Wild Temptation

Chapter Four: The Offer

Camron Reed’s Pov

Camron winked at the hostess as he waited for Riley’s meal. He was shocked that she hadn’t heard of him or his band and wondered what rock she was living under. It was refreshing after having fan girl after fan girl waltzing in claiming they went to the most prestigious cooking schools, when in reality they could probably burn water… 

He grinned thinking about the look on Riley’s face when he told her she would have to prove herself. She didn’t act like a fan girl, that’s for sure. But he wanted to cover his bases after the morning he had. Her curvy body definitely piqued his interest. But he also skipped breakfast this morning, so he was practically starving at this point. 

Camron kept replaying their banter in his head. He could tell she was holding back a fiery side and he so enjoyed pushing her buttons while they talked. He wondered how fiery she was in the bedroom… His thoughts were interrupted by a girl with wild, red hair setting his table. 

“Can I interest you in a wine this afternoon Mr. Reed?” He nodded in reply, noting the strange formality. She set a glass down and poured. “This is a red wine to set the tone for the meal.” 

The girl quickly made her way back to the kitchen, with a little bounce to her step. Camron was certainly curious about what they were cooking up in there. He wished he knew more about wine so he could figure out the ‘tone’ of the meal. Was there a theme or something? Camron took a sip of the wine and enjoyed the rich, bold flavor.   

The red haired girl was back shortly but with a tray of food. He glanced at her name this time around. Jade. “This appetizer will compliment the wine rather nicely, Mr. Reed.” Her green eyes seemed to light up with excitement as she spoke to him. She left the appetizer on the table rather quickly, as a loud crash exploded from the kitchen. Camron tilted his head to see what the commotion was about, but he couldn’t see anything from where he was sitting. He shrugged as his stomach grumbled.  

The appetizer that they prepared for him was actually one of his favorites, bruschetta. On top of toasted Italian bread, was mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, basil leaves and then topped off with a balsamic glaze. He demolished the tray within minutes and was shocked at how tasty it was. Perhaps it was because he skipped breakfast this morning and his hunger got the best of him. Or perhaps Riley was more talented than he gave her credit for. A part of him wondered just how talented she was. He smirked slightly at the thought. 

The clock ticked on and Camron was starting to wonder about the crash in the kitchen. Were the girls okay? It had been awhile since Jade left him with the appetizer. Just as he was about to get up to inspect the kitchen, Jade reappeared, her apron and wild red hair a bit messier this time. Camron’s curiosity piqued once again. “We apologize for that wait Mr. Reed. But here is your entrée: Gnocchi with a cheesy baked tomato sauce.” Camron could feel his mouth water, it looked so good. He dove right in, enjoying every bite. Riley came out of the kitchen and stood by Jade’s side. Camron scraped the last few bites off his plate before whipping his face with a napkin. 

“That was delicious!” Camron exclaimed standing up from the table. “I think I have found my new personal chef. That is, if you still want the offer.” He gave a light chuckle and walked over to Riley. He towered over her and could see some flour clumped in her hair. Without thinking, he brushed it out with a slight touch of his hand, and if he didn’t know any better, he could have sworn he saw her blush as she turned her head away from him. 

“I would still be interested Mr. Reed. However, I couldn’t have done any of this without Jade’s help.” Riley glanced over at the other girl and smiled. Camron thought for a moment and looked at both girls. 

“What the heck, you’re both hired.” He started with a shrug. He didn’t see any harm in letting Jade tag along as Riley’s assistant. If anything, it just meant they could make twice the amount of food. Jade jumped up and down with excitement and Riley laughed at her reaction. “Oh and by the way, you can call me Camron. No need for formalities.”  

“Of course Mr. Reed! I… I mean Camron!” Jade exclaimed. 

“So, what happens now?” Riley asked, with an unreadable expression on her face.

