BABY FOR A PRICE

by Kathryn Thomas

  “So you own this little place, huh?” he asked, looking around him. Camille nodded her head lightly but didn’t seem too enthusiastic about it.

  “C’mon, tell me… what’s your favorite comic? Which one would you recommend if you had to choose one for me?” He watched her closely. Her face seemed to change with that question, and he wondered if he had touched a nerve. She had to have a favorite right? She owned a comic book store for God’s sakes!

  Camille looked around her like she was trying to think, then she shrugged her shoulders and licked her lips. Her arms were still crossed over her breasts, and that kept distracting Devin. He couldn’t stop thinking about the smashing body she was hiding under that sweatshirt.

  “Who are you kidding? You’re not here to buy anything. You’re only using the store as a hiding place, and I’m losing business,” she said suddenly, taking him aback. It wasn’t that she sounded enraged or unhappy about it, but he just hadn’t expected her to say anything like that. He looked at her with his eyebrows raised. She suddenly seemed more interested in him buying something rather than talking to him.

  A noise outside distracted them both. Through the windows of the store, Devin saw a guy on a Harley ride past, and his adrenaline started pumping on overdrive again. He was suddenly reminded of why he was there.

  “I need to hide,” he mumbled, more to himself than to her. Devin clenched his jaw as he looked around the store. It wasn’t that he was scared. He was confident he could win a fight if he had to, but he was clearly outnumbered in this case.

  When he had walked out of the cafe where he got his coffee that morning, he saw the three of them start up their bikes from across the road. He had thought about walking over to them and sorting it out then and there. And then reality sunk in. He would be minced meat with the three of them there. He couldn’t possibly take them on. So he did the only thing he could do. He ran. The three of them were on their bikes and hadn’t expected him to run into the alley adjoining the restaurant. It would take them time to park their bikes or ride over to the end of the alley. Either way, it gave Devin enough time to make his escape, even if it was on foot.

  His gaze fell on a door in the back corner of the store, and without turning to look at Camille, he reached for her hand. She was no match for his strength, and with one quick yank on her arm, he was walking with her trailing behind him.

  “Wait, what’s going on?” he heard her say, but he was resolute. He reached the back door, twisted the knob and pushed it open.

  It was a small storage room, and there was barely any light. He didn’t bother to look for a switch even if there was one, and instead, he pulled her into the room and shut the door again.

  “What are we doing here?” she asked, and Devin tried smiling at her. He didn’t want her to panic.

  “I can’t risk somebody finding me. Your windows are large and an easy giveaway,” he told her, finally letting go of her hand. She rubbed her wrist where he had been holding her, as she inched away from him again towards the door.

  “Relax, Camille. Just for a few more minutes and then I’ll be out of your hair.” He tried to sound as calm as possible. She breathed in deeply and looked at him with her brows crossed.

  “I can’t believe you’re so afraid of being caught on camera. I would have assumed that all celebrities love the limelight,” she said, looking at him suspiciously. Devin tried to keep his anxiety under control. He was torn between trying to hide himself and also to put Camille at ease. The more time he spent near her, the more desperate he was growing to touch her.

  “I’m not every other celebrity,” he replied, and she grinned again.

  “I can see that.” She finally smiled. There it was - her full smile, and it violently affected Devin. He felt like his whole world was shaking as he watched her face transform into something even more beautiful than she was. Even in the dark, it seemed like her face was glowing. She had perfectly white small teeth, and her eyes danced as she beamed.

  “So you’re really that terrified of your fans?” she asked, rolling her eyes.

  “I’m not terrified of them. That’s the wrong word. I just don’t like being swarmed by them. I hope to lead a regular life,” he replied, and she breathed in, obviously still in disbelief over what he was saying.

  “You can’t expect to lead a regular life if you’re a celebrity. And clearly, you’re good at what you do… you rock people’s worlds.” She laughed at her own joke, and Devin smiled again. Everything that she said made him want her more. No matter how silly and naive she sounded. He could see that she had a wall up and was trying to hide something from the external world with a pretension of innocence. He wanted to see her wild side too.

  “Have I rocked your world yet?” he asked, and she shot him a look. For a second he thought she was going to slap him, but then she broke out a loud laugh. She was beautiful.

  “You’ve rocked my world, for sure, at least for the day,” Camille said when her laughter finally subsided. Devin grinned and took a few steps closer to her. Her smile disappeared, and she pressed her back against the door, like she wanted to run away, but she couldn’t. The reality was that she could very simply just open the door and walk out. But she didn’t. Devin was hoping that she wanted to stay. Just like he wanted to stay close to her too.

  “I’m sorry Camille. I really didn’t mean to put you out like this.” He looked at her directly. Their faces were inches from each other, although she had to crane her neck upwards a little to look at him. She seemed much smaller now that he was closer to her.

