Hot Commodity

by Linda Kage

  Automatically, she scanned the room for Vivian.

  "Oh, yeah," Cameron continued on a husky murmur and moved closer. "Like the dress. It has lick-me written all over it."

  His eyes wandered down her body, and she suddenly remembered being naked and alone with him. She remembered it in vivid technicolor.

  "Still look good in black, I see," he commented and reached out to run one finger over her left shoulder, under the spaghetti strap. "But I must say, I do miss the leather." He slipped another digit under the strap so the two could slide across her skin. "Nice necklace." The tips of his fingers barely grazed the string of pearls that suddenly felt very snug around her throat.

  Olivia shivered and jerked back, grabbing his wrist and tugging his hand off her as she glanced around frantically.

  "Are you insane?" she hissed, continuing to hold his hand. "Hurry, you have to go before Vivian sees you talking to me."

  Cameron lifted his eyebrows and glanced around the crowded room. "Oh? She's here too, hmm?"

  "Yes! Now go."

  "Actually, I'd like to meet the woman."

  "No. Trust me, you wouldn't," Olivia assured.

  But it was already too late.

  "Olivia," Her mother's voice came shrilly from a mere ten feet away.

  She jolted and spun around, guiltily dropping Cameron's hand. Cameron remained stubbornly rooted by her side.

  Vivian barreled their way. After frowning disapprovingly at Cameron, she immediately turned to her daughter. "Olivia."

  "Yes, Mother?" she asked a bit breathlessly.

  If she was lucky, Vivian wouldn't know who Cameron was or find out, and she'd chase him off, never the wiser.

  But Cameron stepped forward. "Oh, is this your mom?" he asked with interest. "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am. I'm Cameron Banks, and I can see where your daughter gets her good looks."

  Olivia nearly passed out. What was he doing?

  Gritting her teeth and fisting her hands, she closed her eyes briefly. He just had to go and introduce himself, didn't he?

  "Who?" Vivian asked in surprise as she slowed to a stop. After looking Cameron up and down, she took his outstretched hand and shook slowly, still studying him as she did so. "Hmm. I pictured you older."

  Cameron grinned, a spark of something nasty entering his eyes. "Really? And here I thought you'd be younger."

  Feeling a small thrill shoot up her spine, Olivia watched her mother blink. Vivian was used to being the aggressor in every verbal exchange. She had a knack for guiding conversations to suit her purpose. Olivia wanted to cheer Cameron on for his subtle little jab at Vivian's vanity.

  "You...wait. You know who I am?" Vivian asked, clearly surprised.

  Olivia held her breath, but Cameron's answer came out sounding completely innocent. "Of course. You're Olivia's mother. Vivian Roark, C. E. O. of Helbrock Enterprise for the past twenty-eight years, ever since your father handed it to you when you married Roger Donovan. Your company majors in dog food but you prefer to dally in the big buy-and-sell market. Your most recent venture was WorldAct United. And I must say I'm impressed with the profit margin you made there."

  Wow. The boy had done his homework. Olivia lifted her gaze to Cameron's and was surprised to find his eyes on her. He winked.

  "I've heard of you too," Vivian said, looking satisfied by the fact he knew her reputation. "That merger you accomplished between McCrill and Thompson Pack was impressive."

  Cameron seemed reluctant to pull his gaze away from Olivia's. "I'm sorry, but I can't seem to concentrate on business in the presence of this enchanting creature." He sent Vivian a look of utter meekness. "Do you mind if I ask your daughter for a dance?"

  Both Olivia and Vivian sputtered, but Olivia did so in dread while the sparkle in her mother's eye contained pure delight. "Oh! Well, of course. Olivia loves to dance."

  "Does she?" Cameron asked, turning expectantly toward her.

  Her face morphed into scarlet horror.

  "Olivia," Vivian said and nudged her toward Cameron.

  He took her elbow and nearly dragged her onto the floor. "Relax," he murmured unobtrusively in her ear, but she ignored him.

  Cameron settled his hand more snuggly around her waist and touched a little too low, making her lift her head and gawp at him. "What in God's name are you doing?"

  He lifted his face from where he'd been looking quite openly down her cleavage. "What? Isn't this all part of the plan? I take one look at you and fall all over myself in love?"

  Olivia's eyes went frosty. "That's Vivian's plan. Not mine."

  Cameron sent her a sloppy grin. "Well, maybe it happened anyway."

  Olivia gritted out an irritated groan. Why her? Please, God, why?

  "Why haven't I got any papers in the mail from you?" she said, deciding to change the subject.

  "My lawyer's busy right now with another assignment," he answered, distracted as he returned to gawking down her dress. "Holy hell, you're not wearing a bra, are you?"

  She opened her mouth to answer, but he suddenly noticed a certain ring on her right hand. The ring he'd bought her in Vegas.

  "Hey," he said, reaching for it. "That doesn't go there."

  It looked for all the world like he was going to slip it off and set it back in its proper place on her left ring finger. Olivia ground her teeth. Of course, he had to go and notice she was wearing she stupid thing.

