Hot Commodity

by Linda Kage

  Olivia backed up a step, bringing a shaking fist to her mouth.

  Vivian turned back to Cameron, looking cautious. "Excuse me?"

  Cameron snickered. "Oh, yeah, she told me." He grinned cruelly. "In Vegas."

  That stopped Vivian in her tracks. She spun back toward Olivia, looking confused. "Vegas? You met him in Las Vegas?"

  Light-headed, Olivia's face grew pale as she watched the room swim between them. She was going to pass out, she could feel it.

  Slowly, Vivian returned her attention to Cameron and studied him skeptically.

  "That's right," Cameron said softly. "She spilled it all, right after we were married."

  It seemed to take a moment for those words to sink into Vivian's brain. She whipped her head toward Olivia.

  Nolan stepped away from the doorway, surprised. "Married?"

  Olivia shook her head like she could deny the truth, but no one paid her any attention because all eyes returned to Cameron, who had become the ringmaster of this insane circus.

  "So, you see why I can't marry her today," he explained. "I've already been married to her for what...three...four weeks now, honey?" Then he grinned proudly. "Elvis married us."

  Olivia backed against the wall to support herself. She wondered how she was still standing. Every cell in her body felt like someone was poking her with a hot pin. She was so stunned and scared. What was Vivian capable of doing now?

  "You two are already married?" she asked slowly, zipping her confused gaze from Cameron to Olivia.

  "Yes," Olivia admitted hoarsely

  "So you can save yourself the angry, concerned mother act," Cameron added. "And get the hell out of here so I can put some damn clothes on."

  Vivian whipped around to nail him with another menacing look. "What did you say to me, you little cocksucker?"

  Cameron sighed as if tired of dealing with her. Olivia couldn't believe it. He wasn't intimidated at all. "I told you to get out," he repeated calmly. "And take that creepy old man with you."

  Clearly insulted, Nolan thundered a menacing step toward Cameron. Vivian's face clouded with that mad, purplish-red hue again. Olivia's eyes shot wide; she just knew someone was going to die, right here, right now.

  "Listen here, boy," Vivian growled. "Don't ever think you can tell me what to do. I paid for this room. I can come and go as I please."

  Cameron rolled his eyes and let out another exhausted sigh. "Fine," he muttered, more to himself than to anyone else. He shuffled toward the bed, moving slowly because he was still mummified by the sheet. Then he lifted his pants, draped across the mattress. After digging inside for a moment and fishing out a wallet, he extracted all the cash he had on him. "There." He flung the money at Vivian. "I'm paying you back for the room."

  Olivia swallowed. She saw at least two hundred-dollar bills, a couple of twenties, tens and fives and ones galore. She had no idea how much cash he flashed, but it more than doubled the cost of the room. Vivian greedily stared at the cash and went to pluck it from Cameron's fingers. But once she tried to take it, Cameron tightened his grip.

  Vivian's eyes shot to his.

  In a steely soft voice, Cameron hissed, "Enjoy it while you can, bitch. Because this is the last money you'll ever see from me. I'm one son-inlaw you can't control."

  He let go of the cash, making Vivian fall back a step. She stared down at the money with parted lips. Nolan moved to her side, taking her elbow as if he wasn't sure how to help his wife and sought her instruction. She sniffed and jerked her arm from his grasp.

  "You may be excused now," Cameron said and turned away to pull his shirt off the floor.

  The cash had somewhat mollified Vivian. She continued to stare at it a moment and then, without speaking another word to Cameron, she turned and looked at Olivia. Her eyes cast blame. Then she snapped her fingers and glanced at her husband as she pointed toward her daughter. Nolan instantly marched toward Olivia and grasped her arm, hard.

  As her stepfather dragged her toward the door, Olivia's life flashed before her eyes. She had no backbone, she realized. She never would've been able to stand up to Vivian the way she'd just seen Cameron Banks do. And now her entire existence felt over.

  Vivian was probably going build a basement under their house when they got home, just so she could chain Olivia to a wall down there for the rest of her life.

  Olivia swallowed, trying to hold back the tears as Nolan yanked her behind him. When he opened the door, her heart gave a leap.

  Barely aware she was resisting, she dug her heels into the floor and braced herself, already wincing at the assault she knew her mother was going to give her for balking.

  "Come on," Vivian hissed, pushing her from behind.

  "No," she said in a voice that was a hundred times stronger than she felt.

  From the corner of her eye, she saw Cameron turn. "Hey!" he called. "Hang on there, Bonnie and Clyde."

  As Nolan looked back over his shoulder, Vivian paused and slowly turned around to glare at Cameron.

  Cameron looked undaunted. "Where do you think you're taking my wife?"

  Olivia's spun around. She couldn't believe her ears. It sounded like he was going to help her. Oh, dear God. Was he going to help her?

  "What?" Vivian growled.

  Cameron shook his head. "I don't know where you think you're taking her. But she's not going with you two."

  Vivian laughed. "Boy, this is my daughter. She does what I tell her."

