Chapter Thirty
Cami
Over the next few weeks, I worked hard to find another space for my new business. I”d decided that I didn”t want to deal with Bill in any capacity, not even as a landlord. The man simply liked to push my buttons. Well, not mine specifically; he liked to do that with anyone in order to get his way.
He did not take it well when I told him I wasn”t going to rent the space from him. I”d emailed him because I”d been in no mood to have a conversation on the topic. His response had been as I’d expected.
Cami, you”re making a mistake. This is the best you”ll find.
Well, he could shove his opinion right up his ass. I didn”t write that, of course, because he was still on the town council and had to sign any permits I’d need for my future business. But I”d really wanted to.
Bill was right in one respect. I didn”t find a location that was as good as his. But what I did find came pretty close to perfect.
It was two blocks off the main street, so it wasn’t exactly on the beaten path. However, the rent was much lower, so I called that a win. And the cherry on top was that my landlady was my old English teacher.
We”d signed the contract quickly, but I was still waiting for the permits in order to start the necessary remodeling. I was supposed to receive them last week, but no one answered when I called the council, so I was paying a personal visit today.
”Hello, snow,” I chanted as I got out of the car, taking a deep breath. It smelled like winter even though we”d only just had Thanksgiving.
In the past, I would have panicked at the prospect of such an early winter, but not anymore. I was looking forward to enjoying a cozy Christmas season. Since signing those papers, I’d felt completely free. It was what I”d needed for a long time, but I just hadn”t realized it. The prospect of starting over with a blank slate was exhilarating.
I walked inside Miss Walker”s coffee shop to buy my favorite winter drink—hot fudge chocolate mocha. It was her own creation. And in my humble opinion, it was the absolute best drink. I couldn”t understand how she wasn”t world-famous for it.
I stood in line, patiently waiting for my turn. Whenever there was a snowy day, you could bet there was a line here. That was good. I was very happy for her.
”Morning, Cami,” she said when I reached the counter. ”Your usual?”
”Yes, please.”
”I”m in a good mood today,” she admitted. ”Want some extra caramel sauce?”
”Whatever you want to put in it is fine by me. I trust your gut instinct.”
I”d never, not once, drunk anything she made that wasn”t absolutely delicious. This was no different. I couldn”t help myself and took a taste before I”d even paid for it.
”Yum,” I exclaimed.
This day was absolutely fantastic. I was heading to the local council next to check on the approval for my business. Some things moved faster if you showed up in person. This was one of them. Luckily, there was no line when I arrived, so hopefully I could get in and out quickly.
I headed straight to Greta, who was handling permits.
”Cami,” she greeted. She”d been in the same year in high school as me, although she”d been in a different class.
”Hi. I came to check on my permit.”
”I”m so sorry. I”ve gotten a bit behind on my work. I was down with the flu last week.”
”Oh.” I winced. That was why she hadn”t answered her phone. ”I”m sorry for pestering you.”
She shook her head. ”No, no, don”t apologize. I promised I”d get it to you last week. I”ll do my best to have it ready tomorrow, okay? Everything”s already been approved. I just need to process it.”
”All right,” I said, feeling giddy already. Realistically, I knew I could never open by Christmas, and even if I could, it would probably just be an empty space... but I wanted to get things moving before then.
”I”ll call you when it”s ready. You don”t have to waste your time coming all the way over here,” Greta said.
I couldn”t decipher if she really meant that or if she just didn”t want me breathing down her neck. Regardless, I wasn”t going to show up here again because I knew being extra pushy wasn”t helpful.
”All right. Have a great day, Greta,” I said.
As I turned around, I heard someone moving behind me.
”Cami,” Bill said, coming out of one of the offices. ”I thought that was your voice.”
”Hi, Bill.”
I averted my gaze. I hadn’t run into him since informing him that I wasn”t going to rent his place after all.
”I was hoping we could talk,” he said. ”I happen to have a free moment now before my next appointment. Would you like to come into my office?”
”Um, listen, if it”s about the space for rent—”
”It”s not. It”s about the park.”
I frowned. ”We already signed the papers.”
”I know, but I think there is something you should know.”
”I suppose I have some time,” I said, my stomach clenching.
He showed me to his office. I’d never been in here before. It was far smaller than I”d imagined and very stuffy. There were documents everywhere, his desk practically covered in paper.
My God, they really haven”t moved into the digital era here.
