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“Is this some type of sex club?” I blurted.
“It’s whatever you need it to be. It’s all about your fantasies, but I do hope you leave your inhibitions at home. Don’t even bring them to the door.”
“I’m…I’m not sure I’ll even come at all.”
“Your loss, but your secret admirer will be sorely disappointed. I remember when he called to inquire about our events. I could tell right off the bat that he was a man of significant influence and power. We had several other candidates matching his interests, but he insisted he already had you in mind.”
“And you can’t tell me anything else about him?” I asked.
“No. I’m bound by our rules of confidentiality. By the way? This is by invite only, and you should keep this to yourself whether you plan to attend or not. As the letter says, shred the invite if you decline. You have three days left to confirm and submit your test results,” Seraphina said. “I hope to see you here soon.”
“Wait!” I inhaled and then exhaled. “Is my admirer from the dating website? Anya’s? Are you affiliated with them?”
Seraphina laughed, and the sound of it carried through the phone like a melody. “The Den of Sin is the real deal. We’d love to have you here as our guest. Goodbye for now, Camille.”
I blew out a sigh of aggravation as I heard the dial tone and then happened to glimpse the time on the dashboard. If I wanted to get to work on time, I couldn’t waste another minute trying to find out what this crazy invitation was all about.
CHAPTER FOUR
Camille
I was literally on edge at work the entire day taking random guesses at who my secret admirer was. It could have been anyone really. Rich, TEMPTED909, or Trevor. The person could’ve been some random stranger who’d hit on me before without me taking much notice. The Den of Sin was in New Orleans, which was six hours west of Houston, my hometown. I’d have to take a full day off from work or catch a flight if I wanted to attend. If I wanted to…
I had checked the airline prices on my iPhone while pondering my decision to find that they were a bit steep and would break my budget this month. The last minute flights were usually that pricey anyway. I could always put the charges on my credit card and work overtime to make up the difference. If I really wanted to go.
I sighed, cutting the freshly decorated white chocolate cake into equal pieces to place in the glass display for the evening crowd. Time had passed so quickly and I hadn’t even noticed.
In fact, I was so caught up in my preparations and fretting over whether I would confirm my reservation to the Winterball that I didn’t see when both Rich and Trevor walked in. It was the familiar sound of their voices that caught me off guard.
After one sharp intake of breath and a few inhales and exhales, I turned around just as they sat at a table near the window. Trevor’s table.
My insides twisted in confusion as I wondered what they were doing here—together. They were work colleagues and had once been good friends, but last I’d heard they weren’t really on speaking terms as friends anymore. They seldom even worked on the same days, or even on the same level in the company’s building.
I had no idea what was going on these days. First, there was Rich’s free pass offer, then Trevor’s continuous strong advances, and then TEMPTED909 wanting to meet sooner than I was ready. And now, I had an invite from a secret admirer. Not to mention that at this very moment, both Rich and Trevor were here at my job at the same time.
How could my luck get any more fucked and screwed?
And of course, there was no one else to help them but me, so I walked to the table reluctantly.
Since there was one customer on the opposite end of the establishment, I kept my voice low. “I don’t visit your place of employment for personal matters or to start trouble.” No greeting was necessary. I could tell by their unchanging demeanor that they expected this attitude from me.
“Trevor got a promotion today, and I wanted to treat him to coffee and sweets at his favorite diner,” Rich said, politely folding his hands on the tabletop and pretended to be happy.
I knew there was more to this. Rich would never have known that this was where Trevor chose to spend most of his lunch breaks recently unless Trevor had told him.
My gaze skirted toward Trevor and his brooding dark eyes. Had he told Rich about his advances on me? Instead of asking what I really wanted to ask, I said, “Congratulations. I had no idea you were up for a promotion.”
“Neither did I.” Rich replied. “I’d hate to lose such an upstanding employee to another department. It will be difficult finding his replacement.”
I looked questioningly at both of them. What had happened here?
“I’m joining the software development part of the team. That means I no longer work in Rich’s unit.”
“Why don’t you tell her about your new unit and job duties?” Rich said, his voice suddenly cocky. “He’s the lead developer now. He practically has no direct report since his boss lives in Sweden.” Rich looked at me when he added the last point, then clapped softly. “Let’s have two of whatever Trevor likes.”
Rich’s smile was fake, and that threw me off guard. I’d never thought of Rich as the jealous type. Heck, he’d practically offered his wife to this man once before. I guess things change when you no longer have power over people…if he ever had much power to begin with. Something else had also changed, and it seemed that Rich showed less and less respect for Trevor every time he happened to mention his name.
I swallowed and looked at Trevor, who nodded. He grinned a little, almost like a Cheshire cat, but then the expression disappeared. It appeared that he was enjoying this just as much as Rich was not. He knew Rich was bothered by his foxy move to climb the corporate ladder, and he seemed amused by it but he hid it well with an expert poker face.
