AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“There is no ‘my side of the story,’” she finally answered. She had learned that early on. The Robertses had struck first, and they had struck hard. Anything she had said or done would have lashed back at her as a lie.
“Do you remember the night I told you I would kill over you?” he asked her, his voice so dangerously soft that it was almost terrifying.
“He hasn’t hurt me,” she said stiffly. “And after last night, you have no right to these questions. ”
“Then what do you call it, if destroying your reputation isn’t hurting you?” His head tilted to the side, the sunlight falling through the windows behind him caressing the raven black hair that framed his savage features. “And, sweetheart, I hate to tell you, but last night only made certain that that bastard has to deal with me. No one strikes out at what belongs to me. ”
“He’s an irritant. Nothing more. Now, I really need to leave, before I have to swallow any more of this ‘belonging to you’ crap. Because, trust me, belonging to you would really make me homicidal now. ”
The look he gave her was rife with irritation. “You’re as stubborn as you ever were. ”
“And you’re just as arrogant. ”
He grunted at that. “Ian didn’t fire you. ”
“Sounded to me like an invitation to walk. ” She cocked her hip and glared back at him.
“It was an invitation to accept a helping hand. ” He sighed. “We can help you with the Robertses, if you can explain the situation.
”
She stared back at him silently. Oh yeah, she was just going to “explain” the whole sordid episode and watch him gut the congressman. Sorry, but the thought of blood spilling just made her ill. It might have been seven years, but Cam was the type of man who never forgot a promise. Or a warning.
He shook his head at her continued silence. “This job entails quite a few secrets that you’ll be privy to,” he finally stated. “It’s yours if you want it, but only after you understand exactly what goes on here. ” He rose from the desk and moved behind it.
Lifting a folder, he slid it across the desk. “Read these, sign them, then we’ll talk. ”
She stared back at him silently, aching. Where was the man who had kissed her? Who had knelt in front of her and given her the greatest pleasure she had ever known in her life?
She moved slowly to the desk, picked up the folder, and opened it. As she read, she frowned in confusion.
“A confidentiality agreement?”
Of sorts.
Cameron nodded. “Before you sign, know this: What you’re facing if you talk isn’t a court battle or a prison sentence. It’s hell, like the Robertses could never imagine visiting on you. You, your family, every friend you have or could make in your lifetime, will be subject to the same hell. The people you’re facing are lawyers, doctors, senators, and military personnel. They’re members of organizations that run everything from NASA to the welfare system and beyond, in every nation of the world. ”
She raised her gaze slowly. “Is that a threat of some sort, Cam?”
“It’s a promise. ” He inclined his head coolly. “There are no state secrets, no national threats involved, but members of the club are from all sections of state and federal, and private enterprise. There are approximately five hundred members to date, though only a small percentage are here at any one time. You may at any time see those members. It’s our job to ensure their privacy, as well as their security here within the mansion. ”
Her brows lifted. The agreement was that she understood the repercussions of divulging any information learned about the club and its membership, and that the repercussions would be harsh.
Her understanding was that she had the option of leaving, or accepting the position, with a full comprehension of those repercussions. In the statement, she would sign that she understood that the information wasn’t illegal, nor involved any information of state or national concern.
“If it’s not illegal, then what is it?”
“Sign the papers. ” He nodded to the file. “You can still walk out once you sign, but the job isn’t yours until you have a complete understanding of the confidentiality required, and the punishment inherent in breaking it. ”
It was simple enough. Clearly stated. She laid the file on the desk, accepted the pen, and signed it quickly, before pushing it back to him.
“Now, what’s so damned important about your precious club?”
“It’s a club for men who share their women. Their wives and lovers. A safe, protected group of men from which to choose the third in their bed and to ensure the secrecy of it. The club is a ménage club, Jaci, and it’s existed for two centuries without detection. Now, are you taking the job or walking out?”
She stared back at him in disbelief.
“You’re lying. ” She couldn’t come up with any other response. The idea that any such club could exist without the newspapers and gossip rags getting hold of it was ludicrous.
