Unlikely To Fall In Love

by Esmeralda, Debie

  I attended to Chace first, I knew Damon would not be happy about it but if I attended to him first he would likely took all of my time.

  Chace threw a joke at me, which I pretended to found funny, we talked as usual, tried my best to respond with every word he said, although my back was already wet with cold perspiration.

  After I was done with Chace, I took a deep breath and walked towards Damon. Where was Margaret, anyway? Why has she not been helping me here?

  I put on a professional smile for Damon as I approached his table. He welcomed me with his cold and professional attitude, the one I hated, the one that resembled like him the first time we talked in his limousine. He was very cold and distant that I wanted to cry. He didn’t even look me in the eyes as he told me what he wanted to order. And it crushed my heart. But I tried to be professional and put on that professional smile I had practiced and mastered all my life.

  I dashed to the kitchen and waited as the cook prepared them for him. I felt hot tears rolling down my cheeks. I didn’t want Damon to be cold and distant to me, didn’t want him getting mad at me.

  The cook was done after fifteen minutes and I quickly wiped the tears away. I straightened my back and walked with the most professional manner I could pull off. I held the tray like pro and tried to avoid his cold stare.

  Oh God, how long would I last?

  “Here’s your order Mr. Rhodes.” I said, emphasizing Mr. Rhodes for him. I noticed he looked utterly surprised by me addressing him in that manner. He deserved it.

  I walked away, but he stopped before I could completely flee by grabbing my wrist and pulling me towards the chair beside him. “I’m sorry.”

  I lifted my eyes and met his. They were so blue, beautiful and pained. I couldn’t make myself hate him, so I reached out and cupped his cheek. I smiled up to him as he leaned towards my cupped hand while closing his eyes as if he was savoring my touch.

  He opened his eyes again and they were glimmering with emotions, his lips slowly lifted and a beautiful smile formed on them.

  I joined him in his booth as he ate his meal. “Who is he?” He jerked his head towards the direction of Chace who was busy with his food and phone.

  “A friend and my twin brother’s senior.” I replied as I took a bite of the bread he held in front of my face.

  He nodded. “I see.”

  After his meal, Damon left, but he waited a few minutes before leaving, making sure Chace was gone and wouldn’t come back. He stiffened the moment Chace called out my name, waved a hand and said goodbye. Well, well, well, it looked like Damon Rhodes didn’t like to share.

  ~***~

  “This is so good.” Damon exclaimed with his mouth full.

  “Hey, swallow before saying anything. I’m not a pro at Heimlich maneuver.” I told him as I took a seat next to him on the carpeted floor on his living room.

  “But your chocolate muffins were so good.” He said with a huge grin that would make any pastry chef so proud.

  I bumped my shoulder playfully with his. “Thanks.”

  “Don’t leave me anymore Amanda. I don’t know if I will be able to live without your muffins anymore.” He said teasingly.

  Don’t leave me anymore, Amanda.

  My world suddenly stopped rotating on its axis. Suddenly it was so hard for me to breathe. I blinked, stared at him, dumfounded. His words made a part of me rejoiced and the other part, sad. Rejoice that he did not want me to leave because of the muffins, and sad because reality did bite.

  I couldn’t be with him.

  It was the rule of nature.

  “I’m tired.” I announced as I got up from the floor. I immediately walked towards his bedroom for retreat, lay on his bed and pulled the cover over my head. I wanted to cry but I couldn’t do it here. I love Damon, and it was hurting me so bad, because I knew that we wouldn’t happen.

  I sullenly lay there when I felt the bed dipped because of his weigh on it. He draped an arm around my waist. I felt his head resting gently on mine, smelled his cologne through the thick duvet, and could felt the heat his body set off that made me hungry for him.

  “Is something wrong?” He asked softly.

  “No. I’m fine. I’m just…tired.” I replied.

  “Okay.” He said but he did not made any move to get away from me.

  We stayed in that position for as long as possible the entire night until I drifted off.

