Читать книгу Risky Pleasures - Brenda Jackson - Страница 9

“Mr. Cody, what do you want me to do with the basket that Ms. Steele brought?”

Cameron forced his gaze from the window where he watched an angry Vanessa make her way down his palm-tree-lined driveway toward the path that would lead her back to her place. To say she was highly upset with him would be an understatement.

He turned slowly, took a deep breath and let it out before asking, “Where is it?”

“I placed it on the kitchen table.”

“Leave it there. I’ll take care of it.”

“Yes, sir.” She turned to leave.

“And, Martha?”

She turned back to him. “Yes, sir?”

“If Vanessa Steele ever returns, whether I’m here or not, she is welcome.”

He was certain that after overhearing his and Vanessa’s conversation, his housekeeper probably thought that this would be the last place Vanessa would show her face again. However, if those were her thoughts, Martha was keeping them to herself. “Yes, sir,” she said instead. “I’ll make a point of remembering that.” Then she left the room.

Moments later, curiosity drew Cameron to the kitchen to see exactly what Vanessa had put in his gift basket. Like a kid in a candy store he started pulling things out, smiling when he saw the oatmeal raisin cookies she was famous for, the ones he’d heard Morgan rave about so many times.

As he began putting everything back in the basket he saw that her intent was for him to have a picnic without her, since there was just enough of everything for one person to enjoy. That was thoughtful of her. But then, from what he’d learned of Vanessa, she was a rather thoughtful person, which was why she was involved in so many community projects. But, as he’d told her, there was a lot about her he didn’t know, and since he intended to marry her relatively soon, he needed to continue his quest to get to know her.

Ten years ago he had vowed never to become involved in a relationship with even the remotest chance of becoming serious. He had made it a point to be totally honest with women he dated, to let them know up front that there were zero odds that the affair would go anywhere. He was very selective, preferring those women within his social circle. And there were certain things he just didn’t do. He didn’t invite them to functions that included his closest friends. And he never gave one free rein in his home. His home—and he had several—was his sanctuary, his private and personal domain. No woman had permission to invade his place. Until now. As he’d told Martha, Vanessa was welcome to his home at any time. If he was busy, he was to be interrupted; if he was asleep, he wanted to be awakened. It was important that he got his point across to Vanessa that she had become the most important thing in his life.

He leaned back against the counter, thinking about how she’d looked standing in the middle of his living room, as angry as any woman had a right to be. While she was standing there giving him what she saw as a much-deserved dressing down, he was giving her a dressing down of another type. He’d been wondering just what she had on beneath that cute pair of red linen shorts with the matching top. Some of the thoughts that had run through his mind had been outright scandalous. She hadn’t been wearing a bra, he could tell that. But then her breasts were just the right size and shape not to need one. And when he had pulled her into his arms and kissed her, he had known the exact moment her nipples had hardened because he’d felt them press firmly against his chest.

After their kiss, when he’d finally released her lips, he couldn’t help but recall how he’d left them moist and thoroughly kissed. And then there had been that deep, dark, desire-filled look in her eyes, just seconds before they turned fiery red and she began spouting off about him staying away from her. But, as he’d told her, that wouldn’t happen.

He would admit her finding out he had bought this house just to be close to her threw a monkey wrench in things for a while, but he was determined not to give up. Eventually, she would get over it, especially when she saw he wasn’t going away. He intended to use whatever means he found necessary to break down her defenses.

With that in mind he walked out of the kitchen and went to the nearest intercom to summon Martha.

“Yes, Mr. Cody?”

“I want a dozen red roses sent to Ms. Steele. And I want a bottle of wine delivered with the flowers. Have the card say, ‘Thanks for the basket. I’d love to share its contents, as well as this wine, with you later today on the beach.’”

“Yes, sir.”

Confident the older woman was capable of carrying out his wishes, he headed toward the study.

“Calm down, Vanessa, and stop yelling. I don’t understand a word you’re saying.”

Vanessa inhaled deeply. Sienna was right. She had been yelling. Pausing, she rubbed her cell phone against her cheek to calm nerves that were already shot to hell. She couldn’t believe it. She just couldn’t believe it.

“Now do you want to start over and tell me what has you so upset?”

Sienna’s voice—calm as you please—reminded her why she was so upset. “Cameron is here, Sienna.”

“Here, where?”

Vanessa rolled her eyes. “Here in Jamaica. On this island. Living right next door. He had the audacity, the gall, to purchase the house next door. I am as pissed as any woman can get.”

“I can tell. You’re raising your voice again. Calm down. So, you’re saying he found out you were skipping town and decided to follow you?”

“Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying. Just what am I supposed to do about that?”

“Make the most of it.”

“Sienna!”

“Okay, considering how you feel about the man, I guess that wasn’t a good answer.”

“No it wasn’t,” Vanessa said, walking over to the refrigerator and grabbing one of Cheyenne’s beers. “So come up with something else.”

It was only after popping the top off the bottle that she remembered she didn’t like beer. But what the hell, her day was a total waste now anyway. She took a swallow, straight from the bottle, and decided this particular brand wasn’t so bad.

