Chapter 19
I took my place at the beachside bar, keeping a careful eye on Victor and his mistress as they strolled down the path.
Anticipation bubbled inside me, so much so that I felt almost effervescent with it.
Cam had screwed up my previous opportunity to get a photo of her, but he was not going to screw up this one, because right now they were walking straight towards me.
I kept my eyes glued to them. It was still too dark to see her face, but the second she stepped into the light, the moment I could see a sliver of a feature, I’d start shooting.
I didn’t have to wait long, because as they stepped under the tree lit up by fairy lights, I snapped away. The image was blurry but adequate, and I sent it to Sharaz immediately. Her reply was almost instant.
It’s Amber. She’s the fucking massage therapist from the country club.
I rolled my eyes. Of course. Massage therapist from country club basically screamed mistress material.
Such a pity, Sharaz went on. She gave the best Indian head massages. Now I’m going to have to find not only a new husband, but also a new country club and masseuse. She was so good with my sciatica.
I blinked at my phone in confusion. Rich people were a total mystery to me.
You just never knew how they were going to react.
I’d once had a client – a billionaire’s wife – who discovered her husband was cheating with his personal trainer.
Her first question wasn’t which divorce lawyer she should use, but rather if I thought she would still be able to keep the family heirloom jewels and have use of the villa on Lake Geneva.
‘Fancy seeing you here.’ Cam slid into the chair next to me and my entire body stiffened in reaction to him. ‘Such a small world,’ he continued.
‘I’d say, and certainly too small for both of us.’ I drummed my knuckles on the wooden counter, hoping it signalled my irritation sufficiently. Stupid and childish, I knew.
‘Has anyone ever told you that if there was an Olympic Games for sarcasm, you’d win it.’
I turned in my chair and squared off in front of him. ‘I could say the same for you, with your natural ability to irritate. Seriously, I really don’t have time for this. I’m trying to work and I don’t want you screwing things up for me again.’
‘I’m also trying to work, actually, and since it seems you’ve taken the best seat in the house, I’ll just have to settle for second best.’
‘Story of your life, really,’ I scoffed, and picked up my drink.
‘See, I told you, this is what I’ve missed. That sarcastic Lizzy thing you do.’
‘Please don’t act like you know me.’ I turned my attention back to Victor and Amber. Their fingers were tangled together, their noses were touching and they were staring into each other’s eyes.
‘They look like they could genuinely be in love. Rather sweet if you think about it.’
‘Love can also be bitter,’ I said quickly.
‘Not to mention your abundant positivity, I’ve missed that too.
’ Cam waved at the bartender. ‘Can I have a Death in the Afternoon, please. Lizzy, do you want one too, or would you prefer a Corpse Reviver? I assume that if you did kill me in the afternoon, you’d probably want to resuscitate me just to do it all over again. ’
I ignored him and smiled at the bartender. ‘Do you mind if I see your menu?’ When he gave it to me, I scanned it, and smiled when I found the perfect one. ‘I’ll have an Adios Motherfucker, please.’
Cam immediately burst out laughing, as if this was some kind of game. Once his laughter had tapered off, he propped his elbow on the table, rested his chin on his hand and watched me. I ignored him.
When my cocktail arrived, I took a slow sip. ‘Delicious,’ I said, even though it tasted horrible and I hardly drank alcohol.
‘I wouldn’t look so self-satisfied if I were you,’ he said.
‘And why not?’
‘Oh look, there’s your avian friend.’ He gestured with his head.
I followed his gesture, and sure enough, there was Blue Eyes. I watched him for a moment, and for the first time, something about him struck me as . . . off. He was seated in one of the only other chairs that conveniently had a direct line of sight to Victor and Amber.
‘You know,’ Cam said casually, ‘you probably should’ve ordered yourself a Godfather.’
I frowned, still staring at the man. ‘Why would I—’
‘Or a Sicilian Kiss,’ he said, cutting me off.
My brain started to churn, a thought swirling around it like a lonely sock in a tumble dryer. Cam rose from his chair as the thought began to crystallise, taking a recognisable shape, and then . . .
