Desire (Venture Capitalist Book 3) Read online

  “He’s usually so much smarter than that,” Sara agrees.

  “She must give spectacular blowjobs,” I say.

  Everyone snickers.

  “She’s been pretty persistent,” Sara states, “but I’m still at a loss.”

  Greer turns to me and says, “When I saw Cameron all dressed up, and without the baseball hat, I finally understood why you’re so head over heels for him. He does clean up nice.”

  If she only knew. I’m going to feel all the fun we had last night for a few days.

  My core clenches and my nipples pebble at the thought of what he did to me. My panties are wet just thinking about what I’m sure are magic fingers, and that tongue. Holy shit, I know what amazing sex is like now. I think I pulled a muscle.

  Cameron’s occupied my thoughts on a regular basis since I met him. I don’t regret having slept with him. Quite the opposite, actually. I want to make my excuses and go back to him. There are so many things I’d like to explore. I feel so renewed and refreshed following all my orgasms. I want more of him. I want to feel like this again, and often.

  “I told you. He’s a good-looking guy once you get past the T-shirts, scruffy face, and faded jeans,” Sara jokes.

  I can’t keep thinking of him. If I do, I’ll go back to his room. Needing to change the subject, I ask CeCe, “When do Emerson and Dillon leave for their honeymoon in Greece?”

  “They fly out this afternoon. They drove to Denver to stay in the Brown Palace Hotel last night.”

  With dreamy eyes, Greer says, “It was such a beautiful wedding.”

  We spend the rest of the morning talking about the ceremony and making notes for our future weddings. As we’re discussing the missing ring, my cell phone pings.

  Cameron: I was disappointed that you weren’t here when I woke up this morning.

  The girls don’t seem to notice as I bite my lip, thinking of him in bed, naked with a raging hard-on, and how I wouldn’t mind writhing beneath him and scratching at the dragon on his chest.

  Me: Sorry. The girls were searching for me, and I didn’t want to disturb you.

  Cameron: Because you knew if you did, we’d still be in bed now.

  My body reacts to the thought of his mouth playing with my nipples, his fingers buried deep inside me. Maybe I can find an excuse to go back and spend the day with him?

  Me: The thought did occur to me. What are your plans today?

  Cameron: I’m checking out shortly and heading on the first of two spectacular motorcycle rides I’ve been told about. What about you?

  That’s disappointing on so many levels. If he had asked me to come back and play, I probably would’ve made excuses. I don’t usually have one-night stands, but he was incredible, and I need to keep this light so he doesn’t worry that he’ll have a crazy psycho on his hands.

  Me: Shopping at the outlet malls, and I need to get some rest. There was a hot, painted man who kept me up all night.

  Cameron: Painted? I like that.

  I need to keep this light. Show him I can be discrete. Me: Enjoy your ride.

  Cameron: I’d rather ride you. See you later.

  How can he say that and not expect me to come running?

  Me: (Fanning myself to keep cool.) Me too. Bye.

  I’m a little disappointed that he didn’t invite me with him or make plans to go out—or stay in—when we return to San Francisco. Sure, I could’ve asked him about getting together when we get home, but maybe I’ve read too many books about guys. They like the thrill of the chase, and I wanted him to chase me. Still, I’m hopeful we can do that a few more dozen times. He was a-maz-ing!

  Returning my attention to our brunch, I realize Trey’s joined us, along with Mason and Annabel.

  “This has been a fantastic trip.” Annabel grins and giggles, staring at Mason, who blushes and can’t make eye contact with any of us.

  Okay, this is awkward and bordering on gross. I look across the table and see the look on CeCe’s face. Her smile is forced. I want to shake Mason and ask, “What the hell are you thinking?” Then I look at Sara, and I can tell she’s struggling. I don’t think any of us will understand what he sees in Annabel.

  Sara is able to pull it together quickly and asks them, “What are your plans today?”

  “We’re driving into Aspen for a sunset hot air balloon ride,” Annabel announces proudly.

  “That sounds wonderfully romantic,” I tell them.

