In Too Deep(11)

"Cool," I commented. “I was looking forward to a burger, but that sounds pretty good too.”

Dinner kicked off with a casual elegance, as music combined with food to give a kind of beach party atmosphere to the whole proceedings. Cam and I grabbed our plates and sat down, watching as dancers and a singing group performed for the assembled audience. "This is a lot better than a formal dinner," I said, leaning over and laying my head on Cam's shoulder. “Kind of sweet, too."

“Lot of fun. But I doubt the owner's baby is the only child that's been conceived on this island."

"You're telling me," I said. "You should have seen what I saw this morning. I went on a bike ride and stopped to relax and watch the sea for a bit. I overheard two people and went to go see what they were doing."

"Really?" Cam asked with a smirk. "From the tone of your voice, I can assume they weren't sitting on the grass reading Shakespearian love poetry."

"Hardly," I said, my voice thick with remembered heat that combined with Cam's nearby presence. "Let's just say I was jealous of what she had done to her."

“Is that an invitation?" Cam whispered, leaning in closer. "Because without getting too explicit or trashy, I've been thinking about certain things for the past two days."

I laid a hand high on his thigh and smiled. Considering we were sitting around a pool without a table, it nearly looked like I was cupping his junk. I wasn’t, but I wanted to oh-so-badly.

I trembled at the thought of Cam's lips on my body and closed my eyes in fantasy before opening them again. “Do you want to get out of here? The party’s nice, but I need more than music and dancers right now."

Cam nodded and took my hand. We got up off the bench we'd been sharing and started towards the door to the inside of the resort, eyes only on each other.

It was probably this hyper-intense focus on each other that caused me to not see the bitch Tiffany sitting there. I was looking at Cam when I saw her kick out her leg from the corner of my eye, but it was too late. She tripped me, and I fell right into the waiter. Suddenly, I felt something soft and vanilla smash right into my face.

The silence that fell over the party was immediate and cavernous. I couldn't see anything, and my mouth was flooded with the taste of vanilla cake frosting. Wiping at my eyes and face, I shook my head, trying to get the most of it off. "Whoops. Well, you were probably going to eat most of it anyway."

I blinked and saw Tiffany sitting there with two boy-toys, pointing and laughing. Cam was knelt down beside me, and he jumped up like he was about to charge all three of them when I grabbed his arm. He had a look about him, one that I had yet to see. A look of a dangerous man.

“Cam, don’t. Just help me get out of here.”

The laughter rippled through the crowd like a domino effect until it felt like everyone was laughing at me. One of the other staff members came over and knelt down next to me, her face full of concern. "Are you all right miss?”

“I’m not injured if that’s what you’re asking,” I said, slinging a couple finger fulls of cake and frosting out of my hair. "I just want to get the hell out of here."

Cam helped me to my feet, and the girl motioned. “Come, let me help you get cleaned up.”

I nodded numbly, not really caring any longer. The magic had been broken, and I felt the first of my tears cutting through the sugary frosting still smeared on my face. The staff member led me to a curtained off area where I waited for a minute before she came back with a tub of warm water and a towel. "I know it isn't much, but you can clean up some with this," she said. "I've already called the manager. He’s looking into the incident."

I washed up, Cam helping me, soaking the towel and running it over my face and hair until the worst of the stickiness was gone. I was just wiping out the last bit from my hair when two sets of footsteps coming in. "Miss Broward? I'm Harrison Bennet, the manager of The Cay. Can I talk to you for a moment?”

"I'm decent," I replied, pulling back the curtain. Bennet was a plain-looking middle-aged man with a distinct British accent. “Yes?”

"First off, let me apologize to both you and Mr. Swagger," he said to the two of us. “I want to extend my personal apologies to you about tonight's incident. Several witnesses have said they saw the young girl sitting at the table there intentionally trip you.”

“Her name is Tiffany," I said hollowly. "She's the one who's been strutting around in the green bikini the past few days and has been harassing me since I got here.”

“Miss Broward, I just want you to know that all three of them are going to be escorted off the island as soon as possible.”

I shook my head. “Look, I just want to go to my room."

Bennet nodded. "I understand. If you don't mind, could the two of you come by my office tomorrow morning?”

I nodded again and left, Cam right behind me, catching up with me on the stairs. "Melina, wait."

I turned, tears trickling down my face. "Cam, please."

He stopped, faltering. "I just wanted to say . . . I don't know what I can say. Just . . . I’m sorry."

"Me too. Listen, I know what we were going to do, but . . . not right now. I can't. I’m so not feeling sexy right now."