Chapter Three
Camille
“I can't go back there, Liv,” I groaned, my face in my hands.
I told her all about Preston being at the doctor's office, and how he clearly had an erection for me.
“You mean THE Preston Winters, right? The one who got away?” Liv nudged me playfully, forcing me to look up at her.
We were at her place for a girl's night. It was supposed to be old cliché wine and some cheesy romance movie, but instead, it became wine and whine about my problems night. Thankfully, Liv was understanding. She smiled wide at me, her eyebrows cocked as she waited for an answer.
“Well, yes, that's what I used to say about him,” I said. “But, that was a long time ago.”
I bit my lip as I remembered telling Liv all about the dreamboat I'd crushed on back in high school, before I went away to New York City for art school.
“That was way before I met Stephen and –”
“And what? You're single now, I'm assuming he's still hot, so what's the big deal?”
“The big deal is – well, it's been too long, and I don't know anything about him anymore,” I said. “He could be married with kids for all I know.”
He was still hot, I couldn't deny that. He was six-foot-five, still built like a linebacker, with broad shoulders, a trim waist, and fit as a fiddle. His sandy blonde hair and blue eyes complimented his strong, chiseled cheek bones perfectly, making him look like the All-American boy next door.
He was handsome in that classical sense, and I found it hard to believe someone like Preston wouldn't be married by now. Successful, handsome doctor? In Hollywood Hills? Come on, he probably had himself a trophy wife at home.
“You could just ask him, you know.” Liv shrugged, chewing away at a piece of dark chocolate.
She curled her feet up underneath her, getting cozy on the couch, but she kept her eyes glued to me, and I knew she was not about to let this go. Liv was like that when she got her teeth into something.
“I'm not ready for another relationship anyway. It’s been like five minutes since I left Stephen” I said, rolling my eyes. “Besides, I can't keep going back to him. That would be weird.”
When he’d touched my stomach during the exam, I couldn't deny that it was like an electrical shock had surged through my entire body. Staring up into his dreamy blue eyes with his hands on me, reminded me of an earlier time.
“Uh huh. So that's why you're staring off into space with a huge grin on your face right now,” Liv teased. “Seriously, I know that look, Camille. You're into him. Who cares if you're newly single? What does it matter? Why not talk to him, with no pressure or expectation, and just see where it goes?”
“I don't know,” I said, shrugging and leaning back against her sofa.
I closed my eyes and tried to forget that one night that felt so long ago. We'd been at some stupid party and I'd let my guard down. I knew I was going away soon, and I knew he was going to UCLA. We'd gotten caught up in each other at the last minute, and as hard as I'd tried to keep my distance, it only took one night of letting my guard down for me to fall into his arms.
“You'd be stupid not to talk to him. I knew you before Stephen, and Preston Winters was all you could think about,” she said. “And he seems to have rotated back into your life at just the right time. Maybe it's fate pushing you together again.”
“Don't feed me that fate bullshit, Liv,” I chuckled.
Even though I was laughing, I couldn't stop the tears from welling up in my eyes. The pain of losing Stephen was still too fresh for me. Too raw. I couldn't just forget that all my life's plans, goals, and dreams were gone like they'd never existed.
“My life is a mess,” I said softly. “I need to figure out what we're going to do with the company.”
“You mean YOUR company?”
“It's our company,” I sighed, turning my head to look at my best friend.
“No, dear – Zesta was all you. You started it from scratch,” she said. “You're the creative genius behind it. You're the reason clients are there in the first place. Stephen came in later, only because you let him.”
“I needed a financial guy,” I said. “We both know I suck at numbers.”
“You could have hired any number of financial pros, but you picked Stephen because he was out of work. You did him a favor.”
“He invested time and money in the company, Liv. I can't just fire him,” I said, throwing my hands up.
“No, but you can buy him out,” she said. “Let's face it, Zesta makes more than enough for you to buy his share of the company.”
“Like he'd be okay with that,” I muttered.
“He should be, and if he's not, I know a damn good lawyer,” Liv countered.
