His head moves down and he kisses my neck.
“I’ve had enough of you fighting me, Camille. I’ll show you how good it can be between us.”
Tears roll down my cheek. I start to beg and plead.
“Please, Jesse, let me go. I promise I won’t tell our parents or anyone else about this, but please just let me go. I don’t want this.”
“I believe the lady said no.”
We both jump at the hard voice resonating through the room. For once I’m happy to see Jonathan appear out of nowhere. Jesse lets go of my hair, but he’s still pinning me to the table with his hips between my thighs.
“Mind your own business, dude. We’re just having some fun here,” Jesse snaps at him.
Oh my God, this is not going to end well.
I see Jonathan walk up to us; he has this look in his eyes. The look of a predator approaching his prey. If I don’t want to cause a scene or for Jonathan to rip Jesse’s head off, I need to end this now.
Jonathan pulls Jesse off me and pushes him up against the wall some distance away from me. Jesse looks at me, shocked, and begs me with his eyes to help him. It’s clear to him now that Jonathan isn’t a guy you want to mess with.
Not so tough now, sucker!
I walk over to him as fast as my legs will carry me. I pull my dress back down and head for Jonathan. Gingerly, I put my hand on his shoulder.
“It’s okay, Jonathan. Let him go.” I can hear him breathing hard through his nostrils. When he doesn’t let go, I whisper in his ear: “Please?”
Apparently my words get through to him, because he lets go of Jesse’s collar. As soon as Jesse’s feet hit the ground, he makes a beeline toward the exit.
Coward!
“Thanks.”
Jonathan stares at me like I’m growing a second head.
“Are you all right?” he asks, concerned. “Why are you protecting him? I was about to rip his head off.”
A good thing I stopped him, then. I think it’s time to accept the fact that Jonathan isn’t the arrogant guy I thought he was. He’s simply the type of guy who knows what he wants and goes for it. Does that make him arrogant? I don’t think so. I decide to use his own weapon against him and distract him with a bit of humor.
“But then you’d have gotten blood all over your white shirt. That would have been a mess.”
The look on his face softens and he starts to laugh. Before I realize what he’s doing, he has me locked in a bear hug, pressing me against him. With his thumb he strokes away the tears on my cheek.
“Maybe it’s time you and I start over with a clean slate,” he says, caution in his voice.
“Maybe you’re right,” I agree quietly.
Jonathan
Thank God Camille stopped me when she did. I was about to punch that guy in the face, or worse. From the moment I saw him, I knew he was an asshole. It wasn’t just about the way he looked at me — it was his whole attitude that gave me the creeps. He’s the type of guy that uses women like toys, just for his enjoyment. I’m sure he’s the type of guy Camille thinks I am.
I had so much anger inside me I needed to vent that I almost forgot where we were. Jesus, there are reporters here, my manager — the entire band. I don’t want to think about what could have happened if I did beat the shit out of him, even though I had every reason to do so.
“Thanks, princess.”
She gives me a faint smile.
“I should be heading back to my table. If Jesse is back there, my dad will wonder where I am.”
“You mean your dad knows that loser?”
She snorts contemptuously.
“He thinks Jesse is the most suitable marriage partner for me.”
Okay — I don’t think I fully understand what’s going on here. What kind of father would want that loser to marry his daughter? “What?” I ask, surprised.
“Don’t let it keep you up at night, and thanks for your help.”
She bows her head at me and gives me a kiss on the cheek. I can feel the sensation of it running through my body, down to my little toe. A warmth I’ve never felt before spreads through my veins. She turns around and hurries off to her table. I stare at her; no matter how hard I try, I can’t figure this girl out. I feel physically attracted to her—how could I not be? She has endless legs that look amazing, and when her bright-blue eyes look straight at me, it’s like looking into the deep blue ocean.
Luckily I made myself a promise: not to take any more women anywhere near my bed for a while. Maybe it’s for the best I stay away from her for the rest of the evening, but there’s just something about her. Something special—something I can’t describe. I stand there in the doorway and follow her with my eyes as she sits down at her table, next to that douchebag. She looks around and when her gaze zooms in on the entrance, I see the expression on her face change. My eyes dart to the guy who just walked in.
Does she know him?
Judging from the pained expression on her face, I think she has some sort of history with him. She follows him with her eyes, looks at his every move. She seems nervous, bites her lower lip. Is she in love with him?
I take a closer look at him, but I have to say I don’t see the attraction. Why would she be so fascinated with this guy? The man has walked up to the bar by now and he’s ordering something to drink. Camille is still looking at him, and I wonder why she doesn’t go over to him. No one in this room can be oblivious to the fact that she’s watching him like a hawk. It’s not like she’s being subtle about it.
From a distance I keep an eye on her. Her blue eyes stay focused on the guy at the bar. I wish she would look at me like that.
Fuck, where did that thought come from – again? Just a minute ago I reminded myself why it’s not a good idea to get involved with her; or any other woman, for that matter. But to be honest, ever since the first time I saw her I wanted her to look at me like that. But she doesn’t. She’ll never admit it, but I can see it in her eyes: she’s scared of me.
