Preston (Members From Money Book 28)

by Katie Dowe

  “Maybe you really like her bro,” the voice came at him and startled him for a moment.

  “I do like her.”

  “It sounds to me like it's more than just like.”

  “I'll get over it.”

  “Do you want to?”

  “I'll have to.”

  Chapter 7

  Addison was just coming out of the bath the next evening when she heard the pounding on the door. Her heart slammed into her throat as she realized that it had to be Cameron. Wrapping the towel around her wet body she practically ran to the door and pulled it open. “Hi.” His light green eyes wandered over her wet hair and damp skin. “I hope I didn't catch you at a bad time.”

  “Not at all.” She stepped back to allow him to come in.

  “How are you feeling?”

  “All better.” She stood there as they stared at each other.

  “I just wanted—”

  “I am glad you—”

  They both stopped and laughed self-consciously.

  “I wanted to check on you.”

  “I'm glad you did. Have you eaten?”

  “I went into town and got something there. How about you?”

  “I ate earlier.”

  “Addie—” he stopped as she dropped the towel.

  “Like I said, I'm glad you are here,” she whispered.

  “So am I,” he whispered hoarsely. He moved forward and tucked her hair behind her ear and, bending at the waist, he lifted her into his arms and carried her off to the bedroom.

  ********

  “This nice,” She stretched on top of him, feeling wonderfully sated and immensely satisfied.

  “Hmm,” his hands wandered down her back to cup her buttocks, squeezing lightly. “I'm not sure I can get up for another five hours, or more. You wrung me dry,” he teased her.

  “Or maybe it’s the other way around,” she retorted as she bent to nibble at his neck. He used his fingers to sift through the thick strands of her hair, which was now dry. He fisted the strands and brought her head up to his.

  “Feel like round two?” he whispered hoarsely.

  “I thought you would never ask,” she breathed as she bent her head to his.

  He told her later that night. “I'm leaving to go back home tomorrow,” he said casually as he ran his fingers down her back. They were still a little out of breath from the hot and heavy lovemaking that had had her clawing at him with her short nails and crying out his name.

  “Oh?” she lifted her head to look at him.

  “We knew it had to end someday, Addie.”

  “Why does it have to?”

  “What do you mean?” he frowned at her a little and Addison could have kicked herself.

  “I mean, we have a good thing going, why not pick up where we leave off? Who says it has to end?”

  “You don’t know anything about me and I don’t anything about you. I have my world and I'm sure you have yours.”

  “And both worlds cannot collide. Is that it?” she asked him bitterly.

  “I thought this was just a—”

  “Fling?” she moved away from him and got off the bed to find a robe, suddenly feeling as if she was going to choke from the utter sadness.

  “Yes,” he said quietly. “This was—is amazing but we both have to get back home. I don’t want to leave you here all by yourself.”

  “What do you care?” she rounded on him, her dark brown eyes flashing. “We screwed, Cameron. That doesn't make you responsible for me. I can take care of myself. I'm a grown ass woman and I've been doing it a long time.”

  “Look I'm sorry—” he got up as well.

  “For what?” she asked him bitterly. “I went into this with my eyes open Cameron, and as I told you before I'm a grown woman. I'll get over this.”

  “Addie, I wish things were different. I wish that I could tell you that—”

  “Tell me what? That you love me? That you want to spend the rest of your life with me?”

  He stood there looking at her.

  “It’s okay Cameron I'm not looking for permanence myself. And frankly you're not someone I would consider it with.”

  He stiffened as he stared at her.

  “That’s not a nice thing to say.”

  “Nice!” Addison started laughing hysterically. “You know what Cameron? I want you to get the hell out and I hope you have a very happy life.”

  He didn't move.

  “Did you hear what I said? Get out!”

  He moved then and put on his clothes and left without another word. It was only when she heard the door slam that she threw herself onto the bed and sobbed until the tears were all gone.

  *******

  “Honey, what are you doing back home already?” Annmarie exclaimed as she hugged her sister tightly. “You've only been gone a little more than a month.”

