by Vivian Wood
The band started playing, the lights dimming. It was as if it was meant to be.
Cam put her drink down and stepped up to him, looking him straight in the eye. He raised his brows, facing her as he set his cup down. Before she could hesitate or flinch, she reached out and grabbed the lapel of his jacket.
Gripping him hard, she pulled him down and kissed him.
The contact of his lips against her own was like lightning. The sensation crackled along her skin, sent a fission of pleasure down her spine. He seemed surprised by the kiss at first, but after a moment he kissed her back, threading his fingers into her hair.
The kiss was like fire, beginning small but growing to a roaring blaze in moments. She slid her arm around his waist and closed the gap between them, her toes curling in her boots.
He broke away to kiss her neck. She moaned, a combination of satisfaction and yearning. Her nails dug into the back of his neck. He growled low in his chest.
“You are quite a surprise, aren’t you?” he ground out.
She didn’t answer, just kissed him again, hard. Her tongue clashed with his, a war between them that they both enjoyed. When she pulled back and bit his lower lip, he growled again, his hands working down her body.
When his hands hit her ass, she worked up the nerve to step back, cocking her head.
“Do you want to… go somewhere?” she asked, enjoying the fact that she was the instigator.
“God, yes,” he said.
She bit her lip, trying not to grin. She looked at him under her lashes. Something about him screamed TAKE ME HOME. He was a perfect stranger, but she felt somehow that she could trust him.
“Good. My apartment is right down the street.”
“Lead the way,” he said, inclining his head.
Cam grabbed her clutch and wove through the crowd, out into the darkened street. The streetlights were out on the whole block, in fact in most of the neighborhood. It wasn’t exactly the greatest neighborhood, but she made do. Cam lived in a warehouse loft just down the street from here, so she was well aware of the neighborhood’s colorful reputation.
“Do we need to grab a car?” he asked as she made her way through the parking lot.
“Not really. I live two blocks from here,” she said, moving faster to keep from feeling awkward.
“You live here?” he asked, looking askance at the block as she led him down the street.
“Yes. Is that a problem?” she said. She eyed him in his punk rock garb. It seemed unlikely that such a big guy would have any problems walking alone at night.
“No, just curious.”
They turned the corner, and Cam’s apartment loomed.
“My apartment’s just right here,” she said, her nerves beginning to show when she dug her keys out.
She skipped up the half-dozen steps to her apartment, willing her hands not to shake as she unlocked the door. She felt his eyes all over her body as she got the door open.
She threw a glance over her shoulder as she let him into the loft, standing aside and locking the door behind him. It was one huge room, all the floors and walls cement, but she’d done her best to glam it up. There were soft rugs everywhere, a lovely L-shaped couch, a femininely decorated kitchen, and delicate Japanese screens dividing off her bedroom. A small office setup sat in one corner, and the bathroom in another.
“Nice,” he said, looking around. “It looks like you’ve done well for yourself.”
His accent made her shiver all over again. Surely he must know that the accent was a killer.
“It’s a work in progress,” she said, dropping her clutch and keys on a side table. “Do you want a drink?”
“I can think of things I want more,” he said, smirking as he reached out to snag her waist. He leaned down, seeking her mouth.
Cam gave in to him instantly, kissing him back. He pushed her back toward the bedroom, and she went willingly. She wanted him, if his being in her apartment weren’t clear enough.
She turned to part the screens of her bedroom, revealing a huge white bed. He followed, kissing her neck. She gasped, feeling herself grow wet. Her pussy clenched with need.
He unzipped the back of her dress with nimble fingers, taking his time. She took a breath, letting the dress drop to the floor. She was left bare except for a black lace thong.
She closed her eyes, hearing his intake of breath when he saw her like that.
“God, you’re fucking beautiful,” he said, turning her back toward him.
She opened her eyes and looked up at him, realizing just then that his eyes were the darkest shade of blue. He palmed both her breasts, weighing them in his hands.
She sucked in a breath and shivered at his touch, her nipples hardening. She reached out and started to undress him, peeling off his jacket.
He tugged his shirt over his head, muscles rippling. He was a work of art, all chiseled abs and straining biceps. His tattoos entranced her, although she couldn’t make heads or tails of them in the gloom. It was everything she could do to control herself, not just stand there slack-jawed.
The last things to go were his shoes and dark jeans. He shucked his pants and reached for her, but she managed to get a glimpse of his cock. Apparently he wasn’t merely arrogant, he actually had a huge dick to back up all his smooth moves.
They kissed again, and she led him backward to the bed. When the backs of her knees hit the bed, she melted back onto it.
He paused a second, going back and getting something from his wallet. She saw him grasp a shiny foil packet. She approved; if he hadn’t pulled out a condom, she would have.
Then he was back on the bed, on top of her. He kissed her deeply, then attended to both breasts, rolling her nipples around with his tongue. She moaned at the pulse of sensation between her breasts and her pussy, writhing.
She wriggled to get her thong off, wanting nothing between her and his cock.
He pulled back for just long enough to get the condom on, then spread her legs. He pressed his cock against her entrance.
“Yes,” she whispered. “Yes, do it.”
