AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Still, I wheedle. ‘As much as I love the sex toys?’ I lick my lips and watch the flare of heat in his eyes with satisfaction.
Such a low blow...
He laughs and looks down at my outfit: a sharp business skirt and a silk blouse. ‘I can’t promise that. But you might want to change into something more casual.’
Defeated for now, I change, choosing my favourite pair of soft denim jeans and a simple white T-shirt for any eventuality, trying to embrace the surprise Cam has arranged.
With my phone calls made, my meeting rescheduled for seven the following morning, we leave the hotel hand in hand. I’m eager to get whatever this is over with so I can persuade Cam out of his clothes, and Cam is just plain eager, because he knows where we’re going and, to him, life seems to be one big adventure.
When we approach a covered truck instead of the sleek sports car I’d been expecting, I skid to a halt. ‘We’re going in this?’
He said we had a delivery to make, but I was expecting...well, I don’t know what I expected. Nothing Cam does is expected.
Cam nods, climbing up on the footrests to open the passenger door for me.
‘Can you drive this?’ I hide the scepticism from my face, certain he’ll surprise me with his answer.
‘Of course. I’m a jack-of-all-trades.’ He winks. ‘Come on, up you go.’ He guides me up into the cab, his hands helpfully shoving me in by the backside so my core clenches and I can’t wait to get whatever diversion Cam has planned out of the way and head back to the hotel so he can make it up to me, as he promised.
When he’s sitting beside me, his big hands expertly wielding the power-assisted steering to direct us on our way, I ask, ‘So where are we going?’ It’s certainly not lunch on the shores of Lake Zurich or a boat cruise, otherwise why would we need the delivery truck?
‘I want to make a donation. A personal delivery to some very deserving recipients. I thought you might enjoy helping.’ He looks over to gauge my reaction. ‘Don’t worry, I promise I’ll make it up to you later—those toys won’t be staying in the box.’ He chuckles at my obvious exasperation, so I shove him in the shoulder and then slide my hand over his thigh, grinning. His excitement is palpable, infectious, so I almost don’t mind that we’re not back in the hotel room trying out his gifts, and now I get my wish to play Santa with him. I can be his naughty elf...
I’m still none the wiser as to our destination, but I’ve learned that Cam can be bull-headed, so I let it drop—I’ll find out soon enough.
‘You know the M Club organises many charitable events throughout the year, right?’ I say. ‘There are plenty of opportunities to make sizeable donations. That’s one of the beauties of membership, and it’s what I do.’ His extravagance shows no signs of letting up; in fact, he seems to go out of his way to best himself day by day. He said his inheritance was obscene, and, short of giving it all away, he seems at a loss to know what to do with his newfound wealth.
He nods, his mouth tight, which tells me it’s something of a touchy subject. ‘I know. I already give as much as I can, but this donation is a little more personal—you’ll see.’
We pass the rest of the journey in companionable silence, which is laced with curiosity on my part and what looks like knowing glee on Cam’s. My mind wanders back to my cancelled meeting with my Zurich team. I have hordes of peo
ple I delegate the small things to, but I’ve never fully let go of the reins and simply watched the profits come rolling in. I’m not built that way. I’m too much of a control freak, as Cam pointed out.
I check my phone, pulling up my itinerary for my time in Dubai, which is where Cam and I are heading after Zurich. It’s a packed week—after London, Dubai is my second largest office, my clients among some of the wealthiest people on the planet, but even so, Cam’s filled all the gaps with ‘must do’ activities—dinner in the tallest building in the world, an Arabian Desert safari, our own private yacht tour of Dubai Creek.
My head spins, already exhausted. But I promised him. Perhaps this is his first world trip.
‘Have you ever been to Zurich before?’ I brush a speck of lint off my jeans, keeping my tone light and conversational rather than nosy and intrusive.
He shakes his head. ‘Until I left Sydney for Monaco, the furthest I’d been was New Zealand.’
‘So you’ve never been to Dubai either?’ No wonder he wants to cram in as many tourist attractions as he can, although surely he can return any time he wants.
‘No. Construction isn’t the best paid work in the world, but I had a comfortable life.’
‘Why not go back to your job, if you love it so much?’ My scalp crawls—if someone told me I couldn’t do my job, I’d be lost. Perhaps that’s why he’s struggling with his inheritance. But just because he never needs to work again, it doesn’t mean he can’t do what he loves. I do.
‘My boss looked relieved when I told him I wanted to take some unpaid leave. I think the company is struggling. And in theory, I no longer need the work.’
‘In theory?’ My probing is hesitant because I’m in the same position. I choose to work, because I love it. It’s my life. It’s what I’m good at.
‘It’s complicated.’ He keeps his eyes on the road, but his jaw is bunched, telling me he doesn’t want to elaborate. I’ve already suggested financial advice, so I don’t repeat the offer. But I want to help him.
The questions I want to ask clog my throat, because he’s hinted that he hasn’t always known modest or even comfortable wealth. That perhaps he has more in common with the boy at the music store than he does with me or any other M Club member; that none of this, the luxury, the charitable donations, the escapist hedonism comes naturally to him.
After ten minutes, he pulls the truck to a halt. I look out but all I can see is what appears to be an animal-welfare facility—not that my German is very good, but the logo of a cat and dog give it away. I’m even more confused, but Cam’s already hopped out of the vehicle to open my door. I slide from my seat in the cab and he helps me down, his lips still tight. At least the haunted look has disappeared from his eyes.
I follow him to the back of the truck. ‘Where are we?’
