Careful not to trip in these strappy heels, I descended the staircase, again taking in this beautiful foyer.
Lingering outside the door where I assumed the family had gathered, my hand rested on the handle. I doubted I could go through with this. The front door was within easy reach. That’s if I could get my legs to work and be prepared to face Cameron’s wrath the next time he saw me.
“Mia?”
Aunt Rose stood a few feet away. “We’re in the anteroom.”
Pretend you know what and where that is, my muse berated.
“Oh right,” I answered my muse and Aunt Rose simultaneously.
“I love that dress on you,” she said. “Stella McCartney, last season?”
I didn’t want to share it wasn’t mine. “Um, yes. Sorry.”
“A woman who respects money has nothing to apologize for.” She fiddled with my diamond collar, spinning the catch to the front. She tightened it and spun it back around. Her slim cold fingers repositioned the choker halfway up my neck. “Head high. Wear this with pride.”
My brows arched in a question.
“Oh, I know exactly what this is,” she said. “Would you like me to let you in on a little secret?” She brushed the locks away from my shoulder, exposing my bare flesh. “Mia.” She leaned in. “You hold all the power.”
Aunt Rose was not only beautiful but awesome too, and though I didn’t quite believe her words they left a nice, warm feeling. A shared moment to ease this tension.
“Are you curious where Cameron gets his tenacity from?”
I gave another nod.
“Then come meet his mother,” she said. “You’re in for a real treat.”
I was going to have to remember how to talk and fast.
Cameron appeared from across the foyer and calmly, taking his time, he strolled with his hands in his pockets. He looked so handsome in his black-tie and so refined wearing that perfect bowtie. His hair was ruffled just so in a hint of rebellion to all this formality.
I’d need to hold his hand when we walked in.
“Do you see the way he looks at you, Mia?” whispered Aunt Rose.
Searching Cameron’s face, I tried to read what she was seeing. He was perhaps acting a little less arrogant, but I assumed that was for Aunt Rose’s sake.
“He’s very taken with you,” she whispered.
Yet she’d not used the word love. Surely she was expecting to see love in his eyes. Maybe she was smart enough to see through our ruse.
“Thank you, Aunt, for taking such good care of her,” said Cameron, planting a kiss on each of Rose’s cheeks.
“My pleasure, dear.”
“Both of you look stunning tonight,” he said.
Aunt Rose winked. “Almost didn’t recognize her.”
He smiled. “May I be permitted a moment with my fiancé?” Cameron rested a hand on my lower spine.
When his heady cologne reached me, it lifted my mood and made me tingle all over. Cameron beamed that heart stopping smile my way, making me want to stretch my hands around his waist beneath his jacket and press my cheek against his white shirt and snuggle in. Though leaving a smudge of makeup on that crisp, white shirt wouldn’t go down well.
As Aunt Rose headed off, I wondered if she knew about Cameron’s penchant for pain and about Chrysalis. She certainly knew what this choker meant. “Your aunt is so cool.”
“Let’s not use slang tonight,” he said. “Or for that matter ever again.”
“Does your aunt know about Chrysalis?”
He gave a don’t be ridiculous look.
Aunt Rose was intriguing. That glint of amusement made me feel like I was part of a secret club of women. Thank goodness for her being here. She might actually be the advocate I needed when Cameron slipped back into intensity. I really liked his sister too and had to thank her for lending me this beautiful dress.
“Can I sit next to Willow?” I said.
“Will that help you feel more at ease?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Then no.”
“But—”
“I need you focused.”
“Oh, I’m focused.”
“You really do look stunning.” Cameron stood back. “When in doubt, smile sweetly.”
“What’s an anteroom?”
“We gather there before dinner. It’s connected to the dining room.” He gave a flash of concern.
Avoiding his sudden sternness, my concentration turned to the black and white marble flooring, admiring its perfect symmetry. Maybe that was why everything in this foyer was so unsettling. Each and every piece emanated not only wealth, a raw masculinity, but also flawlessness. Raising my eyes to the decadent chandelier, I admired the thousands of small crystal droplets forming a sweeping centerpiece of superiority.
All this square footage was daunting. I’d thought Richard’s home was amazing with its four bedrooms and dramatic ocean views, but this was palatial. I’d never feel safe enough to fall asleep on my own.
“I can’t take my eyes off you,” he whispered.
He assessed my face and body with approval.
“You like the chandelier?” he said.
“It’s striking.”
He brushed his thumb over my bottom lip. “You are.”
My lip swelled beneath his touch and I nipped at his thumb.
Cameron’s eyes closed for a few seconds. “You are sublime,” he said huskily. “Let me savor this. Don’t dare refuse me this by denying your own beauty.”
His words left me breathless.
“I’m recalling that image of you in the foyer. Naked, except for your choker and stockings and ready to submit to me…”
Subspace, I’d slipped into it so easily again, a place where nothing else mattered. Feeling like a million fireflies ignited me from the inside out, I gave the deepest sigh.
“You’re training will bring me the greatest joy, Mia.”
I needed to break this intensity, this sudden urge to fall at his feet and worship his cock in my mouth. “How often do you stay here?”
