“I was just d-dancing.”
“Don’t lie to me! I saw the other pictures as well. The ones from the stadium. Is that what this bohemian lifestyle of yours is all about? Do you follow rock bands around and sleep with any man who’ll have you?’
Enraged, I jerked the door open in time to see Lily fling her phone at the wall. Sliding to her butt, she buried her face in her hands and sobbed.
Her friend noticed me rooted to my spot and stepped over the broken pieces of plastic. “I’m Tess. Lily’s roommate.”
“Cameron.”
She smiled tightly. “I’ll leave you two alone.”
Lingering for a moment, she looked down at Lily, then up to me. Concern etched her features. Along with a warning. Or maybe it was a plea. Don’t hurt her. The words were as clear as if she’d spoken them aloud.
Satisfied with my quick nod, Tess disappeared into the room across the hall.
Crouching beside Lily, I smoothed a hand over her hair. “What happened?”
She looked up, last nights mascara streaking her face. And for a long moment she just stared at me. Then her focus shifted to the newspaper spread out on the floor. It was opened to the society page. To a picture of us at the stadium.
Is Cameron Knight playing a new tune? Caged guitarist spotted getting cozy with Lillian Tennison, socialite daughter of high-profile business magnate Marcus Tennison.
I pulled her against me when fresh tears spilled onto her cheeks. “It’s okay.”
I wasn’t sure why I said it. Because nothing was okay. I’d been so caught up in my own head, I’d never thought about what Lily might be risking by getting involved with me.
Cradling her in my arms, I carried her into her room. Easing her between the sheets, I crawled in behind her and wrapped her in my arms. “I’m sorry, Lily.”
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d apologized to anyone. And that said something about my life. There was no give. Only take.
She turned to face me with a furrowed brow. “W-why? I’m not. Except for last n-night. I knew you were m-mad. I shouldn’t have just shown up like that.”
“I wasn’t mad. I was hurt. I thought you were blowing me off.”
She gave me a watery smile. “I would never blow you off.”
Rolling her onto her back, I looked into her eyes. So blue. An ocean of possibilities. “Lily, I don’t know how to do…this. I don’t want to hurt you. But, shit—I just want to be with you. However we can.”
Her fingertip glided along my bottom lip. “I suppose we can try…”
Pressing my lips to hers, I silenced any conditions or limitations she was about to impose. She’d said yes, and that’s all that mattered for now.
* * *
The clerk finished ringing up my purchase. Since this was Saks Fifth Avenue, she didn’t tell me the total, just turned the scanner in my direction. I gulped, flicking my gaze from the screen to her sable eyes. “Um…I thought the dress was on s-sale?”
Her lips flatlined as she glanced over my messy bun, and freshly scrubbed face. “It is. But I took the liberty of adding the strapless bra you tried on to your purchase.” Shifting her focus to my chest, she raised a brow. “A good foundation is a must, you know.”
She was probably right, but I had just enough on the gift card my father had sent me for my birthday to cover the dress. I’d been saving it to buy something to wear for graduation, but I fell in love with the Monique Lhuillier gown the moment I saw it. And since I needed something to wear to the ballet tonight, I’d decided to treat myself. But the pampering didn’t extend to a one hundred and forty five dollar bra.
“J-Just the dress,” I said, sliding my gift card to her with a smile.
She nodded briskly and, after making the adjustment, she slipped my purchase into a garment bag.
“Lillian?”
Cringing inwardly, I squeezed my eyes shut. Coming here was a mistake. But Cameron had insisted on buying a tux for our date, and this was the only store where I had enough pull to get the alterations done by this evening.
Straightening my spine, I turned with a forced smile. “Hello, Mrs. B-Blackstone.”
My mother’s best friend enveloped me in a hug infused with so much French perfume my eyes watered. After kissing both cheeks, she held me at arm’s length to look me over. “Aren’t you cute as a bug’s ear. You look just like Abby. Now, come over here and tell me everything you’ve been doing.”
