CHAPTER FIVE
The week passed slowly with nothing to distract Cameron from his conflicting feelings about Asher.
He barely knew the bestselling author, but the glimpses of the man behind the mask of cool indifference only made him want to know more.
Every time he thought about it, though, Nico was right there to pull him back from the edge and remind him it wouldn’t end well.
A knock at his office door drew him out of his thoughts, and he blinked slowly, glancing around the familiar room as if he’d never seen it before.
God, the things that man did to him, and they hadn’t done more than hold hands.
Even that much had been more out of comfort and solidarity than anything romantic.
The knock came again, a little sharper this time, and Cameron sighed as he sat up straighter in his high-backed executive chair.
“Come in,” he called, smoothing down his blue-and-white pinstriped tie.
The door swung open, and Natalie pushed into the room with a confident stride.
Cameron cringed, eyeing the way her vibrant red top hung off her shoulders by thin straps and plunged between her breasts.
The fabric fell in layers around her midsection, flowing into a pointed hem that stopped just above the waistband of her loose-fitting black pants.
“What the fuck are you wearing?”
Except for a swift roll of her eyes, Natalie ignored him as she rounded his desk to stand in front of the plated glass windows that overlooked the city.
With her back to him, he noticed that the only thing holding her blouse together was two, tiny strings tied together across the middle of her back.
The big brother in him seethed, and he wanted to demand she go change into something that amounted to more than a fucking handkerchief.
“No, seriously, what the fuck are you wearing?”
“A shirt.”
“That is not a shirt.”
Sighing, Natalie flicked her fingers at him. “I’m meeting Aiden after work. I wanted to look nice.”
Clearly, they had a very different definition of “nice.” Still, Cameron bit the inside of his cheek and said nothing about his sister’s current boyfriend. The guy was a complete tool, but like the topic of her wardrobe, his opinion really wasn’t welcomed.
“Fine,” he relented. “So, what are you doing here?”
“We’re supposed to have lunch,” she answered easily, her back still to him. “Did you forget?”
Shit, he had forgotten. “No,” he lied. “I just didn’t realize what time it was. ”
She shook her head, making her blond curls sway against her back, which just served to remind him how much that damn scrap of fabric she called a shirt pissed him off. Better to change the subject.
“Since when do you knock?”
“Since you started keeping things from me.” Turning away from the window, she strolled back around his desk and dropped down in one of the leather chairs.
Crossing one leg over the other in a smooth, practiced move, she templed her fingers under her chin and stared.
“What are you hiding, Mr. Stone? Or, should I ask who ?”
“I thought we were going to lunch,” Cameron hedged.
Natalie smirked. “We are.”
The words still hung in the air between them when another knock sounded at the door, this one much quieter and merely perfunctory since the door opened right away.
His office assistant nodded at Natalie, a conspiratorial smile playing on her lips as she brought two, brown paper bags and a drink carrier over to the desk.
“Enjoy your lunch, Mr. Stone.” She flipped her long, dark hair over one shoulder and studied him for several seconds, her big brown eyes shrewd. “Will there be anything else?”
“No. Thank you, Amelia.” He paused in the act of reaching for the drink carrier, his hand hovering over his desk as he glanced back and forth between the women. “You two planned this. ”
“You caught us,” Amelia answered, cheeky and unrepentant as she adjusted the cuffs of her white button-down.
“It’s a trap,” Natalie added, her grin growing smugger by the second.
“It’s a goddamn ambush,” Cameron mumbled, grabbing one of the drinks and a straw. No need to ask or check labels. He knew both would be unsweetened tea with lemon. “Thanks again, Amelia. Have you taken your break?”
The smile she’d been holding back finally broke through, and she shook her head as she sauntered back to the door. “I’m leaving now.” She shared a knowing look with Natalie and chuckled quietly. “Have fun.”
Then, with a wiggle of her fingers, she slipped out of the office, closing the door behind her with a quiet click.
“If you want to talk about anything…” Natalie trailed off, giving him a half shrug before snagging one of the bags off the desk and pulling it into her lap.
“There’s nothing to talk about.” He pulled the remaining bag closer and reached inside to remove the cardboard to-go box with an appreciative groan. “Oh, you’re definitely trying to butter me up, but this time, I’ll let you.”
That One Place was a hole-in-the-wall restaurant that people never noticed unless they knew where to look.
A shame, really, because the food was phenomenal and the portions generous.