“It depends on what I’m doing. Or who I’m doing it to.”
“Will your family be visiting your Venice Beach house?”
He looked amused. “No, they fly back to Long Island in the morning.”
“Which house do you prefer?”
“My job is to challenge you, Mia. That’s why you’re feeling this way.”
My lips trembled as these moments unfolded. Arriving here had been dreamlike, as though I ran on ahead of reason, fearing I’d change my mind if I gave it too much thought.
“You like the beach house better?” I stuttered.
“The authenticity of the beach house is refreshing. I prefer this house, as I do Chrysalis, for their ability to transform those within.”
“Your submissive?”
“Earlier, I offered you a taste of how you will be treated. How did you find the experience?”
“I liked it.” A lot, actually. I blushed. “What are you celebrating?”
“We’re not.”
“Are you going out afterward?”
“This is how we dress for dinner.”
It was impossible not to show my surprise. I was still haunted by that time Cameron had visited my studio and caught me moments before I’d dived into a Pot Noodle while wearing pajamas. Our lives were oceans apart and every second in his company highlighted that.
“Look at this as an adventure.” Cameron took my hand in his and led me towards a door. “One where you get to study us.”
My panic rose. These people would spot my lack of culture in seconds.
He opened a door and gestured for me to go on ahead. Even the door handles were exquisitely fashioned. We entered a large mirrored dining room with a low crystal chandelier hung directly over a long dark wooden dining table, infusing decadence into an already lavish space. A prism of color burst down upon the room.
What was it with all these chandeliers? A rich person’s thing I s
upposed. They were so pretty, yet intimidating at the same time. Maybe it had something to do with my childhood being all about hand me downs. Most of the time our bare light bulbs lacked shades or fixtures and glared fluorescently to illuminate both our lack of money along with our class. Thinking about that now really wasn’t helping. It merely served to highlight the gargantuan chasm between our worlds.
Cameron was focused on me.
The mahogany high-backed chairs were empty. The table setting looked like something out of one of those luxury magazines I’d flipped through at the grocery store but couldn’t afford. Starched finely folded napkins were placed next to delicate blue and white china plates rimmed in gold. It all looked too perfect to use. Numerous crystal glasses, several at each place setting, caught the light. People really did live like this.
“Will we be eating in here?” I said.
“Yes.”
“You eat like this every night?”
“Not always.” He gestured for me to step towards the table. “We don’t have much time, so please listen carefully.”
“Can I have some water, please?”
“Soon.” Cameron looked intense. “We will be having five courses.”
“Five?”
“Mia, I need you to listen.” He gestured. “Silverware. You start from the outside and work in. You know this, right?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Richard’s taught you that much.”
I frowned at him. “You have a chef?”
“No, Mia, I just have enough time to finish chopping vegetables.” He arched a brow. “Of course I have a chef. Did you just roll your eyes?”
I rubbed my eyelid, careful not to smudge my mascara. “Have something in my eye.”
“If we had the time, I’d slam you over the table and punish you from behind for insolence.”
I was half startled and half in wonder.
“Now, where was I?” Cameron eased locks of my hair forward to cover my naked shoulder. “It’s imperative you watch my father’s lead. He will be sitting at the head of the table.” Cameron pointed. “You do not begin to eat until he has taken his first bite. When my father has finished eating, so have the rest of us.”
“Is that a Cole tradition?’
“Standard etiquette.” Cameron continued with a serious air, no irony, just his voice trailing along with a list of demands I was to strictly adhere to. “No leaving the table during dinner.”
“What if I need to visit the restroom?”
“Hold it.” He wagged a finger. “Using your cell phone—”
“I don’t have my phone—”
“Slouching, arms on the table, leaving the table, using the wrong fork, using the wrong wine glass, are all indicative of—”
“Being lower class.”
“I meant us not having spent time together.” His fists clenched by his sides. “Never again describe yourself in such a manner. Am I clear?”
“But you’d never date beneath your class, Cameron.”
“What did I just tell you?”
“They’ll know something’s up.”
“No, they won’t.” He glared at me. “Class is a word that I have no use for.”
“It’s just that your aunt’s pretty smart.”
“As are all my family. They’re very open-minded.” He cocked his head. “My father’s a bit of a curmudgeon, but—”
“What’s a curmudgeon?” On his response, I added, “See, you think I’m uneducated.”
He shook his head. “Again, that’s not what I meant. I would have prepared you for an evening such as this—”
“Yes, but if I had class you wouldn’t need to.”
He slid a fork closer to a plate and then slid it back. “Mia, I understand that throwing you in the deep end is unnerving.” He looked up at me. “And I may come from privilege, but I never act like it.”
Cameron did have a point, but he was shaking my confidence with all this talk of etiquette and rules and who eats first and when to stop eating and when to breathe. “I’ve never played these kinds of social games before.”
“It’s just dinner.”
“Yes, but do you really need three glasses each?”
He pointed to them. “One is for your water. The other two are for wine. One for red and the other white.”
“I thought you weren’t meant to mix red and white wine?”
