The night would have gone better if everyone didn’t seem so concerned about what he did for a living. The questions started right away.
“Bennett…” an older woman said in a nasal voice. “Are you one of the Bennetts from California, who own the vineyards?”
“No. I’m a Georgia Bennett.”
Simone placed a hand on his biceps. “He owns Club Masquerade. It’s the hottest nightclub in Atlanta.”
From then on, every time Simone introduced him and spoke about his work, she said exactly the same thing.
He owns Club Masquerade. It’s the hottest nightclub in Atlanta.
As if the qualifying sentence was a necessity. His gaze settled on her animated face as she chatted with an older man with a walrus beard.
Was it a necessity for her? After all, everyone he met either owned businesses that brought in hundreds of millions of dollars, or had inherited their wealth. His financial status was nowhere near the level of these people.
“So this is Cameron Bennett. Finally, we meet. I’m Simone’s mother.” Sylvie smiled up at him, but her eyes were rather assessing. Scoping out his clothes and apparently finding them satisfactory, her smile broadened. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”
“I feel the same. Now I see where Simone gets her beauty from. It’s in the genes.”
The few times he’d used that line in the past, women blushed and giggled. Not Sylvie. She simply kept the same smile on her face, as if he hadn’t said a word that warranted a reaction. Which further reinforced the perception that he was being assessed.
“What did you think of the documentary?”
It was hard to relax when he felt as if every word was being picked apart.
“I thought it was excellent. Thought-provoking. Made me wish I could do more.”
“Well, you can. This is a fundraiser after all, and all donations are welcome. None are too small.”
Not once did the pleasant smile on her face shift, but Cameron recognized a veiled barb when he heard one.
“I’ll be sure to make one before I leave.”
“Wonderful. We can never do too much to help the less fortunate. If you’ll excuse me I should continue to mingle. We must do lunch one day, you and I.” She pressed her cheek to Simone’s. “Bye-bye, my darling. Thank you so much for coming.”
“Of course, Mother.”
Simone and Cameron stayed a little longer and then went back to his place.
Simone braced one hand on the dining table and removed her shoes one by one. She moaned softly. Normally Cameron would offer to rub her feet but he wasn’t in the mood tonight.
“Did you enjoy yourself?” she asked, looking hopeful.
“It was okay.” He still wasn’t sure how he felt.
The fundraiser was the first formal event they’d attended together. Usually they hung out at the loft or did some mundane task like go to the supermarket together. He took more nights off at the club so he could take her out, but their date nights tended to be simple events with significantly less pomp and circumstance. One evening, for instance, they attended an outdoor movie at the park with a picnic basket replete with wine, cold cuts, and other easy-to-manage snacks. Another time they went to a blues concert, and still another, they went to a comedy club and spent the entire night laughing at the antics of a local comedian.
“It takes some getting used to, but this is what I do all the time.”
Cameron removed the tux jacket and tossed it on a chair. “Why do you feel the need to tell everyone I run the hottest club in Atlanta?”
A small frown whisked across Simone’s forehead for a second before disappearing. “Because you do.”
“Is that the only reason?”
“What do you mean?”
“You know, people there own vineyards. Your mother owns several successful businesses. I just get the feeling that you needed to brag about something.”
“I wanted to brag about you. Would you prefer that I not tell people you run a club?” She seemed genuinely perplexed, and he wondered if he was overreacting. But he pressed on.
“Would you prefer not to have to tell them?”
Simone threaded her fingers together and watched him in silence for a moment. “If you’re picking a fight with me, I’d like to know why.”
So would he.
“You obviously did not have a good time,” Simone said.
“I did.”
“No, you didn’t. If you’re not comfortable attending these events, it’s fine. Instead of taking you as an escort, I’ll go alone.”
“I didn’t say you should do that.”
“Well, what do you want, Cam? I can’t change who I am or who my family is or who the people are that I spend time with.” Her eyes flashed angrily at him.
“There’s no need to blow up.”
“I’m a little irritated because I did my best to make this easy for you.”
He took two steps toward her. “Easy for me?” The way she said that rubbed him the wrong way.
“Yes. I mean, you wanted to rent a tux.”
He laughed. “So…I would have embarrassed you if I walked up in there in a rented tux, is that right?”
She folded her hands together in a prayer-like position. “What I mean is—”
“Please, tell me what you mean.”
“We have a certain…lifestyle…a certain…image to maintain.” She seemed to choose her words carefully. “You could be a part of that.”
“Oh, so I should be grateful? Is that what you’re saying? You’re doing me a favor by—what? Upgrading me?”
“You’re twisting my words.”
“I’m not twisting shit. You bought my clothes—and dinosaur cufflinks, like I’m a kept man. I’m my own man.”
He stalked into the kitchen and grabbed a beer from the fridge, laughing to himself when he saw the Full Moon label. The beer her family made. Perfect. He slammed the bottle on the counter without taking a drink.
Behind him, Simone spoke through the pass-through. “I can see you’re not in the mood for company tonight, so I’ll call my driver and leave.”
