall hard and fast, like the sound of a woodpecker pecking into a tree.

  I came all over his dick…over and over.

  I loved his powerful body on top of mine, when his sweat rubbed against my tits, when his face tinted red because of the blood, adrenaline, and arousal. He knew how to fuck, how to kiss, how to do it all.

  When we were finished, he lay on the bed beside me, naked on top of the sheets, his dick still nice even when it was smaller.

  I didn’t cuddle, so I stayed on my side of the bed, turned his way with my arm under the pillow.

  He looked out the window as he lay there, his breathing slowly returning to normal. The sweat evaporated from his skin as his body temperature went down.

  I was getting sleepy, but I stayed awake so I could let him out once he recovered. The sex and the booze created a cocktail so potent that it made me sleep hard for well over nine hours.

  “How long have you and Charlie been living together?”

  “About a year now.” I yawned and closed my eyes.

  “How did you meet?”

  “At work.”

  He turned to me. “He works at the paper too?”

  “You didn’t know that?”

  He shook his head. “You worked really hard to make sure I didn’t know anything, sweetheart.” He smiled slightly, like he was teasing me.

  “Yeah. We work together and we live together, so that’s how you know we really like each other, to handle each other like that.”

  “True.”

  “We both started as interns and moved up. His previous roommate ditched him, so he asked if I wanted to move in last year. The rest is history. We work on each other’s stuff, help each other, so we’re each a great resource to the other.”

  “I’ve never known a writer, and now I know two.”

  “Yeah.” I yawned again. “You know, I’m getting pretty tired…”

  “At least you’re being nice about it this time.” He chuckled then got out of bed.

  “I just don’t do sleepovers.”

  “Neither do I.” He pulled on his clothes and got dressed.

  I rolled out of bed and pulled on sweats and a t-shirt.

  “You’re going to walk me out?” he asked in surprise. “Wow…the five-star treatment.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Shut up.”

  He walked down the hallway, and I followed him. When we got to the door, Charlie walked inside, his eyes heavy from the booze.

  “Taking off, man?” Charlie shook Dax’s hand. “See you next time.” He grabbed a water from the fridge before he went straight to bed.

  Dax turned to me to say goodbye. “I’ll see you around.” He cupped my face and leaned down to kiss me, having to make up for the differences in our height since my heels were off.

  “Alright.” My hands felt his hard body one more time before I released him. “By the way, Charlie likes you.”

  “Yeah?” He opened the door and gave me a slight smile.

  “Yeah.”

  “He’s a pretty cool guy too.” He gave my ass a final squeeze before he left.

  Some people thought the Italian mob was a myth. They had disappeared by the late sixties, early seventies. Organized crime was just crime, regardless of the source or affiliation.

  Well, it wasn’t a myth.

  That shit was real.

  I walked into the restaurant, which was empty with the exception of the four men sitting at the table, drinking cappuccinos and speaking in Italian. Cigars were lit, their bellies were fat, and they took up the entire restaurant like they owned the place.

  They probably did.

  Joe stopped talking and shifted his gaze to me, looking at me from under his bushy eyebrows. “Look who it is, boys.” He gave me a pleasant smile even though we weren’t friends. We weren’t enemies either.

  That was why I was still alive. “How was your lunch?”

  “Lunch?” Joe asked. “We can’t eat lunch at our age, not if we don’t want our wives to kill us.” He laughed loudly.

  The others did too—even though it wasn’t funny.

  “You look lovely, sweetheart.” Without turning around, he gave a command to one of his minions behind him. “Get the lady a chair and a coffee.”

  A waiter placed the chair beside him. “Here you go.”

  I took a seat and crossed my legs, in a black dress with my hair curled. “How are you, gentlemen?”

  “You know, it’s business as usual.” He held up a cigar. “Would you like one?”

  “Sure. Why not?” I placed it in my mouth and turned to him.

  He lit it with his lighter.

  I sucked in the air to get it lit, and then the smoke wafted to the ceiling.

  The waiter brought my coffee.

  “You’re too beautiful to be one of the boys, but you’re one of the boys.” He smiled at me, loving the way I accepted his cigars, the way I joined them and held my own. “So, what can we do for you?”

  “Would love some information.” I took a puff then let the smoke escape my slightly parted lips. The mob was a mythical legend that still operated, but the police had bigger problems on their hands. Crime had risen over the decades, and now there were bigger fish to catch. These guys were the best sources of information, so it was best to leave them alone. I never wrote articles about them or cited them as a source. “My editor is riding my ass about getting this article live, but I’m missing some pieces of the story. There’s a ring of corporate fraud that includes the big players, the Maloney Brothers, Derek Huntington, the Oasis Group…the list goes on.”

  Joe glanced at one of his guys, had a silent conversation, and then returned to me. “Huntington, huh?”

  “Perfect opportunity to throw an opponent under the bus.” I took a sip of the coffee and returned to my cigar.

  He shook his head. “I know a bit about Derek…and I’m not a fan.”

  “What did he do to you?”

  He shook his head and never answered. “Yo
u’re going to want to write this down, sweetheart.”

  I grinned and pulled out my phone, ready to text the story into my notes. “Ready whenever you are, Joe.”

  Ten

  Charlie

  After work, I went to a bar to meet a source. We sat in a booth together and talked back and forth, but the meeting wasn’t as productive as I wanted it to be. Most of the time, I was going from person to person, chasing down the next lead, and after weeks of harassment, I finally found the source that could give me what I wanted.

  This guy wasn’t the one I wanted.

  After I left the cash on the table, I headed out.

  Dax rose from a booth, shook hands with some guy in a suit, and then the guy walked out. Dax was in jeans and a t-shirt like always, so he didn’t look dressed to do business, but that seemed to be what he was doing.

  He was right in my path, so I walked up. “Hey, man.”

  Dax clearly hadn’t expected me to be there because a slight look of surprise came over his face. But then he replaced it with a friendly smile and extended his hand. “Charlie. How are you?”

  “Just trying to shake down a source.” I shook his hand.

  “You sound like Carson.”

  “That bitch tries to shake everyone down.”

  He chuckled. “Yeah, she does. Even me.”

  “So, what are you doing?”

  “Just business.” He slid his hands into his pockets and didn’t elaborate.

  I didn’t know what he did for a living, and I didn’t think Carson knew either. He was shrouded in a bit of mystery, but I wouldn’t interrogate him. It was none of my business anyway. “Thanks for putting up with her. I know she’s a lot sometimes.”

  He regarded me for a while, looking into my face with a confident gaze, having a distinguished presence I’d encountered before. Some of my sources were powerful men, and they could say more when they said less. That was what Dax reminded me of. “I think I set her straight.”

  “She responds to bluntness.”

  “Because she’s blunt.” He smiled slightly, like he was playfully teasing her.