“We sold a hundred copies of her books. For a thousand dollars,” Camille said, a smile spreading across her face.
Both of them screeched at the same time. Shayna jumped and clapped her hands, while Camille laughed in excitement and the two of them hugged tightly. Camille knew Shayna would be as excited. Neither of them could have seen this coming.
“Are you serious? Who bought it? And why did they pay so much more money for them?” Shayna had her hand on her heart as she tried to calm herself. She looked like she was still in disbelief.
“This guy. Devin Rock. Do you know him?” Camille asked, biting down on her lower lip. This was the tricky bit, to try and convince Shayna that she wasn’t setting herself up for a trap. Shayna was extremely judgmental of people; if there was anybody who was going to be suspicious of Devin, it was Shayna.
“Devin Rock? No, I don’t. Should I? Is he in the industry?”
“He’s a musician of some sort. You sure you haven’t heard of him?” Camille asked, still chewing her lip. She had hoped that Shayna had heard of him.
“I would have remembered that name. What kind of music does he play?”
Camille shrugged her shoulders. “He didn’t say.”
“Okay…” Shayna began, still staring at Camille. She looked like she wanted more of an explanation. “So who is he? Why did he want all those comics?”
Camille took a moment to reply. She looked at Shayna and pursed her lips, trying to prepare herself for the avalanche of questions and warnings that were about to be hurled her way.
“Because he wanted me to go on a date with him,” Camille told her meekly and squinted her eyes. She could see Shayna erupting before her eyes, her friend’s face going red as she glared at Camille in more apparent disbelief.
“He bought a hundred copies of our books because he wanted to go on a date with you?” Shayna asked in a much shriller voice than before. Camille quietly nodded.
“Does he know it’s your book?” She took a few threatening steps towards Camille.
“No. I didn’t tell him. There was no way of him knowing. It was pure coincidence. I refused him when he first asked and then he picked the book and said he’d buy a hundred copies of it if I said yes,” Camille tried to explain, while Shayna’s face grew redder by the second.
“And what did you say?” she urged in a low guttural growl. Camille licked her lips and looked at Shayna guiltily.
“I said yes. I couldn’t help it. You’ll know what I mean if you see him, Shayna. He is absolutely gorgeous.”.
Shayna was fuming, her shoulders shaking. “So you sold a hundred copies in exchange for a date?” Shayna repeated, and then added, “In exchange for a date with a man you were drooling over?”
Camille nodded, and Shayna crossed her arms over her chest. Camille still couldn’t relax. She definitely didn’t think she had won her friend over to the idea yet.
“What are you going to wear? You haven’t been on a date in like… a year.” Shayna said, a smile finally creeping onto her face.
Camille shook her head and shrugged. “I have no damn idea.”
***
“I really don’t know.” Camille scrunched up her face, as she stood in front of the mirror of the changing room. Shayna was sitting on a couch nearby, and when she looked up from her phone at Camille, her eyes grew wide.
“That dress is so hot, Camille!” Shayna jumped up from her chair to come and stand behind her friend as she examined her in the mirror.
Camille stared at herself. It wasn’t the kind of dress she would normally wear, but she had to admit, it did look sexy, nothing like anything else she owned.
It was a fire truck red, with no sleeves. The bust fit tightly to her breasts and propped them up so that her cleavage looked even deeper than it actually was. The rest of the dress clung to her body, accentuating her perfect hourglass figure.
Camille couldn’t remember the last time she had been in a dress like this.
“You really need to go shopping with me more often,” Shayna said like she had read her mind. “You can borrow my black stilettos,” she added, and Camille just smiled. She couldn’t take her eyes off her reflection.
The last time she had been attracted to a guy who came into her comic book store, was… never. How had all this happened so fast? She had been attracted to Devin from the moment he stepped through her door, and what were the chances that he was attracted to her too? Then he asked her out on a date!
“What are you thinking? You should get it.” Shayna took a few steps forward, appearing in the mirror now. She placed a hand on her friend’s bare shoulder.
“Yeah, I’ll get the dress.” Camille locked eyes with her in the mirror.
“What’s with the long face then?” Shayna asked, and Camille sighed.
“This might be a bad decision. I mean, I don’t even know the guy.” Camille whipped around to face Shayna directly.
Her friend shrugged her shoulders. “You said you were attracted to him.”
“I am. He is like no other guy I’ve met before,” Camille admitted, and Shayna smiled.
“Go for it then. Did he seem threatening to you?”
Camille shook her head. How could she explain to Shayna that she had never felt safer than in Devin’s presence? When he had barely even touched her.
“Then what is the problem?” Shayna asked, and it was Camille’s turn to shrug her shoulders.
“I don’t know. I just get the feeling that he is going to sweep me off my feet. And that it’s a bad idea to allow myself to be so vulnerable.” Camille looked into Shayna’s eyes as if she were searching for answers in them.
