30 Days (Morgan Family Series Book 1) (7 page)

Despite Cameron’s insistence that I be picked up at my apartment, I stood my ground and called a cab to pick me up. I don’t recognize the store that I’m dropped off at, but I’m not surprised. I’ve never shopped here and doubt I ever will again. I stand outside and wait for him.

“You’re Memphis!”

I eye the woman approaching me, but have no idea who she is or how she knows my name. Long, black hair and dark eyes.
No clue.

“I’m sorry, do I know you?” I ask.

“My brother sent me to help you pick out a dress. I’m Blake.” she explains and holds out her hand.

I shake it and return her smile. She looks at me expectantly. “And you are?”

“Memphis.” I give her a strange look, thinking she already knew that.

“Haha. I mean, I know I called you the song or whatever. What’s your name

though?”

“Really, it’s Memphis.” I laugh.

“I knew Cameron knew you. There was no way in hell he was going to make a spectacle of himself like that for some stranger. He rarely makes a spectacle of himself for people he knows. Come with me. We’ll find the perfect dress.”

I liked her immediately. While we shopped, she dished on Cameron, her job, and her boyfriend. She was a real chatterbox. I barely had to speak at all. It was a relief. I didn’t really like talking about myself.
She talked enough for the both of us.

“I think this is the one.” she comments, eyeing me up and down. “Simple, which is what we want. I mean, it’s just dinner.”

I look at the black cocktail dress in the mirror and smooth my hands over the front. The price tag catches my attention and I balk.

“Memphis, there is no need to try to dissuade me. My mind is made up. You’re getting this dress.” she informs me. “Now we need shoes.”

I balk on the price of the shoes too, but Blake shushes me. Then she wants to buy jewelry!

“I don’t think this is what Cameron had in mind. He said I was supposed to get a dress.” I complain. “I’m not getting jewelry!”

I cross my arms and don’t follow her to the jewelry counter. She cocks her eyebrow at me and pulls her phone from her purse.

“Talk to your bae.” she barks into the phone and then hands it to me. She heads towards the jewelry.

“Wha..”

“Memphis?” Cameron’s voice comes on the line. “Is everything okay?” “I’m not your bae.” I reply, irritated. His chuckle makes me blush.

“I know. What’s wrong?”

“This is too much. Blake is spending too much money.” I inform him. “The dress is two thou…”

“Just let her pick everything out. It’s fine. I need you to look nice.” “I can’t accept this.”

“Do you want me to deduct it from your pay?” he asks. “Hell no!”

He chuckles again.
I blush again.

“Look, just get the stuff and stop complaining. You’ll be so bored tomorrow night that you’ll wish you got something more expensive.”

“Fine. It’s your money.”

“That’s right.” he confirms. “And Memphis, come by after your shift.”

I pace the lobby and check the time a second time.
She’s late.
Well, almost. I just thought she’d be here by now. It’s annoying that she wouldn’t just let me pick her up. That would’ve been so much easier.

“Why haven’t you gone in?” Blake asks as she walks in with who I assume is Langston.

“I’m waiting on Memphis to get here.” I answer.

“She’ll be here. It’s only 6:55.” she assures me. “Cameron, this is my boyfriend, Langston McGraw. Langston, my brother, Cameron.”

“Nice to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you.” he says, holding out his hand.              

“Yeah.” I answer, firmly shaking his hand.

Blake scowls at me as she leads Langston away. I’m sure I’ll hear about that later.
I should’ve been nicer.
Talked to him more. Right now I’m worried about my date getting here on time. I shake my head and close my eyes.

“I’m here! Sorry, I had trouble getting a cab.”

I open my eyes and see Memphis hurrying across the room. She stops in front of me, nearly breathless. I look her up and down. The dress fits her perfectly, showing off her curves in a subtle way. The jewelry Blake picked out is a simple silver necklace with a small diamond pendant. Matching earrings. Nothing overwhelming, but breathtaking all the same.

“Is this dress okay? I mean, I’ve never been to a place like this. Am I good?” She looks down, nervously smoothing her hands over her dress.

“It’s perfect.” I answer.

