Serendipity (Inevitable) (31 page)

“How do you shut it off?”

Angela glanced up in surprise from her crème Brule, which she had actually finished, at Julia’s sad, slightly drunk question. She knew exactly what her friend meant.

“The hurt? The betrayal? The heartache?” At Julia’s nod, she licked her spoon. “By shutting down everything. I just don’t feel anything anymore. It’s the only way I’ve been able to deal. It was either that or just be drunk all the time.”

While Julia was getting ready for bed later that evening, Angela’s pragmatic words came back to her, and she knew she didn’t want to live that way. Unlike her friend, Julia wanted to feel, to enjoy life, and to be in a happy relationship. That Angela had been severely damaged was both obvious and tragic, and Julia vowed she’d never let a man have that much power over her.

It was good, therefore, she told herself firmly as she tried to fall asleep, that she was bringing Todd as her date next weekend. The time had come for her to move on and forget about Nathan. Oh, he might desire her but he wasn’t going to act upon that fact. And he certainly wasn’t going to end his engagement for – what for him, at least – was obviously just a bad case of lust. It was well past the time that she wrote Nathan Atwood off as a closed chapter in her life and started living again. And next Saturday night was going to be the perfect launching off point.

Nathan let himself into Cameron’s condo while the driver waited outside. He’d warned the driver that they might be a few minutes, and had received a knowing chuckle in response, with the driver lamenting the fact that his wife was always at least half an hour late for everything.

It had been Cameron’s idea almost a year ago to exchange keys to each other’s place. He’d been a little reluctant at first to hand over a key to his condo, but had relented after she’d persisted. It wasn’t that he didn’t like her having the key, or minded her being in his condo if he wasn’t there. But he had always been something of a private person, liking his own space, and his two-bedroom condo wasn’t exactly spacious. For whatever reason, he always felt a little hemmed in when Cam stayed over, though that likely was due to the fact that she was a huge slob. Evidence of her untidiness was apparent around her condo as he walked into the expansive living/dining area.

There were newspapers, books and files piled haphazardly on the coffee, entry and dining tables. Shoes, handbags, and coats were strewn around without a care. He knew if he walked into the kitchen there would be dirty dishes piled in the sink, and half-empty coffee mugs and takeout containers littering the counters.

Nathan shuddered as he imagined the utter chaos of her bedroom and bathroom, with clothing, shoes and accessories flung every which way in the bedroom, and cosmetics, hair products, wet towels and dirty laundry in complete disarray in the bath.

Fortunately for Cameron, she had a cleaning lady who came in once a week, and Nathan only hoped the poor woman was paid a handsome salary because she would sure as hell earn it cleaning this place. He couldn’t stand living or working in such a mess, one of the reasons he didn’t especially enjoy having Cameron stay over at his place very often. She had long ago started keeping some clothing and toiletries at his condo, a few too many for his preference, while he kept a bare minimum of stuff here at her place. Every time she stayed over at his home, there would be a huge mess to tidy up the next day, despite his frequent pleas to her to pick up. Cameron usually laughed it off, making fun of herself as a hopeless slob, and claiming that she was far too busy to pick up after herself on a regular basis.

It was yet another serious issue they were going to have to resolve very soon, and certainly before they began looking for somewhere else to live. Neither of their current places was large enough for both of them, especially given the complete and utter disaster that was Cameron’s closets. Both bedrooms at her place were spilling over with all of her shit, and there was no organization to either closet whatsoever. Nathan wouldn’t even be able to store a single pair of shoes in either one. That they needed a larger place was obvious, but the real dilemma was exactly where that place should be.

His own place in the south of Market area was three blocks from his office, and as a result he walked there most days. Cameron, on the other hand, lived high atop Nob Hill in the multi-million dollar unit her parents had purchased for her ten years ago, while her gallery was on Union Street. She either drove or took taxis to and from work every day. Understandably, both of them wanted to live as close as possible to their jobs, though Nathan at least was willing to compromise and find someplace halfway between. Cameron, however, was being stubborn and so far had only been willing to consider properties within a couple of miles of her gallery.

