Kate

My hotel room had been the sort of place that I wished I could permanently retire to in my real life. Modern, clean lines with stark white walls and duvet cover warmed incrementally by bold orange accents and a luscious, chocolate brown wooden shelving unit that took up most of the wall opposite the bed. It was comfortable yet unendingly stylish. The kind of stylish that one in my financial situation tried in vain to replicate at Ikea but came up abysmally short.

As I looked around the room, I suddenly felt a wave of fatigue wash over me. My job required the conscious act of always “being on,” and the tension that my body held sometimes surprised me when I was able to take a moment to relax finally. I had a welcome two-hour break before I was due to be downstairs in the lobby to reconvene with everyone and head over to the Roy Thompson Hall for the red carpet and screening that evening. The very thought exhausted me further as I flopped down on my decadent bed, loving the feel of my body sinking into its unrelenting lushness. How I wished I could just stay right there and never leave.

As I glanced to my left, I noticed a large frosted glass panel embedded in the center of the wall opposite the bed. I had stayed in enough trendy hotels recently to know that on the other side of that glass was no doubt a spacious shower stall. When you slept alone, this was an entirely ignorable amenity, but I could just imagine how delicious it must be to lie in this heavenly bed watching the show that a lover could put on from that shower. That sexy silhouette, seducing you just enough with the imagined visage of bare skin being lathered by whatever overpriced French-milled soap was inevitably available in that stall.

In an instant, I found my mind wandering to thoughts of an impossibly masculine, toned body mesmerizing me in the glass. Slabs of hard muscle being massaged by large, commanding hands drenched in silky suds. A body not unlike that of a certain actor who just generally drove me to distraction, I thought with a naughty smile. That eight-pack that I had gotten a peek of only weeks before had haunted my thoughts more than once since our meeting. I fully longed to run my hands over those well-sculpted ridges. Not to mention the fact that it was a known fact in Hollywood that it wasn’t just Cam’s sexy smile that had the ladies lining up at his bedroom door for a night to remember. He was also rumored to be packing some serious heat south of the border, which for me instantly completed the imagined picture of the dripping-wet Camden-esque Adonis in my bathroom with an enticingly hard cock, pointed upwards, nearly to his navel.

Just the thought of him had sent that familiar feeling of want straight to my groin. I found myself rolling on to my stomach, putting myself in position to generate that luscious bit of friction against my sex as I bucked ever so slightly into the resistance beneath me. My daydream began to take a seductive shape. Camden Atwood was undoubtedly a manwhore, but he was a deliciously hot manwhore.

I could only imagine the nasty things he would do to me in that steamy hot shower as he pressed me against the glass from behind. I would steer far clear of him in real life, but it wouldn’t hurt to imagine his hands sliding down my slickened body as he pressed into my back, that powerful cock nudging into my backside. His hands snaking around me expertly just before teasing my sex. I smiled at the thought. Just as an involuntary purr had crossed my lips, I was startled upright by a loud knock at my door. Shit! I abruptly rose to my feet, nearly toppling over when my feet hit the floor. What the hell is the matter with you, Kate?

I rushed over to the door to my room and opened it but was a bit breathless and just knew that my face was likely a bit flushed and my hair slightly mussed. Fortunately, it was only Lizzy on the other side of the door, her presence serving as the mental cold shower I required. She, however, didn’t have her usual bright countenance when she met my gaze.

“Megan asked that I drop the tickets off for tonight,” Lizzy relayed without greeting. “She wanted to make certain that there wouldn’t be any confusion at the door should we get separated at any point,” she continued as she handed me my ticket for the evening, and I smiled—to which Lizzy had no visible reaction. After a long awkward stare passed between the two of us, she simply turned to leave. Now, I knew that Lizzy and I weren’t BFFs or anything at this point, but I was surprised by her seemingly unfriendly attitude.

“Is everything okay?” I asked.

“Yep,” she replied with marked shortness as she turned to head back down the hallway without further explanation.

“Lizzy?”

“I’m fine,” she spat abruptly, seemingly horribly annoyed. “I’ll–see you downstairs in a bit,” she said somberly.

I watched as Lizzy continued down the hall, suddenly feeling a bit lonely as I worried that my new friendship might have been terribly short-lived.

Closing the door, I took in the deep crater on the bed in front of me and shook my head, disgusted with myself. I quickly headed to the entertainment center and turned on the big screen TV. I needed a distraction but was foiled for about the hundredth time that day as an overly loud trailer for a movie called Swipe Right blared in the room, courtesy of the in-room entertainment reel that no doubt would run every time the TV was turned on to promote the on-demand viewing options in the hotel.

Swipe Right had been a regrettable romantic comedy that happened to feature a heavy dose of a shirtless Camden Atwood, which from a box office perspective was the only saving grace of this categorically moronic film as it had sent the entirety of the world’s female population to their local cineplexes in droves for a glimpse of those abs. For me at that moment, though, it was the very last thing I needed. It was yet another reminder of the luscious man that I was traveling around the world with but had to keep my greedy hands off of. I opted to turn the TV off after Cam’s third shirt removal in twenty seconds and decided to refocus my attention on unpacking my toiletries. If I was going to make it through this evening, I would need to pull my shit together.

