Chapter 7

C ameron stepped into the water ahead of me, and I followed along behind her, shivering at the sudden touch of the cool water. It wasn't any better when I slipped down off the edge and into the water, feeling it over every inch of my bare body, but it heated me back up the moment Cameron turned back to me, eyes glinting as she drifted through the water towards me.

"Quite a view," she said.

"Have you—ever been on a rooftop pool before?"

"Oh, I wasn't talking about the pool," she laughed, and she took my hand and pulled me with her, towards the edge of the pool. "But I haven't. And it's also quite a view."

I flushed, but I had to admit—settling in at the edge of the infinity pool, the city of Miami at night spilling out below us, with Cameron in the water next to me—stark naked to boot—it was breathtaking. The moment was indulgent paradise, just the two of us.

It took me a second to process what she'd said, and I looked sidelong to her. "Never? I'd imagined you'd have spent plenty of time at rooftop parties surrounded by beautiful lingerie models…"

"Sounds like a pretty luxurious life you've dreamed up for me," she laughed, but there was something loaded in her expression as she looked out over the city. The bar behind us was most of the light left now, and it cast her in an ethereal glow. "Is that your dream life, London?"

"No, it's… just what I imagined."

"There's a lot more boring business meetings, paperwork, lawyer calls, and handshakes with people whose hands you don't want to touch, than you'd think. Not nearly enough actual designing and less still partying it up with beautiful lingerie models. Although—" She gave me a playful smile, one that was impossibly erotic in the current circumstances, moonlight and colorful LED glows dancing in her eyes. "I count this as a rooftop party with a beautiful lingerie model."

"I'm—hardly a model."

She glanced down at my body underneath the water, and it made my face prickle. "I don't know. I'd love to see you in all kinds of things."

A surge of desire coursed through me, and I looked away. "Mm-hm. And can I ask you something direct?"

"Oh, I'm definitely listening."

"What does your husband think about that?"

I'd expected a bombshell, for this moment to shatter and for Cameron to fall apart, maybe scream at me. Instead, she just laughed, a big, bright laugh, eyes sparkling. I flushed hot.

"I—what?"

"Oh, you sweet little thing," she said, turning to me, leaning against the edge of the pool. That look in her eyes was suddenly all desire, and I couldn't make sense of it. "I didn't know you knew. Is that what's been holding you back?"

"I—I'm not going to be involved in your extramarital affairs, Cameron," I said, my face burning so hot it left me dizzy.

"Oh, look at you," she said, and she brushed a thumb over my cheek—caressing me. My chest ached for her suddenly, needing a million more of her touches, all over me. "You should have just said so, London. My… husband and I, we're separated."

"You're—separated?"

A look of frustration passed over her face. "We never… technically divorced. A bad look for both of us that we've just been hoping to deal with another time. Not that he's making it easy to approach the matter. But we're not together. He called it off last year."

"Oh…" My head spun. Suddenly I couldn't find any reasons to hold onto to avoid this—to not fall into her the way my body wanted. "I didn't… know."

"Like I said, worrying about how something will look for you—it kills all the fun." She turned back to the edge of the pool, leaning against it, looking out to forever. "I let him have the house. I'll be damned if I spend one more day being his nice, pretty little wife in that place. He always wanted me to stay modest, never do anything too extravagant— live like normal people, he said."

God, she was beautiful. It felt like my mind was suddenly taking in all the things I wouldn't let myself before—the perfect swoop of her neck down to her collar, the swell of her breasts cresting at the surface of the water. I wanted her so badly it hurt, a physical ache all through me. "So… that's why you've been like this."

She raised her eyebrows at me. " Like this? Dare I ask what I've been like?"

I nodded back to the suite. "So… excited about the place. Acting like it was miraculous to see it all. I was noticing it earlier. It's something I usually only see in… people who have given up before on ever experiencing luxury."