And Nathan hadn’t even begun to broach the topic of his Tiburon property with her, knowing the timing really wasn’t good right now. Three years ago, during a downturn in the real estate market, he’d bought a vacant lot with amazing waterfront views in the affluent Marin County community. He planned one day – hopefully soon – to finish designing and then building his dream home and living there full time. The weather was great, the community about as safe as possible, the schools highly rated for their future children. But he wasn’t convinced that he’d ever be able to persuade Cameron to live there, devoted city girl that she was.

‘One thing at a time,’ he told himself. ‘Let’s find a place to live in the city first.”

When Cameron didn’t emerge from her bedroom a couple of minutes after he arrived, he called out to her, “Hey, are you almost ready? The driver is waiting downstairs for us”.

He heard doors being slammed, and other commotion coming from the direction of her bedroom. “Oh, hey, babe. Didn’t hear you come in,” called Cameron. “Yeah, I’ll be out in a few. Sorry, running a little behind schedule.”

“As usual,” he muttered under his breath. Cam’s perpetual tardiness drove him nuts, and it went hand in hand with her sloppiness and general lack of organizational skills.

“Try to hurry, okay?” he admonished. “I’d like to get there before the cocktail hour is over this time.”

“Hah, ha, very funny!” she retorted. “I’m working on it, babe! Be patient.”

His comment hadn’t been an exaggeration, since they had arrived at last year’s Design Awards banquet just as people were sitting down to dinner. He had vowed that wouldn’t happen this year, and had even hired the town car to pick them up and drop them off so he wouldn’t have to hassle with parking and the extra time that would take. The hired car would also allow him to relax and have a few drinks without having to worry about driving home safely.

After nearly a fifteen minute wait, Cameron finally emerged from the bedroom, and he could only stare at her in mingled surprise and a feeling close to horror.

‘Holy shit,” he mumbled under his breath.

For the Cameron standing proudly before him, hand on one cocked hip, bore little resemblance to the classy, somewhat conservatively dressed woman he’d dated for over two years. She’d obviously been aiming for the total bombshell effect tonight, but somehow something had gone horribly wrong.

The most glaring change to her appearance was the long hair extensions that fell halfway down her back. They were stick straight, very blonde, and so obviously fake that she looked like she was wearing a bad wig.

The second, and almost equally glaring change, was the deep gold spray tan. Even her heavily made-up face – with the longest, thickest false eyelashes he’d ever seen up close – was darkly bronzed. Her lips looked fuller and poutier, her lipstick a screaming shade of crimson that matched the color on her long fingernails and the toenails that peeked out of sky high strappy gold shoes.

And a great deal of that fake-tanned skin was exposed by the short, tight, strapless red sequined dress she wore. Nathan’s eyes widened at the display of her cleavage over the low-cut top, and he wondered what sort of miracle bra she’d found to give her small A cup boobs the illusion of being C’s. The hem of the dress ended well up on the thigh, baring most of her long, skinny legs. Cameron typically never wore anything that bared so much of her legs and arms because of their extreme slenderness, but for some reason it was all on full display tonight.

She grinned as he continued to stare at her. “Surprised? I’ve spent something like four days getting ready for this dinner tonight, but I’d say it was well worth it, wouldn’t you?”

Nathan gave himself a mental shake, choosing his words carefully. “I barely recognized you. You look, um, so different.”

Cameron laughed and strode over to him, looping her arms around his neck and giving him a long, deep kiss that he accepted more than returned. Thankfully, she didn’t seem to notice his lack of response. “But don’t worry,” she murmured in his ear. “I waxed two days ago so it won’t interfere with our fun tonight.” She tugged at his earlobe with her teeth while sliding her palm to his crotch, stroking his non-existent erection. “Just so you know, I’m very, very horny. Hope you’re in the mood for some loud, raunchy fucking.”