“I suppose I should show you two where you’ll be working. It won’t be as fancy as this restaurant, but I think you’ll find it to your liking.” He gave a wink to Riley. “Why don’t you guys follow me there, and we can get you settled?” Riley seemed to hesitate for a moment before nodding in agreement. 

“Jade, you can ride with me if you want.” Riley offered. 

“Sounds good to me! Lead the way Camron!” 

Camron chuckled and gathered his things as they headed out of the restaurant. He paid the hostess for holding the private event and tipped her a little something extra. After settling in his car, he checked his rearview mirror to make sure the girls were behind him. Once they were, Camron blasted some classic rock music and began the drive home. 

He lived closer to The Hideaway because it was already pretty far from the city. Camron made sure to check to see if the girls were behind him every once in a while as once they turned on a dirt road, it got curvy and twisty. They passed large grass fields filled with flowers and towering oak trees. Everything was blooming in the warm spring weather. 

Turning toward a paved driveway with a large gate, Camron entered his passcode and it opened up. He left it open for the girls so they could pull in behind him and then leave once he was done giving them the grand tour. After parking, Camron led them into his home. It felt strange bringing people who weren’t the guys, or some one night stand. He shook off the strange feeling, and led them in. 

“Welcome to casa de Cameron.” He dove his hands into his pockets as he led them past the entryway and into the living room. 

“Wow! This place is amazing!” Jade said as she followed him. 

“You live here all alone?” Riley questioned. 

“Yup. Just me.” Camron shrugged and led them through the living room. “Here is the kitchen, where you two will probably spend most of your time.” Camron gave a little smirk as he eyed Riley. He wouldn’t mind giving her a private tour of his bedroom sometime. His phone buzzed in pocket, and he wondered who’d be bothering him right now. He tried not to look worried as he shoved his phone back in his pocket.  

“Why don’t you two familiarize yourself with the kitchen. I have to take this.” 

“Something important?” Riley asked. Camron was beginning to wonder just how nosy this new chef of his was going to be.  

“Nothing too crazy. I’ll be right back.” Camron headed upstairs to his office space and opened up his laptop that was charging on a desk. He accepted a video call and sat down in a chair. 

“Hey big bro! What’s up?” Camron’s younger brother appeared on the screen. It was like looking into a mirror almost, they looked so similar.  

“Sup dude. I haven’t heard from you in awhile. Everything okay?” Camron hadn’t heard from his brother in a while and was worried about him. It was strange for him to call him up out of the blue like this. 

“Same old, same old. You know how it is. Mom and dad have been getting on my nerves, more so than usual, and I was wondering if I could stay with you for a bit?” Camron could see the pain in his bright, hazel eyes and he wanted to say yes. More than anything. But the press has been all over him recently. Trying to figure out all of his secrets and he didn’t want his brother getting caught up in all of it. 

“Please Cam?” Jake pleaded. 

“You know I’d say yes if I could. I just don’t want the press all over this. You know why I left home Jake. I want all of that drama to stay there.” Camron tried to reason with him. 

“You won’t even know I’m there, and I’ll be careful! Please. You know I wouldn’t ask if I wasn’t desperate. They don’t understand like you do Cam.” Camron could see him choking up and it killed him to see his brother this way. He knew his parents tried to be supportive of his brother’s choices, but living in a small town made it hard. For everyone. 

“Oh alright. You can stay here with me for a few weeks. But you have to promise to lay low while you’re here. Okay?” Camron knew this was going to be a mistake, even though he was hoping it would work out for the best. 

“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! You won’t regret this Cam. I’ll book the next flight out! See you soon.” Jake beamed. 

“See you soon.” Cam closed his laptop and rubbed his eyes with hands. He loved his brother, and it would be great to see him. But he left home for a reason and seeing his brother brought everything back… The door creaked behind him, and Camron spun around in his chair. Riley was standing there by the door. How long had she been there?

“I’m sorry, I was looking for the bathroom?” She seemed embarrassed and sincere, but Camron was starting to get suspicious. What did he get himself into? 

