Society Girls: Camari Read online

  “Are you hungry?” I ask, trying again.

  “Not really,” she says, looking at the food truck in the parking lot like it’s going to murder her.

  “The truck’s really good, and they have healthy stuff, too.”

  “Really?”

  “Yep.”

  “Can we look? I mean, do you have time before the game?”

  “I have five minutes, which will give us time for you to order, and me to pay.”

  “Oh! You don’t have to pay for me.”

  “I want to, okay? I know I said this wasn’t a date, but I’d like it to be more than just two neighbors hanging out. I’d also like to take you on a real date,” I admit as I walk her over to Curbside Café.

  “Okay.”

  “Cool,” I tell her, and turn to greet Doug, when we arrive at his truck. “Hey, Doug, how’s it going.”

  “Always busy.”

  “Good to hear. This is my friend, Camari.”

  “It’s nice to meet you,” she says. “Lennon said you have healthy food, and I was wondering if that included salad.”

  “Sure, we have Chicken Caesar, Mediterranean, or Chef.”

  “The Caesar sounds great with a water please.”

  I guess I’m not going to get much from her meal tonight, and I’m a little surprised she didn’t go for the Mediterranean salad. She’s got an exotic look to her, along with olive skin, and I thought her heritage might be Greek. Goes to show, I shouldn’t be judging her by her looks. I know I shouldn’t, but I still did.

  “That’s all you want?” I ask, hoping to get some other food ideas.

  Her face falls for a moment, but she quickly smiles again. “Yes, thank you.”

  “Did I do something wrong?”

  “What? No.”

  I don’t have time to press her right now, so I just go along with the lie she’s selling me, and pay for her salad. “I’ve got to get over there to the field. I’m not sure what side we’re on yet, but you can sit wherever you want, anyway.”

  “Have a good game.”

  “I will.”

  I physically leave her behind, but she’s on my mind as I warm up. I’m a naturally curious person, which makes my job perfect for me, but I can’t figure Camari out. She’s beautiful, if a little too thin for my taste, and I can tell she’s intelligent as well. I’ve never seen her be anything but nice to everyone she interacts with, but there’s just something about her that’s making me question everything she’s said to me. I can’t put my finger on exactly what it is, but it’s there nonetheless.

  Camari

  I figure out which side Lennon’s team is on, and take a seat about halfway up the bleachers. This is all so far out of my comfort zone, I’m surprised I’m not in the nearest bathroom throwing up. I open my salad, and set the dressing to the side before digging in.

  “Who are you?” I hear as I’m bent over, taking my first bite.

  I chew slowly, and sit up. “Excuse me?” I ask the two women in front of me. I recognize one from meeting her outside when she left Lennon’s house a couple of weeks ago, but I’ve never seen the other one.

  “Oh! You’re Lenny’s neighbor!”

  “Yes.”

  “We met after I spent the night with him.”

  “I remember.”

  “I told her you weren’t with Lenny. I mean, no one’s with him for more than a night here and there, but she was worried,” the woman tells me, motioning to her friend, who’s smirking at me now.

  “Okay.”

  “You’re definitely not his type, but I saw you get out of his truck.”

  “Yes.”

  I don’t say anything else, because I don’t even know their names. The silence sits awkwardly between us, until the first woman speaks again.

  “We’re going to go back, and sit with our friends.”

  “Bye.”

  I watch them walk down, and join a group of other women, who are dressed almost exactly like they are. T-shirts with the team name on, cut off just below their breasts, and shorts that only cover about half their ass cheeks. Apparently, they’re the unofficial cheerleaders for Lennon’s team. Or maybe, since they have the shirts, they’re official. Either way, he can’t keep his eyes off them during breaks in play, and I decide it’s time for me to go home. I throw away the rest of the salad before calling an Uber, realizing I was stupid to think this would work.

  2

  Lennon

  I can’t believe Camari left the park while I was still playing! I didn’t notice at first, and when I did, I couldn’t just leave myself. As soon as we won, I blew off the chicks who were hoping to go for a ride tonight, and drove home alone. Now, I’m walking up to the house next door to see what the fuck happened.

  It takes two rounds of knocking before she swings open the door, and glares at me. She’s in a sports bra, and Lycra pants, and sweat is pouring off her. “If someone doesn’t answer their door the first time, that means they don’t want to see you.”

  “You owe me an explanation.”

  “I owe you nothing.”

  “You just left!”

  “How do you know, since you couldn’t take your eyes off the ‘cheerleaders’ who were practically flashing you?”

  Oh, fuck. “You don’t need to worry about them.”

  “I’m not worried about them, I’m worried that the guy who was being sweet to me, and said he wanted a date, forgot I was even there.”

  “I didn’t forget you were there.”

  “Really? Then you know when I left.”

  Shit. “I was playing a game, so I didn’t notice right away,” I admit.

  “I’m not a jealous woman, Lennon, so please don’t confuse jealousy with my demand for respect.”

  “I didn’t mean to be disrespectful.”

  “And yet you were.”

  “They’re just chicks who hang around.”

  “And who you bring home.”

