"That's a good thing. Either way, I'm glad to be back." Philip smiled and nodded toward the coffee stand. "Want something?"
"Yeah, but I’ll wait. I see you cut your hair." She pushed at his shoulder and laughed as he shook his head.
"Don't start with that. I'm still a little salty over it." He turned to go into the coffee bar as Bethany walked toward Damon's office. There was no way she was starting the day without first talking to him for a few minutes about the night before. There had to be a way to let him know just how hurt her feelings were without starting a fight.
She rubbed the empty spot on her hand where her ring should have sat and couldn't help but think through how fucked up it was that she couldn't share the good news with people. He had to lay the foundation?
"Then lay it," she grumbled and lifted her hand to knock on his door. The feminine voice beside her stopped her dead in her tracks.
"Hi, Bethany. Something I can do for you?"
She turned to face Delilah. There was no reason not to give the girl a chance at a solid work relationship, and seeing that she was the Senior Manager on the job, she would be the one writing Bethany's annual review.
"I was just stopping by to talk with Damon for a minute."
"Mr. Bryant?" She lifted her eyebrow as if to question Bethany's casual reference to Damon.
Heat bubbled up from the center of Bethany's stomach and coated her chest and neck in warmth. She couldn't exactly spout out that she was part of the family, one of Kent's kids now. That would fuck things up for them when they told everyone that she was Damon's fiancé. There was no way she could use that either.
"Yes, Mr. Bryant."
"Right, well, one of my jobs is to protect Mr. Bryant's time, so maybe I can help you instead." She tilted her head to the side, and the kind look she had plastered to her face in the conference room moments ago was all but gone.
"I don't think so, but thanks." Bethany turned and reached for the door.
"And why not? Something I should know?" The woman was persistent.
"No. I just-"
"Bethany. I'm Patrick. Damon's told me so much about you. Says you’re Kent's new protégé and might put him out of a job." He chuckled and extended his hand. "There a reason we're having a pow-wow around Damon's door?"
"Mr. Bryant?" Bethany asked cheekily and glanced over at Delilah, disliking the woman already.
"No, we just call him Damon. His father is Mr. Bryant. He'll tell you that." Patrick laughed as the door behind Bethany opened.
"Is there a reason why you guys are having a meeting out in the hall by my damn office? All I can hear is the three of you," Damon barked softly as anger brushed across his handsome face.
Bethany smiled at Patrick. "That's my cue to leave. Nice to meet you."
"Sorry, Damon. The girl wanted to talk with you for a minute, and I just asked what she needed." Delilah's voice followed her down the hall as she made a beeline to the bathroom and walked in, plopping down in a stall and pressing her hands to her face.
"What the hell is happening?"
Chapter 35
Damon
Bethany walked into the bathroom; her shoulders rolled in slightly. She was hurt. Fuck.
Of course she went to the one place I can't get to her.
Did she not remember him holding her the night before as he apologized for their long evening apart? He was stressed. Did she not get stressed and pull back from all of humanity until she figured things out? Surely she did. Why wasn't he granted the right just to be who he was instead of who she expected him to be? That change would come over time, but fuck, it wasn't instantaneous.
Damon waved his hand to silence Patrick and Delilah and moved back, letting the woman into his office. Having to share his space with anyone but Bethany, even workspace sounded like hell on earth. As long as Delilah could remain professional and keep the chattiness to a minimum, they would be all right.
"Sorry about all of that." Bridget's sister walked in and laid her briefcase on her desk. "Is she-"
"None of your business." He walked to his desk and sat down. "I'm not discussing anything other than business with anyone today. I have a ton to do, so if you're in here with me, you're quiet and busy. Got it?"
"Absolutely." She nodded and turned her back toward him.
He half expected her to start crying or throw a fit, but she didn't. Like a mature adult with their feelings tucked deep into their chest instead of sitting on their shoulders, she sat down and got her ass in gear.
Amazing. Why can't Beth do that?
It had to be because they were dating. Engaged. Getting married.
