by Anna Stone
Camilla’s hand dropped down to caress the side of Lindsey’s face, while her other hand typed away on her phone. “How would you feel about having some friends of mine come visit?”
“Sure,” Lindsey said. What would Camilla’s friends be like? And what would Camilla say to them about Lindsey? Would she tell the truth about their unconventional arrangement?
“Maybe I’ll throw a dinner party. It’s been a while since I hosted one.”
“That sounds like fun.” Lindsey closed her eyes, letting the warm sun beat down on her skin. This was the life. Luxuriating by the pool next to a mansion, with her beautiful Mistress next to her.
Lindsey never imagined herself in this situation. But what was more unexpected were her feelings toward Camilla. She’d taken Faith’s advice and stopped worrying about what those feelings meant. It had made things a little clearer. But that still left her with one problem.
Everything between Lindsey and Camilla was just a lie.
Camilla yawned. “How’s your art going? Do you have anything to show me yet?”
“Not yet,” Lindsey replied. “Soon, though.” She was out of practice, both in terms of her craft and mentally. It was still a daily battle to sit down and force herself to work every morning. She still felt that paralyzing fear. But it was nowhere near as bad as before. And once she got started, creativity would flow from her for hours and hours.
“June said you’ve been wandering around with your sketchpad of a morning.”
“I’ve been sketching the grounds. There’s so much beautiful scenery here. I don’t usually draw landscapes, but the grounds are too picturesque not to try to capture.”
“My grandmother spent most of her retirement painting the grounds,” Camilla said. “She was very talented. Her paintings are stashed away in the east wing somewhere if you’d like to see them. I’ll have June dig them out for you.”
“That sounds like a lot of trouble,” Lindsey said. “I don’t want to make more work for June.”
“Nonsense. I pay her outrageously so that I can ask her to do whatever I need done. She won’t mind.”
“Then I’d love to see them. Thank you, Mistress.”
Camilla placed her phone down on the table next to her. “All right. Get up here.” She held out her hand and pulled Lindsey up onto her lap. “I can’t get anything done with you sitting there. You’re much too distracting.”
Lindsey grinned. “Sorry, Mistress.”
“You’re not sorry at all, are you?”
Lindsey threw her arms around Camilla’s neck. “No, Mistress, I’m not.”
Camilla’s mouth fell open. “What has gotten into you today? I ought to take you into the hedge maze where no one can find us and punish you.”
“Please do, Mistress.” Lindsey was pushing it. Camilla had made it clear in the past that she didn’t like misbehaving submissives. But her playful tone suggested that the kind of punishment she was referring to didn’t involve writing lines.
“Oh, you’re being such a brat right now.” Camilla grabbed Lindsey’s waist and pulled her closer. “Luckily, I know just how to stop you running that mouth of yours.”
Camilla covered Lindsey’s mouth with her own, kissing her in that soft, slow way that filled Lindsey with need. She shifted on Camilla’s lap, pressing herself against the other woman. Camilla’s hand slid up the side of Lindsey’s hip, all the way to her chest. A faint moan escaped Lindsey’s lips. She really hoped Camilla’s talk of taking her into the hedge maze wasn’t just a threat.
“Who the hell is this?”
Camilla tensed. Lindsey’s eyes flew open. She turned to see a short middle-aged woman standing right beside them. Several feet behind her, June was hurrying toward them, an apologetic look on her face.
“Denise?” Camilla said. “What are you doing here?”
“What do you think?” the woman replied. “I’m visiting my baby sister.”
This was Camilla’s sister? They did look alike. Both women had the same hazel eyes and straight brown hair, although Denise’s was cut into a short bob. And Denise’s face had none of Camilla’s warmth and humor.
Denise narrowed her eyes at Lindsey. “I wasn’t aware you had a guest, Millie.”
Lindsey remembered she was still sitting in Camilla’s lap, her hand hovering dangerously close to Camilla’s breast. And she was fairly sure Denise had seen them making out like horny teenagers only moments ago. She jumped to her feet.
