Kiss Cam (With A Kiss Book 1)

by Anie Michaels

  She was the antithesis of Riley.

  Where Sophia was fake, Riley was unapologetically real and brave.

  Where Sophia was manipulative and calculating, Riley was hardworking and honest.

  And where Sophia was beautiful by society’s standards, Riley had a beauty within her that couldn’t be matched or contained. She radiated beauty.

  And she was fucking hot, too.

  Suddenly I wanted nothing more than to hear her voice. I pulled out my phone and listened to it ring, hoping she was still on her lunch break.

  “Hello, stranger. I was wondering how long it would take you to respond to the lewd photo I sent you.”

  “Hey,” I said with a small laugh. “I wanted to call and tell you that even though we’ve only known each other for a little while, I’d choose you over anyone.” The words came out on a breath and I wasn’t even entirely sure I’d spoken them aloud because she was silent on the other end. I waited, hoping she’d respond, but all I could hear were the breaths she was taking. “You there, Riley?”

  After another silent moment, she finally responded. “Um, yeah, I’m just not sure how to respond.” She paused for a beat, then asked, “Is this because I keep sending you pictures of me with things in my mouth?”

  “Yeah,” I laughed. “That, and because you’re smart and funny. And I like the way I feel when I’m with you. I think that’s the biggest and best part. You make me feel happy. I guess I didn’t realize no one else had ever done that for me until you showed me what it felt like.” I took in a deep breath and let it out again, hoping I wasn’t making a complete fool of myself. “It’s not a big deal, I just needed to tell you.” Suddenly I felt embarrassed for calling her and laying it all out there, but there wasn’t anything I could do about it now.

  “Well, thank you. I don’t think anyone’s ever said such nice words to me before.” I inwardly groaned, afraid she was giving me the brush-off. “Is it all right if I come over tonight and show you how much I like those words?” Her voice was soft and seductive, and I liked that much better than the shy and apprehensive voice she’d used only moments before.

  “Are you going to bring the same mouth featured in all those photos you send me?”

  “One and the same.”

  “I’ll be waiting.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Riley

  The week had been absolutely crazy. Each day was a roller coaster. At work I was stressed but productive, stretched thin but still managing to check off all my to-do boxes. After work I was transported to a daydream. Camden was more than I’d ever hoped to find in a partner. In fact, I’d never even dreamed of someone like him because I had no idea a guy like him existed. He was kind, compassionate, sexy as fuck, and went out of his way to make sure I was happy and taken care of. We’d spent every night together and when I started to worry we were spending too much time together too quickly, he put my mind at ease with orgasms. Plenty of them.

  I was already running late to dinner, but I gave myself a mental pat on the back for bringing my dress with me to work so I didn’t have to go all the way home to change. I was only five minutes late, but I hated to keep Camden waiting. I was technically working, and I didn’t want to look bad in front of the owner of the restaurant who’d extended such a generous offer.

  I found the restaurant and told the hostess who I was and was immediately escorted to the back where there was a secret room. I had to tamp down a gawk when I saw the entry to this secret room was a hidden door disguised as a bookcase.

  The room was big enough to seat thirty people, but Camden was the only one inside. He stood when he saw me and my eyes ran up and down his body, loving the suit he wore. I also loved that I could picture, with extreme detail, what his body looked like under the suit. I could picture his large frame, lean and defined muscle, and that stupidly sexy and delicious V that cut across his abdomen and pointed to his most beautiful piece of equipment.

  Camden stepped in front of the hostess to pull out my chair for me, kissing my cheek after he’d pushed my chair in. The thrill of his lips against my cheek was almost embarrassing. I asked the waitress for water and we were left alone.

  “Did you see the cool door?” I asked as I unrolled my linen napkin and spread it across my lap.

  “I did. This is some secret spy stuff right here,” he said with a smile. “What kind of people use this room?”

  I looked around. “I don’t know. Probably people like your stepfather. That’s probably why we’re in here. They thought your mom was coming.”

