Finding Mr Right Now: The Right Now Series Read online

  “Yeah, let’s call it a night.” I took her by the hand and led her back to the dining room. “We’re gonna head out.” I shook Geoff’s hand, clapped Eli on the back and hugged Harper. I turned to Gemma and pulled her in again.

  “You’ll see. I’m gonna make a believer of you yet,” she whispered into my ear. She winked as she pulled back. “Be safe.”

  “Will do,” I shook my head and smiled at her. “Catch ya later.” We left and rather than head back to my penthouse, I took Mila home. I felt like being alone tonight.

  3

  Gemma

  Once Baz and Mila left, Harper and Eli quickly followed suit. “Think about what we talked about earlier,” she whispered as we hugged goodbye.

  “I will,” I assured her. I gently closed the door behind them. Now, I was left alone with Geoff.

  “Alone at last,” he whispered, as he wrapped his arms around me from behind and I felt his lips kiss the side of my neck. I leaned back into him and let him kiss me some more, waiting to feel some sort of reaction. And yet, I felt nothing. No heart rate increase, no throbbing in my nether regions, nothing. I wanted to feel something, anything. Something to make me feel like I was normal. I turned and faced Geoff. I kissed his full lips, but again nothing. I pulled back and looked into his eyes.

  “I had a good time tonight, but I’m really exhausted. You understand, don’t you?” I asked trying to let him down gently.

  “Sure, I do.” He forced a smile to his lips that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

  “I’m sorry, it’s just been a really long day. And you’re a really great guy, I think I just need some more time.” The old ‘it’s not you it’s me’ line, but in this situation, it was the truth. It was me.

  His eyes filled with disappointment and he kissed me on the cheek, “No problem. Night, Gemma.” I wanted to feel bad, but instead all I felt was relieved.

  After he left, I locked the door and leaned back against it for a second, savoring the fact that I was alone. I looked around my cozy home. It wasn’t huge, but I was proud that I had been able to buy a home in this area of town. It was a small ranch, with three bedrooms. It had been a bit of a fixer-upper, but I managed to get it all done the way I wanted, one step at a time.

  Shoving myself off, I wandered into my master bedroom and got changed for bed. Rationally, I knew chemistry couldn’t be forced, but the fact that I hadn’t felt it with anyone in the past eight years, told me it was me and not them. Counseling had helped me in some ways. It helped me realize what happened wasn’t my fault, but maybe I needed to go back for more. I walked back to the dining room to finish cleaning up. I packed Apples to Apples back up and shoved it into my game closet.

  I felt the heaviness of my senior year press down on my shoulders. I dragged myself to the bathroom to brush my teeth and then climbed into bed. I grabbed the novel off my bedside table. I was reading “Crash Into Me, The Wicked Wingmen Series,” a hot romance about second chance love, with bad boy, sexy pilots and tons of chemistry. I could feel the emotions jumping off the pages of the book. This was what I wanted to feel in real life. Maybe I was aiming too high. Maybe it was just the stuff of fairytales?

  I reached into my nightstand and pulled out my rabbit. He’d been my special friend for years. He made me feel all kinds of things. Just because I hadn’t physically had sex with another person didn’t mean I wasn’t able to take care of my own needs. I let my mind drift to the characters in the book and it wasn’t long before my orgasm washed over me. After my system calmed, I set the toy off to the side and, as I drifted off to sleep, I vowed to call my psychologist in the morning.

  * * *

  I woke to my phone playing the harp tone I had chosen for my alarm sound. It was so much nicer to wake up to that than an obnoxious beeping. I was thankful I had cut myself off early last night, a headache would have sucked since I had to go shoot engagement photos. I climbed out of bed, ate some breakfast and got ready for the day. I had chosen this profession to remind myself that lots of people do find “the one” that they can have a connection with. I called Dr. Williams and left a voicemail to set up a session. Hopefully, she would help me feel more grounded. I grabbed my gear from the closet, loaded up my SUV, and headed to the shoot.