Before I could untangle my tongue, she dragged me over to a settee in the center of the room. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see all of Mens Formalwear, including the door to the dressing room where Cameron was getting fitted.
“You must be so excited about your graduation.” she said, patting the rich, velvet upholstery on the settee.
Smile frozen on my lips, I eased down onto the cushion. Graduation. My debt. I could almost picture my father, looking me over with disappointment from behind the desk in his office. But I still had a couple of months before I’d have to face him. Maybe I’d win the lottery.
“Lillian?”
“Oh…yes. Very excited.”
Luckily, Mrs. Blackstone had known me all my life, and she didn’t expect me to elaborate.
Better to say one sentence perfectly, then stumble through an entire conversation. Less is more, Lillian.
She’d been there the night of my coming out party when my mother had given me that piece of advice.
“Will you continue to work at the Mansion after you graduate?”
My cheeks heated. “I’m n-not sure.”
Something akin to sympathy flashed across her features. “You haven’t had any luck finding a position?”
I shook my head, dropping my gaze to my lap. “N-not yet.”
She sighed. “I dare say that is your mother’s doing, sweetheart.” I blinked at her, and she frowned. “She’s been functioning as the head of the Fine Arts League ever since Whitney ran off with that painter from Spain. They’re going to make the official offer as soon as the party season is over.”
I didn’t know what surprised me more, the fact that she’d admitted that Judge Sinclair’s wife had skipped town with an artist half her age, or my mother’s new position.
“I d-didn’t know that.”
But, of course, it made sense. Everything made sense now.
“Listen,” she lowered her voice as she dug a card out of her purse, “I have a friend in Taos, where we have our winter home. She runs a very prestigious gallery. Maybe you could give her a call.”
The unspoken “keep this between us” hung thickly in the air as she pressed the card into my hand.
“Thank you, Collette.”
If we were going to be partners in this little deception, I might as well call her by her first name. She’d asked me to on many occasions, but my mother would never permit it.
My mother.
Could I even call her that anymore? She obviously didn’t care about me. I was just a box she’d ticked off on her bucket list. An obligation. Procreate. Check. And when I didn’t turn out the way she wanted…
“Excuse me, Miss Tennison?”
Torn from my thoughts, I shifted my focus to the haughty sales clerk trying desperately to get my attention. Only she didn’t look so haughty anymore. She’d obviously figured out who I was. And that my mother spent more than the gross national product of a small country in this store.
“Here’s your dress.” With a big grin, she turned over the garment bag. Leaning in, she added in a whisper, “I went ahead and threw in that bra.”
I nodded, and she turned her pretty smile on Collette before retreating back to her spot behind the register.
“Thank you for t-the referral,” I said as I climbed to my feet.
Collette did the same, then folded me into another hug. “Don’t mention it, sweetheart.”
One last peck on the cheek and she was gone, gliding toward the rack full of overpriced clothes the haughty salesgirl had picked out.
> Once they were in the dressing room, I unzipped the garment bag, pulled out the bra, and tossed it on the settee. And then I tucked Collette’s card in my pocket and went to find Cameron.
* * *
I looked down at the guy crawling between my legs with the tape measure hanging around his neck. His hands were everywhere. Tucking. Pinning. Groping. I swear he was groping.
When Lily finally returned to the dressing room, a black zippered bag draped over her arm, I was pinned against the wall.
Biting down a grin, she hung up her bag, then dropped onto a chair to enjoy the show.
“Not funny,” I mouthed when the guy made another pass over my package.
Lily pursed her lips, and I could tell she was a second away from letting loose. Clearing her throat, she focused on the tailor. “Mr. Gravis, are you sure you can have this delivered to the Mansion before five o’clock?”
A smile lit his chubby face. “Of course.” Pushing to his feet, he cocked his head and surveyed me with a discerning eye. “The jacket—it is a perfect fit. A little tuck in the trousers and voila!” He glanced over at Lily. “A perfect body for the clothes, no?”
