The Perfect Timing

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Maddie

I thought Cam's apartment in Phoenix was luxurious, but I quickly have come to realize that I was utterly wrong. His penthouse in Los Angeles has by far surpassed my wildest expectations.

I'm standing in the middle of his foyer, with marble floors and a decadent chandelier hanging down right in the middle. There's nothing I can think of to even say about how beautiful it is as he comes up beside me and takes my suitcase. "Follow me," he instructs, and he leads the way up a spiral staircase to the left of the foyer.

My wedges click loudly behind him, and it almost feels like I should have worn different shoes. I should own a pair of Louis Vuitton's for these floors. It seems as if the marble is laughing at my Target brand.

He pushes open two large white double doors at the end of the hallway, and I'm greeted by the biggest king-sized bed I've ever seen. It looks like it could sleep about six people.

"It's an Alaskan king." He grins proudly, landing on his back on top of the fluffy white comforter. "What do you think?"

"Of your room?" I ask.

"Yeah. I mean, everything. The house, the city... All of it."

Los Angeles has overwhelmed me completely and I've only been here for about an hour. It took that long to drive ten minutes from the airport to his house because of the traffic and it wasn't even rush hour! It's ten at night for crying out loud.

"Everything is awesome," I say, eyeing a large clothing rack that's placed in front of the closet.

"Oh, those are for you. My agent had someone bring over some options for the gala tomorrow."

Inching my way toward the rack, I peek through the plastic and see Dior on one of the labels. There are multiple dresses on this rack, not just one, and for a second I think I'm dreaming. This can't actually be my life right now.

"Wow," I breathe out, unsure of what else to even say at this point. "I have no idea which one to pick."

He gets off of the bed and comes over beside me, sorting through the rack himself to take a look at everything. I don't know how he's even touching them without getting nervous. Then again, I'm sure if something happened to any of these dresses he'd be able to pay for them with no problem.

"I can't wait to see you dressed in luxury." He smirks. "It's what you deserve."

Continuing to sort through the racks, he picks up a couple of options and puts them back down again.

I knew his life was different, but I'm witnessing it firsthand now. He's lived like this for years, but I still remember him as my brother's best friend all those years ago, nerdy and without any money at all.

Now he's famous and has girls drooling all over him. It's going to take some getting used to.

"So, what exactly do I need to know for this gala?" I ask, deciding to look at the dresses later and sit on top of his bed.

"You don't need to know anything. Just be yourself."

"Oh, come on." I roll my eyes. "I need to know what to expect. Will there be cameras there? Is it the type of place where they'll have more than one fork out?"

He immediately laughs, that famous cheesy smile falling onto his face. "Yes, there will be cameras. It's a red carpet-event. And yes, unfortunately, there will be more than one fork out."

"Damn," I mutter. "I'm going to have to study table etiquette on Google tonight."

Cam comes down to sit beside me, grabbing my hands with his. "You don't need to learn anything," he reassures me. "I want you to come just as you are, and if we can't figure out which fork to use then we'll offend all the uppity rich folks, go home and order some pizza."

"Mmm," I hum in approval, leaning over to press a kiss on his cheek. "I knew I loved you for a reason."

***

The following evening I'm standing in front of Cam's floor-length mirror in the background, not even recognizing my reflection. He had hired me a hair and makeup artist with my approval, and of course, I wasn't going to say no. Tonight I was diving head-first into his life of fame. I wanted everything to go perfectly.

The dress I chose was Chanel. It was a royal blue floor-length gown with a square-shaped neckline, the material pure silk that had a shimmer of sparkle whenever I twirled. It made me feel like a princess and hugged me in all of the right places.

The hairstylist pulled my hair back into an extremely high-gelled back ponytail, and the makeup guru turned my face into someone who looked like they belonged on a red carpet. My eyes were smoky, a red lip to match a face that was beaten by the gods. Normally I don't like to be too confident, but damn. I look hot as hell tonight.

"Cam?" I call out to him now that I'm finally ready,  holding the back of the dress that needs to be zipped up. He comes into the bathroom adjusting his tie, and my god he is something else. His navy blue suit — to match my dress — is fitted to his body just right, his curls styled to perfection, and his jawline looking more sculpted than ever.

He pauses when he sees me as I stare at him in the reflection of the mirror. It takes him a few moments, but eventually, he finishes his tie and comes up behind me, gently moving my hands to the side so that he can take care of the zipper.

A shiver goes through my body as he slowly trails up my spine, his knuckles delicately brushing my skin. I fight the urge to bite down on my lip, but when the zipper is securely in place and he moves his lips right next to my ear I find myself not having a choice.

"You look absolutely stunning," he whispers, moving his hands to come around my waist. His fingers rub circles on my lower stomach, a smile coming onto his face when he hears my breathing pick up speed.

I want him.

Now.

"Not yet," he says, placing a gentle kiss on my shoulder as he reads my mind. "But trust me when I say that tonight..." He moves his fingers lower to brush against me, and I almost moan as he looks into the mirror at us. "I fully intend on ruining that hair and makeup."

I feel his hard-on press against me from behind, and I'm so worked up that I'm desperate for him. I'll beg him until I get what I want. He never says no to me.

"What do you plan on doing?" I challenge and raise an eyebrow in the mirror. "Tell me."

I'm already getting to him. I can see his eyes filled with nothing but lust for me right now before he chuckles and places another kiss on my shoulder.

"I plan on going to this gala," he says and takes a step back, my chest deflating in disappointment. "If we wait any longer we're going to be late, but it was a good effort, baby. You'll have to wait until we get back."

I follow him into the bedroom and grab the matching clutch off of the bedspread, a devilish grin falling onto my lips.

"What?" He asks.

"Oh, nothing..." I say sweetly, pausing right in front of him on our way out to say, "I do plan on getting what I want before we get home though, and I will accomplish it if it's the last thing I do."

"Well, unless you're wanting to be on the front page of every newspaper, I'm not sure how that's going to be possible, Maddie," he retorts, but I can tell he's loving this side of me. He loves when I talk dirty.

"Are there no bathrooms?" I raise my eyes to his, and I've left him speechless before he finally lets out a laugh of disbelief and opens up the door, ushering for me to go first.

"I love you, Mads," he says. "In case I forgot to mention it earlier."