My head was aching, and it wasn't because of the wine. I put my mostly full glass back down and rubbed my temples. Liv didn't understand the complexities of doing business with a partner. She was right about one thing. Initially, I'd brought him in as a favor, and because I thought it would be nice to work together. Him and me, together forever, and we'd build this business empire together. We built the empire alright, and Zesta was doing some amazing things.
“It's worth a shot to ask him, don't you think?”
“Yeah, maybe so,” I grumbled.
“Because let's face it, it's probably unlikely he wants to see his ex every day either,” she said.
“Point taken,” I sighed. “Can we drop this now, please?”
“Of course. But, as long we're talking about asking people – you need to ask Preston out to dinner. Like tomorrow. Because if you don't do it, I just might have to track this hunk down and ask him myself.”
I snorted, laughter rolling through me as I imagined Liv asking Preston out on a date. Don't get me wrong, Liv was a gorgeous woman, but personality-wise, the two of them would be like oil and water. Two strong, alpha-types together in a relationship? It might be fiery and sexy, but it would burn out quickly. Both of them had tempers and spoke their mind way too freely. Yeah, if they ever got together, it wouldn't end well for anybody.
“Fine!” I threw my hands up in defeat. “I'll talk to him. Reconnect as old friends.”
Liv cocked an eyebrow at me but didn't argue. She knew when enough was enough, and clearly, I'd had enough trouble for one night. She was going to smugly take the win.
“Let's just watch the damn movie already,” I muttered, flopping back on the couch and downing the glass of wine.
I hoped it would help with the headache, which was probably caused by all of the bullshit and stress in my life. Then again, the only way to get rid of this headache was to get Stephen out of my life once and for all. The idea of seeing him at work every single day filled me with total dread and made my stomach churn.
Hopefully Liv was right, and he wanted out as much as I wanted him out. However, knowing Stephen like I did, I didn't think it would be that easy. It never was with him.
***
I sat on the examining room table in a different room a few days later. I'd left the office early, needing to step away from the whole Stephen drama anyway, and took the last appointment of the day. I figured this way, there'd be no rush. I could talk to Preston, see if he was even interested in going out sometime, and just get a feel for things. Of course, since I was too chicken to come out and say it, I made an appointment under the guise of having additional questions.
There was a knock on the door, and I straightened up, pulling my hair around the front of me, letting it flow over my shoulders and chest. I'd worn a different sundress this time, a purple one with white polka dots; understated, yet cute, and with a low cleavage line to boot. That was purely accidental – okay, maybe not so much. “Yes,” I said, my voice cracking.
I'd specifically asked for Dr. Winters this time, but I still expected my normal doctor to walk through the door. I held my breath as the door opened, and I let it out suddenly as Preston walked into the room with his brow furrowed and a confused look on his handsome face.
“Well, I have to say I'm surprised to see you back so soon,” he said, taking a seat on the swivel chair nearby. “And that you specifically requested me. What can I help you with, Camille? The tests aren't back yet, and –”
“No, I know that,” I said, taking a deep breath. “I actually wanted to talk to you. Not necessarily about medical stuff.”
He raised an eyebrow and fought back a smile. “Oh, okay – well – what can I help you with, exactly?”
“Well, I'm sorry if this is forward of me, but –”
As I started to ask him out, the butterflies in my stomach fluttered around crazily, and for a second, I couldn't breathe and feared I might be sick. I somehow managed to push back the nerves and quickly recovered. I cleared my throat and tried to gather my resolve – a Herculean task, if ever there was one.
“Actually, I wanted to see how you've been lately, Preston,” I said. “We didn't really get a chance to talk the other day.”
“You made an appointment to catch up with me?” He laughed, a deep hearty sound shook his chest as he rubbed his chin. “You do know there are these handy little things called phones –”
“I didn't have your number,” I said sheepishly.
My cheeks burned bright red, and I had to fight the urge to run out of the room. This was a bad idea. What in the hell had I been thinking? Why had I let Liv talk me into this? I slipped off the table and kept my gaze on the door as I rushed toward it.
