“You have a Camilla Clayworth wanting to see if you’re available?” Sandra Thornton asked in utmost businesslike manner. She’s another one of my assistants, below Luke.
“Do send her in. Thank you, Sandra.” She gave a curt nod and quietly left the room. I’m quite sure Cam is here to explain in grave detail how our personal agreement was leaked to the media.
My name does show up in the media—mostly on the business section. I keep my private life away from tabloid magazines and I want to keep it that way. Unlike Clive, I don’t appreciate being hounded by a bunch of paparazzi trying to make your life utter living hell.
Last night, I didn’t even join them during dinner. I stayed in my study and waited until I knew she was fast asleep before I let myself out. I left for work before she even woke up. Not once did I desire to touch her last night. I wanted to, but I simply couldn’t. Not when I see her and Kyle intertwined in my mind each time I look at her.
I heard the door shut and saw Camilla stride towards my desk. Her hair was in a loose chignon and she wore a matching pale blue Chanel skirt suit and her nude Hermes purse. “Blake—my father let on some of his cronies and I suppose the word stretched to the media. I confided in Father after we spoke last. I was overjoyed; you see and couldn’t wait a moment longer to announce it to my family.”
Albert Clayworth would’ve been euphoric and in rapture about this news. The only matter that I was rather apprehensive about was telling the lovely Camilla how things had shifted since I last spoke with her. “Do you want any refreshments?”
“Gin and tonic should suffice, thank you.” She sauntered towards the couch and carefully placed her purse on the coffee table. I went to the bar and prepared her favored drink. Once done, I handed it to her. She purposely lingered on my fingers a tad too long.
I strode towards the front of my desk and casually leaned on it. The best way to deliver bad news was to carry it out with thorough precision without fault. The last thing I wanted was to inflict pain on Camilla, but it was either that or not have Sienna in my life, and I chose the latter. Even if my relationship with Sienna at the moment was twisted and perplexed.
“Sienna and I are trying to work things out.”
Camilla’s eyes buggered out and she hastily placed her glass on the table with utter care before she responded. “Meaning what precisely?” She lifted an open hand and shrugged. “Fancy shagging her once or twice, or working it out to be with her like before? If it’s all sex then I wouldn’t mind that, not at all. I do accept that you’re a virile man. But what I expect is that you keep your affairs discreet and hidden though.”
How considerate, I thought dourly.
My jaws grinded. “To be quite honest, I want all of that with Sienna. But our long separation inclined us both to indulge—rather with zealous affections towards other people. But I am in love with her, Cam. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have made that call to you.”
“Oh don’t be ridiculous! We can still get on with the wedding and you can still have her at the same time. You win either way. She doesn’t deserve you, Blake. She’s just an opportunist who wants you for your money. She’s nothing but a parasite who claimed to love you but conveniently let another man screw her mindless.” Camilla’s composure seemed to have slackened a tad bit. In normal circumstances, she wouldn’t have uttered a word, but would politely nod and smile—but not today. She came with her claws out, ready to fight.
“A Mr. Andrei Alexandrov is on line one, sir.” The intercom blared out with Sandra’s curt voice.
Hell, the Russian tycoon I have been dealing with. For him to personally call means the deal was imminent and needed to be dealt with quickly. “Cam, I have to take this important business call. Make yourself comfortable. I will be with you as soon as I am done.” I strode towards my desk and took the call. I barely glanced and waited for Camilla to respond. She knew the how these things work. She was brought up primed to marry the rich and powerful.
The call with Alexandrov took a good thirty minutes. When I looked for Camilla, she wasn’t around—but her purse was still on the table. I finally found her in the annex apartment.
“How did you manage to find this place? I never once showed it to you.” I wondered out loud when I found her staring at Sienna’s portraits. She had a looked of wonderment about her eyes when she stared back at Sienna.
What rather came next was an unexpected icy revelation. “I know everything about you Blake. Every single woman you slept with. All your ins and outs but most of all, I know what has been going on with her.” She pointed a finger towards Sienna’s picture.
What did she mean by all of my ins and outs? That’s rather creepy and a tad stalker-ish. “Are you having me followed? That’s absurd! Why on earth would you bloody do such a foolish thing?” My loud shrill made her flinch.
“If I was going to be your future wife, I had to know what you’d been up to. The mere truth that I am in love with you—it eased my mind to know that you were doing okay. Well up until things changed between you and Sienna. I liked her best when you two were friends.”
Camilla has been following my life for quite awhile then. Has she met Sienna? I cannot believe I didn’t see this one coming. Bloody f**k!
“What do you know about Sienna?” I asked through gritted teeth.
“Everything Blake.” She whispered and looked back on Sienna’s pictures again. “Why do you want her so much? Is it sex? If it is, I can be better. Just teach me and show me what to do. I could please you the way she does. I’ll do anything for you, just marry me like how we planned before she came and ruined everything.” She snarled at Sienna’s face. She loathed Sienna—her voice and face gave her away.
“I am not going to marry you, Camilla—not now, not ever. There’s nothing I can do for you, so please leave my office.”
“I will stop pursuing this issue if you do two things, and then I’ll be out of your life.” Who would’ve thought the ever sweet Camilla had a conniving side to her?
She’s after money? What else? “Take me as your date to your company’s next week’s Friday night gala. The second one, you will sleep with me again, goodbye sex nothing more.” My back stiffened and tensed. She expected me to do what?
“What the bloody f**k do you fancy playing at Camilla? I will not be coerced into doing something I won’t do. If you want to shag, I can arrange that for you. Gladly.”