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"Promise."
She ends the call with a slew of kisses, and I return to Hester Prynne's shame.
Which is always better than thinking about mine.
I’m about halfway throughThe Scarlett Letterwhen my phone beeps. My notifications are set to only alert me of texts, ignoring the various social apps, and not many people have my actual number. Most of my messages tend to be from either Erica or Willow these days.
Grateful for the interruption to the tedious reread, I check my phone.
My eyes widen when I take in a name that most definitely wasn’t in my contacts on my old phone.
Cam: Think about striking a deal, princess. I can make your life a lot easier. And let’s face it: you’ll enjoy paying the price.
I stare at the message, open-mouthed.
His unapologetically lewd proposition ought to just piss me off, but he’s not here, with all his swagger and smug smirks. My usual instinct is to lash out, insult him and tell him to stay the fuck away, but here, in the safety of my room? I don’t just want him gone. I want topunishhim.
I lie back down on my pillow and bring the camera to my face, imitating one of the poses I’ve seen Lola do a hundred times—lips parted, my finger between my teeth. I crop the selfie, to focus it on my lip, only showing a tiny hint of my torso. I’m wearing a stripy shirt, but from this angle, I can’t see any fabric.I look naked. Feeling positively wicked, I send it to him.
Me: Let me think…
Me: No. Not even in your dreams. Fuck you very much, asshole.
He attempts to call almost immediately.
Yeah, right.
I’m giddy when I set the phone aside.
I controlled this interaction, taking it exactly as far as I was comfortable with, and shutting it down when he tried to take over. He’llhatethis. He’ll hate that he can’t push back, demand to see more.
I’ve never been one to use feminine wiles as a weapon, but I’ve seen both of my best friends doing it, so I know how to.
He was always able to make me feel whatever he wanted me to feel on his terms. Now it’s my turn.
For the first time in our acquaintance, I won this round against Camden Hunt.
ChapterTwenty
I never minded my duties until today, but the timing’s seriously pissing me off.
I had to be in New York for most of the week for business meetings. Now I’m back, I should be in LA, pushing Morgan until she gives into me. Unfortunately, the end of the summer is making all of my friends act like fucking morons. It’s the third fire I’ve had to put out this week.
This particular fire is steaming hot, so Morgan, her long, tanned legs, her perky tits, and her gorgeous gray eyes will have to wait.
I still can’t believe she sent me that picture, voluntarily provoking me.
She wants me. She wants what I have to offer. She’s just fighting nineteen years of conditioning telling her all of that is wrong. And maybe she’s also making me pay for what I had to do to her in June, but I feel like that’s the least of her issues with me. She knows I come with all manner of perversions, and she’s scared ofthose, not me. I need her to take a step into my world and realize how much more colorful it is. Some people are made to stick to the bull Hollywood’s selling: the whole nine yards, weekly barbecue, missionary sex, bullshit that makes me want to puke. Morgan proved to me she isn’t one of them that night. I need to hold the mirror to her face and makeherrealize what she wants—what she’s made of.
Wishing I didn’t have to clean up another Heritage mess in the middle of the night, I walk into the hotel suite and take in the chaos—torn curtains, shards of glass on the floor, a tray of food knocked over.
I fucking hope the broken Ming vase is a fake, otherwise the board is going to be pissed. It’d be the second one we’d have to replace in as many months. Between Jade’s drug use, the incident with David’s hookers, and Olivia’s stabbing fest, this summer was particularly expensive. Aryan’s videos, while the most problematic issue, was also the cheapest, as paying off Morgan hadn’t been necessary.
I retrieve a champagne bucket full of icy water from the floor, and make my way to the master bedroom.
Nate’s snoring in the middle of a king-size bed, two naked girls on either side of him.
I hurl the contents of the bucket at him, waking up the party with a start. The girls squeal and giggle when they take me in.
