"Hey." Bethany stopped just outside of the door in the hall as Kendal turned around in his chair.
He was in jeans and a polo shirt, his hair a mess and glasses making him look more handsome, as if it was possible.
"Hey, Bethany. Forget something yesterday?" He stood and crossed his arms over his chest.
Remembrance at his conversation with Damon a few days earlier brushed across her mind. They were closer than she imagined from her conversations with Damon, Kendal having been in his fraternity and the two being close friends.
"No. I wanted to touch base with you before we fly out tomorrow. I wrapped up the week one notes and e-mailed them to you, but several of your points didn't make sense to me. I figured it was just my lack of retaining the details of cost accounting." She smiled and moved into the hall as he walked toward her.
"I locked my main laptop in my classroom. Let's stop by there, and we can look it over together. I'm sure it's a case of me being scatterbrained, but thank you for making it look like you're the one with the issue." He smirked and held the elevator open for her. "You and Damon looking forward to getting away?"
"We were." She glanced down at her shoes, not wanting to get emotional over something Damon had no control over. It was more the fact that he didn't mention it at all to her than it was that he wasn't going, or was it a combination of both?
"Uh oh." Kendal pressed a button on the panel in front of them and turned to face her. "What happened?"
Bethany slipped on her facade and glanced up, forcing a smile. "Something came up at McKenzie and Bryant. I didn't really get the details of it, but Damon seems to be Mr. Fix-it."
"He always has been. He's what we call a glory-stealer." Kendal chuckled and held the door open for her. "He always has been the first on the ladder to put out the biggest fires."
"Why am I not surprised to hear this?" She walked beside him, her emotions starting to settle thanks to the calm demeanor of the man beside her.
Kendal laughed softly, as if remembering something. "I could tell you story after story of him fixing up, cleaning up and picking up after everyone. For a man that most people think is a playboy billionaire, I can assure you, his work ethic would have gotten him there if Kent hadn't had done it first for him."
Kendal unlocked the door to the large auditorium. Bethany walked in and breathed in deep, the smell of education in the air. Old books and sweaty bodies. She smiled at the thought, moving to take a seat in the front row.
"If you want to pull up the e-mail, you'll see my questions. See if they make sense to you." She pulled her phone out of her jeans and set it on the desk beside her. Texting Damon would only bother him, but damn if she didn't want to. Why did she have to calculate her value to him on whether they communicated regularly and effectively? That was never going to leave her feeling good about herself.
He had worked too long to shut everyone out. He wasn't going to change overnight.
Kendal made a few noises as he worked on the stage in front of her. He popped the laptop closed and smiled.
"Your questions were spot on. Great job on this. I'll work to adjust the notes to explain myself better." He walked to the stairs on the edge of the stage and took a seat a few away from her.
"I can make the adjustments now if you just tell me what you want," she offered.
"No, I've got it. You have a big event coming up." He brushed his fingers by his mouth before pinning her with his stare. "What's going on? You didn't need to come all the way up here for this."
She shrugged, not sure what to say. Kendal was her professor and boss for the next year. They weren't friends. Damon held that spot with him, and yet she knew she could talk and he would listen.
Closing her eyes, she let her head fall back and let out a long, shaky sigh. "I'm sorry. I should go. I just haven't made many friends over the last few years for fear of someone realizing what a fake I was. My two best friends are lost to me right now, both trying to heal, and the one person I want to talk to can't communicate worth shit. I just needed to get away from everyone."
"I get it." Kendal's voice was soft and kind.
Bethany opened her eyes and turned to smile at him; her tears tucked away for the moment. "He told me that he loved me last night. He told the whole family that we're together and if they didn't like it, they could bite his ass."
"He told his dad to bite his ass?" Kendal lifted his fist to his mouth and let out a short laugh.
She smiled, unable to help herself. "Not exactly, but you get the point."
"Then why is there hurt sitting all over you? You look like you haven't slept in a week. Isn't this what you wanted from him?"
"Yeah. He's not going to be able to go on the trip and..." She sucked in a deep breath; the water works turning on. She didn't know Kendal well enough to cry in front of him. Why was she even there?
"He can't help that, Bethany. He's fully invested in that firm. It means the world to him, not for his success, but because his dad's retirement is in it."
"No, it's not that. He called this morning and didn't even say two words to me. He told Kent that he couldn't go. I swear, he has no sensitivity about how I might receive him barking at me like I'm his fucking secretary." She rolled her shoulders and stood. "I need to go. I'm being stupid and showing my age."
Kendal remained seated but chuckled again. "It's okay to be your age. We're all insecure, no matter how old we are. Go by the office and see him. Stop letting your mind tell you things aren't good. They are. Go prove it to yourself. He's probably beyond tense. Offer to grab him a coffee and say, 'I love you' in a small way."
"Yeah. You're right." Bethany bent over and picked up her purse, grateful for the handsome man in front of her. He might be close to Damon, but she could see the two of them becoming good friends over the next year as well.