He smirked for a moment, then pushed himself into her pussy inch by inch, making her cry out.
“You’re so tight,” he said, thrusting again. “Damn.”
She wrapped her legs around him as he set a rhythm, moaning at the feel of his cock going in and out, hitting every single spot that cried out for touch. He was setting her on fire as he worked himself in and out of her pussy.
He pulled out, flipping her around so that she was on her knees and elbows. She cried out as he plunged deep inside her again. He wrapped her hair around his fist, pulling gently on it as he fucked her.
She came alive with that small bit of pain, pushing back against every thrust, calling out as he worked his cock in and out. He grunted as he thrust, slipping his hand around and between her legs.
He touched her clit, made slippery with her own excitement. He worked in slow circles as his thrusts grew shorter. She could feel the tension in him, feel him winding up, but she was too lost in sensation to care.
She was right on the edge, waiting to fall from the precipice. He pinched her clit, adding a little pain to her pleasure, and she exploded.
Her body spasmed as she came, her mind blanking as she was overcome with pleasure, the slick slide of it. He stiffened and came with a groan, thrusting into her.
He collapsed beside her, and she lay on her side, struggling to breathe. Her mind was totally blown, but she didn’t say anything to him. He apparently didn’t feel like talking either, because he was silent.
He took the condom off, but where he put it she didn’t know.
She felt her eyes growing heavy, but she didn’t feel comfortable falling asleep with him here. She was about to roll over and tell him to leave, but she felt him rise from the bed.
She stayed still, waiting to see what he would do. He didn’t waste any time getting dressed. When he was ready, he stood for a second and stared over at her body. H
e hesitated, as if he weren’t used to this part.
What, he wasn’t used to sneaking out on girls he’d hooked up with? She would’ve rolled her eyes if she wasn’t pretending to be asleep.
After a moment, he turned and left her room. She listened intently for sounds of him going through her stuff. It wouldn’t be the first time that she’d exercised poor judgment in guys, although she didn’t usually hook up with random guys. Let alone bring them home...
The sound of the front door closing made her sit up. Apparently she’d picked the only punk rocker who wasn’t hard up enough for cash that he’d at least rifle through her things when he thought she was asleep.
She looked at her bedside table, at the clock. It was still only twelve.
She closed her eyes, smiling to herself. Tonight was fun, if nothing else. A good way to blow off steam before her new assignment.
She drifted off, content in her post-coital bliss.
2
Cameron’s heels clicked as she walked up the stairs of the subway, her phone glued to her ear.
“We’ve manufactured your executive assistant background, so you’ll have to remember the secretarial training course you went through,” her boss Erika MacMillan said.
As an investigative reporter in the making for The Daily News, Cam had done a lot of things, but cloaking herself as a secretary at Calloway Corp was altogether different. She was going to be investigating Calloway’s financial dealings, trying to figure out if they were just hemorrhaging money or if there was someone corrupt at the bottom of it all.
“I brushed up on all of that last week,” Cam said. “I promise, I’ll be fine.”
“You’ll need to draw on your accounting background for this one.”
“Accounting background? I took like four accounting classes, then switched majors,” she said irritably.
“Well, you’d better put on your big girl pants and use what accounting knowledge you do have. Especially if you want to earn a spot as a reporter on the team. Or maybe you like being the team’s errand boy?”
Cam scowled. In truth, she hated being the one who made photocopies and got coffee for everyone. This assignment was her chance to rise above all that.
“Right,” Cam sighed. “I remember the basics from my accounting classes.”
“Good. When do you start at Calloway Corp?”
“Twenty minutes,” Cam said. “And I’m wearing my conservative little black dress for the first day, before you ask.”
“Hmmmph,” Erika said. “Some people like the fact that I’m detail oriented.”
Cam rolled her eyes silently. “Yeah, well. You picked me for this assignment. You’ll have to trust me a little more if you expect me to find anything out.”
“I trust you,” Erika said defensively. “I lobbied really hard for you to be put on this assignment. Hell, for this to be investigated at all is a triumph. The big bosses don’t think there’s anything in the financial statements, so they don’t believe you’ll find anything.”
“I know,” Cam said, stopping across the street from Calloway Plaza. “It’s a big deal for me, too. My first real assignment, even if it’s a little unconventional. There is something fishy going on, though. I can feel it. I'm positive money is being misappropriated.”
“Cameron—”
“I should go. I’m too close to the building to be talking to you,” Cam said.
Erika sighed. “Alright. Good luck.”
“I’ll check in with you in a couple of days, okay?”
“Okay.”
Cam hung up the phone, feeling jittery.
She looked up at the main building, where she would enter for her first day of work shortly. It was a thing of beauty, all chrome and glass and concrete, the pride and joy of some designer.
It was a real personal statement for someone, even if the statement was that a private military defense company could be represented by such beauty. She’d been here before, for her three separate rounds of interviews, but now it was real.
This was her first shot at being the journalist who cracked the case. All she had to do now was make friends with some of the higher-ups, get those people to talk about top secret financial information, and back it all up with proof.