---

One ice-cold shower later, I had made my way down to the hotel lobby, feeling refreshed and wearing a chic black jumpsuit that struck just the right balance between sexy and professional. It showed a reserved hint of cleavage but partnered with a pair of come-fuck-me heels, I knew I looked just this side of hot. While I generally opted for flats for a night that would be spent on my feet, tonight I had gone with those heels simply because I knew they would give me just the kind of swagger that was required of a girl for an event such as this. I was determined not to allow Camden Atwood to get the better of me, and I had the outfit to prove it.

As I waited in the lobby for Cam and his posse to make their way down in the elevator, Tony had texted me letting me know that he was waiting by the car and that Cam was due downstairs any minute. I liked that Tony and I had already begun to work as a team, despite our mildly rocky beginnings. As I paced the lobby a bit, I checked the schedule and Cam’s list of talking points for the evening one last time. Everything was under control, but my nerves shot up sharply as the elevator chimed and Amber, James, and Lizzy spilled out. Suddenly, my eyes met Cam’s. It was odd seeing him after I had allowed my imagination to cast him in the role of my sudsy suitor, but I quickly shook it off and gave Cam a smile in the hopes of brushing our earlier animosity under the rug to some extent. I was, however, struck by Cam’s penetrating gaze as he blatantly eye-fucked me from head to toe. Amber, of course, was oblivious as she carried on endlessly in a one-sided conversation.

“I hope to God that they don’t have us seated in East Jesus like they did last time. I mean, I know I’m not freaking Angelina Jolie or anything, but it would be nice for our seats to at least be in the same zip code as yours, Cam. I just hope that Kate’s handled that properly.” She said eyeing me pointedly.

I watched as Evander sailed by, rolling his eyes at Amber. I envied him. He had clearly done his job and shined Cam up like a bright new penny and was off to have some fabulous adventure in Toronto while my job was just beginning for the night. My eyes followed Evander as he eyed my pantsuit approvingly and winked. “Fierce,” he whispered approvingly as he headed out of the hotel, no doubt off to dine with some famous designer or take in the sights of the city, which left me decidedly jealous.

“He’s right, you know. You look gorgeous tonight,” Cam said softly in my ear.

As I turned my attention back to Cam, I noted a hint of mischievousness in his eyes as he gazed at me. He stood so near to me that I could smell his clean, delicious scent, which sent my mind to places it should never go.

“You’re sure you got us decent seats then, Kate?” Amber whined.

Cam swiveled around to Amber impatiently. “I’m sure Kate has the seating well in hand,” he said evenly.

“I do, actually,” I interjected deciding that asserting my competence was the best way to regain control of this already runaway press tour. “You, James, and Lizzy will be seated just behind Cam in the theater.” I cast a smile at Lizzy, who quickly looked away, seemingly annoyed. I made a note to get a moment alone at some point to find out if I had done something. I knew I couldn’t afford to be at odds with both of the Atwoods on this trip.

Collectively, we all headed toward the hotel exit but soon spotted Megan, the SVP from the studio, coming in hot as she approached the group excitedly, just as we hit the sidewalk in front of the hotel. “Hello, Team Atwood! Your cars are all lined up over here. Cam, you’ll be in the lead car, of course. I’m assuming that Amber and James will ride with you, correct?”

I had begun to head toward the SUV that would follow Cam’s limo to the theater but was abruptly scooped into Cam’s side, his grasp commanding and dangerously possessive as he addressed Megan. “Kate will ride with me. Everyone else can ride in the SUV.” My brow furrowed as I regarded Cam with just a hint of apprehension surging through my body at his unexpected touch. “She and I are the only ones required on the carpet,” he continued. “Everyone else can simply meet us in the theater.”

Megan nodded as she rushed everyone else into the waiting SUV. I had to admit that Cam’s plan did make perfect sense and wished I had thought of it myself, but I couldn’t help but feel mildly uneasy as I followed his lead. Still, I would need to be by his side to ensure that he didn’t make any further ill-advised comments to the press and to keep the media questions in line with the talking points for the film. There was no need to have Amber on his arm as that would only raise questions about their relationship, and if given the opportunity, I knew James would probably finagle his way onto the press line himself with a misguided mission of garnering press for his new start-up. That was also a highly undesirable outcome. It all made perfect sense. I relaxed a bit as I let Cam guide me into his limo, his hand lingering deliciously at the small of my back until I was safely ensconced inside the car.

