When I glanced at Miles, he looked away quickly, his eyes downcast. Good. At least he had the decency to be ashamed. Kieran also looked chagrined. By contrast, Rory didn’t look like he regretted encouraging our co-workers to talk about me behind my back one little bit. He sat next to Georgia, diligently typing on his laptop, casting me a narrow-eyed look like I was the one in the wrong. Yes, I’d insulted him, but only in response to him insulting me first. Not to mention what a terror he’d been the last few weeks.

  All I wanted was to run away and hide at my desk, lose myself in a day of deep research and try to push my worries to the back of my mind.

  Unfortunately, I had to join Cameron to meet with our new client. I went to quickly use the bathroom and when I entered his office, I noted two new chairs. He must’ve had them brought down from storage. Although they were a lot fancier than the one I’d borrowed for Damien.

  “Maisie,” Cameron said, standing. “About what happened before—”

  “Are these new?” I cut him off as I sat down on one of the chairs. It was very comfortable, maybe even ergonomically designed. Nice leather upholstery, too.

  Cameron frowned. “Pardon?”

  “Your new chairs. They’re very nice. I’ve actually been thinking of suggesting to Georgia that she invest in new chairs for the entire office. The ones we have now aren’t so great for your back. I have to make sure I get up and walk around at least every half hour so as to avoid any stiffness.” If I kept talking, he’d never get the chance to bring up what happened earlier, because I really didn’t want to talk about it. Sure, it was nice to finally open my mouth and stand up for myself, but it didn’t take away from the fact that people thought I was desperate.

  Cameron appeared confused. “Um, yes, new chairs might be a good idea, but can we just talk for a minute about—”

  “Did you buy these yourself? They must’ve been expensive.”

  “Maisie, can you quit avoiding the conversation? We need to discuss—”

  The phone on his desk rang, a piercing interruption. He swore under his breath, while I exhaled in relief.

  “Hello?” A heavy sigh as he glanced at me while whoever was on the phone spoke. “Yes, thank you. You can bring him over now.” He put the phone down, his expression murderous. “We’re going to talk about this, Maisie. I don’t know why you’re acting so weird. You handled them wonderfully. I was so proud of you.”

  “It doesn’t change how they think about me,” I replied. And how you think of me, I added in my head.

  Cameron frowned, about to say something when the door opened. Nadia ushered in a middle-aged man in a suit. He had greying hair, a distinctive Roman nose, and somewhat bushy eyebrows.

  “Cameron, Maisie. This is Anthony Silverstein,” Nadia said, making the introductions.

  “Hello, Mr. Silverstein,” Cameron walked around his desk to shake hands with the client, while I stood to do the same. Nadia left and we all sat down. “To start, can you give us an overview of what you need from us,” Cameron said.

  Anthony clasped his hands together, taking in the two of us. He didn’t appear worried or anxious like many of our clients normally did. Seeking out private investigators was generally a last resort for people who were in unfortunate situations. This guy didn’t look like he was in an unfortunate situation. He was confident and relaxed, with a jovial sort of face, and a bright spark behind his eyes.

  “To make a long story short, I’m a businessman,” Anthony said. “I’ve recently had the opportunity to open up a new state-of-the-art gym here in Torquay. However, I’ve started to have reservations about my business partners.”

  “And who would they be?” Cameron questioned.

  “Lydia and Quentin Black,” Anthony replied.

  My eyes widened. “The aerobics couple?”

  Cameron glanced at me curiously.

  “They have posters all over town for their fitness classes,” I explained. “I’ve actually thought about attending myself, but I never got around to it.”

  “You should go,” Anthony encouraged. “My grievances with them aside, my wife attends every week and her glutes have never looked better.”

  I chewed my lip to keep from grinning. “Maybe I will. My glutes have always been an area I’ve wanted to work on.” I relished how Cameron stiffened further every time glutes were mentioned. If the tense set of his jaw was anything to go by, he wasn’t too keen on this sort of talk at the office.