The motion seemed to break Camilla out of her shocked state. “Lindsey, this is my sister, Denise. Denise, this is Lindsey. My… girlfriend.”
Girlfriend? “Uh, hi.” Lindsey held her hand out to Denise.
Denise ignored it. Instead, she looked Lindsey up and down, her nose wrinkled in disdain. “She certainly has the ‘girl’ part down.”
Lindsey folded her arms across her chest. Suddenly, she felt very naked in her bikini.
“Lindsey, darling, you’ll have to forgive my sister. She isn’t normally this rude.” Camilla shot Denise a withering look. “Oh, who am I kidding? Yes, she is.”
The other woman didn’t react. “I didn’t know you were seeing someone.”
“It’s a recent development. Now, I’m sure you’re tired after your flight. I’ll have June make up one of the guest suites. Why don’t you go relax in the drawing room? June can show you the way.”
“I grew up in this house. I know where the drawing room is.”
“Well, it’s been so long since you’ve been here that I thought you might have forgotten.”
“It hasn’t been that long.” Denise rolled her eyes. “I’m going to go freshen up, then catch up on some work. I’ll come down for dinner.” She turned to address June. “Seven thirty, in the formal dining room.”
“June isn’t a servant,” Camilla said. “And she doesn’t take instructions from you. Dinner will be in the west dining room, as usual. And it will be at seven thirty because it’s always at seven thirty.”
“Whatever you say, Millie.”
“It’s Camilla. It’s been Camilla since I was sixteen.”
And if Lindsey hadn’t known better, she’d think the pair of them were sixteen. They sure were acting like it.
“I don’t have time for this. If you need me, I’ll be in my rooms.” Denise turned on her heel and stormed back to the house.
As soon as she was out of earshot, Camilla turned to June, a dark look in her eyes. “Why didn’t you warn me she was here?”
“I’m sorry, Ma’am,” June said. “I was tidying up in the east wing. I didn’t hear her arrive.”
“Just go make sure she stays away from my rooms. And lock the playroom door for me. You know how she is about that kind of thing.”
June nodded, then strode off after Denise.
Camilla turned to Lindsey. “I’m sorry for putting you on the spot like that. Denise would never approve of our arrangement.”
“It’s okay,” Lindsey said.
“Of course, if you’re not comfortable with me pretending you’re my girlfriend, I can think of something else.”
“No, I don’t mind.” It wouldn’t be any different to what they were already doing. Although, Lindsey was going to have to remember not to call Camilla ‘Mistress.’
“Thank you.” The relief was clear on Camilla’s face. “Do you mind sleeping in my room for now? You can keep your own rooms for when you need your own space, of course.”
“Sure.” All this, just to fool Camilla’s sister? Lindsey had never seen Camilla so frazzled. “Are you okay?” Lindsey asked.
“It’s just my sister. She’s the only family I have left, but we don’t see eye to eye.” Camilla rubbed the back of her neck. “She’s a senator like my father was, and we have completely different views on everything. She’s never approved of the life I live. I had to come out to her three times until she took me seriously. Then it took another two years before she stopped referring to my girlfriends as ‘friends,’ and-” Camilla blinked. “
I’m rambling. None of that is important. What matters, is that she never stays long. We’ll only have to play these roles for a day or two.”
Chapter Sixteen
“I’m staying for a week,” Denise said.
Camilla paused, her fork halfway up to her mouth. “A whole week?”
Lindsey focused intently on the food on her plate. Dinner had just started, but the air was already thick with tension. Denise didn’t seem to like the fact that Camilla was sitting at the head of the table, and just minutes ago, the two sisters had gotten into an argument because Denise had ordered June to set the table ‘the right way.’
Not to mention that Denise had been giving Lindsey dirty looks the entire time.
“Is that a problem?” Denise asked.
“Well, I was planning on throwing a dinner party, but it can wait,” Camilla said.