  I saw Katy and Aaron as I pulled up. They looked so in love. This is what love looked like. It is real, I reminded myself. I met them at a wedding I had shot a couple months back and they reached out to me as soon as they had gotten engaged. They were just starting the fun journey of wedding planning.

  “Hi, guys!” I waved as I started to unload. Aaron came over to offer some help. We’d chosen a park for the pictures and, in typical Phoenix fashion, it was a beautiful sunny day. He grabbed my bag and tripod from my hands, such a gentleman. “Where would you like me to set it for you?”

  “Um…” I looked around and pointed to the vacant picnic table a little ways off. “How bout over there?”

  I grabbed my other bag and strapped my camera around my neck. It was a bonus that after this shoot was done I’d be able to take some shots of the park and, fingers crossed, I’d stumble across something beautiful to add to my collection.

  I snapped shot after shot, giving them direction. Tilt your face this way, put your hand there, look at the ground, look at each other. Anytime I was in a shoot, everything else faded away. I was smiling at the happy couple in front of me and time flew by. Once I felt I had all the photos I’d need, I wrapped up the shoot. I’d go home, upload them into my photo editing software, use different filters and make them the most beautiful they could possibly become.

  “I’ll call you guys as soon as I’ve got the proofs ready for you to choose from.” I smiled as I began to pack up.

  “Thanks, Gemma. You’re the best. We’re so excited to see how they turned out.” Katy smiled happily, as they turned to walk to their car.

  “Anytime.” I smiled, waving as they drove away.

  I continued to pack up most of my stuff, but kept my tripod, camera and a few lenses just in case. I locked my SUV and headed towards the area that had the most trees. I wasn’t looking to catch anything specific, just something beautiful. I started with my 70-300mm lens. I let the hours pass and got lost in the beauty of nature. I ended up with a Macro of a gorgeous butterfly, two hummingbirds chasing each other and a set of quail leading their covey across the field.

  It was way past lunch time, and getting close to dinner, when I finally emerged and started towards home. I had a voicemail from Dr. Williams asking if I could come in on Tuesday. I promptly returned the call and said yes, Tuesday at 1:30p.m. would be perfect. I had a text from Geoff asking if I wanted to do something tonight, which I left unanswered. I wasn’t intentionally blowing him off, but I didn’t know what to do with him at this point either.

  I also had a text from Baz telling me he was thinking of me and hoped I was ok since I had seemed off last night. Maybe I could open up more to Baz, get his opinion. That was one of the great things about having a male best friend, I could ask him practically anything and not feel like a complete fool. Rather than texting, I called him.

  Just my luck, I got his voicemail. “Hey, Baz. It’s me. Just give me a call when you’ve got some free time. I could definitely use some of your male perspective.”

  Then, to be fair, I sent off a text to Geoff and told him I already had plans for the night, but that we’d talk soon.

  4

  Baz

  I saw Gemma’s call come in, but was in the middle of another call and couldn’t get to her. I was glad to see a voicemail notification pop up seconds later. She seemed… just not herself last night. After I dropped off Mila, I couldn’t stop thinking about Gemma. She wasn’t like any other woman I had ever known. She was special, fragile almost, and yet, she was strong at the same time. After what she’d survived, I’d even go so far as to say I thought she was one of the strongest women I might ever know. And she never let it break her. She was always one of the most upbeat, happy, optimisti
c, brighten your day with a smile, kind of people you’d ever meet, in spite of it all. She deserved to be happy.

  I had sent her a quick text earlier to let her know I was thinking of her. We’d always had a close friendship, I’d even go as far as to say she was my best friend. Romantic relationships never seemed to work out for either of us, so we tended to be there to console and offer a sounding board for each other. I knew why they didn’t work for me, but for as much of a believer in love as she was, I could never put my finger on the why for her. I wasn’t going to question it too deeply right now though.

  “Bastian, did you get that?” My father’s voice boomed through the speaker phone.

  “Yes, sir. I’ll get right on it.” I didn’t have to pay attention too closely to know what he expected of me.

  “The success of your mother’s party depends on you getting it right.” His tone was filled with exasperation.

