Vigil (17 page)

And Vigil and I were perfect as far as all that was concerned.

Admittedly, I didn’t really have any desire to be in a relationship with a billionaire playboy, but Callum seemed to come along with the package, so I had to deal with that.

Except I didn’t have to deal with it.

Because I’d just broken up with him.

Holy hell. I was a complete idiot.

So, he wanted to pay girls to make out with him. So what? Was I ever going to find another man who could make me have that many orgasms in a row?

I shook my head, scolding myself. “No, Cecily,” I whispered. “You shouldn’t think about it like that. Sex is not important. It’s only sex. Being unfaithful,
that’s
important. You were right to take a stand.”

So, if I was so right, why did I feel like ass about it?

My trip down the elevator was interrupted when it stopped and the doors opened.

At first, I half expected to see him outside, glaring at me.

But the elevator was ten floors down by now. It wasn’t Callum. It was some other worker who hopped on and hit a button.

And thus began the stop and start of the elevator, yet again.

Eventually, I made it back to the bottom floor. I left the building and trudged to my own office. Somehow, I was going to have to try to concentrate on work today, even though all I could think about was how I’d broken up with Vigil. With Callum. With both of them.

I logged onto one of the computers in the main area and checked my work email to see if anything had happened that I needed to know about. Not much had. There was a message from the layout guys saying that it would be easier for everyone if we went ahead and submitted our copy in Palatino and we justified the text. They were wasting too much time cleaning up everyone’s articles.

Since I always did that, I deleted that message.

There was another message, this one about parking and how we were losing half of our parking lot because we could make more money selling the spots than we could selling the paper, and since the paper was in financial trouble, the staff was either going to have to take the bus, find other parking, or pay for the spaces.

Since I didn’t drive, I deleted that one too.

The next message was from Lauren. She wanted me to cover something around noon today. It was something to do with the police department and a bake sale or something. Basically, a PR piece. Something the police department was doing to try to salvage their image. I hated stuff like that because I felt like there was pressure to slant my piece favorably. But I’d do it. I wasn’t going to get anywhere rejecting assignments. No, I had to be sure to do what was asked of me to the very best of my ability. That was what would ensure my success.

“Cecily,” said a deep, angry voice.

I looked up. Callum was standing over me. He was a little out of breath and there were tiny beads of sweat on his upper lip. He must have run all the way here.

“Um, hi,” I squeaked. I got out of my chair.

“How do you like it when I invade your work?”

“Um…” I fidgeted. “What are you doing here?”

He looked around the office. “You want a public acknowledgment of our relationship, right? You want to be my official girlfriend, and you want everyone to know it?”

“I…” I guessed that was what I wanted. “I don’t want you to kiss other girls.”

“Fine,” he said. “I won’t.”

“Good,” I said.

“Good,” he said. He looked around the office. “Where’s the Lifestyles/Entertainment/Whatever editor?”

“Uh… you mean Jenny?” I pointed at her office. It was next to Lauren’s, and the door was open. “She’s over there, but I don’t see why that’s important—”

“Jenny!” yelled Callum.

“What are you doing?” I said, feeling confused.

“You want it public, right?” He glared at me.

“I—”

“Callum Rutherford?” said Jenny’s voice. She was coming out of her office, a big smile on her face. “What a surprise.”

He caught my chin with one hand. “Just thought you should know,” he said to Jenny. Then his eyes bored into mine, and his lips came for me.

He kissed me so hard that I nearly lost my balance. It was a deep kiss, forceful and strong. He tongue claimed my mouth. His hand held my face in place. It went on for a long time, making me weak-kneed and lightheaded.

And then he released me. “Public enough for you?”

I touched my bottom lip. “Callum…”

But he was already stalking out of the office, not even giving me a backward look.

CHAPTER TWELVE

“Um, maybe a couple more of the two of you on the couch?” said Airenne, smiling. She, Callum, and I were all in his mansion with a photographer from
Bold!
We were working on getting photos for the article she was writing about us.

Callum was bored and annoyed. “You’ve taken zillions of pictures of us on the couch.”

