Page 40 of Wifey
“Hmm…” I think hard and fast about it. Both women were before my time yet their music is timeless. They were prodigies in their own way and were treated horribly by the press for any shortcomings.
But let’s face it…every girl pretended she was Whitney Houston in the shower. Every teen probably rocked an earring with a key in it like Janet. It’s too hard to choose but I have to make a decision. “I might have to go with Janet.”
“Good choice,” Cameron picks up a remote and points to the stereo. “Let’s Wait Awhile” comes on and I smile at him.
“Well played, sir.” I nod at him and he bows. “Well played.”
“I thought so.” He flashes that charming smile at me, pausing to take another bite to eat. “Hayley told Que about what happened at the dress shop. He said you ladies talked about a lot.” He pauses for a beat. “You don’t want to marry me?”
I’m going to kick Hayley’s ass when I see her. “Word travels fast,” I play with my food.
“Don’t be mad at your girl, angel. She only meant well if she was nosey as all hell.” He chuckled and set the food aside. He crawled over to me and sat beside me. He wrapped an arm around me and I settled into his chest. “But you’re serious about us never marrying?”
“Well, we’ve never talked about it.” I shrug, despite being put on the spot. “I never brought it up and neither did you so there’s that.”
“So, let’s talk about it.” He pushes the subject. “Do you want to get married?”
With everything going on, getting married was the last thing on my mind. If the Feds are after Cameron, they’ll target me next, if they haven’t already. I remember Ethan’s visit not that long ago. “I guess I do?”
“You guess?” He smiles at me. “That’s not confident answer, angel. Either you do or you don’t.”
“At one point, I was probably like every little girl in the world. White gown. Handsome groom. Tons of family around. Lots of flowers. Great food. Horse carriage.” The frown on my face appears and I don’t hide it. “Father walking me down the aisle. And all of that was just gone. I guess a part of me felt if Daddy couldn’t walk me down the aisle, there was no point of getting married.”
“I’m sure your father would want you to be happy regardless and I know he’s proud of you.” He rubs my shoulders.
“I know he is but it’s different now.” I turn to face Cameron. “I know you didn’t want me to know what you do, Cam, and I respect that now. Now that I do know, if something happens to you, all of your enemies and the authorities aren’t going to be so kind to me. What if the authorities feel it’s the perfect time to do a raid? What if your enemies no longer have the fear for you and feel it’s open season on me?” I shake my head. “It’s a risk I can’t take.”
“No one is coming after you because you’re with me, angel.” He caresses my face and my body responds to his touch. “And in the case of my untimely death, no one will come after you. Everyone knows how much you mean to me. You’re protected at all times even when you don’t realize it. I understand your concern, but I’m also politely letting you know you don’t need to have it.”
“It’s like two different Camerons,” I shake my head, “the Cameron that everyone knows as Senator Page’s son and the Cameron that everyone knows as Finesse.”
“Which Cameron am I to you?” He asks. My lack of response is clear. “Well? Which one?”
I thought long and hard about my answer. Cameron was a complicated man. Devoted son to his parents. Hard as nails brother to his siblings. Lethal drug lord to the streets. Most romantic partner I’ve ever had, but he’s been my only boyfriend so there was no room for comparison.
Most of the world knew Cameron as Senator Eric Page’s son, who occasionally campaigned on behalf of his father. Cameron came from a conservative background, even if his parents were everything but. He never made his political affiliations known, but with Eric being a staunch conservative, one didn’t have to wonder.
The streets, however, knew a different Cameron. His street name was Finesse, because of the ease and precision he did things. The way he negotiated drug deals. The way he laundered money. The way he killed people. He did like it was breathing – he didn’t even think about it.
Taking a deep breath, I turn towards him. I was having difficulty clearing my mind between, what I just figured out, were actually three different Camerons. “You’re the most romantic man I’ve ever known. Your love for me knows no boundaries, and I would be lying if I said I didn’t love the preferential treatment. I have thought about what our future children would look like more times than I want to admit.”
A slow smile spreads across Cameron’s lips. “There’s a but in there.”
“I have to be okay if you’re gone all day, it’s because it’s related to your other business. I have to be okay if I hear about someone being randomly shot, you may have had a hand in it. I have to be okay if I hear about a random uptick in crime, you might have been behind it.” I let out another deep breath. “And it’s a lot to ignore.”
“I have connections to ensure you won’t get caught up, angel.” He caresses my hair. “I also have another connect in Congress to make sure nothing will happen to my family.”
The Page family had power that went beyond just cops and robbers. They were knee-deep into shit that would make a conspiracy theorist’s head spin. “And what about your connections’ connections?” I ask and Cameron chuckles. “No, I’m seriously, babe. How do I know they’re loyal to you?”
“They are.” He states, matter of fact. “If it helps, you can meet one of them tomorrow night. My father is having a huge fundraiser at a private donor’s home and many people will attend, including one of my business partners and my father’s close friend. You can meet him.”
I pushed aside the meeting and getting involved deeper into Cameron’s world for a split second. I was more focused on the where and who the meeting was going to be and under the circumstances. It was going to be a Republican fundraiser and I couldn’t be caught dead attending that. “No.”
Cameron blinked at me and then considered the circumstances. “I’ll have my mother hire Fresh Espresso to serve coffee and desserts at the fundraiser. There would be a reason why you would be there.”
It was a hard bargain but Cameron was acquiescing to my concerns. I wouldn’t have to wear anything too fancy and I wouldn’t have to interact too much with anyone I didn’t like. It would be a dick move to still refuse after he went out of his way. “Okay.”
Cameron’s lips curved into a sensual smile and he pulled me on top of him. He brushed my hair back and kissed my cheeks. I felt his cock hardened underneath my sex and my thighs naturally spread to accommodate. “Anything else?”
