4

Cami

When Jason called me this morning to confirm my date, he told me which special he ordered for me. The Louisiana Hot Link. I’m not sure what it means since I didn’t see the menu, but I hope I don’t regret trusting him to choose for me.

Sitting at the table of my favorite restaurant, I can’t remember a time when I felt this nervous. Not even on my wedding day.

It’s just a date, I tell myself. With an escort!

I take a deep breath and remind myself that no one else knows that last little bit but me. No one ever has to know either, not even my nosey older sister, who keeps peeking her head out from the kitchen, hoping to catch a glimpse of my date. I groan loudly, fiddling with my half-empty wine glass. I should have chosen another restaurant to meet up.

I’m not worried about my plans tonight. Thanks to Jason’s advice, I’m waiting to make any decisions regarding what happens after dinner. While sex isn’t off the table, I’m opting to get to know my guy first. I don’t need to add any more pressure tonight.

Nervously adjusting the napkin in my lap once again, I’m looking down at my hands when he approaches the table.

“Camilla?” The way he says my name sends a familiar jolt of electricity through my body. Swallowing hard, I look up at him from beneath my lashes, and my heart stops in my chest. Dark chocolate eyes stare down at me, the very same eyes I secretly hoped would be the ones I’m here to meet.

“Ben?” I gasp. What is he doing here?

“How are you doing?” He looks down at me with a smirk before pulling out the chair across from me and sitting down.

“Um, I’m waiting for someone,” I tell him and quickly scan the room, hoping my date doesn’t walk up at this moment. Allowing my eyes to finally settle on him, I notice the dark suit jacket and can’t help wondering if he’s here with someone. My heart aches a little at the thought of him with someone else, but I push the feeling aside, reminding myself of the reason why I’m here.

“A date?” he asks with a teasing smile, the same one he gives me every time I see him. Sometimes I wonder if he uses it to hide a secret or something.

“Yes, a date,” I clip, not wanting to share anything more with him, wishing he’d get up and leave.

“I have a date as well, in case you were wondering.” He leans forward, picks up my glass of wine, and sniffs it, like he’s some kind of wine connoisseur. “This is a good year. I’m a beer drinker, but I can appreciate a good vintage.”

“Hm.” I sit back in my chair and take him in. Ben has been a mystery to me since the first time I saw him. But it’s his mysteriousness that draws me to him. There is something about him that always puts me at ease when I’m around him. I’ve never felt this way around another man, and it doesn’t hurt that he’s panty-melting gorgeous. But I’m here tonight for a reason, and as much as I like Ben, now is not the time to get lost in the magic of what ifs with him. “Look, I don’t mean to be rude, but I really am waiting for someone.”

“Are you asking me to leave?”

“I thought you said you have a date. Won’t she be mad to find you talking with another woman?”

“I don’t know. I’ll have to ask her.”

“Ben—”

“Would you be mad if you found your date chatting with another woman?” he questions, leaning back in his chair. It’s a curious question, one that shouldn’t matter, but I give it some thought before answering.

“It depends. This being my first date with him, probably not.”

“Is this a blind date?” He raises an eyebrow, and I shrug.

“If you must know, yes, it’s a blind date.” I’m not sure what it matters, but I’m not going to give him much more information than that. The last thing I want him to learn is exactly how my date came to be. I need him to leave before my date arrives.

“Please tell me you know what this guy looks like, at least. What if he’s some kind of dog?”

“I don’t know what he looks like, but I’m pretty sure he isn’t a dog,” I snip, getting irritated with his line of questions.

“How do you know he hasn’t been here already?”

“Why would you say that?” I ask, but his words strike me in the gut. It’s a thought I had briefly this morning, after my confirmation call with Jason, but I pushed it aside, ignoring the way it made me doubt myself. Now, thanks to Ben, the thought is back, and this time, there is no ignoring it. I glance down at my watch. My date is fifteen minutes late.

What if Ben’s right? What if my date has already been here, saw me, and left because I didn’t meet his expectations? Can he do that? Jason never mentioned a standard for his men to date me.

“You’re taking my suggestion wrong.” He shifts forward and grabs my hand, pulling me from the disastrous thoughts now filling my head.

“What are you doing? I told you—” I try to pull my hand away from his, ignoring the tingles his skin touching mine creates, but he tightens his hold, refusing to let me go.

“Cami, I’m your date,” he says quickly, and my eyes fly to his, widening at his omission.

“You’re my—”

“I’m the Louisiana Hot Link

Ben

“You can’t be,” Cami whispers, and her face falls. She looks at me shocked and worried, trying to piece everything together but unable to comprehend it all.

She looks different from the woman in the library. Her hair is down, and it’s longer than I imagined, hitting her at the middle of her back. Her clothes are tighter, more revealing of her sexy body. Her strapless dress has me wishing she’d worn a sweater. From the moment I walked through the door of the restaurant and my eyes found her alone at the table, I was hard. Uncomfortably hard.

