While Asher agreed, he needed to be doing something. Anything. “What about interviews?”
Talon shook his head. “You have spent the last decade as a ghost. No social media presence. No photographs. No personal information anywhere besides a succinct and impersonal author bio on your book jacket.”
Cameron made a noise in the back of his throat. “You work fast.”
“So does the media,” Talon countered flatly. “The keyword here isgenuine,” he added, returning his attention to Asher. “Appearing in half a dozen interviews isn’t genuine to the image you’ve constructed throughout your career.”
“Then, what?” Asher snapped. “I’m just supposed to sit here and do nothing?” He let out a dark, humorless laugh. “We see how well that worked out for me.”
Unfazed, Talon continued. “We’ll arrange one high-profile, exclusive interview. In the meantime, any interactions with the press need to appear—”
“Genuine?” Asher supplied sarcastically.
“—organic,” Talon finished as if Asher hadn’t spoken. “I have a few ideas, but we’ll come back to that.” His penetrating gaze shifted to Cameron. “Now, tell me about Benjamin Moore.”
Chapter Four
Cameron tensed. It hadbeen a long time since he’d heard that name, but it still made his palms sweat and his teeth clench.
He didn’t dare look at Asher.
“What about him?” Clearly, Talon had been busy. He couldn’t even imagine how deep the guy had to dig to pull that name out of his hat.
“What are you talking about?” Asher interjected. He sounded strained, like he was doing his best not to shout. “Who is Benjamin Moore?”
Cameron curled both hands around his coffee cup and stared into it, still unable to meet Asher’s gaze. “A mistake.”
“Okay,” Asher murmured as he exhaled in a rush, “start from the beginning.”
“It was six years ago.” Vibrating with nervous energy, Cameron tapped his foot against the black rug that covered the floor as he spoke. “Do you want the long or short version?”
“Either.”
Cameron breathed in deeply through his nose and focused on the warmth of the ceramic in his hands. The guy’s lack of preference was telling in and of itself. He wasa storyteller, and he always wanted the details, no matter how insignificant. The fact that he’d be willing to settle for a short, condensed version of events didn’t bode well.
“Nico had just opened his tattoo shop, and we had gone out to the club to celebrate.”
Natalie had barely been old enough to drink, but no one would have guessed by the way she tossed back tequila shots. Derek had convinced Tyler to join them, and while Tyler had refused to dance, he and Derek spent most of the night stealing glances at each other. Nico had been on top of the world, and Cameron…well, he’d been content to just sit back and observe.
“I guess we’d been at Swerve for a couple of hours by the time Ben got there. It was kind of obvious from the beginning that Nico had set us up.” Normally, he’d have been pissed about that, but at the time, it had been months since he’d been out with anyone. “We danced a little, but mostly, we just sat and talked.”
He’d actually been surprised by how much he had liked the guy, especially since they had very little in common. Ben had been charming, though, witty, and he was the type of person who seemed to listen with his whole being. So, while Cameron would have liked to blame the alcohol for his lack of good judgment, it had really been more about hormones and vanity.
Asher’s hand tightened on top of his thighs as he shifted in his seat. Whether because he didn’t want tointerrupt, or because he didn’t know what to say, it was odd to see him so quiet. He usually had a comeback for everything, and he’d talk himself hoarse trying to have the last word.
“We, uh, ended up going back to his place since he lived in the city.” With his experience in such matters, Asher could likely deduce what had happened next, so Cameron didn’t feel the need to go into detail. “He called me a cab about two in the morning, and I figured that was the end of it.” Ben had walked him to the door where they’d exchanged a few awkward words, and Cameron had assumed he’d never see the man again. “The phone calls started two days later.”
Asher’s eyes narrowed, and a strange, little growl reverberated through his throat. “He started stalking you?”
“No.” Cameron huffed out a shaky laugh. “The phone calls were from his wife.”
“He was married?”
Cameron bobbed his head slowly, a shudder going through him. Fuck, it had happened six, almost seven, years ago, but just thinking about it still filled him with shame and guilt. It was a stupid response. He hadn’t known Benjamin Moore had been married. He hadn’t noticed anything in his apartment to indicate that a woman lived there. Telling himself these things didn’t change how he felt, though.
He’d been mortified when he’d found out, and he’d been so pissed at Nico he hadn’t talked to his best friend for nearly a week. Ultimately, however, it hadn’t been Nico’s fault, and really, it hadn’t been Cameron’s fault, either. Benjamin Moore alone had been responsible for his own actions, as well as all the chaos that had followed.
“Damn,” Asher breathed. “I’m sorry, Cam.”