  “I love my mother, but I’m really glad she’s not here.” He took my hand in his as he said the words, bringing the back of it to his mouth and pressing a kiss there. My face turned warm and I knew I was probably blushing. “You look beautiful,” he said, his mouth still against my hand. When he finally pulled my hand from his lips, it took me a moment to respond.

  “Thank you. I wasn’t sure how fancy to go, but I’m glad I leaned toward the dressier side.” He didn’t say anything in response, but kept his gaze on me, eyes dark and unyielding. Suddenly I was unable to sit still; something inside me was restless.

  The bookcase door opened and someone new came into the room wearing all white with a friendly smile.

  “Good evening. My name is Antonia Rossi, the chef here. Thank you for giving me this opportunity.”

  “Hello, Ms. Rossi. My name is Riley Smith, we spoke on the phone a few days ago. This is Camden Rogers, Meg Rogers’s son. Mrs. Rogers was unable to be here tonight, but she is very excited for our report tomorrow.”

  “Nice to meet you both,” she said, shaking both our hands. “I have an eight-course menu planned for you tonight that should give you a vast idea of what we can offer your fantastic event. You will get a sampling of fine hors d’oeuvres, main courses, and desserts. If you have any questions or concerns, I will be back to check in at the end of the meal. I sincerely hope you enjoy what I’ve put together for you tonight.”

  “Thank you,” Camden and I both said in unison. Antonia turned around with a smile and exited out the very cool bookcase door I couldn’t get over.

  I turned back to him. “One day I want a bookcase door,” I said with a nod, like a royal decree.

  “What else do you want someday?” he asked, threading his fingers through mine. “Kids? A house? Pets? Vacations? Where’s one place you’d love to go more than anywhere else?”

  “That’s a good question. I think if I could go anywhere in the US it would have to be Hawaii. Internationally, probably Greece.”

  “Have you ever been to either place?” His thumb stroked over my skin and the gentleness of its movement was almost jarring. I was captivated by the way he was barely touching me, but touching me so deeply at the same time.

  “Um,” I stammered. “I’ve never been out of the US, unless you count that one time in high school I took a school trip to Canada. And I’ve never been to Hawaii. My family could never afford vacations growing up.”

  “What about everything else? Your life, what do you see?”

  I shrugged, feeling a little on the spot. “I think I see what a lot of people see. Marriage, kids, a home, maybe a minivan.”

  He laughed, his soft chuckle spearing me. “A minivan?”

  “Settled people drive cars that can hold a lot of stuff, or people.”

  “You want to be settled?”

  It was hard to admit out loud that I craved stability, that I yearned for that life where I knew what was waiting for me when I came home. Who was waiting for me. “I know I seem like a wild and crazy gal, but deep down I’m just like any other twentysomething girl. I want someone to love me and to love someone in return. To build something with that person that no other person on the planet can tear down or wedge their way into.” I paused, a little surprised I’d said so much to him, but then the defense mechanism came out. “No pressure,” I said too loudly, then laughed, also too loudly. At that point I wished I had ordered wine or a cocktail.
r />   “You believe in soul mates?” he asked without fanfare, as if he were asking if I liked ice cream.

  I swallowed, my throat suddenly dry. “I didn’t used to,” I said quietly before my brain could filter the words out and replace them with ones that wouldn’t leave me emotionally bare to a man who held a lot of power, even if he wasn’t fully aware of it.

  And then the universe saved me in the form of a waitress and our first course. Camden smiled at me and released my hand, but his eyes remained on me.

  The server set our plates down and explained the dish, and then disappeared. The first course was a gazpacho with an Italian flair. And it was delicious. I’d never had gazpacho before, and if you had told me I was going to like a cold soup, I would have laughed right off my chair. But I loved it. And I loved all the courses that followed.

  Antonia Rossi knew what was up. And it was food. And cheese. So much cheese.

