Tainted Desire (Desire Series, #1)

by Wendi Hulsey

  “He hasn’t had a girlfriend in a few years. He dated ‘the bitch’ for about two years. I could not stand that girl; she was just hoping he would make it big so she could be his trophy wife. Things weren’t going fast enough for her, he couldn’t afford to take her to all the fancy places she expected him to, so she dropped him for some other racer and left town with him. Good riddance, she was a gold digger,” Courtney says with a look of disgust.

  “How awful, he must have been heartbroken, how can women be like that? I hope she gets what she deserves and the other guy dumps her when he gets tired of her,” I say, thinking I wouldn’t mind getting a chance at mending Cameron’s broken heart.

  “He wasn’t heartbroken at all. I think he was relieved that she left and he didn’t have to break it off with her. He hates confrontations; he probably would’ve stayed with her just to avoid an argument or hurting her, he’s still a softy. Her loss, my brother is hot as hell.”

  Okay, this is good. It’s not often you hear a person call their sibling hot. Now I really can’t wait to lay my eyes on him. I hope that he’s everything I dreamed of in my fantasies, not that looks are everything; Dylan was hot but a royal asshole. I would rather have an average Joe, if they were nice and respectful. However, if Cameron were both, I would be in seventh heaven. Then again, he might not even give me the time of day; I shouldn’t get my hopes up.

  I look up as we’re taking the turn into Daytona. “How much longer before we reach your place?” I ask.

  “Oh! About fifteen minutes yet. The Daytona Speedway will be on your right hand side in just a couple minutes. If Cameron does well, we might be spending a lot of time there cheering him on,” Courtney says happily.

  I would like to have that special celebration with him afterwards like in my dream on the plane. When we come up to the speedway, it is massive. The outside has huge pictures of all the past great racers. There’s a racing hall of fame you can tour and an advertisement for track tours. It would be exciting to go see a race after the hundreds I’ve watched with my dad. He would be upset to know I was able to go in person while he had to watch it on TV. I’ll have to get tickets to go see one soon, so I can brag about it to my dad. I would like an introduction to the life Cameron will be living.

  Daytona is a happening city, I notice after we pass store after store. I can’t wait to go shopping and replace the clothes I had to leave behind. I hope that I can find some discount stores; my budget is going to be rather bleak for a while. A couple days of fun with my friend, then I have to buckle down and get serious about finding a job.

  “Look, up there on the left. See it?” Courtney asks pointing.

  “No, what are you pointing to?” I ask.

  “Another Krispy Kreme shop! You can come get them whenever you want, in case that dozen you have in the back seat doesn’t hold you,” she says sarcastically.

  “Shut the hell up! I just needed some comfort food. I’ll slim down in no time once I decide to actually start exercising. That might happen sometime in my life.” We both start cracking up, knowing I hate exercise. I really should start though; I want Cameron to see me as a sex goddess he can’t refuse.

  “Just up and over that bridge you’ll see the ocean. We will be at my condo in a matter of minutes. I even cleaned for you, but don’t get used to it, I hate cleaning, cooking, and doing laundry. I do like having fun though. Maybe we should get a maid, I bet I could get my daddy to spring for one,” she says flashing me her killer smile.

  We turn on what must be another major road; it runs right along the ocean. I can see a lot of people on the beach and in the ocean. There are tons of restaurants, hotels, high-rise condominiums, nightclubs, and beach shops. My excitement starts to build; this is going to be just want I need to get over that asshole. We take a turn and go into an underground garage. This can’t be where I will be living; this building must be at least fifty floors high. However, she pulls into a parking space and turns off the engine.

  “I forgot to tell you, Cameron was so upset he couldn’t be here to welcome you, so he arranged for us to go to this great spa. He said everything is on him and he wants me to give you a relaxing day of pampering. He comes in late Sunday night and wants to sleep most of the day Monday. He’ll meet us Monday night for dinner after our spa appointments. If my brother is treating, we are going all out; haircuts, manicure, pedicure, waxing, massages,” she says with a big grin.