I know my tattoos can be a bit intimidating, but on Camille they seem to have an even bigger effect than they do on most people. I’m hoping our little talk earlier made it clear to her that she has no reason at all to be scared of me. I’m not dangerous. On the contrary; most of the people who know me would tell you I’m a kind person.
I can stand here all night, just observing her, or I can take matters into my own hands. If I want to win Camille’s heart, I have to take down that carefully constructed wall around it. I will have to force her to let her guard down and let me in. I’m normally not the type of guy to chase a woman if she doesn’t want me, but everything about this situation with Camille is different.
Before I can change my mind, I walk over to Camille. She doesn’t even notice that I’m standing next to her, because her mind is still focused on the guy at the bar.
“If you keep staring at him like that, you’re going to burn a hole in his T-shirt with your laser eyes.”
She is startled from her daydream and looks up at me. A shy smile appears on her lips.
“I’m afraid you caught me at one of my worst days.”
I take another look at the guy. I take the chair next to Camille, turn it around, and sit down so I’m sitting with my stomach against the back of the chair. “Who is he?”
“I have no idea who you’re referring to.”
I snort contemptuously. “You don’t want to tell me.”
She looks at me again, and for the first time I see vulnerability in her eyes. A silent plea, begging me to let this go. Apparently, the memory is still too fresh and too painful to share with me. I’m willing to let it go…for now. But the day will come she trusts me enough to tell me. I don’t know how I’m going to do that, but I will.
The only thing I can do for her now is make her forget. Make her think of other things than some random loser who probably hurt her feelings. I get up from my seat and hold out my hand to her.
“Dance with me.”
She
looks at me with an amused smile around her lips. I hold my breath, waiting for her answer. She glances at the guy at the bar one more time, then returns her gaze to me and puts her hand in mine. The touch of her skin sends a wave of emotions through me. I give her a reassuring squeeze and lead her to the dancefloor.
For the first time she looks relaxed around me. She stands in front of me, slipping one arm around my neck and the other carefully around my lower back. Does she really think I’ll settle for this? I pull her closer against me, and her breath falters.
I feel it too, baby. I feel it too.
She still feels tense. It’s clear she’s not used to trusting people too quickly. I pull her even closer against my chest and whisper in her ear: “Relax, I know what I’m doing.”
We dance for a long time. My bandmates follow us onto the dancefloor, and before we know it, we’re locked in some sort of dancing contest to find out who can dance the longest without getting tired. Too bad we don’t win – Camille’s feet start to hurt too much after a while. I lead her toward the table and help her into her chair.
She bends forward and tries to take off her shoes. But I’m way ahead of her. I take a seat on the chair next to her and lift her feet up and into my lap. She looks at me in shock, but this time I’m not giving in.
I take off her shoes and start to rub her feet. My entire body starts to tingle when I see her closing her eyes and I hear a soft sigh leaving her mouth. She’s almost completely relaxed when all of a sudden Jesse appears back at our table. You’ve got to hand it to him, he has some nerve. Even my most angry look can’t keep him away from her. Not that I don’t understand him—who wouldn’t want a girl like Camille? But I thought I made it very clear I didn’t want him to be anywhere near her.
“Are you ready to go home, Camille?” he asks, ignoring me. Where does he get the nerve to ask her that? Like I would ever let her go home with him after what he did to her earlier tonight.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I answer before Camille can say anything.
His evil glare shoots daggers at me. “I don’t recall asking you.”
My hands clench into fists and it takes every ounce of my self-control not to punch him in the face. Camille takes her feet off my lap and stands between us.
“Stop this. This won’t help anyone.”
She turns around to Jesse with her back to me. “I’ll be there in five minutes. Wait for me outside.”
Jesse leaves, but not before shooting me a grin. Oh yeah, he likes that, the fucker. I wait for him to be out of hearing range before I address Camille.
“Camille, you are not going home with him.”
“Jonathan, I know you don’t understand, but I don’t have a choice.”
“Have you forgotten what he tried to do to you earlier?”
She puts her hand on my arm. “I understand you don’t like this, but he’s the only one who can take me home.”
“You really think I can’t take you home?”
“And what about your date? Who’s gonna take her home?”
Fuck – my date!
I did bring a date; was it Virginia, or was it Vanessa? Jesus, I can’t even remember her name, and I have absolutely no idea where she is right now.
“If I make sure someone will take her home, will you accept my help?”
She looks at me longingly, and I know this is an important moment. If she says yes, then I’ve finally gained her trust. If she says no, I’m still stuck at square one. It feels like an eternity before she decides. Relief rushes through me when she slowly nods her head.
“Wait for me here; I’ll make sure someone takes my date home.”
I rush through the room toward Joe. “Hey, Joe. I need a favor. Can you take my date home?”
Joe looks at me in confusion. “Why?”
“A friend of mine needs a lift.”
He cocks his eyebrow questioningly at me but decides to let it go. “Then you owe me one.”
“Fine by me. She should be here somewhere, and I think her name was Vanessa. Good luck with that.”