“I'm sorry,” I said. “This was a stupid idea and I shouldn't waste your time. ”
Preston grabbed my arm as I brushed past him, preventing me from leaving. I stopped and tried to catch my breath, tried to stop the sick feeling in my stomach. I needed to look at him, to not chicken out. “Camille, please, I'd love to reconnect. And I'm flattered you went through all this trouble,” he said.
His voice was so reassuring that it was hard not to look at him. I slowly turned my face until I stared into those deep, blue eyes and I felt myself grow weak in the knees. The way he looked at me sent a shiver through my body, as if his gaze held an electrical current. I froze, feeling completely lost under his gaze. Preston pulled me toward him, his arms grabbing hold of me before I knew what was happening. He stood up, towering over me, but his hands remained around my waist. As he stood, he brushed up against me and I trembled slightly, my eyes fluttering and then closing as I reveled in the closeness of his body.
“Do you remember –” he started to say, but I stopped him.
“Kiss me, Preston,” I gasped. “Please? Just for old-time's sake?”
I didn't have to ask him again. He kissed me long and deep, filling my mouth with his tongue. He nibbled along my lower lip and held my face in his hands, pushing me back without me even realizing I was moving. I just floated along with his hands upon me until I felt myself bump into the examining table behind us.
Damn, I was weak. After everything I'd been through with Stephen though, it felt good to be wanted by someone again. Preston's hands held onto my hips, pulling me against him. His cologne was musky and strong, his body tight and firm against mine.
It was Preston who ended the kiss, eventually, staring down at me with such heat in his eyes. He smiled.
“Boy, doesn't that bring back some memories,” he said.
He hadn't pulled away from me, I noticed. I smiled back.
“It sure does,” I said, running a hand down the front of his dress shirt. “All good ones too.”
“Definitely some good memories,” he said.
“Should we be doing this?” I asked, nibbling my lip.
“I was just about to ask you the same thing.”
We chuckled, and it was followed by an awkward silence. It felt weird to fall into his arms again so easily and so quickly – especially since not even a week ago, I'd been trying to get pregnant with Stephen. We had been planning a wedding and a life together. Now, suddenly, I was kissing Preston as if the years hadn't somehow flown by, and as if distance had never been an issue. If only things had been different – had I not been so stubborn in wanting to see what was right in front of my face all those years before – maybe everything would be different in my life.
Then again, what could I have done? Not gone to New York to follow my dreams? Sure, there were art schools in Los Angeles – good ones too – but back then, I'd felt like I needed to get away and experience another world. I believed that experience was good for me and had helped me become the person I was today.
Preston had had his reasons for taking the path he'd chosen as well – like wanting to go to UCLA just as his father had done. I told myself that though we’d been the closest of friends. we'd only shared one night together as anything more. Though we'd connected on a deep level, it really wasn't enough to change the entire trajectory of our lives.
However, somehow, things had aligned, and we were together now – and it felt as if nothing had changed.
Maybe Liv had been right.
I stood on my tiptoes and kissed his lower lip, feeling the warmth of his breath on my face. He sighed deeply, his body relaxing into mine.
“I'm all for doing this as long as you won't get in trouble,” I whispered against his mouth.
The pained look on his face told me all I needed to know. He was torn between his lust for me and his responsibility to his job. I saw the indecision and torment on his face and realized I had to be the bigger person there. I had to put a stop to things before they went too far. I was backed up against the table, so all I could do was push him away, which I tried to do. Balling up my fists, I nudged him away from me.
“I think we should postpone things until –”
I never finished my sentence, though. Preston's lips found mine, and he lifted me up, effortlessly, onto the examining room table. My legs parted naturally for him, and he pressed into me. His erection was obvious through his thin dress pants. I wrapped my legs around his waist and pulled him closer to me, rubbing against the firm, thick bulge beneath his slacks with a low moan.
“This is wrong,” I whispered. “You could lose your job.”