  “Waxing what? I’ve never been to a spa; it sounds wonderful, except that waxing part.”

  “Um, if you’re going to be a Florida girl, waxing is essential, trust me. Let’s go in so you can check out my place, and your new home.”

  Chapter Five

  The atrium of Courtney’s building is beautiful. It has gorgeous marble floors, tropical plants of all sorts and a beautiful shiny gold elevator. She walks me straight through the atrium to show me the backside of the building. There’s a huge Olympic sized pool with at least fifty lounge chairs and a couple of cabana’s you can use for the day. Just beyond the pool area, is a stairway leading right down onto the beach. The beach has even more lounge chairs exclusive to the condominium owners, two volleyball nets, and surfboards that you can rent for the day.

  We make our way back into the building and get on the elevator. My mouth opens in shock as Courtney pushes the button for the thirty-fifth floor. “How many floors does this building have?” I ask.

  “The building has forty five floors in all. Forty of those floors have two condominiums on each floor. One faces beachside and the other faces the city. The top five floors have only one huge condominium per floor and is way beyond my means. They go for around five hundred thousand a piece!” Courtney replies.

  “Wow, five hundred thousand for just one floor of a building! That’s crazy. Who lives on those floors?” I ask.

  “No idea, I have never seen the owners or the inside of those condos. They have their own elevator in the parking garage and floors forty thru forty-five have personal key slots. They insert the key for their floor and apparently the elevator opens right into an entry way in their condo.”

  “Hmmm, wonder if any of them are eligible bachelors? Is your condo facing the ocean or the city? I ask.

  “Mine faces the beach, Cameron’s faces the city. Daddy made us flip for who got which one when he was helping us buy them. I won.” Courtney smirks.

  Now my mind is reeling. Did she just say Cameron’s faces the city? As in, his condominium is in the same friggin building. We will be living on the same floor. I’ll never get any sleep knowing he’s right across the hall sleeping. I wonder if he sleeps in the nude. Oh geez, I have to stop thinking about him. It has only been five hours since walking away from my life with Dylan, the last thing I need is to get involved with someone else. However, this is Cameron, my first crush, the man I have fantasized about more nights than I care to admit. This living arrangement is not going to make matters any better for my already overactive imagination. “You never mentioned that Cameron lives right across the hall from you. I assumed he lived in a different building. Isn’t it somewhat awkward to bring someone home knowing your brother might see you?” I ask.

  “He knows I love to have sex! He minds his own business, he does his thing and I do mine, no big deal. Besides, who better to have across the hall than an overprotective brother if I need help?”

  “I guess, but if it was my brother across the hall, I would feel a little weird thinking that he could hear me having sex with someone.”

  “Well, now he won’t know if it’s me or you. Therefore, I don’t have to worry about anything. I will just say you are a slut and bring home a new guy every night,” she says laughing.

  “Courtney!” I shout, smacking her.

  “Oh, don’t worry, Cameron thinks very highly of you, he always has. He was just as hurt as I was when we had to move. He moped for a long time and kept saying we lost our best friend. He’s excited that he is going to see you again. He even cleaned his condo before he l
eft. He doesn’t do that for just anyone. I think he always had a crush on you.” She admits, as the elevator opens.

  I stand there in utter shock for a moment. Does she know? Has Cameron told her about what happened between us all those years ago? On the other hand, I guess it could have just been a random comment. I’m a little less nervous about seeing him again, sounds like he’s just as excited as I am. I wonder how he will react when he sees me for the first time. Will he hug me or will there be an awkward moment? I’m so glad we are going to the spa Monday before we meet up with him. I want to try to look my best. I’m going to get my hair highlighted and cut, nails and toes done, and a massage to ease the tension before seeing him. I’m even going to consider the waxing but maybe just the bikini line. I don’t know about that Brazilian business.

  “Earth to Kylie,” Courtney says, waving her hand in front of my face. “Where did you go? You looked like you were on another planet. Come on! Can’t wait to show you the room Cameron and I redecorated for you.”

