by Parker, Ali
"Well, this has been thoroughly depressing." She snorted as he laughed.
"I'm sorry. Ignore me. I'm going through my own shit right now."
"Why? The semester just started."
"I know, and I saw a girl yesterday in the Dean’s office that I would sell my soul to take to dinner. It took all I had to turn and walk away." He shook his head and glanced down toward his hands.
Her heart contracted in her chest as he fiddled with his fingers.
"You can't date someone in the master's program either?"
"No." He glanced up. "No one from the university. Period."
"No other professors?"
"Nope. No one." He shrugged and pulled the papers back toward him. "All right so let's talk about this thing so you can get on with your life."
She nodded, but let the question she wanted to ask die on her tongue. What about his life? How did he 'get on with it' when he was stuck in the past? Regret and sorrow sitting on him so comfortably that he looked five years older than he was?
It was beyond unfair. So much so, that she couldn't help but try and work through a way to help him overcome it. Something had to give, it just had to.
Chapter 67
Damon
The alarm clock had gone off too early the next morning, and not having gotten in from work until three that morning left him grumpy and hating the world. It was a fair assessment of most of his mornings, but this one seemed worse.
Why hadn't Beth stopped by during the day? There was no fucking way she was completely good with the note he left her. It wasn't like her at all not to swing by and light into his ass over it. It would have been a great time to close the door and press her hot little body against the wall, grinding into her and bleeding out his aggression all over her.
Every muscle in his body protested as he moved into the shower and worked quickly to create a thick lather of soap across his chest. How badly he wanted her there with him to enjoy the warmth of the thick mist all around him, the slippery wetness of his skin against hers.
"You're killing me, baby." He slid his hand down his thick erection and stroked his sack a few times. "I need you here, and yet you're off saving the world. Probably pissed and hurting. Why didn't you come find me?"
He could have taken the time to find her, but it seemed like the ball was in her court. He had too much shit on his shoulders to stop and track her down to apologize for something he wasn't at all sorry about. Their engagement was exciting and something to be proud of, but he had to make sure to lay the foundation for everyone around him to accept it. Their families being so supportive was almost expected.
After washing himself off, he got out of the shower, his body hard and ready for a good hour or two of fucking and yet, no woman to fuck. She should have been there, and he didn't give a shit about how greedy or needy it was. It was a fact.
He changed into a pair of black slacks and a light blue button down before working a tie around his neck and pulling his jacket on. With a few meetings with clients later that day, he was stuck having to completely look the part.
"This is what it's going to be like soon. Dad retired and me working myself into an early grave." He adjusted his tie and checked himself in the mirror one last time. "Yep, still me."
Traffic was heavy as he made his way into the office, but it gave him plenty of time to get over the mixture of angst and melancholy that wrestled inside of him. The loud booming of his metal music somehow offered a reprieve from his thoughts, which was greatly needed as well. He and Bethany needed to talk things through.
"I need to bury myself balls deep inside of her and hear her cry out my name ten times. Then we can talk." He adjusted himself as he climbed out of the car and walked toward the elevator on the darkened basement floor of the parking garage. Was she talking with Matt? Kendal? She didn't seem like the type of girl to hold things in. Surely she was pissed over the ring situation. Why hadn't she said anything?
"Ugh," he growled and walked in, ignoring everyone as he made his way up to the thirteenth floor of the building. Ben was leaning over Linda's desk, both of them laughing as he walked up.
"Where is Bethany? I didn't see her once yesterday. Did she even show up?" he barked and laid his arm up on the elevated portion of his secretary’s desk.
"She's at school, remember? UT started back today. She's out all day if I remember correctly."
"Who okayed her being gone all damn day, every day? Aren't we paying her a salary?" He was going off the deep end, but for some reason couldn't pull himself back. The look on both Ben and Linda's faces said he needed to.
"You okayed it, Sir. I have the requisition if you want me to pull it for you?" Linda asked the woman anything but sheepish. It was one of the main reasons he kept her for as long as he had. It was one of her only skills.
"I met with her yesterday about going to Seattle with us, remember me telling you? She's already studying the files. I think she just has a lot to juggle with her internship, her master’s and her teaching assistant position. She's doing well, Damon. Really well." Ben's warm smile forced Damon to take a mental step back.
"Good to hear. We have a meeting at ten with the controller from Zarpeth. Is she not going to make it back in time?" He ignored Ben's information spill on her being out all day. She should have made time for something so important.
"I-I'm not sure I mentioned it to her. I'll give her a buzz and see if-"
"No. I've got it." He turned on his heel and walked into his office, slamming the door behind him. "What the fuck is wrong with you? Pull yourself together. You wrote the goddamn note, and now you're the one acting like she dropped that shit on you. Man up."
He pulled his phone from his back pocket and texted her.
Damon: We have an important meeting at ten this morning. I expect you to be there.
Bethany: I wasn't told about a meeting this morning. I have class from 9-11. It's not happening. Someone should have told me.
