Janelle Denison - Too Wilde to Tame

He swore beneath his breath. This was a scenario he hadn't anticipated, and now he had to tread carefully because not only had Cameron promised Mia he wouldn't apprise her brothers about her situation, but there was no way in hell he wanted anyone in her family to find out about their relationship. He didn't need the grief, the headache, or any of the Wilde brood beating the crap out of him for having a hot and heavy, no-strings-attached fling with Mia.

It seemed like an hour had passed between them, when in fact it had only been a handful of seconds. "Joel!" he said, unable to keep his genuine shock and surprise from his tone.

"Hey, Cam!" Joel replied in an enthusiastic voice loud enough to be heard above the music and noise. "You hang out here?"

"I've been here a few times," he said evasively and gestured toward the waitresses dancing up on the bar for the customers, and for better tips. "The place is quite lively and entertaining."

"So we heard." Joel grinned up at one of the women who blew him a kiss while gyrating her hips to the seductive beat of the music. "We thought we'd check it out for ourselves, and it appears we aren't going to be disappointed. Want to grab a beer with us?"

Despite having other plans, which had included finding an inconspicuous place to sit alone and keep an eye on Mia, Cameron knew he couldn't turn down Joel's invitation without him wondering why… and eventually pinpointing the reason as Mia once Joel discovered his sister was there. Besides, sitting with the trio didn't mean Cam had to reveal his true reasons for being there, and he could still keep an inconspicuous eye on Mia.

"A beer sounds great," he finally said.

It took some time on such a crowded, busy night, but they eventually managed to claim a table up on the second level as a small group vacated it. It was a perfect spot for Cameron, because it gave him a decent view of the bar and dance area. And that's all he cared about.

As he sat down, his gaze found Mia once again. She was still talking to the same group of guys at the bar. Just as a waitress came up to their table to take their order, he watched as Mia tucked her hair behind her left ear, a signal they'd decided upon earlier to let him know she was speaking to her neighbor, Will, if he happened to show up.

He studied the guy, who was more of a pretty boy than a man's man, with short hair that looked like it actually had blond highlights woven through the strands-and not the kind from the sun, but the artificial kind from a salon. At a distance, his features appeared more effeminate than masculine, and he looked barely old enough to drink-as did his three friends.

Just as Mia had told him, there were definitely no sparks between her and Will. They were conversing like old friends, when most of the other men at the bar were openly eyeing Mia with appreciative interest. There was something different about Will other than his appearance, but for the moment Cameron couldn't quite put his finger on what was bothering him.

Mia smoothed her hair back once again as she laughed at something one of the other guys said. Most likely, she hadn't seen him arrive. Under normal circumstances, he would have called her on her cell phone to let her know he was at The Electric Blue and where he was sitting, but meeting up with Joel had nixed that idea. He figured in time she'd locate him, and he couldn't help but wonder how she'd act once she discovered her brother Joel was there.

Cameron waited for the waitress to finish taking their drink orders and move on to the next table before striking up a conversation. "So how's business been?"

"It's been great," Joel said as he leaned back in his seat. "Getting busier by the week."

"I hear ya," Cam replied with a shake of his head. "Steve and I are swamped. We've been interviewing potential assistants, but we haven't found anyone we both like yet." He glanced at Kevin and Ben once more. "Where's Jon?" he asked of their other friend and partner.

"He's on an assignment that took him to California for the next week." Abruptly, Joel stopped speaking, and his body tensed as he stared just beyond Cameron's shoulder.

Cameron was very familiar with that intense kind of look. Certain that Joel had finally spied Mia, Cameron's own personal radar went on alert. "Everything okay?"

"That waitress looks familiar," Joel said with a confused frown. "Like I've seen her before."

Cameron, along with Ben and Kevin, glanced in the same direction to appease their own curiosity. The woman who had caught Joel's attention wasn't the waitress who had taken their order. This one was curvy and very pretty, with shoulder-length brown hair and an alluring smile. As attractive as she was, she seemed much too reserved and sweet compared to the more outgoing women Joel normally chose to date.

"Yeah, you've seen her before," Ben said with a snicker. "In your dreams, man."

"I'm being serious," Joel said, a frustrated edge to his tone. "But I'll be damned if I can place where I've seen her."

Kevin slapped Joel on the back. "I'm sure she's just another face in the long string of women you've seduced with that Wilde charm of yours, then left behind."

Joel's scowl deepened as he combed his fingers through his pitch black hair. "I've never slept with her. That I would have remembered," he said adamantly.

As if the woman had sensed Joel's stare, she turned from the table she was clearing and looked his way. Their gazes seemed to connect, and something intangible passed between them for the briefest of seconds before their waitress arrived with their beers and the other woman headed back to the bar area.

It was the oddest, most bizarre thing Cameron had ever witnessed, as if the two did know one another but had never met in person before.

For the next half hour, while Joel watched the woman who'd captured his attention and Cameron kept up a steady stream of conversation with Ben and Kevin, who were also flirting with the women around them, Cameron managed to keep a close watch on Mia. She left Will with his friends at the bar to mingle with other people, and Cameron noticed that her neighbor didn't appear interested in the other women who came up to him, and neither did he accept any invitations to dance.

Interestingly enough, Mia's girlfriend Carrie was nowhere to be seen, and he figured she'd had other plans for the night, which helped narrow down Cameron's list of potential suspects. He'd caught sight of Ray and Gina a while ago, but now as Mia made her way through the crowd to her roommate, Ray wasn't by Gina's side as he normally was, which led Cameron to believe he was off getting drinks at the bar or had gone to the restroom.

About ten minutes later Ray reappeared, fresh drinks in hand. Mia talked to the two of them for a bit longer and then moved through the crowd once again. She headed in Cameron's direction, a sultry smile on her glossy lips.

As she climbed the stairs to the second level, Joel finally spotted her. "Jeezus," he muttered in annoyance. "What the hell is Mia doing here?"

Cameron wanted to laugh at Joel's brotherly reaction, not to mention his double standards where his sister was concerned. Instead, he kept his amusement to himself.

Kevin, however, had no problem stating the obvious. "I suppose she's here for the same reason you are."

Joel didn't care for that insinuation and shot his friend a dark look. "Don't be a smart-ass."

"Well, she sure does look like she's here to have a good time," Ben chimed in.

Cameron had to agree. From a distance, he'd only been able to see glimpses of what she was wearing. But now, up close, his mouth went dry as the full effect of her outfit hit him. Her beige, halter-top-style mini-dress bared a helluva lot of skin and cleavage and left no room for her to wear a bra. The stretchy fabric molded to her perfect breasts, as well as the rest of her curves, all the way down to her mid-thigh. A belt designed of chunky gold links draped low on her hips with the end piece bouncing loosely against her thigh as she walked. If the image of using that strand of belt as a leash wasn't enough to make Cameron hard as stone, her shoes most certainly did the trick.