She turned to me, her brows furrowed, studying. Finally, her voice low, she said, "There are points where I feel like you know me better than I know myself, London. I'd be lying if I said it isn't incredibly attractive—the way you see through me."

I flushed, breaking her gaze. "It's… just part of the job."

"Well, if you ask me," she said, turning back to the view, "he was just threatened by my success. He wanted to call it off because he said I was pushing him down. But it worked out for me. I feel like I can breathe without him." She paused, giving me a sidelong glance. "And I get to spend time in much more… agreeable company."

My heart was hammering so hard I could barely breathe. "I'm… glad things are working out well for you."

"I'd come out as bisexual in the months before that, and I wonder if that might have worried him, too. These days, I wonder if I actually am attracted to men at all." She laughed. "Maybe it should have been a sign that I chose to enter a career all about beautiful women in sexually charged clothing."

"Maybe you were right, in the club," I said, glancing away. "When you said we have a lot in common. I tried for so long to be straight, too."

"Mm… talk about a waste," she murmured, shifting closer in the water to me. Her hand found my hip under the water, and I ached for her hands all over me, a wild need that drove me beyond reason. "All the poor girls who missed out on you in that time…"

I bit my lip. "Cameron—"

"I was right about another thing, in the club, too," she said. "I told you, the next time I saw you… I want you. I kept thinking about that kiss, London."

I let out a shaky breath. "I… me too. And when I wore that lingerie—"

"I'm so upset I didn't get to see you in it," she said, running her hand up my side. "I'm sure you'd look incredible…"

"Cameron—we still shouldn't be—"

"According to who?" She moved in closer, her breasts brushing against mine under the water, and it sent ripples of need through my body. "We just need to make sure it doesn't get out…"

"I…"

"I want you."

I closed my eyes. "I want you, too…"

"Then let's not waste time. We've both already wasted so much."

I didn't get a chance to say anything, not that there was anything left to say. She leaned in and pressed her lips to mine, and I gave in, gave myself over to her. Her lips on mine were beyond description—fire that coursed through my veins and churned deep in my stomach, and my thighs ached, my core burning for her—and I felt my hands go to her back, matching her pace. She held me tight against her, kissing slowly, indulgently, drifting through the water until she pressed me up against the edge of the pool, and her tongue slipped into my mouth. I couldn't say no to anything—wanted it all, wanted everything with her—and I moaned softly against her as our tongues moved to the thumping rhythm of the music.

She really did like to take her time—we were there for ages, nipping at each other's lips, tugging lightly, our tongues moving together, before she slipped her hands up my front and cupped my breasts. I moaned, nodding her on, and I lost myself in the throbbing pulses of pleasure that went through me as she teased her thumbs over my nipples. My hands moved of their own accord, feeling up and down her back, her sides, and when I slipped a hand to her inner thigh, she broke off from the kiss with a hungry, heady look in her eyes.

"Let's get out of the water." She took my hand, and I found myself following after her, stepping up out of the pool and into the cool of the night before she crashed into me again, kissing me hard, pressing me back up against the wall of the covered terrace. Her hand slipped down between my legs, and I let out an aching moan against her lips as she trailed her fingertips along my center.

She pulled back from the kiss, taking my chin between two fingers and turning me to look her in the eye as she touched me, fingers working over my clit, and my face burned all the way out to my ears and down my neck.

"It is fucking incredible feeling you get wet for me, London," she whispered. I bucked my hips against her, making a soft whining noise—desperate for more, for her to increase from the slow, teasing pace she was moving at.

"Cameron… god, you're good," I groaned. She bit her lip, a wild look flashing over her eyes.

"Fuck, I like hearing you say my name."

She—might well have never heard a woman say her name during sex before. There was something wildly erotic about being the first, especially for a woman so powerful and—and charged with such a sexual legacy. I met her eyes, whispering it low. "Please, Cameron."

