by Zoey Derrick
“You’d think I would remember that, or even how I got there. But I don’t remember anything.”
“I don’t doubt that. I found three empty wine bottles, one empty Crown, and then the one you had in the living room with you when I came home, which was about half gone. That’s a lot of alcohol in two days.”
“Jesus, I had no idea I—”
“Beau said that you and she polished off two of the wine bottles Tuesday night.”
“Jesus, still.”
“I’m afraid to think about what I might’ve come back to if I’d waited until today.” I don’t answer his statement. I know damn well what he’s thinking, and I’m not sure I’m a fan of the idea either. I imagine that I would have probably been passed out or worse. “I’m surprised you’re doing as well as you are today.”
“I’m not entirely convinced that I’m not still drunk,” I say as I take a seat at the bar in the kitchen. My armpits are already sore and my foot is killing me, though the Tylenol seems to have helped my headache. “How long do I have to walk around on these things?”
“Until the stitches come out.” Oh, hell. “In about seven days.”
“Ugh! That’s too long,” I groan.
“Not my orders.” He goes over to the counter and grabs something, then goes to the cupboard for a glass. He fills it with ice and water from the fridge door and gives it to me, then hands me two more pills.
“What are these?”
“Antibiotics. You stepped on glass, it’s to ward off any infection. You need to take these two now, then two more in a little while, before bed.”
I’m really beginning to feel guilty about the way that I treated him this afternoon when I woke up and even last night. He’s done everything to take care of me and I was a complete and utter bitch. “Come here, please?”
He looks at me, a little surprised and probably hesitant, and I don’t blame him, but he comes to me anyway. He comes to stand between my legs and I wrap my arms around his waist, pulling him close to me, resting my head against his chest. I stay there for a minute, until he finally brings his own arms around me, holding me to him, and he starts to play with my hair. I lift my head and lean back to look at him, but I don’t loosen my grip around his waist. “I am so, so sorry,” I say, but the words are barely a whisper and my eyes begin to fill with tears. “You’ve been nothing but caring and supportive and I’m treating you like shit.”
He doesn’t say anything, but his hands come to my cheeks, holding me between them, and he leans down so that we are nose to nose. “You’re going through a lot, and you’re in a lot of pain, physically and emotionally, but you need to remember, I am not your enemy, Cami. I am here for you, to support you and to take care of you, so please, please, do not shut me out.”
As soon as he finishes his speech his lips are on mine, soft and warm, yet possessive and demanding. He’s showing me exactly what he just said. I’m his — to protect and to take care of. I wrap my arms around his neck and he stands up, bringing me with him. I wrap my legs around his waist and I can feel his erection between us. I can’t help the flick of my hips that follows the realization that he’s right there.
He turns toward the dining room table. I think he is going to take me around the wall to the couch but he doesn’t; he lays me out on the table. I can tell without looking that I’m on the corner because part of my ass is on either side of it, and I smile into our kiss when I feel his hands going for the waistband of my pajama pants.
My smile is his cue, and he pulls them down my legs. He breaks our kiss so that he can rid me of my pants and panties.
As soon as they’re gone, he brings my legs up to rest on his shoulders. He slides down at the same time, lifting my pelvis to meet his mouth, and before I can stop him, his tongue is buried in my pussy. I shiver at the contact. He doesn’t stop the flicking and circling motions his tongue is making. I moan and my hands dig into his hair, holding him tighter to my sex, and he starts to suck on my clit. My legs tremble, heart pounding. I’m so close and he knows it. Alternating between licking and circling, then sucking, it takes another few strokes and I explode into a million pieces.
He stands up, holding my legs to his chest, and I can feel the coolness of his barbells pressed against the heat of my dripping-wet sex, but they don’t stay cool for long. He pulls back, and I can see him watching as he lines up the head of his cock with my entrance, and he slams into me, filling me full to capacity in one plunge. I nearly come undone again.
He gives me a moment to adjust before he starts moving — in and out, harder and faster with each thrust. He leans down and his lips are on mine, hot and wet, tasting of Tristan and of me, and I moan into his mouth.
He rears back. The look in his eyes tells me that he needed this as much as I did, and what he says next isn’t a surprise. “I’m gonna come,” he says, warning me, but I can feel my own sex tightening around his cock as it twitches. “Cami,” he groans, and I explode.
EIGHT
A week later…
******
Tristan
******
Though she is walking slower and can’t wear her great fuck-me pumps, it’s nice to see Cami without the crutches. I haven’t minded a single minute of helping her or waiting on her hand and foot for the last seven days. I know she is enjoying her mobility.
Beau and Mick have been here off and on over the last few days, checking on her, and we’ve been trying to work on a game plan in regards to Bobby and how to handle the situation.
Cami knows the ranch, which was ultimately what led to her drinking so heavily. It wasn’t so much the fact that Bobby was alive, though that certainly started the process. The horse in the picture is the horse she used to ride when they spent summer vacations in Montana.
She says that she is going to go but doesn’t know when, and she was ready to fire Vincent when she figured out that he’s Bobby’s likely accomplice in all of this and that he may have known all along.