“I’ll have a coffee with cream only to go with our treat,” Rich said, breaking the silence. “Since this is such a favorite place of his, I bet you know what that is.”
I backed away as a huge lump crept up my throat. This wasn’t happening again. Rich had a look on his face like he knew more than what he was letting on. But then again, being self-righteous was part of Rich's personality anyway.
I fumbled around nervously with the coffee machine as I prepped the items on a tray. When I returned, I caught wind of the tail end of their conversation. Something about protocols and networks. Thank goodness. It didn’t involve me, but it didn’t take a dummy to understand why Rich had brought Trevor here. Did he know about Trevor’s advances towards me? Was he going to put us on the spot and make a big deal out of it in public?
I placed Rich’s coffee in front of him. Dark roast with cream.
Then I placed Trevor’s next to him. Dark roast with one sugar packet.
I put Trevor’s favorite between them right in the center. Chocolate éclairs.
Before I could back away from the table, Rich grabbed hold of my wrist. It had been a long time since I’d let him touch me, but I didn’t want to cause a scene here. I had warned these men, especially Rich, never to come to my place of employment to discuss divorce or relationship matters.
“Wait,” Rich said. “I wanted to tell you that I spoke with my lawyer this morning. Something came up, and I had to delay the paperwork once again.”
My neck grew hot in anger. “Just last week, there was a typo caused by your attorney. What’s the excuse this week? How hard is it to sign the papers? “
Rich chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. “Really hard, actually. We still have some time left according to the court proceedings. We shouldn’t rush into life-altering decisions lightly by signing faulty paperwork, right Trevor?”
Trevor glanced from Rich to me. “Thank you, Camille.” He picked up an éclair and placed it on the empty saucer directly in front of him and nodded toward the customer on the other side of the room. “I believe that man is ready for his check.”
While at the register, my iPhone chimed. The sound indicated that I had a direct message from Anya’s chat room app. I peeked up at the customer waiting patiently for his credit card receipt and then at Rich and Trevor, who were pretending to be professional talking about work when deep down inside I knew there was some grudge boiling between them. The air was thick with it.
Every now and then, Rich would steal longing glances at me while Trevor thumbed away on his iPhone, like he always did.
Rich, the keen concentrator.
Trevor, the functional multi-tasker.
I turned my attention back to my own phone and clicked on the app. I wasn’t surprised to see TEMPTED909’s message. Ever since the other night when I shut down his reasons for meeting again, he hadn’t sent anything else.
TEMPTED909: Are you wearing panties today?
He most certainly knew how to catch me off guard and turn a sour mood into something different altogether. My thighs heated as I squeezed them together. Good thing I was behind the counter, but yet still it was all glass. Only the sweet treats inside the case blocked the view of my trembling legs.
<3PEARLS: Yes
My fingers shook as I tried to answer my chat room lover’s message on the down low with a customer, my ex, and my ex’s friend in my place of employment.
TEMPTED909: What color?
<3PEARLS: black
<3PEARLS: lace
TEMPTED909: let’s play
TEMPTED909: Imagine me lifting you onto the glass countertops. Right next to where you ring up your customers
TEMPTED909: I’d spread you wide enough so I could see your pussy lips against your lace panties
TEMPTED909: I’d unwrap you like a package and savor you like I already own you
I clutched at the counter, my lips parting as a gush of air pushed through.
TEMPTED909: Your specialty is in pastries? Well, I hate to break it to you—there is no dessert you can make that would please me more than your pussy. I need to taste you.
TEMPTED909: It is imperative that I fuck you soon
“Excuse me, miss? My card please.” The man at the other end of the room called out to me, making me jump in my flats.
With unsteady legs and moistened sex, I returned his credit card and receipt. All the while, Trevor followed me with his taunting gaze, biting into the éclair like it was the most decadent thing he’d ever tasted. He even licked his lips while holding my gaze.
After giving the customer his card, I ran to the back of the store to catch my breath and regain my composure.
This was too much for me all at once. I couldn’t think straight. But I certainly wasn’t irate anymore. In fact, I had forgotten what Rich said that made me mad in the first place. Well, it didn’t matter now.
Not too long after I’d ventured to the back, Rich called out for the check.
I rang them up quickly only because I wanted them both out of the shop. No one could see me like this…this vulnerable.
Rich went to sign the check and then pulled out his wallet.
“Allow me to leave the tip,” Trevor said. “You paid. It’s only common courtesy.”
Rich nodded. “If you say so. It’s small enough. I think you can manage.” Rich turned to acknowledge me. “Maybe we can talk this weekend. You don’t have to say anything. I’ll call you, alright? I hope you were thinking about what I said.”