  “Courtney, you didn’t have to go through any trouble. I’m sure it was fine the way it was before. I’m just grateful to you both for getting me out of that situation and for allowing me to stay with you. If at any time you want your place to yourself or get sick of me, just let me know, and I will find somewhere else to stay. I don’t want to be a burden to anyone.”

  “Kylie, shut the hell up! I’m not going to get sick of you. You just got here and I’m going to enjoy having someone to talk to and do things with. It gets boring living alone. I have lost contact with a lot of my friends from high school. Don’t really have anyone I consider myself close to, except you,” she says, grabbing my hand and yanking me out of the elevator.

  If I thought the atrium was spectacular, that was nothing compared to the inside of these condos. You walk into a little entryway that she decorated with a table, small lamp and a mirror hanging above it. Then the whole condominium just opens up. To the left is a fabulous state of the art kitchen with stainless steel appliances, recessed lighting, breakfast bar, and small dining area with a glass table for two. To the right is a massive living area with sliding glass doors that open to a patio area with two lounging chairs and small tables. The ocean from this height is breathtaking. I’m a little leery when she opens the doors but I slowly creep out to the balcony ledge and peer over. My palms start to sweat and I can feel my chest tighten as I swallow down a little acid rising from my stomach. I’m not going to let Courtney know I have a fear of heights. It will be worth battling just to spend the mornings out here watching the sunrise over the ocean. She pulls me back in the condo and my heart rate starts to go back to normal.

  Her living area looks like Martha Stewart herself decorated it. She has pale blue/gray walls with all white furniture and somewhat of a beach nautical theme going on. The fireplace mantel is decorated with clear vases that are full of shells. She has blue and gray accent throw pillows on the chairs and couch. On the end tables are clear lamps that match the vases filled with shells, and shades that look as if they were made out of coiled rope from a boat. They are old and rugged looking, but it really works in this space and with the theme of the room.

  “Courtney, this place is wonderful. It seems so inviting and relaxing, especially hearing the waves of the ocean crashing on the beach. I may never want to leave now.”

  “Good, I don’t want you to. Let me show you the bedrooms and bathrooms,” she insists while pulling me down the hall.

  The first room we come to is a guest bathroom, again beautifully decorated. The first bedroom on the left is the room that will be mine. Courtney and Cameron have out done themselves. The room is painted in a warm and inviting shade of taupe with terracotta colored accent border near the ceiling. There is a huge four-poster king size bed in a light oak finish and the most comfortable looking bedding. I’m almost ready for a nap just looking at it. There are night tables on both sides of the bed, his and hers apparently. Not that I will need two, I think to myself. A large dresser with a mirror on one wall, and on the other wall there is a desk area. The desk would be great for a laptop and work area if I do go back to school. The room has a large walk in closet with a built in shoe rack. My clothes and shoes are going to look pathetic in the massive closet; I will have fun trying to fill it though.

  The bedroom has its own bathroom done in the reverse shades of the bedroom. The walls are painted terracotta with a stenciled boarder in taupe. It has a shower with an enormous showerhead and glass doors. The towels, pictures on the walls, and even the little decorative soaps all coordinate perfectly.

  “Oh Courtney, this is a wonderful room. I don’t even know what to say right now, I’m so blown away. I can’t believe I’m going to be living here, it’s perfect!” Tears start spontaneously rolling down my face and I get a little embarrassed. Courtney just pulls me to her and lets me cry without saying a word. Her embrace and years of friendship make me feel so safe and I know I have made the right choice by coming here.

  “Okay, that was my one and only pity party.” I wipe my face and then say, “Can I see your room?”

  “Sure, I made Cameron help me redo mine as well. I wanted something a little sassier than what I had.”

  Courtney’s room is the last room down the hall. As we enter her room, I’m stunned. The room is huge, done in a dusky gray. She has a similar four-poster bed in a black finish; in fact, all the furniture in the room is black. The bedding is the deepest, blood red satin I have ever seen, accented with gray and black pillows. Her bathroom has a Jacuzzi tub and a separate shower like mine, but with showerheads on all three walls.

