Settling into the chair beside Sharon, Cameron was almost to the end of his patience with her. Eyeing her from the side of his eyes, he wondered why she was so cold and angry with him. She was quiet during the entire trip and any question he asked, she'd answer in monosyllables. She wouldn't even look at him and he didn't like it.

He wanted, no needed, to know why but reluctance kept his mouth shut. As much as he was concerned about her, a part of him needed the distance between them. It was the only thing that was keeping him sane. Because his mind and body were working against him. He had been shocked to realise he had been dreaming about her in that small pink towel when he woke up.

He had been dreaming about getting that towel off. But she kept evading his grasp. Laughing, his dream Sharon would tease him by lifting the edges up, showing more of her thighs but stopped before it showed the more interesting parts. Then she'd appear in another part of the room. It both frustrated and tantalised him. It wasn't a surprise when he woke hard and aching.

Shifting in his seat, he cursed under his breath as his body reacted to his thoughts. Turning slightly away from Sharon, he waited, and willed, his body to calm down.

"Are you alright?"

Hearing the concern in Sharon's voice, he couldn't help the burst of joy which he had a hard time not showing on his face. When he managed to get his emotions in order and turned to her, she looked as she did in the car. Eyes cold, face expressionless, her face resolutely facing the window across the table. Disappointment filled him and he didn't even try to fight it. As his eyes studied the profile she presented to him, he was starting to accept that he cared about her feelings.

"Yeah. I'm fine,"he said gruffly. Sharon was not a small woman. Not by anyone's imagination. Not a slim one either. She was wide and padded all over, her figure and lush curves obscured by her baggy clothes. And usually, he wouldn't even notice her. But for some reason, maybe it had something to do with their proximity, he was starting to like them. Like her. And he didn't know whether he liked this change.

But what he did know was that he didn't like hurting her as he'd done last night. He knew weight was a sensitive subject for most women. It was definitely one for Sharon, based on how she'd acted last night. He had also heard her after she'd come back from the gym, cursing him and whoever had invented all those gym equipments. He knew she thought she was quiet but, with the penthouse being so high up, in a silent apartment, sound travelled. So he knew how she had taken his words to heart.

He found that, as he heard her make her way to her room, he didn't want that. As he had admitted to himself that he liked the way she looked,he also didn't want her to change. Not if it was not her choice. He wanted to know the person she was starting to show behind the polite facade. Her exhaustion last night had been a peek and he wanted more. But he knew he had to get past this icy reserve before she would even open the doors to him again.

"Thank you for meeting me at such short notice, Miss Ashwood,"Matt said as he took a seat across them. He laid down a small stack of documents on his table as his eyes turned onto Cameron. "You didn't tell me you're bringing Mr Ballard."

"I didn't. He's like a leech. He won't go away,"Sharon grumbled, making Cameron's lips lift up slightly. There's the snippy Sharon he knew. No ice in sight.

"Well, since I'm here to make your life better, I don't see how that can constitute being a "leech","Cameron said reproachfully. He felt triumphant when she turned to him, her eyes blazing. Their eyes met, green clashing into gray, and he had to consciously hide the smug smile that was curving his lips.

"I don't know. I think the definition of a leech is a person, let's say a man, sticking to someone even though she had made it clear that she doesn't want or need your presence,"she said archly. Then her eyes went from the top of his head to his feet and back to his eyes, one of her eyebrows lifted. "I think that is what we have right now."

"You make a good argument but I don't think you know the exact definition of a leech. And as the person who knows the meaning, I have to say you are definitely not acting leech-like."

"Are you calling me the leech?" She sounded so outraged that he had a hard time not laughing. She looked like she was going you hit him.

"As I have said, you are displaying distinctly un-leech-like behavior. Which I have to applaud you for it." He was anticipating what she was going to say next when Matt cut into their argument.

"Alright. Something happened between the both of you. And,"he said, his volume increasing when Sharon looked like she was going to correct him,"I don't want to know what it is. I just hope that it won't affect your ability to work with each other. Because you will be the go-between between Cam and his therapist, Sharon."

"What are you talking about? I'm just there to make sure he actually goes to his appointments. I don't think I will have to baby him so much so that I'll have to talk to his therapist at all,"Sharon argued, sending Cameron a glare. He lifted his hands, showing he had nothing to do with it. He was also curious about what Matt was going to say. They both turned to his agent and waited for his next words.