I hold my arm out to her and she slips her hand in. I tell her to relax just before we walk through the doors that lead us to the dinner area. Guests are still mingling, but some are starting to get seated.

Memphis and I make our way around the room. I talk with fellow lawyers, making light introductions to Memphis and small talk as much as possible. She smiles and stays connected to me as we move through the crowd.

“Are these people your friends?” she asks against my ear.

“Just business associates. Lawyers.” I answer.

“Big time lawyers.”

“Pretty much.”

“No public defenders or pro-bono work here.” she comments.

“Maybe a few.”

“Does your firm ever do pro-bono work?” she asks.

I open my mouth to answer, but my father approaches with his date, Blake, and Langston. I swallow down my answer and force a smile onto my face.
He does the same.

“What’s this about pro-bono work?” he asks, bellowing out a laugh.

“Memphis was just asking about our firm and what kind of work we did.” I

explain. I introduce them and watch my father give her a once-over.

“Honey, we don’t do pro-bono work. If someone needs pro-bono work they can go to the courthouse and fill out a hardship. The judge will appoint someone for them.” he explains. “That’s how the system works.”

“I was just curious, sir. I don’t know very much about Morgan, Quinley, and

Sloan.”

“You’re dating my son, but you don’t know anything about our company?” my

father says, rudely.

Before I can explain that we’re not dating, Memphis replies, “I didn’t say that I didn’t know anything about your firm, sir. I said I didn’t know much about it. I do know that your firm is ranked number three in the state of New York for defending capital murder clients and getting them off with a conviction of not guilty. I also know that your firm is ranked number five in the state for overturning convictions and number two for getting dismissals. I simply didn’t know if your firm did pro- bono work.”

“What’s your name again?” “Memphis Stone.”

“Ms. Stone, damn nice to meet you.” my father grins. He takes Memphis’s hand in his and raises it to his mouth, kissing her knuckles. I clench my jaw in annoyance.

He motions to his table and we fall into step behind him. Memphis and I sit across from my father and the woman he brought with him. He didn’t even bother to introduce us. I have no idea who she is or if I’ll ever see her with him again.
Don’t care.

My father’s attention is not focused on her anymore anyway. It’s focused on Memphis. He suddenly wants to know everything about her.
Where she’s from. What she does. Who her family is.
She seems hesitant to answer.

“I’m from Alabama, sir. My sister and I moved here about a year ago. She’s in college.”

“Just you and your sister? Where’s your parents?” he meddles on.

Memphis glances at me and then down in her lap before looking back up. “We just have my mom and I’m honestly not sure where she is, sir.”

“What is it that you do, Memphis?”

Damn.
I knew this question would come up. She looks at me again. She bites her bottom lip and I can see she’s not sure what to say.
The truth?

“She’s just accepted a position at the firm actually. The receptionist position that we’ve had posted a few weeks. She’ll start it in a week or so. We’re still finalizing all the paperwork.” I answer and see my father’s eyes narrow at me.

“That’s great!” Blake exclaims. “I’ll actually have a friend working at the firm.

Not a bunch of old guys and a brother who never has enough time for me.”

I avoid looking over at Memphis, but I feel her green gaze leveling me.
It was a mistake bringing her here.
Too many questions will get asked. Everyone is getting the wrong idea. This isn’t what I wanted.
Fuck.

I sit in the passenger seat of Cameron’s car and though he’s silent, he’s speaking in volumes.
I’m getting too close.
This wasn’t supposed to happen. I was supposed to be a thirty-day fuck.

I knew the night we had sex in the club that things were getting muddled. He was jealous about his friend. I didn’t bother telling him that I didn’t even dance for his friend. I let Stacy do the dance for him. Now I can tell he regrets bringing me tonight. Now his family thinks we’re dating. Now his family thinks I’m working at the firm.
He’s getting too close.

We walk into his apartment and he still hasn’t spoken to me. He starts undressing on his way to his bedroom.
I guess that’s my cue.

I follow the trail of clothes he’s left behind, unzipping my dress as I walk. When I step in the room, he’s standing by his bed with a pair of handcuffs in his hand. I step out of the dress and slip off my heels.

