Sensual Persuasion Ch. 07

Chapter 7, Cameron's Surprise and Nathan's Admission

Cameron

"In case you missed it, this is the guy's locker room," Nathan informed me. He straightened to his full height, as the two of us squared off in between the two walls of green lockers. The strands of his hair was wet and he was using another towel to rid himself of the excess moisture and his feet were bare. "Shouldn't you be showering in your own, Cameron?"

I stood nearly stock still afraid of making any sudden movements. His voice had echoed against the shower walls and I belatedly realized that he recognized me.

For the second time that day I felt embarrassment course through me. Nathan just pointedly glanced at me, amused. His lazy smile showed off exactly what he thought of my predicament and I bristled with some annoyance as he had no idea why I was here.

I was tasked with the wonderful gift of stealing Nathan's boxers. Simple enough, if I had time to plan and execute this, but they had wanted me to steal it now, right after Chelsea had gotten a text from Thompson confirming that Nathan was in the shower.

"I suppose," I said vaguely. His light caramel hair was darker from the moisture that still clung to the silky strands and something on the side of his jaw ticked. His biceps were corded in muscle and I had an uninhibited view of the rigid contours of his abs. The man was tall standing nearly at six feet five and could easily play college football, but lacrosse was what he chose and why, I would never know.

It occurred to me that I could simply ask him for his boxers, but I doubted somehow that he would lend them so easily to me. I was feeling too embarrassed to straight up ask him for them. That would be the height of stupidity on my part. He would no doubt cast me as a pervert in his mind.

I glanced around realizing how alone the two of us were. My eyes darted to the pile of clothes that sat atop the skinny wooden benches.

"What are you doing here?" Nathan asked. His deep voice carried over me and I felt a shiver of awareness course through me.

"I need something," I said nearly breathlessly.

This seemed to ignite and interest in his green gaze as he roamed the length of my body, perusing them back up in a leisurely pace. Hot heat crept up the back of my neck at his blatant gaze. I somehow felt like I had walked into something, but what it was, I was not quite sure.

In two strides, he was on me. His gaze was notched onto my neck and he tilted my chin to the side. "Is that a hickey?"

Stunned by his proximity and its effect on my pulsating heartbeat, I stepped away from him hurriedly. He dropped his arms waiting, expectant. "No," I denied, my eyes focusing on his face once more. Crap. I hadn't bothered to check how much damage Luke had done to my neck. I was going to kill him when I saw him.

Nathan wasn't buying it clearly and he narrowed his gaze. "Who gave that to you?"

Out of nowhere, a thought struck me. Two, actually. One, why he cared and two, what he was willing to do for it to find out?

"I'll tell you if you give me something in return," I commented. "I have a mission to undergo."

"Ah," Nathan said in understanding. He leaned back on his haunches and leaned one shoulder against the lockers in a casual pose. "The girl's lacrosse initiation ritual? If that's what it is, I don't think you're in a position to negotiate the rules here, Cameron."

"I need your boxers," I said.

Nathan raised his brow. "You think I'm going to just give them to you?"

"I don't know. How badly do you want to know where this came from?" I asked tilting my head. My blue eyes pinned his green ones challenging him.

Nathan's face contorted into one of anger and irritation. He crossed his arms, emphasizing the further breadth of his shoulders and muscled arms. "Are you fucking Luke?"

"That's none of your business," I repeated. I clenched my fists by my side and narrowed my own eyes towards him.

"You shouldn't be screwing him," Nathan said. "He's not exactly the kind of guy to stick around."

"How do you know I'm not using him for sex?" I asked him. "Last time I checked, it's not him who calls the shots." Although it sure felt like it was. Luke was on a whole other category of his own. I found myself oftentimes feeling entirely lost in the heady sensations and provocative feelings he made me feel. Even as I glanced around at the guys in our school, I found myself thinking back to Luke. He was a dominating force onto himself and there was that aura of danger that clung around him. He commanded those around him and it wasn't without notice that he seemed to attract copious amounts of attention.

"You're not that type of girl," Nathan asserted. "You don't sleep around."

Anger exploded around me. "It's the goddamn twenty first century, Nathan. A female has every right to sleep with whoever she goddamn pleases without judgment. It's her personal business. At least I didn't cross the line, like you did several months ago."