  The next morning, I woke up in tangled sheets and alone in bed. I lifted my head and scanned the room. Nope, Damon was not around. I got up from the bed and walked towards the kitchen where I heard clattering noises.

  “Damon?” I called out, peeked around the threshold and saw two blonde-haired women moving around the kitchen. One of them was old, probably in her fifties, and the other one was younger maybe early twenties and was quite attractive. Who were they anyway? And what were they doing in Damon’s home?

  The younger blonde lifted her head and stared at me, a warm friendly smile formed on her lips and she was pretty, way too pretty. I felt a stung inside my chest as a possibility formed in my brain, I swallowed the thick lump that clogged up in my throat. What if she was Damon’s…oh no. I trusted him, he was not bringing two girls at the same time in his home. But, what if our no sex relationship didn’t suit him?

  “Miss Sparks.” The older blonde started. “Mr. Rhodes had left early but he said to tell you to open the envelop he left in his nightstand. And we’ve prepared breakfast for you. Scrambled eggs and sausage okay with you?”

  “Yeah. Thanks. I’ll check the envelope before taking breakfast.”

  I walked back to the bedroom and found the envelope at the top of the nightstand, unsealed. I took it then opened it to check out what was inside. My eye widened when a handful of crisp dollars was on my hands along with a note.

  Amanda, take the money and shop for something to wear tonight. It is a black tie party. I will pick you up at eight. – Damon

  My hand trembled as I counted the money. This was too much for a gown and a pair of shoes. I could even buy three gowns with the money he gave me.

  I took a quick shower and ate breakfast, then got ready to shop with Damon’s money.

  ~***~

  “Amanda.” Damon said on the other line. “I can’t pick you up but I’ll send a car for you instead. I’ll meet you at the party later.”

  “Okay.” I replied.

  “I miss you.” He softly whispered and it made my heart jump out of my ribcage. His voice and his words affected me in a way no other man did.

  “I miss you at breakfast.”

  “Yeah, I’m sorry but something in the office came up but I’ll make it up to you.”

  “I’ll hold on to that promise.”

  I heard his smile on the other line. “Got to go, baby. Bye.”

  “Bye.” Then he hung up.

  I love you.

  I got ready for the event with the gown, shoes and purse that I bought with Damon’s money. I felt very satisfied with the outcome and I couldn’t wait to see Damon’s reaction as well. I put the remaining clad of cash from the dress allowance he gave me inside my purse, planned to give it back to him later.

  By seven fifty, the car Damon sent arrived and I got inside, feeling like Cinderella, brought by her pumpkin carriage to the ball. Last time I felt like this, the clock had not struck midnight, I wondered if this time it would.

  The location of the black tie party was in a posh five star hotel only the rich and the famous could come in. It was a privileged and an honor to stepped my foot at the marble floor of the hotel, even the red carpet looked expensive.

  I scanned the area to look for him and spotted his tight muscled back along with a group of businesspersons in tuxedos and neckties.

  He turned around as if he felt my eyes on his back, and our eyes met. He slowly smiled at me like he just met the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He was always like that, making me feel like I was the most beautiful person in the room, as if no one
was prettier than me despite knowing that I worked on the sidewalks waiting for guys to pick me up.

  And I love him for that.

  He excused himself and his companion watched him as he moved his way towards me. I couldn’t help feeling happy, glad and unbelievably pretty in the clothes he paid for me. I had no time to feel cheap. I knew I was a cheap girl accepting money for sex…but somehow, Damon made me felt priceless.

  “You look breathtakingly beautiful.” He said in a voice as soft as cotton and as smooth as velvet.

  “Thank you. You too look handsome.” I said back.

  There in the middle of the large wealthy crowd, we stood facing each other, staring deeply into each other’s eyes, his was blue and mine was green. It seemed like the crowd slowly blurred around us and the only one I was aware of was Damon, staring at me with eyes full of emotions I could not explain in words.

