Worth The Risk
Written By: N T Dieudonné
This book is dedicated to Chavell Dieudonne. Thank you for always being my proof reader and support. And to Lola St.Vil, thank you for all your help, advice, and support.
Prelude
Hollywood movies and television have people believing that being rich equals happiness. Well, I can say first hand that, that is a lie. I have lived in California all my life. I’ve been around the rich, the famous, the well off, and even the posers. Gosh, there are so many posers. They try so hard to be like the rich or famous but more than anything they end up looking like idiots. I am considered the wealthy, ridiculously wealthy. My father is the owner of the largest hotel chain in America, Frederick Enterprise; on top of that he has invested in several other businesses. So, you can say I will be set for life. But with all this wealth sadly happiness doesn’t come with it.
I can’t remember experiencing true happiness in all my twenty-three years of life. Well, I can’t say never, when my mom was still alive I remember being happy. She was like an angel on earth. She died of breast cancer when I was only ten years old. Even in her last days, she tried to make me happy though she knew what was to come.
Her last words to me were, “Take care of your father. And always remember that I love you and I’ll always be with you in your heart.” A normal ten year old would be confused about certain things, but I was never normal. I grow up way too fast before my time. I understood death and I understood a disease was killing her. Losing my mother was the hardest thing I had to go through, but I saw it as God needing an extra angel in heaven.
My father didn’t handle her death well. He became very distant towards me. Probably because I reminded him too much of her; I mean the resemblance was like looking into a mirror. He was overprotective and distant, which was really an annoying combination. I never felt like I could come to him with any problem. It was like I had lost both my parents. Out of desperation, one day I dyed my hair red just to see if I could lessen the resemblance. Fat chance, it changed nothing. My father was furious. Apparently, changing my hair color doesn’t change my genes.
In addition to the distance, he was always busy at work between meetings, conferences, and travelling that we hardly saw each other. Because of this, I was raised by my nanny Gigi. She taught me all the things a mother would teach her daughter. Gigi didn’t have any kids of her own so in a way I was hers. She tried her best to get my father and me to reconnect, but it never worked. He was too busy and he wasn’t ready to deal with the past. I always told her it would only happen when he was ready but she stubbornly tried anyway.
Once I graduated high school, I wanted to go to college out of state to experience life. But of course my father declined and said it would be better to go to a local college like UCLA. He didn’t even want me to stay in the dorms; he said there are some creepy people out there and the possibility of living with one was too likely. So, of course I lived at home through college.
Now at twenty-three years of age, I’ve graduated from culinary school as a Pastry Chef, on top of the two Bachelors degrees I have in Business Management and Hospitality Management. My father always told me I would be taking over the business one day so getting degrees in business was a must. Culinary School was something I decided to do for myself. At least I had one accomplishment I chose myself because it made me happy.
Chapter One
I’ve never had much of a social life so having three degrees at the age of twenty-three was normal to me, but it fascinated everybody else, including my father. So, he decided to throw an evening gala in honor of my achievements. I really didn’t want one. Being surrounded by people who either wanted what we had or kissed up to my father because of who he was, is not my idea of a fun evening. But he loved to entertain people and praise my achievements, like every parent. So, I went along with it because it actually brought him some type of joy.
Stepping out of the shower, I made my way to my closet. It was full of overly expensive, extravagant evening dresses and designer clothes and shoes. I had no clue what to wear; a common problem all women faced but when you have too much clothes its far worse. My father had a tendency to overly gift me with material things, thinking it would make me happy and make up for the time he didn’t spend with me.
“Sweetpea, have you found something to wear yet?” Gigi called from my bedroom door.
“I’m still looking.” My hand skimmed through different dress all amazingly beautiful. I finally opted to go with a long strapless peach chiffon dress. “What do you think about this one Gigi?” I held the dress to myself and twirled around to show her.
“Great choice! That color will look beautiful on you.” She said enthusiastically. She was a little more excited than usual.
“Why are you so excited?”
“This wonderful gala is in honor of you. I’m just so proud of you!” Oh gosh, she was going to get all sentimental and start crying. If that happened eventually I would start crying as well. I tried my best to avoid those moments. Tears solved nothing.
“Plus, you might meet a handsome young man to sweep you off your feet.” She said nudging me with her elbow. Here we go again. Gigi had brought up me finding a man in every conversation we had. She expected me to be married by now or at least in a serious relationship; I had neither. Being that my last name gives away who I am, I find it hard to trust people. I have dated a few guys, but they all turned out to be either assholes or interested in me for my money.
“Gigi, please don’t start with that again.” I pleaded.
“I just want you to be happy sweetpea.”
“As do I. Therefore, I deserve a man that is going to treat me right; and when its time for me to meet the right man, I will. Now, help me zip this will you?” Gigi knew not to push the matter any further. So, she silently zipped up my dress and brushed my long gold brown hair. Once she was done, I looked at myself in the mirror. The dress complemented my coca cola shape and mocha skin perfectly.
“You look beautiful, Catalina.”