  Addison had decided that staying when Cameron had left was going to be too hard so she'd packed up and left too. She'd called her sister and told her she was coming home. “I guess I missed you and my apartment.” She wandered around the luxurious space and noticed that Annmarie had made sure that it was clean and waiting for her.

  “You look sad. You went up there to heal and you came back looking as if you've lost your best friend all over again. Honey, what’s going on?”

  Addison went around and sat heavily on the sofa. “I did something stupid,” she admitted.

  “Like what?” Annmarie came and sat next to her.

  “I fell in love.”

  “Honey that’s wonderful!” her sister’s eyes glowed with happiness. “But wait, why do you look so sad?”

  “Because the feeling isn't returned.” Addison looked down at her clasped hands. She hadn't slept much last night and her lack of sleep was making her feel punchy. “It was supposed to have been just a fling—”

  “You don’t do flings,” Annmarie interrupted her.

  “Right?” Addison spread her hands out in bewilderment. “What was I thinking of Annie?”

  “Apparently there wasn't much room for thoughts,” Annmarie said sympathetically. “He was staying there?”

  “We were the only two people up there in an otherwise isolated place.”

  “Where's he from?”

  Addison stared at her sister and burst out laughing. “It didn't come up.”

  “What?”

  Addison leaned back against the cushions and closed her eyes. “We didn't exchange addresses, phone numbers or anything like that. I told you it was just physical.”

  Annmarie stared at her younger sister in surprise. “Well, at least you've gotten over Edgar.”

  Addison’s eyes flew open and she laughed again. “You're right. But this is not something that I'm ever going to get over.”

  *******

  “Preston, darling, it’s wonderful to have you home!” Paige hugged her son tightly before stepping back to look at him. “Have you put on a little bit of weight?”

  “I believe so,” Preston smiled briefly. “I had no idea you were having a party?”

  “The annual veteran's brunch. We're raising awareness for our brave men who fought for this wonderful country.” She waved at the background noise in the ballroom of the manor. “Why don’t you sneak up to your suite? I won’t tell a soul that you're back and if it’s not too late when I wrap up I'll come up and you can tell me all about your trip.”

  “Make it in the morning Mother, I'm exhausted.”

  “Okay darling. I'll send something up with one of the maids for you to eat. I'm sure you must be famished.”

  “Thank you.” He bent to kiss her lightly on her powdered cheek.

  “It’s good to have you back. We have lots to discuss.”

  “I'm sure we do.” He smiled at her as he walked to the spiral staircase and went to his suite. He dropped his suitcase on the carpeted floor and took off his sweater. The place was as immaculate as usual, even though he hadn't warned his mother that he was coming. His room was sparse beca
use he loved it that way. His closet was half the size of his room and rows upon rows of clothes hung there. He sat on the sofa in front of his bed and took off his boots and socks. He'd tried not to think of her the entire journey home. He shouldn't have left things the way they were, with them arguing. He should have tried to salvage something. He'd almost gone back to her and demanded that they have some sort of conversation. But what could he have said to her? He hadn't even told her his real name. He'd contemplated doing so several times but had dismissed it immediately. Besides, he had a feeling that she'd been hiding something from him too.

  He heard the discreet knock on the door. “Come in.”

  A young maid that had recently been hired came in with a tray. “Just put it anywhere. Thanks.”

  She placed it on the table next to him and then with a smile she exited the room. He lifted the cover and for a moment he was brought back to the lamb chops and the slices of bread. “We just dunk it,” he could hear her soft musical voice in his ear. He stared down at the caviar and broiled shrimp and replaced the cover, suddenly not feeling hungry. He got to his feet and went to the bathroom, his heart heavy.