  “My wife swears by squats and lunges. She does them every day while watching the morning headlines. I’ve been a very happy man,” Anthony added with a grin.

  “Squats and lunges, you say? I’ll have to try those, too. I hear they do wonders for your glutes.”

  “Oh, they do. Even if you’ve got quite a flat gluteus area, you’ll find it perking right up after a couple of weeks.”

  I grinned so hard. “Is that so?”

  “Oh, yes.”

  It was official. Anthony Silverstein gave zero shits, and it was exactly what I needed after the morning I’d had.

  “There’s nothing wrong with that…area of your body,” Cameron put in, losing his patience with the topic since it had nothing to do with the actual case.

  I glanced at him and noted how his cheeks had heated, remembering that one time when he drunkenly complimented my bottom.

  You’ve got the best arse at the office.

  Not exactly the most swoon-worthy compliment in the world, but I’d been thrilled nonetheless.

  Cameron brought his attention back to Anthony. “Mr. Silverstein, if you could detail exactly why you’ve started having reservations about your business partners that would be great.”

  Anthony blew out a long breath. “Well, I suspect another investor is trying to undercut me. Quentin and Lydia have been acting shifty of late, avoiding my calls, not answering emails. Also, a friend of a friend said he saw them meeting with some dodgy looking characters at a hotel in Paignton last week.”

  “So, you want us to find out who they were meeting with? Discover if they are in fact planning to cut you out of the deal for this new gym?”

  “Precisely,” Anthony answered.

  Cameron asked more questions while I brought up Lydia and Quentin Black’s website on my laptop. Their brand was called BeStrong Aerobics, and their website was all done in bright tropical colours. I clicked onto their class schedule and saw there was an online sign-up sheet. Smiling to myself, I typed in Cameron’s name and contact details.

  Cameron walked Anthony to the door before coming to stand behind me. “What have you found?”

  “Nothing yet. But I have signed you up for Aqua Aerobics tonight at seven. Both Lydia and Quentin are running the class, so maybe you’ll be able to strike up a conversation with them afterward.”

  “I don’t strike up conversations. I also don’t do aerobics, so suffice it to say, I definitely don’t do the aqua variety.”

  “Oh, come on. What better way to get into their inner circle than to become one of their students?”

  Cameron didn’t respond, instead going to sit in front of his own computer. His demeanour was deceptively calm, and I eyed him as he began to type. Several moments passed.

  “What are you doing?” I questioned, suspicious.

  He lifted his attention to me, his expression unreadable. “I do believe I just signed you up for the very same class.”

  “You did not!” I exclaimed, appalled. “Well, I don’t do swimwear in January so you can get right back onto that site and remove my name.”

  Cameron’s mouth twitched in amusement. “It doesn’t have the option to remove names I’m afraid.”

  “It doesn’t matter, I’m not going.”

  “Then I won’t be going either,” Cameron answered back.

  We stared at one another, in a stand-off for several seconds before his gaze softened. His eyes wandered over my face slowly, full of heat. Oh no, I was powerless against a look like that.

  Must resist melting at his warm, sensual dark eyes.

  “You know I was lying, right?”

  I feigned obliviousness. “What was that now?”

  “When I told those imbeciles that I wasn’t seeing anyone. I thought saying it would get Rory and Jenny off your back. I wanted to punch every single one of them for the way they spoke about you,” he said, voice strained.

  My eyebrows jumped in surprise. “Well, even though it would be very satisfying to see you beat the crap out of Rory, Miles, and Kieran, I’d advise against it for the sake of your employment. You also want to avoid a criminal record, so…”

  His eyes searched mine. “Am I forgiven?”

  “There’s nothing to forgive, and technically you didn’t lie. We aren’t seeing each other.”

  He held my gaze, his expression intense as he leaned forward, elbows resting on his desk. “It was a lie, Maisie. I lied.”

  My stomach fluttered at the husky quality to his voice while I tried not to show how it affected me. I closed my laptop and stood, tucking it under my arm and loudly clearing my throat. “Will I see you at aqua aerobics tonight so that we can make a start on this case?”

