Case of Desire

by Jacquelin Thomas

  Jerome walked up to her and whistled. “Girl, you look good.”

  “Thank you.” Camille’s eyes traveled over to where Maxwell and Kendra were standing. They were talking to a congressman and the president of a major bank.

  He followed her gaze. “She’s a trip, isn’t she?”

  “Jerome, you have no idea,” Camille muttered, trying to control her anger. “There are not many people that I dislike, but I have to tell you I really don’t like her at all.”

  “Let’s get something to drink,” Jerome suggested.

  Camille nodded. “So who did you bring with you tonight?”

  “Julie. We’re still kicking it.”

  “Where is she?” Camille asked, looking around the room.

  “Her cousin is here, too. They are probably somewhere running their mouths. Don’t worry, she’ll find me.”

  Camille slowly made her way over to where Maxwell and Kendra were talking to the congressman and bank president. She heard the murmur of whispers and swallowed hard. Kendra was deliberately trying to humiliate her in front of her coworkers.

  As she posed with Maxwell, Kendra ran her fingers through her long spiral curls.

  Camille’s cell phone rang so she walked away to take the call, leaving Maxwell in Kendra’s clutches for the moment. However, she didn’t intend to be gone long. She would be back for her man.

  Chapter 18

  “What’s going on with you?” Maxwell demanded. “Why are you acting like this? Kendra, you know that we’re no longer a couple.”

  “So you say,” she shot back. “I’m tired of this charade. You’re just using that girl to make me jealous. Well, it worked, baby. I’m jealous. I love you and I’ll do whatever it takes to get you back, Maxwell.”

  He shook his head. “I’m not going to let you ruin this evening for Camille.”

  Kendra glared at him. “I don’t care about her.”

  “Well, I do.”

  “You only think that you do,” she argued. “I’m the only woman you have ever loved. I’m in your blood, Maxwell.”

  “Kendra, you couldn’t be more wrong,” he stated before walking away.

  It would do no good to debate the issue with her. They were already drawing enough attention. He meant what he said about not embarrassing Camille. She had worked so hard on this event and he wanted everything to be perfect for her.

  Camille couldn’t believe Kendra’s nerve, but she vowed not to let the woman get to her. After all, Maxwell was committed to her—not the supermodel.

  Kendra sauntered up to her, a fake smile on her face. “You put together a very nice party.”

  She itched to wipe the smug look off the model’s face. Camille took a deep breath and adjusted her smile.

  “Thanks so much for coming out and supporting Hopewell General,” Camille said with feigned sweetness. “Oh…make sure you stay for the auction. We have a fabulous collection of items to bid on. There’s something for everyone, including you.”

  “That must mean that Maxwell’s up for auction.” Kendra held up the small evening bag she carried. “I’m glad I brought my credit card and checkbook. He’s worth every penny.”

  Camille was grateful when Dr. Dudley intervened and hastily escorted Kendra away.

  Maxwell rose to his feet when she walked over to their table. “Is everything okay? I saw you over there with Kendra. It looked a bit intense between you two.”

  “Everything is fine.”

  Deep down, it really wasn’t fine. Members of the hospital staff were watching her and whispering. As much as Camille tried not to let it bother her, it did. She could feel their eyes watching her every move. More gossip for the hospital grapevine.

  Camille posed for some press photos with a couple of U.S. congressmen, a senator and several other VIPs. She made the rounds smiling and laughing as if she didn’t have a care in the world.

  Maxwell was careful to keep Kendra away from her, which Camille appreciated. She just wanted to get the night over with. The evening was going well, despite Kendra’s presence, however.

  When it was time for her to speak, Camille made her way up to the podium with Maxwell’s assistance.

  “Through the generosity of our donors,” she began, “we far exceeded our target and raised more than five million dollars in operating support for the new Bancroft Cancer Treatment Center, named in honor of Richard and Miriam Bancroft.