I elected to ignore Rich because he was being arrogant, but it wasn’t a cute trait on him, not like it was on Trevor anyway. As I took the booklet from Trevor with my tip inside, our fingers brushed and red-hot shivers jolted through my veins. It didn’t help that I was still super aroused and sensitive from my exchange with TEMPTED909. I felt so naughty. This wasn’t me. Was it?
“Catch you later,” Trevor said softly and then followed Rich out the door.
He sounded sexy and raw, as always. Dammit! I just needed to get laid by a stranger once and then avoid all sexual contact with men, period. That was my third step to becoming free of all this temptation.
When Rich and Trevor were out of sight, I slipped the signed receipt into the cash drawer and then opened the booklet. There was a fresh fifty-dollar bill, which did not surprise me since it came from Trevor. He was a generous tipper. What I didn’t expect to see was the crisp white envelope behind the money.
There was no labeling on the front or back of it. It was sealed with a black rubber stamp. I lifted the envelope to inspect the seal more closely. The rigid indentions made up a lion’s head, just like the same insignia on TEMPTED909’s profile.
My chest tightened. I looked around the store to make sure I was alone, but the only thing that could be heard was the noise from the diner adjacent and connected by a doorway.
I pulled out a set of airline tickets from the envelope. I gasped aloud and literally lost my footing. I had to steady myself with one hand on the counter.
The departure date was in four days leaving Houston - HOU and arriving in New Orleans - MSY. The departure and return dates corresponded exactly with the dates on the Den of Sin Winterball invite. When I made the connection, I stumbled over to a chair in the seating area and plopped down at the same time a wave of nausea claimed me.
Some of it made complete sense, except for the part where he hadn’t told me how he found me on the adult dating website and why, after all this time, had he not told me his true identity.
Trevor Stanley was TEMPTED909, and he was also my secret admirer.
CHAPTER FIVE
Camille
One year ago - Holiday Party
The cranberry cocktail drinks were the only thing keeping me relaxed at this company holiday party. Since Rich and I tied the knot just this past February, this night marked the first time I’d been to any corporate events as his wife. Of course, Rich had only been employed with the company for a few months, so even his introductions of me to his co-workers were a bit shaky.
The cocktails were spiked with liquor and with each glass I poured the alcohol level seemed to grow stronger. I could hold my alcohol quite well, knew when to quit, and had Rich as my designated driver, so consumption wasn’t a problem for me tonight.
After freshening up in the restroom, I made my way back out into the main room of the banquet hall where the holiday festivities were under way. There had to have been at least a hundred people in attendance, so spotting Rich right off the bat was nearly impossible. In his line of work—software sales—he was expected to mingle with the crowd, which included some nice business prospects, according to Rich.
I sauntered through the sea of bodies, catching snippets of business and personal conversations here and there. I passed the snack table, taking in the smell of savory appetizers and fresh fruits. The banquet hall was decorated with formal holiday décor in shades of red and white—classic Christmas colors. A cinnamon and nutmeg scent filled the room and I took several deep breaths as I made it through the crowd to stand in a clearing near a set of double glass doors.
I took one last look around the perimeter in search of Rich, needing to feel his arms wrapped around me, assuring me that we’d leave here soon. I’d never been one to enjoy crowds of any kind. Rich and I were the complete opposite on many issues, but of course, people always told me that opposites attract.
A gust of breeze from the outside hit my bare back and small shivers crept up my spine. I folded my arms across my chest, rubbed my elbow to generate some warmth, and turned around to face the open patio doors leading out to a wraparound porch.
The fresh breeze was tempting and I moved toward the outside. I stood inside the doorway for a while as I looked around. There were onl
y a few souls resting outside under the midnight sky.
My stilettos knocked softly against the wooden planks as I walked down to the other side of the porch to an unoccupied corner. I placed my palms down on the beams for support and looked out over the horizon at large groves of palm trees and evergreen landscape.
I exhaled deeply as I thought back on the conversation Rich and I had while at our house getting dressed.
“We should think about a larger house now that we’re officially married.”
I had no idea why we needed anything more than three bedrooms at this stage in our marriage and I replied with that statement as well.
“Eventually, we’ll want to have children. You’re just the picture perfect wife and I know you’ll be a model mother to all my children.”
I swallowed down the nervous lump in my throat just thinking back on his statement. What did he really mean by picture perfect? Why label me as such? A model mother? We’d talked about children before, but the consensus was to enjoy our marriage and free time before we rushed to have a family. I was afraid that Rich was getting way ahead of himself with all these labels about what a perfect marriage looked like. Did he ask for my hand in marriage because he was in love with the notion of flaunting a wife around or did he truly love me?
Warmth suddenly crept up from behind me, which was a jolting contrast to the biting chill in the air. I hadn’t really realized how cold my skin had become until now. There was a reason that only a few people were out on the porch. With it being a night in early December, the temperatures were fairly chilly. I had left my jacket with the door greeter when Rich and I had arrived.