“Thanks Gigi. Now it is time to plaster a smile on my face and mingle with society.” I said sarcastically. Gigi nudged me playfully as she laughed. Leaving the nice comfort of my room, I went downstairs. As I walked down, the room slowly went silent as every head turned to stare at me. You’d think after seeing me time and time again people would stop staring. Unfortunately, that was never the case and it made me uncomfortable. I didn’t like being the center of everyone’s attention.
As my father waited for me at the bottom of the stairs; I saw his eyes widen and pain filled them for a split second. My heart cracked. I reminded him of his lost love and there was nothing I could do about it. I wanted to bolt back to me room but it was too late. He shook off the pain, grabbed my hand, and kissed it.
“You look gorgeous darling.” I saw love in his eye which brought warmth to my heart.
“Thank you father.” I smiled at him, ready for him to parade me around. He introduced me to some of his business colleagues, most of them I’d never seen before. After a while they all began to look the same to me; as they all displayed the same grin on their face and carried the same business demeanor. But one of them made me pause for a second. As I greeted him, his beautiful light brown eyes captivated me. I found such comfort and tenderness in them. Unfortunately, the others had quite the opposite effect. The way they stared at me made me uncomfortable. So I smiled at them and excused myself to greet the other guest. Among them were my “friends.” I would consider them more like acquaintances really. They hung with me because of my status not because they truly enjoyed my company. It really didn’t matter to me either way. I kept them at a distance.
“Wow, Catalina you look great.” Heather s
aid. She was one of the decent ones, easy to tolerate.
“Thanks.”
They all began discussing the newest fashions, which was really not a topic I liked. Yeah sure I had tons of clothes but most of them were picked out from a personal shopper, I knew my father hired. Cars were more my thing, but these women knew nothing about cars of course. They knew the names of the real expensive ones, but had no clue what the difference between a V6 and V8 was, or what horsepower meant. So, when they discussed fashion I zoned out. I would nod my head now and again, but I was really paying attention to my surroundings. Once I couldn’t take it anymore, I found an excuse to leave them and headed outside to the balcony. I needed some air, to get away for a little bit.
I reached the balcony and a cool breeze welcomed me. I closed my eyes wishing I was someplace else, in the arms of a strong man that loved me laid out on a beach somewhere. Just the two of us away from the world. Though I put up a front, I did get lonely and I did wish I had a man in my life. The warmth between my legs had only felt my touch for years. It yearned for the touch of a man. My body cried for the sweet caress of strong hands. But my heart would not allow it to be a random stranger. It had to be someone I connected with, someone who cared about me.
“You know the big celebration inside is in your honor, right?” A voice called behind me, interrupting my reverie. I turned my head and saw that it was one of my father’s colleagues, Mr. Brown Eyes. “You’re missing all the fun, and some people are missing your presence,” he continued.
I snorted, “I highly doubt anyone is truly missing my presence.”
“Well, I can name at least one.”
“Really, who? And my father doesn’t count.”
“Me,” he smiled. I tried to mask my shock to his answer and the way his smile made me feel. I just met this man so I knew nothing about him. Why would that be his response? This man had to be at like thirty, even though he looked like he was in his late twenties. He was handsome, that mature handsome. His clean cut shape-up looked sexy. I had always liked a man in a suit, and his black suit fit him perfectly. And his lips were full and looked so soft; looking at it made me lick my own lips with anticipation. Noticing I was staring too long, I turned my attention to the evening lights not knowing how to respond.
“I’m sorry, did I offend you?” He walked toward me and stood right next to me, facing me to take in my expression. The breeze tickled my nose with his scent. He smelled so good; I couldn’t tell if that was his cologne or just his natural scent. It was a masculine yet sweet scent.
“No. I’m just… surprised that’s all.” My heart was pounding with a mixture of excitement and nerves. I was usually poise in these types of situations but he somehow threw me off balance.
He gave me this confused look, “I don’t understand why you would be surprised. You are a beautiful, intelligent, and sweet woman. You give off this confidence and humility.” He sounded so fascinated describing me.
“You just met me. What makes you think you know me so well?”
“I’m not claiming to know you so well, but I would like to. I’m going off what I have seen and what your father has said. He talks about you all the time; your accomplishments, your charity work. You’re an amazing woman.” His eyes never left mine as his words caressed me. I had never heard anyone describe me the way he did.
“Your words are kind.”
“I’m only speaking the truth. And I am serious about getting to know you better.”
“How old are you?” I blurted out before I could stop myself. Real smooth Lina.
He chuckled, “Does age bother you Catalina?” His tongue stroked my name, making me quiver on the inside.
“On the contrary, I prefer older men and I try to surround myself with older people. They are wiser,” I admitted. He smiled at my response, excitement in his eyes. “But…”
“But what?”
“How old are you?” I asked again determined on knowing his age.
He parted his lips to release a soft sigh; I could not help but look at his mouth. Thoughts of what he could do with it fluttered through my mind. Snap out of it Lina.