He motions to the bed and the cuffs clink. I unclasp my bra and fling it to the floor before I lie back on the bed. My heart hammers in my chest and I breathe rapidly as Cameron straddles me and stretches my arms above my head. He secures first one wrist then the other to the slats of the headboard. Then he moves down my body and off the bed. I watch in confusion as he leaves the room.

I lie there and wait for him to come back, wondering where he’s went and what he’s doing. Then I hear the shower. I pull at the restraints, but I go nowhere.
This isn’t happening.

Tears sting my eyes and I blink them back.
How could he leave me like this?
I struggle again, but I know it’s no use.

Fifteen minutes later, he returns freshly showered with a towel wrapped around his waist. He unknots it and climbs onto the bed.

“Undo these.” I demand. “I want to leave.” “No, you don’t.” he quips.

“Yes, I do!”

He reaches in his drawer and pulls out a condom. My eyes are instantly drawn to his cock as he strokes himself. I watch him grow hard in his hands and I lick my lips at the sight of him.
Stupid, Memphis, don’t be stupid!

“Let me go, Cameron.” I say, firmly.

I remind myself that I’m angry with him. Angry that he left me restrained to his bed for fifteen minutes. I shouldn’t be aroused.
But I am.

He rolls the condom over his length and straddles me. He grips my panties and rips the material away from me.
My pussy throbs.
He leans down and draws my nipple into his mouth, elongating it and sucking it. I squirm beneath him.

“Do you really want to leave?” he asks, blowing on my breasts.

Yes.

“No.”
What’s wrong with me?
I should be telling him yes, I want to leave. I know this will end badly. I know I’m not separating myself from the arrangement very well, but damn it, when I’m with this man, I want him so badly.
I want every ounce of him.

“Are you sure you want to stay?” he asks, giving me a second chance to leave.              

“I’m sure.”

Cameron fucks me hard and without any emotion. He doesn’t kiss me. He doesn’t look at me. I still come, quivering beneath him with my hands gripping the handcuffs. When he comes, he takes the handcuffs off and then walks into his bathroom. I get dressed and leave. I don’t even wait for him to walk me down to the cab.
I don’t want to see him. I don’t want to face him.

Four more days. I have four more days with him. Four more days of being his whore. Four more days of doing whatever he likes.
Four more days and this will be over.

Hot tears stream down my face as the elevator takes me down. I should be happy about that. I’ll get the rest of my money and I’ll be free to get off this emotional roller coaster I’ve been on.
Four more days.

I patiently wait for the elevator to take me up to my father’s floor. I don’t know why he summoned me. We’re not working on a case together and we never meet. We avoid each other as much as possible. He doesn’t see how I remind him of my mother and I don’t see how he reminds me of what he did to her.

I tap on the door to his office and he calls me in. He motions to the chair across from his desk and I reluctantly take a seat.

“I called HR and asked them to pull Ms. Stone’s resume. I think she’d be better suited to be my personal assistant than the front desk receptionist.

Unfortunately, they’re having trouble locating her resume.”

“She hasn’t turned it in yet. I knew she would be hired though. Besides, you

already have a personal assistant. Sharon.”

“Bring her resume to me, son. I want her working for me.” he says, firmly. I clench my jaw and rise from the chair.

“Unless you have an issue with that.” he adds.

“Not at all.” I clip with a tight smile.

I walk out of his office and head back to my own. I call Memphis from my desk phone.

“I need you to come to my office.”

“If this is one of those ‘suck my dick before you leave’ deals then I have better things to do today.” she bites out and hangs up.

I stare at my phone in surprise. I don’t think I’ve ever been hung up on before. I dial her back and I’m surprised she answers.

“I need you to come to my office.” I repeat, annoyed.

“No, I have things to do. Suck your own dick.” She hangs up.
Again.
I call back.
Again. Fucking ridiculous.

“Seriously, suck your own dick. I’ve heard that some men can do that. You should try it.”

“Memphis, stop. I’m not going to get you to suck my dick. I need your resume.”
Silence.
“Memphis?”

“I’m on my way.”