  “Richard Bancroft and his wife were not only financial contributors, they also gave us their time, valuable counsel and personal energy in guiding us toward our goal of creating a treatment center of true distinction. The Bancrofts’ endowment of four million dollars joined other generous contributions to make this year a banner year for the hospital’s fundraising efforts.”

  Applause thundered throughout the ballroom.

  Camille smiled and waited until the clapping ceased.

  “Wow, that was some gift from the Bancrofts,” Maxwell commented when she returned to the table.

  “The Bancrofts lost their only daughter to cancer when she was only sixteen years old. They said they couldn’t honor her life without doing something to help others. Miriam volunteers at the hospital and I see her often visiting or talking to our cancer patients.”

  Kendra walked over to where they were standing, followed by her camera crew. “Maxwell, darling, I’ve been looking all over for you. I’d like to add an interview piece for my show.”

  Camille noted his expression. She could tell that he was irritated, although he hid his feelings behind a smile.

  Kendra gave her a quick once-over before commenting, “This is the coordinator of this fabulous event.” She glanced back at her cameraman, and then over at Maxwell before saying, “When Maxwell and I decide to get married, I’m going to give her a call to plan our wedding.”

  Camille’s heart felt as if it were going to crack, but she kept her expression blank.

  Finding her voice, she said, “If you two will excuse me, I need to make my rounds.”

  She walked away as quickly as she could.

  Jerome caught up with her. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

  “Kendra just said on camera that she wanted me to plan her wedding to Maxwell.”

  “She was messing with you, Camille,” Jerome to her. “She knows that she’s lost the man and she’s trying to make sure you don’t get him.”

  “I’m really not in the mood to deal with her.”

  “You don’t have to deal with the drama. Let Maxwell handle her. If he can’t, then maybe he’s not the man for you.”

  Camille nodded in agreement. “I hear you, Jerome. It’s just that I…I love him, but I’m not willing to deal with drama from his ex.”

  Jerome embraced her. “It’s going to work out.”

  She nodded and smiled. “I see someone I need to talk to, so I’ll talk to you later. Don’t forget to save me a dance.”

  “I’ll try,” he teased. “My skills are in high demand tonight.”

  She and Jerome walked in different directions.

  Camille was on her way to speak to her assistant, but halted when Kendra blocked her path.

  “Karen,” Kendra began. “We need to talk.”

  “My name is Camille.”

  She giggled. “Oh, sorry. Anyway, do you have a minute?”

  “Not really,” Camille responded. “As you’ve mentioned earlier, I am working.”

  “Well, I thought maybe we could talk about Maxwell.”

  Folding her arms across her chest, Camille responded, “Kendra, I don’t see any reason why we need to have a discussion about him. I’m pretty sure he’s already told you how he feels. There’s nothing left to be said—especially between you and me.”

  “I disagree,” Kendra stated. “We can have this discussion in front of everyone or we can do it somewhere private. I really don’t care which.”

  Furious, Camille followed her out of the ballroom.

  They stepped inside the empty room next door.
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br />   “Look, Kendra, I don’t know what you want to talk about, but I don’t appreciate your interfering with my job.”

  Kendra shrugged off her words. “It seems that we’re both in love with Maxwell, and for me that presents a huge problem.”

  “I won’t apologize for my feelings,” Camille said. “I don’t know why I came out here with you because I won’t discuss this with you any further. You and Maxwell are not together anymore. Maybe it’s time for you to consider moving on. You can’t make him love you or want to be with you.”

  Through clenched teeth, Kendra said, “He is still in love with me. Maybe you’re the delusional one here. Maxwell and I have a long history together. That will never change.”

  Camille didn’t respond.

  “What’s going on in here?” Maxwell asked, looking from one woman to the other.

  “I was just having a little conversation with your friend here,” Kendra announced. “I really don’t think it’s fair what you’re doing to her. You shouldn’t play games with people’s emotions, Maxwell.”

  Frowning, he uttered, “Excuse me? Kendra, what have you been telling her?”