Damon: You're an intern. Forgive us for not assigning you a secretary yet. Glad to know your plush-ass office isn't enough.
He growled as he waited for a response. What were they fighting about again? Right. His expectation that she should be present for something she had no clue was happening. He dropped down into the chair beside his desk and ran his fingers through his hair. He was in full cock-head mode and hated himself for it. It was simple.
Society would say that they shouldn't be together, that it was incest or workplace inappropriate. Not only was she an intern in his firm, but she was his little sister now too. That was the core of the angst, the center of the fury that burned his insides.
He hated the fact that he was pushing her away slowly. It was a defense mechanism, but one that would ultimately ruin everything he wanted in his future, namely her.
* * *
"How dare you." She closed the door behind her as she walked into his office. It would seem she had far more subtlety than he did in not letting the whole office know that she was pissed.
"Me? I fucking didn't hear from you all day yesterday, and then you sluff off a meeting that you know is important?" Her V-neck t-shirt dipped into the sexy curve of her breasts and stole his attention as he turned from the window and walked toward her aggressively.
"I didn't know about the goddamn meeting." She poked her finger in his chest. "And why did I have to come after you yesterday? You should have come looking for me. You leave me a note that you don't want me wearing my ring, and then you keep your door closed all day? Very mature. Very loving, Damon."
"Watch it." He gripped her wrist and pulled her closer to him, locking her against his chest as he leaned down and breathed in deeply. Her scent was so unique and had the power to liquefy his need, forcing it to rush through his veins at break-neck speed.
"No. You're being an asshole. I was completely mature about the ring thing. I get it."
"Do you?" He grabbed her other hand and pulled her even closer before leaning down and kissing her pai
nfully hard. "Do you know how much I want to scream from the rooftop that you're mine? That maybe, finally, perhaps now it's my turn to live a little. Do you have a clue?"
Her grimace faded a little as she lifted to her toes and brushed her lips against his again. "Stop it. That's unfair to pull out something like that."
"It's true, and you know they'll never accept it. I'm your boss and your brother." He hated how visible her flinch was at his words. Truth always did sting like a bitch.
"I thought you didn't care about that stuff.”
"When you're beside me, I don't." He released her and ran his hands up her arms to cup the side of her neck as he licked her lips. "I wanted you in my bed last night, in my shower this morning, but you were nowhere to be found."
She wrapped her arms around his neck and jumped, wrapping her taut legs around his waist as he moved toward the door and pressed her to it.
"You were here half the night, weren't you?" She licked at the side of his neck as he pressed forward and ground himself against her.
"That’s beside the point. You should have been here with me." He sucked her earlobe into his mouth and grunted softly as he gripped her ass and ran his fingers along the thick crease of her blue jeans, teasing her.
"You're right. I have too much going on." She gripped his face in her hands as he rocked her against the door again. "Maybe I should quit my master’s program."
"Is that a possibility?" He was a bastard for asking.
"No, asshole." She ran her fingers through his hair as someone knocked on the door behind them, causing Beth to yelp.
"Just me, boss." Linda. "Your meeting is in fifteen minutes. You said to give you a head's up."
"Right. Thank you, Linda." He studied Bethany's face, memorizing the soft smile lines at the side of her mouth and the way her long eyelashes brushed by her skin, taunting him to dive in deeper with her.
"I hate you for making me want you like this." She brushed her nose by his neck and moved up to kiss him softly again before sliding down the front of his body. "What are your plans tonight?"
"I don't know yet. Nothing turns out like it should here." He moved back and brushed the back of his finger past her budded nipple. "You're not going into this meeting in jeans and a t-shirt."
"It's all I have with me." She lifted her eyebrow as if to challenge him.
"Then go back to class. You need to get your calendar lined up with Linda's, Bethany. It's the best way to make sure you don't miss something important again. Being an intern doesn't give you endless mulligans, and as I've said before, we're looking at moving you up quickly. You're family. You need to run ahead of the group."
The look on her pretty face said she didn't much appreciate his coaching.
"Right. I swear I have no idea what you've done with my fiancé, but when you find him, tell him to call me. I need to work out a lot of untapped aggression, and he's the only one I'm allowed to get naked with." She turned her back to him as he reached out and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her back. He cupped her mound with one hand and her throat with the other.
"Come out to my place tonight. Ten, and don't be late."
"No. I'm not interested in your bullshit." She pulled forward, but he hung on tightly.
"What do you want from me? I'm your boss here, and you need to step it up."
She glanced over her shoulder before pulling back from him. "I'm your woman no matter where we are, or what stupid trinket I'm allowed to wear or not wear, and as your woman, I'm telling you to step it up and stop being an ass. I don't need more drama in my life. Where is the guy I fell in love with? Is he tucked back inside your finest three-piece suit?"
"No clue what you're talking about." He could almost feel the blinders coming down and locking into place deep inside of him. "Ten o'clock tonight."