  She couldn't believe she'd put it on tonight. Actually, she couldn't believe she hadn't taken it off since Vegas. But it was such a nice ring, and Olivia did love her bling. Besides, she'd been wearing it on the wrong hand anyway. Certainly, he wouldn't think their marriage meant anything to her. He wouldn't think—

  "Cameron!" she hissed, curling her fingers into a fist to stop him from removing the diamond. "The annulment?"

  "Oh, right." He smoothly returned to the subject at hand, letting the ring stay where it was for the present. "With everything going on, it'll probably be a few months before Bos'll be able to get to that."

  "Months?" she squawked.

  He lifted his brow. "What's the hurry? Are you that anxious to run off and marry some other stranger?"

  Olivia set her jaw and looked away. "I just want this over and done with as soon as possible. At least before Vivian finds out."

  "Now, now. Don't worry, Livy Love. I won't tell anyone about our night in Vegas." He pulled her closer.

  Olivia frowned. Livy Love? No one called her Livy, and they certainly didn't call her Livy Love.

  Abruptly, she noticed he'd bent his head so that his face was next to hers, their cheeks barely grazing. He loudly inhaled the perfume she'd dabbed behind her ear. "God, you smell good."

  She tried to step away, but he held her tighter. "What're you doing?" she breathed, feeling too drawn for her own good. "I thought you hated me."

  Cameron lifted his face, looking stunned. "Hate you? I don't hate you. I might've been a little upset on our last encounter, is all. But I'm better now."

  "You mean, you're drunk now."

  "Hey, whatever works." Cameron grinned and shrugged goodnaturedly.

  Olivia clenched her teeth. "And why are you drunk? The report I read said you were a recovering alcoholic."

  His eyes flashed with heat. "It's called none of your business."

  She snorted. "Really? I thought it was called falling off the wagon."

  For a fraction of a moment, his fingers tightened on her and his teeth clenched in a snarl. Fear raced up her spine, making her shiver. His eyes lifted at her reaction, and after he blinked a few times, regret filled his gaze. His grip eased, and his face relaxed.

  "Anyway." He cleared his throat and glanced away. "I was wondering something. I need a little favor from you."

  Olivia swallowed. "What?"

  He turned back to her, his green eyes intense and enticing. "Well, I'm horny."

  She pulled back. "Excuse me?"

  He shrugged helplessly. "It's the champagne. Does it to me every
time. I don't understand it either. There's just something about the chemical makeup that makes me want to…" He paused to shiver as if wracked by an orgasm.

  Olivia's imagination immediately brought up a picture of them in bed together, a very memorable, very vivid picture. It caused her to shiver too, and this time, it wasn't in fear.

  "Anyway, I'm dying to get laid," he said, making their conversation feel all too surreal for Olivia. "But the problem is now that I'm married, I don't feel it's right to go off and have an affair. Since it's going to be a couple more months before this thing with us can be cleared up, I'd like to take my one last chance to have sex with my wife now, before we go our separate ways. And I don't know about you, but I sure as hell can't wait a few more months until the annulment is final."

  "I don't mind if you have an affair. It's not like we're really married anyway."

  But Cam shook his head. "If there's one thing my mama taught me, it's not to cheat. So, I can't, okay? It's a moral thing."

  Blinking because, well, she was bowled over by that kind of announcement, Olivia blurted out, "Well, I'm not going to sleep with you!" Realizing a second too late how loud she'd been, she glanced around, hoping no one had heard her outburst.

  "Why not?" Cameron said not even seeming to care if anyone overheard. "It's not like we haven't done it before."

  "We're trying to get an annulment," she reminded through her teeth.

  "Hey, I won't tell if you don't." Cameron sighed in delight as he moved his fingers against the base of her spine, making her suck in a breath. "Be a sport, Livy. It was good that one time. If there's one thing I remember about our wedding night, it's that we're good together. Amazing, in fact. Crazy amazing. Amazing to the point of—"

  Turning beet red, Olivia slapped her hand over his mouth. "Shh!" She glanced around to make sure no one was paying them any attention. "I can't believe you're talking about this to me in front of the entire world. With my mother watching."

  When he playfully nipped her thumb, she jerked her fingers back.

  "No one can hear us," he assured, tugging her a smidgeon closer. "So, what do you say, huh? Give me your room number. I can slip by after everyone else has gone to bed. Then we can stay up all night, playing hidethe—"

  This time she ground her heel against his toe to shut him up. His step faltered, and he winced. She shook her head no and pulled out of his arms. As she turned to stalk off the floor, Cameron followed, sidling next to her. He took her elbow again and steered her in a different direction. When she realized he was returning her to Vivian, she resisted.

  His grip tightened. "This is what you chose then, Olivia," he murmured in her ear just as she lifted her face to take in her mother's smirk of triumph.

  "Didn't step on your toes, did she, Banks?" Vivian asked cheerfully, obviously not catching the last few seconds of their dance.

  "Not at all," Cameron lied smoothly. "I haven't partnered someone so smoothly in nearly four weeks." His eyes slid meaningfully toward Olivia, and she blushed before glancing away.

