Cameron's Control (Novella #1): The Enthrall Sessions (Volume 4) (11 page)

“It’s nothing.” I reached into my pocket for my cell and went to silence it and saw Shay’s name. “I should get this. Go find your shoes.”

Mia headed on over to the elegant display—a collection of pumps, and heels, and wedges.

“Cole.” I pushed to my feet and moved over to the front window.

“Hey boss,” said Shay warmly.

“How are things?”

“Good. You?”

“Great. How’s the boat?”

“Handles like a dream.”

“Heard you took Henry out on it?”

“He seemed to have fun.”

“A nice reunion, I hear?”

“Yeah, we bored the hell out of Arianna talking about old times. She kept trying to tempt us to swim.” He chuckled. “We’ve lost our edge, Cam. Neither of us wanted to face the cold.”

“You’re getting old, buddy.”

“Tell me about it.”  

“That’ll be all the champagne and high rolling you do.”

“You’re a bad influence.”

A car alarm went off and I pulled the phone away from my ear. “Where are you?”

“China Town. Arianna likes this little joint down here. Food’s not bad, but to be honest her favorite dish looks like it’s gonna bite back.”

“Hang in there.”

“Everything’s set for tonight.” His tone changed. “I booked a private room. VIP lounge.”

“Sounds perfect.”

“You pay me for perfection.”

“And I thank you for always delivering it.” I turned to see Mia staring out the window.

I froze.

Terror was etched on her expression.

“I’ll call you back.” I hung up and followed her gaze.

Tourists ambled by.

A man wearing sunglasses seemed to be peering through the shop window. His head tipped, his face hidden beneath a Carolina Panther’s cap. He turned and walked toward a black Kia and climbed in. I didn’t have time to catch the plate.

Mia’s gaze shifted to mine. “It doesn’t fit right.” She hurried into the changing room.

My stare shot back to the street.

I followed her, finding Mia with the dress off and pulling on her jeans and shirt. Her eyes didn’t meet mine.

I leaned against the wall with my arms folded, going for relaxed as a way to get her to calm and open up, all the while scrutinizing her.

She forced a smile and I forced one back.

“It’s too expensive.” She nodded to herself. “Doesn’t fit right.”

“It looked lovely on you.”

The shop assistant appeared and I gestured for her to give us a minute.

“Another client needs the changing room,” said the girl.

“One minute,” I said.

“She’s one of our regulars.”

“She’ll live.” I turned to Mia. “Did you see someone you recognized?”

Mia stared at the wall. “It’s just all too much, Cameron. You buying all this stuff for me.” She lowered her voice. “It makes me feel dependent on you. I’m not used to it.”

Well that was inaccurate for a start. Richard had spoiled her.

“Sir, perhaps if you don’t mind stepping out,” said the shop girl again.

“Perhaps I might buy the store,” I said dryly. “And fire you.”  

She hurried out and I stepped forward to help Mia tug down her t-shirt. “Tell me why your demeanor changed so rapidly.”  

“I just became overwhelmed.”

Her pupils dilated. Fine hairs prickled on her forearms. The inability to swallow. A soft blush on her neck. I’d caught every sign of a fight or flight response.

I leaned over and kissed her forehead. “We don’t need to buy the dress.”

She seemed to take comfort in that and sat to slide into her boots.

“Meet me outside,” I said warmly.

I stopped on the way out to say to the shop assistant, “I was an ass. I apologize.” I gave a courteous smile to her and the woman next to her, the client who was in a hurry to try on some chiffon number she held on a hanger.  

“You can stay in there if you like,” said the thirty-something woman, her eyebrows raised flirtatiously. The tip of her tongue rested on her upper lip suggestively.

With a polite wave, I left the store and took out my phone.

Shay’s voice came on the other end. “If you’re calling to tell me not to eat the entrails,” he said dryly, “too late.”

I caressed my forehead, half amused and half on a mission. “Sounds delicious, Shay. Listen, I need you to obtain security footage.”