Case in point, the enormous loaded, brisket-stuffed baked potato on his desk.
It smelled divine, and his mouth watered as he dug back into the bag for the plastic fork, knife, and napkin set.
“I’m insulted.” She almost pulled off the expression, but the twitch of her lips gave her away. “Can’t I treat my big brother to his favorite lunch just because I love him?”
Her potato looked remarkably similar, only instead of brisket, hers had been topped with pepperoni and black olives. Once she had her lunch arranged on the desk, she pulled a smaller plastic container from her own brown bag, removed the lid, and placed the cucumber salad between them.
“Mmm, you could,” he mused, plucking one of the cucumbers from the bowl with his fingers. “I wouldn’t believe you, though.”
“Fine.” All pretense gone, she glared, her sharp blue eyes cutting through the distance between them. “Tell me.”
“Natalie.” Cameron stabbed his fork into his potato and sighed. “What do you want me to say? There really isn’t anything to tell.”
“So, you didn’t go for coffee with a certain famous author last Saturday night?”
His head snapped up, even as his mouth turned down at the corners. “How did you…? ”
He shook his head, irritation bubbling under the surface.
“Nico,” they both said at the same time.
“I know he thinks he’s being a good friend.” It was Natalie’s turn to sigh. “He’s being an ass, though.”
Cameron bobbed his head in agreement. Stopped. Shook head. “His heart is in the right place.”
“I guess.” Her bottom lip stuck out adorably as she poked at her lunch. “Look, Cam, all joking aside, you know you can talk to me, right? I won’t judge.”
He’d never been able to resist those big, blue eyes or that open, earnest expression. So, he told her everything, starting with his first encounter with Asher outside the library at his house. He told her about the club, the coffee shop, and even the strange encounter with Kyle Anders.
Natalie listened, never interrupted, and she nodded thoughtfully in all the right places. When he’d finished, she simply asked, “So, what do you want?”
“I don’t know,” he answered honestly.
On one hand, he definitely wanted to get to know Asher better, to know the real him, and not just the persona he showed the world. Yet, a voice in his head that sounded an awful lot like Nico whispered that he should stay far, far away.
“It sounds like he could use a friend. ”
Cameron pursed his lips. They could be friends. It didn’t have to be all or nothing. Yes, the guy was attractive, but so was Nico.
Yeah, but you don’t want Nico to pound you into the nearest flat surface.
“You’re blushing!” Natalie threw her head back and laughed. “I take it you want to be a lot more than friends with him.”
Groaning, he scrubbed both hands over his face, then dropped them to his desk. “No. Maybe?” A sigh rolled up from his chest and slipped past his lips before he could choke it back. “I don’t know. I mean, yes, he’s handsome—”
“You mean, he’s hot.”
Cameron grinned despite his warring thoughts. “Yeah, he’s hot. He’s also smart and funny and…interesting.”
“So, what’s the problem?”
“He’s a rich playboy who isn’t interested in commitment.” That much had been perfectly clear when Asher had shamelessly invited him to his bed before the previous occupant had even vacated it.
Uncrossing her legs, Natalie leaned forward to rest her elbows on her knees. “He’s not Richard.” Her lips twisted on the name as if it left a bad taste in her mouth. “Maybe he’ll surprise you. How will you know if you don’t try?”
“Are you suggesting I sleep with him? ”
“Well, I’m not not suggesting it.” She laughed quietly, leaning in a little closer. “All I’m saying is maybe loosen up a little. You don’t have to fall in love with every guy you date. There’s nothing wrong with having a little fun.”
The way she said it made it sound so easy, but Cameron knew himself better than that. It wasn’t like he expected a ring, a house in the suburbs, and a white picket fence, but he wasn’t the type to sleep with a different guy every week. He also knew he wouldn’t be happy dating a guy who did.
“Actually, I have a date tonight.” He tossed out the tidbit, watching Natalie carefully for her reaction.
She didn’t disappoint. Her eyes lit up, and she straightened a little in her seat. “With Asher?”
Cameron shook his head as he forked up more potato, but he left the utensil hovering over the Styrofoam container. “Blind date. Nico thinks I’ll like him. I guess we have some things in common.”
“And what do you think?”
Knowing the kind of guys Nico dated, he couldn’t imagine the evening would go well, but he could fake his way through a couple of hours. He couldn’t tell Natalie that, though, not when she looked so hopeful.
Instead, he glanced up at her and grinned. “I think it’ll be fun.”
~
It wasn’t fun.