“Thanks, I will. We’ll see you tomorrow.”
He ends the call and without saying a word, kisses me fiercely. His hands pull at my hair, his teeth bite my lips and my tongue. He breaks away, puts his hands under my bum cheeks and lifts me, walking us both over to the rug. He pulls out as he lays me down and then slides back in, melding his body to mine. He hasn’t said a word, but his eyes seem to be trying to convey something.
“I love you,” he says very quietly and kisses me gently before I can reply. He crushes me to him and holds me tight. “Fuck, I love you, Kitten.” He keeps holding me tight, he doesn’t move, doesn’t let me go; he just holds me. “We’re doing this. Me and you, we’re finally getting our story. It’s finally our time.” I push him away slightly so I can see his face.
“What are you talking about? Who was on the phone?”
He gives his head a little shake as he looks at me. “We just bought ourselves a house, Kitten, me and you, mine and yours.”
“Oh, my God, seriously, they accepted our offer?”
He nods. “Yeah, eventually.”
I frown as I ask, “What do you mean ‘eventually’? We only put in an offer at lunchtime.”
He looks to the side of me, avoiding my gaze. “Yeah, they came back with a ‘no’ while you were tasting wine so I made a few calls, put out some feelers.” He winks at me.
“What did you do?” He rolls his eyes. “Don’t roll your eyes at me, Cameron King. What did you do?” I push him further away so I can get a good look at his face. He looks as guilty as my brothers when I used to walk into their bedrooms and find them with a wank mag.
“It wasn’t… I didn’t.”
“Cam?”
“I got your dad and Bailey to find out who owned the place.” He looks at me, then looks at whatever it is he’s suddenly found so interesting on the rug beside my head. “Turns out we know him.” His eyes meet mine again. “He owes us a few favours from way back and it turns out, a lot of money to a few people we know.”
“So what does that mean?” I’m covered in goose bumps now and it’s got nothing to do with the fact Cam’s inside me and I’m desperate for an orgasm.
“It means your dad and Bailey convinced him they could take care of his debts and he could let us have the house at the price we offered.”
“We offered the asking price. Why would he suddenly want more?” His eyes move to what I can only imagine to be a miniature stripper with her legs wide open or a game of football between ants going on beside my head; sex and football are generally the only two things that ever capture Cam’s attention like this. Unless, of course he’s just trying to avoid my gaze.
“Well, no, we didn’t, exactly.” His eyes are back on mine. “When you used the toilet at the house, I told Vera to offer two hundred and fifty grand less than the asking price. I thought it would be worth a try.” Well, this is news to me and I’m not sure how I feel about it. This is our house, our home, a joint venture and already he’s making decisions without me.
“You never told me that.”
“No, I know I didn’t. I thought it would be worth a try, and if it saved us some money then I could surprise you with the news later. If they said yes… accepted the offer…” he trails off. He knows full well I’m not buying into his bullshit.
Cam is like Dad. He wheels and deals at any opportunity. I’ve seen my dad in action first hand and I’ve heard Cam on the phone all week. It’s in their nature. It’s just the way they do business and I really don’t have a problem with that. I did it myself when I was hands on at Posh Frocks and I’ve used what I learnt from Dad when I’ve been trying to get individuals and businesses to donate to my charity work. What I don’t like, though, is the fact he went behind my back.
“You went behind my back and offered less than the asking price so you could check out who owned the house and see what you could dig up on them. Get off me.”
“What?”
“You heard what I said. Don’t say ‘what’, so I repeat myself and give you time to think of some bullshit excuse. Now get the fuck off me.” He rolls onto his back and I sit up.
“I don’t understand why you’ve got the hump.” I look at him with raised eyebrows and reach to the side of the sofa and pull the big thick fur throw over myself.
“I’ve got the hump because you went behind my back, Cam. I spent the last two years of my marriage weighed down by the guilt of what you and I did behind my husband’s back. I don’t want that for us. I don’t want lies or secrets.” I let out a long breath. “I’m a big grown up girl. I’ve lived a life. I don’t need protecting from your dodgy dealings.” He sits up, moves closer to me and pulls the throw over his lap, obviously feeling at a disadvantage sitting and arguing with me while naked and at half-mast.
“My dealings aren’t dodgy.” I look at him and roll my eyes. I’d heard him on the phone just yesterday negotiating a price on a whole container load of Wild Turkey, Rare Breed Bourbon, so I know that’s not true.
“So the container that arrives in Tilbury next Thursday is all legal and above board is it?”
“Well, no, I mean. How’d you know about that?” he asks with a frown.
“Doesn’t matter how I know, Cam. I know. I’m not stupid, and you don’t have the quietest of voices.” He crawls over, rests his back against the sofa and pulls me into his lap.
“Sometimes a deal comes along that’s too good to turn down, but mostly, everything I do is legit. I’m sorry I went behind your back. I honestly didn’t see it that way, but I’m sorry I didn’t try and see it how you would.” He tilts his head so he can see my face. “This is all new ground for me, Kitten. I’m forty-two, and despite being married before, I’ve never shared my life with anyone. I’ve never taken anyone else and their feelings into consideration. I’ve never been in love, except with you and just as I was starting to get used to the concept back then, you fucking left me, so give me a break here, will ya.”
“Did anyone get hurt?”
“What? What are you talking about?” He frowns even more as he asks the question, causing a deep ridge between his eyebrows.
“Did my dad, my brother or my live-in lover, arrange for anyone to get hurt so we can buy that house at a ridiculously reduced price?” He lets out a huff, like it’s an incomprehensible notion. I know different.
“No, Kitten, no one got hurt or was threatened with… Well, no, it’s like this…”
“Did anyone get hurt, Cam? Just answer me.”
“No, no one got hurt. Trever Blows, the bloke who owns the house, is in debt up to his eyeballs. The people he owes money to are associates of mine and of your family. Trevor owes about three hundred grand. We offered the people he owes a hundred K to clear the debt; they accepted. The rest is just what they added on as interest. Trevor lets us buy the house for two hundred and fifty less than he’s asking because he thinks he’s saving his self fifty grand as he owes three hundred. Are you following?” Barely, but I’m not going to let him know that so I nod. “He’s happy. We’re happy. Everyone’s happy. No one gets hurt and we get a house for a hundred and fifty grand below market value.”
I’m silent for a few moments as I try to work all of that out.
“Don’t lie or go behind my back again.”
“I won’t. I promise. Now come here and fuck me.”
So I do.
Chapter Twenty-Five
My brother’s house is spectacular. It’s the kind of house when you’re little and you imagine being rich and living in your dream house, this would be it.
I don’t know what Lennon is actually worth these days, but it’s a lot. From his days of being the only one with a licence and in charge of the van he drove Carnage around in, he had gone on to become their manager and then to setting up his own agency, which now represented musicians, actors, models and sports stars. He had invested his money wisely, executively producing up and coming bands that had gone on to make it big and also a number of films that had been hugely successful.