Seductive Secrecy (Shadows series)

by Mann, Marni

  I glanced at Cameron. “He bought one of my paintings.”

  I didn’t think it made him feel any better to hear that.

  “Which one?” he asked tersely.

  I shrugged. “He didn’t say…so I don’t know.”

  But now, I really wanted to find out.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CAMERON SAT NEXT TO ME IN THE LIMO, his side pressed against mine, his hand in my lap as we rode to our final layer. We were coming from the North End, the Little Italy section of the city, and we hit much more traffic during this part of the journey. After the exhibit, he’d taken me to Michelangelo’s, one of the best Italian restaurants in Boston. It wasn’t the trendiest place or the best-known, but it was considered the most authentic. He had reserved the entire basement, which was a wine cellar, and we shared several courses, paired with the appropriate white or red. I had spent the two hours admiring his mouth: the way he inserted the utensil, how his lips stretched over the food and the shapes they took on when he chewed…the way he licked the bottom one on occasion. It was euphoric, tantalizing to know those same lips were going to be on my body later.

  As much as I craved Cameron’s sexual side and enjoyed cherishing his features, I couldn’t stop thinking about the other emotions that ran through me and how much had changed in the last several months. “My life is so different now,” I whispered as I glanced around the limo. It was the first time I had spoken out loud since we’d returned from dinner. The sudden noise brought his attention from the window back to me. “It’s so much more intimate now that I’m this far out of the mansion.”

  “You’re desired just as much on this side as you were in there.”

  “Maybe, but your adoration means so much more.”

  He brushed his thumb across my chin and the brief movement caused my heart to speed up. “There’s no maybe about it.” A soft chuckle came through his lips. “Adoration…is that what you call it?”

  I nodded.

  “I like that. But I’m not the only man who adores you…or worships you…or fantasizes about you. I saw the hunger in the eyes of those buyers who were standing with Professor Freeman.” He paused. “And Jameson’s.”

  He was right; there had been a bit of flirtation coming from Jameson. It could very well have been just part of his personality, though. He seemed like the type of man who used his edge to charm and it definitely worked. And I had to admit that he was attractive.

  But he wasn’t Cameron.

  “Does that bother you?” I asked.

  He shook his head, his hand moving to my thigh. “You’re mine. As long as they don’t touch you, I take it as a compliment. I don’t blame them for wanting you. You’re breathtaking.” He breathed into my neck as he spoke. “And I don’t fault them for staring at you. Your body is delicious.”

  This wasn’t the first time Cameron had shared that kind of flattery with me, but it sounded as though it was. When words came from his mouth, they weren’t rote, or rehearsed. They were, in a strange way, heartfelt. They had meaning; they resonated in all the places within me that mattered.

  “So Jameson has a connection for you…for a commission?” His tone wasn’t uncomfortable, or forced. He sounded genuinely interested in the opportunity it might represent for me.

  I nodded. “I’m not sure when I’ll be able to fit in another one.”

  “The exposure is really working for you.” His eyes were trained on my body when he spoke. I loved the way he could turn just about anything he said to me into a compliment.

  I smiled. “It’ll be working for you, too…very soon, in fact.”

  He laughed at that.

  I looked at the business card again, the colors catching and flashing every time the limo drove past a streetlight. “I think I’m going to buy one of his pieces.”

  He gazed at the card from beside me. “Anything in particular?”

  “Yeah, I really liked the sixth installment”

  “I know which one. I noticed how much you were looking at it…so I bought it for you before we left.”

  “You…did?”

  “Yes, baby. You loved it, didn’t you?”

  I nodded, a smile beaming across my face. “Thank you!”

  Cameron smiled back. “I was happy to do it,” he said. “And I’m sure Jameson will be thrilled to know that one of his pieces is going to be hanging on one of your walls.”

  “Cameron…you know, I’m not the only one in this car who’s desired. Every woman in that art gallery tonight wanted to be clinging to your arm.”

