morning, Cam. You don’t mind if I call you Cam, do you?” Tristan asked with charm dripping off every word.
Her nerves jittered, her pulse quickened and her resolve faded as Erin mentally chastised herself for falling to pieces and forgetting his purpose when Tristan looked at her with those magnificent green eyes.
“Not at all. What brings you to the gallery?” Cam asked with a glance at her watch. The day was packed, right down to the second, and she had no time to waste.
“Will Erin be in at all?” he asked. “I called and spoke to Meredith, but she was unsure. I guess you have a show coming up?”
Her clutch bag tucked beneath her arm, Cam nodded and headed inside the building. Tristan followed right behind her. He wouldn’t let it go until she answered him.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Forsyth. I have a full schedule today and our helper is on vacation. In order for us to meet our deadline, Erin took on the details Mrs. Beiderman usually handles. I’m sure Erin won’t be in today and she definitely won’t be here tomorrow.”
His brows met in the middle.
“I’ll leave her a message then, shall I?” he asked as he stared at her keenly.
“Good idea. Leave it with Meredith. She’ll relay the message when Erin calls in.”
“I want you to take the message,” Tristan insisted, his eyes on her smile.
With a gasp of irritation, Cam said, “Really, I must get going.”
She felt his hand snake around her upper arm. Her chest tightened as he swung her hard against him. His eyes gleamed knowingly as he stared into hers.
“W-what do you think you’re doing?” she stammered in a panic stricken voice.
“Leaving Erin this message.”
His lips met hers with red-hot heat. A searing kiss if ever there was one, her mind went blank until she realized what he might know. Though she wanted to draw him closer, to feel him against her, to touch him, she placed her hands flat against his chest and shoved him away.
Witless, she stepped back and shook him off. “Whatever’s going on between you and my boss is none of my business. Take your lips and get lost, before I have you arrested for assault,” Cam snapped.
His snicker brought her fear to a dangerous level. Had he figured out her scam as Erin and Cam? Did he know for sure? Cam glared at him, adjusted her glasses and smoothed her wig’s golden locks.
“Sorry, I should have behaved better. Please accept my apologies, Cam,” Tristan said humbly, though she noted the twinkle in his eye.
She shooed him away with her hand and said, “Fine, fine, apology accepted. Now let me get to work.”
Tristan walked to the door and closed it behind him with a soft click. When he was gone, Cam braced herself against the desk and took a few deep breaths to calm her nerves – among other things. The man had balls. He was a force to be reckoned with. If she didn’t take care, she’d be lost in his clutches. Considering an affair with him brought her up short. Certainly she’d enjoy him in bed, but would there be more to their attraction than sex? If she sold the business to him, then sex could be a bonus. Hmm. Confused, she wondered which of her two personas was he interested in – and how could she deal with it if it was Cam?
Opening preparations swallowed Cam whole and brought on a load of doubt. Was she capable of managing the business on her own forever? Maybe as Erin, but maintaining Cam’s persona was becoming difficult. Should she let Cam go and be herself instead, as Mrs. Hardy had recommended? It might relieve the stress she was feeling. Keeping the deceit in place came at a cost. More than a full time job, managing the gallery was consuming. Memories of her early days in management as Erin and having to deal with temperamental artists and what the cost of doing so had done to her self-confidence as she handled her father’s last days on this earth. Cam now handled all and everything. But then, Cam wasn’t real either. I really handle everything. She knew
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