I had to admit that the dress that I was wearing was too tight. I had to hold myself in just the right way or it gave me unsightly bulges. It itched too. I would have been glad enough for everything to be over. But it wasn’t up to me. I forced myself to smile sweetly at him. “If Airenne thinks she needs more shots, then maybe we should do what she says.”

He didn’t look happy about it. “Fine.”

“Actually, maybe I don’t need them,” said Airenne, trying a smile. “Maybe I could ask you guys a few more questions, and then I’ll be out of your hair.”

Callum folded his arms over his chest. “I thought we’d already finished the interview part.”

“Well, my editor just sent me a text with some stuff she wants to make sure I include, and I didn’t have them as original questions.”

The interview part had been a fluff piece pretty obviously. It was all about the glamour of being with Callum Rutherford. There hadn’t been any tough questions. But since Airenne was backing off on the pictures and trying to sooth Callum, I was starting to get a little worried.

“It’s only a few questions,” said Airenne. “It’ll only take a minute.”

Callum heaved a sigh. “All right. Let’s get this over with.”

“Why don’t we sit down?” Airenne gestured to the couch.

I sat down.

Callum glared at Airenne, then at me. He shook his head. He sat down.

“Okay,” said Airenne. “Uh, Callum, you’ve been pretty vocal about your opinions on Vigil, and Cecily is probably his biggest proponent, writing all those stories about him. Is that difference of opinion something that enters into your relationship?”

Callum shot me a panicked glance.

I swallowed, trying not to let any discomfort show. “You know, while I do interview Vigil, I don’t think it’s fair to say I’m his biggest proponent. I report on what he does, but I try to stay objective about him.”

“But you do have a higher opinion of him than Callum does?” said Airenne.

“Uh…” I looked at Callum.

He appeared to be recovering. “We don’t talk much about that, honestly.”

“Well, I witnessed your first meeting,” said Airenne, “and the two of you seemed to be arguing about that very subject.”

“Callum challenges me,” I said. “Before him, I’d never been involved with someone so, um, wealthy and influential. I didn’t understand that there are a lot of pressures on a man like him. He’s really opened my mind to a different point of view. So, when I first argued with him, I took issue with what I thought was a lack of priorities. But now that I’ve gotten to know him better, I realize I couldn’t have been more wrong about him.”

“She’s right,” said Callum. “That discussion wasn’t about Vigil at all. I disapprove of him because he’s clearly mentally unhinged, and I don’t think that we should be trusting in an insane man to save the city. But Cecily thought that I didn’t like him because I was too focused on entertainment to see that crime is a problem in our city.”

I nodded.

“And you do feel crime is a problem?” said Airenne.

“Certainly,” said Callum.

“Of course he does,” I said.

Airenne nodded. She looked like she was trying to think through what we’d said.

I didn’t want her to think too hard on it. After all, it didn’t strictly make any sense. It would be best if we could just move on. “So,” I said. “Is that all, then?”

“It doesn’t bother you that Callum disapproves of Vigil?” said Airenne.

“Why should it?” I said. “He’s entitled to his opinion.”

“Do
you
disapprove of Vigil?”

God damn it, Airenne
. Why did she have to push? “I think he has some valid thoughts about the problems we’re facing in our city. And he’s protecting women on the street. No one can deny that.”

“She makes good points,” said Airenne. “What do you think, Callum?”

He laughed easily. Any trace of the panic he’d felt before was completely gone. “I think you’re trying to make us get in an argument, Airenne. Probably want to get pictures of it too.” He winked at her.

Airenne blushed. “No, not at all. Like I said, my editor wanted me to ask the questions.”

“Vigil is not someone we’ve discussed too much,” said Callum, looking at me.

I shrugged. “I try to keep my work life separate from my dating life.”

* * *

Callum paced in front of the couch.

Airenne and the camera crew had packed up and gone, but as soon as we were alone, Callum started to freak out.

