by Low, JA
“I don’t believe it,” Nate states.
I hear his phone beep. “Open the message,” I tell him. The phone rustles as Nate opens up my text message.
“Okay. I agree it looks bad. But it could be a fake,” Nate says in an attempt to stick up for his friend.
“Fake?” I raise my voice. “No. Axel’s ego took a dent, and he’s not used to that. Fucking rock stars.” Not sure why I’m getting so worked up. Stop the wine, Camryn.
“I’m not defending Axel,” he replies quietly. “But Olivia lied about having a fiancé.”
I’m about to defend my girl to Nate, but he’s right. Olivia hid the fact she had a fiancé.
“I know,” I reply, calming down a little. “I told her what she was doing was wrong. I mean, me of all people, knows how much it hurts to find out the person you’re with has a secret fiancée. But I didn’t go off and sleep with Harris’ brother when I found out. Not that he has one… but you know what I mean.”
“I know. Men can be dicks,” Nate agrees. “I also know that Axel isn’t like that. He wouldn’t hurt someone like that on purpose.”
Maybe he’s right.
“But the photo,” I argue.
“I know it looks bad, but I swear there has to be more to it.”
Dammit! I hate that he’s making sense.
“Fine, you’re probably right,” I grumble into the phone, and he laughs. “Don’t get used to me agreeing with you.” This makes him laugh louder.
“Promise, I won’t.”
“It’s one big mess.”
“Yeah, but it’s their mess.”
Maybe he’s right. Again. Damn him and his logic.
“Ugh… stop being so logical with your advice.”
“Fine! How about this.” Nate puts on a high-pitched voice. “Axel is the biggest douche in the world. Olivia doesn’t deserve him. Penny is such a bitch.” He has me laughing so much I have to hold my stomach.
“Stop it! I get it.”
“I can be one of the girls when you want me to be.” Nate’s a genuine guy underneath all that bold exterior and uber sexiness.
“I like your dick too much for you to be a girl.”
“Really! Tell me more about how much you like my dick.”
“How about I show you how much when I get there.”
“Can’t wait.” His voice has turned husky and needy.
“Thanks for listening to me.”
“Anytime, babe.”
I shouldn’t like Nate calling me babe, but I do. I really do! More than I should. But friends can call each other babe, can’t they?
“See ya soon.” Butterflies swarm in my stomach, and I know that isn’t a good sign.
“There are so many things I want to do to your body when you get here.”
“You’re going to have to make sure Sam’s busy,” I remind him of our mutual friend.
“He’s not coming anymore,” Nate tells me.
I shouldn’t be excited, but I am.
“He’s helping the Dirty Texas guys find some real estate in New York. Apparently, they’re setting up an office.”
“Harper isn’t either,” I let him know. “She’s taking over the PR for Dirty Texas Records from Vanessa when she goes on maternity leave.”
“Really? That’s great.” Nate sounds just as happy as I did about the Sam news.
“Yeah, I put her name forward knowing she’d be perfect.”
“Kimberly’s also staying. She has a last-minute event for one of her biggest clients.”
“Bummer.” He doesn’t sound sad about that at all, which makes me internally giggle.
“I know. What are we going to do with ourselves?”
“I have so many ideas now that we don’t have to hide,” he muses.
I like the sound of that.
“Looking forward to it.”
“See ya soon, Camryn.”
20
Camryn
“Hey, ladies. Having fun in the Caribbean?” Ivy and Olivia’s Instagram photographs have me seriously jealous.
“Yes, it’s exactly what the doctor ordered.” Olivia smiles. I can see her creamy skin is glowing, the bags under her eyes have almost completely disappeared.
“You both look relaxed. I’m freezing my butt off here in New York.” A huge dumping of snow from a winter storm hit the city earlier, and it’s chaos.
“We’ll have a cocktail for you,” my sister teases while waving her glass filled with some sort of tropical concoction in the air. Bitch.
“You’re such a giver. Actually, I was thinking we could have a cocktail together in a couple of days.”
“You want to come and stay with us?” Olivia asks, taking a sip from her fruity cocktail.
“Um… that’s sweet, but no.” I’m not sure how they’re going to take what I’m about to ask. “I was thinking perhaps you ladies could come stay with me?” They both look at me strangely. “I’m organizing the soft launch of The Paradise Club Resort with Nate.” I am hoping they remember my conversation about it that we had before Christmas. “And, well, I thought maybe you two lovely ladies would like to test out the facilities.”
Nate asked me if I knew of anyone who might like to try it out for the first time. He was worried his loyal clients will love it no matter what. He wants to see what it will be like for someone new to the island, new to the whole Paradise Club thing. “When I say facilities, I mean have hot, wild sex.”
The girls still, looking at me with wide eyes.
Crap! Maybe I’ve chosen the wrong two girls. I thought as they were in the area, it might be fun, but I don’t know whether they are into that type of thing or not. “Hello? Guys… I can’t hear anything. Did we lose the connection?”
“Um… no, we’re here. Just a little stunned by your request,” Ivy answers for the both of them.
