Society Girls: Camari Read online

  “Can I get the pulled pork sandwich with no coleslaw?”

  “Sure,” Doug tells her.

  I pay, and walk her back to the field, kissing her again before joining my teammates. “You finally ready to settle down?” one of my friends, Tim, asks me.

  “I wouldn’t go that far, but I am ready to try exclusive dating.”

  “You’re gonna leave a lot of them with broken hearts,” he says, nodding to the unofficial cheerleaders.

  “I warned them to never get their hearts involved, so I can’t feel too bad about that.”

  I feel a little bad, though, because even if I never led them on, I knew one or two hoped to be the one to get me to change. But, that’s the problem—they wanted me to change. If I’d tried it just to please one of them, it would’ve left us both miserable. What I’m trying with Camari is all me, and that’s why it just might work.

  5

  Camari

  The game is more fun for me this time, and it has everything to do with Lennon. He turns to look for me when he’s not on the field, and I get a bright smile when he sees me. Every time, he smiles, like he didn’t just see me the last time he looked. Or maybe that he thinks I’ll leave again.

  The women below me wish I’d leave. They’ve made some comments I can’t help but hear, but even if their words weren’t coupled with the dirty looks they keep shooting my way, their body language would be easy to read. Sorry ladies, but I’m not walking away tonight.

  Lennon’s team wins the game, and I climb down the bleachers while he packs up his stuff. He comes straight for me when he’s done, and picks me up to swing me around before setting me on the ground again.

  “I’m so glad you’re here,” he says, peppering my mouth with sweet little kisses.

  “Me too,” I tell him honestly.

  “We’re going to grab some wings if you guys wanna come,” his friend, Mitch, tells us.

  Lennon raises an eyebrow at me, and I reach up to brush it down. “If you want to go, we can.”

  “You sure?”

  I nod. “Yes.”

  “We’ll meet you there,” he says, putting his free arm around me, and kissing the side of my head as we walk back to his truck.

  “How bored were you up there?”

  “I wasn’t bored at all.”

  “You can tell me.”

  “Did I look bored when you smiled at me?”

  “No, you looked hot.”

  “It’d be more fun if I knew people, and could sit with them, but that’s on me for not making friends.”

  “That’s on them, too, for not coming over. You’ll meet a bunch of people tonight.”

  “I’d like that,” I tell him as he opens my door, and helps me up into the truck.

  He starts to close my door, but stops, and pulls me to him for another kiss. “They’re not bad. The girls, I mean. They just…I guess they hoped I’d give them more.”

  “More than your dick?” I ask with a smirk.

  He looks like a deer in the headlights before he answers. “Now’s probably not a good time to say I gave them a couple other body parts too, huh?”

  “I don’t think you’re a virgin, Lennon. I don’t want to hear details, but I suspect your mouth and fingers were useful to you in the past.”

  “Um, yeah, you could say that.”

  “It’s really okay. I’m not a virgin, either.”

  Far from it, but I’m not ready to tell him that. Not now, and maybe not ever. Well, if there’s a word ending in “ever” in our future, I’ll have to tell him, but they jury’s still out on how long this is going to last.

  “I’m clean,” he blurts out, and I can’t help but laugh. “I mean, I get tested regularly. Or I used to, because now it’s just you, and I don’t need to…unless you want me to. Do you want me to?”

  I place my hand over his mouth. “Breathe.”

  “I don’t usually ramble,” he says once he’s done what I said, and I’ve removed my hand.

  “To answer your questions, I’m clean, and if you haven’t had unprotected sex since your last test, we’re fine.”

  “I haven’t. I’ve only had unprotected sex once, and that wasn’t really unprotected—the condom broke.”

  “I’m on a good birth control, so we don’t have to use a condom.”

  “Um…I shouldn’t ask this, but, do you know when that might be?”

  “Soon.”

  “Okay,” he says, nodding. “I can handle soon. I mean, I can handle ‘not soon’ too if you need that.”

