Page 49 of Wild and Bright

She smiles. “And you shouldn’t have to. You should mingle. There are plenty of people here in the beauty industry.”

“No, she’s not doing that.” Cam’s voice is somehow able to boom over the crowd noise, though he’s hardly shouting. He shoots me a stern look before lowering his head to my ear. “Remember.” His warm breath tickles my skin. “Be a good girl.”

This time, his deep voice makes liquid heat stir in my belly. If only he knew…

Though the pub is crowded, we hardly have to push through it. People step aside of their own accord, and when I glance around at the faces, I see all of their eyes are fixed on Cam. Many of their expressions are slightly wary, as if they know it’s not a good idea to approach him.

As we walk up to our booth, a tall, willowy form appears in front of us.

“Cam,” a sweet voice says, and when I glance up at the face attached to it, my jaw drops. This woman is spectacularly beautiful, with high cheekbones, wide-set eyes, and a perfect heart-shaped mouth. I’d bet my last dime she’s a beauty influencer. She probably reps for brands I’d kill for, like NYX or BoxyCharm. Hell, she might even have her own brand.

“Remember me?” she asks. “I’m Mina. We went to a real Irish pub when you guys played in Dublin last year.” She grins, lifting her pint glass in the air. “The beer was a lot better there.”

“Yeah, that was great.” With that, Cam turns to our booth and gestures for Hunter to scoot out of it.

My mouth is hanging open as my gaze shifts from Cam and back to Mina. She shoots me a knowing smile, as if she expected his rudeness.

“Get over here, Lauren.”

At the sound of Cam’s voice, I’m finally able to draw my gaze away from Mina.

“Are you telling me that’s the type of woman you get to sleep with on tour?” I ask as I slide into the booth next to him.

“I don’t know if I slept with her. She doesn’t look familiar.” He glances down at his water glass. “Maybe I did, though.”

I can’t even be jealous. It’s all too surreal, as if I’m realizing for the first time that Cam and Hunter are actual rock stars, when up until now it felt like they were just playing at it. I shake my head slowly. “I can’t believe it.”

I glance around the table until I find Isaac. From the moment we were introduced after the concert, I knew in my gut that he understands Cam in a way other people don’t. “How are you guys not worried about his sanity? He’s paying me to be his arm candy when he could get her for free.”

“Keep your voice down.” Cam’s voice intrudes, but I keep my eyes fixed on Isaac.

“I don’t know.” Isaac’s smile is enigmatic. “He’s never really been into the whole influencer or model scene. He’s always preferred…normal girls.”

Something about the way he says normal girls tells me it contains hidden meaning, like there’s some kind of story behind it.

“So he has a normal-girl kink?” I ask, and no one at the table answers.

When I turn to Cam, I see that affectionate smile. Thankfully, I’m still stunned enough that it doesn’t affect me. “Do you watch amateur porn, too—with jiggly, cellulite thighs like mine, and dad bods, and weird-shaped penises, and stuff?”

That smile grows—his eyes crinkling at the edges—and something starts to stir within me. “Yep, it’s a kink.” He lifts his hand and strokes a strand of hair behind my ear, sending tingles from my scalp to my neck. “You know me so well.”

I look away, not wanting to crave more of his tender gaze and second-guess my plan. I glance around the area until I find the hallway entrance to the bathrooms.

I’ll give myself ten minutes.

Let him get comfortable first.

* * *

I smile as I crumple my sweater dress into a ball and shove it into my purse. So far, the party has been a delight for a vain attention whore like me. I can feel the intense curiosity about who I am radiating from everyone I talk to, even though so far no one has been bold enough to ask me anything beyond, “So how did you and Cam meet?” And he thankfully hasn’t forced me to sit at our dark booth all night, though anytime I’ve drifted too far from his sight, he’s called out my name.

I find that I like it. I like his tight leash.

It turns me on.

As soon as I step out of the bathroom, someone yanks me by the arm and pulls me against a hard chest.

“Janie said you told someone your last name rhymes with Shmenderson.” Cam’s warm breath tickles the inside of my ear.

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