Lily’s gaze travelled the length of me. “Yes. He is perfect.”
Mr. Gravis nodded and gratefully, thankfully, departed so I could change.
“Hold on,” Lily said, dropping to her knees in front of me. My cock sprang to life, and I tangled my fingers in her hair. “Don’t get any ideas. You’re full of pins. You’ll be lucky if your balls make it out in one piece.” She carefully slid the trousers over my hips. “Cameron—step back.” But I didn’t move, tightening my grip on her silky locks. Those eyes met mine, full of fire. “I’m not blowing you in the dressing room at Saks.”
Before I could tell her all the reasons why it was a good idea, she scampered up to hang the trousers on the hook next to the mirror. I followed, sliding my hand under her shirt. “How about you take off your clothes and—”
“Later, you sex fiend.”
With a sigh, I stepped into my jeans, carefully tucking my erection inside. “I see how it is. Now that you’re my girlfriend, all the fun stuff is going to stop. No more limo sex. No more tying you up with your pretty pink bra.”
Our gazes collided in the mirror, and her lips fell into a frown. “Don’t tease me, Cameron. It’s not funny.”
If she thought I was teasing, she was dead wrong. I was terrified. And very serious. Looping my arms around her waist, I rested my chin on her shoulder. “I’m not teasing you, darlin’. But before you get all starry eyed, you should know I haven’t had a girlfriend since the eleventh grade. So I probably suck at it.”
Turning in my arms, her cornflower blue eyes quieted my every doubt. “Try not to hurt me, Cam.” Laying a hand over my heart, she sealed her plea with a soft kiss. “Please try.”
* * *
“Can I talk to you, Lily?”
I looked up from programming my new phone and found Greg hovering at the open door to my office. Despite the pictures in the paper, I had insisted on driving my own car back to the Mansion. And now I was waiting until Cameron made sure that none of the staff was in the bungalow before I joined him.
I set the phone down. “Of course.”
Greg had barely spoken to me since our evening in the lounge. And he hadn’t smiled at me once. “I’m sure you know why I’m here,” he said as he took a seat.
I didn’t, and I was about to tell him so when he tossed the newspaper on my desk, folded to the society page. A lump formed in my throat as I stared at the photo of Cameron and me. And then I counted. When I reached ten and my tongue still wouldn’t cooperate, I met Greg’s gaze.
He eased back into the chair. “You’re aware of our fraternization policy, correct?”
Technically, the Mansion’s policy only extended to dalliances between employees. The company couldn’t prohibit the staff from entering into a relationship with a guest. I’d never brought it up, because nobody had ever been reprimanded for it.
The serious set of Greg’s jaw told me that was about to change.
“You’ve been a great asset to our team during your tenure here, Lily. But…”
Greg’s lips continued to move, but I couldn’t hear anything over my pounding heart. He was firing me.
Tilting my head as if that might bring the world back into focus, I tried to concentrate on his words. I wasn’t having much luck until he said, “Bradly Westover called personally to voice his displeasure.”
My spine went rail stiff. “What d-does Brad have to do with th-this?”
Greg shifted as if he wasn’t quite sure how to answer. But he didn’t have to. In the few seconds it took me to gather my wits, it all became clear. The Tennison Foundation was the Mansion’s single largest client. And the reason I’d gotten my job here in the first place. I’d always known it. But I’d never cared. Because I was qualified.
“You know he’s my ex fiancé, r-right?” Greg rubbed the back of his neck, nodding. Rather than tell him how utterly unfair his decision was, I wobbled to my feet, tossing the new phone I couldn’t afford into my purse. “I’ll be back in a c-couple of days to get my stuff.”
Greg hopped up when I rounded the desk. “Maybe if your father were to call…”
Shoving his hands in his pockets, he surveyed me with a scrunched-up brow. And I wondered if he’d thought of that on his own, or if it was all part of the plan. Either way, I wasn’t biting.