“There’s one downstairs, to the right of the dining room.” Camron directed. “Here, I’ll show you.” He got up from his chair and followed Riley downstairs. 

“You have, like no food here, Camron.” Jade giggled a little. Camron shrugged in response. 

“The bathroom is that way. He pointed past the dining room.” 

“Thanks.” Riley said sheepishly before running off. 

“I’ll give Riley a credit card and you guys can go shopping for whatever ingredients you need. How’s that?” 

“Wow! Really? That sounds so amazing! We won’t let you down Camron.” Jade beamed. Camron chuckled at her response and Riley joined them in the kitchen. 

“Here Riley. You can use this to buy groceries or ingredients for whatever you make.” Camron handed her a card and she took it tentatively. 

“Oh okay. Sounds good.” Riley gave a small smile. Camron wondered what her deal was. She practically begged him for the job but Jade seems way more excited than she does. Did he push her buttons too much earlier? He was just playing around. Maybe she took offense? Camron shook his head trying to calm down his thoughts. 

“Well, if there’s nothing else…” Camron was cut off by the front door slamming shut. Who the hell… 

“Hey Cam! What’s up?” Gavin barged into the kitchen. “You left your gate open dude. That’s very unlike you. Whoa! Who are these lovely ladies?” Gavin hopped up on a counter next to where Jade was standing. 

“Just let yourself in, why don’t you and make yourself at home while you're at it.” Camron huffed. 

“Relax dude. I just wanted to make sure we were still on for practice tomorrow and I was in the neighborhood. I’m Gavin, by the way.” He turned his attention to Jade again. 

“That’s Jade and this is Riley. They’re my personal chefs.” Camron explained. 

“Dude. I thought you were kidding about that.” Gavin laughed. 

“Laugh it up. Meanwhile, I’ll be eating like a king.” Riley and Jade gave each other a smile. 

“Riley, Jade, this is Gavin. Another member of Wild Division.” 

“It’s an honor to meet you!” Jade beamed. Riley gave a small wave. 

“Yeah, well introductions aside… It’s getting late and Gavin and I have some work to do.” Camron made an excuse. All this socializing was beginning to stress him out a bit. Not to mention all of the stuff with his brother.  

“We do?” Gavin questioned. 

“We do…” Camron tried to get Gavin to see his excuse. 

“Oh right! We do. It was lovely to meet you ladies. We’ll have to hang out sometime.” He gave Jade a little wink. Leave it to Gavin to be slow to take a hint, especially when cute girls are involved.  

“Before you guys go, can I get your number Riley? For business purposes obviously.” Camron asked. 

“Sure buddy, label it as business.” Gavin teased. Camron shot him a glare. He really wasn’t in the mood for his antics right now.  

“Here…” Riley dug out a tiny notepad and a pen and wrote down her number. She ripped out the page and handed it to him. Their eyes met for a moment, and Camron could see the hint of a smile on her face. Perhaps she found Gavin’s joke amusing. 

“Thanks. I’ll text you later.” Camron shoved the paper in his pocket. 

“Come on Jade. Let’s get out of here and let these two get to ‘work.’” Riley teased with a small giggle. 

“It was nice meeting you guys! See ya later.” Jade waved goodbye, mostly to Gavin, and the girls headed out the front door. Once the door was shut, Camron let out a large sigh like he was holding his breath that whole time. 

“Damn dude. Who you knew you could find two hotties to cook for you. Your talents are endless.” Gavin hopped down from the counter and headed for the door as well. “Let me know if you need any help entertaining those two.” He smirked and Camron rolled his eyes in reply. 

“Next time, text me when you decide to stop by. Or at the very least, knock?” Camron shouted after him. The door shut once again, and Camron found himself standing alone in the kitchen. Why did he feel so lonely all of a sudden? It never seemed to bother him before. He enjoyed the few moments of quiet he would get from being by himself. But the silence rang in his ears and left him with an ache in his chest. Would things ever feel normal again?