The door closed behind us, and I could feel my heart race a bit as I took in how close THE Camden Atwood was sitting to me. He had a mesmerizing scent, impossibly clean, no doubt provided by some expensive European soap that he’d likely had Lizzy pack from home. Trying desperately to ignore the distraction, I decided to otherwise occupy myself with the slew of Google Alerts and Hollywood Reporter breaking news stories that were coming through on my phone, one of which included an announcement that Evelyn had just picked up Evan Cosgrove as a new client for our agency. Cosgrove was another impossibly handsome Brit who was on an alarmingly rapid ascension in Hollywood. Great. Another hottie with a body to scramble my brain, I thought as Cam reached over to me and took my iPhone out of my hands to place it down beside me on the seat. He then quickly hit the button to raise the privacy panel separating us from Tony and the driver in the front of the car. I couldn’t suppress my sigh as I stared at Cam warily. What now, Atwood?

“I was hoping you and I could have a bit of a chat,” Cam said pointedly.

I attempted to steady myself as I crossed my arms defiantly.

“Of course!” I said in an upbeat manner meant to convey the nonchalance that I certainly didn’t feel at that moment.

“So, I think we can both agree that the circumstances under which we met were a bit…well …unconventional.”

I smiled, remembering the little show that we had put on for that bimbo Kristen or Kyrsten or whatever the hell her name was back at his home in Los Angeles.

“I suppose I would agree,” I said diplomatically.

“Good. I also think that perhaps some important lines may have been a bit blurred as a result, and that has caused the two of us to get off to a bit of a rough start.”

I nodded cautiously in agreement as he continued. “That said, I think we should take a moment to talk this through and sort of…hit the reset button on our relationship so we can move forward.”

I exhaled deeply, feeling myself relax a bit. “I am so glad that you said that. I really couldn’t agree more. I think we just need to each lay our expectations out on the table and start fresh.”

“Completely!” Cam exclaimed.

We both smiled at one another, and the air in the car seemed to lighten a bit.

“I’m glad that we’re on the same page,” he continued as he casually slid an arm across my headrest.

“Me, too,” I said with relief.

“Anyway, all that said, I think we need to sort of–discuss what we each need from one another—essentially redefine the parameters of our relationship.” He crossed his legs elegantly as he continued, “And I for one would like very much for those parameters to include sex.”

My mouth went instantaneously dry as I froze. Once I was finally able to draw a breath, I sat back in my seat, kicking myself for my stupidity. I let out a long, pained sigh before refocusing my now irritated gaze on Cam.

“Wow, I walked right into that one, didn’t I?”

I grabbed my cell phone angrily from the seat between us, slid away from him on the bench seat, and began scrolling through my emails all over again, determined to ignore the pig seated next to me. Cam took my phone back from me and put it back down on the seat. I sighed in exasperation, suddenly feeling very exhausted.

“There’s no reason to get upset, Kate. We’re merely having a conversation here, like two adults.”

“Cam, I…”

Cam placed a finger on my lips, momentarily silencing me. “I know what you’re going to say. You want me to respect you…and I do,” he said as he slid in closer to me. “Kate, I loved everything that you said during our first meeting together. I was incredibly impressed that you challenged both Evelyn and me to work harder and smarter in order to get my career where it needs to be. You’re obviously smart, driven, and I agree with everything that you said that day.” He leaned in a bit closer to me, again draping an arm across the back of my seat. His unyielding gaze pinned me to my seat. “That said, Kate, I still very badly want to do unspeakable things to that gorgeous body of yours.” My breath caught at his intensity. “I want to run my fingers across every inch of your silky skin,” he said as he hypnotically caressed my cheek with his fingertip, letting it slowly glide down my chin, across my neck, and finally down the slightly exposed slope of my breasts as they heaved gently with arousal. “I want to bite that sweet earlobe and run my tongue over that soft spot below because I have a sneaking suspicion that it will make you absolutely crazy. But most of all, I desperately want to hear you whimper my name right …before…you…come.”

He was ridiculously close now, and I had entirely stopped breathing. I could barely swallow as Cam continued to put me under his spell with his smoky tone and gentle stroking of my cheek. I couldn’t get a single word out.

“And given the fact that you haven’t slapped me yet, I feel fairly certain that you want the exact same things that I do; or would at least enjoy what I have in mind.” I stared into Cam’s eyes, just about ready to give into the inferno that was erupting between my legs, when a jarring knock came to the door of the car, instantly snapping me back to reality.

Cam smiled at me knowingly and dropped a gentle kiss on my cheek as my eyelids became heavy with unabashed lust. As quickly as the moment mesmerized me, an instant later he was gone. He had swiftly exited the car and was already waving to his fans as they cheered outside at the head of the red carpet. His quick departure had left me bereft for an instant, but it wasn’t long before a muted sense of anger began to set in. That cocky bastard. Just then, a buzzing beside me interrupted my thoughts. I glanced down at my phone and noticed that a text had come through in the last few minutes. It was from Evelyn:

Text me an update when the carpet is done, sweetie.

I was immediately disgusted with myself. An awareness of what that short car ride from the hotel had done to my panties sent an even greater wave of shame through me. Camden Atwood was my client, and I was doing a horrible job of setting professional boundaries with him while potentially jeopardizing a career that I loved. This was completely ridiculous. I had to get control of this…of myself…or be fully prepared to pay the price later.

Will do, I texted back, feeling more determined than ever not to let Camden Atwood get the better of me.