‘Shit!’ I whipped my head around to see him walking backwards onto the dance floor wearing a cocky grin, his arms spread out in front of him. He was daring me to join him.
I stood up, and he grabbed my hands. ‘Coming to dance with me?’
‘Who’s that guy?’ I asked as he pulled me towards him. I collided with his chest, and before I could step away, he wrapped one arm around my lower back and raised my other hand as if we were about to start a ballroom waltz.
‘Let go of me,’ I snapped.
‘Not if you want to know who your friend is,’ he said, twirling me around.
‘Fine, who is he?’
‘I was hoping you’d finally ask that.’ And then in one swift move, he dipped me.
The air rushed past me as I fell backwards, my stomach flew into my throat and my lungs released all their oxygen in a short, sharp gasp.
The whole world tilted, and I thought I was going to hit the ground.
But Cam still had his arm around me, and he held me there as if I weighed absolutely nothing at all.
I blinked up at him, my chest heaving as I struggled to catch my breath.
‘Caught you,’ he whispered. Before I could respond, he lifted me out of the dip and I collided with his chest once more. I tried to pull away, tried to grab back some semblance of control, but he was too strong. And he was winning.
I was trapped and had no choice but to play along.
‘I’m going to kill you, Cam,’ I said through a very put-on smile.
‘No, you won’t, because then you’ll never find out who that man you’ve been flirting with really is.’
‘I haven’t been flirting with him,’ I snapped back as Cam swayed us together to the now irritatingly slow beat of the music. It had very inconveniently gone from something poppy and upbeat to some kind of sexy tango.
‘Could have fooled me.’ He took my hand and placed it on his shoulder while his other hand found my waist. ‘Isn’t this the correct position for the tango?’
‘Wouldn’t know, never done one.’
‘First time for everything, I guess.’ The hand on my waist began to move.
I looked down at it as it slid around my side and snaked towards my back.
I was wearing a backless dress – a contraption I’d never worn before – which meant that his hand came into direct contact with my exposed skin.
I tried not to react to the feeling of his warm skin on mine, but it was hard because it felt so . . . so . . .
Shit!
‘You look incredible, by the way,’ Cam said as his hand came to rest on the curve of my lower back. ‘First time I’ve ever seen you in a dress like this.’
I squeezed his shoulder as hard as I could. ‘Compliments will get you nowhere, Cam.’
‘So it’s like that, is it?’ he said, wincing as I tightened my grip on him.
He responded by digging his fingers into my back, hard.
I squeezed back even harder, which only made him do the same.
I tried not to react. It was clearly a display of power on his part; a way of showing me that he was in control.
I dug my nails into his shoulder. He grimaced slightly, but followed it up with a smile.
A smug, maddening smile that I wanted to swipe off his face.
Suddenly the music got even slower, and then to make it all so much worse, the lights dimmed in what was clearly an attempt at a romantic atmosphere.
I looked up as stupid twinkly fairy lights came on in the palm trees around us.
Cam chuckled as if he knew exactly what I was thinking, and then brought his face so close to mine that I could feel his breath on my lips.
And that was when the familiar scent hit me once more.
After all these years, he still smelt exactly the same.
And after all these years, I still recognised it.
Both thoughts hit me with nostalgia, frustration and then searing rage.
Who still brushed their teeth with the same spearmint toothpaste?
Who hadn’t changed their citrus hair shampoo and gel in six years?
Who still wore the exact same cologne: warm, earthy cedarwood with a smoky undertone?
Cam! That was who. And why did it suddenly feel like I wanted to close my eyes and lean into that scent and just let it wash over me in waves?
He brought his face even closer to mine. ‘In fact, there are a few firsts for you tonight. Might be the first time you’ve missed a really, really important detail too.’
‘What the hell do you mean?’
‘Maybe something has you a little distracted at the moment?’ He raised a smug brow at me, and I had a sudden desire to sink my teeth into his lips, and not in a good way. But we were in public after all, so instead I brought my foot down onto his.
‘You were saying?’ I asked. I didn’t bother trying to hide the satisfaction in my voice when he flinched in pain. In fact, I relished the brief sense of control I’d finally gotten.