He ran his fingers through his hair and tried to get through a few more e-mails as concern swept through him. She needed to work for another firm. There was no way they were going to be effective working together and sleeping in the same bed. A lot of people pulled it off, but a whole lot more didn't. She wouldn't be able to pull herself beyond the relationship they shared to be professional in the office. Ben had done a good job of keeping their friendship on the side while at work, but that was no comparison to what he and Bethany were looking at.
Marriage. Forever.
His watch buzzed, alerting him to the appointment with Zarpeth's CEO in ten minutes.
"Meeting?" He'd almost forgotten Delilah was in the room.
"Yes. Bring a notepad and come jot down anything we might need to remember later. Mr. Talling is a good businessman, but his company has grown far too fast. We need not only to see where we can add value, but where we can sell extra services too."
"Absolutely." Her voice was almost professional, but not quite. It was a little too flirty. There was nothing to do but ignore it. With the history they had, and the strong friendship she'd given him all those years ago, he wasn't going to assume anything. Maybe she just sounded sensual to everyone. It didn't matter.
He picked up his coffee and walked to the door, opening it and stopping short. The sound of Bethany laughing with a guy left his blood running cold.
Stop it. It's nothing. Don't get paranoid and fuck things up further.
Moving out in the hall, he took a quick right and walked the long way to Mr. Talling's office so that he could peek into the audit room where the staff were. Bethany's gray suit looked so damn good on her, and yet she had no clue just how beautiful she was.
It's not like he had an opportunity to mention it to her yet. They had to be careful of showing too much of their relationship in the office, but it was damn hard not to pull her aside and make sure she was all right. He could only hope that she was headed to his office earlier in an effort to do just that.
"You need something?" Patrick looked up as Damon stopped by the open door.
He glanced over his shoulder toward Delilah. "The meeting is in that corner office down the hall. Get the lights on, and I'll be right there."
"Yeah, no problem." She walked off, and Damon turned back to the room, unable to let his gaze rest on anyone but his woman's.
"Beth, you wanted something earlier?" He pursed his lips as warmth spread through his stomach, infusing the goodness of what could be between them. He was fucking things up and felt like a fifteen-year-old cock-head when they were together as of late. Why he couldn't get himself in check and try harder was a concern. That coupled with the weight of getting married almost seemed too much until he was standing in front of her. Then it all made sense.
"Nope. I'm good." She glanced up from the papers in front of her and flipped her long dark hair over her shoulder.
"Can you come here for a minute, please?" He turned and walked back to his office as he sucked a shallow breath through his clenched teeth. His cock twitched in his slacks, his pulse quickening. The woman had a strange power over him that made little to no sense.
She walked into the office, and he closed the door. "How is your stomach?"
"I'll live." She was cold, her emotions on lock-down. He had fucked up.
Some part of him wanted to poke
at her and start the fight they were headed toward just to get it over with, but he couldn't push them closer to the edge of ending things. He didn't want that at all.
For her to grow up and act a little more mature? Sure.
For her to understand the sticky situation they were dealing with over him being her boss and her brother and her lover? Yes.
But for it to end? Never.
"Hey." He reached out, but she moved back a step. "Beth."
"Don't." She glanced up, and the hurt in her face lanced his insides. "You leave last night in a pissy mood, get in my face about needing something for my stomach and then don't even wake me up to tell me you were going. I'm glad we saved the firm a little bit of money by rooming together."
"You know-"
Her expression hardened as her face turned red and she poked her finger into the center of his chest as she took several steps toward him, backing him up as she did.
Hot wouldn't cover it. The woman was blistering when she was angry. It aged her by ten years, pulling her toward a confidence that left him needy and aching all over. There was nothing he desired more than to meet his match in the office, in the bedroom, in the world, and he had. Now he just had to be patient while she grew up a little and took ownership of the woman she was going to become.
It was enough to keep him hanging on forever.
"And who the fuck is this Delilah chick? She looks exactly like Bridget. Is that some kind of warning? Did you hire her because-"
He gripped her wrist and pulled her flush against him before turning them and pressing her tightly to the full-length windows that ran the length of the room.
"Hush. Dad hired her, and she's nothing to me." He leaned down, running his nose along the sensual line of her neck as his cock throbbed in his slacks. "God, you turn me on so fucking much. How? How do you keep pulling me back with this horrid desire to strip you down and cover you in kisses?"