"I'm usually right. I'm a guy."
She rolled her eyes and pulled her purse onto her shoulder. "Just one more thing."
"Shoot."
"You told me that Damon had yet to have a serious relationship because he wouldn't allow it, but I've seen a pretty blond moving around in the background of our lives for the last few weeks. Am I just making a mountain out of a molehill or is something going on that I should dig into?"
"He's a one woman man as best I know. He's not interested in cheating or lies. His past will show you that quickly if you dig a little." Kendal lifted his hands and stretched. "I think that's probably Bridget. They dated in high school and college off and on. She's a rich bitch and an old family friend. They tried to get serious in college, but he just couldn't seem to truly get into her. I'm glad, to be honest. Bitch was controlling."
"She's still around after seven years of you guys being out of college."
"Six years. Don't age me, please. I'm doing that well enough on my own."
Bethany forced a smile, this new information not leaving her feeling much better than she had on the way to the school. The blond had been at the restaurant when Kent and Damon had taken her to lunch, and coming out of his office not too long ago with her hair a mess. Was she the one below his desk the day she caught him acting rather nefarious?
Sickness rolled over her as the voice of reason sparked up.
He told you that it wasn't what it seemed. He's not done anything to show you distrust.
"Don't make too much of it. She's interested in him. He's interested in you. You've broken the cycle of the two of them getting back together over and over again." Kendal stood and smiled as Bethany turned and walked to the door. "Have fun on your trip and stop worrying. I'll see you when you get back. Give him space. He's worth it."
This had to get easier. Wondering if things were going to fall through the floor before they began was going to get old fast. Much like him not taking her feelings into consideration when he was at the office.
He might be worth her efforts, but was she worth his?
Chapter 3
Damon
She was pissed, and he couldn't
blame her. Well, maybe not pissed. Hurt was more like it.
Damon set the phone down on his desk and slipped his hand into his slacks before walking toward the full-length windows in his office. The sunny day did nothing to permeate the sickening feeling that swelled deep inside of him. He'd have to miss his father's wedding if he couldn't fix the situation with Zarpeth soon. It needed far more than a quick band-aid, and yet a patch-up job was all he had time for.
It was time for his father to have a happy ending, to get to enjoy a relationship that was based on truth and love. Karen, Bethany's mother, was going to be great for him.
"Much better than my own cheating-ass mother," Damon mumbled under his breath and tried hard not to let the images of catching her with another man poison his thoughts. He was already struggling like hell with keeping his mood under control.
"Damon?" Linda's voice reached him before the soft rapping of her knuckles on the door.
He turned and forced a tight smile for his secretary. "What's up?"
"I'm running down to the cafeteria and wanted to make sure you didn't need anything." She gave him a warm smile. She was a pretty older woman, but he kept her beside him because she was organized and would quickly turn into a bulldog to protect him if the situation called for it. She was loyal, and that meant more to him than anything else.
Loyalty and trust.
"No, but thanks." He pulled his hands from his pockets and walked over to his desk. "Hold all my calls for a little while. I need to review these inventory files one more time and see if I can't come up with something that would help close this gaping hole at Zarpeth."
"Anything I can do to help? I'm happy to grab Ben or one of your other staff and haul them up here for you." She stepped just inside the door, but not too far.
He sat down and leaned back, letting his vision glaze over. "No. Just close the door on your way out. The team has already turned in their reports. Thank you though."
"Of course." She closed the door, and silence rushed in to welcome him.
Had he really told his and Bethany's family that he was in love with her the night before? Had he told her?
The smile that lifted his lips reached to his eyes. He should have said something to her when he called to talk to his father moments before. She was young and would overreact to his dismissal of her. She wouldn't realize that he was protecting her from the asshole he could quickly become if he weren't careful.
She'd been so sexy in the pool. Like a kitten. Unsure of herself and yet wanting his affection desperately. He closed his eyes and pressed his palm to the front of his slacks as his cock stirred to life.
"Fuck," he mumbled before biting his lip. Maybe there was time to have her again before she got on a plane the next morning. Realization rolled over him, and he sat up. He wouldn't be sinking deep into his girl if he didn't get his shit done in the office and get over to his father's.
They needed to hire a more experienced senior manager for the firm, someone that could support Damon and help to filter the amount of work that ended up on his desk.
"Preferably a male." He sat up and ignored the soft thumping of his pulse along the base of his cock as it continued to harden. One thought of Bethany, and he was lost to lust. Why? How was she so different than the other women who walked into his office on a regular basis.
His thoughts quickly moved to her, and he leaned back in his chair and gave himself over to it for a minute. Long brown hair and big green eyes. So much innocence and yet determination and drive resonated in the way she carried herself. Confident. Smart.
Every inch of him ached for her attention by the time he pulled himself out of the deepening daydream. Reaching for the phone, he stood up and walked to his door to lock it. To call or not to call?