  “Step-mother, father. She’s my step-mother. I’ll again make sure the caterer knows only Cristal should fill the champagne flutes and that the crab puffs are not to be made with imitation crabmeat.”

  I’d hardly say this is what the success of the party depended on, but I had promised him I’d help with the surprise party tomorrow and he wanted everything to be perfect for my new step-mother’s thirtieth birthday party. Yes, I said thirtieth. She’s young enough to be my sister.

  That being said, who could blame him? We all knew she wasn’t with him because she loved him. She loved his wallet, and he didn’t mind spreading it open whenever she wanted him to. He spoiled her so that she’d stay and be the perfect wife. They’d been married for less than a year and together for a few months longer than that. She wasted no time locking him down, the little gold-digger. This marriage wouldn’t last either though, I was sure of that. But I’d let him enjoy it while it did. Believe it or not, I do honestly want him to be happy, hence why I agreed to help with this party. God knows he has enough money to hire someone to professionally handle it, but he said that he only trusts two people to get it done right, he and I.

  “Thank you, son. What time will you be here tomorrow?”

  “The guests will arrive around 7:00pm, so I’ll be there by 6:00pm to make sure everything’s in order.” I knew he wanted me there earlier, but I had my own shit to handle tomorrow before the party.

  “Ok, we’ll see you tomorrow. I can’t wait to see the surprise on your mother’s-”

  I cleared my throat loudly to interject, but he caught himself this time.

  “Or rather, your step-mother’s face. Thanks again for all of your help. I know you’re really busy, son, so I truly do appreciate you making the time to help out your old man.”

  “Glad to do it. See you tomorrow. Goodbye, Father.” I disconnected the call and picked up my cell to listen to Gemma’s message. Just hearing her voice brought a smile to my face. She needs my male perspective, this must have something to do with Geoff.

  I finished up the work that my father’s call had interrupted and logged off my computer. It was quittin’ time. I dialed Gemma up as I grabbed my briefcase and put my new prospective investment opportunities into it.

  “Hey, you!” She answered, the smile that was on her face evident in her voice.

  “Hey, back. I just finished up at the office and saw I missed your call. What can I give you my expert male perspective on this time?” The fact that she still needed me made me feel important in a way that was different from being needed in day to day life and business situations.

  “I don’t know, I just... um, I just feel like I need to bounce something off you,” I could hear the hesitancy in her voice as she continued, “but I might need a couple of drinks first, to help loosen my tongue.”

  “I’m free right now. Wanna meet at The Vig?” I glanced at my watch. “Happy hour is about to start.” Gemma loved happy hours, and so did I. I might have money to burn, but I was smart with it. It’s not about how much you make, it’s about what you hold on to. Someone told me that once, and they were right.

  “Sure, I just got home from a shoot and I have to finish unpacking my stuff. Give me half an hour?”

  “No problem, I’ll get us a table. See ya in a bit.” I hung up smiling, wondering again what she needed my help with. Not that it mattered. I’d help her with anything. I stepped inside the ensuite in my office and took a good look in the mirror. I’d worn casual clothes to work today, opting for jeans, a graphic T-shirt and a nice pair of brown leather shoes, perfect happy hour attire. I splashed a little water over my face, but couldn’t seem to stop the broad smile was still plastered there. My hair was a little messy from running my hands through it throughout the day, but all in all I thought it was a look I could pull off, so I left it alone.

  As I drove to The Vig, I zoned out listening to music. I remembered to call the caterer to confirm everything for tomorrow and remind him once again about the Cristal and crab puffs. This was the third time I had reminded him. I was sure there was no way it would have been screwed up, especially with what we were paying him to make sure everything was perfect, but I had promised I would call so I was keeping my word. I parked and entered the bar, it was already starting to get crowded, but I lucked out and was able to get us a table without having to wait. The waitress came and took the order for our drinks and I took the liberty of ordering flatbread for us as well.

  I was going through the emails on my phone, but I still knew the minute she walked in because all conversation around me paused for a few seconds. I glanced up and saw her scanning the bar for me.