  By the eighth course I was full, even though each course was very small. Throughout the whole experience, Camden and I kept our conversation minimal, discussing the food and whether it would work for his mother’s party. We talked a little about his work, but we never veered back into the heavy conversation we’d abandoned when the food arrived. I was secretly glad we weren’t in a good place to overanalyze our new and unusually serious relationship.

  Ms. Rossi did come back into our secret room at the end of the meal and we told her how much we enjoyed the meal and the experience, and she thanked us for coming in.

  “Please stay as long as you’d like, we kept the room free for you all night, so there is no hurry.” She spoke to both of us, but then turned to me. “Please let Mrs. Rogers know I am looking forward to hearing from her.”

  “I will. And thank you again for all this. It was exquisite.”

  Antonia Rossi gave me a gracious nod of her head and then disappeared through the bookcase door.

  For the first time since we’d started our meal, the room was suddenly tense. We’d stepped on some relationship land mines before dinner, and now we were left with the wreckage.

  “You’re awfully quiet,” he said after a few moments of silence.

  “Am I?” It was the only response I could come up with. What did he want from me, exactly? To say, again, that I was starting to fall for him? That I wanted him to be the one I knew was waiting for me at home every night? That I wanted him to be the person who gave me the stability I craved? Well, he had another think coming. I’d already put myself on the line and I wasn’t eager to do it again.

  The bookcase door opened again before either of us could say anything more and I couldn’t have been more grateful to our faithful server, who returned with a dutiful smile.

  “Can I get you anything else? More water? Coffee?”

  “Actually,” Camden said, his voice strong and smooth. “Can we get some champagne? Go ahead and put it on this card.” He slid a card across the table to the server in a way that seemed way too smooth. The server smiled, took his card, and then left again.

  “Why in the world are you ordering champagne?” The confusion in my voice was clear. And I scrunched up my eyebrows for good measure.

  “We’re going to celebrate.” He said the words as if they were explanation enough.

  “What are we celebrating?”

  “We’re celebrating the fact that you’ve broken through one of your barriers by behaving in a sexual nature in public.”

  Had I been drinking, I would have had a spit take.

  “What in the world are you talking about?” I looked down at myself. Yup. Still clothed.

  “I want you to stand up and go to the restroom. While you’re in there, I want you to remove your panties and bring them back to me.”

  First, my eyes widened in surprise. Then they narrowed in understanding. Finally, my breath hitched with repressed anticipation. I leaned forward so I could whisper to him, “You want me to go in the bathroom and take off my underwear, and bring them out here to you?”

  “That’s what I said.”

  Smug, sexy bastard.

  “Why?”

  “Because it’s dirty and illicit. Because you’ve never done anything like this before and I like watching you get all worked up even though you don’t think you’re supposed to.” His expression was calm and challenging, as if he didn’t think I’d do it. Or he did, and he was really getting off on the idea. “You think it’s wrong, but you’re excited and aroused. I know it’s confusing, but it’s also sexy as hell.” He paused for a beat, but then continued. “So, are you going to do it?”

  I held his gaze, my eyes still narrowed. “What’s in it for you?”

  “Babe, you’re not a guy so you probably won’t understand this, but walking out of a busy restaurant on a Friday night with your girl’s panties in your pocket? It’s the sexiest fucking thing I can think of and I’m hard already just imagining it.”

  “Wait, really?” I whispered, leaning closer to him, surprised by his reaction. I was definitely damp downtown, but I honestly couldn’t pinpoint why.

  He reached over and gently took my hand, then brought it to his crotch where there was definitely a straining erection beneath his suit pants. Then, because he’s a sexy asshole, he moved my hand to his thigh—the one part of his body he knew I was stupid over—and pressed my open palm against the thick muscle there.

  “I want you to go in the bathroom, take off your panties, and then we’re going to leave. I’m going to take you back to my condo, eat you until you come, then I’m going to watch you ride my thigh until you come again. Then, I’m going to slide into you and fuck you until I come.”