”Have a seat.” He pointed at the chair opposite his.
”Um, I think I”ll stand. Will this take long?”
”No, but you might want to sit anyway.”
I broke out in a sweat, then sat down. Watching him intently, I took a sip from my cup.
He trained his eyes on me and said, ”What I”m telling you has to stay between us.”
”Why?” I asked.
”It”s confidential, and strictly speaking, I shouldn”t be telling you this.”
”Then why are you?”
”Because I know how much you care about the park.”
I swallowed hard, my throat constricted. ”What about it?”
”You put your trust in the wrong people.”
”Not this shit again, Bill.” I rose to my feet. ”Listen, I know you don”t like Maddox, but I’ll stand by him.”
”You”re right, I don”t. I don”t like him or his brother. I think they believe they”re above everyone just because they”re extremely rich.”
”They are very down-to-earth, honest people. I’ve met the whole family and can vouch for them.”
”Ha! Well, I”m sorry to disappoint you, but they”re anything but. Didn”t you say Maddox Whitley promised not to cut down your precious trees?”
”Yes, and I saw the plans for it too.”
”Then you”ll be surprised to learn that they submitted other plans, no matter what they showed you.”
”That”s impossible. It was an annex to the contract I signed.”
He smirked. ”Well, they can always say you misunderstood the annex or the legal jargon.”
I shook my head. ”I don”t believe you. I”m sorry, but I don”t. I know how much you dislike them.”
”You”re calling me a liar?” he said. ”We”ve known each other our whole lives.”
I breathed through my nose slowly, trying to keep calm.
”I’m not calling you anything, but I trust Maddox,” I replied.
He reached for one of the folders, taking out some documents. He put them right in front of me, showing me the plan of the park.
It wasn’t the one Maddox and I went over. Instead, it was the one Dad showed me all those months ago—the one I’d flat-out refused. My breath got stuck in my throat.
“I knew it,” Bill said triumphantly. ”This isn”t what you agreed to, is it?”
I looked up at him. I deeply disliked Bill, and I didn’t trust him. How did he get his hands on these documents?
I grasped the cup tighter in my hands; I was shaking, and I didn”t want him to see it.
”You were right,” I told him. ”You weren”t supposed to show me this. It’s confidential, after all.”
His smile fell immediately, and his eyes went cold. ”Cami, this is a courtesy to an old friend.”
I shook my head. ”We were never friends.”
”No, you”re right,” he said. ”I”ve always wanted more. And in time, I’ll wear you down.”
I couldn’t believe he was still going on about that. I’d never had any interest in him and never would, and his persistence was getting creepy.
“Clearly, you can see you can’t trust Whitley. He”s a snake.”
“I’d appreciate it if you’d stop talking about Maddox like that.”
”You defend him even when you have proof that he lied to you.”
His words sliced through me. Maddox had been so adamant about making those changes, about preserving Mom”s legacy. He wouldn”t do it. He wouldn”t lie to me. This had to be something else. Maybe they didn’t have time to get the new plans to the council.
“My relationship with Maddox is none of your concern,” I said. ”I think it’s best I leave. Have a great day, Bill.”
I left his office before he could add anything else. I hurried past Greta, who asked me something, but I was moving so quickly that I didn’t hear what she said. I needed fresh air.
Once I was outside, I exhaled sharply and then took a deep breath through my mouth. Closing my eyes, I tilted my head back. The snowflakes fell on my skin. It calmed me down, though that plan was dancing behind my eyes, mocking me.
I opened my eyes and headed straight to my car. I was still shaking. Now I was cold, too, on top of being angry. Climbing inside, I turned on the heat and wrapped my arms around my torso. I wanted to call Maddox but decided against it. I needed to talk to him face-to-face.
He”d told me he was going to be in his office today, so that was where I was heading. The snow was even worse in Boston, but thankfully the plows were out and about, so the streets weren’t too horrible.
It was only when I entered the city that I realized I didn”t actually know where his office was.
I bit the inside of my cheek and then decided to text Natalie.
Cami: Hey, it”s Cami. I want to surprise Maddox at the office. Can you give me the address?
She responded a few minutes later.
Natalie: Sure, here you go.
I plugged the address she provided into my GPS and headed straight there.
The city was in full Christmas mode already. Decorations had popped up everywhere, making it unrecognizable from the last time I”d visited.