The only conclusion that any of us can come to in regards to why this happened is far beyond the realm of possibility. None of us — especially Mick, who knew him best out of all of us - can think of any good reason why he would go to such extremes.
We’ve also watched all the videos that were sent in the package. Most of them were normal kinds of things, but there were three that surprised her more than anything, though I’m not sure I understand why.
One was a video of Bobby and Evelyn, her mother, arguing and fighting. Ultimately, Bobby sent Cami and Mark to boarding schools in Europe to avoid a divorce from Evelyn. She threatened to take everything, including the children, and he wasn’t going to have that, considering it was very obvious to Bobby, Cami and even myself that Evelyn wanted nothing to do with her children. Cami also found out that Mark is only a half-brother and that Evelyn was not his mother, but that is apparently something Cami will need to ask Bobby more about, should she decide to discuss it with him.
The next two were videos of Bobby attending what looked like a high school and then a college graduation. Cami lost it because she hadn’t even had a clue that he was even there. Which of course made her more pissed off. She said that she might not have hated him so much if she’d known then.
She also understands that, while Bobby is the one that sent them away, he did try, but Cami was too harsh on him and he no longer knew how to get through to her. One of the things that made her see this was the day she went to him about moving to Phoenix to go to ASU. Apparently he’d been making a video diary entry when she barged in on him. She never noticed the camera, and I understand how Cami was so harsh to him — it was all there, right on camera — but it was what happened when she left that made her see it all firsthand. Bobby sat down in his office chair and cried. He cried for so long that he forgot about the camera and the video ran out; at least, he made no motion to stop the tape from rolling, so that was the conclusion she and I both came to.
That video caused another night of heavy drinking and
a few arguments between the two of us. I let it go because I knew she needed to handle this in her own way. She paid for it heavily the next day. It was a little bit of bittersweet revenge.
Cami has finally opened up to me about a lot of what Bobby did, though I saw most of it in the videos, and she’s also found a newfound reason to take over Bold. I think it has something to do with proving herself to her father more than it has to do with proving it to herself or even me. But I won’t stand in her way. If this is how she feels she needs to address him and the issues at hand, she might as well use her anger to her advantage and put it to good use by being the best she can be.
Cami is a very driven woman, and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see it. When she is determined, nothing will stand in her way. It is one of the many things that make me love her that much more.
Over the next couple of weeks, Cami and I are back and forth from Los Angeles and a couple of times to New York, but I am now getting ready to head up to Montana to start filming a new movie. She’s decided that she is going to come with me, and I couldn’t be happier about it.
The night before we’re supposed to leave we’re both busy packing. We’re going to be up there for about four weeks, and she’s looking forward to getting out of the heat; it is now late August and the weather in Phoenix shows no signs of cooling down anytime soon, so I can’t blame her for wanting to get out of town.
We’re joining Mick, Beau, Tyson, Jolene, Naomi and Travis for a farewell dinner of sorts. Cami has been bouncing around with excitement for the last couple of days about tonight, but she refuses to tell me why. Travis, too, is leaving Phoenix, the day after we do. He has some business to attend to in Los Angeles. He said that he and Naomi will probably come up to see us in Montana in a couple of weeks.
What I’m really excited about is that Jolene has decided to join Cami’s Bold staff and she is now assisting Cami, so that means that she is coming with us, because of course Ty is coming along too. Their relationship seems to be beyond anything either one of them imagined, and anytime I talk to Ty about it he beams with excitement. Which makes me wonder if Ty is planning on proposing to Jolene tonight and if that is why Cami is stupidly giddy about the evening. She shuts me down like nobody’s business when I try and ask her about it. It’s actually quite cute.
Once we are done filming in Montana, I have about three weeks off before I’m due in New York for my next film. If all goes according to plan, Cami and I will be spending my break in Tarah once again, but that’s a secret I’m keeping to myself.
Cami is standing in the bathroom at the mirror. She’s just finished with her hair, which of course looks beautiful — pulled over one shoulder and held back by a flower similar to the one she wore in Tarah for one of our dates. Her beauty is something I can’t get over. It doesn’t matter if she has raccoon eyes or if she is wearing no makeup at all, which doesn’t happen often. But tonight I am more interested in the fact that all she has on right now is a black lace bra, matching panties, and lace top thigh highs that are being held up by a matching garter belt.
Her panties leave very little to the imagination and I can’t help but stare hard at this beautiful girl. I sneak up behind her and wrap my arms around her waist, my hands gliding along her stomach, and she melts into me.
“Hey, beautiful,” I whisper in her exposed ear.
“Hey beautiful yourself.” She smiles at me in the mirror and our eyes meet. I love our little greeting ritual and it never ceases to warm my heart.
My hands continue to roam along her body, starting down at her thighs where her thigh highs stop. Her skin is so soft and I can’t resist touching it.
“Behave yourself.”
I snort a laugh. “Never.” And I kiss her on her neck just below her ear, the spot that always turns her to putty in my hands.
“We have twenty minutes before we have to get out of here.”
“I can be quick,” I blurt out, my erection straining against my jeans.