  "Good." Vivian beamed. "It's nice to know all those dance classes I bought her actually paid off."

  "Oh, I'd say you definitely got your money's worth." Cameron took Olivia's hand.

  She gasped and tried to pull away, but he didn't let go. Instead, he lifted her knuckles to his lips.

  "Miss Donovan," he murmured. "I truly hope I get to see you again." His eyes danced as he kissed the finger holding the diamond ring he'd bought her. Heat pooled between her legs, and her knees went loose. Dear God, he had a talented mouth.

  Then, all too soon, he dropped her hand and turned to Vivian. "Mrs. Roark," he said, taking her hand to kiss her knuckles as well. "It was a pleasure to finally meet you." With that, he turned and slipped away from them.

  Vivian stepped closer to Olivia as she watched Cameron disappear through the crowd. "Well, I'll be damned," she murmured in awe. "I think the pup is actually taken with you, which is, actually, quite a shame. If I'd have known he was so young and attractive, I might've gone after him myself." When she licked her lips as she watched the back of Cameron disappear, Olivia felt her stomach revolt.

  "Where's Nolan?" she asked a bit too sharply. Wincing as soon as the question slipped from her lips, she realized just how jealous she sounded. What was more horrifying, she realized just how jealous she felt.

  Vivian scowled. "He grew tired and has already gone up to our room. A man his age needs..." Not bothering to hide her displeasure at that remark, the rest of Vivian's comment trailed off as she turned to once again look for Cameron among the crowd.

  Olivia wanted to hiss at her.

  "It really is too bad Nolan's not in worse health," Vivian mused to herself. "If he could make me a widow anytime soon, I'd drop this whole plan of pawning Banks off on you and snatch him up for myself."

  "Mother," Olivia gritted out.

  Vivian was still smiling as she held up her hand. "Olivia, honestly. Calm down. I—"

  "Did you know he was going to be here tonight?" Olivia asked before they could delve into her the subject of her jealousy.

  Snorting, her mother answered, "Of course, I knew he was going to be here. I purposely didn't tell you about it because I knew you'd just find some way to get out of coming. But, look at what a nice time you two had together. I was right when I thought you'd suit him."

  She spoke as if she were some great matchmaker and this was all about setting up a love union instead of something she wanted for her own selfish gain.

  Disgusted, Olivia said, "I'm going to bed."

  She started to stalk off, but Vivian grabbed her arm, and none too gently.

  "Maybe you should stick around," her mother said softly, but the pressure in her grip tightened threateningly, her deadly nails biting into Olivia's bicep. "See if Banks asks you for another dance."

  Olivia nodded even as she eased her arm from Vivian's grasp.

  Glancing around the room as if to make sure no one had seen her daughter's moment of resistance, Vivian moved closer to speak in Olivia's ear. "Do you still have the condom I gave you in Vegas?"

  Too sick to answer, Olivia closed her eyes and gave another brief nod.

  "Good." Vivian smiled. "See if you can get the deed done tonight. Banks isn't scheduled to attend another social function like this for five months. This is our last shot for a while." She arched her daughter a warning look. "Don't mess it up, Olivia."

  Eight

  Drawn.

  That was the only word to describe what Cam had felt when he'd seen Olivia Donovan across the ball room. Like a frigging moth to her bonfire presence, he'd been sucked in.

  Tonight, she radiated beauty. The black leather cat suit had been nice, but this elegant shimmering sea of silk currently draping her made her look like a duchess: a regal, enchanting, seductive duchess.

  Cameron had seen other men approach and get rebuffed. He felt a sense of arrogant pride knowing he'd been the only one to coax her onto the dance floor. Sure, his coaxing had been more along the lines of blackmail, but hey, he'd still gotten to hold her close for a few minutes.

  And those few minutes had only enhanced his appetite. He wanted her again. He didn't care if she was his wife and they were going to separate soon. He didn't even care if she was working with her mother to steal his money. The risk only heightened his excitement.

  Despite what he always claimed about the horrors of marriage, Cameron had been raised and nurtured by a loving, monogamous couple. He'd watched his parents look at each other with a love that defied logic. And no matter how much he convinced himself he didn't care, deep inside where his conscience still refused to believe he didn't give a rat's ass, the fact that Olivia was legally bound to him affected him. They had a link.

  For a few weeks longer, they legally belonged to each other. And he intended to capitalize on that fact to the fullest. He was horny, though it had nothing to do with the champagne and everything to do with the brief flit of black he'd seen through the
hordes. His gaze had been drawn—yeah, there was that word again—around the room until he'd spotted the woman's sexily clad body again. When he realized who he was ogling, he spurted out a surprised laugh.

  "Well, I'll be damned," he'd murmured to himself. What was she doing in Chicago?

  Then he approached and finally met her scheming mother. It'd only taken one look in the bitch's eyes when he escorted Olivia back to her after their dance for Cameron to realize Vivian Helbrock-Donovan-Roark had orchestrated this chance meeting.