11
Merritt
A few days had passed since I saw Camilla last, and I still wasn’t over it. I tried forgetting about her by going out and drinking, but it was all useless. Carter gave up on me, calling me whipped, when we sat down in a bar and I couldn’t even flirt back with the women that were sitting next to us.
“Damn, man. She really must be something if you can’t get over her. I’m surprised that she flat out rejected you for the second time.”
“Yeah? Me too.”
“But it’s not the end of the world. Cheer up. You’ll meet someone new—”
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” I replied bitterly.
“Well, if you would stop being so bitchy about this whole situation and chill, you’d see that she couldn’t be that special. Give yourself a few days and you’ll completely forget about her.”
If he only knew the truth, he would recognize how special she was. But still I hoped Carter was right because there wasn’t a day that I didn’t think about her. The urge to search for her in her office was strong, but I was going to keep my word. As hard as it was, I wouldn’t see her again.
I was on my way to my office when Tim greeted me in the hallway. “Hi, Merritt.”
“Hey, man. Tough night?” I pointed at the dark circles beneath his eyes.
“That’s mildly putting it.” He sighed. “Marlene.”
I raised my eyebrow. “You two are back together?”
“We were back together. We broke up again last night.”
“Damn. That was quick. Why?”
“Because she cheated on me. Imagine that. She’s been calling me a cheater all this time, when she’s the one who can’t keep her legs closed.”
“I’m sorry, bro.”
“That’s okay. It’s high time to give up on her and move on. I can’t keep going around in circles.”
I opened my mouth to answer him, but then it struck me how much I related to that. I was stuck on Camilla and couldn’t think about anyone else but her. Just like he was stuck on Marlene.
A minute later, I got into my office, wondering if what I felt for Camilla was much stronger than I had thought.
I lowered my briefcase on my desk, and that was when I saw a note sitting on it. Surprised, I picked up the small piece of paper. It contained Camilla’s phone number with a simple “Call me” on it and her name.
“Damn, Camilla. You really know how to confuse a man.”
I sat down, staring into the note as if it was going to reveal the mystery of Camilla to me. As if I would figure out what was going through her head right now. What was going on?
I was sure we were over. As much as I wanted things to be different, I understood how she felt, and I respected her for fighting for her career. She deserved it, so who was I to mess up her plans? If I was her, I would make the same decision.
So, did this mean she was regretting her decision?
I played with the note in my hand, suddenly feeling restless. I was excited about this and wanted to call her, but I couldn’t just rush into this. Look where rushing led Tim to.
The ball was in my court now and I had to weigh the pros and cons of being with her before I made the decision.
Camilla wasn’t the only one who would risk her career if we got together. I would risk my career too. I was in the public eye, and I already got enough bad press with all those stories about me being a playboy and whatnot. This was an important time for my career, and anything bad at this moment could be detrimental to my future, so I couldn’t afford to screw it up with Camilla.
Also, I wouldn’t want her to lose her job in case this all went south.
Then again, the woman was like a drug to me. There was something about her that made me want more, and she was the first to incite this yearning in me. I missed her more than I’d missed anyone before, and when I was with her, everything made sense.
I felt happy.
She was a breath of fresh air I needed. With her, I wouldn’t need or want other girls. I would be completely satisfied to stay only with her. Ever since I had met her, I lost interest in all other women, craving for Camilla more than anything. She attracted me like no other girl.
I closed my eyes and invited the images of naked Camilla to my mind. Almost instantly, my cock hardened. If I was with her, I would be able to have her whenever I wanted. I would be able to turn all my fantasies into reality. I pressed my hand against my hard-on, imagining it was her hand that was touching me.
Christ, there would be no way for me to endure the days without her and her body. There was just something about her that was irresistible, and I knew my hunger for her wouldn’t go away any time soon. She’d fucked me up.
I knew that I would cave in and make her mine sooner or later.
So what if we were risking everything? It didn’t have to be that way. It would be difficult to balance our careers and our relationship, sure, but why did we have to write off that option before anything even started?
Maybe having her by my side would be good for my and her career.
It was close to the end of the day when I caved and decided to call her. I wanted to invite her out to dinner. Even if I was making a big risk, it would be all worth it. We would make it work somehow.
She answered the call after the third ring. “Hello?”
“Hi, Camilla.”
Only now I noticed that my hands were sweaty. Fucking great. I was acting like a teenager inviting his crush on a first date. I was pathetic.
“Hello, Merritt.” Her voice sounded breathy, and my cock twitched, further stretching the material of my pants. Fuck, I needed to see her. “Wait just a minute.” I heard her footsteps and the door opening and closing. “I can talk now.”
“Thanks for giving me your number. It was a pleasant surprise.”
“Well, I was thinking a lot about what I told you a couple of days ago, and I realized I was making a mistake. So, I said to myself ‘To hell with it’ and left you my number, hoping I still had a chance. Do I?”
“Do you what?” I teased her.
“Still have a chance?”
My lips formed a gigantic smile. “You do. Actually, I’m calling you to invite you out to dinner.” Come on, say yes.
“Yes!” she responded immediately, and I let out a hearty laugh.
“You’re pretty excited about this, aren’t you?”
“Just like you.”
I smiled. “That’s true. So, I can pick you up at seven at your apartment. What do you think?”
“That would be great.”
“Good. I can’t wait to see you, Camilla.”
“Same here. I’m already counting minutes.” Her sweet honesty melted something in me, and I wished I could hug her. She was so, so cute.
“You know, when I see you, I’m going to kiss you with all I’ve got.”
“I’m hoping you’ll do more than that, Senator Dawson.”
I growled. “Keep talking like that and I’ll find you right now and give you what you’re asking for.”
She chuckled. “Then I better be careful.”
After a few more minutes of flirting, she gave me her address, and I ended the call, wearing a megawatt smile that wouldn’t go away long after the I hung up.
I appeared at seven on the dot at her doorway, carrying a bouquet of roses. After the call, I couldn’t focus on my work anymore, and Robert and Tim, who were with me in one of the meetings, were making fun of me, assuming it surely had something to do with some girl. Little did they know.
By the time I reached her apartment building, I was high-strung, and to say that was unusual was an understatement. I rang her bell, shifting on my feet as I thought of what I would tell her when she opened the door.
However, when she opened the door and I finally saw her, all my thoughts disappeared, and all I was able to do was stare at her.
She was wearing a tight bodycon red dress that revealed her killer hips and legs. She was drop-dead gorgeous. She’d put up her hair in a ponytail and applied makeup that made her sea-blue eyes stand out. I was hypnotized.
She laughed, aware of my reaction. “Wow. Merritt Dawson is speechless. Imagine that.”
I closed the door behind me and made a step toward her without even being aware of it. All I knew was that I had to have her right now. Fuck dinner. I wanted dessert.
“Camilla, you…”
She raised her eyebrow, her smile widening. “What?”
I moved my gaze down her body again, noticing how quickly her chest was moving. She wasn’t immune to me either.
“You’re beautiful.” I lowered the bouquet on a side table and closed the distance between us. “You’re so beautiful, and I need to have you right here and now.”
I didn’t give her the opportunity to respond to me, slamming my lips against hers. Her taste hit me like the strongest whiskey, intoxicating me with its potent deliciousness. She moaned into my mouth and responded with an equal fervor, pressing herself against me as her hands moved through my hair.
I was going to make her mine.