“Not that quick,” she says, and she turns to kiss me. But it is soft and quick. She knows better than to work me up, but sometimes I wonder if it works her up just as much. I can’t seem to stop my hand from roaming between her legs.
“See, you’re already hot and wet for me.”
“I’m always hot and wet for you, but we don’t have time.” She kisses my cheek. “Now go, before we really are late. I don’t want the nasty look from Beau because she will know exactly why we’re late.”
I huff. “Fine, but you owe me.”
She turns so quickly in my arms that it hardly registers until we are face to face. “Behave yourself and I will more than make it worth your while,” she promises and kisses me, then playfully pushes me away.
I like her promises of making it worth my while — it usually means that she will do something extra special for me when we get home — so I back away and let her finish getting ready. I head down to the kitchen, pour us both a small glass of shiraz and wait impatiently for her to join me. I haven’t seen what else she plans on wearing tonight and I don’t really care. I am already starting to feel the ache in my balls, and it is going to be a long, horny night.
NINE
About ten minutes later she comes down the stairs and my jaw drops.
She is wearing bright red fuck-me pumps, the first ones I’ve seen her wear since cutting her foot. I follow the sleek line of her legs until I meet the hem of a very short, skintight black dress with a lace overlay. Around her waist is a bright red belt that matches her shoes, and the dress is sleeveless, displaying her beautiful shoulder tattoos. She turns so that I can see the back. The black dress dips all the way to the curve of her beautiful ass, but the lace overlay has a high neckline, though I can still see her wings and the silver of her corset rings. Laced through her piercings is a bright red ribbon, visible but subtle.
I make a show of wiping drool from my chin, though I’m not actually drooling, and she laughs. “So I take it you approve?” She smiles as she walks toward me. I can tell that she is a little unsteady in her heels.
“Do they hurt?”
She shakes her head. “No, I just haven’t worn heels like this in a while. Takes me a minute.” I embrace her as she comes to stand with me. I kiss her neck and then down her shoulder. “I told you to behave yourself.”
“Yeah.” I snort. “Like that’s gonna happen.” She laughs. “Here,” I say as I hand her one of the glasses of shiraz, and she takes a sip, then sets the glass down. “Don’t like it?”
“No, it tastes great, I’m not sure if I’m over my alcohol binge. It turns my stomach.”
Good. But I don’t say that out loud. I get chills every time I think about what I might’ve come home to if I hadn’t come home when I did. She was working herself into some serious alcohol poisoning. The day after, she spent a good part of the day in the bathroom as her drunk haze seemed to finally wear off and her hangover really set in.
“Are you ready?” I ask, and she nods, heading toward the stairs.
******
Cami
******
When Tristan and I step out of the condo, there is a sleek black limo waiting for us. I look at him and he shrugs, but I can see his goofy, I-have-no-idea-what-you’re-talking-about grin on his face, and I smile.
This is really the first time we’ve been out since returning from Tarah. Things have been pretty much business since the night he came home. Which has been good for me: It is keeping my mind off of the fact that we’re going to Montana and that we will be a short distance away from the ranch, where Bobby has been living for the last year. While I want to go see him, I’m not sure I can do it without completely losing it and going postal on him.
Though combing through all those videos and all that documentation I sort of understand, there is more to it than what he is showing and I’m not sure I want to find out more about his reasons. So many decisions to make.
We take the limo to pick everyone up — Ty and Jo, Beau and Mic
k, then finally Travis and Naomi — then we are headed downtown to Excelsior, an exclusive restaurant and bar plus nightclub that is frequented by local and visiting celebrities. I did my due diligence to try and talk Tristan out of this place for tonight, mainly because, as we pull up, there is a red carpet leading to the door, and lining either side of that carpet are photographers waiting to see who is showing up.
“Oh, for hell,” Beau says as we pull up.
Ty and Tristan both laugh. “We can take you around back?” Ty says to her, and she scowls at him. “Or not.”
Everyone starts laughing, but I know that, deep down, Beau is actually enjoying this. I take her and Mick in. Mick looks nervous as hell, which is probably how he should be. It’s a big night for him. I give him a reassuring smile as Beau is looking around outside, waiting for our driver to come and open the door. No wonder Tyson insisted on sandwiching me between him and Tristan.
“Tristan and Cami, you guys come out last. Maybe we can throw off the photogs if everyone else climbs out first.”
“That might work if you weren’t getting out first.” Tristan chuckles. He knows that Tyson’s face is as well known as Tristan’s, given that he is in all of Tristan’s candid paparazzi shots.
“Good point, but oh well. You know how this goes.” The door suddenly opens and the flashbulbs erupt. Jolene is followed by Mick and Beau climbing out first, and the flashes stop.
“Hmph,” Beau huffs, and I start laughing. Naomi is next, but then the cameras start up again. This group knows who she is, no doubt because she is caught with Travis constantly.
The flashes pick up in double time as soon as Travis unfolds himself from the car.
“Here we go, ready?” Tristan asks me.
“No.” But he rolls his eyes. I say the same thing every time. I laugh.
He climbs out and I am immediately blinded by the mountain of flashes that begin firing off, and I am still in the limo. Tristan stands and presents his hand inside the limo, waiting for me to take it and climb out.