  *****

  “Darling, you're back!” her agent Molly Lambert hurried forward to give her a light hug, her exotic perfume wafting around them. Addison had participated in her last pity party over the weekend and had decided to get back to work. She had a script she was working on and needed to pitch it to her agent and then the producer she usually worked with. “Gamble has been asking for you. He called you his favorite writer.” Molly signaled for the waiter, who hurried over immediately. They were having lunch in the exclusive restaurant that belonged to Kelly Takahashi and was incredibly hard to get into. “A magna salad darling, and some of that very good cherry drink you serve.” She looked at Addison. “You're not eating?”

  “I'm not very hungry, but you go right ahead. I want to talk about a script I'm doing.”

  “Of course.” She waved the waiter away. “Shoot. I'm all ears.”

  Addison had formed the idea after Cameron had left her and she'd cried herself silly. It was about a man and a woman caught in a massive three day storm. During that time they had to fight off men trying to kill them to take their supplies. Unknown to the woman, the man was an undercover cop who had come to the cabin to get away from the grief of losing his wife and daughter. The woman was there because she was recovering from a broken heart. During that time the two of them, facing certain death, found themselves drawn to each other. But then the man left without letting her know.

  “Darling! The suspense is killing me! Did she finally get her man?” Molly asked breathlessly.

  Addison smiled to see that her preliminary script had made such an impression. “You'll have to wait and see,” she told her. “Is that something you can sell to Gamble?”

  “Darling, what a question!”

  “I want it to be a series.”

  “You don't do series.”

  “I want to see how this one plays out.”

  Molly looked at her curiously. “Anything you feel like sharing?”

  “No. Just that I want to get back to work.”

  “I'll call Gamble but I'm not sure he will want it for the small screen.”

  “Whatever works.”

  “Ah, here's lunch. Are you sure you're not eating?”

  “I'm fine.”

  ******

  “Darling, you still look tired. Are you sure you don’t want to skip going in today?” Paige peered at her son in concern as she buttered her scone.

  “I'm okay Mother,” he forced a smile. He hadn't eaten the meal last night and he wasn't feeling hungry this morning. He sipped the coffee slowly and wondered how soon he could excuse himself. His dark grey suit felt slightly uncomfortable and he realized that he'd gotten used to wearing jeans or loose sweatpants. “How was the function?”

  “Very good, actually,” she said with a laugh. “Now darling, I want to hear all about your trip. How isolated was the place and what did you do all day?”

  His mind flashed back to Addie and the way he had explored her body, every inch of it. Shoveling the snow and being in the kitchen together. “Nothing much. I caught up on my reading.”

  “That’s what you did all day? Read?” His mother looked at him incredulously.

  “And walked. The place is incredible, with all this stretch of land not encumbered by too many buildings. And the people are so simple. It’s a very good place to relax.”

  “I would go crazy in a place like that. I bet you were starting to get bored.”

  “Not at all,” he told her truthfully. He pushed back his chair. “I have some meetings to attend Mother. So I'll see you for dinner.”

  “Darling, I didn't want to tell you but I guess there's no sugar-coating it. The car that Parker—” she broke off and took a deep breath. “We didn't get the go ahead to put it back on the market. It’s being called a death trap.”

  “I read the reports last night to catch myself up Mother. I had no intention of putting it back out there anyway.”

  “It’s a shame because it was just because of your brother’s recklessness—”

  “Mother!”

  “It has to be said, darling!” she told him firmly. “I loved Parker but the fact is that he never thought of anyone but himself and he never measured the consequences of his actions.”

  The silence in the elegant dining room was loaded. He pushed his chair back and made to leave but hesitated at the doorway and looked at her. “We both knew who he was Mother, but that didn't stop us from loving him that way.

  *****

  “Preston Sinclair! We were beginning to think that they'd revoked your membership!” Theodore clapped him on the back the minute he came into the card room. “Where have you been?”

  “Off the grid,” he smiled and looked around the table. Parker had been more active and more involved than he'd been and when his brother had died there had been such a wealth of support. “Any room for me?”

  “Of course, pull up a chair,” Paul told him.

  “We want to tell you how sorry we are about Parker’s death,” Aiden told him soberly.

  “Thank you.” It was no longer hard for him to hear his brother’s name mentioned.

