I wove my way through the crowd, giving tight-lipped smiles until I reached the door of my office. I now had offices in all three of our gym locations, but this was where I had started, my first office and where I wanted the reopening ceremony to take place. I felt grounded here. So much had happened in the last five years since I stepped through those doors.

This was the first real gym I had ever set foot in. All my workouts had been done in my aunt's garage. I was impressed by the walls of mirrors, clean equipment, friendly faces, and attention I got. I was just finishing up my degree in kinesiology when I decided it was time to join a real health club. And considering my plan was to be a personal trainer, this seemed like the right place to be.

I had been coming here for a few months before Sara approached me about becoming a personal trainer here. Of course, I jumped at the chance. I gained tons of experience and that, along with using the tools from my degree, I quickly became someone people were searching for. People who wanted to change their bodies, their eating habits and their lives. 

I finally had my dream job.

Then two years ago, I stepped up to manage this location while Sara was busy dealing with the other two. And in the last few days, I had secured a deal with my new boss that would give me a bigger stake in this new venture. I was general manager over all three locations and now a partial owner too. I just hadn't told anyone yet.

As I reached into my bottom drawer for the bottle of scotch I had stashed there, I fully realized this might not be the best thing for me, but I was celebrating, dammit. Even if I was alone.

A light tapping at my door, reminded me that I wasn't alone and there at least a few hundred guests who needed my attention. "Be right there!" I called through the closed door as I poured myself a glass of the amber liquid.

The door eased open slowly. "This area is private," I called lowly in a growly voice. 

Auburn waves and emerald eyes glowed in the low light as she came peeking around the door. "Private, huh?" Cami teased as she slipped inside and shut the door behind her. "That's good."

I leaned back in my leather chair and gave her my full attention as she rounded my desk and hoisted herself up to sit on the edge. She crossed those creamy legs in front of me and all I could do was stare. "Private party?" she mused as I lifted the glass to my lips and took a sip.

When I went for another, she reached for the glass and took one of her own. My eyes followed the tip of her tongue as it reached for an errant drop dangling from her cupid's bow. My own mouth opened as the scotch on her skin was swiped away. "Fuck," I sighed softly as she leaned forward and handed my glass back.

"So what's the deal? This is your big night and you're drinking alone."

I slid my hand behind her calf and squeezed. "I just needed a minute."

She cocked her head, undoubtedly trying to read my thoughts and worrying hard like always. "Are you mad…" she paused and hooked her thumb back toward the door. "About what Shayne did?"

I took another sip and chuckled. "I'm not mad that Shayne kissed you...again."

"Really, because you know she was just messing around…"

Her next words were caught in her throat when I hooked my hand behind her neck and pulled her face close to mine. "Unless you like her lips on your neck better than mine...I think we're fine."

Cami's lips curled into a smile. "Well actually...her lips are pretty soft."

I nodded slowly, placing my tumbler on the desk and rising to stand. Her eyes followed my every move as I curled my fingers behind her knees and uncrossed her legs. I yanked her to the very edge of the desk, eliciting a sexy gasp. 

I pulled her legs high around my waist, slowly skimming my fingers over the bare skin of her thighs, stopping when I reached the hem of her dress. "Soft lips, huh?" I taunted as my mouth crept into the crook of her neck and kissed her roughly. "They're aren't too many things soft on me, baby," I punctuated that statement with a quick jerk of her body into mine.

The way her eyes widened and her chest heaved let me know she felt me...all of me...and no fucking way was I soft.

Cami's hands slipped under my suit coat, nails raking over my pecs and a little pinch to each of my nipples had me shuddering with want. Fuck.

Her hands kept trailing down, easing over each defined ridge of my abs, still present even under my dress shirt. "There's one place on you where your skin is always so smooth and soft...I can't even stand it," she breathed against my jaw. A low growl emitted from the back of my throat when she reached into my pants and wrapped her fingers around me so deliciously. 

"Oh, Cami baby." I attacked her neck with kisses, bites and sucks as she stroked me, her own gasping whimpers drowning out my sounds. 