  I was so proud of the dress that I had chosen to wear as I felt Damon’s eyes traveled all over my body. I brought a halter dress that was backless and dipped low enough to cover my butt. The front also showed a fair amount of cleavage and the purple color complimented my skin so well just like what the sales person in the boutique told me. I pulled my hair up in a messy bun to show the beauty of the dress and made my look classic and sultry at the same time. The shoes also gave my height a boost so now Damon and I were at eye level.

  He moved an inch forward, now I could feel his body heat communicating with my nerves. I couldn’t help but squirm as I secretly pressed my thighs together.

  He lowered his head and kissed my cheek, stared into my eyes as he pulled away. He placed his large hand on the small of my bare back and the contact sent jolt of electricity making me jerk unconsciously.

  “Are you alright?” Damon asked when he felt my jerk.

  I nodded to reassure him. We walked inside the banquet and I noticed everyone’s eyes were on us. Who wouldn’t notice Damon whenever he was around?

  “Don’t mind them.” He whispered in my ear so close that I could feel the warmth of his breath tickling the skin of my face.

  The night passed by like lightning and before I knew it, it was already time to go home. We went home to his penthouse and we were alone, the two blondes were not around anymore.

  Damon and I stood by the large glass window on his bedroom, staring outside the skyline. The view was still the same like the previous night, but every time I spent it with him, I knew something has changed.

  Every second I fell and fell until I knew that one day I would not be able to stand anymore. My heart kept on stretching and stretching trying to accommodate the growing emotions I was feeling for him.

  As we stared outside, I felt his strong arms encircling around my waist. He rested his entwined hands on my tummy and his chin on my shoulder.

  We stayed like that for a long time in silence. No words needed to push past awkwardness, we were always comfortable with each other, talking or not.

  “I almost forgot.” I wiggled a little so I could reach for my purse and fished something inside of it.

  I handed the excess cash he gave me to buy for my clothes needed for the party. “Here. The money you gave me was too much for what I needed for tonight.”

  Damon stared at the dollar bills as if it was something horrifying, as if I was handling him a handful of worms. I couldn’t describe in words or paint the expression playing on his handsome face. Then suddenly the horrified look turned into a glare directed at me. He looked scary but I tried to push the bank notes further into his hand.

  “Keep them.” He said.

  I waved the money in front of him to emphasize my point. “I don’t need these. The money’s too much, this was the excess.”

  “I can earn them in a minute, so keep them.” He pointed out. “Buy more clothes, shoes, I don’t know.”

  “I can’t.”

  I could not, because as much as I could I did not want to be so dependent to you, Damon.

  “Are we going to fight over this thing?” He asked.

  “I don’t know.” I shrugged. “It’s up to you.”

  When he just continued glaring at me I could not help but exhaled noisily. “Look, Damon. I had the gown liked you asked me to buy and wear. Thank you for the money, but it was too much for a gown.”

  “But I want you to spend them for yourself.” He was looking at me in the reflection on the glass window and I held his stare.

  “You are spoiling me too much. I do not know how I will keep up with this lifestyle once you’re gone. You’re splurging too much on me, which I don’t deserve.” I explained.

  “Who says you’re not worthy to be splurge on?” He sounded angry.

  “I am a hooker. You paid me to go out with you, stay with you at night. Every hour you are with me the meter is rolling.” I said as a matter-of-fact.

  Well, no matter how much it stung, it was the reality.

  “Don’t think of yourself like that.” He said in a pissed tone.

  “I don’t think of myself like that. I am exactly like that.” I reminded him, bitterly.

  I was exactly like that and I was aware of it. I was a hooker, a girl no guy even cared to know what she felt about.

  “Tell me who told you that thing, and I’m gonna kill him.” I could hear menace in his tone. He sounded so scary, yet I found myself falling deeper into him. No one tried to protect me like that, except for Aiden.

  “You don’t have to be so touchy about it.” I told him.

  “Whenever you’re concerned, I will be touchy about it.” He said.

  Wasn’t he the most romantic guy, even though we were in the middle of a fight?

