by Tory Baker
“Easton,” I moan.
“Fuck, Cam. The way you say my name.”
“I know. I feel it between us, but Easton, I can’t jeopardize my job, and what if this is fleeting?” I question.
“You’re right, though I doubt this is fleeting. I’ll back off some, but that doesn’t mean I won’t find a way to see more of you,” he grunts out.
We manage to calm our raging hormones, even though I know, on my part, it’s hard to fight the attraction between us.
Chapter Five
Easton
The highlight of my stay so far has been seeing Cam. Any time I can find a way to see her, I’m going to. That’s why, this morning, I did the craziest thing ever. I made a phone call I told myself I wouldn’t. I called housekeeping, and imagine my surprise when Cam didn’t answer. I somehow thought she’d be the one to pick up the phone. I knew from our conversation yesterday she was working today.
Some woman named Mary answered, and when she asked how she could help in a saccharine sweet voice, I wanted to hang up, but that would have defeated the purpose. Instead, I asked if Cam could bring more towels. She offered someone else, and I had to be firm when I told her no one else but Cam is allowed in my room unless I say otherwise. She got haughty about it. So, I did the only other thing I knew to do. I called her bluff and let her know that I could move out of the penthouse to another hotel today, call her boss, or she could do as I suggested and only allow Cam up here when she’s on shift to clean my room and so forth.
“Housekeeping.”
I hear Cam’s voice as the elevator opens up to my floor. Fuck but I love hearing her voice. “Out here,” I tell her. I have the sliding glass door open, and I’m out on the balcony. I’m playing dirty, but I saw the way her body blushed when I wasn’t wearing a shirt yesterday. So, I did something before I knew she’d be up. I should be ashamed, but I’m not. My body is yearning for Cameron anyway I can have her.
“There you are. I hear you requested me?” She stops in her tracks when she sees all I’m wearing is a loose pair of gym shorts.
“You could say that.” I take Cam in, wanting so badly to have a reason to touch her, but I can’t. At least not yet.
“You created quite the fuss. Not only is Mary pissed, but she now thinks we’re trading sexual favors or some such garbage.” She rolls her eyes as she says that.
“She what? Did she actually say that?”
“Not in so many words. It was more, ‘What have you done to get on Mr. Reid’s good side?’” I just ignored her, looked at what you requested, and made an appearance up here.” She puts her hands back down after her air quotes.
“Interesting. I do need a few things, but I promise it’s not sexual,” I grouse, but mumble, “At least not yet.” I see Cam has turned around and is walking toward her cart she has wheeled into the foyer.
“If you give me your number, we could bypass Mary altogether,” I suggest.
“Are you trying to make me lose my job?”
“No, but fuck, I don’t want to deal with plastic Barbie to see you either,” I admit.
“Fine, if you must have my number, you can. Just, please, don’t call me in the middle of the night. Some of us have school and work to go to at the butt crack of dawn,” she says with a snort.
“Please, I value what little sleep I do get. I’ll be on my best behavior, scout’s honor.” I hold up my hand as if I was once a Boy Scout.
“Somehow, I highly doubt you were a Boy Scout. What did you really need me up here for?”
“I really do need clean towels, and I’m not sure who stocks the beer, but it’s getting low,” I tell Cam. I watch as she moves around the penthouse. Fuck, I never take my eyes off of her, and I know I’ll have another cold shower tonight. I meant what I said; the next time I come, it’ll be when I’m deep inside her, making her mine.
“I’ll have concierge come up here with more drinks. That’s their department. I’m literally only housekeeping, so you may get stuck with them. I’m sorry.” She shrugs her shoulders.
“Isn’t that just wonderful?” I grumble.
“I don’t make the rules; I just follow them. Welp, I’m done. Is there anything else you need me to do?”
“There’s so much more you could do for me,” I shamelessly flirt.
“Oh yeah, I suppose you want me to strip naked for you right here?” she smarts back.