  “The truth.” Kendra ran her manicured fingers through her hair. “Baby, I felt that she should know that you still have feelings for me. We always end up back together.”

  Camille didn’t want to hear another word. “I’m not dealing with this,” she told them both. “Stay away from me, Kendra.”

  Maxwell opened his mouth to speak, but she held up her hands. “Right now, I want both of you to stay away from me.”

  “Sweetheart…” Maxwell began.

  Camille walked briskly across the room and through the double doors. She fought back tears as she sought Jerome out.

  “Can we take a walk somewhere?” she asked him.

  Jerome took one look at her face and nodded. “C’mon.”

  They walked outside.

  “Thanks,” Camille murmured. “I just needed to get out of there for a little while.”

  “What happened between you and Kendra? I saw you two leave the room.”

  “She felt the need to talk to me about Maxwell,” Camille said. “She wanted me to know that they always end up back together. She even said I was delusional where Maxwell is concerned. He showed up right after that.”

  “What did Maxwell say?” Jerome inquired.

  “I didn’t really give him a chance to say anything,” Camille confessed. “I just wanted to be as far away from them as possible. You know how much I hate drama.”

  “Maxwell really needs to get that ex-girlfriend of his in check,” Jerome muttered.

  Camille couldn’t agree more. “She is so arrogant.”

  A few minutes later, after Camille calmed down, they walked back inside.

  “I have enough to deal with tonight…” Camille’s voice died as she laid eyes on Terrence Matthews.

  “I never expected to see him here,” Jerome said.

  He must have seen Terrence at the same moment she did. “I have to hand it to him—Terrence knows how to make an entrance.”

  Camille saw Thomas and Dr. Dudley walking toward Terrence and said, “I guess I’d better go over there to diffuse the situation.”

  Camille reached Terrence first. She embraced him. “Hey, you.”

  He smiled at her. “Hello, beautiful.”

  “What are you doing here?” she asked in a low voice.

  Camille silently noted that Dr. Dudley stopped a few yards away from them. He gestured for Thomas to stop as well. She was relieved that they had decided not to approach Terrence.

  “I wanted to come and support you. Despite all that’s happened I hope that we can still be friends.”

  “We are friends, Terrence,” Camille assured him.

  His eyes traveled the room. “You may be the only one who still considers me a friend.”

  “Terrence, I’m sure that’s not true.”

  His expression showed that he clearly did not believe her. “I’m not going to stay, but I wanted to come see you. I’m sorry it had to come to this, but the hospital didn’t treat me very well.”

  “Terrence, I would hope that if you were in trouble, you’d do whatever was necessary to get better. You are a gifted physician and I’d hate to see you give up medicine or worse, lose the right to practice.”

  He was quiet for a moment.

  She placed a hand to his cheek. “I care about you, Terrence. Believe it or not, we all care about you.”

  He gestured toward the exit doors. “I should get going. I’m meeting some friends not too far from here. It was good seeing you, Camille. Merry Christmas.”

  “Same to you, Terrence,” she responded.

  She watched him leave, relieved that there was not a scene. Camille stole a peek at Maxwell and spotted him walking in her direction. She walked out of the ballroom.

  I shouldn’t be angry with Maxwell, she kept telling herself. But the truth of it was that she was. Camille hated that Kendra was there, trying to sabotage her event and steal the man she loved.

  When she walked into the ladies’ room, Camille found Kendra inside. She quickly turned to leave, but paused when she heard her name called.

  Turning around, she said, “Kendra, I’ve already told you that we have nothing to talk about.”

  “I just wanted to show you my Christmas present from Maxwell.” Grinning, Kendra held up her left hand to show off the huge pear-shaped diamond engagement ring. “I want you to know that I was serious about having you plan our wedding.”

  Kendra’s words were like a knife to Camille’s heart. She leaned against the door for support. She had no idea how, but she managed to keep her composure. “I don’t believe you, Kendra. Why don’t you just give it up?”

