Mister Maybe: A Steamy Novella (The Mister Series Book 1) Read online

  Mister Maybe

  A Steamy Novella

  Emma Powell

  Contents

  Mister Maybe

  1. Laney

  2. Rich

  3. Laney

  4. Rich

  5. Laney

  6. Rich

  7. Laney

  8. Rich

  9. Laney

  10. Rich

  11. Laney

  12. Rich

  13. Laney

  14. Rich

  15. Laney

  16. Rich

  17. Laney

  18. Rich

  19. Laney

  20. Rich

  21. Laney

  About the Author

  Emma’s Reader Club

  Also by Emma Powell

  ‘Wine adds a smile to friendship and a spark to love.’

  Edmondo de Amicis

  Laney

  ‘Love at first sight…’ the radio DJ gushed into her microphone. ‘What a beautiful story.’

  Laney punched the off button on her car radio. Melbourne radio stations needed to up their late night repertoire. It was doof doof music or soppy love songs with equally soppy talk back. The kind of talk back where head over heels sweethearts dedicated saccharine 80s ballads to the loves of their lives.

  ‘I give ’em a year,’ she declared out of her open window to no-one in particular.

  As she pulled into a 7-11 to fill up her tank a grunt of teenagers stumbled past her and she had to swerve to avoid hitting the last two stragglers.

  One of them whacked the side of her car with his hand. ‘Watch it, lady! Typical woman driver!’ The rest of them roared with laughter because, hell, it was so funny. What a comedian.

  Laney took a deep breath to calm herself otherwise she would have gotten out of the car and told them to go to their rooms and just how disappointed their mothers would be with their behaviour.

  They would grow into men who claimed to believe in equality and that they loved and respected women, but Laney knew better. When someone showed her who they were she believed them, and in that moment those young men had given her an honest show and tell.

  Her ex had told her he loved and respected her. That was a big fat lie. He was also the reason she had to be an Uber driver. He had drained their bank account and done a runner. STD her mum had called it – Sexually Transmitted Debt.

  Her phone dinged with a new alert from Uber. One of her passengers had left a review.

  Best Uber driver ever.

  She was sitting on a 4.97 star rating out of 5, which was an excellent rating and there was no shortage of great feedback.

  Thanks for the ride Laney–nice chatting.

  Great chat, clean car, good driver.

  And the one that she’d learnt by heart and made her head swell just a little.

  Honestly the best Uber driver I’ve ever had. Super down to earth and genuinely a good human being.

  That one made the fact that she was an Uber driver easier to bear.

  It still amazed her how chatty people were. She’d thought clients would jump in the back and all she’d have to do was drive from point A to point B, that’s it. But most people got in the front and gabbed away. They would always asked the same questions.

  How long have you been driving? (Too long)

  Is it good money? (Nope)

  When did you start? (When the bank rang and told me I had no money left. Zero. Zilch. Nada. Zip…Oh, you mean today?)

  If Laney’s mother knew how she was feeling she’d give her her usual positivity rally cry.

  ‘Laney, darling. It’s just money. Every cloud has a silver lining, you just don’t know what it is yet.’

  To which Laney would always reply, under her breath. ‘Nah, Mum. Every silver lining has a cloud.’

  Sometimes though, people would sit in the front and remain silent, which Laney didn’t understand. Why get in the front and not talk? Just get in the back. It always became awkward, kind of like a blind date that wasn’t working.

  She’d had a few of them over the years since her divorce. Blind dates, that is. Her BFFs, Nerida and Ryan, who had lamented her single status and tried without luck to hook her up with a few fellas. For example; Nerida’s butcher. Ryan’s brother’s girlfriend’s sister’s friend, from high school. Those kinds of fellas. Thankfully, after many failed attempts, they’d stopped trying. Although now she was Ubering, Ryan would occasionally send her crossed finger, eggplant and heart emojis hoping that, miracle of miracles, the love of her life would jump into her front seat.

  She was done for the night. It had been long shift. But she would still have to delay the gas bill. Ubering wasn’t hugely lucrative. Her Mum wanted to pay all the bills but Laney had given her a forceful no.

  ‘You’ve got cancer, you’ve paid enough. I’m looking after you now.’

  No silver lining on that prognosis. Laney often wondered why? Why did her mum have to be the one to get the worst kind of cancer? Then she’d feel bad because her mum never asked why. She asked why not? Ugh so typical of an optimist. If only optimism and chemo could beat cancer everything would be so different. Laney had gradually weeded out the people in their lives who believed that positive thinking was the key to her mum’s recovery. She handed their vision boards and crystals back to them and showed them the proverbial door. The reality was her mum was dying. And Laney couldn’t bear it. Wouldn’t bear it. Didn’t know how to bear it. The only thing she could do was look after her, and normally that would be nursing someone back to health, not nursing someone to death. She pulled out of the 7-11 and pondered how the roles of parent/child had been well and truly reversed.

  As she headed towards home, her driver app blinked. She’d forgotten to go offline so another ride request was coming through and she had thirty seconds to decide whether to accept or not.