“Sure.”

“Rodeo Drive. More specifically the camera’s trained on
Badgley Mischka.”
 

“What or who am I looking for?”

“Can you get the name of the owner of a black Kia that was parked outside?” I glanced at my watch. “Male. White. Thirtyish, maybe. Soon as you can.”

“I’ll run his face through the recognition software we don’t own.”

“Thank you, Shay.”

“What happened?”  

“Nothing yet.”

“Cole, let me deploy my security. I can have a team on you in fifteen.”

I turned to look back inside. Mia was talking to the shop girl. She seemed a little calmer.  

“Let’s compromise,” I said. “Have your men track Mia.”  

“I can do that.”

“I trust her. Just don’t trust the wolves, Shay.”

“No one’s getting near her.”

“Your best men. I don’t care what it takes.”

Mia headed out onto the pavement. She looked a little sheepish. What the hell was guilt doing etched on her face?

“Hey there.” I covered my hand over the phone. “Change of heart on the dress?”

With a shake of her head, she told me she was going to be stubborn. It meant she’d be wearing something Richard had bought her tonight.

Fuck.

I opened the passenger door and she avoided my gaze as she climbed in.

Pulling the phone back to my ear, I said, “Shay, no room for error.” I killed the call and joined her in the car.

The engine idled as I sat for a moment, pretending to scroll through my phone.

Was I reading too much into this? Had Mia genuinely been overwhelmed and I was being too arrogant to believe this might be a hard transition for her?

My beautiful, sweet Mia, who sat patiently while her dream-like gaze took in the other shops. This was the kind of life she couldn’t have imagined, coming from that impoverished home in Charlotte.  

My over analyzing brain had always served me well.

He’d been wearing the cap of Charlotte’s football team.

There was one other man who might cause that kind of distress to rise behind Mia’s soft blue eyes. The monster who’d shot up a fourteen-year-old Mia with cocaine to silence her, only long enough to overdose her mother and leave her dying on the living room floor. The man I’d had my private investigator hunting down.

Perhaps, I mused darkly, her mother’s dealer had come to us.

“Everything okay?” she asked softly.

I smiled her way. “You’re mine, so yes.”

CHAPTER 12

NOW I UNDERSTOOD those smitten poets and their endless expounding of logic long lost, and others who died willingly for their lovers in war, or peace, or just because, and broken hearted cries from those who announced they’d never recover from losing their one true love.

I no longer cared for the time before her.

It was hard to remember it now. These emotions gripped me too profoundly. How far I’d come in letting go and letting her in.

I wasn’t ready to let Mia see I’d developed this chink in my amour. A weakness of sorts. I refused to let her know how she affected me. Didn’t need anyone to see this once impenetrable man had fallen hard.

I’d been accused of enjoying watching others burn.

I’d been sorely misunderstood.

It was more about my desire to help others live life to the full, love completely, burn up with a frenzy to devour all the world had to offer. Perhaps my lack of love had been a catalyst to live vicariously through others. I’d pushed Richard, Scarlet, Lotte, and Penny to the brink when it came to finding happiness, all the while holding back on my own.

Though now, I too savored every second of being with a woman whose presence brought me to my knees.

Mia and I hadn’t separated since leaving Badgley Mischka.

That look of fear had shaken us both, not least because I couldn’t stand the thought of anyone ever hurting her again.

I took her for a leisurely lunch in the Luxe Rodeo Drive hotel, where we’d ate a light salad and I’d laughed at her silly jokes, so loud we’d drawn unwanted attention from the other diners. It was good to see her relax again.  

We returned home to Beverly Hills.

During the afternoon, I’d sat on a lounger in the garden and read that Chuck Palahniuk novel I’d been dying to get to. Finally I relaxed after a grueling few months of working flat out. I sipped on lemon water and frequently glanced up from my Kindle to enjoy the sight of Mia swimming laps.