"Mm. I cannot get enough of it." She picked up the pace, and I sank back against the wall, letting my head fall back against it and closing my eyes as her fingers flooded me with sensation. The buildup that had been going on since Sunday left me aching for release, and I felt it through every inch of my body, like my whole existence was being dismantled by Cameron's expert fingers.

She kissed down my neck, dragged her tongue across my chest, sucked at my nipples, sank to her knees and took me in her mouth—my knees buckled as I muffled cries into my hand, but she steadied me against her—and she kissed her way back up my body as she returned her fingers to where she had my whole body under her control now, moving fast over my clit, sending pleasure throbbing through my body and out to my fingertips as she made her way back up to press her lips against mine, heady with the taste of me.

She took me high, close to the edge, as I gasped her name over and over, but she backed off, let the building orgasm recede before she spun me around and bent me over a table, grabbing roughly and taking me with a primal desire. I cried out in breathless ecstasy as she penetrated me, her fingers slipping deep inside me, and I melted into the sensation of her thrusting into me and pulling back out, filling me up as she bent over me from behind, whispering in my ear take it, just like that, you look so fucking good like this, London, London, my name over and over in that dreamy, erotic haze before she turned me back, shifted me up to sit on the table with my legs spread, pressed her lips against mine, and finally took me over the edge, her fingers working against me in a lust-fueled haze until my orgasm broke over me in a crashing wave. I gripped onto her tightly, crying out her name against her lips, wrapping my arms and legs around her as my whole body came undone at her touch.

Cameron was a wet dream. Even more than I'd fantasized about.

We kissed slow and languid after I'd come down, her mouth hot and wet against mine, moving slowly until I felt that fire kindling up hotter inside me again, and she pulled back with a gleam in her eyes that—I don't know how she knew I was ready, but I didn't mind her knowing. I didn't mind it at all.

"I want to hear you say my name while you make me come," she breathed into my ear. A shudder ran down my spine.

I bit my lip through a smile. "Do you want to just start saying your own name?"

She laughed, giving me a playful shove. "Don't get difficult with me, London. So what if it gets me dripping wet hearing you say my name like that? Are you mad about it?"

"Mm. And you want to pretend you don't like when I get difficult with you?"

She smiled wider. "Is that a yes, or a no?"

I slipped off the table, down onto my knees in front of her, looking up at where she stood over me, her hand slipping to the back of my head. "It's definitely a yes."

She tasted amazing, too—a heady taste on my tongue that lingered all over me, charged with eroticism, as I buried my face against her and listened to her soft, hungry little moans. She rocked her hips against me, clutching the back of my head, and she whispered my name interspersed with small, quiet curses—the way she was quiet while I pleasured her wasn't something I'd expected, but there was an incredible eroticism in the restraint of it, in the struggle to hold back, in the tiny noises she made that broke free from her restraint.

I took her close to the edge on my mouth and went up to pepper kisses against the side of her neck as I finished her on my hand, whispering her name into her ear, and she arched her back against me and let out a crackling, shuddering moan as I sent her over the edge, whispering her name like a mantra, Cameron, come for me, Cameron.

She collapsed into a chair once her orgasm had subsided, and I fell into the one next to her, both breathing hard. I wiped my mouth on the back of my hand, and she wiped the sweat off her forehead, looking at me with that incredible sexy afterglow look—the gleam in her eyes, the flushed face, the mussed hair.

"You know how to give one hell of a tour, London," she said.

"I—well. It's not the standard package."

"Bringing out the luxury package just for me?" She covered up a laugh. "I'm flattered."

I bit my lip, looking away as my face prickled again. "Er… that whole thing was…"

"Oh?" She raised her eyebrows. "Having second thoughts?"

I covered my face. "No. Just… none of this happened, right?"

The look of concern on her features shifted into a wicked smile. "Depends on who's asking," she said. "Anyone else? Nothing ever happened. Just a typical tour. If it's you asking? This definitely happened. And I still want to see that set you bought."