"Just leave it alone." He flipped the lock on the door and walked toward the small restroom attached to the back of his office. Privacy was the best part of being an executive, but just slightly above getting to control every aspect of the company when his father was away.
There was no reason to call her and apologize for not talking to her earlier. They could talk later. Hearing her voice would just distract him more, and he was already on edge from all the bullshit bubbling up on the Zarpeth account.
He flipped on the light and closed the door to the bathroom before dropping his slacks and turning to sit down. It had been a long time since he had to take care of himself, but then again, being with one woman made things more complex.
"And far more stimulating." He wrapped his hand around his cock and lifted his hips, pressing deep into his tight hold as a tremor ran through him. It wouldn't have taken more than a phone call to get her up there, and if he knew her well enough, Bethany would be more than willing to help him let off a little bit of steam. His pretty girl loved sex as much as he did, or so it seemed.
He let his head fall back as he continued to work himself near the edge of orgasm. His mind moved from the sterile bathroom to the beach in Jamaica, the sound of the ocean so real, the smell of the salt water almost concerning.
Stretched out across the empty beach naked with Bethany on his lap, her back to his chest.
"You're so beautiful, baby," he whispered against the back of her shoulder and moved his hand to rest between her thighs as she lifted her hips and stroked his cock with her tight, wet body.
"And I'm all yours." She pressed back down and moaned loudly, throwing him toward orgasm. Hearing her come was all he wanted.
"Just mine." He cupped her mound and rolled his fingers over her clit in a slow rhythm as she gripped his thighs and lifted up, working herself up and down his shaft.
"I'm so close. Bite me."
He growled softly and pressed his teeth into the back of her shoulder as she arched her back and came loudly, her moans pushing him over the edge to join her.
His breath hitched as he thrust his hips one last time and lost himself to the delicious warmth provided by his orgasm. The phone ringing just outside the door didn't faze him a bit, nor did he let it pull him from the moment.
Damon gripped the side of the toilet as he lifted his hips and finished the job. Stars burned at the edge of his vision, and it was most likely a good thing that Bethany hadn't been at work that day. He would have been enough of a bastard to get her up to his office for a quickie against the wall or bent over his desk.
He leaned over and pressed his arms to his thighs as he panted softly. So much pleasure. And there could be the promise of love behind it. Real love. Not the bullshit emotions his mother pretended to have for his father, but authentic caring and connection.
The sound of someone knocking on his door had him moving quickly to clean up. He walked from the bathroom with his heart still racing. Letting off a little bit of steam would help, but he needed far more that a ten-minute masturbation session. He'd have to find a way to get over to his father's later that night and take advantage of Bethany's sweet body.
Part of that meant explaining his shortness from the call moments before.
"Fine. Whatever." He pulled the door open to find Linda standing in the hallway, looking sheepish.
"Sorry to bother you, boss, but Patrick is on the phone. He needs to talk to you. It's an emergency." Her expression was pained.
"It's always an emergency with this guy." Damon rolled his eyes and walked back to his desk. "Who hired him anyway?"
"Your father did, and you like him, remember?"
Damon chuckled. "I don't like anyone but Ben."
"Not true." She stepped inside his office and lifted her eyebrow as he turned and dropped back down in his chair. "You like me, and you sort of like Patrick."
"Stop trying to save the guy from getting his ass handed to him. Close the door and forgive me in advance." Damon picked up the phone.
"For?" She moved a few steps back and grabbed the door handle to pull the door closed.
"For yelling." He put the phone to his ear as his mood darkened again. "This better be a call where you tell me tha
t you have fixed all the things your team missed at Zarpeth. That or you better sit down and protect your ass, because I'm about to hand it to you."
"Hi, Damon," Patrick mumbled.
"It's Mr. Bryant for this conversation," Damon barked into the phone as Linda closed the door softly.
Chapter 4
Bethany
Bethany took the long way to the office, working hard to talk herself into actually stopping by. Damon would be in a horrible mood because of the situation with Zarpeth. Did she really want to set herself up to be his punching bag?
Maybe Kendal was right. She should give him the benefit of the doubt and simply stop by with an 'I love you' of sorts.
She made a quick turn off the freeway and pulled into the local coffee shop, ordering herself something sweet and picking up Damon's favorite drink. Pulling back out onto the road, she steeled herself, locking her emotions down. She was disappointed about him not being able to come. That's really what it boiled down to. She could sling anger and accusation at him for not speaking to her earlier, or she could give him the coffee, kiss his cheek and go home to pack.
Matt would be in Jamaica with her. There was tons of fun to be had with just the two of them together. She smiled at the thought and turned on the radio in the car, finding something upbeat and losing herself in it.
By the time she reached the office, she had completely reset her mood. She parked and took a long drink of her frozen coffee before checking her teeth and smoothing her hair. He would most likely make a comment about her jeans and t-shirt, but she would turn it into humor if she had to.
Mister Big Stuff_A Single Mom Friends to Lovers Novel Page 50