“What? You don’t want to come to a sex resort?” I remember back to my late-night conversation with my sister when she told me she wanted to try new things. Be more adventurous. This should be right up her alley.
“Of course, we do. We just weren’t expecting that,” Ivy adds.
“Um… so who’s going?” Olivia asks tentatively. I know exactly what she’s asking, and that’s if Axel’s going to be there.
“Don’t worry, Axel declined the invite. He won’t be there. Neither will the rest of the band. Something about expanding into New York, so they’re here looking for office space,” I state, putting Olivia at ease. “Come on! It will be fun… and wicked. The resort looks amazing. We’re talking about seven-star luxury on an island. What Nate has built is spectacular. Plus, you both need some hot, wild sex as well, right?”
“Camryn,” Ivy squeals with embarrassment. I love my sister, but she seriously needs to get some.
“Ivy, please. I know for a fact that it has been too damn long since you got your cage rattled.”
My sister grumbles at me.
I turn my attention on to Olivia. “Come on, Liv, I know you had fun at the club. I know things are shit right now. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do, but I would really appreciate two of my best friends helping me on this big project.”
Yes, I will guilt them into coming if that’s what it takes.
“Fine, we’ll come,” Olivia answers.
Yay! “Thank you both, so much. I promise you won’t regret it.”
* * *
“You’re such a bitch,” Kimberly tells me, looking up from her desk, which makes me laugh. “I’m stuck in the city when all I want to be doing is relaxing on a tropical beach, in the sunshine, with some hot young guy bringing me a cocktail and servicing me on the side.”
“I’ll make sure to appreciate the hot, young, pool boy and his cocktail for you.”
“Bitch,” Kimberly hisses again, throwing a stress ball at my head, making me clutch at my stomach with laughter.
“Love you.” Walking over, I hug her. She grumbles but hugs me back anyway.
“In all se
riousness, have fun, then report back all the naughtiness.”
“Don’t forget, in a couple of months, we’ll all be there for the Grand Opening.”
Kimberly smiles. “It can’t come soon enough as far as I am concerned.”
“I better go, have an early flight in the morning.” Waving her goodbye, I rush out of her office before she can peg any more projectiles at me.
Stepping outside, I pull my coat around me tighter to hold back the bitterly cold night air. My driver’s waiting for me, and he’s standing by the door.
“Give me two secs, Damon. I want to grab something real quick.”
He nods in agreement, closes the door, and hops back into the car to wait for me. Rushing up the street, sleet begins to fall toward the bright fluorescent lighting of the twenty-four-hour deli. I’ll grab something quick for dinner, maybe some wine, and finish packing when I get home. It doesn’t take me long to grab what I need and head on back out onto the street.
I’m not far from the car when I feel my arm being pulled, and hard fingers dig into my flesh as I’m yanked into an alley. A scream is on the tip of my tongue ready to be expelled until I hear the voice.
“Camryn,” Harris says.
What the fuck?
Harris has dragged me into a darkened alley. My heart is thundering in my chest. My bags which were filled with my dinner and a nice bottle of wine are smashed all over the sidewalk. People are stepping around the mess, not even wondering why it’s there.
“What the hell, Harris?” Catching myself, I say, “You scared the shit out of me.”
“Baby, I’m sorry,” he whispers. “I’m not allowed anywhere near you. It was the only way I could see you.” He tries to reach out for me, but I take a step back.
What the hell does he think he’s doing?
“You need to leave me alone, Harris.” Folding my arms in front of me, I look around to see if there’s a way to escape as Harris has the street blocked with his imposing body.
“I can’t, Camryn. I miss you. I still love you.” He reaches out for my hands, and I let him. I need him to think I’m complying, so he will let me go.
What kind of person acts like this? An irrational one, that’s who.
I don’t know what he’s capable of.
I’m scared.
“What about Isabelle?” I gently remind him of his fiancée.
“What about her?” His words are like steel, and his eyes are dark and protruding.
“I don’t think she’d appreciate you talking to me.” My voice is calm. I am trying to use the most soothing sound I can without sounding frightened.
“She does as she’s told. You don’t have to worry about her.”
Now that comment gives me chills and not in a good way. The way he said it was so cold and detached. I’ve never seen this side of him. Carefully, I pull my hands out of his grasp.
“Why did you sell your presents?” His tone turns accusatory.
“I didn’t need them.”
“You donated the money to the zoo.”
“It’s a tax deduction. Thought it might help.” He eyes me suspiciously. It doesn’t escape my attention that his hands are balled into fists at his sides. “I should go, Harris.” I attempt to step around him, but he blocks me in.
“I miss you so much, Camryn.” I can see that he means it, he keeps strong eye contact, and the look he is giving me is one of yearning and longing, and I am worried.
“I know.”
“You don’t miss me?” he questions.
“I miss what we had before it all fell apart.”
There’s hope in his eyes at my comment. Shit! That backfired.
“It wasn’t my fault.”
Grow a pair—you’re a thirty-five-year-old man for fuck’s sake.
“I had no choice, babe.” He honestly sounds like a broken record.
“You did have a choice,” I remind him. “You chose money over me.”
Harris advances on me, pushing me up against the wall.