  Cameron caught Olivia's eye. He studied her a moment until he must've seen all the desperation inside her because he softly answered, "Not anymore. She's my wife now. And she's not going with you. Livy," he said, making her jump. "Do you want to go with them? Or do you finally want to be free?"

  Olivia glanced at her mother with wide eyes. Stunned that she was going to do this, she pulled her arm free of Nolan's grip. When he reached for her again, Cameron let out a growl, and Nolan immediately yanked his hand back. Vivian's eyes widened. Olivia stepped toward her husband, her back brittle but straight, all the while fearing Vivian would come charging at her, claws extended.

  "There. You see," Cameron murmured, slipping his arm over Olivia's shoulder. "She doesn't want to go with you. Now say goodbye to your 'little girl' and get the hell out."

  Vivian stared at Olivia. "You traitorous little bitch," she hissed. "You're just like your father." Turning, she ran smack into Nolan. Calling him a dirty name, she pushed him into the hall, then stalked out, slamming the door behind her.

  "And good riddance to you too," Cameron murmured.

  Olivia shook so hard she couldn't even breathe. She slipped from Cameron's grasp and backed away from him, her mouth moving though no words came out. He tugged the toga off his shoulders and stepped into a pair of briefs. After slipping them up over his hips and snapping them into place, he glanced her way.

  Olivia couldn't maintain her composure any longer. She crumbled. Right to the floor.

  Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh God. She began to hyperventilate.

  "Livy?" Cameron's voice came from a great distance. But when she looked up, he was moving closer instead of farther away. He grasped her shoulder and pulled her up, looking concerned.

  "Olivia," he said softly, sitting her gently on the edge of the mattress. "Just relax, okay?" Gentle fingers cupped her cheek; she wanted to close her eyes and sink into his warm comfort.

  But she shook her head instead. "You...Oh, God, Cameron. You have no idea. You just...Oh God."

  He dropped his hand and quickly reached for his pants, yanking them on. "What?" he said softly, sitting next to her and wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "Did you want to go with them after all? That's okay, you know. I'm sure you can still catch your mom."

  She shook her head emphatically.

  He smiled as if satisfied. "Okay, then," he answered. "Let's pack, and I'll take you wherever it is you're going and…" He paused and eyed her quizzically. "Where do you want to go?"

  She looked up. "If I had somewh
ere else to go, I would've gone there a long time ago," she cried out, her voice an octave higher than usual.

  He placed his hot palms on her temples, burying his fingers in her hair. "Don't panic," he instructed softly. "Everything will be okay. I've got plenty of guest bedrooms at my place. We'll just fly to Cali, pick up your things, and then you can—" He broke off when she shook her head.

  "All my things are gone," she murmured almost to herself. "She'll never let me go back to get them. I don't have anything now, except what's here in this room. I don't have any money. She'll freeze all my accounts and credit cards and close my savings. I don't have anywhere to go. I don't…"

  Her voice broke. A tear wavered at the corner of her eye and she realized she was on the edge of a panic attack.

  Cameron leaned forward and kissed her tear, licking it away with his tongue. "Olivia," he whispered. "Listen to me, okay? I put you in this position, so I will help you get out of it. We'll go home to Kansas City until the Bos-man can work on those annulment papers. Once they're all filed and done, I'll help you start your life; I'll help you find a job, go to school, whatever you want to do. Okay? Nod your head, Livy. Tell me that's what you want to do."

  Olivia shook her head from side to side instead of up and down. "No, you don't want to help me anymore than you already did. She's mad enough at you. You don't want her for an enemy, Cameron. She's going to come after you now. She's going to—"

  "Shh," he crooned and pulled her tight against his chest. "Why don't you let me worry about me. Let's focus on you right now."

  "But why would you want to help me?" she said, pushing him back to meet his eyes. "I tricked you into marriage. What do you want from me? You don't even know me. There's no way you'll just bring home some stranger and start throwing money at her, promising her you'll hand her a new life, completely free of charge."

  Cameron dropped his hands from her as if shocked. "You're right," he finally said. "I don't know you. But I do know you just stood up to a woman you're deathly afraid of, and you got away from her. That kind of shit impresses me. Besides, I caused a majority of this to happen, so I feel pretty responsible for you right now. Plus, there's also the fact we're married and that makes us a team for the time being. Not to mention, you're amazing in bed and I'd like to stay on your good side in the hopes you'll let me sleep with you again."

  Hearing that last remark, Olivia snorted and turned away from him, starting to pack. "I agree," she said with her back to him and she stuffed clothes into her case. "This is your fault. If you'd just left me alone last night, none of this would've happened."

  "Yeah, well, what did you want me to do?" Cameron said in selfdefense. He pushed to his feet and scowled. "Keep our marriage a secret and let the crazy broad come after me with a shotgun? No thanks."

  Olivia turned and glared at him. "How about you not following me to my room in the first place and coaxing me into bed, huh? Maybe not doing that would've prevented this."