"As we have discussed, Miss Ashwood, I am offering you an administrative assistant position. You will help me file the physical documents, contracts and the such. My employees, while good with their job, have not taken into account the papers that they are compiling at their desks. So I am glad that you are helping me with this. But, even though I'm Cam's agent, it isn't efficient for me to liaise with the clinic if you are already there."

"But I won't even know what to talk about them about?"she argued, sitting forward in her chair, her hands flailing around her face. She looked so pretty when she was riled up. Her cheeks were stained red and, for once, her eyes were shooting flames at someone else. But Cameron was not listening to the conversation. He was stuck on what Matt had said.

Sharon, who he knew had a degree in accounting, was working as an office assistant?

-------@@@@-------

Scooping out some of her healthy chicken soup, Sharon resisted taking out any of her cheese or sour cream to bring more flavour to the bland dish. She was going to eat healthy and not fall off the wagon, damn it. However, as she morosely looked at the five measly chunks of chicken breasts and copious amount of spinach, celery and other vegetables, she wished that she had leftovers from the night before. At least she would be justified in eating them. No food goes to waste right?

Sighing, she took a spoonful of the soup, she was surprised when Cameron slid into the seat across her. She had thought he would be holed up in his room. He had been quiet the ride back. Which was a welcome change from the day before and this afternoon where he had felt the need to fill the silence with inane banter.

"Sharon, can I talk to you?"he asked. The way he was talking raised a few alarms and he looked like he was finding it difficult to talk. Putting down her spoon, she nodded, showing him she was all ears. That was when he said the most ridiculous thing. "You have to call back Garnet Corp."

"What? Why?"she asked incredulously. He shifted in his chair and ran his fingers through his hair. She was growing concerned about his uncharacteristic show of nerves; despite their brief acquaintance, she knew he was as cool as a clam in most circumstances. She was sure there were extenuating circumstances that might make him lose his cool but she couldn't see how talking to her would be one of them. Unless- "You don't want me to be the one liaising with the clinic, don't you? That's why you're pushing me back to the job with that man-"

"No, Sharon. It's not about that. I don't give a fuck if you talk to them about my butt or abs." She rolled her eyes when he winked at her but had to hold in a giggle. She liked it when he was playful. He didn't show it nearly enough. Her urge to laugh disappeared when he leveled serious eyes on her. "I just don't think that this office assistant role Matt's made for you is right. I mean, with your qualifications, you could work as an agent."

"Well, I could except for the fact that I know nothing about any sports and do not find a need to do so,"she pointed out. She was puzzled. Why was he bringing this up? She would have thought that he was worried about what people would say about him getting the job for her but, from what he had said, she had a feeling it had more to do with her position itself. Hoping to ease his mind, she said,"Cameron, I am perfectly happy working as the office admin. I know Matt won't need me forever so this is the perfect opportunity to get to know the city better."

"I am not happy about you wasting your talents as an office admin. Just like I'm not happy that you're working out without me,"he shouted, slamming his hand on the table. She jumped and cringed slightly. She couldn't help the reflex. Blinking up at Cameron's contrite face, anger replaced the brief fear.

"What do you have against me?"she shouted, rising to her feet so fast that her chair fell.

"Sharon, I don't have anything against you-"

"From where I am looking, I can see that you definitely have something against me. First, you brought up my weight. Fine. So now, I am doing something about it. Like giving up my cheese and fats and flavor. And what do you do when I actually listen to you? I can tell you what you did. You further twist the knife by wanting to witness my humiliation."

"Shar, I don't want to humiliate you. I just want to make sure you're using the equipments properly. I can see that you're in pain from the workout-"

"And now, you tell me that I can't decide, for myself, what is good for me? Who are you to tell me what to do? I may be inexperienced and naive but I'm not an idiot. And I don't appreciate your implications otherwise."

Dinner conveniently forgotten, she stormed to her room. She had managed to keep a strong, albeit angry, front with Cameron. But now that she was alone, she couldn't stop the tears from falling.

Why could he hurt her so much?

AN: Hey guys, please please please do me a favour and let me know what you think about the story so far and how it compares to the first draft, which is still on my account. I'd like to make improvements but my opinion is just one. So I hope you can help me.

Please, also, continue to VOTE & COMMENT if you like this chapter.

Thanks in advance & ENJOY!!!