  I watched his face, hard like stone, and it was only in his eyes I saw lust. The need. He said he was doing this for me, to give me an experience I’d never had, to broaden my sexual horizon—my very own, personal, sexual Mr. Miyagi—but I could tell he wanted it too. That realization brought a little confidence back to me, made me feel a little bolder.

  I leaned toward him, whispering close to his ear, “Wanna know what I think, Camden? I think you’re gonna do all that anyway. But I’ll play your game.” I stood up, letting my hand drift against his cock, and placed my napkin on the table. Then I walked out of the room, knowing his eyes were on me, zeroed in on my ass, which I happened to know looked phenomenal in the dress I’d chosen. All right, it might have been the very reason I chose it.

  I left the secret room and saw our waitress coming toward me with our champagne.

  “Could you point me toward the restroom?” I asked her, trying not to look like I was a sexual deviant. She pointed me down a hallway to my right, and when I made it to the bathroom, I was disappointed to see it was not a single-stall room. Luckily, though, it was empty. I took a look at myself in the mirror, noticing the blush of my cheeks. I rolled my eyes at my reflection—she was such a hussy—and walked into a stall. I carefully peeled my black lace panties down my legs, hid the evidence, and then heard the door opening. Another woman took the stall next to me and I got the overwhelming urge to flee. I flushed the toilet for the sake of appearances and washed my hands too, then scurried out of the bathroom before the other person could see me. The last thing I needed was a witness to my debauchery.

  As I walked through the restaurant, I tried my hardest to not give myself away. I walked at a normal pace, I used my normal gait, and I kept my head high. It was all for naught though, because I was pretty sure everyone in the room could tell I didn’t have anything on under my dress. At least, that’s how it felt. When I found Camden again, he looked cool as a fucking cucumber. Well, until I walked in, anyway.

  As soon as he noticed me, his gaze shot straight to my sex and the hunger in his eyes was potent.

  “Come here,” he growled. I walked slowly toward him, making sure my hips were swaying, that every part of my body from the waist down that could move was keeping his attention. I came to stand right next to his chair, my belly a hairbreadth from his shoulder, and his arm wrapped around my waist, pull
ing me flush to him. His hand started at the small of my back but slowly smoothed its way down over the curve of my ass. It stalled there and he gave me a squeeze. “I believe you have something for me.” His voice was still all growly, but the corner of his mouth was turned up into the tiniest of grins. That tiny smile was like a breath of fresh air to me. This was a different Camden, a man I hadn’t met before, but that grin—I knew that man. This was just another side of the man I knew I was falling hard for, and I wanted to know all of him.

  I reached my thumb and forefinger into my cleavage and pulled the black lace from my bra, and then I watched his eyes bug out of his head. His hand on my ass gripped me tighter and he pulled me even closer.

  “We’re going home. Now.” His voice was more urgent than before, but that only made me hotter. He reached down to the table and grabbed a flute of champagne, handed it to me, and said, “Bottoms up.”

  “Hopefully,” I replied with a wink. Not a wise move, I realized a moment later when both his hands were roaming down my ass, flirting with the hem of my dress. “No, no, no, Camden,” I sang, shaking a finger at him. “You said I had to take off my panties and give them to you, and then you promised me a ride. I’d like to collect.” I stepped backward out of his grasp, trying desperately to look as though I wasn’t as affected by the whole scene when, in reality, I was thoroughly turned on. Ready to go. Green lights as far as the eye could see.

  “Oh, I’ll give you a ride.” He laughed, giving me more proof that the Camden I’d gotten to know since that first basketball game was still very much with me. I downed my champagne and then took his hand in mine and led him from the room.

  He’d taken a cab to the restaurant, so we both headed to my car. I suddenly realized I was disappointed we wouldn’t be taking the Batmobile, because I loved watching Camden drive that car. When we reached my car, he held out his hand for the keys and I didn’t argue giving them over. He wanted to be in charge and I wanted that too. I had relinquished control the moment I pulled my panties off and stuffed them into my bra.