I tried to mull things over in my mind, but I couldn’t decipher what Bill was up to. I was already in a frenzy when I reached the address Natalie had given me, and I circled the streets three times before I found a parking space. Then I practically jogged inside the building. She”d told me to come straight to the upper floor.
”Hi.” That came from Natalie, who met me when I stepped out of the elevator. She had her coat on and her laptop in hand.
”You”re heading out?” I asked, then looked around, noticing the offices were empty. ”Where is everyone else?” I”d assumed the place would be buzzing at this hour.
”We have a huge event that”s starting in about an hour. Everyone”s already there. I just stayed behind to wait for you.”
”Oh. Where”s Maddox?” I asked.
She pointed at a door at the far end of the main area. ”He”s in that meeting room. He”s had back-to-back calls all day, and sometimes when that happens, he shuts himself in one of the rooms. I didn’t get a chance to tell him you were coming, so he’ll be surprised. Have a fantastic evening.”
I blushed as I realized the meaning behind her words.
Oh, Natalie, if you only knew.
When she left, I headed straight to the door she”d pointed at. Maddox”s voice was booming inside. I knocked lightly and then opened it just so he would know I was here.
He didn”t notice me at first. He was frowning, looking into the distance and talking into headphones. But then he glanced up at me, and his face instantly transformed. He flashed me a huge smile. My heart started beating faster.
I waved at him and mouthed, ”I”ll wait here.”
He shook his head.
”Rob, we”ll continue this tomorrow, okay? I”m calling it a day. Right, thank you. Yep. That”s exactly what we”ll do,” he said, then lowered the phone from his ear.
”This is a pleasant surprise.” He grinned, then frowned. “You didn”t tell me you were coming and I forgot, did you?”
I shook my head. ”No. I asked Natalie for the address.”
”That would explain her smart-ass smile.” He walked to me. “What”s wrong? Something”s wrong.”
”How could you tell?” I asked.
I stepped inside the office, taking my tote bag off my shoulder and undoing my coat. It was hot in here.
”Babe, you’re scaring me. Tell me what”s going on.”
I licked my lips, folding my arms over my chest. ”So, I was at the council today,” I began, ”to check on the permit for my business.”
”They”re giving you headaches with that? I can fix that for you. I”ll put our lawyers on it, and you won”t have to waste your time with those assholes.”
God, his words felt like a warm hug.
”They”re not giving me trouble. It”s just not ready yet, but she promised she”ll call me this week with everything. But Bill asked me to his office.”
Maddox narrowed his eyes. ”That fucker just won”t leave you alone. I”ll deal with him.”
”He showed me the plans for the hotel expansion,” I said, and my words caught in my throat.
Maddox jerked his head back. ”What the hell? Why would he even do that in the first place?”
”I think he’s up to something. He showed me the original ones that I refused to even consider all those months ago.”
He shook his head. ”That”s not possible.”
”I saw them with my own eyes.”
”I know what was submitted,” he said.
”I know what I saw,” I countered. ”And I figured that there has to be an explanation.”
Maddox put his hands in his pockets. ”The explanation is that it”s just not possible. Maybe that moron tried to trick you somehow.”
”That crossed my mind. But as I said, I”ve seen the original plans, and they were one and the same.”
He took his hands out, looking at me intently. ”So you think I”m lying to you?” His voice was suddenly cold. I”d never heard him sound like that.
”No, of course not.” Why would he think that? “I believe Bill is up to something. But he did get his hands on those plans somehow, and we need to find out how.”
”I’ll call Gabe and get the team involved.”
Maddox called his brother, putting it on speakerphone. He motioned for me to sit down, but I shook my head. I couldn”t. I was too unnerved.
”Hey,” Gabe replied in a lazy voice.
”You’re on speaker. Cami is here too.”
”Hi, Cami. To what do I owe the pleasure?”
”We have a situation with the documents we submitted to the Essex city council.”
”What kind of situation?”
Maddox looked at me. ”Cami, why don”t you tell him what happened?”
I tried to do it as succinctly as possible while keeping the emotion out of my voice. But I was scared. What if it was too late to pull back the plans or something?
”That”s fucked-up. I can assure you that we submitted the plans that were in the annex. How did they even get the old ones?” Gabe asked.
”Let”s check with the person who actually submitted them,” Maddox said. Nodding at me, he said in a lower voice, ”Our legal team.”
”Let me add Paul to the conversation, then,” Gabe said.
A few seconds later, a third male voice joined us.