"I…" A deep warmth blossomed in my face and down through my body. I hadn't really thought about the possibility of this as something other than a one-off flare-up of desire.

"I've enjoyed this tour quite a bit," she said, relaxing in her seat, kicking one leg up over the other. The sight of her like that while completely, stark naked, my wetness still on her face, layered with a thin sheen of sweat, her hair messy—I suddenly wasn't ready to let this just be a one-off either. "But of course, I'm keeping my options open. I think I'll need to see some more choices."

"You're implying having sex at other properties."

She put her hands up. "Well, if we're just laying it all out in the open like that."

I wanted it so badly my chest hurt, but I pursed my lips. "Do you think maybe we shouldn't push our luck?"

She gave me that pout again—that one that broke down my defenses in the club and earlier today. "No, as a matter of fact, I wasn't thinking that. I think I've mentioned I've had more than enough of being careful."

I looked away. "I could get in… a lot of trouble, to put it lightly, if the agency found out. If María found out. And I don't think you want anyone finding out, either."

"Who's going to find out?" she laughed, but I had an answer, and it hurt my stomach to think about.

"Miguel," I heard myself say. "A coworker of mine. The one who stole the credit for the job I did before. He has it out for me for some reason I don't know, and if he was able to move in and close that last contract right when I'd softened it up, he must be keeping some kind of watch on me…"

The smile on Cameron's expression faded, turning into something serious. "So, you've got yourself a professional stalker."

"Also, you should be careful around me. I tend to bring bad luck."

She laughed, looking down at herself, and then at me. "You think this is bad luck? Damn, I'd like to see your good luck." She sat up straighter, turning to the horizon. "Well. If you feel like someone has eyes on you, I guess it makes sense that you don't want to repeat this. You don't suppose he's spying on us right now, do you?"

"No… he doesn't dare do anything where María can see it. Since she was involved in this tour, he wouldn't try it."

She frowned, mostly to herself. "Maybe it's for the best."

I wish I didn't feel disappointed hearing her say that. "You're having second thoughts now?"

"No. Not necessarily." She rubbed her forehead. "When I got a call in the club. It was the emergency number I'd set up for my… husband. If he ever needed to get ahold of me urgently. He hasn't used it in the six months since he got me to set it up, but he's… well. I wouldn't want to implicate you in anything he might find out about."

I shot her a concerned look. "Are you okay? He's not—"

"It's nothing serious." She sighed, dropping her arms on her lap, leaning forwards. "He's just being… him. And he's as likely to shove his nose into things as your Miguel is. So you're probably right. Best to keep it quiet."

I didn't say anything for a while before I heard myself asking, "Do you… have a safe place where you're staying right now?"

She gave me an odd smile. "You're very sweet, aren't you, London? Yes, I do. I told him to keep the damn house, and I signed a lease on an apartment not far from here. Close to Fontainebleau. But I'm looking forward to having a new place that's properly mine." She gestured to the suite around us. "This one's certainly not bad."

"But, of course, we do have some other options lined up that I think you'll like."

She smiled lightly at me before she stood up, stretching her arms over her head. She really was glorious naked. I took her in, knowing it was the last time I'd get to catch her like this. "Well," she said, "I know you're right. And we shouldn't push our luck. But… I'm still going to wear my best next time." She winked at me, and it made my stomach drop out again, a primal hunger in my chest. "And you can know."

Moving like I was in a trance, I stood up with her, and I heard myself speak in a low voice. "Well… it would be rude of me not to reciprocate."

She bit her lip. "I was hoping you'd say that," she said, running her fingertips over my side. It lit me up as if we hadn't just had a round of intense sex, and I let out a quiet moan without meaning to. "If this is our last chance…"

"Please, Cameron," I whispered. I didn't even know where it came from. I didn't need to know, though—her eyes gleamed, and she met me in a kiss, fiery, passionate, wanting , and I gave myself over to her.