She laughed aloud, a shaky sound. She shook out the anxiety built up in her arms and legs, an old habit from her days growing up in the foster care system.
Just shake it off! she thought, picturing her younger self saying it. She’d come a long way since leaving the system at eighteen, struggling through four years of waiting tables and night classes. Then a year ago she’d landed the job at The Daily News, trying to prove herself.
All so she could build up to this. She could do this.
She blew out a breath and crossed the street to Calloway Plaza, determined not to let her nerves show. She straightened her black dress, pulled out her brand new employee ID, and strode in through the high glass doors.
It was a couple of minutes before ten o’clock as she rode up the elevators. She got off on the fifth floor and held her head high. She could do this.
She walked through a set of doors and came to a reception desk. She looked at the elegant waiting area, trying not to lose her nerve.
“Can I help you?” asked the pretty blonde receptionist.
Cam swallowed, trying not to think about how that would be her from now on.
“Hi, I’m Cameron Turner, here to see Stephanie?” she said. She almost tripped over the false last name she was using for the job.
The receptionist nodded and picked up the phone. She spoke into the phone, then hung up.
“You can have a seat,” the blonde said.
Cam smiled and took a seat. She waited for a minute, trying not to fidget.
Moments later, a smooth wooden panel opened, and Stephanie came out. A thin, gray-haired woman with immaculate style, Stephanie had interviewed and ultimately hired her.
Right behind her was another woman, a pretty brunette. The brunette was in tears, holding a cardboard box with what looked like the contents of her desk.
Stephanie stopped and patted the woman on the arm.
“Thank you, Ingrid. You can expect a severance check along with your last paycheck,” she said.
The brunette nodded, holding back what looked like a fresh wave of tears. She turned and practically ran to the elevator.
Stephanie turned to Cam, brightening.
“Cameron! You’re right on time,” she said.
“Yes, ma’am,” Cam said, rising.
“Well, you came at just the right time,” said Stephanie. “Mr. Calloway just lost his assistant. The younger Mr. Calloway, that is.”
Cameron’s eyebrows shot up. “Mr. Calloway? Really?”
“Yes, really. Come on, I’ll get you settled,” Stephanie said, heading to the elevators. “Normally we wouldn’t put a new hire in such an important position, but you have a really excellent résumé . Besides, Mr. Calloway absolutely cannot go without an executive assistant.”
Something clicked in Cam’s head as they stepped onto the elevator. Stephanie pressed the button for the twenty-first floor, one floor down from the top.
“So when you say he just lost his assistant…”
“I mean Ingrid, the girl downstairs. Yes. Mr. Calloway didn’t find her services up to snuff, I’m afraid.”
“I…” Cam said, then shook her head.
Stephanie slid her a look.
“Don’t worry. Your résumé said you’ve worked for three CEOs. This won’t be any different.”
“Right,” Cam said. She gave Stephanie a smile, trying to appear calm and collected.
The elevator doors opened, and Cam walked out into another reception area, this one all done in chrome. There was a receptionist here too, a plump brunette. She frowned at Cam until she saw Stephanie escorting her.
The brunette shot to her feet.
“Ma’am,” she said, dipping her head to Stephanie. “I suppose you know that Ingrid
just walked out?”
“Yes, yes,” Stephanie said. “Lucy, this is Cameron. Cameron, this is Lucy. Cameron will be taking over Ingrid’s position.”
Lucy’s jaw dropped. “Already?’
“Would you have Mr. Calloway be without an assistant, Lucy?”
Lucy paled and swallowed. “No, ma’am.”
“Lucy, would you get Cameron settled in? Show her around. I have calls to return.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Stephanie left with a wave of her fingertips, her heels clicking. Cameron turned to Lucy, a little wide-eyed.
“Don’t even start asking questions,” Lucy said, sighing. “Come on, I’ll get you set up.”
“Okay,” Cam said with a shrug.
Lucy led her through a set of chrome doors and down a hallway. She stopped at an empty desk beside a breathtaking view of downtown. Behind the desk was a single door, obviously leading to Mr. Calloway’s office.
“Here’s your desk,” she said, brow creasing. “There’s Mr. Calloway’s office. He keeps the door closed when he’s in a meeting or doesn’t want to be disturbed. Here’s Mr. Calloway’s paper calendar. You should probably take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with his online calendar, too.”
Lucy pointed to the computer on the desk. Cam walked around and pulled out the chair, putting her purse down.
“Okay,” she said. “What else should I know?”
“Umm… the bathrooms are at the end of this hall. Press nine to dial out. Otherwise just dial an extension number to call someone in the building. Lunch is twelve to one, unless Mr. Calloway says otherwise. Mr. Calloway will be out of his meeting in about five minutes. I would be as prepared as possible by then. And…” she bit her lip. “Well, let me just log you into the computer system.”
For the next couple of minutes, Cam watched as Lucy showed her around the company network. Using Cam’s last name and the last four digits of her social security number, Lucy gave her the keys to the kingdom.
“Okay, that’s the calendar portion. The rest of the job changes depending on what Mr. Calloway needs,” Lucy said. She looked at Cam skeptically. “But apparently you know all that.”