  She’d rather not pick up a dude at that time of night, but she wouldn’t know the gender until she’d accepted the ride. It did, however, tell her that the rider had five stars –that’s a good sign. Although exhausted and hungry, Laney figured she could do just one more – it could go towards to the gas bill. The seconds were ticking down and at the last minute she pressed ok.

  The app said…Picking Rich up 5 mins

  Laney sighed, a dude. Making a hasty U-turn her tummy grumbled its annoyance at being neglected. She would forget to eat and drink when she was driving. Normally she’d put a banana in the glove box but she’d neglected to this morning because her mum had taken a turn and she’d had to wait for the district nurse to arrive. That reminded her; she had to call her brother, who’d taken over from the nurse, that she’d be another hour before she was home. He wouldn’t care. He’d on the couch already, passed out, with the help of half a dozen stubbies of Australia’s favourite ale. Laney didn’t know how he did it. She couldn’t sleep without all of her creature comforts in place.

  • Complete darkness

  • A fan

  • Her iPad next to her emitting white noise from its little speaker.

  The white noise she used was for babies. Not far off the truth because when it came to sleeping, she was exactly like a baby. Terrible. The saying, Slept like a baby was rubbish. Well, that’s what all her mum friends told her. Laney didn’t have kids. And based on her current aversion to the opposite sex, she didn’t think it was likely. Not that she didn’t want them. When she was a kid, her plan was to get married to a farmer and have four children, at least. But her life couldn’t be further from what that little girl had imagined. But whose life ends up where they thought it would? So, no kids. No hubby. Not that a woman needed
a husband to have a kid. A sperm donor would do.

  Her driver app blinked with a message from Rich.

  Hey Laney I’ll be waiting outside. Cheers R.

  Laney tapped the automatic OK button as a reply. So far, she gave him a few stars for being polite, and it helped ease her mind about picking up a bloke in the middle of the night.

  Laney turned the corner into Rich’s street. Typical of the suburbs it was dark and almost impossible to read the house numbers. But she could definitely see the silhouettes of the massive McMansions that lined the street – a street she was never likely to live on because the residents had money. Not that it mattered because according to her mindfulness app, success was measured by inner abundance and not the material things in one’s life. She wondered whether it was time to get a new app.

  She pulled up to the house, and Rich was nowhere in sight – so much for the polite message. She took the opportunity to call her brother.

  Laney was surprised when he picked up. ‘Hey sis, what’s up?’ His voice groggy from being half asleep or half drunk. Probably both. Laney had a sudden pang of guilt leaving her mum with him. What if something happened and he was out like a light? This was definitely her last ride.

  ‘Is Mum ok?’ She demanded. ‘When was the last time you checked? You know she can’t lie on one side for too long. Is the pump working? You know it gets kinked. How much have you had to drink?’ She heard a weary sigh on the other side of the line.

  ‘Chill Sis she’s fine. I went in half an hour ago. Pump is pumping and believe it or not I’m stone cold sober.’

  She wanted to believe him. She’d been told by the Palliative Care Team that she had to trust other people with her Mum’s care otherwise she was no good to anyone. Closing her eyes she took a deep breath to calm her guilt and fear. ‘Okay. Thanks. I’ll be home in about an hour. Sorry just had to take this last trip. You know, gas bills and all.’

  ‘It’s all good Loll,’ her brother replied, using his childhood nickname for her. ‘I can stay the night, you do what you need to. I got this.’ He clicked off the call.

  The unexpected use of the nickname he hadn’t used for decades, brought tears to her eyes and a sob caught in her throat.

  Suddenly a knock on the passenger window made her jump in fright. She looked across to see a man’s face smiling through the glass. He opened the door.

  ‘Laney?’

  She swiped her tears away, hoping he wouldn’t notice. ‘Rich?’

  ‘You can call me whatever you want.’

  Happy for the distraction, Laney smiled at his corny joke. ‘Okay dokay.’

  He let out a short laugh. ‘Yes Rich. I’m Rich. Sorry, I had to run back in and get this.’

  He held up a bottle of wine. She’d know that label anywhere. It was one of her favourite drops and an expensive chardonnay, so she didn’t have it that often. He had nice taste and obviously didn’t need to buy wine in a box.

  ‘Great. Hop in.’ Laney wasn’t mucking around. From A to B. She needed to get home and eat, then sleep, until the beeping of her Mum’s kinked morphine pump woke her.

  ‘Front? Or back?’ He dipped his head and raised his eyes to her as a dog would in an act of submission. She thought it was kind of cute. In the darkness she couldn’t make out the colour of his eyes, and resisted the impulse to lean forward to get a better look.

  ‘It’s up to you. I’m fine either way.’ She kind of hoped he sat in the front.

  He swung his body in and flopped into the passenger seat. ‘Onwards McDuff!’

  His scent, a mix of freshly showered with a hint of a savoury, almost edible aftershave, drifted across the console to the driver’s seat. It was a heady mix. She blinked to re-centre herself.

  ‘Where to?’ she asked, sliding the Start Trip bar on the driver app

  ‘The Noviello.’

  ‘Hotel Noviello it is.’ Laney nodded and pulled away from the kerb, forcing herself to concentrate on the end of her shift and getting some food inside her instead of the sexy scents coming from her passenger.