  She nods vigorously. “That’s what I think, too.”

  Sara has a pained expression, and I can only imagine it’s because Annabel works for her as her legal assistant.

  Changing the subject, I ask, “What are your plans, Sara?”

  She quietly responds, “We’re going horseback riding at a ranch not far from here.”

  “Oh, that sounds fun.”

  Trey gazes at her. “Sara’s never seen a horse up close in person.”

  I pat her on the leg to soothe her obvious anxiousness. “You grew up in San Francisco, like me. I don’t think I saw a horse up close until I went to sleep-away camp when I was fifteen.”

  Sara has a look of relief, and CeCe mouths, “Thank you.”

  Trey turns to Sara and grasps her hand tightly. “See, sweetheart? Nothing to be embarrassed about.”

  CeCe sighs. “I wish I could join you both, but Hadlee, Greer, and I are planning to do a bit of shopping and hitting the spa here at the hotel. We have massages at three.”

  “I also booked a facial and mani-pedi. Do either of you care for one?” Greer asks.

  CeCe looks down at her hands, inspecting her nails. “I just did those before I left.”

  “Me, too,” I add.

  I’m surprised when Cameron wanders in and then comes over to the table. I thought he was in bed texting me, but he’s obviously freshly showered and ready to tackle the day. Good Lord, the man’s a work of art, and his ass—holy hell. The way his jeans tightly hug his backside… oh my.

  The group welcomes him, and he pulls a chair up next to me. Everyone is busy in various conversations when he leans in and whispers in my ear, “I found your panties.”

  My heart races. “I’d offer to come take them off your hands, but I believe you’ve already checked out, and I still don’t have a hotel room.”

  His eyes are smoldering. “I have, but I packed them away and will get them to you at home. They seem like they’re probably part of a very sexy set.”

  His fingers are making small circles on my thigh, and I can’t take much more. He’s attacking all my senses, and I’m completely powerless to him. “Maybe we can meet up when you get back to San Francisco?”

  He beams at me and squeezes my leg beneath the table. My stomach lurches, and I’m sure I have a wet spot between my legs.

  Standing, he announces, “All right, gang. This has been a fun weekend, but I have two bike rides ahead of me, and then I ride home.”

  “You’re riding home?” Greer asks, eyes wide.

  “Why not? Are you worried I’m not coming back?”

  “Well… of course not. I just….”

  He leans over and kisses her on the cheek. “I’m just giving you a hard time, Greer. I haven’t taken any time away from work since we started, and I finally have the team in place to do so. I thought everyone knew I was taking the long way back to San Francisco.”

  A little green monster rears its head with their small amount of intimacy. I realize they work together and I’ve been told Cameron’s a technical genius and Greer’s able to dissect the technical into uncomplicated words so someone like me can understand. Greer’s my friend, and she’s known for a long time that I’ve been crazy about Cameron, but I’m still a little jealous of how close they are. All of them are close, actually; I’m the odd man out.

  SHN is one of the leading venture capital firms in the Bay Area, and as I look around the table, everyone seems to work for them in one capacity or another except for me. I’ve been friends with CeCe since we were in preschool. She,
her brother, and father are advisors to the partners, and they get together at their parents’ house most Sunday nights. Dillon, Mason, and Cameron are founding partners, having started the company. Sara, Emerson, and Greer are partners, and recently they extended an offer to another who I haven’t met yet. Sometimes I feel a little left out when they talk business, but other times I’m glad not to have the troubles that seem to plague them.

  Cameron stands to leave, positioning himself behind me while he says goodbye to everyone and gives me a quick squeeze.

  CeCe doesn’t miss anything. Muttering under her breath, she says, “I think you need to tell me more about last night.”

  I smile and nod. I’m sure I can give her the PG-rated version.

  The group slowly breaks off to their respective activities, leaving Greer, CeCe, and me. CeCe looks at me carefully. “Okay, missy. Spill. Did you spend last night with Cameron?”

  Greer stamps her feet and screeches a happy sound.