  Camille shrugged, forcing out a weak smile and shook her head like it was nothing.

  “It’s alright. I can understand. I know what claustrophobia feels like. You can wait here for a few more minutes until you feel like the coast is clear,” she said.

  It suddenly felt to Devin like they were in a trance. That none of this was real. What was the likelihood of him simply bumping into this bombshell while he was on the run from The Choppers? It was like the universe was pointing to her as if she might be able to save him somehow. The truth was that nothing could save Devin from his life. This was the path he had chosen for himself, and this was the road he was supposed to walk down. And none of it was a game. It was dangerous, and a life that he should, in no way, involve Camille in. He didn’t even know her!

  Devin shook his head to drive the thoughts out of his head and smiled. She smiled too.

  “Thank you, Camille, you are very kind.” He breathed the words so that his breath made some of her tight blonde curls flutter. Camille’s eyes widened, and she was staring up at him. She looked like she was expecting him to say something.

  He knew he had to leave soon. He hadn’t heard the sound of a bike outside for several minutes now, and he was fairly certain that the coast was clear. It was now or never.

  But how could he leave like this? He couldn’t remember the last time a girl had this effect on him, and when he actually wanted to talk to a girl. Or want more than just her body. And he did want Camille’s body too!

  “I’d like to take you out to dinner. For all this trouble that I’ve caused you,” he blurted out before he could stop himself.

  The look on Camille’s face changed, and she seemed to be shocked again. Nothing Devin did ever seemed to put her at ease.

  “No, you don’t have to,” she muttered, and he shook his head.

  “I want to,” he insisted. They both looked at each other in silence.

  “No, thank you,” she finally replied, and he felt his heart sink. He was a little offended. Since when had girls started turning him down? Everybody said yes. Everybody fell into bed with him. He was Devin Rock; panties dropped all around him all the time, and it was up to him which ones he picked up.

  Why was she turning him down? She must have noticed the look on his face because she straightened her lips and looked at him quizzically.

  “No, thank you?” he repeated her words. Camille nodded her head.

 
“That’s correct. No, thank you. Thank you for asking, but no I’m not interested.” This time, she didn’t even bother to smile. Devin cleared his throat in an effort to buy some more time. He needed to come up with an appropriate strategy.

  Now that she had refused him, he was hell bent on getting her in his bed. He just had to find a way.

  “How about if I buy a hundred copies of this comic book?” he asked and held up the book in his hand. It was the one he had started reading when he first came in.

  There was an instant change in her expression. She looked like she couldn’t believe that somebody would want to buy that many.

  “Are you serious?” she asked, her mouth falling slightly open.

  “Absolutely. A hundred copies of…” he paused and turned the book over to read the title, “Country Crowns. Fascinating title.” He continued on while she continued to stare at him, “By Ruby Red.”

  He could see her visibly gulp. He knew he had hit the nail on the head. She wouldn’t be able to refuse him now, although she still hadn’t said anything.

  “If you come out with me tonight, I’ll buy a hundred of these right away off you,” he said with a huge smile on his face.

  Camille looked at him and then at the book in his hand, still in clear shock.

  “Also, this is so obviously a pen name, isn’t it? Who is called Ruby Red? Anyway, I enjoyed the first few pages. This Cammy is a firecracker. I want to keep reading,” Devin added and raised his eyebrows. He didn’t have to wait for her reply to know what she was going to say.

  Chapter Three

  Camille

  “Alright,” Camille found herself saying. She could see it in his eyes; he already knew her answer before she had said it.

  “But it’s not like you’re buying a date,” she quickly added before he could say anything.

  “No, just tempting you into one,” Devin replied with his usual smile. The dimples formed deep ridges on both his cheeks and Camille felt like she was going to drown in the chocolate brown sea of his eyes. Why would a guy like him ask a girl like her out on a date? She had pasta sauce stains on her sweatshirt for crying out loud! But for the moment, Camille couldn’t concentrate on anything other than the fact that she was in a small confined space with Devin Rock, who had just manipulated her into agreeing to a date.

  A hundred copies of Country Crowns! She hadn’t expected to sell that many copies of them in her lifetime. What was he even going to do with them? If he was as big of a musician as he claimed he was, maybe he was planning on distributing them to his fans? That would lead to more traction for her story. Camille shook her head to stop herself from daydreaming about comic book success.

  “I’ll pick you up at nine. Give me your address,” Camille heard him say, snapping her out of her thoughts. The scent of him still had her enveloped in its charm; she was finding it difficult to even breathe.

  There were stacks of papers and notepads and a few pencils on the only table in the small storeroom. Camille walked over to it and wrote down her address on a notepad. She still couldn’t quite believe that a guy who looked like Devin had asked her out and that she’d had the courage to say yes.