  He remained seated at his desk, though his face told me we weren’t done with this topic. “Yes, I’ll be there,” he replied soberly.

  “Good.” I gave him a curt nod, then turned and left his office.

  ***

  At home that evening I stood in front of the full-length mirror in my bedroom, trying to decide if the black-and-white vintage-style polka-dot bikini (the only swimwear I could find) was appropriate for an aerobics class. I’d bought it for my holiday to Majorca with Mum and Dad last summer, and I distinctly remembered my boob almost popping out once or twice when I went for a swim in the pool.

  I suppose I’d just have to be careful.

  My phone vibrated with a text and I picked it up. Lilah had sent me a link. I tapped it and was brought to a clip of a weird 80s movie. John Travolta and Jamie Lee Curtis were working out in an aerobics class while sharing some disturbingly intense and erotic eye contact. I snort-laughed while typing a reply.

  Me: Thanks. Now I can never unsee that.

  Lilah: You’re welcome ;-) Enjoy your class tonight!

  I’d told her all about signing up for the class during lunch, and she’d found it terribly amusing—mainly the idea of Cameron doing any kind of water-based cardio.

  I threw on some leggings and a navy jumper before grabbing my handbag and car keys. The class was being held at the local sports centre, and I spotted Cameron’s Volkswagen among the assembled cars when I parked outside. I dipped my head to see if he was sitting in it as I passed by, but it was empty.

  That meant he was already inside.

  I swallowed down my nerves as I approached the building. We hadn’t discussed a game plan for tonight, so I guessed we were pretending we didn’t know each other?

  I entered the ladies changing rooms where there was a bunch of women already gathered and changing into their swimsuits. I stored my bag in one of the lockers and undressed, feeling self-conscious. It had been a while since I’d been this naked in public, and I was carrying a few extra pounds after Christmas.

  I walked out of the ladies’ changing rooms and spotted Cameron right away. I was struck speechless for a second, mainly because he was wearing only swim shorts. He had the sort of body that showed he probably worked out, but not all the time. His body said, this is me, take me or leave me. Somehow that made him seem even more attractive, especially with the light dusting of hair on his chest.

  This was the most naked I’d ever seen him, since our sexual encounters were in darkness or low light. He cleared his throat and I looked up, embarrassed to be caught ogling him. He appeared mildly amused.

  I narrowed my gaze and placed my hands on my hips. “What?”

  “Nothing, it’s just…you’re wearing a polka dot bikini.”

  “And?”

  “I was going to say at least it’s not yellow or itsy-bitsy, teeny-weeny.” His mouth moved in a way that hinted he was pleased with his observation.

  Great, now that stupid song was in my head.

  “There’s a career in stand-up comedy for you,” I deadpanned and walked by him toward the pool.

  Once I was in the water, I said hello to several of the other women. There were about thirty people taking part in the class, and it became evident that Cameron was the lone male. I suspected by the tight set of his jaw that he was far from comfortable and I felt a little bad for goading him into doing this.

  I frowned when two women who looked to be in their early twenties approached Cameron, friendly, flirtatious smiles in place. I couldn’t hear what they said to him, and I was surprised when he was courteous. He stood in the water and chatted with them while waiting for the class to begin. A minute or two later Lydia and Quentin arrived, both wearing swimsuits displaying the BeStrong Aerobics logo.

  “Okay, everybody, let’s get to it!” Lydia yelled energetically while Quentin pressed play on the music and a pop song blasted from the speakers. They both wore those Britney Spears-style headset microphones, which always managed to render people obnoxious, no matter the circumstance.

  I tried to sidle my way closer to Cameron, but he was annoyingly surrounded by a bevy of admirers. Several ladies were keen to garner his attention. I guess it wasn’t every day a man who looked like Cameron showed up at a predominantly female aerobics class. He seemed decidedly broody as he grudgingly followed Lydia’s instructions to jog on the spot in the water. I could just imagine his grumpy internal dialogue.