  I was really hoping she hadn’t recognized the one I brought home recently, but I guess Karma really is a bitch. “I have in the past, yes.”

  “You’re free to continue doing it, because we don’t have anything between us.”

  “You know that’s not true.”

  “I’m not going to deny I’m attracted to you, but I have standards and rules, Lennon. Ones I don’t think you’d even want to try adhering to.”

  “You think I don’t know there’s more to you than I see? You can’t hide your haughtiness beneath your clothes, Cam. I know you’re more than some recent grad. I don’t know why you’re hiding it, but I want to know whoever you are. I want to take you to a fancy restaurant on the Strip, and make sure you feel special, but I also want you to come to my games, and be with me when I get together with my friends at the bar.”

  “I’m not good at compromise, but I’m willing to try it if you promise not to disrespect me again when we’re together. You can look at other women, because that’s just human nature, but lingering and flirting aren’t okay.”

  It kills me that she thinks I was being disrespectful, but I know I deserve it. I locked her in my truck, because I forgot to open her door, and I was flirting with the chicks, although that was out of habit and not interest. I’ve never had someone like Camari around before; a woman who’s going to call me out for not treating her right, but I kind of like it.

  “I won’t,” I promise.

  “Good. I’ve got to get back to my workout, but you have a good night.”

  “I was hoping you’d want to hang out.”

  “I’m not sleeping with you tonight, Lennon.”

  “I know.” I can’t deny I hoped she would, but after all that went down, I knew the chances were pretty much non-existent.

  “What did you have in mind?”

  “I can order a pizza, and we can watch a movie, or we can go out.”

  “Staying in sounds nice, although I’m not hungry.”

  “Are you sure? You’re working out, and you only had a salad ea
rlier.”

  “I ate when I got home.”

  “Oh, well do you mind if I eat?”

  “No, please order your pizza while I take a quick shower, and then we can try to decide on a movie.”

  “Sounds great.”

  It actually sounds like torture, knowing she’ll be getting naked upstairs. I can easily imagine the water sliding over her body, washing the sweat from her small breasts, and down between her legs. I discreetly adjust myself as she leads me into her living room, and hope I survive the night.

  Camari

  I drive up to Audrey’s house, and turn off the car. I’m here for my weekly face-to-face check-in, but I’m hoping she’ll help me get out of this. I’m not making any progress with Lennon professionally, and I don’t know what we’re doing personally, but it’s not exactly working, either. We had a relatively good evening watching the movie last night, but we sat on opposite sides of the couch, and he didn’t try to kiss me goodnight.

  “Hi, Camari, come on in,” Audrey says when she opens the door.

  “Thanks.”

  It’s quiet, and she must notice the confused look on my face. “It’s Daddy day, today. Blake and the baby are at the park.”

  “Can he go the park without being noticed?”

  “No, but most people are respectful when he’s with the kids.”

  “They should be.”

  “Yes. Enough about my family. How are you doing?”

  “He hasn’t said a word to me about what he’s investigating. He doesn’t even talk about work much.”

  “Lennon is very by the book with his job, so I didn’t really expect him to confide in you right away.”

  “I just don’t think I’m the right person for the job. I don’t know why Reina still wants to punish me.”

  “The fact that you think this is Reina still holding a grudge tells me you’re right where you need to be.”

  “You can’t be serious. This is my worst nightmare come to life!”

  “Why?”

  “What do you mean, why?”

  “Why is spending time with Lennon, while living in a nice house, your nightmare?”

  “Look at me,” I tell her, motioning to the t-shirt and yoga pants I’m currently wearing. “Plus, he wants to eat wings and pizza, and drink beer.”

  “Your clothes look comfortable, even if I can tell you’re not feeling the same way. I happen to love pizza, wings, and beer, so I can’t sympathize with you there, either, I’m afraid.”

  “I can’t do this. If I wasn’t upping my workouts, I’d have gained twenty pounds by now.”

  “And you’d still be beautiful.”

  “No. I need to look like this.”

  “Camari, you’re making me a little concerned.”

  “I’m fine.”

  “I’d like you to get a full physical from Kenny. He has an outside office he never uses, but he can see you there.”

  “I don’t need to see him.”

  She ignores me, picking up her phone to call the Society doctor. The conversation is short, and I hear her say I’ll meet him in an hour. I don’t want to meet with him, because there’s nothing wrong with me. I like the way I look, and I want to keep looking this way. I don’t see what’s so wrong with that.

  “Kenny will meet you at his office.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with being thin.”

  “No, there isn’t, but you’re going to humor me.”

  “I don’t think I have a choice.”

  “You don’t. Since we don’t have much time, why don’t you fill me in on Lennon. On paper, he seems like a good guy.”

  “I already told you the extent of his diet. He also sleeps around, but the women don’t seem mad. In fact, the ones I’ve seen want another invite to his bed.”

  “Would you like an invitation?”

  “This is my job.”

  “Doesn’t mean you can’t be attracted to him. I’m not really a ginger girl myself, but he’s hot.”

  “He is,” I admit.