  “Well? What do you think?”

  “Courtney this room is hot! Feminine with the red bedding, but masculine enough that any man would be happy to spend long periods of time in here. This is definitely sophisticated and sassy at the same time,” I say, completely envious.

  She shows me her closet, and again I’m struck with jealousy. She has a closet double the size of the one in my room and it’s filled to the brim with clothes, shoes, and purses. “Wow, shop much?”

  “Anytime you want to borrow some clothes, help yourself. We’ve always worn the same size so until you can replace what you left behind, what’s mine is yours.”

  “I think I will take you up on that offer and come in later to pick something out to wear to dinner. What are you going to wear? Is the restaurant fancy?” I ask a little skeptical, knowing I didn’t bring anything nice enough for a formal night out.

  “Girl, this is Florida! Everything here is casual. When you go out here you can get dressed up if you want or just go in shorts,” Courtney explains.

  “Would you mind terribly if I lay down for a couple hours? I feel drained from an eventful morning and want to be ready for our night out,” I proclaim, suddenly exhausted.

  “No, go right ahead. We have all the time in the world to catch up. I will be in the living room, going through my work emails. If you need anything, just holler,” she says as she pulls my door shut.

  I am asleep before my head even hits the pillow at least that is how it seems. This bed is so comfortable you just sink right in. Waking up, I look over at the clock and it’s already three in the afternoon. I had two and a half hours of sleep, and I feel refreshed and ready for our night out, ready to take a quick shower and raid Courtney’s closet. I go out in search of Courtney so we can pick out some clothes for me. I thought she had left for a moment but find her out on the balcony watching the beach goers.

  “Hey Courtney, whatcha staring at?” I ask.

  She smiles and points. “That fine piece of meat playing volleyball, the one with the blue and green swim trunks. Suddenly I feel like prancing on the beach in my hot pink bikini and seeing if I can get his attention.”

  “Maybe he will be there tomorrow. I was going to ask if maybe we could do a little shopping in the morning and hit the beach in the afternoon. I have to get this pasty skin tanned, so I fit in here. Everyone has great tans.”

>   “Yeah, I have the weekend off and took the following week off too, so we would have time to get you settled and I could show you around. I usually go down by the water with a towel but I think tomorrow we are going to use the lounge chairs by the volleyball nets,” she says, pointing to the chairs over in that direction. “Okay, let’s go find you some hot clothes for tonight, sundress or short shorts and tanks?” she questions me while walking to her room.

  “I would rather go casual in shorts and tanks. You are sure we won’t be under dressed?” I ask.

  “No, some people go there in their beach cover ups after a day in the water. Don’t worry, you will definitely not be under dressed. We may be over dressed compared to most of them,” she replies.

  She pulls out a black pair of shorts from her dresser and goes to the closet, contemplating, she picks out a gold sequined tank and a pair of gold sandals. “See, this is what I’m going to wear, sexy, yet casual and comfortable. Go ahead and pick whatever you want. Then we can shower and go window shopping on the boardwalk.” She grabs her things and heads to her bathroom.

  I can’t believe the amount of clothes this girl has. There is one whole row of dressy tank tops. I find one I really like; it is white with a key hole cut out to show off some cleavage. I pair it with another pair of black shorts she has and I will wear my black flip-flops. With an outfit picked out, I head to the shower. The shower is spectacular, the showerhead has multiple settings, and I have to try every one of them. I quickly blow dry my long hair and leave it down. I reapply my foundation and the rest of my makeup. The bruises look better than they did this morning; I pray they are all gone by Monday. I run back to Courtney’s room and sniff her perfume bottles, find one I like and give myself a few squirts. Ready to go!

  Walking to the living room I say, “Courtney, I hope you don’t mind, but I borrowed some perfume too. They confiscated mine at the airport.”

  “That’s fine!” I hear her yell from the balcony.