  “I’m sorry, Lennon, but I just want to wait a little bit. Maybe for a couple of dates.”

  I’ve never done that before since I started having sex. As an escort, I didn’t have that luxury, and with the hook-ups I’ve had since then, that’s all they were—hook-ups. I’ve never had dates that would turn into more, and I want to experience what it’s like to anticipate being with a man. Waiting more than an hour or two intrigues me, and if I’m being honest, makes me feel like I’d be special, because someone was willing to wait for me.

  He cups my face in his hands. “I can’t lie and say I don’t want you, but I’ll wait as long as you need me to. I actually like the idea, because you said ‘dates’ and that means you definitely want more than one with me.”

  “Did your ego really need that boost?”

  “From you? Definitely.”

  I lean forward and kiss him once more. “We should go, and meet up with your friends.”

  “Yeah, we should.”

  “You’re not moving.”

  “What man in his right mind would ever move away from you?”

  I roll my eyes. “Get in the car, Casanova.”

  “Just being honest,” he says, as he moves away with a smirk.

  I close my door, and can’t help but smile as well. He’s so adorable when he’s trying to be romantic, especially because I know he’s never tried with anyone else. Lennon Chase makes me feel special, and I’m sliding further down the slippery slope of blurred lines, and broken hearts. I’m just going to have to make the time we have together as good as it can possibly be, so that when it ends, we both have something to hold onto.

  Lennon

  The parking lot’s almost full when we pull in, which is normal for a game night. Sometimes, I think half the town survives on wings, while the other half lives it up at the fancy places on the Strip. I’m a middle man myself, loving the wings, but also enjoying it when I find a cool place to eat. Of course, I also want to have a meal at one of the upscale restaurants soon, too. I really enjoy all kinds of food, and I consider myself pretty adventurous, but tonight, it’s just going to be some damn good wings.

  I place my hand on Camari’s back as we enter the restaurant, trying to let everyone know we’re together. I’ve slept with a few women who work here, and I don’t want them to try anything while I’m here with her.

  “Hi, Lennon,” the hostess says, smiling brightly at me, until she sees where my hand is.

  “Hello. I think everyone’s here already.”

  “Apparently.”

  “Is there a problem?” Camari asks her, one eyebrow raised.

  “Just surprised that Lennon brought his own dessert with him, instead of taking one home like usual.”

  I open my mouth to speak, but my girl beats me to it. “I’m the only dessert now, so expect to see more of me.”

  The girl has her mouth hanging open as Camari takes my hand, and leads me away. “I’m sorry.”

  “You’ve never hidden your past from me, so don’t be. We already had the non-virgin talk, remember?”

  “Yeah, but I just keep thinking about how if we run into a guy you’ve slept with, I won’t be as nice.”

  “I sincerely hope we never do, but if it happens, just know I chose you.”

  And that right there makes me feel like the luckiest man in the world. I still don’t know what she’s hiding, but I do know I’m not her usual type, and yet, here she is, taking a seat with m
e at a table full of people she doesn’t know. She handled the girl at the front, and while I don’t want her to have to, I know she’ll handle the women hovering around here as well.

  “Cam, you’ve already met Tim, Mitch, Jack, and Brad. This is Jess, who works with us, and Seriyah, who used to before she got a better job. She still graces us with her presence, because she loves us. Everyone, this is Camari.”

  “Nice to meet you all,” she says, and they repeat the same back to her.

  “What do you do Camari?” Jess asks.

  “Nothing yet. I just graduated, and since I paid for college myself, my parents used my college fund to put a down payment, and a few months’ rent on a house here for me. It ended up being next door to Lennon’s, and here I am.”

  “What did you get your degree in?”

  “Corporate Communications.”

  Seriyah gives her a strange look. “I’ve seen you at Corrigan & Co.”

  “Oh yes, I applied there, of course. Who wouldn’t?”

  Not me, but I can’t hold that against her. She has no idea about my disdain for that family.