  Well, it was more out of necessity rather than courage. She couldn’t exactly give up the only opportunity she had of selling her books. This would mean actual profit. Profit she never thought she would make.

  “Thank you. See you at nine,” Devin said when she ripped off the paper from the notepad and handed it to him.

  He took it from her hand, and they remained standing there for a few more moments, looking at each other. She couldn’t quite tell what he was thinking. He was a mystery to her.

  He was a famous musician, hiding away from his fans, in her storeroom and he was staring at her like he was trying to size her up.

  Camille tucked a few strands of her stray curls behind her ears and looked around the room nervously.

  “Where are the books?” he asked, and she whipped her head up to look at him again. She had nearly forgotten about them.

  Camille pointed to a stack of Country Crowns lying in the corner of the storeroom. They were still in their original cardboard box, unopened. Devin looked at the copy in his hand.

  “Eight dollars? That’s it?” he remarked, clearly surprised.

  “It’s independently published. I can’t retail it at the price of the other Marvel or DC ones,” Camille explained, and then wondered why she was defending herself. Wasn’t he glad that these ones cost less? It would mean that he had to spend less too.

  “So, eight hundred dollars?” He reached around to the back of his pants and pulled out his wallet.

  Camille nodded, but he was busy counting the cash in his wallet.

  “Here, that’s a thousand bucks,” he finally said and handed her two five hundred dollar notes. Camille reached for them and then nodded her head.

  “I’ll get you the change, just-”

  “No, keep it,” he interrupted her. “This book definitely deserves more than just eight dollars each.”

  Camille couldn’t believe that he was serious. That he was actually giving her a thousand dollars for her books.

  “Well, thanks. I’m sure Ruby Red will be very happy for the extra commission,” she said, dropping her gaze to her hands. She could feel her cheeks blushing again. Devin Rock had unknowingly endorsed her creative efforts and made it possible for her to work on the next issue, even if nobody else was ever going to read it.

  “All thanks to you. You’re a good salesperson,” Devin told her, picking up the box of books and then walking up to her, towards the door of the room. Camille felt her breath catch in her throat as he came closer. He towered over her, strong, lean and muscular. She felt like he could crush her in his hands, and she sucked in a breath.

  “See you later, Camille Griffin,” he said, in a low gruff voice and opened the door to walk out.

  Camille remained standing at the open door as she watched him weave through the aisles and shelves of comic books. He stopped where he had left the unicorn mask and picked it up.

  “Throw this in for free with the rest?” he asked, balancing the box of books in one hand and holding up the mask with the other.

  Camille found herself smiling and quickly nodded. Of course, he could have the mask! But she didn’t say that. Instead, she watched silently as he waved, turned the sign on the door back to “OPEN,” and walked out of the shop.

  Through the windows of the store she watched him cross the street. Even from the back, he looked gorgeous, like a dream that was slowly but surely slipping through her fingers. She had never met anybody quite like Devin Rock before.

  ***

  Camille closed the shop at midday, even though it was several hours before closing time. She just couldn’t think straight anymore. None of it made sense, and she needed to talk it out with somebody. What was she going to wear? Where was he going to take her? What did he actually have in mind for her? Camille couldn’t stop thinking that Devin had a hidden agenda. He couldn’t possibly want to simply take her out on an innocent ordinary date. He wasn’t an ordinary guy.

  She drove until she reached Shayna’s house and parked out front. Camille shaded her eyes with her hand to look up at Shayna’s apartment. The Miami midday heat was scorching, and she was glad she was wearing shorts. Thankfully, Shayna was home.

  “What are you doing here? Did something happen?” The moment Shayna had opened the door, she barraged Camille with questions.

  They had been best friends since they met three years ago at a comic book launch. Shayna was born and bred in Miami. Camille was born and bred in a small rural town in Texas. There couldn’t be two people more different, but Camille hadn’t met another girl before who was as into comics as she was.

  Shayna fit the bill though. She had been home all day, but she still had her pitch-black lipstick on. Her fishnet stockings had tears in them, but Camille could imagine Shayna ripping them purposefully before putting them on. For effect. She was
in a short lycra dress, which would have only reached Camille’s mid-thighs but with Shayna’s slender height, it nearly reached her knees.

  “Yes, something happened, but nothing to panic about.” Camille walked past Shayna and into her apartment, eyeing Scat, Shayna’s cat who was lounging on the couch in front of the television.

  “At the store?” Shayna asked, closing the door. Shayna worked from home as a freelance writer, so she barely stepped out of the house during the day. At night the two girls spent time working on the next issue of Country Crowns - Shayna was the co-author and was always bursting with ideas.

  “It’s Cammy.” Camille turned to Shayna with her hands on her hips.

  “Cammy? What are you talking about? What going on with her? You know she’s not a real person right, Camille?”