Into You

Chapter 27

Joanna Foster's Office - Earlier

........"I think you need to learn to trust your instincts better, Lauren. You might find that people will surprise you..."

"Yeah, whatever..." she replied flatly.

o+o+o

Camila's Flat - Present Day

She stared across at the stone-faced Camila Cabello who was looking at her with something that looked close to contempt and waited; waited for the anger that she knew was coming her way.

To her surprise, it didn't arrive. Camila just sat there, calmly sipping her drink and looking at her, poker face, in full effect.

"Say something," Lauren said to her, wanting the silence that had fallen between them to end.

"I really don't know what to say, Lolo," she replied, with just a hint of coldness in her voice; cold but not angry, not yet anyway.

"I knew this was a mistake," she said, snapping out the words and getting up out of the chair, "Fucking Joanna and her stupid therapy. I knew it wouldn't do any good."

She was held back by an outstretched foot as she went to walk around the coffee table, the bare toes scrunching into her thigh as it stopped her.

"Sit down, Lauren. I said 'I don't know what to say', not 'get the fuck out of my house'."

"No, I think I should go. I think I've said enough for one night."

The foot changed position on her thigh and shoved her backwards towards the chair she'd just vacated, brown eyes fixed on her as she stepped back.

"Sit, Lauren!" Camila said, making her feel for a second like a disobedient puppy. She could feel her hackles raise at the tone in her voice.

"Please, just sit down and let me think about this for a second, okay?" she continued in a much softer tone, her lips twisting into the barest hint of a smile. Mollified, her pulse slowing, Lauren complied with the request and not the order.

They sat in silence for a while, Camila steeping her fingers as she stared at her. Looking for anything to do that would help avoid her gaze, Lauren picked up her rapidly cooling drink and sipped at it. Their eyes locking briefly every time she chanced a look in the other's direction.

"I don't understand you, Lauren Jauregui," Camila said finally, breaking the silence with her soft, sweet voice. "I thought I had a good handle on you and how you felt, but I didn't expect this"

"I'm sorry," she told her honestly, "I should never have opened my mouth. I think I got caught up in all this 'safe place' and 'therapy' bullshit. I forgot about who I am and what I do. I shouldn't have said what I did. It's not fair on you and it's not professional. I'll get Normani to swap me with Simon in the morning. You've met him, he'll be an excellent CPO for you."

The brunette stared at her appraisingly, with fingers steeping once more. She'd seen her do this once before, she remembered, the image burned bright into her mind. It had been at the conference table at Cabello Industries as she weighed up the counter-offer that had been proposed by her opponents. She had sat in her chair exactly as she is now, performing the same gestures and looking at the other party in exactly the same way as she's looking at her now. It's no wonder that she's a demon-negotiator. Even Lauren is intimidated by the body language she's displaying, and she's been trained not to be concerned by such tricks from people on the other side of the table in an investigation.