Call my driver.
Even those words, ones she’d said many times before, irritated him.
Cameron swung around and Simone was already on the way to the door. She had put her shoes back on because he heard the heels land hard on the floor as she walked.
“Simone!”
He remained in the kitchen for two seconds longer before he rushed after her. She was almost to the elevator when he caught up and caged her against the wall with hands on either side of her shoulders. She wouldn’t look at him, staring down the hall with her lips pressed together in a taut line, as if fighting the urge to cry.
“Don’t leave. Don’t call your driver.” He spoke quietly. “I’m not used to this. This life you live is…” A sigh. “I’m a simple man. I like simple things. Vinyl records. Old furniture. Rented tuxes.” He sighed again and using a finger, twisted her face around to his. He looked into her watery brown eyes, and his abs contracted at the hurt he saw reflected there. He rested his forehead against hers. “I’m falling in love with you.”
That was only part of the problem. He was not only falling in love, he was falling in love with a woman clearly out of his league.
Simone inhaled sharply.
“This wasn’t supposed to happen,” Cameron said.
Swallowing, she splayed her fingers over his chest. “From the minute I saw you, you caught my attention.” She bit her lip. “When I left your loft after that first night, I felt…incomplete. Like I was leaving a part of myself behind. When I’m not with you, when I can’t see you, I feel so empty. I just…ache.”
He felt the same way—unsettled and hollow without her.
“I want this to work,” she said.
“It will.”
She stared down at the floor. “I don’t know. The women in my family don’t have much luck with men.”
“Then you’ll be th
e first to change that.”
Her gaze met his again, and in her eyes, he saw confusion at the enormity of their feelings, and a burgeoning love that excited but terrified with its swiftness and intensity.
“Your world is different from mine,” Cameron said. “But I want to fit in. Forgive me?”
She touched his jaw with gentle fingers. “Yes,” she whispered.
He kissed her forehead, took her by the hand, and led her back into the loft.
Chapter 18
When the doorbell rang, Cameron looked up from his desk. He wasn’t expecting any company, and Simone was in New York for the next couple of days.
“Just a minute,” he called.
It was a little after noon, and he’d been working from home most of the day, catching up on month-end financials. Revenue at the club ticked up a little last month, thanks in part to an internationally known guest deejay one Thursday night, and the album release party for a popular rap group. All of which meant they could afford to funnel more cash into advertising and publicity this month.
He tugged on the gray shirt hanging over the back of his desk chair and went to the door. The last person he expected to see stood on the other side.
He opened the door to Sylvie Johnson. He hadn’t been lying when he pointed out that he saw where Simone got her great genes from. Her mother’s brown face was perfectly made up, but it was obvious she was naturally pretty, with her shiny black hair pulled back into a thick bundle at her nape.
“Hello, Cameron, do you mind if I come in?” She spoke in a pleasant voice and rested a hand on her chest, two of her fingers decorated with diamond-studded rings.
“Simone isn’t here,” Cameron said, although he doubted that’s why Sylvie stood outside his door.
“I know Simone is not here. I came to speak to you. Do you have a few minutes to spare? I promise I won’t keep you long.”
Against his better judgment, Cameron allowed her into his home.
Her red-bottomed shoes clicked on the hardwood floors as she walked slowly into the expansive space, and Cameron saw where Simone got her hip-swinging walk, as well.
His shoulders tightened in apprehension, and he wished he’d already replaced the old furniture.
She stood in the middle of the floor and did a three-sixty turn, ending up facing him again.
“Have you been here long?” she asked.
“Little over a year,” he answered.
“Simone told me you’re getting new furniture soon. Is that correct?”
“Yes, it is.”
“It will really spruce the place up.”
He didn’t even know how to respond to that.
“May I sit down?” Sylvie asked.
Without waiting for a response, she walked over to the area nearest the window and sat on a sofa. She gestured to the armchair across from her. “Please, sit down. I’m not here as an enemy. I’m here as a friend.”
Somehow he doubted that.
Cameron sat in the chair but his body remained tense and alert for what was to come next.
“How are you?” she asked.
“With all due respect, Mrs. Brooks—”
“Miss Johnson. That’s my family’s name. I dropped my ex-husband’s name after we divorced years ago.”
“With all due respect, Miss Johnson, I was in the middle of working, so I would appreciate if you’d let me know what this is about.”
“I like that. A man who gets straight to the point. Very well.” She crossed one leg over the other. “My number one priority is to always protect my children. When you have children of your own, you’ll understand. I worry about them every day.” The smile on her face tightened a fraction. “I came by to talk to you about your relationship with my daughter. Simone is an adult, and she can see whomever she pleases. She can make her own decisions and does not need her mother’s permission to date who she wants.” She leaned forward. “She told me that you said you’re falling in love with her.”
Cameron froze on the edge of the seat.