Before he can ask me any more questions, I’ve turned around and run back to Camille. Luckily she’s still waiting for me where I left her. I help her put on her shoes and wrap my arm around her. We walk to the parking lot together and pass Jesse standing at the door. This time I’m the one to give him a triumphant smile.
“Sorry, bro. Looks like she found another ride.”
Without looking back at him, I pull Camille along toward the parking lot. I won’t give her the chance to change her mind.
No one is going to take this ride away from me.
Camille
Today must be the day with the most dramatic turn of events ever. After everything with Jesse, Kenneth needed to walk into the room. Just when I almost forgot about him, he reappears in my life.
But after everything that happened today, I’m here with Jonathan, on our way to his car. I must say I’m relieved he offered me a ride home. I’m beginning to realize I shouldn’t be scared of him. I’m thankful, because I’m convinced Jesse would have hurt me a lot more than what he did today if Jonathan hadn’t stopped him. I always thought of Jesse as a creepy guy, and to be honest, I’m shocked he waited this long to show his true colors.
Once we’re in the parking lot, Jonathan points to a brand new black sports car.
“Is that yours?” I say.
He grins like a little boy who got up early in the morning to find his gifts under the Christmas tree.
“Absolutely, baby.” He opens the door for me. “Get inside.”
I slide into the passenger seat. The cool leather feels soft against my skin. This is by far the most beautiful car I have ever seen. The car still smells like new, so I think he just bought it. I immediately take off my shoes, because my feet are killing me. All of a sudden I feel exhausted. The whole night just took away all of my energy.
Jonathan walks over to the other side and takes a seat behind the wheel. The whole car comes to life with a loud roar of the engine.
“What kind of car is this?”
“This, baby, is an Aston Martin DB9.”
I stare admiringly at the sleek interior. Jonathan looks at me with a question in his eyes.
“What?” I ask, puzzled by his look.
“Where should I take you?”
Then it dawns on me that Jonathan has no clue where I live. I tell him the address and watch him put the coordinates into the GPS system. I could easily tell him the way to my apartment, but now that I’m this close to him, I might get distracted, so it’s not such a bad idea to let the GPS lead the way. Another reason to let him do this is because he’s so focused on the screen that he doesn’t notice me staring at him. I take in every inch of his firm body. You don’t get the chance to catch a ride with a hot rock star every day.
“Ready, Camille?”
“Absolutely.”
Jonathan pulls out of the parking lot and starts to drive at an incredible speed. It makes me smile, and I look over to him, enjoying to see him behind the wheel. It’s clear he’s in love with his car and driving it.
We keep quiet for a while.
“Is everything okay?” Jonathan asks.
“Sure. Just a little tired, I guess.”
He laughs and puts his hand on my thigh to give me a reassuring squeeze.
“Only five more minutes,” he tells me. “I had a wonderful night, Camille. It’s nice to hang out a girl who doesn’t want to end up in bed with me for a change.”
I chuckle. I like his sense of humor.
But I have to admit he’s right: in spite of everything that happened, it was a wonderful evening. I enjoyed our time together. By now, I understand that Jonathan isn’t arrogant; it’s just the way he is and the way he speaks.
Before I know it we’re parked in front of the apartment, and I have to admit to myself that I don’t want this evening to end quite yet. I’d love to spend more time with Jonathan, but I have to remind mysel
f why that’s not a good idea. He still has no clue who I really am. Jonathan shuts down the engine and for a while we just sit there in silence.
“What do you have against me?” Jonathan asks.
I should have seen that question coming. I know I owe him an explanation, but I can’t tell him. Because if he finds out why I’m here, he’s never going to want to see me again – that’s for sure.
“I’m not who you think I am.”
Jonathan looks at me, begging me with his eyes to explain it to him, but what do I tell him?
“Do you remember much of your childhood?”
I can see the question makes him a little upset – he looks pained. I can see he’s trying to hide it, but I see the agony in his eyes. It takes every ounce of my strength not to tell him I know his pain and that I want to do everything to take it away.
“That depends on what you want to know. I’m sure you’ve Googled me by now and know that I’m not on speaking terms with my parents.”
His voice sounds so sad, and I realize it still haunts him, even after all these years. I can’t say I’m surprised. Nobody wants to fall out with their parents and especially not in the way he did with his. Or should I say: the way they fell out with him. But when I see what he’s accomplished in the past years, I know he made the right decision by leaving. I can no longer hide from him who I am, and I don’t want to anymore.
“I don’t have to Google you to know that.”
He looks at me, frowning. It’s clear he doesn’t understand what I’m talking about. After everything he’s done for me tonight, I owe him an explanation. It’s time to tell him.
“You still remember the name of the girl who used to live next to you?”
His head shoots up, and he looks at me. He stares at me like I’m from another planet. His gaze runs over my body. He’s probably looking for a resemblance, but I don’t look like that girl anymore.
“Camille?” His face is the saddest I’ve ever seen. “Are you…that Camille?”
I silently nod.
“How…what…why…?”
This is the first time Jonathan can’t find the right words. I give him time to process my confession, still a bit afraid of his reaction. Will he be angry?
Say You Want Me Page 7