“We pair wines with the menu.” He gave a wry smile. “Mia, we’re only pretending to be engaged. A lover’s tiff may hint we’ve been together a while but let’s not over do it.”
“I didn’t sign on for this.”
“You will do what I say and when.” He lifted my chin with a fingertip. “That is what you signed on for.”
I pouted, refusing to budge on this.
“God, Mia.” He clenched his teeth. “Your mouth is so fuckable when you’re angry.”
Okay, that didn’t help either. “That Guantanamo Bay comment sent me reeling.”
“It was a joke.”
“Can’t you tell them I have a headache?” I begged. “Tell them I had to retire to bed early.” I too could talk upper class.
“You’ll be a pleasant distraction.” He took my hand again. “You’ll do great. Follow my lead. They’re actually rather friendly once you get to know them.”
Why the hell had I chosen tonight to break through my fear and turn up at his door?
“Trust me,” he said, “I would rather be back in that bedroom with you silencing that smart mouth of yours, but duty calls.”
Despite this impending fear, this might just prove invaluable in learning more about Mr. Mysterious. As long as I remembered not to pass out from terror and fall face first into my dinner. “Please don’t tell me the main meal is something I’ve never heard of,” I said, “or have no idea how to eat. Like a strange shellfish dish I need a degree for so I don’t poison myself.”
He threw his head back in a laugh. “We have a menu, so you can quite happily choose from that.” He flicked a stray hair out of my face. “Ever resist my plans for you again and I’ll be choosing everything you eat from here on in.”
We headed towards the side door.
“I like you choosing my food for me,” I said. “It makes me feel…”
“Cherished?”
I leaned into him.
“I haven’t even begun to cherish you, my darling Mia.”
A delicious tingle twirled up my spine.
“You’re wrong about me,” he said. “I couldn’t be prouder to show you off.”
“Why me, Cameron? Why did you choose me?”
“You are the epitome of the sacred feminine,” he said. “Holding the evolution of your beauty within my hands brings an ecstasy like no other. You are an intoxication I refuse to live without.”
Enraptured by his words, I desperately wanted to taste his mouth, have his arms wrapped around me again, his strong hands explore my body. This yearning for Cameron was growing more intense, as though he’d awoken these once dormant desires to be erotically enslaved by him, this insatiable need to be ferociously possessed.
“Soon, Mia,” he said. “Soon.”
How easy it was to slip into subspace when he was around. This out of body experience caused my body to tremble. This arousal swelled my breasts and tightened my core in anticipation of what else he had to show me.
Life was never going to be the same.
“Ready?” he said.
“As I’ll ever be.”
He gave a devilish laugh. “Once more unto the breach dear friends, once more.”
“I don’t want to know what that means, do I?”
“It’s from Shakespeare’s King Henry.” His grip tightened. “The king spoke those words right before entering into the Battle of Agincourt.”
“Please tell me the king didn’t die.”
He grinned and reached for the door handle.
CHAPTER 16
WE WERE GREETED with smiles.
“
Here she is,” said Aunt Rose, throwing me a welcoming wave.
Cameron’s father was the first to rise, approaching with the presence of a man of his standing. Owner and CEO of the billion dollar empire Cole Tea Incorporated, the company Cameron was due to inherit. He easily intimidated with that smart tux and extraordinary height. He towered over everyone.
He held his hand out to me. “Mia, this is a real privilege. Thank you for joining us.”
There was that familiarity of Cameron. Same chestnut eyes that glinted with kindness, salt and pepper hair and a handsome refined face.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sir,” I said, feeling the strong squeeze of his hand.
“Please, call me Raife,” he said.
“That’s Cameron’s middle name,” I said, smiling.
Cameron beamed at me and it was a relief I wasn’t embarrassing him just yet.
“And Granddad’s too,” said Willow.
The kiss on each cheek came from his mother. “I’m Victoria,” she said. “This is such a lovely surprise.” She studied me with that familiar Cole laser-sharp perception. Her auburn hair was coiffed to perfection in a chignon. She was tall and elegant, with a timeless beauty. She was where Cameron got his looks from. She had that same intensity.
Victoria took in my dress and glanced over at Willow, seemingly recognizing her daughter’s Stella McCartney. “My son never tells us anything, Mia, so you’ll have to apologize if we seem a little out of the know.”
“This is a perfect opportunity to learn more about you,” said Aunt Rose, giving me another hug. “Cameron is so very naughty keeping you so hush hush.”
“More like protective,” said Cameron, amused.
“He’s such a rogue,” said Victoria. “How long have you been dating?”
“A while,” said Cameron, gesturing to the dining room. “Let’s go through, shall we? I for one am starving.”
“We went shopping in Santa Monica,” said Willow, taking my arm and guiding me through. “I’ve promised to take Aunty to Rodeo Drive next week. I do love your choker.”
As we made our way back into the dining room, I ran through all that Cameron had told me and made a mental note to follow his lead when it came to cutlery and which glass was used and when. I also reminded myself not to drink too much and start to believe our lie. No wonder the family seemed so guarded. Their son was quite a catch and the chance of women hunting him down for all the wrong reasons was a real possibility.
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