"I want you," she mumbled softly, pulling back to catch my reaction.

I nodded numbly, powerless when her thumb swiped over the tip and collected the liquid leaking from the tip. Cami's eyes followed mine as I began to shake. I couldn't lose control. Not here. Not now. "Stop, please," I groaned, gripping her wrist and pulling it out of my pants.

"Please stop or don't stop?" Cami teased as I untangled myself from her grasp. I took a step back and tried to shake away my incredible need for her by shaking my own head. 

When she reached for me again, I guided her down from the desk and urged her to sit in my chair. "Look in the top drawer," I panted as I sat where she had just been.

Cami peered up at me with curious eyes and a furrowed brow. "What is it?"

I pushed my hand through my hair and tried to even out my breathing. "I just got you a little something."

"Me?" she scoffed. "Why? It's your big night! I should've got you something," she added sadly. 

"I don't need you to get me anything, baby. I already have so fucking much."

She glanced up at me, her beautiful eyes gleaming up at me. I took her right hand in both of mine and pressed it to my chest. "You feel that? How my heart beats...for you?"

Cami smiled and nodded, letting loose a soft, contented sigh. "I do."

"I have so much. Nearly everything I could possibly ever need!"

"You do?"

I lifted her gaze with two fingers under her chin. "I have this great job, my big promotion, and when Justin tried to pay me for the print ads I did for his equipment, I told him to reinvest it in the club. So now I'm part owner too."

"You are?"

"Yes," I beamed down at her as my thumb brushed over her lower lip. "That means I got the job I wanted with the possibility of owning my own gym one day. And since I made up with Shayne, the only thing I don't have right now is...you."

"Chance," Cami breathed, tilting her head as she peered up at me.

"Open the top drawer."

I let go of her, watching as she slid the thin top drawer back to reveal a square box with a tiny red bow on top. "What did you do?" she whimpered.

I pushed the drawer closed and watched as her shaky hand moved to remove the lid. "What I did...was not nearly as much as you deserve."

When she looked inside the box, her breath caught in her throat. "Oh!" Carefully she dragged her finger around the heart and key charms of the delicate bracelet in the box. "You shouldn't have done this."

"If only you knew...how much you mean to me, baby." I reached over to remove the glittering chain from the box, swiftly attaching it around her slender wrist. "You don't know what it means to have you with me tonight and see you wear this. You...are everything to me, Cameron Cole."

I lifted her wrist to my lips, pressing kisses to the sensitive skin above her pulse. She could barely contain her smile as she watched the bejeweled bracelet and the charms dangling from it. "What does this mean? Does it...does it symbolize something?" Cami asked hopefully as she moved to stand between my thighs.

"It does," I nodded slowly, hooking my legs around hers, subconsciously wanting to hold her hostage. 

Her unadorned hand slid up my chest and around to the back of my neck, her lips moving dangerously close to mine. "Do I have to guess?" she teased.

I gripped her around the waist, pulling her impossibly closer. "I gave you this in hopes of making you mine."

She blinked and her mouth fell open slightly. "Yours...like?"

"Like…" I paused and smirked, loving how she was hanging on my every word. "Like...I want you...to be my girlfriend."

Cami's whole face lit up. "Do you mean it?"

"Is that a yes?" I chuckled, not at all surprised by her shock and awe. This was a long time coming.

She lifted her hand from my grasp and turned it in the light, admiring the way it glittered. "Can I keep the bracelet even if I say no?"

Now it was my turn for shock and awe. She couldn't contain her giggles as she stepped away from me, gasping when I grabbed her up and placed her roughly on the top of my desk. "Me and bracelet are a package deal, baby. Don't you want me to be your man?"

As she laid back against the flat surface and gazed up at me, I felt myself go hard. "I guess that depends."

I reached for the tie at the hip of her red dress and began pulling slowly. "Depends on what?"

"If you're my man, does that mean I get all of you?"

I smirked as I moved my hands to her thighs, opening her wide for me. "What do you want?" I teased, using a finger to trace the lace edge of her panties.

