Page 16 of Mr. Edwards
“Come on, it’ll be fun,” I encourage, nudging her foot with my own under the table.
“Sure, okay. Sounds good.”
Her response is half-hearted, but I’ll make it my mission to see she lets loose tonight and forgets. That’s the problem with pain, if you let it fester enough it will slay you. Like a wild beast clawing at your insides. I refuse to let that happen to either one of us.
Chapter 2
Grayson
Sliding my seat belt over my shoulder and clicking it into place, I reach for the ignition switch, bringing the motor to life. The roar of the engine has my lips lifting into a smile. I love this damn car, my silver, Saleen S7 sports car, is hands down my favorite.She’s my baby.Her sleek curves and hard lines are any man’s wet dream. I have a fleet of fast cars, well technically only four. My mother thinks owning more than one vehicle is a tad on the excessive side, but I can afford them, so why the hell not I say. You only live once.
I sit for a brief moment, reveling in the vibration pulsing from underneath the hood. I listen to her purr, before shoving the gears into drive and speeding up the incline of my driveway.
I’m on my way to Vanessa’s. She texted me earlier to see if I wanted to meet up. I had nothing better to do, so I agreed. She’s one of my semi-regular hookups; I have a couple. Sure, I’ve been around the block a few times in my life, but it’s not like I have an endless list of fuckbuddies, I’m pretty selective. The girls I do see on the regular know the deal going in. I’m not the type to feed a womanfalse hope. I give back just as much, if not more than I take.
The clingy and crazy ones, however, are usually a one-and-done for me. I don’t care how attractive they are. I saw firsthand what Ashton, my best friend, went through with Anastasia, his psycho ex. It opened my eyes, making me wary if nothing else. I never want to find myself in a predicament like he did. The poor bastard is still dealing with the turmoil that relationship brought on.
I’m not opposed to girlfriends per se, I just haven’t met anyone I’d like to get serious with of late. The women I date are what I refer to as surface beauty, great to look at, but superficial and shallow on the inside. Mostly they’re interested in my body, my looks, or the number of orgasms I can give them in one night. Others see me as a meal ticket, a quick path to an easy life. I have dreams for my future, and moving from one bed to the next isn’t it.
I have a lot more than money and a good time to offer.
I’m looking for a woman with substance. That all-consuming love… that once-in-a-lifetime special someone.
A woman I enjoy being around, in and outside of the bedroom.
A mother to my future children.
A person I’d happily grow old with.
It’s not much to ask, but I’ve yet to find anyone who ticks all those boxes.
There’s no doubt in my mind I’ll settle down one day, but I’m in no rush. I’m thirty, but unlike women, I don’t have to worry about my ticking biological clock. My uncle was pushing fifty when he had his first child with my aunt… she’s twenty years his junior.
I want the kind of love my parents once shared. Growing up and seeing them so madly in love is the reason I’m searching for the real deal. I may have only been a boy when we lost my dad, but I vividly remember the intense passion they shared for each other. You could literally feel their connection whenever they were in the room together. That’s why my mother was so shattered when he passed, it almost broke her. Half of her soul died right alongside him.
My father once told me he knew the moment they met that she was the one. That’s what I’m searching for. An awakening… a deep-seated knowing in my gut. I’ve been with a lot of beautiful women in my life, especially when I was modeling during college. Yet, nobody has ever made me feel that way, and I flat-out refuse to settle for less.
I’m confident when I meet that special someone I’ll know. In the meantime I intend to enjoy the ride, and all the bountiful beauties on offer. I’m a man after all, so I’ll keep sampling the wrong ones until the right one comes along. As my granny Edwards always says,“We are here for a good time, not a long time.”
Thirty minutes later I pull up outside Vanessa’s condo. It’s been weeks since I’ve seen her. As I go to exit my vehicle, a text message comes through on my phone.
Ashton: SOS. I’m at my mother’s. Get me the fuck out of here!
I throw back my head and laugh. He’s such a pussy. Surely, he could tough it out through an entire dinner. His family only meets up once a month for Christ’s sake.
Granted his mom is constantly trying to marry him off, which annoys him to no end, but Valentina’s heart is in the right place. She’s been good to me and my family over the years. Especially after my father died and we lost everything. In my heart, I know she was the anonymous donor who funded the rest of my private schooling rightthrough to graduation. I’m not sure if she did it for me or Ashton, but I’m still eternally grateful. I wouldn’t have gotten the education I did without her help; my mom could no longer afford to pay the hefty fees.
My mother not only lost her soul mate when my father passed, but she went from being a socialite to bussing tables during the day and cleaning offices at night just to keep a roof over our heads. It killed me to see her like that. My sister, Kaitlin, was only a baby at the time, so Granny Edwards had to move in to help out.
I wait a few minutes before dialing Ashton’s number, letting him sweat it out a tad longer.
“Hey,” he says, answering after the first ring. “What’s up?”
“You’re a fucking child you know that?” I reply, chuckling.
“Shit. Okay, that’s no good. Oh, an emergency you say?” I shake my head as he puts on a show for his parents’ benefit. “I understand, hold tight I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“Whatever, dickhead, man the hell up.”