“I’m thirty-three.” I stared at him wide-eyed in shock. I knew he was older, but ten years is a lot. Not to mention he works for my father. Nothing good could come from this, but I was tempted to take a risk.
“You do realize that we are ten years apart, right?”
“Yes. But age doesn’t bother me. You may be twenty-three but your mind is of someone older. By your reaction to my age, its obvious that it bothers you.”
“I’m just shocked. You don’t look it.”
“I appreciate the compliment. So, you can look past the age difference?” I wasn’t really sure. I mean he seemed nice and getting to know him wouldn’t be a crime but I was still hesitant. So many thoughts ran through my head. “Let me take you out to dinner,” he said.
“You work for my father. I don’t think that’s a good idea. I don’t want to get you fired.”
He chuckled, “I’m guessing he’s very protective of you.” You have no idea. “If it makes you feel better, we don’t have to tell your father about it right away. We can just go out and see what happens. What do you say?” I wanted to scream yes, but my conscience stopped me. My father would be furious if he knew, as protective as he was. Hold on, I’m twenty-three I can make my own decisions dammit!
“Alright, but this stays between us, understand?”
“I understand. We can meet at Geisha House at 8pm tomorrow night.”
“Okay.” Our eyes locked for a second and right then I knew I wanted to take this risk.
“Sweetpea, your father is looking for you.” Gigi said interrupting our moment. Talk about bad timing.
“I’m coming Gigi.” I turned back to look at him realizing I didn’t even know his name. I couldn’t keep calling him Mr. Brown Eyes.
“What’s your name by the way?” He grabbed my hand, putting a card in it, and kissed it. I wished his lips were kissing my lips and not my hand.
“Damien… Damien Cox. I’m looking forward to tomorrow night.” I smiled back at him and retreated back inside to look for my father. As I walked through the crowd of people I got some glares and whispered comments; which made the momentary joy I got from talking to Damien disappear. I was use to women talking shit about me but it was still annoying. I am who I am and I didn’t plan on changing for others. There would always be haters, a mere fact of life.
I found my father at the bottom of the stairs. He extended his arm so I could loop my arm in his.
“Come, its time for me to present you.” Great. We walked to the top of the double cuved stairs where everyone could see us. The room slowly quieted as my father gestured for silence. The faces in the crowd were filled with a mixture of emotions from kindness to envy. I avoided their stares to not read too much into them.
“Good evening everyone. As you know we are all here to honor my daughter Catalina’s accomplishments. At just the tender age of twenty-three she has two Bachelors degrees, she is a Pastry Chef, and does numerous charity work around the world. I would like to take this time to recognize the great things she has had. I am so proud of you, sweetheart.” Looking me in my eyes, he smiled and kissed me on my cheek. He raised his glass and everyone followed suit. “To Catalina. I love you.”
“To Catalina,” the room said in unison. I looked down at the crowd and saw Damien looking up at me, our eyes locked and he winked at me. I couldn’t help but smile. Quickly turning my attention back to my father. We hugged each other, having a genuine father daughter moment that gave me hope for our relationship.
I spent the rest of the night playing stalker, as Damien and I secretively watched each other all night.
**********************************
I laid in my bed staring at Damien’s business card. After spending the night watching each other, I wanted to actually talk to him. So I decided to text that way he can know my number and I can avoid the awkward
silence of a phone call. I grabbed my Blackberry and started texting.
*HI DAMIEN, ITS CATALINA. I’VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT YOU. JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU FOR MAKING MY NIGHT ENJOYABLE*
Two seconds later he texted back.
*I’VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT YOU TOO. I’M HAPPY YOU CONTACTED ME. I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO OUR DATE TOMORROW NIGHT.*
*AS AM I. GOOD NIGHT DAMIEN*
*GOOD NIGHT*
Chapter Two
As I drove to the restaurant Damien suggested to have our first date, my stomach was full of knots. It had been a while since I had been on a date, due to my bad luck in the past. But I had no intention of bringing any negativity into the night. Damien didn’t seem like any of the men I was use to dealing with. One reason being that I never dated a man ten years older than me and another being that he worked for my father. The ladder was something I avoided at all cost. Many of my father’s employees have tried asking me out, some in more appropriate ways than others. Now, don’t get me wrong not all were bad. There were some that were really handsome and had a good life going for them, but I never wanted to deal with the repercussion if my father disapproved. However, when it came to Damien I didn’t care about the consequences.
Once I pulled up to the restaurant valet, I could already see Damien waiting for me at the entrance. I handed the valet my keys and walked over to Damien amplifying my sexy as I swayed my hips. The minute he spotted me a smile brightened his handsome face. The way he looked at me had me feeling like I was a high school girl with a crush. I shook off my foolishness and tried to concentrate. The black slacks and baby blue dress shirt did not help my cause, it fit him so perfectly.
“Catalina, you look beautiful,” he said. My name rolled off his tongue, pronouncing it the proper European way. It was my mother’s middle name so it meant a lot to me. But I had stop correcting people of its proper accented pronunciation long ago. So it made me smile that he said it right.
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