Nathan stood stock still and his eyes narrowed down at me. I knew I had hit a sour point and I had intended for it to stick. "What are you talking about?"

"You're going to pretend to play dumb and not act like you hadn't slept with Mrs. Hudson, the married, school guidance counselor?" I voiced. His face remained neutral, unchanging in its characteristics. "Mrs. Hudson dropped her keys out in the parking lot. I went back in after school to give them to her. I caught you two in the room through the window and...well, you can guess."

I watched Nathan's face as it remained locked on mine and I knew that he was recalling the memory. "We're not fucking anymore."

"It still doesn't excuse the fact that it happened."

"What's your point?" Nathan asked irritated.

"You don't get to judge me on my sleeping partner when you haven't exactly been all that saintly, either Nathan," I stated. "We may act civil towards each other in public, but it is only out of respect and social convention that I do so. Otherwise, don't piss me off."

"Is that your way to incentivize me to hand over my boxers?" Nathan asked amusingly. "I have to say, Cameron, you're really on a hot streak here."

Nathan was really pushing a nerve and I had no idea why. It bothered me that he was making a point of me sleeping with Luke, but with Luke I hadn't figured everything out yet. There was something there and an inexplicable connection was hard to explain to someone, when I myself, wasn't entirely confident on how to describe it. It seemed irrelevant in the grand scheme of things here, but Nathan was evidently curious about it.

I knew Nathan and Luke were friends, but how far that friendship went was a mystery and I didn't know if Luke going away had closed that chasm. Maybe, things had changed, but how much I was going to tell Nathan was still up in the air. Guys talked, didn't they? Maybe, Luke had already told Nathan everything there was to know about it.

"If you give me your boxers, I promise to keep your secret about Mrs. Hudson, just that—a secret," I negotiated. I needed the boxers and I wasn't sure how long the girls were going to wait. This was supposed to be a quick mission, but it was turning out to be a lot more complicated than I had anticipated. I was to infiltrate the boy's locker room, steal Nathan's boxers, and then bolt.

"Are you blackmailing me?" Nathan smiled at me.

"You know if this gets out, not only will Mrs. Hudson get fired, but you'll be expelled from school and you can kiss any chance of a scholarship goodbye. I'm pretty sure Couch Hudson—you know, the big burly guy who coaches the football team?—isn't going to let you waltz off school grounds with your ass intact," I threatened.

This seemed to hit a nerve. Nathan poised still for a few tense moments until I thought he wouldn't comply. Disappointment nearly filtered through my system. As much bravado as I was issuing behind my voice, I wasn't going to seriously report this. I wasn't into ruining people's lives. This complication between Nathan and Mrs. Hudson was between them.

Walking over to the pile of clothes, Nathan tossed the boxers in the air towards me. I caught it in one hand, masking the surprise I felt at his compliance. I smiled instead. Nathan glared at me.

"There, you have my boxers," Nathan continued. "Anything else you need?" He towered over me, as he stood less than an arm's length of me. I had to crane my neck up to gaze up at him.

"Nope," I said happily. "I think I'm good. It was nice doing business with you."

"Not so fast. You're not leaving without giving me something in return."

And before I had a chance to voice out what exactly that was, Nathan hauled me against his hard body and planted a deep, penetrating kiss on my lips. My hands crept up to lodge distance between us, but that had become fruitless, as Nathan turned me and slammed me against the lockers. I felt the cold metal against my back and suddenly, I was surrounded by Nathan's heat.

Nathan kissed me expertly. His mouth massaged mine in a sensual dance and I felt every core temperature heat up in response to him. His tongue swiped at the entrance of my lips and a gasp escaped as he slid his hands down the side of my body, down to my hips and behind to grasp my ass. He took advantage and slipped inside, playing with my tongue. We kissed for what felt like minutes and he tilted his head for further access.

My chest pressed against his own and my pulse began to race and as quickly as the kiss had begun, he pulled away and I stepped away quickly, my lips feeling swollen, my eyes widening with stunned disbelief.

Nathan smiled at me, chuckling a laugh, and then turned away, adjusting the towel as he did so. It fell a tad bit lower, revealing all of his back. "Now you can go."

"You're an ass," I threw at him.