Nathan was somewhat guiltily aware that he’d never felt less like having sex than he did right now. Not only did Cameron’s startling appearance repulse him, but there were a variety of scents clinging to her that were all co-mingling and producing a rather nauseating result – her heavy, musky perfume, the spray-on tan solution, some sort of hair gunk – perhaps whatever had been used to attach those ridiculous extensions.

When she realized after long seconds of rubbing his crotch that he didn’t have an erection, she frowned slightly and stepped back. “Everything okay?”

“Yes, just fine. But we should really get going. Do you have a coat?”

She giggled and ran her hands down the miniscule expanse of her dress. “Nope, what you see is what you get. It’s a nice night, and we have the car to take us both ways. I wouldn’t think you’d want me to cover all this up, babe.”

He gave her a forced smile. “You’re right. Come on, then. Careful in those shoes, you don’t usually wear such high heels.”

He didn’t mention that with the towering stilettos Cameron was now a bit taller than he was. He also didn’t dare mention that instead of looking like the sexy siren she undoubtedly believed herself to be that she more closely resembled a high class hooker. It was all just a little too much, especially the short, tight dress that was rather inappropriate for the awards dinner venue. But he knew if he even hinted at any of this that Cameron would be hurt or angry or both, and that his evening would be ruined before it even began.

So he kept his opinions to himself as he helped her inside the back seat of the town car. Her dress rode even further up her thighs, exposing her all the way to the crotch where he could see her red lace thong peeking out. He’d never really had the guts to tell her that he actually didn’t like it when she got one of her Brazilian waxes. He knew a lot of guys preferred it when their women waxed off all their pubic hair, but he was just the opposite. He was fairly certain the main reason Cameron waxed regularly was so he wouldn’t suspect she wasn’t a natural blonde, something he had been well aware of since meeting her.

She seemed especially amorous tonight, sitting so close beside him she was practically in his lap. She continued to run her hand up and down the length of his thigh, her fingers teasingly brushing against his crotch. With the other hand she pressed his arm against her small breast. Nathan felt guilty again, knowing that between their hectic work schedules and his own odd ennui lately, that it had been more than two weeks since they’d slept together. And that had been a quick, hurried encounter that he’d been half afraid he wouldn’t even be able to finish given his lack of arousal.

“I am
sooo
looking forward to tonight,” she whispered sensuously in his ear. “Maybe we can cut out of the dinner a little early to get started on the night’s real festivities.” She cupped his crotch, fondling him through his trousers. “Unless you want to have a quickie right now,” she suggested naughtily.

Nathan was uncomfortably aware that he wasn’t even the least bit hard, and was desperately trying to think up a reason why when he was saved by the trilling of Cameron’s cell phone. She grabbed it out of her bag somewhat impatiently, but her eyes lit up when she saw who the caller was.

“Damn. Sorry, babe, this is an artist I’ve been trying to get a hold of for a week now. I need to take this.”

He was relieved when she moved slightly away from him to take the call, and even more so when the call didn’t end until the driver pulled up outside of the hotel. The pre-dinner cocktail party was in full swing when they arrived, though Nathan was relieved to see they still had a half hour or so until dinner. In addition to his co-workers and staff present tonight, there were bound to be several friends and acquaintances he knew. After ordering his usual scotch on the rocks and a dirty martini for Cameron, he was tapped on the shoulder. Spinning around, he grinned to see Ryan Latimer standing there, accompanied by his very pregnant wife Sophie.

The two men exchanged a quick hug, and Nathan bent to kiss Sophie’s cheek while Ryan did the same to Cameron. He and Ryan had been classmates at Berkeley, and kept in frequent touch despite the fact that Ryan worked for one of Atwood Headley’s chief competitors.