”Paul,” Maddox said without further ado, ”did you submit the documents for the hotel and distillery personally to the council?”
”What”s this about?” Paul asked.
I bit the inside of my cheek, looking at Maddox.
”Yes or no?”
”I prepared all of them myself.”
”But did you actually send them yourself?” Maddox asked.
”Of course not.”
”Why the fuck not?”
”Because that”s not what a partner does, Maddox. That”s what we have assistants for.”
”Your assistant must have fucked up, which means it”s your fuckup,” Maddox said, ”because the council has the wrong documents. Is your assistant there?”
”Yes. Let me get him.”
This was frustrating. I put my arms around myself, clutching my sides tightly.
”All right, I”ve got him here,” Paul said a few moments later.
”Hello, Mr. Whitley,” the assistant greeted softly.
”There are two of us Whitleys here, and we”re both pissed off.”
”Listen,” he said, and his voice was shaking. ”I was in charge of actually sending everything to the council. I sent a batch of documents last week. Two days after that, I realized I”d sent the old plans”—a breath whooshed out of me—”and then I sent the right ones as well. I even called and talked to this guy named Bill and explained everything to him. He assured me that he”d gotten everything and understood what was going on.”
I frowned. ”Wait, what? You talked to Bill?”
”I”m sorry. Who is that?” he asked.
”She”s with me,” Maddox said simply. ”She”s the previous owner of the park.”
”Right. Yes, that”s what his name is. Bill,” the assistant replied.
”When did you talk to him?” I asked.
”Last Thursday.”
I narrowed my eyes. Maddox was frowning at me.
”Thank you,” Gabe said.
”We”ll smooth everything out. You can go,” Paul said, presumably to the assistant.
”All right. So it was his fuckup,” Paul noted.
”Paul, when will you learn to own up to the mistakes of people on your team? It”s ultimately your responsibility,” Gabe said.
There was a pause, and then Paul said, ”I will fix it. I”ll get to the bottom of this.”
”The bottom of this is Bill,” Maddox said.
”I’ll take care of everything.”
”You better fucking do just that, and do it fast,” Maddox barked.
After Paul disconnected, Gabe exclaimed, ”Well, mystery solved. I’m going to hang up unless you need anything else from me.”
“No, we’re good,” Maddox said, and the call disconnected. Then he focused on me. “Cami, don’t worry about anything. We’ll proceed with the plans you agreed to. We’d never lie to you.”
“I know that. I wasn’t doubting you two.”
He stood right in front of me. I could feel anger radiating off him.
”Really?”
”No! That”s why I came here. I was sure Bill was up to something. I was just afraid we couldn’t undo whatever that was.”
His nostrils flared. ”Good, because I”m not a liar, Cami. I”ve never been anything but honest with you.”
”I know.”
“Sometimes too brutally honest.”
”Maddox, I know,” I repeated.
”No matter what happens, never doubt how I feel about you. How much I care about you.”
”I never even had second thoughts. I promise.”
He cupped my face with both hands, touching my lips. ”Do you know how much I fucking love you? I was willing to even stop the project for you if that”s what you needed. I need to know that you love me the same way. No doubts. No second thoughts. No holding back.”
Oh, this man!I understood his fears, though, and I was determined to prove to him that they had no real base.
”I do love you,” I confessed. ”With all I have, Maddox.”
He kissed me ferociously, pinning me against the office door. I kissed him back just as wildly. I needed to let go of all the tension that had built up inside me. His mouth on mine was exquisite.
God, I needed this kiss so much. I needed him.
”I love you,” he whispered in my ear. ”So damn much. But if you doubt me, this can never work.”
My chest constricted.
”I don”t doubt you,” I promised him.
”Good, because I can take anything. I can fight anything with you—for you. But I need us to be united. A common front. No secrets between us. No doubts.”
”No secrets. No doubts,” I agreed.
A common front. I smiled.
His eyes softened, and he kissed me again. He lifted me by my ass and pressed me against the door, holding me at the angle he wanted. Then he moved me away from the door and put me on his desk instead, deepening the kiss even more. I parted my legs wide, and he stepped between my thighs, so close to me that I could practically feel his erection through his jeans. I cupped him, and he groaned against my mouth. My entire body reacted to that. Heat raced through me like wildfire, spreading and spreading. I was desperate for him. I took my mouth off him, kissing his neck, my hands on his shirt. I opened the first three buttons and then stopped.