“Oh, don’t let me stop you from throwing one of your little parties.”
“It’s fine. I wouldn’t want to cut into our quality time together.” Camilla paused. “As much as I enjoy spending time with my dear sister, I have to ask. Isn’t campaign season starting soon? Shouldn’t you be out there making false promises to the masses?”
“That’s why I’ve come here,” Denise said. “I’ll be extremely busy from now on, so it’ll be my last chance to visit the house in a while.”
“How thoughtful of you to see me one last time before you disappear for several years again.”
“Stop being so dramatic, Millie. It hasn’t been years.”
“You’re right,” Camilla said. “It hasn’t been years. Not this time, anyway.”
Denise sighed. “When are you going to let that go?”
“Let it go? Our mother had just died, and you were nowhere to be found!”
“We all grieve in different ways. I came back for her funeral, didn’t I? Besides, I was busy. I had a family of my own to raise.”
“Let’s not pretend you actually raised the twins. We both know that the nanny did all the work before you shipped them off to boarding school.”
Lindsey glanced at Denise. Her brows were bunched up and her jaw was set. Camilla had hit a nerve.
“I’m fairly certain your kids talk to me more than they do you,” Camilla said. “Did you know that your daughter was chosen as captain of her school debate team?”
Denise frowned. “I’m sure she mentioned it in one of her emails.”
“She told me when we spoke on the phone last week.”
“Yes, well I’m not surprised she talks to you more than me. You’re her fun Aunt Camilla. Of course, you can be as eccentric as you like. It must be nice, not having any responsibilities.”
“No responsibilities? Who do you think has been running our family’s company for the last 15 years while you’re off playing politician? Not to mention taking care of this estate. It’s funny how you’re out there preaching about family and using the Robinson name to get ahead, but when it comes to your own family, you might as well be a ghost.”
Lindsey picked up her glass of water, somehow knocking her fork off the table in the process. It fell to the floor, landing with a loud clatter. Denise and Camilla turned to stare at her.
“Er…”
From nowhere, June swooped in and picked the fork up from the floor. “I’ll get you a new one.” She gave Lindsey a sympathetic look. Something told her that June was used to these dinners with Camilla and Denise.
For a while, only silence filled the air.
Then, Denise cleared her throat. “So, Lindsey, how long have you been living in my family’s home?”
“Er, a little over a month.” Lindsey and Camilla hadn’t discussed what they were going to say to Denise, so Lindsey decided to tell as much of the truth as she could.
Denise huffed. “And how long were the two of you together before you moved in?”
“Denise, that’s no way to treat my guest.” Camilla put her hand on Lindsey’s. “As you can see, I got the looks and the brains, and Denise here got the excellent people skills.”
Denise shot Camilla a dirty look.
“If you must know, we met around two months ago,” Camilla said.
“That’s awfully fast, don’t you think?” Denise’s eyes never left Lindsey’s face.
“You know what they say about lesbian relationships. Well, I suppose you wouldn’t.”
“So, you were together for a couple of weeks before you decided to move in?” Denise held her hand up, palm out, in Camilla’s direction. “Don’t answer for her. I’m sure she’s capable of saying more than a few words.”
Lindsey swallowed. “Well, I needed a place to stay, so Camilla invited me. It’s just for a few months.”
“How generous of you, Millie.”
Camilla corrected her again. “It’s Camilla.”
“What is it that you do, Lindsey?” Denise asked.
“Well, I used to work at a call center selling insurance until recently. It isn’t what I wanted to do with my life, but I needed a job after college, so I took it.”
Camilla squeezed Lindsey’s hand. “She’s an artist, actually.”
“Oh?” Denise gave Lindsey an icy look. “So you spend your days drawing pictures while leeching off my family’s money?”
“For starters, it’s my money, and I’ll do what I want with it,” Camilla said. “And Lindsey isn’t leeching off anyone. Even if she was, it wouldn’t justify how rude you’re being.”