  Rich

  Rich settled into the passenger seat and turned the air con vent directly onto his face. Despite having lived in Melbourne his entire life he still couldn’t get used to the summers.

  He’d been quite content sitting in front of his air conditioner, winding down to some mind numbing late night TV, sipping on a cold glass of Riesling, when he’d got the message from Charlotte. She was in town for the night, staying at The Noviello and wanted to see him. Needed to see him, she’d said. Always nice to be needed, but it niggled that he probably should have been more excited to see her, but lately it had started to feel more like a duty, to her. He liked Charlotte, he really did, but maybe not enough. It was hard trying to sustain a long distance relationship. If he was being honest, he wasn’t even sure it could be called a relationship and this last minute request for a booty call kind of confirmed it.

  But hey, the sex was good. She certainly liked being in control and invariably ended up on top. So who was he to complain? And it had been a few months since he’d seen her so he was ready for some fun. Even with the air con blowing onto him he started to heat up as he imagined her moving on top of him, her sublime naked body wet with sweat and her nipples hard with desire. He smiled and was suddenly glad of the cool wine bottle propped in between his legs.

  ‘Should only take twenty minutes.’ Laney said.

  He turned his head to her, glad of the cover of darkness so she couldn’t see the heat that had risen to his face. ‘Sorry, I’m being rude. It must be really annoying when people sit in the front and don’t say anything.’

  Laney shook her head, which made her red framed glasses slip down her nose slightly. ‘No it’s fine. I don’t mind,’ she replied politely, pushing the glasses back up.

  ‘Have you just started your shift or at the end?’ Rich said, becoming keenly aware of just how cute her nose was. And although it was dark he could make out the sun kissed freckles sprinkled across it.

  A small sigh escaped her lips. ‘You’re my last ride. I’ve driven to Albury and back today.’

  ‘Who gets an Uber to Albury? ’

  Laney let out a short laugh. ‘Oh no. I mean I’ve done enough driving to get to Albury and back.’

  Rich laughed along with her. ‘Gotcha.That’s a lot of driving. How long have you been Ubering?’

  ‘Ever since my ex husband took all my money and did a runner,’ she replied with an over dramatic groan, as she leaned forward and flicked the radio on.

  As if to rub her nose in it, a sappy 80’s love ballad filled the car.

  ‘Well that’s a dud move. What a tosser.’

  Laney threw him an incriminating look. ‘Gives you guys a bad name that’s for sure.’

  Rich threw up his hands in mock surrender. ‘I’m one of the good ones your honour, I promise.’

  ‘I bet you say that to all the girls,’ Laney quipped, her voice giving a little quiver as it suppressed a laugh.

  Rich smiled and wondered what her laugh would be like. He suspected it would be one of those full-throated, contagious laughs. For starters he was enjoying listening to her voice. It had a low hum, a huskiness and a rhythm. Musical. Not like a light Mozart but more of a deep intense Beethoven. It would go well with a full-bodied Shiraz.

  He’d literally only just met her but he liked the idea of sitting and talking with Laney over a glass of fine red.

  His phone dinged. It was Charlotte.

  How far away are you?

  About 15 x

  Ok. Can’t wait to feel you in me.

  Can’t wait to be in you.

  Rich felt two pangs of guilt. One, for sexting Charlotte while sitting next to Laney. The other, for feeling guilty, while sexting, while sitting next to Laney.

  He shoved the phone into his pocket and told himself not to be so stupid as the radio host introduced the latest love song request.

  ‘This goes out to all you lovers out there who are yet
to meet your soul mate.’ A synthesised intro played under her dulcet voice. ‘You will meet them when you least expect it. On a train, in an airport, waiting in line for a coffee. Keep the faith. It can happen to you.’

  Rich rolled his eyes and reached out to change the station. ‘Do you mind?’

  ‘Be my guest,’ Laney waved her hand dismissively. ‘Anything but that.’

  ‘I assume you don’t believe in soul mates either then?’ Rich found a station dedicated to Rock that felt a hell of a lot safer.

  Laney shrugged. ‘Well I thought my ex and I were soul mates but he turned out to be more of an arse-hole mate. So no.’

  Rich threw his head back and laughed. Laney joined in. He was right, her laugh was sublime. He could do this all night.

  ‘So, interesting fact, you’re my first female driver.’

  ‘Didn’t your Mum ever drive you to school?’ She offered him a cheeky smile.

  He offered one right back. ‘No actually, she never got her licence. Walked us to school everyday until high school. Rain, hail or shine.’ He smiled and shook his head at the memory. ‘How good are mums.’

  ‘The best.’ Laney replied.

  Her voice caught in her throat. He glanced over and saw a tear escape and she wiped it away quickly.

  ‘You ok?’ he asked.

  Laney sniffed. ‘Bloody allergies.’ She turned a corner and they came to an abrupt stop behind a line of cars sitting bumper to bumper. No one was going anywhere. Laney wound the window down and stuck her head out to see what was happening.

  ‘Booze Bus. Might be longer than the twenty minutes. Sorry.’