“That would be a great idea. I’ll do it if you do.” I prowl toward Cam. I’d love nothing more than to strip off her uniform and see her naked. Getting to see her in a bikini yesterday about did me in. I had to abandon her for the water to compose myself. Swear to Christ, I’ve never had this much of an issue trying to control my raging dick.
“Yeah, right. That’s not happening, Easton.” The way she says my name, I want her moaning it out. I’m going to work on that as soon as possible.
“You can’t blame me for trying. What’s your phone number?” I ask. Cam gives it to me, and I call it. This way, she’ll have mine, and there will be no excuse if she needs me for anything.
“No, I guess I can’t. All right, I’m off to clean some more rooms before my shift ends. Have a good night, Easton.” She comes up to me, completely blindsiding me, and gives me a hug. It’s not one of those pansy, one-sided hugs either. No, it’s a full-frontal hug, and I take it for all I’m worth.
I feel every delicious inch of her body, holding her for as long and as tightly as I can. She sinks into my body, almost as if she needed this hug as much as I did. Hell, I didn’t even know I needed it. Yet, I do, so fucking much.
“Call me or text me when you get home, please. That way, I know you’re home safe and sound.” My hand goes to the back of her neck, and I gaze down into her eyes as she looks up at me. What I wouldn’t give to kiss her lips right now.
“Sure, I’ll get right on that, after finishing the rest of my shift, getting home, taking a shower, eating, and then studying.” She laughs.
“I hate that you’re working so hard, and it’s dragging you down. I get it. Honestly, I do, but one day it’s going to catch up with you, Cam.”
“It’s only for a little while longer. I’ve been doing this for almost three years now. Six more months won’t kill me. I’ll try to remember to call or text, though,” she concedes.
“That’s all I can ask. Now, get out of here before Mary, Mary quite contrary grows gardens with pictures of heads on them,” I joke.
“What? You know what? I don’t even want to know. Nope, not at all.” She walks away, heading to the foyer, and I follow.
“You’ll find out soon enough. Believe me.” I let her leave after that with a soft look on her face. Meanwhile, I have a plan to put together, and do one more thing I never thought I’d do. I call Bridger. He’s going to give me so much hell, but if anyone can guide me on what to do next, it’s him.
I grab my phone, make my way over to the sofa, and plop my ass down. All of this sitting around doing nothing is going to have to end and soon. I’m already bored out of my skull when I’m not around Cam.
“Bridger,” I say when he picks up.
“Easton, what can I do for you?” he questions.
“I need help,” I say honestly.
“You need help? You never ask for help. This must be about a girl.” He chuckles.
“Bingo, so will you help me?” Bridger grew up with three younger sisters, while the rest of us knuckleheads are either only children or have only brothers. I’m part of the only child tribe.
“Yeah, what can I help you with?” I go into detail about what I should do to move shit along with Cam, and he gives me some good insider information. We shoot the shit about what’s going on with Nighthawk, and then we hang up.
I put the phone on the coffee table, place my hands behind my head, and smile to the empty room.
Chapter Six
Cameron
I walk into the employee area the next day, and come to an abrupt halt. There, by my locker, where I put my
purse while I’m on shift, is my supervisor, Mary. I wasn’t expecting her to say, “Cam, can I see you in my office for a moment?” The looks the other employees are giving me is as if they know what’s about to happen. I swear, if I get fired over this Easton Reid nonsense, I’m going to shove my foot up his hot as hell ass.
“Sure.” I follow her the whole way, feeling like I’m being sent to the principal’s office or my head is on the chopping block of a guillotine. I haven’t done anything wrong. Sure we hung out at the beach, ate some food together, and then yesterday I hugged him while I was in his penthouse. It makes me wonder if there aren’t video cameras in there. Or maybe she has some super spy following me around. My imagination really is endless, but at least it keeps me on my toes.
Before we make it into her office, I smooth down any invisible wrinkles I may have on my uniform and wipe my sweaty palms on my clothes. It probably defeats the purpose of looking put together, but right now, my nerves are on edge.