  Cameron grinned, his frown gone as fast as it had come. "Maybe," he agreed. "But in my opinion, it was worth it."

  Still upset with him, Olivia ground her teeth in frustration and finished her packing.

  She was going home with Cameron Banks, the man she'd married, the man her mother had commanded her to marry. And yet, now she was free of Vivian Helbrock-Donovan-Roark.

  Free.

  It was so exhilarating and frightening she sat down on the bed to steady her nerves as Cameron finished dressing.

  Ten

  Kansas City

  By nine that evening, Olivia and Cameron arrived in Kansas City. She had one travel bag with her, full of all the possessions she had left in the world. She followed her new husband up the front walk into his sprawling mansion and stopped just inside the doorway, her fingers clutched around her suitcase handle.

  Cameron tossed his keys on an end table and tugged a cell phone from his pocket.

  "I have to make a quick call," he said, glancing her way even as he moved toward a doorway leading to another room. "This will only take a minute."

  Olivia swallowed, wondering who he had to talk to so urgently. Probably some girlfriend, advising her not to come over tonight.

  Jealousy thickened in her lungs, making it hard to breathe, making her follow him to the doorway and peek in.

  With his back to her, he paced the sitting room. After a moment of holding his phone to his ear, he finally spoke. "Hello…? Grandma?"

  Grandma? Olivia mouthed the word, her eyebrows puckering in confusion. He was in a hurry to call his grandmother? No way. It must be some kind of code language. Grandma was probably short for Hey, baby, can't talk right now. Super secret spy stuff going on.

  Olivia rolled her eyes.

  "It's Cameron," he said and, after a moment, lifted his voice, repeating, "It's Cameron."

  Okay, so maybe his girlfriend was hard of hearing. Either that or he really was talking to an elderly deaf woman.

  A smile was clear in his voice when he added, "Yeah, it's Sunday already. I can't talk long though, I have a guest...What's that? Oh, don't you even worry about it, Grandma. I love calling you. No bother at all...Yes. Uh huh." After a second of listening, he threw back his head and laughed. "You naughty old woman, you. You're going to ruin my innocent ears if you keep that up."

  Curious, Olivia found herself moving forward to listen openly. He was really talking to his grandmother, wasn't he? How bizarre.

  "No, wait! Don't hang up yet. I wanted to tell you…"

  Holding her breath, she wondered if he was going to announce his marriage or something. God, she hoped not. He'd give poor Grandma a heart attack.

  "I have another spoon for you to put in your collection. What? Oh, this one's from Chicago...Yeah, I know I already brought you one from Chicago, but that was in honor of the Sears Tower. This one is for the city in general… Oh, that'll do then, will it?" he murmured, like he was repeating what she'd just said. Turning so Olivia could see his face, he grinned and added, "Good. I was worried you'd shove it back in my face." Though he didn't sound worried.

  Olivia must've breathed aloud because his eyes snapped her way. They both froze.

  "I have to go, Grandma," he said into the phone. "Yes, I'll call next Sunday. I love you too. Bye." Never taking his eyes off Olivia, he snapped the phone closed.

  He and Olivia took a few seconds to stare at each other, both leery.

  "That…" he cleared his throat, looking suddenly rueful. "That was my grandmother. She's been a widow for a few years now and gets lonely. So, I, uh, I make sure to call every so often."

  Olivia wondered what kind of man this was who took time out of his life to call a lonely old woman every week, just to flirt with her. Her chest felt very tight.

  Cameron glanced away, looking awkward, as if he were embarrassed. "Anyway," he murmured under his breath. "Who needs a drink?" He didn't look at her again as he strolled to a nearby shelf lined with books.

  He'd barely talked to her the entire day, and Olivia was fast learning she'd married herself a moody man. He could go from one extreme to the next. One moment, he was grinning and cracking jokes like a comedian. The next, he was quiet and withdrawn, wrapped up in some inner demon that made her wonder what could put that haunted look in his eyes.

  Olivia figured the mood swings were why he was so successful. Growing up with Vivian as her mother, she'd met dozens of millionaires and discovered they all possessed quirky personalities. It must be a trait common among the insane masterminds. Next thing she knew, Cameron Banks would probably pull a Van Gogh and cut off his ear or something.

  She had to admit, however, even at his nastiest, he had an innate kindness. He could never in a hundred years be what Vivian was. His sour side didn't seem to come naturally. It was like he forced himself to be rude, as if some emotional struggle was taking place in him, making him guilty about every smile he revealed, so he had to counter it with a snarl.

  Apprehension attacked every nerve ending she possessed.
Everything felt new and foreign. She was a long way from California, hundreds and hundreds of miles from the only home she'd ever known.

  Ignoring her, Cameron rummaged through the books on the shelf until he came to one thick dictionary. But he didn't seem interested in reading. Instead, he tugged it out of his way and reached into the open gap to extract a glass decanter filled with amber liquid.

  Olivia rolled her eyes. Letting go of her suitcase handle, she strode toward him and jerked the container from his hand as soon as he'd taken his first swig.