  “Oh honey, I feel so sorry for you,” Kendra said. “Maxwell knows that I am the only woman he has ever loved. Sure, we’ve had our ups and downs, but that’s what relationships are all about, don’t you think?

  “He’s tired of the games, too. Maxwell proposed and I accepted.” Kendra admired the ring on her finger while Camille struggled to keep her heart from breaking into a million pieces.

  “I’m sorry you had to find out like this, but I felt you needed to know the truth.”

  “No, you’re not,” Camille countered. “You couldn’t wait to tell me your news.” She blinked back tears.

  Kendra eyed her. “You needed to know that you have no future with Maxwell. He was only using you to make me jealous.”

  “Go to hell!” Camille shouted. She turned and rushed out of the bathroom. In her haste, she ran straight into Maxwell’s path.

  “I’ve been looking for you,” he said. “Honey, we need to talk. There’s something I need to tell you.”

  Camille fought back tears. “I don’t have time for this right now, Maxwell.”

  He scanned her face. “You’re upset. What’s wrong?”

  “Maxwell, I’m working. As for whatever you want to talk about—don’t bother. I know all I need to know,” Camille snapped. “Now leave me alone so that I can focus on my job.”

  Her eyes searched the room, looking for Jerome. She really needed her best friend right now, but he was nowhere to be found.

  Camille paused to talk to a few dignitaries. Just as she was about to check in with her assistant, Maxwell blocked her path.

  “I don’t know what’s going on right now, but please talk to me, sweetheart. I’ll try and fix whatever is wrong.”

  “There isn’t anything to fix,” she responded. “Maxwell, I really can’t do this right now.”

  “All right then, but Camille, I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be here until you get off.”

  “I’m surprised,” she said. “I figured you and Kendra would be off celebrating. She already shared your news, Maxwell. In fact, she could hardly wait.”

  Maxwell looked perplexed.

  Her assistant walked over to them and interrupted by saying, “Camille, the Bancrofts are leaving, but they wanted
to have a word with you.”

  “I have to go,” she said in a low voice. “Maxwell, do me a favor and just leave. What we had is over. That is what you wanted to talk to me about, right?”

  Maxwell had never seen this side of Camille before. He had no idea why she was so upset. Was she still angry over the conversation she had with Kendra earlier? Even though she had made it clear that she didn’t want to talk to him, Maxwell decided to hang around and wait for her. They definitely needed to talk.

  He spotted Kendra and was on his way to find out what she’d told Camille, but then changed his mind. It was better to hear it from Camille, Maxwell decided. He wanted the truth.

  “Are you and Camille okay?” Thomas asked, dropping down in the empty chair beside Matthew. “She looks upset about something.”

  “Kendra got under her skin, I think,” Maxwell responded. “I’m going to talk to her later tonight. I’m not going to let Kendra come between us.”

  They talked for a few minutes more, and then his best friend left to join his wife at their table.

  Camille walked by and Maxwell reached out to grab her hand.

  She glared at him. “I’m working.”

  “I know,” he said. “I also know that something’s not right. Camille, I hate seeing you like this.”

  “Then maybe you should leave,” Camille suggested.

  “We came here together and I’m not leaving you,” Maxwell told her.

  “I can take a taxi home.”

  “I’m not going anywhere.”

  She shrugged.

  Something else must have transpired between Camille and Kendra because she was not only angry; she looked heartbroken. Maxwell spotted Kendra standing near the bar and got up to join her. “Did you say something to Camille?” he asked.

  She wore a look of confusion. “I don’t think so. Why?”

  “She’s very upset over something and I’m pretty sure that you have something to do with it.”

  “What did she tell you?” Kendra asked.

  “Nothing much,” Maxwell responded. “Except that she wants to end our relationship.”

  “It’s for the best,” Kendra said. “Honey, why don’t we go back to your suite and get reacquainted? I’ve sent the camera crew to their hotel so it will just be me and you.”