”Oh my God, we”re at your office,” I said.
”No one”s here.” His voice was barely audible. It was more of a rasp.
”Are you sure?”
”Fuck yes, I”m sure. I want you right here, right now.”
I looked around at the documents he had on his desk. ”Um, we should make some space.”
He stepped back and with one swipe of his arm pushed all the papers to the floor.
”That works,” I said with a smile.
He came back, stepping between my legs again. My dress was almost bunched up to my ass. He pulled it over my head. That”s when I remember I was wearing wool tights.
”I’ll get rid of them,” I said.
”No! I”ll take them off.”
He lifted my ass slightly and slowly moved the waistband past my ass, then pulled them completely off me.
”Take off your bra,” he commanded.
I tilted my head playfully to one side. “I thought you wanted to take everything off.”
His eyes flashed. ”Cami!” His voice was rough and so, so alluring.
I lost my wits for a few seconds, but I reached behind my back and immediately unclasped the bra, peeling it off and throwing it on the floor on top of his papers.
His smile was so damn seductive. He wanted me in a way I”d never experienced before.
”Lie down on your back, hands over your head.”
I didn”t think anything of it except that it was a damn sexy command.
I also didn”t think anything of it when he went to the other side of the table. I realized he was still holding my tights. He tied my wrists together with them.
Holy shit.I’d officially never been so turned on.
“Maddox!” I exclaimed.
”I’ve wanted to do this for so damn long.” He walked back in front of me. I bent my legs at the knees, putting my feet on the edge of the desk. I still had my panties on. He pressed two fingers on my clit, and I shuddered, closing my eyes.
”That”s exactly how I want you. Here in my office. On my desk. You have no idea how often I”ve daydreamed about this. I wanted to use any excuse to ask you here just to fuck you right here on this desk.”
I drenched my panties. Opening my eyes, I saw the triumph in his.
”I can make you wet without even touching you properly.”
”You are touching me,” I murmured.
He pushed my panties to one side, circling my clit with two fingers. I pressed my knees together on instinct, but he used his elbows to part them again. ”No. You”ll stay like this. Open for me and taking all the pleasure I”m giving you.”
He hunched over me, kissing one breast and then the other one. On instinct, I wanted to bring my arms down and run my hands through his hair. All I managed was to put my restrained hands in front of me where I could see them. Now they were blocking my view of him, so I rested them over my head again.
He brushed two fingers up and down my entrance, then back up to my clit while his mouth wreaked havoc on my nipples. Every inch of my body was on fire. My need for him was insatiable.
A wave of pleasure spiraled through me without warning. One second, I was rubbing myself against his hand, and the next, my vision faded.
I’d never come so fast. My feet slid off the table, but he caught them in time, putting them over his shoulders. Through my orgasm, I felt his mouth on me. He pressed his tongue against my clit and pushed two fingers inside me. I’d never felt anything like it before. I”d barely finished climaxing when another wave of pleasure overtook me. I lifted my ass off the table, putting my hands in front of me again, pressing my thumbs into my chest. I needed to tug and yank, and I couldn”t do any of it.
”You”re so fucking gorgeous,” Maddox said.
Through a haze, I saw him take away his belt and undo his pants, freeing his erection.
I licked my lips. I wanted to push myself up onto my elbows so I could see him better, but I couldn’t. When I felt his cock nudge my clit, I gasped. Then he thrust inside me. I was so wet that I took him all in right away.
”This feels so good,” he said. ”You’re mine.” He pulled back and slammed inside me again. ”I’d do any-fucking-thing for you, Cami.”
My breath caught when he pulled back slowly and then pushed forward even harder. My inner muscles tensed. I was already on edge again.
”I trust you, Maddox. Do anything you want to me.”
”Fuck, Cami,” he growled, increasing the pace of his thrusts.
I couldn”t brace myself with my hands, but I could with my heels. I pushed my thighs even farther apart and lifted my ass just enough to be able to move back and forth. This man was everything to me, so I wanted to give him all I had.
When I felt him thicken and watched his body start to shudder, I gave in to yet another climax. I wasn”t even sure I had it in me to come again, but the sensation rocked my body, and I accepted every ounce of it. I reveled in it.
His cries filled the office. Or were they mine? No, they belonged to both of us. We didn’t hold back, didn’t even attempt to muffle ourselves. We weren”t hiding any part of us from the other.
And that was the most amazing moment of my life.