  “I swear I’ve seen you there more than once.”

  “I’m sure you have. As part of my interview process, I was shadowing Audrey. That’s over now, so I’m just in limbo, waiting to hear if I got the job.”

  “Ooh! Did you meet her husband, Blake?” Jess asks.

  “Yes. He’s very nice, and down to earth.”

  “I told you,” Seriyah says. “He’s nice, but Theo in Security is the one I’m after. I’m surprised his suits don’t spontaneously combust, he’s so hot.”

  “I met him, and he’s handsome, yes.”

  “Handsome doesn’t even come close, but since he’s obviously into that Foundation intern, I have to look from afar for now.”

  “Yes, he did seem like he was unavailable when I last saw him.”

  “You like the guy?” I whisper in her ear, not hiding my jealousy.

  “Not like I like you,” she whispers back.

  “Good.”

  “We have openings in the department if Corrigan doesn’t work out,” John tells her.

  “I don’t think I’m cut out to be a 911 operator, but thanks for thinking of me.”

  “I feel you,” Seriyah says. “I liked it, but it wasn’t my thing. C&C is all I’d dreamed of in a job, and more.”

  “You’re in the secretary pool,” Craig reminds her.

  “With more perks, and benefits than you’ll ever see with Metro.”

  “Point taken.”

  Camari fits right in with my friends, talking and laughing with them like she’s known them for years. She eats wings, and drinks beer like it’s an everyday thing for her, too, and since I know it’s not, that makes me appreciate being with her even more. She’s doing this all for me, and while I’d like to say I’d do the same for her, if she gets that job with the Corrigans, I don’t know if I’ll be able to. I guess I’ll cross that bridge if we come to it.

  It’s not until we’re getting ready to leave that we’re approached by one of the women I’ve slept with before. “Hi, Lennon.”

  “Hello.”

  “I’m free tonight if you want to take me home.”

  Camari rears back, and her mouth drops open. I don’t blame her, because even though I’m used to them being forward, this is above and beyond acceptable behavior.

  “You must not have noticed my date.”

  “She’s not your type.”

  “Actually, she’s exactly my type,” I tell her, walking away with Camari’s hand in mine.

  “Did that really happen?” she asks me, still looking like she’s in shock.

  “Unfortunately, yes.”

  “Maybe I shouldn’t wait to go to bed with you if you’re that good they’ll throw themselves at you after.”

  “I am that good, but we’re waiting, because we both know it’s the right thing.”

  “Fine, but I’m inviting you in for some making out when we get home.”

  “And, ‘spoiler alert’, I’m going to say ‘yes’.”

  6

  Camari

  We barely make it through his front door before we’re on each other—kissing, touching, and pulling each other’s hair as we move to my couch. I turn us, and push him down, straddling him as we give in to temptation, and finally let our tongues out to play.

  We’re kissing like our lives depend on it, and I’m feeling extra greedy as I pull his shirt up, and run my hands over his pecs. He groans, and puts his hand on the back of my head, trying to pull me closer, even though we’re as close as we can be with most of our clothes still on.

  “I need to touch you, Cam,” he says, breaking our kiss.

  “I won’t stop you.”

  My sweater is gone, along with my bra, in seconds. I fight the urge to cover up my small breasts as he looks at them. When his eyes meet mine, I see the hunger there.

  “You’re beautiful. You know that, right?”

  “Sometimes.”

  “Always.”

  I do cover myself then, because it’s too much. What he’s saying, what I’m feeling, all of it.

  “We should stop,” I tell him, getting up, and turning my back to him.

  “What did I do wrong?”

  “Nothing.”

  I turn to him, because I need him to believe that. It’s my issues that caused me to stop, and nothing he did. I fight back tears as I try to smile at him, but one slips down my cheek.

  “Shit, Cam. I didn’t mean to go too fast,” he says, starting to reach for me, but stopping.

