Club Stratosphere

Chapter One

Cameron

You are a heartless son-of-a-bitch, Cam. For someone as intelligent as you are... The shit that comes out of your mouth sometimes is just fucking astounding in its stupidity. I love you, but I just cannot do this anymore. The anger and bitterness... I know it is not aimed at me, but in a way, it kind of is. You make me feel small, insignificant... I am neither of those things. I deserve more... Better. Goodbye, Cam. I hope you find happiness someday. Unfortunately, I do not think that is with me.

Cameron put the letter down on the countertop. The edges of the page were crumpled where he had gripped it tightly as he read the letter his girl, Josie, had left behind. Well, former girl, he supposed. The letter left little doubt about the status of their relationship, as it now stood in her opinion.

He scrubbed his right hand over his face and let out a long breath as he stepped back from the counter. Dumped was the last thing Cameron Matthews expected to be when he came home from his shift at the Mission Valley Police Department today. No, what he had expected was to come home, find his beautiful submissive in the kitchen preparing dinner for the two of them, and then to have a relaxing Friday night together by the fireplace. What he came home to was a Dear John letter on the kitchen counter instead of dinner, and the house cleared of her things. While he was out protecting the city from crime, she had been busy removing her things from the house.

Cam circled the counter, pulled open the fridge, and retrieved a beer from the top shelf. He twisted off the cap, tossed the metal disc onto the counter, and walked back out into the eerily quiet living room area of the main floor. Soft leather cushioned his rear as Cam settled on the couch and leaned back, beer bottle braced on his right thigh. He brought his left hand up, examining the chain wrapped around his fist. The collar he had placed around her neck, a symbol of their commitment to each other and their relationship, hung limp and cold from between his fingers.

He snorted, fist tightening around the chainmail as he recalled the night he had placed the jewelry around Josie's delicate neck. Her face had beamed with joy, tears tracing down her cheeks as he locked the collar in place, looked her in the eyes, and proclaimed her as His. Expressing emotions was not one of Cameron's strong suits, but he had smiled and brushed his lips over hers in a soft kiss. He had tunneled his fingers into her thick hair, gripped it tightly as the kiss deepened, and hoped the gesture conveyed what he could not say with words.

Josie was not one to hide her emotions, something that made Cam uncomfortable. Try as he might, dealing with anything that was not a happy mood made him squirm like a worm on a hook. Tears were the worst. He could not stand them. They were manipulative, in his estimation. A tool used by women the world over to get what they wanted when other feminine wiles failed.

He pinched the bridge of his nose. He knew that made him sound like an epic asshole. He made no secret of the fact he was a cold-hearted bastard. It was an inherited trait, as far as he was concerned. Something he had inherited from his father—the most cold-hearted, uncaring man Cameron had ever known. Josie had known that when she accepted his collar and agreed to be his submissive. He made it clear he was a hard man to love, but she insisted she understood and was okay with the relationship he offered.

Cam leaned his head back against the cushion and stared up at the ceiling. Hard to love was an understatement, but it did not mean he was unlovable. They had spent many a night talking into the wee hours of the morning about the things in his past that contributed to Cameron's outlook on life and relationships. He was certain Josie understood. She had not.

Straightening, Cam let the collar hang between his knees as he took a healthy sip from the beer clutched in his other hand. He let the bitter, hoppy taste of the brew overtake his senses. A futile gesture, he knew that and acknowledged the fact. There was no wiping her from his memory, no forgetting her. Josie was indelible, the kind of person who came into your life and stuck, even long after they were gone from it.