Nathan half-turned back to me. He laughed again, a laughter that rumbled from his chest. "How can I resist? I have a smoking hot chick standing here asking for my boxers. I had to take advantage of the opportunity."

"By planting one on me!" I cried. "If you knew that Luke and I were....talking," I began, struggling with the right word. "Why did you kiss me?"

Nathan gazed at me. "Because Cameron, you were the one to reject me even after I asked you out."

"Yeah because you were fucking Mrs. Hudson!" I said in a whisper-yell. "I didn't want to get involved in something like that and as long as you were screwing Mrs. Hudson there was no way I wanted to start something with you!"

Nathan's eyes shone with a mixture of astonishment and anger. "You think I was screwing Mrs. Hudson when I asked you out?"

"I don't know!" I said to him. "But I wasn't going to take that risk and besides you don't know me. We barely know each other. How can you want to ask me out?" I motioned with my arms waving it in front of me.

"That's what the concept of dating is all about, Cameron," Nathan said bitterly. "But it doesn't matter now."

I eyed him warily. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means all bets are off. You responded. You're just as attracted to me as I am to you," Nathan said.

"Nathan, you have got to be kidding me," I replied deadpanned. I schooled my face and reached for rational thinking. "You have to realize that this logic is pretty skewed, right? I'm human and I'm not dead, Nathan. Of course, I'm likely to respond when a half-naked male who looks like a freaking NFL player is kissing the hell out of me against a locker room. That doesn't mean anything."

"Are you calling yourself flaky?"

"No!" I cried frustrated. "Just because I'm attracted to you, doesn't mean I want to pursue you."

"But you wouldn't mind being pursued by Luke?"

"I didn't ask for that," I responded tightly. "I don't know what Luke is, but I don't think it's going to happen again."

Nathan's eyes searched my face, looking entirely unconvinced. "You don't think it's going to happen again? What happened?"

"Nothing," I lied, looking away, but Nathan caught the movement. I turned to him again and opened my eyes. "The point being is that whatever is going on with Luke and I is pointless. It was a fluke, a mere curiosity. I'm sure he's going to get bored with me just as fast as I'm going to get bored with him and it doesn't mean anything in the long run."

I wanted really shut my mouth. I had no idea why Nathan was inciting me to tell him all of this and there was something about him that demanded I answer him. He was provoking me, instigating my anger to the point where I felt the need to defend myself against him.

"Why would I care?" Nathan grinned. "I thought it wasn't any of my business?"

"It sounds like you're patronizing me for it, but you know what?" I said, as a thought dawned on me. "You're right."

"I'm right?" Nathan asked confused.

"I have your boxers, what else do I need? Certainly not your approval or your opinion," I chimed, as I turned away from him, walking proudly in the direction I had come from.

Nathan frowned. "Where are you going?"

"Leaving," I proudly announced. "I hope you had a nice shower." And with that I left.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lindsey

Chelsea giggled into her phone as she sat by the pool in her mint-colored strapless bikini. I was growing steadily annoyed with the commotion that was coming from inside the house as Marco directed the interior decorators for Friday's upcoming party. Victoria was nowhere to be seen and Chelsea and I soaked up as much of the sun as we could in our backyard.

"Oh my god," Chelsea said once more.

I peered at her sideways. "You going to just continue giggling like an idiot or are you going to tell me what's so interesting?"

Chelsea flicked her dark glossy hair over her shoulder and lifted up her aviators above her head. Turning to me she began. "We gave Cameron a task for the girl's lacrosse initiation ritual."

"Oh, how fascinating," I said uninterested.

"We had her steal Nathan's boxers," Chelsea announced.

That caught my attention and a spike of annoyance spiraled upwards. "Who told her to do something dumb like that?"

Chelsea turned to me looking disappointed. "I did."

Of course she would, I thought. I turned on my back and leaned my head to the side. I attempted to fall asleep, but the constant bustle inside was causing me to be awake.

"She actually came back with a pair of them. We asked her how and she told us that she simply asked him for it," Chelsea giggled once more. "We then decided to throw it up on the football field goal post and let it fly like a flag. It's all over Instagram now."

True enough, Chelsea showed me the picture as I spotted the girls in a group photo, striking various poses in front of the football field goal with a pair of green plaid boxers hanging from the football post. Cameron was giving the cheekiest grin to the camera, holding it up high in one of them with a caption of "mission accomplished."