This is what she did to me. She made me slow down. Gave me a reason to escape from my usual routine of time spent at the office, running Chrysalis, and dabbling in the running of Cole Tea from a safe distance.

In her last life, Mia had been a mermaid. I was sure of it. If there was water, Mia would be drawn to it, whether it was swimming pools, fountains, or taking long, luxurious baths.

She threw me a wave and I waved back.

Having grown up in poverty, she was incapable of taking anything for granted and always experienced what I shared with rapt attention. She was a healthy reminder that grand houses and fast cars were reserved for the rich. Though despite my moneyed upbringing, I’d always been conscious of my privileged life.

Just after my twelfth birthday, Aunt Rose had taken both me and Henry to work in a soup kitchen for a day where we’d delivered hot meals to the homeless. Those memories left a lasting impression. Rose’s way of rounding out our education. She was my favorite aunt not least because she was a frequent visitor to our boarding school when we were kids, bringing our favorite sugared treats as well as delivering the kind of affection our mother had failed to realize we needed.

Aunt Rose had served as a nursing officer in the Vietnamese War, and despite marrying into a wealthy family later, she remembered her heritage and taught Henry and I to do the same.

I’d always be grateful to her for that.

Because of Rose’s insight, it was easier for me to relate to Mia, and see to her smooth transition into this life. She’d always treated others with respect. I could ask no more from a partner willing to share in my
philanthropic pursuits.
 

I rose from the lounger and joined her by the pool and signaled to her. She swam to the edge, climbed up the pool stairs, and trotted toward me, falling into the large towel I held open for her.

We snuggled on the lounger and napped the rest of the day away.

At sunset, I escorted her upstairs for us to get ready for Scarlet’s party.

Mia paused in the doorway when she saw what was waiting for her on the bed. She glanced my way and I gave a knowing nod.

She strolled over and cautiously unwrapped the ribbon off the large Badgley Mischka box.

“Cameron.” She reached in and withdrew the dress she’d tried on in the store.

“Ms. Lauren,” I said firmly. “Do not refuse me.”

She ran her hands over the black material.  

I gave a wave of my hand to emphasize it was nothing. “I’m implementing a new level of security. All doors and windows locked. No entry without knowledge of the code.”

Her gaze snapped up to hold mine.

Oh yes, my darling, I know.

I didn’t push her for answers. No matter how much I wanted to.

“Why?” she said.

“I want you to feel safe.”

Her hands traced over the dress again and she held it up.

“You’re wearing it tonight.”

She tucked a stray hair behind her ear. “I can’t accept it—”

“You will.”

“Perhaps—”

“Mia.”

Her eyelids fluttered in reservation.

I sat on the bed and pulled her toward me, removing the dress from her hands and laying it aside. She didn’t need a stern master right now, she needed affection, needed understanding. She straddled me and wrapped her hands around my neck.

I hugged her. “This represents more than a dress. It’s me anticipating your needs and fulfilling them.”

She buried her face in the crook of my neck.

I leaned back and tipped her chin up. “We must be sensitive to Richard’s feelings. If he sees you wearing something he—”

“You’re right.”

“My parents are visiting tomorrow,” I said. “I’m looking forward to them getting to know you better.”

She looked nervous.

“It’s just dinner.”  

“They were nice to me last time I met them.”

“They’re fond of you.”

She lowered her gaze shyly.

“I’ll be right there beside you.”

Yes she was feisty, but God she was so damn vulnerable still. Her past had almost destroyed her.

I’d captured her in that Chrysalis dungeon and used every trick in my arsenal of psychological skills to extract the truth of what had really happened to her at fourteen. Her psyche remained fragile, as did her heart, and I knew without a doubt I was the only man who got her.

“I will protect you until my last breath, Mia. You know that don’t you?”

“Yes.” Our gazes locked.

“It’s imperative you trust me.” I wanted to ease her angst. “Whenever you’re ready to open up, I’m here.”