CHAPTER Eleven
Ross stood there, dumbfounded.
“Yes, Ike, I’m here, and just for the record, you’re not my boyfriend.”
Camille’s comment eased Ross’s mind a bit, but he was still confused. Nevertheless, he stepped aside, letting Ike in, eager to hear the rest of this story and hoping it was nothing he couldn’t handle.
“So, I can see why you aren’t answering my calls.” Ike was curt and sarcastic.
“Why are you here? How did you find me?”
Suddenly, Ike felt exposed. Several months ago, he’d downloaded an app that tracked Camille.
If she ever discovered it, he decided he would say it was for her own protection since she had a dangerous job.
But really, he was just possessive and jealous.
Even though he didn’t want to commit to her, he didn’t want her to stray too far either.
“I have an app that told me where you were,” he said, deciding the truth was the best route.
“WHAT!” Camille shouted, unable to believe what she’d just heard.
“Yes, the service out here is shit, but it eventually worked enough for me to find you. It was for your own good, Milly. You have a dangerous job. I worry about you.”
“You are so full of shit, Ike!” Camille blasted.
At first, Ross didn’t know how he felt about this whole situation, but it didn’t take long for him to realize Camille was not with this dude. Ike was more like a jilted ex who couldn’t accept the truth, so Ross just stood back and watched the show once he realized Camille had it under control.
“What are you doing here anyway, Camille? I thought you said you were working?”
“How many times do I have to tell you I don’t owe you any explanations?
We’re done.”
Instead of hearing the truth, Ike smiled. “You know you’ve said that before, and you just can’t stay off my dick. So, until I believe you mean it, we’re still together.”
These words got Ross’s attention. Now this guy had crossed a line, so Ross stood up and made his presence known. Ike looked over, and even though his competition was a lot bigger, he had words. “Easy, Joe Bob, this doesn’t involve you.”
Ross was just one step away from jacking this asshole to the moon, but he decided an appropriate reply was in order first. “I believe anything on my property or anything to do with Camille involves me,” Ross fired back. “And my name is Ross.”
“Oh, so you’re an expert on Camille now, are you, Ross?” The sarcasm when saying his name was hard to miss.
“Oh, shut up, Ike!” Camille was at her limit. Unfortunately, Ike wasn’t smart enough to see the signs.
When he grabbed Camille by the arm, Ross was ready to react.
But before he could do anything, and before Ike realized he had fucked up, Camille had twisted out of his grasp and flipped him down on the ground, holding his arm in a very subdued and painful way that kept Ike from being any more of a threat.
Ross stood there, dumbfounded.
“You should know better than to put hands on me, Ike.”
Stepping on his chest, staring directly into his eyes, and twisting that arm just enough to make sure he stayed down, Camille drove her point home.
“Don’t ever come near me again. We are DONE!
There is a zero percent chance that I will ever touch you again.
Now get out of here,” she said, pulling him upright and still twisting his arm.
She led him all the way to the door, which Ross opened, as Camille escorted him out.
Ike stood there for a moment, embarrassed and hurt.
Humiliated, he left without further incident.
Ross watched as Ike made it up the road and out of sight, and then he turned and stared at Camille with a funny little face.
“I don’t know what to ask first.” His face made a series of expressions. Ross was both confused and turned on by Camille’s commanding control of her ex.
Camille decided now was as good a time as any to tell Ross a couple of details she hadn’t gotten to yet.
“Ike and I were together for a few years. No, several years, and then we drifted apart. It was an on-again, off-again relationship that became nothing more than a last-call, last-resort hookup. I’m not proud of it, but I’m being a hundred percent honest here.
Honestly, I had not heard from him in over two weeks before I came here.
But he’s been blowing up my phone, acting like we’re together, even though I’ve told him repeatedly that we are done. ”
“Well, I think it got through to him just now,” Ross added. “If it didn’t, he’s one dumb son of a bitch.”
Camille laughed, knowing Ike was actually kind of stupid.
“So, what about the other thing?” Ross added.
Playing dumb, Camille shrugged her shoulders. “What do you mean?” She tried to keep from smiling, but the look on Ross’s face was so cute.
“That was wicked. I’m not gonna lie. I’ve never seen anyone do that shit in real life. That’s action movie moves right there,” Ross said, and then he added, “Impressive!”
“I’m a black belt and have extensive self-defense training.” “Extensive, no shit!” Ross laughed.
“It makes my parents feel better about my line of work. They still worry, but it helps knowing I’m able to take care of myself like that.
I don’t know what Ike was thinking. He knows I can kick his ass.
He must have thought I wouldn’t do it in front of you.
I’m sorry, I’ll kick anyone’s ass who lays hands on me like that. ”
Ross saw her cat-like reflexes on replay in his mind. The fact that she was an ass-kicking machine made her even sexier, and Ross found himself completely turned on.
“So, you would kick my ass if I touched you?” he asked playfully.
“It depends on how you touch me,” Camille confirmed. She liked where this was going.
“Well,” he said, “I’m taking a chance here, but how about like this,” he said, placing both hands on the sides of her breasts and running them down past her curves.
“Well, because it’s you, I think that’s allowed,” Camille replied.
“How about this?” Ross asked, pushing his hands from her hips to her firm backside and pulling her a little closer to him.
“You’re still doing just fine,” Camille said, knowing her face was betraying her calm and cool demeanor.
She could feel her defenses melting with every sensual touch.
Before she lost all control, Camille decided it was her turn to do some touching.
“You can even do this,” she added, slowly and lightly placing her lips to his before giving him a playful lick and then a sexy, open-mouth kiss.
After her kiss, Camille felt compelled to clear something up because she had a feeling all of this touching was about to lead somewhere. She had an apology to get out of the way first.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Ike.” She pulled back from him for a moment of seriousness.
“He’s the furthest thing from my mind right now,” Ross said, pulling her to him.
Camille saw that desperate, yearning expression in his eyes that she was beginning to love.
It made him look so vulnerable and sexy.
He kissed her boldly, and Camille took his hand and led him into the bedroom, walking slightly ahead of him, looking back and smiling.
“Well, then, maybe you need to show me what’s on your mind,” she said, pulling her t-shirt over her head and then unbuttoning and unzipping her pants.
“I think you read it just fine.”
“I have skills,” she said, laughing.
“Yes, yes, you do, Camille,” he said, shaking his head. “Yes, you do.”