What I’ve learned in the short time I’ve known her is that I like Cami, in all shapes and forms, and seeing her tonight, her skirt showing more thigh than I’ve ever seen from her, I can’t stop thinking about those legs being wrapped around my waist as I pound into her, making her scream my name.

“Why can’t I be?” I clear my throat, shifting my body so my hard cock is hidden underneath the table.

“Because,” she says, lowering her voice to a harsh whisper and leaning forward a little. “My date is—”

“An escort?” I watch as her chest concaves with the air exiting her body because the shock of my words is almost too much for her. Cami doesn’t seem like the kind of woman who needs to pay for a date, but if there is one thing I’ve learned in this business, looks are deceiving. “I work for Jason, babe. I’m your date. Your Louisiana Hot Link.”

Her mouth flaps open and closed a few times, and she blindly blinks at me. My chest aches, and for the first time tonight, I realize I might not be what she is expecting. A divorced father of two who works too much, reads suspense thrillers, and takes women out because they pay him to. I must look like a real winner to her. I let go of her hand, suddenly very self-conscious.

“Ben—” she starts, but I stop her, unable to handle her rejection.

“Look, don’t say anything yet.” I sigh, raking my hand through my hair, thankful I didn’t use any hair product tonight. “I can see I’m not what you were expecting, so if you want, I’ll call Jason and have him schedule someone else for you.”

Mine. The thought of another man with her angers me, but I have to consider what she wants, too. We’ve never gotten to the point where I could stake a claim on her, but given the chance to ever do so, I would in a heartbeat.

I shift my body, getting ready to stand, but she reaches out and grabs my hand, keeping me in my seat. I look at her, and the moment our eyes connect, her entire demeanor changes. She relaxes, and the worry I felt vanishes.

“Stay.” Her voice is soft and gentle, but I still see confusion in her eyes.

“Cami, I’m sorry if I’m not what you expected. I don’t want to disappoint you,” I tell her honestly because it’s the last thing I want to do. “I wouldn’t have taken this appointment, but Jason…” I trail off, unable to tell her why Jason really wanted me to be her date.

“Did you know it was me?”

“Yes.” I nod.

“But you came anyways.”

“Yes.”

“I don’t understand. Why?”

“Does it bother you? Me knowing it was you tonight.” I ignore the “why” because it will make things too complicated right now.

“I guess not. It’s just… I never would have thought you were… That you did this kind of thing.” I laugh lightly, watching her cheeks flush from my reaction. “I mean, not that I’m judging you or anything, but you’re a good-looking guy—”

“I shouldn’t have to escort beautiful women?”

“I didn’t mean to imply—” She slaps her hands over her mouth, making me laugh louder this time. “What you do on your dates—”

“Cami, it’s okay.” I reach across the table and grasp her hands, trying to calm her. “I take it you didn’t look over the menu?”

“I didn’t,” she breathes, her body tense and wound up. We both fall silent and sit staring at each other, trying to figure out what to do next. Being the gentleman the menu describes me as, I wait for her to decide what happens next, even though my instinct to reach across the table and kiss her senseless boils under the surface.

I hope she decides to stay, to pursue this, because I want this woman. More than any other woman I’ve ever been with. The idea of finding myself between her glorious long legs tonight, tasting her, fucking her, had me relieving myself more than once before my arrival. Not that it helped; the tightness in my pants tells me as much.

“So, what now?” she asks, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

“It’s your call.” I can’t help the smile that slips onto my face as I imagine running my hand through her dark silky hair, gripping it at the roots for a little tug. I wonder if she’ll purr or growl from the action. She eyes me carefully, fingering her glass of wine.

“What’s your description on the menu?”

“Louisiana Hot Link. Ben, age forty-one, brown hair and brown eyes. Always the gentleman, Ben will remind you how a woman is supposed to be treated. With arms thick and strong, he’ll wrap them around you and make you feel safe and protected.”

She smiles brightly. “A gentleman?”

“I try to be.”

She lifts her glass to her lips and drains it. I glance around, looking for the waiter to refill it for her, but there is no one around. In fact, I find it odd that no one has bothered approaching for a drink order since I sat down.

“I asked them to stay away,” she explains, reading my mind. “My sister owns the place, and I asked her to make sure no one approached us unless I summoned them.”

“I see. Would you like more wine?”

She pauses, contemplating her choice.

“No.” Her voice is soft, but her eyes have turned golden. “What if I don’t want you to be a gentleman?”

I lift an eyebrow, watching the way her face flushes and her chest puffs as her breathing rate increases. She’s feeling braver now.

“I can be whatever you want me to be, Cami.” I lower my voice and narrow my eyes on her, watching the way my words physically affect her. She shivers, and her nipples harden, peeking at me from underneath her dress. Her tongue flicks out and runs across her lower lip. I hold back the urge to throw her over my shoulder and carry her out of here.