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He pulled his phone from his pocket, handed it to me, and I put in my new number.
“There. Now you have my number. I will be expecting a call or text from you very soon.” I grinned.
“Believe me, Camille, you will be hearing from me.”
“Thank you for a wonderful evening and making me forget that I was stood up.”
“It was my pleasure. Can I take you home?”
I placed my hand on his chest.
“Thank you, but I can get home just fine. Have a good night, Marcel.”
“You too.”
I let out a deep breath as a smile crossed my lips and I left The Plaza.
When I arrived home, I kicked off my shoes, went into the bathroom to take off my disguise, and climbed into bed. As I lay there, thoughts of Gabriel washed over me. The hurt and the pain I tried to bury crept up inside me. I had spent my entire life feeling lonely, but this was the loneliest I’d ever felt. As I closed my eyes, my phone dinged. I reached over and took it from my nightstand and saw there was a text message from Marcel.
“I can’t stop thinking about you and would love to take you to dinner tomorrow evening.”
“I would love to have dinner with you.”
“Excellent. I can pick you up around seven o’clock.”
“Name the restaurant and I’ll meet you there. I have a meeting with a client at six, but it won’t take long.”
“Very well. I’ll text you the place and the address tomorrow. Good night, Camille.”
“Good night, Marcel.”
Now I had to figure out a way to get out of sleeping with him, because a man like him wasn’t going to be patient very long. I needed to find out the information I was looking for quickly. My time limit was one week. The faster I got this done, the sooner I could move.
The next morning, I went out, bought a label gun, and made a new label with the name “Chamberlin” on it to replace my name under my apartment number outside the doors of the building. There was no use lying to Marcel about where I lived because once all was said and done, I’d be gone anyway.
* * *
Five Days Later
Things with Marcel were hitting an all-time high. He was in love with me and sent me a bouquet of fresh roses every day since the night we met. We spent every evening together. Going on walks through Central Park, having dinner at the finest restaurants, and having drinks back at his penthouse while we played chess. My period. That was my excuse for not jumping into bed with him. The first couple of dates, I explained that I wasn’t that kind of girl and I needed to truly know someone before I slept with them. He understood and respected me for it. Date three, I played it out as if I was ready. I even made the first move. As we were making out and I was trying not to gag, I excused myself to the restroom and, when I came out, I told him that I had just started my period. I explained that it came out of nowhere and how bad it was, and I needed to go home. He was disappointed, but I promised to make it up to him. Date four was spent at my place, having dinner in and talking for hours. I knew more than I wanted to about him. I didn’t care. He repulsed me as much as I repulsed myself because what he did wasn’t any different from all the things I had done. This was my chance to make things right in my life. To sort of make up for all the bad things I had done to the men I conned. To make things right for Gabriel. Even though the two of us could never be what we once were, I couldn’t stand by and let Marcel rip him off. In the end, doing this was the right thing for both of us.
Chapter 35
Kate
Date five. The Friends of New Yorkers for Children Annual Ball, which was held at the Mandarin Oriental. The same hotel where Gabriel first saw me after we parted ways at JFK. I put on my face and my wig and slipped into a Roland Mouret strapless two-tone peplum evening gown in cream and black. The gown was gorgeous with its double-face silk satin, asymmetric neckline, fitted bodice, and peplum waist. Compliments of Mr. Thaddeus Wilson and the one credit card he forgot to cancel.
“You look absolutely stunning.” Marcel smiled and kissed my cheek.
“Thank you. So do you.” I flashed my sexy smile.
He took hold of my hand, led me to his limo, and it was off to the ball we went. The Mandarin was filled with socialites. We mingled amongst the wealthy and Marcel introduced me as his girlfriend. Shit was getting real and I needed to move fast. We headed to the bar after having a glass of champagne upon walking through the doors and Marcel ordered me a cosmopolitan. As I waited for my drink, I looked around the room and my eyes locked with Gabriel’s.Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!I didn’t expect to see him here. My heart started racing and, suddenly, I became nervous. I needed to hold my composure, for I couldn’t risk him finding out it was me.Shit.He’d know. As long as I didn’t smile, I’d be okay. I thought. He walked away from the bar. I let out the deep breath I was holding. Marcel turned around and handed me my drink.
“One cosmopolitan for the most beautiful woman in the room.” He smiled.
“Thank you.”
He held out his arm and I placed mine around it as we walked to our table and took a seat. As I sipped my cosmopolitan, Gabriel sat down across from us.