Shayna gave a short laugh and reached for Camille’s hand.
“You’re overreacting. You’re feeling these things only because you haven’t been on a date for so long. This is how you’re supposed to feel when you’re attracted to somebody. That is the beauty of it.” Shayna was smiling reassuringly as she spoke and Camille nodded. Shayna was right, she had very little experience in dating anyway, and she’d had a long dry spell this last year. These were probably just nerves of an amateur she justified to herself and then turned to look in the mirror again.
“Let’s get this dress,” Camille said, smoothing out the fabric on her flat belly. It did look fabulous, like the dress was designed and made just for her. Camille bit down on her lip and smiled at herself. She couldn’t believe that she was this excited over a dress and a guy.
“So where are you going with him?” Shayna asked as Camille stepped back behind the curtains to take the dress off.
“I have no clue. He didn’t say where he was taking me,” Camille replied, and slipped back into her cutoffs and sweatshirt. She saw herself in the smaller mirror in her usual clothes.
“He sounds like a guy who would take you somewhere fancy,” Shayna’s voice interrupted her thoughts again. Camille was looking at her normal reflection, trying to locate what exactly Devin might have seen in her that made him so desperate for a date with her.
“No, he’s not a fancy guy,” she called out to Shayna.
“But he spent a thousand bucks on comic books at the store.”
Camille sighed. She couldn’t see it - what was so special about her, especially now that she was out of that beautiful dress. If Devin had seen in her in these cutoffs and stained sweatshirt, with her hair in a mess and no makeup on… what reason could he possibly have had for being attracted to her? Camille’s brows crossed as she continued to chew on her lip. She was beginning to feel suspicious again. She couldn’t believe that a guy like Devin didn’t have an ulterior motive for asking her out. She could see her cheeks flushing again.
“Yeah. He did. But he’s not a fancy guy,” she finally replied to Shayna.
“So you’re saying that he’s just rich and famous, without the fanciness?” Shayna threw back, and Camille sighed loudly, turning away from the mirror. She didn’t want to look at herself anymore.
“That’s what I’m sayi
ng. Although I don’t really know for sure. The man is full of surprises.” Camille pulled the curtain back so that she could look at Shayna directly.
Her friend looked excited and thrilled, and some of that feeling rubbed off on Camille immediately.
“Let’s go back to your apartment and wait. I’ll help you get ready,” Shayna announced, clapping her hands with excitement.
Chapter Four
Devin
Devin sat with his feet up on the desk of his office. The cardboard box of comic books was lying in the corner of the room, and he was eyeing it while his hands rested on his stomach.
His office was grand; decorated and designed by professionals who had insisted that they knew what they were doing. Dan, his friend and business associate, the guy who usually took care of the finer details of their business, also insisted that he go with the designers’ ideas. “Creating the right impression is important,” Dan had told him.
So now Devin sat in his boots and leather jacket, behind a large rectangular mahogany desk. The curtains on the windows were thick, with green and gold brocade. The carpeted floor was a lush bottle green as well, while the walls were a rich ivory white. The oil paintings in carved wooden frames that hung on the walls were all different locations and landscapes within Miami.
Devin felt like an imposter in his own office. He probably still needed some time to get used to this major redesign of it. He didn’t believe it suited his nature, his business, but Dan insisted that this kind of lavish show of wealth and prosperity was something Devin needed to portray. They were in the business of intimidation, of bounty hunting and providing security and bodyguards. It was apparently important to demonstrate success. That was how they could gain trust and more clients, and also keep their enemies at bay.
Dan burst through the door of his office just as Devin was about to get up from the leather chair and walk over to the box of comic books.
“What the hell happened?” Dan asked, shutting the door behind him. Devin leaned back further in his chair and smiled at his friend.
“I caught three of them, from The Choppers, tailing me,” he replied in a much more relaxed tone of voice than Dan.
“Tailing you how?” Dan came rushing towards the desk, and Devin finally took his feet off it.
“Just following me, they were waiting for me outside the cafe. But I managed to lose them.” Devin shrugged his shoulders. He couldn’t understand what the big deal was. Dan had always been the kind of guy who tried to stay out of trouble, which was why Devin assigned the business and finances side of things to him, while he took care of the groundwork.
“Do you know what they wanted?” Dan asked, actually looked terrified.
“No. Do you know what they wanted?” Devin asked and then laughed when Dan looked at him, more shocked than he was before.
“Don’t worry, just relax Dan. I’ve asked the boys to look into it.” Devin placed his elbows on his desk and leaned forward.