“I did it for us, you ungrateful bitch.” My eyes widen at his venom. “Do you seriously think your little party business was going to be able to sustain my lifestyle.”
Fuck him! At least I’m doing it on my own, not with Daddy’s money.
“You need me. One false move, and I can destroy everything you’ve built here. I can make sure your little business disappears… just like that.” He clicks his fingers right in front of my eyes.
My eyes narrow on him, and without thinking, I draw my eyebrows together and tilt my head. Harris is a fucking monster.
Without even thinking, I bring my knee up straight between his legs into his balls. Hard. He falls like a sack of potatoes to the ground.
“Don’t you ever fucking threaten me, Harris. You have no idea what I’m capable of.” Turning on my heels quickly, I rush back into the street.
“Miss Starr, Miss Starr… there you are.” Damon looks frantic, his foot is tapping, and he’s rubbing his chin when he sees me in the crowd. He rushes over, noticing I’m shaken and ushers me quickly into the back of the car. Slamming the door, he runs around to his side, starts the engine and speeds out into traffic.
“Are you okay, Miss Starr?” I can see the concern written on his face as he looks at me through the rearview mirror. “You’re shaking.” Looking down at my hands, I notice the visible tremor. The adrenaline must be wearing off.
“I lost you for a second and—”
“I’m okay, Damon,” I reassure him. “Just take me home.”
He does exactly that, and we don’t speak again on the drive home.
I don’t say a word as I get out of the car or and rush through the foyer, ignoring the staff. Quickly, I punch my level and silently wait for the elevator. As soon as I enter my door, I rush to the shower, quickly stripping off and turn the faucet to hot. Standing under the boiling water, I attempt to clean off Harris’ touch from me. I stay in the shower until the water runs cold, then I get out and into my pajamas.
My phone rings, pulling me from my zombie-like state.
Nate’s name flashes against the screen and without even thinking, I answer because his voice is the only thing I need in this moment to help me through what’s just happened.
“Hey, beautiful.” I can hear the smile in his voice as he greets me. Biting back the tears that seem to have erupted and are now running down my cheeks, I don’t answer. “Cam?” His voice turns serious all of a sudden. “Cam?” he says my name over and over again until I can’t hang on anymore and burst into sobs.
21
Nate
No. No. No. No. What just happened?
As Camryn falls apart over the phone, I hear the uncontrollable sobs that are ripping through my chest like Wolverine’s claws.
“What’s happened, Cammie?” It’s hard to work out what she’s saying through her sobs, but I do catch the name ‘Harris.’ That fucking fuck, if he’s touched a hair on her head, I will personally fucking kill him. I move to my computer and bring up my message app with Jackson, and shoot off a line about Harris getting to Camryn. He responds instantly letting me know he’s on it. My main focus is Camryn right now and keeping her safe. My mind is rushing a mile a minute trying to work out how I can get to her, to get her to the island where I know she will be safe.
“Camryn…” I attempt to pull her from what appears to be a panic attack. “Babe…” I am trying to gain her attention. “Are your bags packed?”
“Yes,” she squeaks out.
“Good. Good girl. You’re leaving for the island tonight.”
Silence.
“Nate…” My name is quiet as she whispers it, and if I weren’t really listening, I wouldn’t have heard it at all.
“No, Camryn. I have a jet on standby for you. Your driver has been alerted to the change of plans and will be back to pick you up in about twenty. He will be taking you to the airport to catch a private jet. You will be on the island by midnight tonight. Okay?” I don’t want to for
ce her into anything she doesn’t want to do, so I wait for her reply.
“Okay.”
To be honest, I’m surprised she’s agreed so easily. “I’ll see you soon. I promise you’re safe with me.”
“Okay,” she says again.
I hope she knows I mean every word.
* * *
The fifteen-minute helicopter flight from the wharf to the island seems to be the longest part of the journey. I’m nervously waiting, the whole area is lit up like daylight waiting for the helicopter to land. Eventually, the sound of the blades echo through the night air, and I can see the lights of the helicopter come into view. It’s not long until the chopper is landing on the grass, and I’m rushing toward it.
Opening the door, I’m relieved to see Camryn is safe. She gives me a sad smile. Her eyes are puffy from crying, and she looks so fragile sitting there. Without thinking, I unclasp her seatbelt and pull her into my arms, then carry her toward my villa.
Gary, the pilot, knows to leave her bags by the door. There’s a buggy waiting for him to drive to his villa for the night. It’s the least I can do for this late-night trip he’s had to do for me. Camryn clings tightly to me, burying her face in my chest. I take the stairs two at a time to my bedroom. Gently, I place her on my bed. She gives me a small smile as I slide in beside her and wrap myself around her body. Moments later, she’s sound asleep.
* * *
It took me a long time to eventually fall asleep. Stretching, I realize Camryn isn’t beside me. Panic laces my entire being as I touch where she was, and it’s cold.
Where the hell is she?
Jumping out of bed, I can’t hear the shower running, so she’s not in there. I rush downstairs, my head flicking around. Then I hear the sloshing out in the pool area. Looking out the glass windows, I see Camryn’s doing laps in the pool.
Relief.