I snorted and turned away, annoyed. A twinge of jealousy struck me at the thought of Cameron stealing Nathan's boxers. God, what was up with them anyway? Nathan was generally around for a good time, but it bothered me that his attention never seem to waver from Cameron. What were the two's deal?

It was even more aggravating to know that since Luke had been back, rumors had been escalating about both Cameron and Luke. It grated on my nerves that I couldn't even seem to get away from the thought of Cameron and Luke possibly together.

Suddenly, a shadow crawled over me and Chelsea glanced up to look at my brother.

Daniel stood at the end of my lounge chair. I flipped over and glanced at him. "Can I help you with something?"

Since Daniel had been back from god knows where, I was hard pressed to believe that he wasn't going to up and leave again. I felt a simmering anger underneath at him having left me here alone with mom and dad, while he went off and vacationed in Cabo.

I was also partially thankful for his presence, however, since he's been back from Princeton after graduation. Daniel had been the center of our parent's attention so much so recently that he had effectively taken off the edge of my own parent's attention from me...or what little they did pay attention to me anyway. I couldn't very well be angry for his existence here.

"Hey, Daniel," Chelsea said. Her voice had a tinge of pleasure to it and I eyed her curiously.

"Hey, Chelsea," Daniel murmured, before turning a blinding smile on her. "What brings you two ladies out here?"

"What do you want, Daniel?" I asked annoyed.

"What?" Daniel said in mock hurt. "I can't talk to my wonderful sister?"

"You don't make courtesy calls like this. What do you want?" I asked.

"What's going on over at the house? I was just greeted by a miniature man who seems to think I would be available later for some private time," Daniel said. He stuffed his hands in his basketball shorts and glanced at us.

Chelsea laughed and I nearly smirked. "You mean Marco? I hired him to pimp out our house for the party we're having this Friday."

"Mom and dad say its okay?" Daniel asked.

"They're in Europe," I said, raising myself up on the fulcrums of my elbow. "Why the fuck would they care?"

"Alright," Daniel shrugged, uncaring. "I actually came to ask you something."

I was definitely intrigued now. Daniel never came to ask me about anything. Our relationship wasn't as close as some brothers and sisters, but when either of us needed anything there was this unspoken rule we stuck by each other. "Okay, what?"

"Who's Nathan Lucienti?" Daniel asked, as he leaned against the patio table.

"Nathan?" Chelsea asked. "You mean Lindsey's ex-hook up?"

One imperious eyebrow rose at that. "You hooked up with him?"

"Yeah," I said, giving Chelsea a noted glare. "But that was a while back," I said, settling myself back on the spread towel. "He's on the lacrosse team," I finished. Nathan nodded, but behind those eyes, I sensed something lurking underneath. He was trying to assess something. I sat up once more and asked, "Why?"

"No reason," Daniel said. "So he's just some guy in your high school?"

"He isn't just anybody," Chelsea said.

"Care to enlighten me?" Daniel asked.

"He's set to inherit his parent's fortune. His parents own a series of hotels and luxury resort getaways," I explained to him. "His father's Mason Lucienti."

"So he's wealthy," Daniel said unimpressed.

"Yeah, but we're talking about seriously wealthy," Chelsea reminded him. "Like Forbes top 50 wealthiest men."

"What is this about?" I asked him. "What's your sudden interest in him?"

Daniel grinned at me instead. "I can't take an interest in who my sister is hanging out with?" "Oh my god, you aren't going to beat him up because we hung out, are you?" I asked skeptically. Daniel's interest in Nathan was intriguing to say the least, but Daniel was good at evading answers. He had plenty of practice with the girls he used to date.

"Your claws are sufficient to take care of that," Daniel said. "I was just curious." I snorted at that one, which earned a look from Daniel. "If you'll excuse me ladies..."

Chelsea and I both watched him depart with a mixture of bemusement. "What the hell was that?" Chelsea asked.

I watched him retreat back into the house, avoiding the commotion. I narrowed my eyes in curiosity wondering what in the world was going on. Why would my brother have any interest in Nathan? That seemed rather unorthodox to say the least.

I was resolved to find out.