"You," she called out softly, raising her head and resting on her forearms so she could watch me.

"My tongue?" I asked before opening the lower half of her dress and sliding her panties to the side. I swiped my tongue up the seam of her sex and felt her hands clenching the ends of my hair.

"No," she stuttered.

I slipped a finger deep inside as my mouth moved back to her mound, my flattened tongue spreading her wide and flicking at her clit. "My fingers?" I mused as I slid another finger inside her and removed my lips from her heated skin.

"Oh!" Cami cried when I began penetrating her with my mouth and my fingers, pushing deep to hit her favorite spot.

"You sure this isn't what you want?"

Her whole body was shaking, hips undulating in time with my tongue and fingers. I sped up the plunging of my digits, my tongue licking faster against that tiny button of nerves. "Come for me, baby," I ordered before diving back in.

Her back arched sharply, her legs going over my shoulders and heels digging into my back. "Fuck yeah," she whimpered achingly as I continued to push her all the way to the edge of ecstasy. 

I could feel her fingers in my hair, pulling harder and spurring me on. I was now determined to make this happen more than ever. She called my name and let go, releasing her grip on my hair to cover her own mouth and keep from screaming. 

I smiled against her sex, licking and tasting her as she rode out her orgasm, her stomach, thighs and shoulders jerking until it was over. I pulled back, straightening her clothes as her breathing slowed down. I leaned over her, moving her hands from her face. "Was that what you had in mind?"

"You know it wasn't," she replied breathlessly. "I want you...boyfriend."

I nodded as I peered down at her. "I want you too...girlfriend."

I pulled her up by her shoulders, watching her squeeze her eyes shut. "Dizzy?"

"I'm fine," Cami grinned. "I'm happy."

"You're easy to please," I laughed as I helped her down from my desk and slipped her shoes back on. 

"Hey," Cami pulled on my arm when I started guiding her to the door. I paused to glance at her, noticing the shy look on her face. "As much as I loved what you just did, you know that I want more…"

"More?" I teased, facing her now with both hands in her hair. "Like?"

She sighed dramatically and I couldn't help but love how flustered she was getting, huffing and puffing and panting as I smiled at her. "Like I want you...inside me."

My gaze drifted down to her mouth, loving the way she licked her lips. "So you want me to fuck you?" I suggested with a wicked gleam in my eye.

"Yes!" Cami growled, yanking on my tie and pulling me closer.

"That's all you had to say," I deadpanned with an absent shrug of my shoulders.

"You fucker!" she squealed, shoving me back with a determined look on her sweet face.

I closed in on her once more, leaning over her body and pressing myself into her. "Tonight, I wanna see you with this bracelet on," I paused to touch it and lift her wrist to my mouth. "And that's the only thing I want you to wear."

"Yeah?"

"And after this party...I'm all yours."

Cami gripped my shoulders and held me tightly. "I can't wait," she hummed, her lips just a whisper from mine.

The tension between us was blazing hot. I wanted to kiss her hard and celebrate the fact that she was mine and I was hers. The temptation to lose the bet was right there. When I was finally ready to say 'fuck it' and just kiss her, we were startled by a knock on the door. "Mr. Charles needs you on the stage in five minutes!" a voice called through the closed door.

"To be continued?" I suggested.

"Sure thing," she sighed as we both straightened up and headed to the door.

I never let go of Cami as we made our way through the crowd. I had my arm hooked possessively around her waist, guiding her to the makeshift stage we had set up along the west wall. I walked with her as far as I could go, stopping just short of the steps to press a quick kiss to her temple. "Good luck," she whispered into my ear.

"You're my good luck charm," I whispered back before letting her go and climbing the three steps on my own.

Justin stood at the podium with a champagne flute in one hand, waving me closer to him with the other. "Look at the crowd, kid. We did good!"

I nodded and surveyed the room, completely agreeing with him. "You really pulled it off, sir. I thought you were crazy when you said we'd have this place ready to go in two weeks. But you did it!"

"We did it," he insisted, reaching for my hand and shaking it warmly.

