AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Did he say ‘mud’?
Haversmith winked at Cammie. “Gets into all the crevasses and creases, if you know what I mean.”
“I’ve heard good things about mud baths.” Cammie maintained eye contact with Haversmith, a saccharine smile plastered on her face, the clearest ‘fuck you’ Zane had ever seen. “Thank you, Mr. Haversmith, you’re very generous.”
“Psh! What’s five grand?” He grinned. “You kids have fun.”
So patronizing.
“We certainly will!” Cammie clenched the chip, holding it up like a prize before turning with Zane toward the exit.
To anyone watching, it would look like Zane was leading Cammie out of the card room, but she was the one with a death grip on his hand that was draped over her shoulder, tugging him to keep up with her quick steps.
The smile was gone from her lips and her eyes darted this way and that as she scanned the area ahead of them.
Apparently spotting what she was looking for, Cammie steered them to the side then dropped the five-thousand-dollar chip onto a passing waitress’s tray. The waitress didn’t even notice. That’s how smooth Cammie was.
Now, that’s how to make a statement.
Zane’s chest filled with pride that Cammie would so casually discard that much gifted money from a man like Haversmith. The millionaire was definitely the sort of guy who thought he owned people and bought his way into and out of situations to his liking. Cammie was clearly the sort of woman who couldn’t be bought.
“Thanks for the rescue,” Cammie said without disentangling herself from Zane as they made their way out of the casino and through the atrium once again. “You hungry? I’m famished. Let’s check out the food.”
There were a lot of dining choices on board the cruise, aside from the main dining hall where most of the more formal lunches and dinners happened. Cammie guided them to a smoked meat bistro that had caught Zane’s eye already, and he marveled at Cammie’s ability to read his mind and his stomach. The bistro had one table for two left.
Meant to be.
“I’m a huge fan of smoked ribs,” she said with a wide grin. “I could eat my weight in pork when it’s done right.”
Zane patted his belly. “I’m with you there. I could eat my weight in most kinds of meat, if I’m going to be honest.” Zane was the first to admit that his love of food exceeded his love of exercise. He had a cushion on his body that he could probably starve away, but he’d never been one for diets. He usually kept up an intense interval workout schedule so that he could eat the way he liked, but over the last year he’d slacked a bit—a lot. One too many late-night stakeouts in his car with only fast food as his company and no workouts for months.
Cammie laughed in a knowing way. “I do enjoy big men with healthy appetites.”
“Lucky me.” Zane winked. He’d always been drawn to bigger woman as well, and Cammie, with all her curves, fit the bill perfectly. The fact that she was enthusiastic about smoked meat only made her that much more appealing. “So, how do you know Haversmith?”
Cammie rolled her eyes. “I was scouting some men for work and had the pleasure of meeting Bill during the mixer. Actually, just before I met you.”
“Scouting men for work, eh? Sounds naughty.” Zane already knew that Cammie worked for Cowan Enterprises as a personal assistant to the CEO Sabine Cowan, and he knew that her boss’s business was rooted in the sex industry. He didn’t need a background check to get that information. Everyone, every man, knew who the Kitty Cats were, and Zane was intimately familiar with several of the Kitty Cat clubs in New York.
“Not like that,” she laughed. “We have a Gentlemen’s Club for…well…stinking rich men. Haversmith seemed like a good candidate.”
“Oh yeah, I’d say. The man does love women.” And money.And exploiting women with his money. In the research Zane had already done, Bill Haversmith had quite a few scandals come his way over the years, all which had involved female staff who’d claimed mistreatment, sexual harassment and bullying—that kind of thing. All allegations were never proven and seemed to just disappear, never to be spoken of again. Zane would bet they’d been bought off, likely intimidated into staying quiet. “He has a reputation for being a pig. Not sure that’s what you want in your Gentlemen’s Club.”
“Our security team always does a thorough background check before we let anyone buy into the club, but thanks for the tip.” They both knew she’d already experienced Haversmith’s pushiness. “If we did let him in, it would be at a premium price, but really I’d like to erase Bill from my memory completely if I could.”
“Are you two ready to order?” The waiter popped up next to them like a specter out of thin air.
Cammie jolted and gasped. “Oh gosh, you startled me!”
Zane found her jumpiness to be endearing, which made him pause. He wasn’t one to seek out the company of others and yet he found spending time with Cammie was quickly becoming one of his favorite things to do.
“I’m ready. You?” Cammie plucked him out of his head with a snap of their shared menu.
“Hell yes.” Zane pointed at the menu then paused. “You have a notepad? This is going to be a big order.”
They both ordered more food than they would probably finish, but everything sounded so enticing that Zane couldn’t help himself—and apparently neither could Cammie. He appreciated a woman who could eat him under the table. It actually had felt like a kindred soul moment when Cammie had rattled off the list of meat as well as an impressive amount of carbs she wanted to try.
“Tell me something that no one really knows about you that might surprise me.” Cammie’s eyes sparkled mischievously.
