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She had no right to care. But she did. And the thought that Courtney would touch Cam for any reason, at any time, in a sexual nature, had her seeing red.
“Ian, Cam, I think Jaci and I will retire to the suite for a while. A few drinks and a little girl talk, you know?” She moved from her husband, her long hair rippling around her, snug jeans and a silk T-shirt hugging her body.
Courtney was beautiful, sexy, alluring, and she knew it. She held her husband in the palm of her hand, if the look on his face was any indication. Had she held Cam as easily?
Jaci turned and looked up at him, seeing only amusement, fondness—but none of the heated lust she saw in his gaze when he looked at her. When he looked at her, there was concern, a hint of male confusion. Men were always confused when they didn’t get their way.
“Come along, my friend. ” Courtney patted her shoulder as she turned back to her. “I have wine and sweets. They go great together. ”
“They go straight to our hips,” Jaci muttered, as she pulled away from Cam and shot him a hard look. She had better not learn he had slept with Courtney.
He smiled in return, a male acknowledgment of her ire, but with a total lack of concern.
She was definitely going to stop liking him.
Cam turned and watched as Jaci and Courtney left the room. He waited until they disappeared from sight before wincing, or allowing a measure of worry to show in his expression.
Ian was watching the door thoughtfully.
“Tell me, Cam, did you explain any of the concepts of the club to our lovely designer?” he asked with the air of a man who already knew the answer.
“I kept it simple. ” Perhaps too simple, because it was evident by the look on her face that Jaci was suspicious that maybe Cam had shared Courtney and Ian’s bed as well.
Ian shook his head. “You know Courtney’s going to tell her everything. ”
“Better Courtney than me. ” He grunted. “Have you ever tried to explain anything to a woman that she just wasn’t willing to a
ccept?”
Cam had a feeling that Jaci wouldn’t completely understand the concepts of the club. It wasn’t what she expected, and it sure as hell wasn’t what she wanted to believe.
Ian laughed at his question. “Only every time I try to explain to Courtney why she isn’t allowed to enter the club. Let’s hope her friend isn’t nearly so stubborn. ” Ian clapped him on the shoulder as he moved through the doorway. “Come into the office, there’s a few things I need you to look over. ”
They moved from the solarium dining room before heading up the hall to Ian’s office. The offices were located farther along the residential wing, making them less accessible to guests or members—especially nosy members, such as Richard Roberts.
Congressman Roberts was a thorn in Ian’s side, and that was becoming more irritating over the past year. His wife had caught wind of the past gossip of the so-called “Trojans” club and had expended a great deal of effort in attempting to locate the club and the members. Evidently, she considered it her civic duty to reveal such depravity.
So far, any suspicion toward Ian and the little-known Sinclair club had been diverted, but several times Ian’s security had caught the congressman attempting to slip into the area with one excuse or another. Just as Annalee Roberts had attempted to subtly question Courtney and several other wives of suspected members. Thankfully, the gossip that had bloomed several years before had been downplayed and eventually drowned out. The wife of the member who had revealed the knowledge of it had learned exactly what she stood to lose, and rather than risking her place in society, she had simply divorced her husband.
Once Cam and Chase had completed the investigation into the incident, the person’s membership in the club had been revoked and his yearly security deposit forfeited. He was lucky he still had his job and his good name. The man had been a bastard.
“Roberts is making waves again,” Ian announced, as he closed the office door behind them. “Several club members have contacted me this morning with the information that he’s attempting to have Ms. Wright ostracized from the parties Courtney’s had her invited to. Are you any closer to finding out what the hell is going on there?”
Irritation echoed in Ian’s voice, glittered in his eyes.
Cam grimaced at the question. “She’s not talking, but I warned you she wouldn’t. No one else is talking, either. Evidently, she’s chosen her friends very wisely, or, as I suspect, she’s not told anyone what happened. ”
“Why? Her silence indicates guilt, Cam. She has an excellent reputation from that job on, but the rumor of attempted theft and an adulterous affair is making a few members rather nervous. ”
Cam shrugged. “They signed off on the project as well as the designer. They aren’t allowed to bitch. They had all the information, innuendoes, and accusations at that time. Getting nervous now isn’t acceptable. ”
Ian arched his brow. “We’re talking about the same members here, right? Just because they signed off on it doesn’t mean they aren’t going to bitch. Some of those men worry worse than women. ”
Cam’s lips quirked at the accusation.
“Has Roberts managed to have any of the invitations canceled?” Cam asked.
“Not yet. ” Ian moved across the room, his leanly muscled body tense with irritation. He moved behind his desk and threw himself into the expensive leather chair behind it, glowering back at Cam. “Roberts is pissing me off, Cam. I want to know why Ms. Wright has been targeted, so we can make moves to defend her position. Courtney’s worried, and when she’s worried she doesn’t sleep well. ”