  He played quietly and without his brother’s usual flair. He won several games before leaving for the bar. It had been a month since he'd been back, which meant that it was a month since he'd seen Addie and the ache inside his heart refused to stop.

  “What can I get you sir?” the young bartender asked him politely. Marty wasn't around or he would have known what to serve him.

  “Scotch on the rocks please, and make it a double.”

  He turned and looked around the room idly. The Elite Club had been around for several generations and catered to the elite of society. At first it had been a men’s only club but during the past few years it had opened its doors to allow the wives of the members of the club to become a part of it as well. He nodded to a fairly new member who was sitting at a table by himself. His name was Peter Schultz, a German-American with whom he'd done business several times. His drinks came and he started drinking slowly at first. “Cameron, don’t stop!” her husky voice came to him and he almost spilled his drink as he looked around to see if she was there. His mind was playing tricks on him. “Don’t stop, please.” He closed his eyes as he remembered pulling out of her and stroking her mound with the tip of his penis. “Christ!” he whispered. He put the glass to his lips and drank it quickly to try and relieve himself of the desire coursing through him. He got up and stood there trying to clear his head before he walked out of the club and instructed the valet to get his car.

  *****

  He stood there looking into his brother’s room. It had been frozen in time. The bed was spread and it was as neat as a pin but everything else was just the way he'd left it. He remembered coming into the suite and sitting there as Parker talked to some adoring woman on the phone. It didn't mat
ter that they knew he was going to tell them goodbye sooner or later, they just wanted to be with him.

  “How do you do it?” Preston had asked him one night when he'd come home smelling of expensive perfume and with his clothes slightly disheveled.

  “Chemistry and looks,” he'd said with a grin. “And you have to make them feel as if they're the most important woman in the entire world. And for that time they are. I treat them all as if they're exclusive.”

  “What about love?”

  He'd laughed in amusement. “Love is for people who want to stick to one woman for the rest of their lives, man. I want to enjoy what’s out there and I'm doing that. I love all women and I just want to share what I have with them.”

  Preston wandered into the large room and looked at the clutter. His brother’s taste had been far different from his. Parker’s room was filled with all sorts of treasures he'd picked up over the years. Expensive treasures. He picked up a round crystal that shot light all over the room. It had cost a fortune and he'd bought it on a whim. He put it back down and with a last look around he made the decision. In the morning he was going to talk to his mother about getting rid of everything.

  ******

  “We shouldn't have to excuse the fact that we're married to the men we love!” the caption read. Some reporter had caught Kelly Takahashi just as she was entering one of her restaurants with several other women who were also married to white billionaires. The woman had stopped modeling now for several years but looked like she'd just stepped off the runway. She had allowed her hair to grow and the natural blonde locks were wild and crazy around her face and suited her to a tee. “Love doesn't look at the color of the skin but really looks at the heart. Look man, if you don't get that camera out of my face it's going to permanently become a part of your body!” she'd added, her eyes flashing. Addison laughed as she turned the television off. Her mind went to Cameron. She'd never thought of actually sticking with a ‘brother’ no matter what. She'd been with Edgar and he'd cheated on her, she'd never thought that it was due to the color of his skin. To her, people were people and there was no taking away from that. The thought of Cameron had her heart racing. She went to bed each night with him on her mind, reliving the time they'd spent in both cabins. She'd shared intimate moments with him. She closed her eyes and remembered him placing the towel on her stomach and making tea and bringing it to her. How could he have walked away from that? Addison put aside the laptop she'd been using and got to her feet abruptly. She couldn't concentrate, couldn't do anything without thinking of him. The script which she was working on, which had been approved by Gamble, was about the time they had spent in the cabins and she was beginning to think that it hadn't been a good idea to write about something so personal. But she had to. She relived their last painful argument and what she'd told him. She should have done things differently, she should have demanded that they work things out, that he give her his number. She should have given him her number. Addison went into the kitchen and sat at the stool in the darkened room. She thought that getting over Edgar was hard but that was a piece of cake compared to this.