“No thanks,” I replied, snatching the garment bag from the hook on the back of the door. “I’m an artist, not an events c-coordinator.” My gaze flicked to the charcoals on the wall. And I smiled. “I was always j-just killing time here anyway.”
* * *
Pacing the length of the suite, I tugged at the stiff collar on the starched white dress shirt while Dave set up the special dinner I’d arranged. How in the hell did people wear this shit? Running a finger between the fabric and my skin, I did my best to ignore the feeling of being choked by my own formalwear.
“You look very nice, Cameron,” Dave said as he dipped into his pocket for some matches.
“Thanks.”
He lit two tapered candles in the center of the table, nestled between the fresh lilies and other greenery that made up the centerpiece. “We sure are going to miss Lily around here,” he mused. “She was a joy to work with. Such a special girl.”
I stopped pacing. “Why would you miss Lily? She’s…”
In the next room.
After she’d dropped by her office to firm up the last details for our night at the ballet, I’d drawn her a bath and slid into the tub behind her to help program her new phone. Since we were naked, that quickly evolved into sex against the counter. She’d finally chased me out an hour ago so she could get ready.
Oblivious to my confused expression, Dave checked the flame under the chaffing dishes. “Mr. Greg told us this morning that’s she’d no longer be with us. It seems her picture was in the paper today and it caused quite a stir.” He finally looked at me, his eyes serious and troubled. “I was hoping that someone would have the balls to stand up for her.”
Ripping a hand through my hair, I dropped onto the uncomfortable chair. Fired. Because of me. “Are you sure?”
Dave nodded. “I take it you were unaware.”
“Hell no, I wasn’t aware.” I pointed to the closed bedroom door. “You mean to tell me she’s aware?”
His eyes widened. “Miss Lily is here?”
“You thought all of this was for someone else?”
Dave turned as crimson as the roses I had delivered for Lily prior to our arrival. Four dozen American Beauties. One dozen for each of the days I’d known her.
“It’s not my place to judge,” he said quietly. “I didn’t mean to offend.”
He looked so dejected, I couldn’t help but feel bad for the guy. “Don’t worry about it.” Clapping him on the back, I urged him in the direction of the front door. “Lily should be out any minute. I can take t
hings from here.”
“Of course. Y’all have a pleasant evening.”
Once he was gone and the deadbolt was in place, I pulled out my phone to tap out a message to Chase. I’d always turned to my brother for advice. For guidance. But I wasn’t even sure what to ask.
Lily poked her head out of the bedroom. “I heard the front door close. Is the coast clear?”
Smiling, I slipped the phone into my front pocket. “All clear, darlin’.”
She swept into the room, tugging at the small train on her burgundy dress. Dumbstruck, my gaze traveled north to the soft skin spilling over the top of her tight bodice. And the tendrils of blond hair falling out of her loose bun. And her lips, painted to match the gown.
“What do you think?” She twirled in front of me, her smile fading when I didn’t move. Or speak. “I-I really liked the color. If it’s t-too much—”
“You’re beautiful.” I took her hands, spinning her around to get a better view of her ass. “Stunning.”
The light returned to her eyes, a brilliant smile breaking like dawn.
“Dinner’s ready.” I held the chair for her, and when she eased down, the deep slit on the side of her dress fell open, stopping just short of the Promised Land. Crouching to steal a kiss, I caressed her thigh.
“Thank you,” she said, her fingers twining in my hair.
“For what, baby?”
“Tonight.” Her gaze shifted to the lilies and the candles, then over to the roses, then back to me. “It’s already the best date I’ve ever had.”
The words slipped over her tongue without hesitation. And I knew they were true. Lily hadn’t had a hard life. But I felt her loneliness, like a weight on my heart.
I pressed my lips to the tiny crease between her brows where all her doubt resided. “Eat up. We haven’t even started yet.”