  He slowly turned me around so I was facing him and planted a gentle kiss on my lips. “Can we stop fighting and go to sleep now?”

  ~***~

  Our routine was always like that. I accompanied him in every event he needed to attend and we went to sleep on his bed, without sex, afterwards. I have never seen the sidewalk for quite awhile because of this. I kind of fantasized about the thought that maybe he was doing this on purpose to get me off the streets, maybe he wanted to save me from the life of being a prostitute, and that he was my knight in shining armor.

  Eight

  “You haven’t been sleeping in your bedroom recently, twin.” Aiden pointed out while we were eating dinner together.

  Tonight, I decided to stay and not see Damon. I texted him about it and he was cool with it, as long as I was with my brother and not with some other man.

  “Hmm.” I replied as I chewed the chicken Alfredo Aiden cooked for dinner.

  “What made you decide to sleep here tonight?” He asked in between bites.

  “I miss my brother.” I said which earned a chuckle from Aiden.

  Honestly, I really did missed Aiden and I wanted to spend sibling quality time with him.

  “Who are you with these past nights?” He asked.

  The one thing I did not actually missed of my brother was his habit of questioning.

  I narrowed my eyes at him. “Back off.”

  “Is it Damon Rhodes? You’re banging the billionaire, sis?” Aiden asked.

  I glared at him silently wishing he would get the message and just shut up.

  “It was none of your business.” I snapped.

  “Guess I got it right.” He muttered under his breath but I could still hear him. “Amanda, it’s just that, I don’t want to see you get hurt. He is way out of your league, out of our leagues actually. He is not the perfect match. He will likely break your heart, and I cannot bear to see you breaking over some stupid asshole.”

  I knew my brother was just looking out for me. He was the overprotective brother, like he always was, and I love him for that. But, I also happened to love Damon, and I couldn’t seem to get away from his spell.

  “Can we change the topic and finish this meal so we can watch the movie you have rented for us?” I asked, pleading actually, and he sighed defeated.

  “Okay. I’ll back o
ff.” He said before staring at me with a determined look. “For now.”

  ~***~

  “What do you think of this? Did I do this right?” Damon asked.

  I leaned from behind him, and damn, he smelled so good and spicy mixed with the aroma of the cinnamon batter he was whisking. In addition, he looked so deliciously handsome in the kitchen with an apron around his muscular torso.

  “Yeah, that’s good.” I told him.

  He swiveled his head and kissed my lips unexpectedly. It took me by surprise, and as a reflex, I smacked his forearm. He just smirked at me.

  “Do you think I’ll be a good pastry chef?” He asked, his eyes were wide and hopeful.

  “You’ll be a hot pastry chef.” I told him. “Now, give me the batter so I can put them in the oven.”

  After about an hour or so, our cinnamon rolls at its finest was done, cooled and was ready to serve. We sat in the kitchen bar stools and enjoyed the finished product of our kitchen mess and gladly, it tasted good.

  “You always do mean pastries, Amanda. I have no idea what I will do without it anymore.” He teased.

  I tensed as the words sank into me, but I tried my best to shrug it off, maybe, he was just saying it because my pastries were good and he had not meant the one I have been imagining. He would not fall in love with a girl like me. It would never occur in his mind, even just a possibility of a relationship between us. Because I was a hooker, and I was only suited for being a mistress not a wife.

  “I have a dinner party to attend tonight. I want you to come with me.” He said between bites.

  “Tonight?”

  He nodded. “Yeah.”

  “But I don’t have a dress.”

  “We can go and shop for one.”

  Wait, did he say, we?

  “You’re coming with me?” I squeaked as I blinked at him, not believing what I was hearing.

  “Why not? Don’t you want me to come?” He stared at me, looking wounded by my question.

  “Of course, I’d love for you to come. But are you sure?”

  “I’m sure. When it comes to you, I always am.” He simply said. I heard sincerity and sureness in his voice that it made my heart swell with love.