“Hush,” he said, moving his mouth to my neck.
His lips were warm against my flesh, as he tilted my head back and dotted more kisses along my skin. Shivers ran the length of my body and was quickly followed by a rush of warmth and pleasure. The effect of his hands and mouth on me were profound and intense.
“You're the last patient of the day,” he moaned. “Nobody will notice.”
“What if your nurse walks in again?”
Preston looked up at me, his lips twitching in a smirk. “She won't,” he said cockily.
“How can you be so sure?”
“I can't,” he teased. “But, isn't that uncertainty and element of danger part of the appeal?”
His hands pushed my skirt up higher on my thighs, and his fingers dug into my skin. His desire and lust were obvious, as was mine. It felt wrong to move on so quickly from Stephen, but he'd been right about one thing – our sex life had grown dull.
Ever since he became obsessed with having a baby, we only had sex for procreation. There'd been no more fun, quick romps. No more spontaneous rendezvouses. There had been no time for that. After a while, I'd felt like an object. A tool. Like my body only served one purpose – to have his baby. I didn't feel wanted or desired in the least. But now, with Preston, I felt like a sexual being again and it felt amazing.
Too amazing to pass up.
“I just want you so badly,” he whispered, nibbling my ear as his warm breath rushed over me. “I've wanted you for years, Camille, and I'm not sure I can wait any longer – I'm not even sure I care if we get caught or not because I need you. Right now. I need to be inside of you.”
His words echoed through my head, and I trembled with my own unmet needs. I'd lusted after Preston Winters forever, even before that night we'd let loose and fooled around. One of my biggest regrets was never getting to experience making love with him. But there we were years later, and I finally had my chance.
Preston slid my panties aside and his finger found my clit. Slowly, he circled it while kissing along my jaw and neck. God, I'd wanted him for so long. I trembled, and my breath caught in my throat as he touched me. Fuck, his hands on my body felt so amazing.
Caught up in the rapture of the moment, I reached for his belt buckle and fumbled with it, removing it as quickly as I could. Together, with his free hand, we worked to unzip his pants until they slid down on his hips, just enough to free his cock from the confines.
I took him in my hand, sliding my hand up and down his shaft as pre-cum saturated the tip. Preston's head fell back, his eyes fluttered open and shut as a low growl escaped his throat.
“I've been waiting so fucking long,” he said.
“Me too, Preston. Me too,” I whimpered.
I removed my hand and he looked down at me, the light of need burning bright in his eyes. He positioned himself between my parted thighs and thrust his hips forward, the head of his cock parting the lips of my pussy. I tightened my grip on his body, my arms wrapped around his neck and my hands running through that soft, blonde hair of his as he thrust into me a second time, this time slipping deeper inside of me. I gasped as he filled me up, my head falling forward until he turned my face back up, making me look into his eyes as he rocked back and forth against me.
He stared deep into my eyes as I clenched my inner muscles tight around his dick. His brow furrowed, his jaw clenched tight as I squeezed the muscles inside of me. The look of absolute bliss on his face was amazing to me, and the sensation of having him inside of me was powerful. I felt every inch of him as he stretched me wider than I'd been stretched in a very long time.
I leaned back slightly, to give him easier access. He thrust himself into me deeper, grunting as he filled me to the brim. My feet dug into his ass, pulling him closer to me, deeper into me. We had to be quiet – there were still nurses in the hall. I may have been the last patient for the day, but we weren't alone, and that meant we couldn't let the world know what we were doing in that examination room. He was right though – the taboo of it all only intensified the pleasure.
I buried my face into his chest, inhaling his musky cologne as I tried to keep my cries of pleasure to a minimum. My body quivered with delight as he continued to fuck me, moving in and out of me with such ease. Our bodies fit so snugly and so well, it almost felt like we were meant to be together.
A warmth in my lower body started to spread, as I felt myself coming ever so close to the peak.
“Oh God,” I whimpered, desperately grabbing ahold of Preston's shirt as I realized just how close I was.
