Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 70826 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 354(@200wpm)___ 283(@250wpm)___ 236(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70826 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 354(@200wpm)___ 283(@250wpm)___ 236(@300wpm)
This is strictly business.
“Ready?” I ask, my tone harsher than usual.
There’s a flash of disappointment on her face before she nods.
When the elevator opens, I wait for her to enter before joining her. The doors slide shut, and the subtle scent of her perfume fills the air around me.
She smells fresh, like a crisp green apple.
Fuck, I’m never going to look the same at a green apple again.
“Wait until I tell you it’s safe to leave the elevator,” I order.
There’s no reply from Camille which I have to admit is starting to annoy the fuck out of me.
When the door opens in the parking area, I step out first and make sure it’s clear before muttering, “Come.”
“I’m not a dog,” she mumbles under her breath.
Walking to the car, I say, “Give me the keys. You’re not driving.”
Camille digs the vehicle’s keys out of her purse, and for a moment, it looks like she’s going to throw them at me, but then she changes her mind and holds them up in the air, the keyring dangling from her pointer finger.
My eyes lock with hers as I take the keys.
“I would appreciate it if you were less robotic and more human around my friends. The last thing I need is you offending one of them.”
I shake my head. “This is as human as I get.”
She shakes her head and lets out a sigh before climbing into the passenger side of the Bugatti.
When I slide behind the steering wheel, she mutters, “Would it kill you to smile once in a while?”
Before I can stop the words, I reply, “It’s not my job to smile.”
“Right,” she sighs.
Honestly, I can’t remember when I last smiled. Maybe when I talk to Nikolai?
I start the car and check that Camille has her safety belt on before I place my hand on the back of her headrest and reverse out of the parking.
Just as I’m about to put the car into drive, my eyes lock on Camille’s. In the dim light of the parking area, she looks sexy as fuck.
I take a deep breath and get a hit of her perfume.
The moment feels intimate, which is something I’m not comfortable with.
I quickly train my eyes to the front and steer us out of the parking area. I rest my arm on the armrest and accidentally bump against Camille. She quickly pulls away and glances out of the window.
The drive to the nightclub where the party is taking place is filled with an uncomfortable silence, but I have zero intention of starting a conversation.
I seriously don’t think Camille and I have anything in common.
When we near the nightclub, I say, “Don’t disappear on me once we’re inside. There will be a lot of people, and any of them can be a threat.”
“Got it,” she whispers.
When I took the job, I expected Camille to throw one hell of a tantrum about having a bodyguard with her twenty-four-seven. Instead, she’s been pretty understanding.
I find a parking spot not too far from the club. “Wait for me to open your door,” I order before I get out of the Bugatti.
Thankfully, Maurice got a special license for me, so I’m able to carry a concealed weapon in a public place.
I make sure my jacket covers my Heckler & Koch and glance around the area for any threats before opening the passenger door. When Camille climbs out, I wrap my arm around her lower back and pull her closer to my body so I’m able to move her at an instant's notice.
“Whoa,” she gasps, her hand pushing against my chest.
Only then do I realize how intimate this might look.
“I just need you close to me until we’re inside.”
“Then ask.”
I pull my arm back but keep my hand on her lower back. “Walk.”
“Jesus,” she whispers.
When we near the bouncer vetting the long queue of people trying to get into the club, Camille’s lips curve up in a polite smile.
“Hi, Louis,” she greets him. “This is my bodyguard.”
The bouncer glances at me before unhooking the red rope so we can pass. Inside the club, we’re stopped by another guard, and this time I’m searched. The man seems a little uneasy around me.
After showing my license for the weapon, I’m carrying, we’re allowed to head to the dance floors.
The club is already full, and this time when I pull Camille to my side, I don’t get snapped at. I take her to the VIP section, where it’s quieter, and when I spot her group of friends, I let go and fall back.
Seriously, these socialites look like carbon copies of each other. But none of them fill a mini dress like Camille.
My eyes touch on her curvy ass for a second too long before scanning every single person in our vicinity.
You have to stop checking out her ass.
When I glance at Camille again, I see as she wishes Sophie a happy birthday. She greets her other friends and takes a seat.