  When the “Macarena” came on and everybody had to do the dance moves, I couldn’t take my eyes off Cameron. He’d never looked so disgruntled, and believe me, that was some feat. I chuckled, and the woman next to me shot me a look that was all, stop laughing and take the “Macarena” seriously or I’ll tell on you to Lydia and Quentin!

  “Sorry, I wasn’t laughing at you. I was just…never mind,” I said to her over the music.

  She merely shot me another catty look and ignored me for the remainder of the song.

  My attention went to our instructors. They were a very fit and attractive couple, probably about my age. I tried to imagine them as the sort of people who would resort to underhanded business tactics and couldn’t, though maybe that was the halo effect clouding my judgment. We sometimes attributed positive characteristics to people simply for being good-looking, when in reality the opposite could be true.

  Forty-five minutes later the class ended, and I was absolutely knackered. I definitely needed to work out more. I climbed from the pool, looking around for Cameron, and spotted him, again surrounded by women. They were peppering him with questions, and he looked like a deer caught in the headlights. Taking pity on him, I approached the group.

  “I’m heading to the steam room. Are you coming?” I asked, not bothering to provide an explanation or introduce myself to the ladies. Cameron’s face showed relief as he nodded, said his goodbyes, and followed me to the other end of the pool.

  “This was one of the worst ideas you’ve had so far,” he commented over my shoulder as we entered the steam room, which was thankfully empty.

  I sat down on a bench and closed my eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I had a wonderful time watching you do the “Macarena”. My only regret is I didn’t have a camera. Plus, all the ladies have been super friendly to you.” My mouth curved into an almost smile as I opened my eyes and glanced at him.

  Some of his annoyance melted away when his gaze lowered to my bikini top. His eyes traced the lines of my collarbone, danced across my chest.

  Was it just me or had it gotten significantly hotter in here?

  His eyebrow arched, his voice turning husky. “Are you trying to punish me?”

  My breath hitched slightly. “Why would I want to punish you?”

  Cameron moved closer, eyes on mine, breath whispering across my already overheated skin. “I’m not sure. Perhaps you have a sadistic side I don’t know about.”

  Okay, so it was sort of fun to tease him, but that was only because it was so easy to push his buttons sometimes. I shook my head. “Nope. No sadistic tendencies here. Just a little mischievous streak is all,” I answered then stilled when he reached out and traced a finger across my shoulder. The simple touch sent pleasurable shivers down my spine. His mouth was so close to my ear when he replied, “A mischievous streak? Now I’m intrigued.”

  I was sure if I was looking in a mirror my pupils would be off-the-charts dilated. Nerves fizzled inside me as I shifted away slightly. “I think all this steam is making you crazy.”

  “On the contrary. Seeing you with so few clothes on is making me crazy.”

  His hand wandered down my arm, and I was watching its descent, fascinated, when all of a sudden more people entered the steam room. Cameron dropped his hand. The hot wooden bench we were sitting on started to burn, but when I saw it was Lydia and Quentin who came in, I knew we couldn’t leave yet.

  The couple nodded hello, then went to sit on the benches higher up behind us. I wasn’t sure if they recognised us from the class, but they didn’t try to make chitchat. Though that was probably because they were already engaged in a hushed, serious conversation. I strained to hear what they were saying, but I could only pick out bits and pieces past the hissing steam.

  “Look, we’ll just have to wait and see what happens. If worse comes to worse, at least Anthony still doesn’t know,” Quentin said.

  “Maybe he never has to,” Lydia replied.

  As soon as the name Anthony was mentioned, my eyes widened and I glanced at Cameron. He didn’t acknowledge me, instead continuing to listen. Unfortunately, they didn’t say much more and Cameron eventually stood to leave. I followed him, mostly because I was in danger of turning into a lump of boiled ham if I stayed there any longer.

  “I’ll meet you outside in twenty minutes,” he said before stepping inside the men’s changing rooms. I didn’t bother blow-drying my hair because I was too eager to go and reconvene with Cameron. He was sitting in his car waiting for me when I left the sports centre. Hurrying over, I opened the door on the passenger side and slid in.