Page 82 of Effortless

“But I haven’t.” Camilla shrugged. “Been with someone, I mean. Blame it on being busy, or not having any interest.”

“Or you could blame it on me.”

Camilla sucked air through her teeth, nodding. “Yeah, we could do that, too.”

“How’s school?”

“That really what you want to talk about?”

Tom smirked. “I want to talk about anything that has to do with you, Camilla.”

“That so?”

“Yep.”

“You still didn’t tell me how long you’re staying this time,” she said.

Because he still didn’t know.

Tom got three uninterrupted, perfect days with Camilla before he finally got a phone call from Chicago. Well, his father, actually. His gaze drifted over Camilla’s sleeping form as he picked up the call from Tommas.

“Hello?”

“Where are you?” his father demanded.

Tom let his fingertips drift over Camilla’s naked shoulder. She didn’t stir beneath the soft beige sheets keeping her covered.

“Why?” Tom asked. “Did you need something from me?”

“Yes, Tommaso, for you to be in Chicago.”

“Figured out I was gone, huh?”

“Nice try on telling Adriano you needed a couple of days to clear your head,” his father said, “but it didn’t take a genius to figure out you left the city when I couldn’t get ahold of you.”

“I did need to clear my head.”

“You didn’t say you were leaving the city, son!”

Tom sighed, and scrubbed a hand down his unshaven jaw. “Everything on my end was handled. The crew is taken care of. There’s no reason why I couldn’t take a couple of days to relax or—”

“Because you didn’t think to talk to me, Tommaso. That’s why it’s unacceptable. You have responsibilities here, and you know that. A crew to manage—your crew, not someone else’s. You have duties to take care of, and not pass onto someone else. How can I reasonably believe you’re anywhere near ready to move up in the business when you pull stunts like this?”

“It’s not a stunt. I had other things I wanted to deal with.”

Like Camilla.

And whatever they were.

Tom didn’t tell his father that, though.

“You need to come back to Chicago.”

“Dad—”

“That was not a request, Tommaso.”

“To what, Dad? Run a crew I would rather not? Deal with men who behave like children and think I’m too young to be where I am? Handle a part of the business that you know I’ve never had any interest in? I needed a couple of fucking days to recharge, and then get back at the shit you wanted me to do.”