“I can’t believe she asked those questions about Vigil,” he said. “This is exactly what I was afraid of. They’re going to associate me with Vigil, and they’re going to put it all together. It’s right in front of their noses. They’re going to know.”

“They aren’t,” I said. “No one suspects anything like that.”

He plunged his hands into his hair. “I never should have taken such a hard line against him. I thought it would help to distance me from him, but instead it just make me look more suspicious.”

“It doesn’t. There are a lot of people who share your opinions about Vigil. You’re fine. We’re both fine.”

He threw himself down on the couch. “I don’t like any of this. Being public with you is making everything worse.”

“Nothing’s worse,” I said. “But if you don’t want me around, then I guess we don’t have to spend time together.”

“Of course I want you around,” he said, reaching for me. “And you have every right to have a boyfriend that doesn’t act like a complete ass.”

“You’re not a
complete
ass,” I said. “Just somewhat.”

He chuckled.

I put my hand on his chest. My voice dropped a few octaves. “I like it when you say that you’re my boyfriend.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Oh, you do?” His voice got lower too. “I’m your boyfriend.”

I grinned.

He kissed me.

I closed my eyes and melted into him, running my fingers over his hard chest. I could feel his muscles beneath his shirt. I realized that I was close to his bare skin. All I’d have to do was unbutton his shirt, and he’d be completely uncovered. The thought excited me, and I kissed him harder.

He pulled back.

I looked into his eyes. “Something wrong?”

“We just don’t do this when I’m not… you know, Vigil.”

I bit my lip. “Well, just because we haven’t yet doesn’t mean we can’t.”

“Maybe not, but…”

“I’d like to try it.”

He closed his eyes. “I don’t know, Cecily.”

I kissed him again.

He kissed back, but there was nervousness in the way his lips moved against mine, the way he held me. Vigil was never nervous. Vigil was fluid and confident. He made me do what he wanted.

There was something endearing about Callum’s nervousness. It made me feel closer to him, like what we were doing was more intimate.

My mouth moved away from his, and I began to kiss his jaw. Then his neck.

I unbuttoned the first button on his shirt.

“Seriously,” he said. “This probably isn’t a good idea.” He was tanned and smooth and hard, and he smelled good.

I kissed his collarbone. “Since when has that stopped us?”

“Cecily…”

I unbuttoned the next button, my lips moving lower.

He sighed. He pulled me away from him, forced me to look at up at him. “It won’t work. I can’t…”

“What do you mean it won’t work?”

His jaw twitched. He swallowed.

I’d never seen him quite so unnerved. I kind of liked it. I unbuttoned another button. I slid my hand inside his shirt, feeling his warm, soft skin. “It’s only that I never get to touch you. I never get to see you.”

“I know, and I’m sorry, but I can’t do it like this.”

I took one of my hands out of his shirt and trailed it over his clothes to cup his crotch. He was hard and huge there. “Feels like you could definitely do it,” I whispered.

He grabbed my wrist. I thought he was going to wrench me away, but instead he held my hand there. He kissed me again. “I want to. God, I want to. I wish I could be with you this way.”

“You can,” I said.

“I don’t…”

I moved my hand over his cock, stroking him.

He groaned.

Then he pushed me back on the couch, on my back. He pushed my dress up around my hips.

My breath caught in my throat.

He yanked at my underwear, pulling them off.

I snatched hold of his half-unbuttoned shirt and pulled him down to kiss me.

His hands roamed over my body, cupping my breasts, stroking my thighs.

I scrabbled at his buttons, pulling open his shirt, baring his chest.

He was beautiful. His was rippled perfection. I sucked in breath as my gaze traveled over him. I ran my fingers over him almost reverently.

His fingers moved between my legs. His thumb found my clit. He nudged another finger inside me. “You’re so fucking wet for me.”

“You’re so fucking hot,” I said. “You’re gorgeous.”

His face reddened.

I’d never seen him blush before. Suddenly, things felt different between us. While our lovemaking had always been intense, this was somehow personal in a way it had never been before. I felt like I could really see him.

And it turned me on more. I kissed him. “I want you,” I murmured against his mouth.