  I didn’t bring up Lora or call out that she was one of those women; I didn’t want to start anything or change the mood. But she had made her wants extremely obvious to me tonight, more than any other time I’d been in her presence.

  “Really?” he said. “I didn’t notice. My eyes rarely left you…and that dress.”

  My gaze smoldered. “So when are you going to take this dress off?”

  He grinned, his tongue damping his bottom lip. “Very soon.”

  His eyes moved back to the window and mine followed, my curiosity building as we drove out of the city and toward the suburbs. He still hadn’t given me any hints over dinner on our final destination, and I had stopped guessing.

  The houses in this town were becoming sparser, and the trees were thickening. Quiet was building around us rather than the constant noise that came from the busy streets. We hadn’t been driving for long, so I knew we couldn’t have been too far from home. Yet the scenery was becoming increasingly foreign compared with what I’d grown so used to in the city.

  When the limo started to slow, I leaned forward in my seat to get a better look outside. We had turned down a private road surrounded by trees; the path was lit by lampposts spaced every few feet. The pavement below us was uneven. I gripped the armrest to keep from rocking against the hard leather.

  But that wasn’t the only reason I reached for it.

  Cameron saw my tension mounting. “It’s not what you think,” he said.

  I was glancing from him to the window and back again every few seconds. I couldn’t help the feeling that permeated me. The similarities between this road and the one that led to the mansion were unmistakable. I knew he would never bring me there, even if he wanted to; that house had been taken over by the authorities. It was a crime scene, and no one was allowed to enter.

  “I trust you,” I said.

  “I just didn’t want you think”

  “I know.” I tilted my head, pressing my lips against his cheek. “But thank you for reassuring me.”

  The trees began to clear as we rounded the final curve, revealing a massive chunk of land with an estate sitting directly in the middle. Woods ran around the perimeter of the property and a black metal gate followed, but the similarities ended there. I felt a warmth flow from the brick exterior, the flowers that decorated the front beds and the orange glow from the outside lamps.

  This wasn’t a house of secrets; this was a place of beginnings.

  Cameron helped me out of the limo and led me up the front walk. He unlocked the door with a key drawn from his pocket and we both stepped inside. The foyer wasn’t cold and formal like the one in the mansion. This entrance was heavy with detail, rich colors and ornate woodwork. A chandelier hung directly above us, lighting the large space. The other rooms that I could see from where I was standing were all dimly lit, with shadows leaping and flickering on the dark Victorian-finished walls. Cameron was next to me, his hand clasped in mine, the heat from his body filling me.

  “What are we doing here?” I asked.

  He glanced at the staircase that circled in front of us. “When you reach the top of the stairs, I want you to take a right and go all the way to the end of the hall.” He looked back at me. “When you reach the last door, open it. You’ll find something waiting on the bed. I’ll be up in a few minutes.”

  “That’s it? That’s all you’re going to give me?” I chewed my lip.

  His hand landed
on my cheek, his thumb dipping to my lip, pulling it out from my teeth. Then he brushed his mouth over mine, but only briefly. “For now, yes. That’s all I’m giving you.” His fingers slipped down to the buttons on my jacket and unhooked each one before lifting the coat off me. He draped it over his arm, while his free hand reached around me and squeezed one of my ass cheeks. “Go.”

  Knowing he was at the bottom of the stairs watching me, I slowly swung my hips as I moved up to the second floor, crossing the long catwalk sensually and making my way to the end of the hall. I still had no idea why we were here, what the significance was of this house—if he owned it, rented it, or had just brought me here to make me his mistress for the night. No matter how much it reminded me of the mansion, I knew I wouldn’t object to any of it.

  The bedroom was decorated in the same style as the downstairs rooms, but darker, even more sensual and alluring. The entire space was done in black, in different shades and textures of the rousing color: the bedding was silk, the wallpaper a patterned velour. The metal fixtures alternated between brushed and polished. A low-lit chandelier hung over the bed. Other illumination came from candles… they’d been placed everywhere: on the dresser, on the floor, and nightstand. They were housed in glass pillars, floated in vases, cluttered the floor in trails of tea light holders. And just as Cameron had said, there was something waiting for me on the bed.

