Page 53 of Bad for Business
RYKER
“I’ll be right back,”I tell Cal. He’s mid-conversation, going on about how talented his new private chef is, but I can’t pretend I’m even listening for another second.
Cal gives a dismissive wave of his hand, not seeming to care that I wasn’t paying attention. He continues to rattle on about his new chef as I follow the path Camille just went.
My steps are hurried as I follow her. I catch up just in time to watch her open the door to the bathroom. She disappears behind the door before I can get her attention.
I stop next to the wall. It might be creepy of me to do so, but I’m going to wait for her to come out. She’s avoided me all morning, then she had the nerve to show up today. She’s going to have to face me. If she didn’t want to talk, then she shouldn’t have shown up today.
The moment I left her room last night, I missed her. I felt guilty for running out of there so quickly. I wanted to stay, but she hadn’t asked me to. I didn’t want her to know that all it took was her dry-humping me and coming around my fingers to make me come. That felt like I was giving her a lot of power, something I wasn’t willing to give her. I wasn’t positive she wouldn’t use it against me.
I immediately hopped in the shower and washed the proof of what had happened. I didn’t want to smell like her, and I had to get the proof of how desperately I wanted her washed from my body.
I tossed and turned all night in bed, wondering if I made the right decision. I felt guilty for leaving her room like that. What if I’d asked to stay? What if I just told her how badly I want her and how much she consumes my mind? Would that make her stop pretending to not like me? Would she open up more?
Those questions plagued my mind all night. By the time I woke up, I was determined to try and make it right. I got her breakfast and the coffee I’ve heard her order countless times, hoping maybe that would erase my mistake of running out on her last night.
It didn’t.
And I don’t know if I can even blame her.
I check the watch on my wrist, wondering how long I’ve been lost in my thoughts. It feels like she’s been in there forever.
Maybe I should check on her?
Since I’ve been standing here, no one’s gone in. I think she’s in there alone, but I don’t know if I should go in or not.
I sigh, leaning against the wall and deciding to wait another minute. I use the time to think about what I’m going to even say to her. The first thing I should probably do is apologize for running out on her. Or maybe I shouldn’t? Do we talk about what happened last night at all? We probably should.
I let a few more minutes go by before I decide I have to check on her. What if something’s wrong?
I push the door open and step inside. “Camille?” I say her name cautiously, wondering if I’m going to find anyone else in here or if it’s really just her.
“Go away,” her voice calls back to me.
I don’t. I take another step in until I find her holding onto the edge of the counter, staring at her reflection in the mirror.
The moment she realizes I’m all the way in the bathroom, her gaze finds mine. “Ryker, what are you doing? You can’t be in here.”
“I waited outside for you, but you weren’t coming out, so I came in.”
She blinks a few times. “Go away,” she repeats. “I’ll be out in a minute.”
“It’s been a minute. What are you doing in here?”
She sighs, ripping her gaze from mine and going back to staring at herself in the mirror. “I’m…” Her words fall off as she thinks about an answer.
I wait, giving her the time she needs to respond. At least, I try to give her the time she needs, but when she still doesn’t answer me, I break the silence. “We should talk about last night.”
Camille shakes her head. I watch her closely, wishing she’d look at me instead of the mirror. She doesn’t. “Last night? Why?”
I frown, hating the way my stomach drops at her tone. It’s indifferent.
I rub my lips together as I try to think of what to say back to her. “Um,” I begin, suddenly unable to come up with words. “What do you mean? We?—”
“Nothing happened. There’s nothing we need to talk about.”
My entire body gets tight at her words.