“Don’t be surprised. Simone and I talk almost every day. We’re very close.” She sat back, pushing her lips into a perfect little moue of deep thought. “Before I met you, she told me all about your wonderful qualities. The way you rub her feet. How you make sure to have plenty of bananas at your home because it’s her favorite fruit to snack on. It’s all very sweet. I appreciate it so much, because you see, I know how special my daughter is.” She interlaced her fingers atop her knees. “She would make some lucky man the perfect wife. Simone is beautiful. Intelligent. And very caring. To a fault, really.” She laughed throatily. “When she was ten, she came to me and her father with all her birthday money and presents and had us donate them to a children’s home. That same year, she forged a check with my signature and sent thousands of dollars to a family in need that she’d seen on the news. The bank notified me of the forgery, and I ended up honoring the check, but as you can imagine, I realized I had to rein in her benevolence and give her proper direction. So from a very young age, she started volunteering her time with programs the family foundation sponsors, and now that’s what she does all day—making sure the less fortunate receive the financial help they need to survive or get the necessities of life.” She paused. “But sadly, I feel that her generous nature can also be a flaw.”
“No one can be too generous,” Cameron said, wondering where the conversation was going.
“That’s not true,” Sylvie said in a singsong voice, wagging her finger. “One must be prudent in one’s generosity. Simone would give a stranger the clothes off her back, if she could. And that’s dangerous. People like her, if they’re not careful, can easily be taken advantage of. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“Are you accusing me of using your daughter?”
“Does it sound like I am?”
“Miss Johnson—”
“Cameron. My daughter is always looking for a cause.” She looked around the room, and even though her expression didn’t change, he sensed the disapproval. Her hand glided over the worn fabric of the sofa. “Simone cares deeply for you. So much so, I worry that she would neglect her own needs to please you.”
“I would never ask Simone to neglect her own needs, wants, desires, or anything else that makes her happy, for me.”
“Of course you wouldn’t. You’re not that type of person. You’re a man of character.”
Every compliment she paid him sounded sarcastic.
Cameron laughed softly. “Really? Because I’m getting the distinct impression that you not only think Simone sees me as a charity case, you think I’m taking advantage of her.”
“I never said you’re taking advantage of her,” she pointed out.
“Good, because I’m not. I love her.”
“Do you?”
“Yes. I’m not interested in Simone’s money,” Cameron said through his teeth. “I don’t want anything but the best for her.”
Sylvie fell silent. He wished he could read her, but the woman was a master at keeping her emotions hidden.
“And that’s my dilemma.” She sounded distraught, her voice strained as if she carried the weight of the world on her shoulders. “You see, as I mentioned to you before, Simone has a generous heart. If you want the best for her, then I’m sure you wouldn’t want her to give up the life she’s accustomed to, for you. But if you only care about the money…” She let the words trail off.
Cameron frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“My daughter and I had a very interesting conversation. She seems to think that for this relationship to work long-term, she should give up the luxuries she enjoys.” Her brow wrinkled like someone with great concern.
Cameron swallowed. A burning sensation in his gut expanded and refused to disappear as he thought about all the things Simone would have to give up to be with him.
“I’m sure you can understand my concern,” she continued. “No more vacations on the Amalfi coast. Did you know she goes t
wice a year? No more shopping trips to Milan.” She examined her fingers and played with one of her rings. “No more diamonds and jewels. No more driver.” She lifted her gaze. “Of course you make a good enough living for the average woman, but Simone is above average, wouldn’t you say? The type of wealth she’s accustomed to, you simply cannot provide. I’m sure there is a young woman out there who would be happy to have you as a husband and for whom you can provide a lifestyle that would make her happy. But the truth is, Cameron.” Her face changed, her tone becoming hard. “If Simone were to…say, marry you, your relationship would be a step down for her. And is that what you really want? Do you want to be a step down?”
Cameron shot up from the chair. “You’ve said enough. You should leave now.”
Sylvie rose at a much slower rate. “I know this is not what you wanted to hear, but it’s the truth.”
“Leave.” With his blood boiling, he was dangerously close to grabbing her by the neck and tossing her into the hallway.
She walked slowly toward the door without a word, the sound of her high heels clacking on the floor. “I would prefer that you keep this conversation between the two of us. My children don’t like me to meddle, but I’m afraid that as a mother, I can’t stop helping them when I can.” She turned at the door, the pleasant mask back in place. Her expression was cool, and her eyes lacked warmth. “Think about what I said. Think about what’s best for both Simone and you. If you really love my daughter, you’ll give her up. Isn’t that what love is? Sacrifice? Doing what’s best for the other person? Do what’s best for Simone, Cameron. If you love my daughter, that’s what you’ll do.” She tossed another glance at the interior of the loft before she met his gaze one last time. “Have a good afternoon.”
And then she was gone.
Chapter 19
After checking in with the general manager and floor managers, Cameron left Club Masquerade. Simone had returned from New York yesterday and he hadn’t had a chance to see her and talk to her about the conversation with her mother. He wasn’t even sure how to broach the topic but knew they needed to discuss her mother’s visit before they flew to Miami tomorrow. He’d have to attend two formal events as her escort for the weekend.
A Passionate Love Page 10
