The Mogul And The Muscle

I’d been so caught up in my own internal drama, I hadn’t even noticed they were next to us.

“I’m always down for butt stuff,” one of the ladies said in an excited voice more than slightly too loud for the conversation topic.

“Just watch the hands,” another one said. “If his fingers are involved, make sure they don’t wind up on her face or in her mouth. Also, does anyone need more coffee? Because I do.”

“Me, always,” the enthusiastic one said. “And hard yes to watching the hands.”

Daisy’s face lit up with excitement and she mouthed, One of them is writing anal.

I stifled a laugh, but felt a little better. We were ridiculous. Four of the wealthiest women in the country—CEO, goal-getter, stiletto-wearing badasses—who also loved to hang on every word while four authors discussed their craft, and giggle at discussions of kinky sex in fiction.

“I’m just not sure if it fits,” the first one said. “And as often as my kids make poop jokes, I don’t know if I can make anything with butts sexy.”

“If the story needs an edge, you can always take their sexytimes outdoors,” the fourth woman said. “I wrote sex in a garden shed once. Readers loved it.”

“Outside. That’s not a bad idea.”

“Oh my god you guys I think I just deleted my entire book. No, wait. False alarm. It’s here. But has anyone seen my phone?”

“It’s next to your drink.”

“I should probably switch to water.”

“Okay, ladies, are we ready to sprint? We have word counts to meet.”

“Twenty-five minutes on the clock. Go.”

“Damn, nothing about Salvio,” Daisy said. “I was hoping they’d drop some hints about his next book.”

“Sorry, Cam,” Luna said. “You were saying?”

“It’s okay,” I said. “I’m just not sure what I’m feeling right now. Or what I’m supposed to be feeling. I kind of thought there might be a little something there, but he’s my bodyguard. And I don’t know if he feels anything, or if he’s just doing his job. And I shouldn’t be feeling anything anyway.”

“Was there just a forehead kiss?” Daisy asked, her eyes narrowing. “Or was there touching?”

“There was touching.” Unconsciously I brushed my cheek with my fingers. “He touched my face. And kissed my temple, too.”

“Well, that changes everything,” Emily said.

“It does? Why?”

Emily leaned closer. “A forehead kiss and a temple kiss are totally different.”

“That’s true,” Luna said, nodding excitedly. “A forehead kiss is nurturing and protective. It can still be sexy, but if you’re not sure about his intentions, it can be difficult to interpret.”

“A temple kiss, though, that’s a little more romantic,” Emily said. “Especially if he was touching your face.”

“I don’t know,” I said. “Maybe. I’m probably just having a delayed reaction to last night’s trauma.”

I risked a quick glance at him. He’d melted into the background, somehow inconspicuous despite being as tall as the queens in platform heels.

A romantic gesture? Had it been? I wasn’t entirely sure if Jude even liked me all that much. We got along fine, but was there something else there?

Was that what I wanted?

I wasn’t sure about that, either.

18

JUDE

O n the surface, things were business as usual with Cameron. Her schedule had been jam-packed with meetings, conference calls, and debriefings from her R&D staff. She went in early and stayed late. Went straight home after work and stayed there.

I could see what she was doing. Her guardedness couldn’t hide the fact that the hit and run had rattled her. She felt out of control, and I had a very strong feeling that when Cameron Whitbury felt out of control, she dove into the things she could control.

Specifically work.

By Thursday, Brandy was giving me worried looks. Friday I heard Cameron tell Brandy to make sure her schedule was clear for the weekend. She had too much work to do.

Her demeanor was calm and collected. Her voice steady on phone calls and in her many meetings. The only outward sign that Cameron was struggling was her shoe choice. She’d been playing it safe, wearing simple black or nude heels every day.