  I don’t want to kiss and tell. I want to savor this for a while and enjoy what we did. “He was kind enough to give me a place to stay last night. It isn’t a big deal.”

  “That’s bullshit. We’ve been friends since we were five years old. Tell us more.”

  “I can only share that he has the most beautiful dragon tattoo on his chest.”

  “His total chest is a dragon?” Greer asks.

  “It is, and it swirls around his back. His arms are also covered. One has beautiful flames from the dragon’s mouth, and the other has some wonderful designs. It’s really pretty stunning.”

  “But you can’t tell he has anything on his chest only his arms are covered to just above his wrists.”

  “He can wear a dress shirt and roll the sleeves up to his mid arm, and no one would know.” Remembering last night and the dull ache between my legs right now, I continue, “He hides them rather well.”

  CeCe leans in just loud enough for the table to hear and asks, “But how are his other skills?”

  “What time can we arrive at the spa?” I ask, ready to move on.

  “Nice try. I’m very happy for you, and if he hurts you in any way, I’ll break him,” CeCe assures me.

  She’s known me virtually all my life and is wonderfully protective. I know she would make Cameron’s life miserable if he hurt me, but for right now, we’ve only had one night of amazing sex and no concrete plans for anything else. I want to enjoy this without hours of girlfriends overanalyzing our every move. “Ladies, we have no commitment. Not even plans to go out again when we return home.”

  “We’re all friends,” Greer chimes in. “You’ll be able to spend more time together. And maybe you’ll stay in rather than go out.”

  I cut my eyes to her. “Rarely do I hang out with all of you. You all work together. I’m a pediatrician whose office is across town.”

  “We can work on that.” She squeezes my arm and winks at me.

  I’m sure I’ll soon regret that they know.

  Cameron

  CHAPTER SIX

  I dress in my leathers—chaps I wear over my jeans—big steel-toed boots, a jacket, and gloves. It isn’t that I fear an accident; I’m an excellent driver and pay close attention while I’m on the road. Unfortunately, many drivers don’t pay attention outside the bubble of their cars and can miss motorcycles. Road rash hurts like a son of a bitch, and I prefer the leather take a beating over my skin.

  Placing my skull helmet on, I start up my bike. It roars to life in a way only a Harley can.

  Seated on the Harley Fat Boy, I listen to the purr of the engine. It stirs something inside me. I know some find the Harley loud and distracting, but to me, the sound is relaxing white noise; I can block out the world and think.

  As I leave the resort, I head for the mountain roads. Once there, I disregard the speed limit and open the throttle wide. Sometimes my knee skims the ground as I take the bends in the road. I have a hard job, and this is my therapy. I love it.

  Riding is a combination of exhilaration, fear, relaxation, and pleasure that changes you forever. There’s something to be said about the freedom of nothing between you and the air at eighty-five miles per hour. It’s the closest thing to flying I’ll experience while still being on the ground. It’s physical and emotional pleasure, with a layer of anxiety and adrenaline. I smell everything—diesel, rain, hamburgers, whatever’s in the air where I’m riding. I feel every nuance of weather as I ride and elevations change: temperature, moisture, everything. My favorite is the white noise. The wind, your bike, it all combines into this generic sound. This is where I find my peace. Where I think the very best.

  When I woke this morning, my cock was hard as a lead pipe and throbbing. I would’ve loved to have Hadlee to take care of it. Unfortunately, she smartly went to her friends. I’ve always found her hot as hell, and the sex was intense, but she may not enjoy the sex I’ve come to like. I want to feel something that doesn’t come from the traditional. It’s pretty simple—I like kinkier sex than most women seem to want.

  I do have her panties. It may’ve been a mistake to have fucked her, but I’m still a man, and she was certainly all woman. She was vulnerable and looking at me and licking her lips. I warned her and gave her a choice. I do need to be honest with myself though. It would most definitely be fun to do a repeat, but she’s within my social circle, so that may be a mistake.

  Thankfully, I don’t have to make the decision now.