The music died down and Justin turned the microphone on, the feedback catching everyone's attention. "Ladies and gentleman," he began. "I'd like to have your attention for just a moment. Then I promise I'll let you get back to the celebration."

The crowd settled down and moved closer to the stage. "A few weeks ago, I made a new investment in this small gym franchise after meeting this young man to my left. He impressed me with his physical strength, his character, and his determination to make this a great place to get healthy and fit. At first I just wanted a handsome face to sell my equipment."

Justin paused and I rolled my eyes. He clapped me on the back and laughed lightly. "But it didn't take long to realize that Chance was so much more than that. I believe he's the heart and soul of what makes this gym so great. And I was thrilled when he decided to invest with me and become a partner in our future."

I glanced down at Cami, the smile on her face conveying nothing but pride for me. I gave her a little wink and beamed when she blew me a kiss back. Shayne was standing beside her, raising her glass to me as well.

I couldn't remember the last time I felt so good, with my heart so full. I had my girl, my best friend's support, my work, and a  boss who appreciated me. This was as good as it gets.

"So without any further ado, I'd like to introduce the other man who made tonight possible. Without his investment, there is no way we could've made this all happen as quickly as we did. So now let me introduce the other man of the hour…"

Justin raised his arm to the opposite side of the stage and my eyes followed. "Please welcome, my partner, Mr. Calvin Connor."

I blinked quickly as he strode up the steps and joined Justin on his right side. His eyes darted from Justin to me, his smile growing as my brow furrowed in confusion. "Is this some sort of joke?" I gasped, tugging on Justin's jacket as he stepped aside to let him speak. 

Justin gave me a strange look as my anger started to set in. The man at the podium smiled widely at the room and once to me before addressing them. "I don't have much to say...other than I'm happy to be here and to meet all of you. I'm especially happy to reconnect with someone from my past that truly means the world to me." He paused to glance at me, but all I could do was shake my head. This could not be happening right now.

"...so let's raise a glass to the new and improved home for health and fitness… your gym and now mine too. New You Fitness!" he exclaimed, waving his hand toward the banners dropping around the room, revealing the new name and logo.

The room erupted in cheers and as I moved to exit the stage, I felt a familiar hand on my arm. "You don't have anything to say to me?"

I looked into the eyes of a man I hadn't seen in fifteen years. He was fit, with short graying hair. His eyes were the same as mine, the same ocean blue. But this man was not the man I grew up with. 

"No," I growled, pulling my arm from his grasp. "I honestly don't have shit to say to you...dad."

Justin glanced between us, confusion obvious on his face. "Chance...Chance is your son?" he sputtered at the man who suddenly wanted to claim me as his son.

"Maybe we should go talk?" Calvin suggested, earning a scoff from me.

"You've had fifteen fucking years to say something to me. It's too late now!"

I pushed my way off the stage, moving past the crowd in a daze. When I felt someone yanking on my arm again, I reared back, ready for a fight. I swung around to find Cami and Shayne staring up at me with concern in their eyes. "Fuck," I groaned, lowering my fist and pulling them both to my office.

Once the three of us were tucked safely behind my office door, I let loose a fresh roar before collapsing into my chair. "I can't fucking believe him!"

Cami and Shayne sunk into the chairs on the other side of my desk. "That was your dad?" Shayne asked softly. 

"No," I snapped. "That's the man that walked out on me and my mom when I was ten. I don't claim him as my father anymore!"

I removed the bottle of scotch from my bottom drawer again, pouring myself an oversized shot and downing it all in one gulp.

"Maybe we should just go?" Cami suggested gently. 

"Anything you want, Chance. You know we're here for you, right?" Shayne added.

I rubbed my hands over my face, feeling completely on edge. "I don't know what I wanna do right now. I'm just really not okay with him showing up and trying to take everything from me after I've worked so hard to get where I am."

Cami and Shayne glanced at each other quickly before Cami came to stand beside me. Shayne rose from her seat, eyes darting between us. "I'm gonna go back out there and give you two a moment. Just text me when you're ready to head out."

I heard the