“So, what can I do for you?” he asks, and I guess this is where I eat humble pie and apologise for being offish earlier.
“I just wanted to say that I’m sorry for how I acted before, you know, about Danny. I get that you’re just trying to look out for your son.”
“Not just him, Cameron,” he says, and my eyes lock with his. He doesn’t need to say anything as a whole host of emotions pass between us without words needing to be said.
“It’s just… it’s all a little…” I fail to find what I need to say.
“Fucked up?” he finishes, and it makes me laugh nervously.
“Yeah, something like that.”
“Look, I get it, but we’re adults who can get past whatever this weirdness is… aren’t we?” he asks cautiously, and I realise that I need to let go of whatever it is I felt for him all those years ago, because he is a work colleague and my ex’s father, and nothing more. Despite what Marcie was just saying to me in her office.
“Yeah, we can,” I tell him, and he gives me his killer-watt smile that sends every one of my nerve endings into a frenzy, and that’s without him even touching me. There really is no hope for me, is there?
“Anyway, I just came here to say that, and to say that I have no intention of speaking to Danny again,” I tell him as I stand up and give him a slight nod of my head.
“Let me ask you a question,” he says, stopping me from turning to go to the door.
“Sure.”
“Do you want to speak to Danny again?”
“No,” I answer with no hesitation whatsoever. “He turned into someone I don’t even recognise, and we weren’t even together all that long, so really, it’s not a big deal to me.” And it isn’t. Yes, I may have liked him previously, but all of that changed the moment he put his hands on me—and the fact that Caleb is his dad, obviously.
“Did you love him?” he asks.
“No.” Again, no hesitation. “And clearly, we’re not stepping into any awkwardness here,” I say, but I make my tone light, so he knows I’m not getting all pissy about it.
He lets out a huff of laughter and I take that as my cue to leave, but when I get to the door, I open it and turn back around to find his eyes on me, and I speak without thinking of the consequences of doing so. “And it really wouldn’t have been fair to him, considering I’m still thinking about a guy from my past and all…” And then I shut the door, leaving him with that final thought.
ChapterTwenty-Two
Caleb
It’s been just over a week since Cameron dropped those parting words on me…“And it really wouldn’t have been fair to him, considering I’m still thinking about a guy from my past and all…”
Those words have rattled around my brain more than I care to admit. Playing on a loop. Making me wonder if I am the guy she was talking about.
I haven’t actively been avoiding her since then, it’s just that work has been busy with the lead up to the function, and I have been working on several new projects that have needed all of my attention. But I guess it’s a good thing I’ve been so busy, because otherwise I may have charged into her office and tried fucking her on the desk… yeah, the horny teen inside of me is still raging, but I am a man of control and I need to keep doing what I’m doing, even if it does feel like such a fucking waste.
And now, here I am, stood in the function room as the guests start to roll in. I hate these things, but they bring in business, and my job is to poach as many as I can and bring them onto the books.
I’m suited and booted in my three-piece suit, my shoes have been polished, and I’m even wearing a fucking tie. I hate them, but when occasion calls for it, I’ll put one on.
Not only do I have to spend the evening schmoozing and wooing the potential clients, but I’ve also got Danny’s mother trying to get hold of me. Yeah, haven’t spoken to her in years, but all of a sudden, she wants a chat. I’ve had multiple messages from her, so much so that I decided to leave my phone in my office, because she’s like a dog with a goddamn bone. I can only imagine that she has heard God knows what from Danny—even though he’s still ignoring my calls and attempts to try and speak to him—and has seen a way in, a way to get money, a way to extort something from me. Not going to happen.
So, all in all, I’m feeling rather fucking stressed, and I’m trying to resist the urge to go to the bar and get absolutely smashed—yes, even at forty-two years old, I could still drink until I can’t walk or think straight, especially at this moment in time.
But then, a vision is before me, and I can think of nothing other than her.
Cameron.
She’s just walked in, and fuck me dead, she looks absolutely stunning.
She’s wearing a long, light-purple dress that has a slit up one side, going to mid-thigh, the material hugging her curves. The dress is strapless, her hair is pinned back from her face but flowing down her back in loose curls, and her face looks perfect. She doesn’t need makeup, and she has kept it natural, unlike some of the dolls in this room, and she is by far the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on.
I see several of the males in the room turn to look at her, and I have the overwhelming urge to go and smack them in the mouth for even daring to look her way. I clench my hands into fists and put them in my pockets. This is what she does to me. Makes me want to claim her and let every fucker know she is mine. Even more so now that some arsehole across the way is walking over to her and taking her hand in his as he introduces himself.