  She had always been a knock-out, even in high school. I don’t ever remember her having that awkward stage that most teens go through. But she was also one of those women that had no idea just how gorgeous she actually was. Her long dark hair fell in waves nearly to her butt and her dark blue eyes shined like gems, like sapphires, and were fringed with thick, long dark lashes. More than all of that, aside from her exterior, she had a beautiful soul that naturally compelled people’s interest. Today she was wearing skinny jeans, red stilettos and a fitted black T.

  She didn’t have much makeup on, but she did have her heart shaped lips painted red. To be more accurate, she looked fucking hot. I felt my cock twitch as sexy images flickered through my head; me peeling those jeans down her legs, those red lips wrapped around my cock, her eyes fluttering closed as her head tipped back in ecstasy.

  She’s just your friend. She’s not a fuck-toy for you to screw over. You’re exactly the type of man you always vowed to protect her from, I reminded myself. I adjusted myself inconspicuously under the table before standing to greet her, this was common practice for me whenever I was around her.

  “I hope you haven’t been waiting long,” she smiled as she leaned in for my hug. I only let myself get lost in the embrace and her sweet scent for a few seconds before pulling back and sliding her seat open for her.

  “Not at all. How did your shoot go? What did you have on a Friday?”

  Before she could answer the waitress showed up with our drinks, a scotch on the rocks for me and a vodka cranberry for her, along with our flatbread.

  “Thanks for ordering.” She raised up her glass in a toast. “To the best friend a girl could ever hope for, who always has the best advice to give when I need it. Cheers.” She clinked her glass to mine.

  “Cheers. Glad to help.” I took a sip of my drink, then grabbed a piece of our appetizer and listened as she told me about her day. She picked up her own piece of the bread and ate it as she talked. She shared about the engagement photos and then about her nature shoot.

  She flagged down the waitress for a second drink. “Do you want another?”

  “I’m good for now,” I lifted my still nearly full glass for her inspection.

  “Just me, I guess,” she shrugged to the waitress. “Can you make this one a double?”

  Gemma wasn’t a big drinker, but when she was nervous and needed liquid courage, she tended to go all out.

  “I�
�ve been rambling on and on.” She mumbled as she turned back to me. “Enough about me. How was your day?”

  “It was good. I’ve got a lot of great prospects for new investments. I plan on going over them tomorrow before my step-mother’s birthday party.” I told her about the party that I was helping my father plan. The waitress brought her double by as I talked.

  “How are Mr. Davenport and his newest bride doing?” She smiled knowingly. I watched her full lips as they sucked on her straw.

  “Good, I guess. I don’t go around too often. She won’t last.” I tore into the last piece of our flatbread, offering half in her direction.

  “No, thanks. How can you be so sure she won’t last?” She asked skeptically.

  “None of them have so far.” I shrugged, as I took another sip of my scotch. I savored the burn as it rolled down my throat.

  “Funny how even after eight marriages, your father still believes he’ll find the one. Besides, you might have a different view of things if your mom was still around. They might still be together.”

  “Maybe, but I doubt it. I just think he doesn’t like to be alone. He doesn’t know what to do with himself. Plus, he likes to always have a beautiful woman on his arm. He thinks it makes him look even better. I can’t say that I blame him there.”

  “Well, he is a hottie for a silver fox. Maybe, someday, one of these women will be after him for the company he can provide and not simply for his wallet.” She continued to suck her vodka cranberry through her straw until it made slurping noises from being empty.

  “Doubtful. Wait, did you just say my father was a hottie?” I looked at her quizzically. “You having geriatric fantasies, now?”

  “Not in the least,” she laughed. “But your father is a hottie. He’s where you get your good looks from. Enough about your dad and all of his failed relationships. My couple from today, what they have is the real deal. They were so in love. You could see it. It wasn’t imaginary.” She sighed happily lost in her own thoughts about the couple she photographed. I just shook my head. The waitress happened by again and Gemma ordered another double. “You ready now?” She nodded in my direction.