“Okay, but first I want to know how you found out he was there.”

For the next fifteen minutes Vanessa filled Sienna in. It would have taken less time had Sienna not asked so many questions, especially when Vanessa told her about seeing Cameron go skinny-dipping.

“Well,” Sienna said, sighing deeply. “You’ve warned him to stay away from you and if he doesn’t adhere to your request you can have him arrested as a stalker.”

“Sienna!”

“Hey, I’m serious.”

Vanessa rolled her eyes upward. “Cameron doesn’t pose that kind of threat and you know it. He’s merely being a pain in the ass.”

“All right, then, let’s cover one more time why he is such a pain in your rear end. The man is simply gorgeous, any woman can see that. Even I can and you know that I only have eyes for Dane. Cameron has money, plenty of it. And he has manners. He’s refined, sophisticated, intelligent—”

“He’s also in the business of taking people’s companies away from them.”

“Come on, Van. Are you going to hold what he tried doing to the Steele Corporation over his head forever? Business is business. You can’t hate all the corporate raiders out there. Look at Ted Turner, another self-made millionaire who created more jobs than he took away. Corporate takeovers have become a way of life. Besides, look at the number of people who are benefiting from all those foundations Cameron has set up. He’s on the cover of Ebony this month, by the way. You should pick up a copy and read the article. I did. I was impressed.”

“Stay impressed. There’s nothing that man can do that will impress me.”

“It’ll be your loss, and unfortunately another sister’s gain. I bet there are a number of women out there who would love getting a piece of Cameron Cody right now.”

“They’re welcome to him!”

“At some point I believe I’m going to have to remind you that you said that.”

Vanessa rubbed the bridge of her nose, wondering why she’d bothered calling Sienna anyway. For some reason her best friend could actually envision her and Cameron as a couple. How that was possible she didn’t know. Vanessa couldn’t blame Sienna’s pregnancy for destroying her brain cells since Sienna had reached that conclusion long before she’d gotten pregnant.

She took another swallow of beer before saying. “Look, Sienna, talking to you is getting me nowhere. I called you for advice, not for you to take sides with the enemy.”

“I’m not taking sides with the enemy. You are my very best friend and I love you. But I also think you’re so full of dislike for Cameron that you aren’t thinking straight. If you would put your dislike aside and sit down and analyze the situation, I think you would reach the conclusion that what he’s doing is rather cute, as well as bold. I visited Cheyenne’s place with you last summer so I know what that house next door looks like. Just think about it, Van. He went through all that trouble to buy that place just to be close to you. Why do you think he did that?”

“I already know why he did it. He told me. He wants me.”

“And is that so bad?”

“Yes, it’s bad because I refuse to become just another possession to him, one that he goes about obtaining just like his corporations. I refuse to let any man take me over that way.”

“And what way would you want a man to take you over?”

Vanessa tipped the beer bottle up to her mouth and drank a large swallow again. It was only when her eyes started feeling heavy that she recalled another reason she had never liked beer. It had a tendency to make her feel sleepy. “I don’t want to be taken over, Sienna.”

“Okay, then, how about changing the strategy. You take over Cameron.”

“What?”

“Think about it. Evidently he has this well-thought-out plan to win you over. What if you put yourself in position to be the one in charge?”

“In what way?”

“Any way you want. I have an idea what Cameron wants out of this pursuit. I see it in his eyes every time he looks at you. He definitely has the hots for you. And don’t bother denying that you have the hots for him, as well. So, my question to you is this: What’s wrong with an island fling? However, you’ll be in charge, and you’ll make the rules. Men like Cameron don’t like following rules, especially if they’re someone else’s. But with you calling the shots, you’ll be the one to decide what you want to do with him in the end, instead of the other way around.”

Sienna’s words reminded Vanessa of Harlan, and she was aware that her best friend knew they would. “Harlan Shaw screwed up your mind, Vanessa, but it’s going to take a man like Cameron to screw it back on right. You can’t see it so I won’t waste my time saying it again. But I’m your best friend and I know what’s going on in that head of yours. I also know what’s going on in that body of yours. It’s been almost four years since you’ve been with anyone. Cameron is available, he turns you on, so why not make the most of it?”

Vanessa glanced at the bottle and thought it must be the beer, because for one brief moment she was actually considering what Sienna had said. She shook her head, refusing to consider the suggestion.

“Look, Sienna, I’m feeling sleepy. I need to go lie down.”

“Sleepy? Isn’t it the middle of the day there?”

“Yes, but I just overindulged in a bottle of beer,” she said, placing the empty bottle on the counter beside her.

“Okay, go to bed. But just think of how much more fun it would be if Cameron could join you there. Aren’t you tired of sleeping alone? Aren’t your inner muscles aching for a little hanky-panky?”

“Goodbye, Sienna,” Vanessa said, not bothering to answer the questions.

“Goodbye, Van. Love you.”

“Love you, too. But there are days I wished you weren’t my best friend.”

Even after Vanessa clicked off the line, she could still hear Sienna laughing.