“Look into it how?” Dan was adjusting his tie; he liked to wear a suit and tie every day, and pretend that he was going to work in a normal office. When in reality, their business functioned out of their old biker club clubhouse, which they had now converted into a makeshift office space. Dan obviously stood out from the rest of the club, none of who were able to do away with their old sensibilities.
“Find out what they want. Do some digging around. You know how it goes,” Devin replied, smiling at his friend’s nervousness.
“You think this is going to start another fight?” Dan asked, pulling at his collar.
“Relax, Dan. No, I just want to know what they wanted. It could be anything.” Devin was still smiling.
“Could be anything, like what? What are the possibilities?” Dan pulled out a chair in front of Devin’s desk and sat down.
Devin shrugged his shoulders again and swiveled around in his chair. “I don’t know… maybe they wanted to just have a chat. Some guy who we brought in for bounty wanted revenge and hired The Choppers for the task. They hate my guts and want me gone. Or maybe they’re just jealous of this office.” He spread out his arms in a grand gesture around the room.
Dan rolled his eyes. “Stop kidding around, Devin. Do you think your life could be in danger?”
Devin laughed again. Dan was a good business associate, but he scared easy. “I don’t even know why they wanted to speak to me. Maybe it’s just a friendly chat. A catch-up,” Devin suggested, and Dan stood up from his chair with a jerk.
“It’s never just a friendly chat with those guys, and you know it. I wish you’d just take it seriously for once so we can be prepared for what’s coming.”
“I told you the boys are looking into it, they’ll find out sooner or later and let me know.”
Dan looked back at him, concerned. “Maybe you should lay low until then - until we know why you were being followed.” He took a deep breath and Devin shook his head as he carved a reassuring smile.
“You want me to hide out here, seriously Dan? I thought you knew me better than that.” Devin stood up from his chair too, and Dan rolled his eyes again before turning and beginning to walk away.
“All I’m saying is that we can be prepared if we know what they’re after. It wouldn’t hurt to just be a bit more careful until we have all the details,” Dan called out over his shoulder before exiting the room.
Devin’s smirk widened at how much like an accountant Dan always sounded.
He sighed and sat back down again, the box of comic books in the corner catching his attention for a second time.
***
Devin found the number of Officer Hampton on his phone. He was one of the many Miami cops who owed him favors. Devin wasn’t very interested in calling police officers for payback. Frankly, he didn’t really need them. But they were good for giving him information when he needed it. They owed Devin their lives, and usually, they were always happy to comply.
“Hampton,” he said into the phone.
“Devin?”
“Do you know why The Choppers are looking for me?” Devin asked, jumping straight ahead to the main point.
“The Choppers? No. Are they looking for you? What happened?” Hampton was talking in a whisper, and Devin leaned his head back on his leather chair. He stared up at the ceiling. If he was honest with himself, he wasn’t really thinking very hard, not about The Choppers. He was heavily distracted by the way Camille, the girl from the comic book store, looked earlier that day. She had said yes to a date - it had cost him, but he didn’t really care. Since then, he had constantly been checking the time to see when he could go and pick her up.
“Three of them were waiting for me outside a cafe today. I managed to lose them, but they were following me,” Devin replied, his mind still partially distracted by thoughts of Camille.
“I have no idea. I’ve heard nothing.” Hampton said, a little louder this time.
“Keep me posted if you hear anything, and tell the others,” Devin told him and hung up the phone.
He knew Dan was right. That would be the most rational thing to do. Lay low. But since when was Devin Rock a pussy? When they were waiting for him outside the cafe that morning, he was unprepared. Now he would be prepared to face them straight on if required. It didn’t mean that he would hide out here in his office until things cooled down, as Dan suggested.
After all, he had a date to go to.
Devin jumped out of his chair and walked into the separate bathroom. He might be a little early, but he didn’t care. He needed to be on the move, he needed to do something. He had checked his sources, set the boys to work… now he would just have to wait and see what happened next. In the meantime, he would busy himself with doing what he really wanted to do - see Camille again.
Devin looked at himself in the mirror and smoothed over his dark wavy hair with moist hands. He splashed some water on his face and clenched his jaws as the water dripped from the rugged angles of his face. He focused on his face, his chocolate brown eyes,
and the stubble that was forming on his chin.
He reached for a towel and wiped his face. The thought of changing out of his clothes barely occurred to him. He wasn’t the kind of guy who was keen on making an impression. It was take it or leave it with him. Camille would have to be happy with the same leather jacket, jeans, and boots from that morning.
“Are you going somewhere?” Dan was sitting outside in the lounge area with a few other guys when Devin stepped out of the office.
“Yes, Mom,” he threw back, as he flung his keys up in the air and then caught them a second later.
“We’re all heading to O’Murphys,” Rick said, standing up from his chair.
“I have a few things to do,” Devin replied, thumping his bike brother’s back as he walked past the club.
BABY FOR A PRICE Page 37