“I’m just telling the truth, Millie. Can’t you see that-”
“That’s enough,” Camilla said sharply. “If you say one more nasty thing about Lindsey, you can find somewhere else to stay tonight.”
“It’s my house too. You can’t kick me out.”
“Last time I checked, our parents left the house to me. And for a good reason.”
Denise scoffed. “Because you’re the fucking golden child.”
“No, it’s because I know the meaning of family,” Camilla said. “But that doesn’t mean I’m above kicking you out if you continue to disrespect Lindsey. So shut up and eat this lovely dinner that has been prepared for us.”
Denise scowled, but she didn’t say anything. She simply picked up her fork and continued to eat.
The rest of the meal passed in near silence, but the expression on Denise’s face spoke volumes. She didn’t like that Lindsey was here.
And she didn’t like Lindsey.
After sitting through the whole meal, from appetizers to dessert, Camilla turned to Lindsey and gave her a strained smile.
“Darling, my sister and I have a lot to catch up on,” she said. “We’ll be in the drawing room if you need me.”
“Yes, Mis-” Lindsey flushed. “Sure.”
Lindsey kissed Camilla on the cheek and got out of there as fast as she could.
Lindsey was lying on the bed in her room with her headphones on, listening to music and messaging Faith, when Denise appeared at the foot of her bed.
Lindsey sat up with a start. “Denise. I didn’t hear you come in.” She hadn’t even knocked, which had to be intentional.
“I just knew Camilla would put you in here.” Denise glared around the room. “Typical. This was always the nicest of the guest suites. Only the most important visitors were allowed to stay here. Never our friends or relatives. Certainly not stragglers off the streets.”
Lindsey sat up and watched Denise stroll around the room, examining everything. The woman walked over to the closet and opened the door. She pulled out a dress, the emerald one that Lindsey had worn that first night out in the garden.
“I suppose my sister bought all this for you?” Denise asked. “Either that, or selling insurance is more lucrative than I thought.”
“Camilla did buy that for me.” Lindsey crossed her arms. “So what if she did?”
“I’m not surprised. My sister always had such gaudy tastes.”
Lindsey fumed. She’d had it with this woman. “What do you want?”
Denise stuck the
dress back into the closet and shut the door. “Do you know what they used to call a woman like you? A woman who lives off the riches of a wealthy lover in exchange for providing certain other… benefits?” She returned to stand at the foot of Lindsey’s bed. “A kept woman. It’s more polite than ‘gold-digger’ I suppose. Or something even more unpleasant.”
It wasn’t hard for Lindsey to figure out what Denise meant. “I’m not after Camilla’s money.”
Denise scoffed. “Someone young and pretty like you? There’s no reason for you to be with Millie otherwise.”
“Did it ever occur to you that I like her? That I’m attracted to her? That I want to be with her?”
“Would you still want to be with her if it wasn’t for her money?”
“Yes,” Lindsey said.
“I don’t believe you.”
“It’s a good thing that your opinion doesn’t matter to me or Camilla one bit.”
Denise gave a derisive chuckle. “You’ve got more bite than I expected. Is that how you managed to fool my sister? You manipulated her into thinking you actually like her?”
“I’m not manipulating her,” Lindsey said. “Do you really think anyone could manipulate Camilla?”
“Well, you’ve obviously done something. It’s clear that she’s fallen hard for you.”
“Did you just come in here to make snide remarks about me?”
“No. I came to tell you to stop screwing around with my sister.”
Lindsey’s brows drew together. Could it be that Denise was actually worried about Camilla, and not the family money? “Look, I’m not screwing around with Camilla. I’m not after her money. Our relationship has only just started, but I’m serious about her. Really.”
“All right,” Denise said. “Let’s pretend for a minute that I believe you. You’ve known each other for a couple of months. You’ve been living together, here, for most of that time. Right now, you like her. But what’s going to happen when the shine rubs off? You know what she’s like, don’t you? Temperamental, moody, controlling? You know what living with her is like?”