Vindicated (Camren)

Chapter 9: Stripper

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"I seriously need to take a nap. I'm sure you'll be fine, Mila."

Camila could hear Dinah's loud long yawn fading out through her earpiece, and so she let out a small huff as a positive response. It's already past three in the morning and she knew that the two security guards posted at the end of the hallway must be dozing off by then. It's the graveyard shift again, but she won't let anybody else take it. When her bodyguard, Paul, offered so that she could take some rest, she only shot him a death glare. They won't get it, but apparently, she didn't need some rest. All she needed was to stay on her post and guard that black door decorated with flowers and butterflies. She just needed to protect the person at the other side of it. That's her job as the bodyguard.

With everybody else already asleep, she remained seated on the carpeted floor, Indian style; her brand new iPhone, a gift from her lady boss, was clenched in her hands as she played Jaws Revenge. It was probably because of the fact that finally she was getting better at it or simply because it was naturally brutal that Camila found herself enjoying the game even in her physically emotionless state.

Click.

It was the sound of the pink door digitally unlocked. Alarmed, Camila hurriedly stood straight up as the door gently opened, and then it happened again - two shades of green staring at one another. Camila and Lauren were staring at each other a little too long and a little too warm. It wasn't normal, they knew. But it was already past three in the morning when most crazy and stupid things normally happen.

"Why are you-"

Lauren started her question but stopped mid-sentence when Camila told her to keep quiet as she nodded her head towards the two dozing security guards. Seeing this, Lauren grabbed her bodyguard's hand and dragged her inside the unlit room, making a halt right by the foot of the bed. She then turned around to meet those dark brown eyes once again - those dark brown eyes that looked much more striking with just the faint moonlight slithering through the opened balcony door.

"Do you ever sleep, Camila Cabregui?" she then asked curiously.

"I'm human, am I not?"

"But you're a creepy one most of the time."

Camila huffed at the retort and ignored that smirk posted on her boss' lips. "Why are you still awake? It's past your bedtime."

"I'm not a kid anymore," Lauren rolled her eyes. "I'm allowed to stay awake for as late as I want to."

And the bodyguard slowly nodded her head, clearly no longer interested in whatever was about to prosper in the course of this conversation. But her eyes caught the opened door to the balcony where a sleeping bag was neatly laid down on the floor along with a half-eaten and probably already cold sandwich.

"I couldn't sleep," Lauren immediately explained before her eyes fell on the device still clenched in Camila's hand. The young Jauregui heiress snickered briefly at the thought of the bodyguard trying to make use of her gift. Then, without warning, she put a hand on Camila's and pulled it up to lock the glowing screen. "Did you ever own a cell phone?"

Quite frankly, no. Well, Camila didn't need it anyway. Phoenixes simply used spy devices to communicate. Well, she couldn't tell that to Lauren, so she kept her mouth shut and fixed a blank stare instead. She silently stood there and followed Lauren's moves with her eyes. A pair of dark brown orbs followed Lauren's delicate hand reaching for the visible earpiece hanging on Camila's right ear, and then carefully placed it on top of the coffee table. Those eyes followed the heiress as she walked out into the open-air, settling down on the sleeping bag.