He was at the gym again, and this time he noticed her first.
"At this point," Elliot said, getting on the treadmill beside Cameron, scaring the living daylights out of her, "I think you're following me." The statement wasn't said in a joking manner. It was almost like he was trying to insult her. He adjusted the treadmill to his liking and started a light jog.
Cameron tore her eyes away from his arms and looked straight ahead, at one of the TV's hanging in the area. She was walking at a slow pace, cooling down after an intense workout. She'd actually been at the gym since she got off an hour ago, and she'd told him as much, but she was confused at his tone. Was he angry about her seeing him earlier that day?
They exercised in silence for a bit until Cameron started to power down the treadmill. She could feel the sweat dripping down her face and clothes, and knew she looked a mess. Yet Elliot, who had ignored her for the rest of the day after he'd come back into the building after his phone call, wanted to talk to her now? No, she wasn't sure she wanted to play that game.
She headed to the women's locker-rooms and quickly grabbed her things. When she came back out, Elliot was waiting by the door.
"Now I think you're following me," she retorted as he walked with her out of the building. She remembered the last time they'd seen each other at the gym; she quickly glanced around to see if Alex was in sight. He wasn't, which was a relief. But she also hoped that Elliot walking her to her car when he made it clear that he disliked her wasn't going to become a habit. "You don't have to walk me to my car."
"I wanted to ask you something," he said.
"Then ask."
He sent a quick glare her way.
"Selene," he said, "she said that you were a good worker. Stays on task, reliable, doesn't procrastinate, not a gossip. You're like the perfect employee." He said the last part as if he were disgusted.
Cameron paused and turned to him in disbelief. His tone had stung, even though she didn't know why. She had no emotional attachment to him, he wasn't a friend, and he definitely wasn't her boyfriend. "What's that's supposed to mean?" she asked. "What are you trying to say?"
Elliot looked at her and held her gaze. Cameron could see fire in his eyes, intense, burning. Determined. She unconsciously took a step back. They hadn't arrived at her car yet; the walk, which normally felt quick, felt like a lifetime.
"I'm just trying to figure out why you show up where you could cause the most damage," he said. "Every time I seem to have a personal issue, there you are, within hearing distance. I don't know if Wren sent you to spy on me, or if you're trying to blackmail me with details of my relationship, or even if you're trying to sabotage my job. You need to stay away from me."
Cameron looked at him in disbelief, her jaw dropping. The audacity of this man. She barely knew him, didn't know his business and didn't want to, decided to argue with a woman in a public area more than once, and decided to call Cameron suspicious just because she happened to be around? What the hell kind of logic was that?
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The Business of Beauty
RomanceWorking as a marketing assistant at beauty and makeup giant Ansen Creative Cosmetics (ACC) was not what twenty-six year old Cameron King wanted. But La Belle, Ansen's rival, wasn't hiring and ACC was the next best thing. So what can she do but accep...