  It wasn’t just one box this time. It was three.

  Unlike the fear and anxiety that had rushed through me when I found the first box on our bed at the apartment, I felt nothing but anticipation this time. I raced toward the three and ripped off the paisley print wrapping from the first one and lifted the lid, revealing a set of black lingerie. The second box held a pair of boots. The third was much smaller than the other two. I left it fully wrapped as it rested in my palm. Curiosity caused my hands to shake, even if I didn’t really have to wonder what was inside.

  A part of me already knew.

  We were in a foreign house in the middle of nowhere, as far as I could tell; although he hadn’t fully duplicated it, he had done his best to try to make this room a recreation of my old wing. He had chosen an outfit for me to wear, just like my clients had; it was different from anything I owned at home or that I’d worn for him before. He had ordered me upstairs as though he were paying me to obey. And just as I thought, when I removed the wrapping paper from the final box and lifted the lid, I found a mask. It matched the outfit, made of black fabrics that alternated between velvet and satin. Black glitter rimmed the eye slits and the bridge of the nose, swirled in designs between both fabrics.

  Why would he have given me a mask?

  My clients had been nothing like Cameron. They wouldn’t have taken me to an art exhibit, giving me the gift of a piece that I had been admiring silently. They wouldn’t have introduced me to the owner of the restaurant as their girlfriend; they wouldn’t have spent the entire meal talking about me. And they definitely wouldn’t have kissed me before I headed upstairs.

  From what I could tell, Cameron was trying to conquer my past by recreating it and giving it a much different ending.

  Even with all the mystery that had surrounded us tonight, and in spite of the comparisons I had made to the mansion—and the mask that rested in my hand—it had been one of the best evenings of my life. And it wasn’t over yet.

  I grabbed all the items off the bed and took them into the adjoining bathroom. I didn’t close the door behind me. Cameron didn’t like closed doors; they reminded him of the time he had spent in foster homes. Though he’d never described those moments in too much detail, I knew his horrific punishments had all occurred behind a locked door. He always said he could handle whatever had happened to him directly during those episodes. What he couldn’t handle was when his little brother Ryder was on the opposite side, receiving a punishment of his own. Cameron wasn’t able to get to him, to help him. Those restrictions had caused such painful memories for him. We had an unspoken rule in our apartment: closed, locked doors were prohibited.

  I set the boxes on the counter and scanned the large bathroom space. It had been supplied with all the amenities, stocked with fresh cosmetics and towels. Holding onto the counter, I carefully stripped off my shoes and the dress that I had spent so much of the evening trying to stay in. I removed the three-piece set from the tissue paper and placed my arms through the straps of the bra, clasping it behind my back. It was entirely sheer and lace, with swirls of piping similar to those on the mask. There was a matching shrug that only covered the very top of my shoulders and wrapped around my breasts, tying directly between them in my cleavage. It wasn’t meant to hide me; it was another accessorizing layer…and just one more thing Cameron would get to take off during the tease. The last piece was a pair of all-lace boy short panties; they were cut high in the back, sat low on my hips. There were no garter belts or thigh-high stockings. The boots were black suede with a basket weave patter similar to the shoes I had worn earlier. But the heels on these were well over four inches. They stopped mid-thigh, fastened with ribbon lacing in the back that tied in a satin bow.

  Using the brush that was placed by the sink, I fluffed up my hair a little and swiped my lips with some gloss from my clutch. Before I left the bathroom, I leaned into the mirror to get a closer look. I remembered doing the same thing my first night at the mansion after Sandy had finished my hair and makeup. With the way she had decorated my face with elaborate false lashes and shaped my hair into soft, smooth waves, it was hard to fathom that it had been me staring back from that glass. But tonight, in this bathroom, everything gazing back at me was familiar.

  This was raw, pure Charlie.

  You’re beautiful, my friend. Just the way I remember you to be.

  Emma’s voice made me smile.