“Have a seat, Cam.” She motions for me to sit in a chair in front of her desk. I do as she says, trying not to get on her bad side.
“I wanted to make sure there isn’t anything wrong with the client we have in the East penthouse?” Mary says haughtily.
The color from my face drains completely. “I’m not sure what you mean,” I respond.
“It seems he’s taken a liking to you, making rather ridiculous requests,” she alleges.
“Huh, that’s odd,” I hum my answer, trying to maintain a semblance of composure in front of Mary.
“You must have made a lasting impression. Just yesterday, he requested you be the only one allowed in his room. Now, this morning, he’s asking for you to be his concierge while he’s here. I find it quite odd that he would request you, but as he went over my head, there’s nothing I can do about it. Though this is quite the promotion, and honestly, I don’t think you’re suited for the task. Regardless, I have no choice but to allow this to happen. Mr. Reid will be here for two weeks and is bringing in a substantial amount of revenue with him, and he’ll be moving to Beaumont, permanently. We don’t want to create an enemy in our back yard. So, I’m allowing it. Do you think you can even handle something of this caliber?” I can see she loathes that I’m being asked to do this, almost as if she wants the position for herself. One thing is for sure; I won’t allow myself to fail.
“I’ve never been a concierge before, but I promise I’ll do my absolute best,” I tell her, wondering what the hell Easton is really up to. I mean, me of all people, a concierge?
“Yes, I have no doubt about that, if you wish to remain employed when his stay is over. You’ll need to change.” She sneers at what I’m wearing, and I internally roll my eyes. I’m not going to give her a reason to get pissed off at me.
“Of course.” I’m still stunned speechless about what this job will entail.
“I’ll give you two hours to go home, change, return, and then meet with Mr. Reid.” She looks down at her desk, and I guess that’s it.
“Okay, thank you.” I’m still in a state of shock.
“Don’t screw up. That will be thanks enough,” Mary sneers.
I leave her office a befuddled mess, making my way back to the employee lounge to grab my purse out of the locker. I walk to the employee parking lot, pull out my phone, and dial a number I didn’t think I would use this fast.
“Hey, you,” I hear Easton croon through the phone.
“What did you do?” I don’t hold back, not even a little.
“Cam, I did what I had to do. I want more time with you, and there was no way I could get that. Besides, and don’t hate me for saying this, but your job as a housekeeper pays shit. I know how hard you work. You deserve the opportunity to make more money and not kill yourself while doing it,” Easton explains, and that makes me relax. I’ve never had someone watch out for me as much as he is.
“Well, when you put it that way, how can I dispute it?” I reply.
“I’m not trying to make decisions for you, Cam. I promise. I just want to spend time getting to know you better. Plus, you know this town better than anyone here.” He explains it like he knows me better than anyone, and maybe he does.
“Okay. First, I need to go home and change, and then I’ll meet you in the penthouse when I’m done. Is that all right?” I ask.
“Hell yeah, it is. Are bikinis an option?” I hear his laughter; something tells me he’d love that.
“That’s a big negative.”
“All right, then I’ll see you soon,” Easton says.
“See you soon.” We hang up right as I’m at my car. I leave the hotel on autopilot, making it to my house in a haze of confusion. This day is more than bizarre, and all I know is I was in Mary’s office in what seems like only minutes ago, and now I’m opening the front door to my house. I go inside, stripping out of my uniform as I make it to my closet. I know I need to wear business casual, and I’m thankful I kept my clothes from when I worked at a restaurant not long ago. There was a point in time when I was in a bind and needed to work two jobs to pay the bulk of my college courses.
I slip into my black pencil skirt. Then I find a loose-fitting blouse that’s deep purple with a pattern on it and button it, only leaving a couple of buttons undone to show a hint of cleavage, and slide into my only pair of black high heels.