"Don't hold your breath." She walked out without another word. Her willingness to stand up to him and deny him only made him want her all the more.
It was a sick and twisted game seeing that she already belonged to him, or did she?
Chapter 68
Bethany
It was a stupid decision to make, but after working with Kendal on Thursday, she finally caved and decided that a late lunch with Philip wouldn't hurt. Damon was still being an ass over things that were completely out of her control, and she was learning to leave him to himself when he was in one of his shitty moods. It still stung like a bitch, but she had a ring that said that no matter what happened while they were on their way to the altar, the plan was still to go.
"Hey." Philip stood and moved around to offer her a friendly hug. His hair was back to being the length it was when they first met before Damon had him cut it off. He looked good, almost too good. Broad shoulders and tanned skin, the man was every bit of California, and yet he was from Down Under. His accent left her heart fluttering, though it was nothing more than a silly infatuation like most women had for foreign accents.
"Hi. You look great. It seems like your new job is allowing you to work less and play more?" She smiled and took her seat across from him as the server approached. She ordered a Coke and pulled the menu toward her face, but kept her eyes on him.
"I quit." He shrugged and leaned back in his chair. "I know it's only been a week or so, but honestly, I worked as hard as I did in school to work for Mr. Bryant. I took the week off to lay by the beach and think through things."
"Kent or Damon?" The confession surprised her a little.
"Both, but originally Damon. He visited UT and gave a speech on being a young leader my freshman year, and something about the way he presented himself coupled with his success? I don't know. He intimidates the fuck out of me, and he's a total asshole, no offense if you guys are still dating, but I still want to learn from him."
"I get that." She played with the straw in her drink. "You don't have to love the people you learn to respect. Maybe you should ask for your job back. He offered it just before I left, right?"
"He did, but I'm not sure he was serious about it. He had an odd vibe to him that day. I guess it was because I was having lunch with the beautiful woman he was dating, but still..." Philip smirked.
"He got over it fast." She glanced up as the server approached.
"What can I get you guys today?" The girl looked between Bethany and Philip, an odd smile on her face.
"I'll take a turkey sandwich with fruit." Bethany handed the girl the menu, trying to determine if she was trying to hold back a knowing grin.
"Burger and fries, hold the onions." Philip handed her the menu and turned back to Bethany as he let out a short sigh. "So how do I go about this with Damon?”
"Wait a minute." Bethany held up her hand and kept her attention on the girl. "Do we know each other?"
"No. I was in the coffee shop yesterday. You're Dr. Tarrington's TA, right?"
Oh... that's why she's holding back her smile. She saw Kendal and me together.
"Yeah, he's a great guy. Crazy strict, but a good accounting teacher. Are you majoring in business?" Bethany hated to carry on the useless conversation but didn't want to look like an ass.
"No, I'm theater, but we all know about Dr. Tarrington. We're just hoping we're his next slip up." She snorted. "Don't tell him I said that."
"I don't even know your name." Bethany smiled and turned back toward Philip as the girl left in a hurry.
"Next slip up? What the hell was that?" Philip took a drink of his Coke and leaned in as if she were about to share a secret.
"Kendal dated one of his students six years ago." Bethany glanced over at the girl who couldn't be more than a freshman. "How she knows about that is beyond me."
"Rumors that juicy last forever." Philip shrugged. "Back to me. What do I need to do?"
"Just stop by the office and tell Linda you're there to see him. I would offer to get involved, but something tells me that he wouldn't appreciate me interfering. He's already leery of something happening between you and me."
"Why is tha
t? Did you make something up to make him jealous? Full disclosure here. I'm walking into the hornet’s nest. Don't cover me in honey." He chuckled, and she did as well.
"No, it was a misunderstanding that's too embarrassing to rehash. Just stop by and talk to him. He owes you the job after he fired you for being a good employee. He overreacted. Take advantage of it."
"Are you guys not together anymore?" He lifted his eyebrow.
"We are, I'm just saying. This isn't too difficult of a situation. Own it." She shrugged and turned to let her eyes move across the girl again. Why in the world would people still be talking about Kendal's indiscretions six years later?
Why did she care?
* * *
Another night without Damon in her bed made it harder to fight against the nagging sensation that he was battling far more than he should have been where they were concerned. She tried to remain positive and convince herself that everything was fine. Matt had been a good cheerleader during the latter part of the week, but nothing was going to fully set her right but Damon.
She needed him to say that he was sorry, that he loved her and they would work through things. The nagging need to be constantly reminded of his feelings was a pain in his ass from what she'd overheard in Jamaica, but it was what it was. He was a dick half the time and therefore could make it up to her by being the kind of guy she deserved the rest of the time, which he was completely capable of.
After packing for their flight later that day, she drove over to Kent's house to pick up Matt and have breakfast with her parents. They'd gotten home late the night before, and yet still found the energy to text her that they were safe. She needed to remind Damon that a text took seconds and yet would mean the world to her.