I stared up into those blue eyes one more time as he buried his cock deep inside of me, and I lost it. Preston kissed me, taking my screams into his mouth, silencing them as best he could as I shuddered through one hell of an orgasm. My body trembled, and I held onto him for dear life as my orgasm rocked my body.
I bit down hard on his lip as I came, but if Preston noticed, he didn't stop me. His breath was ragged and desperate and I felt him tense up as he pounded his stiff prick into me one last time. His lips were still against mine, but he still groaned low, the sound nearly animalistic as he came. I gasped as the warmth inside of me grew as he filled me up with his seed.
I watched his face twist into a look of pure bliss, my eyes wide as he held me close to him. I leaned into him, riding out the waves of ecstasy that were rippling through me. His strong arms were still holding me tight, and it felt like he never wanted to let me go.
“That was – intense,” I said, once it was safe to pull our lips apart.
My head fell forward onto his chest as we both tried to catch our breath. Preston rubbed my back as he held me close, without saying a word. His heartbeat was loud and strong in his chest, and I closed my eyes, relaxing into the warmth of his body. He stroked my hair, and when I looked back up at him, he pushed some loose tendrils away from my face before kissing my forehead.
“You are so beautiful,” he whispered against my skin.
His now deflated cock slipped out of me, and there was a gush of warmth and wetness on my inner thighs. I couldn't deny the fact that I loved the feeling. Knowing that I probably couldn't get pregnant, it took a lot of stress out of the equation, that was for sure.
Given that Preston was a doctor, well, one could certainly hope he was clean of any disease. Still wouldn't be a bad idea to discuss it – especially if we continued strolling down that path.
Preston stepped away and handed me some paper towels as we both wiped ourselves down. He pulled his pants up and made himself presentable before helping me down from the table. He lifted me up from it, holding me by the waist as I situated myself back on my feet.
“My word,” I teased. “Do all your patients get such special treatment?”
“Only the pretty ones,” he said with a wink. “No, seriously though, I've never done anything like that before. You were – the first.”
A sheepish grin spread across his face.
“Are you regretting it?”
He thought for a moment before the smile on his face grew wider. When he looked at me, his eyes sparkled and filled me with a warmth so uncommon to me in my life.
“Not at all, actually. But only because it was you, Camille,” he said. “Any other patient and it would have been weird. Creepy, even. But you and I have a history together and – well, I never thought I'd see you again.”
“Yeah, I didn't think I'd see you again either, honestly,” I said softly.
We stared into each other's eyes for what felt like an eternity – an eternity I wasn't sure I wanted to end. Preston looked up at the clock, his smile faltering.
“We've been in here awhile,” he said. “We should probably head out or they're going to think something's up.”
“Yeah, you're right,” I sighed.
Neither one of us moved for a long moment though. But, then he finally wrapped his arms around me.
“Let's have dinner. Tonight,” he said. “I know just the place.”
“Tonight?” I choked. “Haven't you seen enough of me already?”
He laughed. “Not nearly enough,” he said. “Besides, I haven't had a chance to ask about your life. What it was like in New York – and what brings you back to the West Coast.”
“You're right,” I said, nodding. “We have so much to catch up on.”
“That settles it,” he said, picking up my file and writing something down on a piece of paper, which he ripped off and handed to me. “Meet me here at seven tonight.”
“El Placer? Isn't that a little fancy?” I asked, unable to control the grin growing on my face.
He shrugged. “Maybe a little, but the fresh seafood is to die for.”
“I'll be there,” I said, tucking the address into my purse.
I sidled up against him before walking out the door, and Preston kissed me again. My heart nearly stopped when his lips pressed against mine. If I had any doubts as to whether Preston wanted this to be a recurring thing, those went out the window with his kiss. Soft and gentle, he held my face in his hands for a long time afterward.
“God, I've missed you, Camille,” he said.
“I've missed you too, Preston,” I said softly, before turning toward the door and leaving.
At least this time, when I left the office, I knew it wasn't goodbye. We had a date – and I only had a couple hours to get ready for it.