  I was giving Cameron everything I had. All I could do was hope that he accepted it.

  I brought the mask up to my face, rested it against the bridge of my nose and tied it under my hair. Once it was secure, I peeked into the bedroom. Cameron was standing in the doorway that separated the bedroom from the hallway. He had loosened his tie and unfastened the first two buttons of his shirt. He leaned into the frame, one of his arms above him, gripping the top of the door. He didn’t stare at me directly; he was like one of my paintings, with his face tilted a little to the side, showing me the delicious scruff that ran along his square jaw and the fullness of his lips. And above all that was a white mask, with fabric and designs that matched mine.

  I flicked off the bathroom light, allowing the candles to warm the space as I slowly sauntered over to him. Even in those heels, I still only came up to his neck…which was where I placed my first kiss. His body stiffened under my mouth; his breathing increased. I felt him begin to reach for me, but I pulled away and took a step back. The movement allowed him to take in my full outfit from a much closer view. I had felt his eyes on me during the walk over to him. Now they bore through me.

  “It was well worth the wait to see you like this,” he said.

  Keeping my eyes fixed on him, I turned on my heels so he could see both sides, and completed the full twist. “You have excellent taste.”

  He shook his head. “You’d look good in anything.”

  I could tell by the way he gripped the molding of the door that he was having a hard time keeping his hands off me. As much as I needed them on my body, the feeling of want that consumed me felt so good that I could tolerate it for a little longer.

  “Sometimes I look at you and I’m amazed that you’re mine.”

  I knew the words had come from his mouth, but it felt as if I had spoken them. It was exactly what I’d been thinking; that, after everything we had experienced together, everything he knew about me, he still treated me the way he did. He still wanted me as much as he had before he knew the truth. He showed me continuously that he wanted me even more. And I felt the same. Cameron made me insatiable; as much as he gave me, I wanted to be even closer than we were. I wanted his breath t
o come from my mouth every time I exhaled.

  He didn’t take a step forward. He just reached out his hand and felt along the shrug, following the fabric until he arrived at the knot between my breasts. He untied both sides and pulled it off my shoulders. His fingers then circled around me, and without warning he yanked me toward him. My palms settled on his chest, my mouth moving closer to his as he had bent his neck to reach me. Our lips didn’t touch; they hovered, each waiting for the other to close the gap.

  We simmered in the temptation.

  He was the first one to move. His mouth finally crushed against mine, his tongue dipping inside with each kiss. After several, he pulled away. We were both left breathless, our chests rising and falling as we tried to calm ourselves.

  “Walk to the bed,” he ordered.

  It was another similarity to the mansion. But coming from him, knowing that meant he was even closer to touching me, it made a different impact. I turned my back to him and took a step.

  He stopped me.

  His hand plucked my lip out from under my teeth. “Only I can taste that tonight.”

  I nodded, and I continued to the bed. Before I got the chance to sit, he’d slipped in front of me, backing me up until I rested against one of the bedposts. My arms reached above my head and gripped the wood between my fingers.

  “Can I feed you some champagne?” he asked.

  I glanced at the nightstand where two empty glasses sat. A bottle had been placed in an ice bucket. “No,” I replied. “The only thing I want in my mouth is you.”

  He leaned over me, his hands resting on top of mine, creating a cave around me. “Turn around.”

  I slowly twirled again on my heels. My shoulders were greeted by his fingers moving my hair to one side so his mouth could devour the new flesh that was revealed. The heat from his mouth warmed my already-blazing skin. But instead of taking his time as I thought he would, kissing every single spot on my body, drawing out the tease until I screamed, he gave me exactly what I’d wanted all along. He quickly unhooked the clasp on my bra and his lips traveled straight down to my ass, stopping to lick the length of each cheek. When he got to the center, he didn’t bother to remove my panties. He ripped them apart, eliminating the cloth that separated his tongue from my skin. Then he was below me on his knees, pushing my legs even farther apart, giving himself room to fully lick the front. He dragged the wiggling tip of his tongue all the way to the back.