  The look on her face when I walked into the dining room was priceless. It reminded me of the one when she reaches her pinnacle. That glorious moment. The girls didn’t mention her staying in my room, so I’m confident that she hasn’t said anything to them. I like sharing a secret with her.

  Maneuvering myself down the mountain into Denver, I follow the directions to meet the first motorcycle club. Before I left San Francisco, I reached out to two different clubs and set myself up for two rides. The first is with the Colorado club out of Denver. They have a full-day ride this morning that’ll take us into Rocky Mountain National Park. I grew up in Northern California and haven’t had a chance to explore the world. This is my opportunity to enjoy what I’ve only seen in magazines or movies. The plan is to spend the night in Winter Park and in the morning, I’ll head north on the back roads to Wyoming. I’ll then meet a club outside of Jackson Hole. Our plan is to ride through Yosemite for three days, which is the trip I’m most excited about. I’m hoping to see some wildlife and enjoy the park. It should be a good time.

  From there I’ll head home. In all, I’ll be gone two weeks. I’ve needed a vacation for a while, and my plan was to sleep with as many women as I could find on this trip, but after my night with Hadlee, I’m not sure I’m interested.

  How did that happen?

  Hadlee

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  It’s time to return to work, and I’m ready. The long weekend in Colorado was fun, my time with Cameron unexpected, but it’s time to get back to reality.

  I love being a pediatrician. Staring at my patient schedule for today, I have twenty-five appointments, and usually a few more will get squeezed in throughout the day for sick visits. My Spanish will be getting a workout. Almost all of my patients speak Spanish as a first language.

  Despite the bright and colorful Dr. Seuss paintings on the walls throughout our practice, my patients are mobile and spry, bored, yet grinning each time I enter an exam room. Parents tend to be stressed and exhausted.

  Before I entered the room, Maria, my medical assistant, warned me that my patient is nervous. I watch her play with the otoscope. Her mother hisses her name as a reprimand, “Cynthia.”

  Making her feel comfortable is my job, and I know just what to say. I reach my hand out to my patient, I say, “Hola Doctora, soy Doctora Hadlee. Debes ser el nuevo doctor. ¿Cómo te llamas?”

  “Cynthia,” she tells me shyly.

  Winking at the mother, I ask her in Spanish, “Oh, then are you the patient today?” She appears puzzled by my ruse, and I nod t
o encourage her. She tells me “Sí.”

  Pointing to Cynthia, I ask, “Can you tell me what’s wrong with our patient?”

  Cynthia isn’t sure what to do, and her mother says, “Tell her what feels bad.”

  Cynthia then lightens up and shares with me a litany of her ailments, mostly that she has a sore throat. I ask questions to verify, and it looks like she has strep. I do a quick swab, but even the smell tells me it’s strep.

  I explain, “I have a good Z-pack sample that should have you back to school in no time.” Our practice is very lucky, and we work hard to make sure our patients get the care they need. Most of our patients are on Medicaid, which can often mean the visit is very low cost, but the medication may come at a price. Our pharmaceutical reps are very good to us and give us samples regularly, which we give to those who need it.

  They thank me and they’re off. The rest of my day is similar, twenty-four more patients with ear infections, sore throats, coughs, and one of my favorite family’s daughter who’s tired and can’t shake the exhaustion. It’s a normal day.

  When I get home, I check my messages, but there’s nothing from Cameron. I can’t help but be disappointed. I know he isn’t home for two weeks, but a girl can hope she isn’t far from his mind. It’d been a long time since I’d had good sex, and sex with Cameron was better than good. I want more from him.

  Getting undressed, I catch a glimpse of my body in the mirror and think of the things he did to me. I begin to play with my nipples; remembering his touch, they’re hard and wanting more. I gently twist and pull them, and they send an electrical current directly to my core until I’m completely aroused.

  I lie on my bed and my fingers find my clit, slowly circling it while my other hand continues with my nipples. I imagine it’s Cameron doing this to me as I remember our time together, the smell of his cologne and the slight scratch of his two-day-old stubble. I move my thumb and forefinger against the nubs of my nipples a little harder and a little faster.