I look down at my watch, which tells me I have ten minutes before I need to head back to the hotel, so with that, I go into my bathroom to swipe on some mascara and lip gloss. I contemplate letting my hair down, but that would take way too long to deal with, not to mention the humidity is ridiculous today. So, I decide to leave it up and fix my ponytail into a bun.
“That’s as good as I’m going to get,” I say to myself, turning off the lights. I head back to my poor little car I scrimped to buy. It’s seen better days, but it gets me from point A to point B. Plus, it’s paid off. Having minimal monthly payments is what I’ve always tried to do. Especially since I saw my parents struggle to make the bills, and when they died, they literally had nothing. That’s the one thing my aunt and uncle loved to rub in my face—how I was lucky that they took me in since my parents were never prepared enough. I wasn’t stupid; I knew they got some form of social security for me. They continued to rub it in my face daily, and I was done. Completely and utterly done. When I did leave, I wasn’t shocked when neither my aunt nor my uncle didn’t try to reach out to me. It was one of those things better left undone. When I left, I left that life in the past.
I’m back at the hotel in a flash, parking my car. I grab my purse and head back to the employee lounge. I’m so glad it’s empty in here now. I did not want to deal with the snickers and chatter. I stow my purse, take out the keycard Mary gave me to use while Easton is in residence, and head toward the elevator.
A shiver climbs up my spine when I think about what Easton could need or want. Is this more of a tactic for sex, or does he truly feel the same chemistry that I do when I’m around him?
The elevator dings as the door opens. There’s something to say about booking the penthouse suite; you don’t have to so much as see another soul if you don’t need to. Especially with a private elevator.
Easton is ready and waiting for me before I’ve even stepped out. “Cam, it’s good to see you.” Today he’s in another polo, this one navy blue, some khaki shorts, and a pair of sandals.
“It seems you got what you wanted all along, Easton.” I string my words along. This time, it’s him that embraces me in his arms with a firm hug, and if I’m not mistaken, I feel the length of him against my body. It causes me to think about things I shouldn’t. Not with Easton, anyway. He’s my job. I need to keep that at the forefront of my brain. But after spending the day with him at the beach, my fantasies have been running rampant. Not to mention my hormones. I’ve spent the last two nights gasping from pleasure with my own fingertips as I think about Easton.
“One thing you should know about me, Cam, is that I always get my way,” he
says before pulling back from our hug.
“Why doesn’t that shock me?” I respond.
“It shouldn’t. When I want something, I’ll stop at nothing to make it a reality.” I know Easton is telling the truth by the conviction in his tone.
Trying to change the topic before this gets too intense, I say, “So, you’ll have to forgive me. I’m new to this line of work, as you know. I’m not really sure what all being a concierge entails, besides catering to your needs and wants,” I admit. My hands are having a hard time staying still. I fold them across my body, trying to calm my nerves.
“Then I guess we’re going to learn together. Right now, I’m looking for a place to live. That’s why I’m staying here for the time being, but I don’t want to settle on just any place. I’d love to see what this small town has to offer. The hidden gems, so to speak,” Easton says, a smile tugging on his lips.
“That, I can help you with. I moved here about three years ago and haven’t left. I really do love our small coastal community. It’s the best of both worlds here in Beaumont. I’m not really dressed for some of the adventures, but we can do those another day. Do you want to look at neighborhoods today or pick up some lunch?” I ask.
“Let’s look at a few neighborhoods, and we can stop for lunch. I’ll drive. You just tell me where to go.” I notice as he walks toward his room, he places his gun in the holster at his hip, his phone in his front pocket, and his wallet in his back pocket. I can’t help but stare at his ass. My gaze travels the whole length of his body from behind. Easton is the whole package, like someone you see in a movie, but in real life color.
“Ready?” he asks. I nod, and he places his hand at the small of my back. Something tells me he may allow me to show him places, but he’s surely leading.
“Yep, we have a company vehicle we can use if you’d like?” I let him know.
“That won’t be necessary. My truck is in the parking garage. Thank you, though.”