  “You didn’t. I’m just a mess, Lennon. A mess you should want no part of.”

  “But I do,” he tells me, picking his shirt up off the floor, but placing it over my head instead of his.

  “Thank you.”

  “I don’t want you to ever feel uncomfortable around me, and I can tell you are anyway.”

  “My body is just…it’s not very impressive.”

  There. I said it. I made a lot of money from looking like I do, but to most men, I’m not sexy. I know it, and I’ve come to mostly accept it, because I wasn’t looking for a man before. Push-up bras and keeping my shirt on while I fucked against a wall has been enough for me. Tonight, I wasn’t even thinking about what Lennon would see when he started undressing me; I just wanted him.

  “I beg to differ.”

  “You’re sweet.”

  “I’m hard as a fucking rock, actually, and that has everything to do with you and your body. I’m not going to lie, and say I’m not a boob man, because I am, but I’m more turned on by you with your clothes on than I ever have been with a naked woman. Any naked woman. And seeing you without your shirt and bra on was even better.”

  “I have body issues, and being naked issues, and I’m not going to magically get over them because you say nice things to me.” Although, I really wish I could.

  “What can I do?”

  “I know it’s too much to ask, but if you could be patient…”

  “I can do that.”

  I have to offer him something. Something I want him to say no to. Something I need him to say no to. Regardless, he deserves it.

  “You can see other people if you want. I’ll understand.”

  He cups my cheeks with his hands. “I don’t want anyone else.”

  “I’ll make you come,” I tell him relief coursing through me, and making me drop to my knees in front of him.

  “Cam, no.”

  “I can’t leave you like this,” I tell him, running my hand over the hard length of him. Even through his jeans, I can tell how thick and big he is.

  He pulls me to my feet. “I’m not some teenage boy who doesn’t know how to handle an erection.”

  His words are meant to soothe me, but they don’t. He doesn’t want my mouth on him, and that hits me harder than almost anything. I’ve never wanted my mouth on a man before, not like this, although I’ve never had any complaints when I faked it. Now t
hat I want it, he’s telling me no. It’s more embarrassing than almost anything I can remember in my life.

  “I’ll go.”

  I turn to grab my stuff, but he wraps his arms around me. “You have to know I want you, Camari. My not letting you get on your knees for me has nothing to do with that.”

  “I’ve never known a man to say no to a blow job.” Well, I’ve known one, but he always belonged to someone else.

  “Then you haven’t been around the right men. I respect you, and while I can assure you I’ve had many fantasies about your mouth wrapped around my dick, I want more than that.”

  “Me, too,” I admit.

  “If you’d like to stay a little longer, I’d love to keep kissing you, and touching you with our clothes on. I’d like to take you out tomorrow night, even if you don’t want to stay.”

  I turn in his arms, and loop mine around his neck. “I’d like to stay, but I want to put my own shirt back on if that’s okay.”

  “Of course it is. You can use the bathroom down the hall.”

  He hands me my shirt, and bra, but I drop the bra back to the floor. I may have problems with him seeing me, but I like him touching me. I know it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, and I’ll be the first to admit it, but that’s what’s going on in my brain right now. He smiles, and I can’t help but smile back.

  Once I’m in the bathroom, I pull my phone from my jeans, and text Audrey.

  Me: I need that help you offered.

  Audrey: Tomorrow?

  Me: Please.

  Audrey: I’ll text you a time and place.

  Me: Thanks. For everything.

  Audrey: You’re welcome. I’m glad you reached out about this.

  I turn off my phone, because I don’t need anything but Lennon once I leave this room. I pull his shirt off, and look at myself in the mirror. I try to look objectively at my flat stomach, slim arms, and yes, my small breasts. My obsession with staying like this is warring with my need to be sexy for Lennon, and I look away almost immediately. Tomorrow, I’ll start getting the help I so obviously need, but for tonight, I’m going to make out with my boyfriend on his couch. I never had that in high school, so I’m going to enjoy it now.