  When he lets himself grow a little facial hair, it’s a dark rust color, and I’ve seen chest hair the same color, peeking out of his V-neck tees, and I’m kind of obsessed with it. I didn’t think I liked redheads, either, but I definitely want this one.

  “Are you having a problem with deceiving him?”

  “Not really, although he seems like a nice guy when he’s not locking me in his truck.”

  “Huh?”

  “Nothing. I should be going.”

  She looks at her phone, and shakes her head. “Yes, you should, but I want to know about this truck thing next time I see you.”

  “Deal.”

  I hug her, and walk out to my car. I don’t want to see Kendrick, but since I wasn’t given a choice, I drive to his office. There’s a buzzer on the door, and when it opens, I see his main nurse, Liz, waiting for me. She normally works in the Society medical wing at the Corrigan & Co. building, but I guess she must travel with him, too.

  “Hi, Camari. Please follow me on back.”

  “Hello.”

  We walk down a short hallway until we get to an examination room. “Go ahead and step on the scale,” she says.

  I hesitate, because I don’t do this in front of anyone else. I had to do it when I had my Society physical, but that was the first time in years, and I wasn’t planning on doing it again so soon. I see the concern on Liz’s face when I look at her, and it makes me straighten my spine, kick off my shoes, and step on the scale. The number is right where it should be, and I sigh in relief.

  Liz doesn’t say anything as she enters it into her tablet, or when places her tablet over my left forearm. I know my Society implant is in there, and I guess she’s downloading info from it, but I’m kind of freaked out, so I don’t ask her. She finishes and tells me Kendrick has arrived, and will be right with me.

  There’s a knock at the door, and when I say it’s okay to come in, Kendrick enters the room. “Hello, Camari.”

  “Hello.”

  “As you know, Audrey sent you here because she’s concerned about you.”

  “There’s nothing to be concerned about.”

  “Yet. For the moment, you are fine, but your weight scares me.”

  What? I thought my weight was okay. “Oh! I can up my workouts.”

  “You need to cut back on them, and add some calories to your diet.”

  No. No. Just, no! “I don’t understand.”

  “For your height, you should weigh at least ten pounds more than you do now. While it’s not uncommon to fluctuate above or below a recommended number, you were the same weight at your last physical. This leads me to believe you stay at this weight, and it’s not healthy.”

  “I like my size! There’s nothing wrong with being thin!”

  “No, there is not, but I’m concerned with your health, and not your size. The information from your implant shows me you’ve been taking in more calories than normal, but your heart rate at various times of the day also tells me you’re working out too much.”

  “I can’t gain ten pounds, Kendrick,” I tell him, panicked. “My clothes won’t fit, and my stomach…”

  “Stella will help you find new clothes, and your stomach will be flat, and not concave. I am not asking you to gain more right now, because ten is already a lot, but I will not be able to pass you in another physical at your current weight.”

  “It’s not fair.”

  “Life isn’t fair, Camari, but I assure you that I most definitely am. I can get you supplements, or you can simply start eating more, and working out less.”

  “I don’t want to do this.” I can’t do this.

  “We all make sacrifices for the life we want to live. I can call Reina and tell her you’d like to leave the training program, or you can do what I’m telling you to do.”

  “I don’t want to leave.”

  “I didn’t think so.”

  “I’ll just gain it on my own since the guy I’m watching loves food.
”

  “Very well. I want to see you again in two weeks.”

  “Okay.”

  It’s not okay, but what else can I say? I don’t want to be a different weight, and I don’t want clothes in a different size, but I also don’t want to give up the Society. I’m scared, but I’ll do what he says, and gain the weight, even though I know I don’t need to.

  3

  Lennon

  I get to work early, because I want to follow up on the report I submitted about the Corrigan & Co. Foundation being involved in so many emergency calls. I’ve been trying to get answers for months, but no one else seems to think it’s a big deal, even though Foundation employees have been at the scene of eight major crimes in the last year, and countless smaller ones as well. That’s more than just bad luck; it’s a pattern.

  “Boss, do you have a minute?”

  “What is it, Chase?”

  “I was wondering if you’ve had a chance to look at my latest report?”

  “I have, and I’m starting to think you have an unhealthy obsession with the women who work for the Corrigan couple.”

  “Ellie Ford and Jade Anderson had no business being at the Neon Boneyard six weeks ago, and yet there they were, with a bunch of dead bikers around them, claiming it was self-defense.”

  “Aiden Ford was also there, and need I remind you, he’s the Vice-President’s son?”

  “No, but that shouldn’t excuse him and his wife from any wrongdoing.”

  “Where’s your proof of this wrongdoing? The homicide detectives cleared the three of them, and released them, within an hour.”

  “Reina Corrigan is a powerful woman in this city, and so is her husband. Maybe I need to be talking to Internal Affairs.”

  “What you need to do is keep answering calls, and helping people. Leave the Corrigans and their people alone.”

  “Is that a threat, because it sounds like one?”

  “No, it’s an order. I don’t want to see another one of these ‘reports’ from you cross my desk.”

  “It’s my job to report suspicious behavior.”