"Pull you back?" Her blue eyes moved across his face as he leaned back a little, but kept his hands locked on her hips; his front pressed to hers.
"I didn't mean it like that. Don't get even more sensitive. I just needed a minute with you." He leaned down to kiss her, but she turned her face away.
"Move. You're not at all the man I fell in love with. Back. Up."
"What? No. I'm exactly who you fell in love with. You're expecting someone different to show up because I gave you a ring, but that's not how it works. I'm still me. If you don't-"
"Don't you dare say it," she barked as tears filled her eyes.
"Beth. Come on, baby. You know I love you. I was there last night wrapped around you. I'm stressed, and shit is hitting the fan. If you didn't work here, it would be a different situation altogether." He trapped her face in his hands and leaned down, taking ownership of her soft lips. She fought against him for a second before moaning and melting into him.
The kiss was long and deep, his pretty girl sucking on his tongue as her fingers slid down the sides of his chest and moved around to squeeze his ass. He rocked into her and licked at her mouth until she pushed at him.
"Stop. You're messing up my lipstick." She shook her head, still not showing any emotion that would lead to reconciliation.
"So?" He kissed her again roughly. "Let's get through today and go out tonight. Just you and me. Last night sucked, as has most of this week. I don't want you hurting."
"Then stop being a dick." She pushed at his chest and averted her eyes from him. He was losing her.
"Hey." He gripped her chin and forced her to look up at him. "You're mine. No matter what happens between us or what silly little bullshit storm we deal with. We made a promise to each other. Remember?"
"Who is Delilah, Damon? Is she Bridget's sister?"
He sighed and moved back. "Yes. She's her twin."
“I thought Bridget was in Jamaica for her sister’s bachelorette party. Is she not that sister?”
“No. She has three sisters. It wasn’t Bridget’s event.”
"Right. Awesome." Bethany ran her hands over her breasts as she smoothed down her shirt and Damon's stomach tightened further. Stripping her and making her forget everything but him sounded like such a good idea, but it wasn't the time or the place. Surely Mr. Talling was already waiting with Delilah for him.
"Dinner tonight. We can talk about all of this."
"Yep, 'cause I'm not sleeping with you again until we do." She turned her back to him and walked toward the door.
"Excuse me?" The lust that pumped through him moments before dissipated. Did she think he was a pet to be rewarded with her body when he behaved and not otherwise? Hell no.
"You heard me. I want this thing between us, but I'm starting to feel like I'm the only one that does." She walked out and closed the door behind her.
He growled low in his chest and pressed his hands to his face as he moved back toward the window and groaned. She was young, inexperienced, immature and so fucking hot.
"So damn difficult." He ran his hands down his face and took a shallow breath before calling his dad and dropping down into a chair.
"Morning, son. Everything okay?"
"Yes. We're here, and I'm about to meet with James. The team is fully engaged, but I'm not calling about work." He sighed and let his eyes move across the beautiful view of the city that the office afforded.
"What's going on? Bethany okay? Matt?" The mild panic in his father's voice forced him to get to the point quickly.
"It's Bethany and me. I love her, but fuck if she's not difficult," he growled and leaned back in his chair. "One minute she seems to accept me for the moody bastard I am, and the next, I'm hurting her damn feelings over and over again. It's exhausting and coupled with all this work bullshit; I'm starting to wonder if I did the right thing."
"By proposing?"
"Yes, Dad."
"Only you can answer that. Having your significant other at the office with you isn't an ideal situation, but Bethany is a smart girl. She'll hold her own if you give it to her."
"I guess."
"I know she is. Stop treating her like she's at the office all the time. Knowing you, that's what's happening."
"We have to be professional here. I refuse to be anything but," Damon huffed and got up. The only good thing about having yet another fight was his hard-on was officially gone.
"Right, but you don't have to be professional the minute you walk out of the office. Take her out and have fun. Let that angst go while you're at home, at the hotel, out for a dinner date. Don't carry it with you. I know how you are. I bet you're being office Damon all the damn time."
"I am not." He forced a chuckle as he realized that he was doing exactly that. Fuck.
"If you guys love each other, work it out. It will be fine. I promise. Just force her to be like you in the office, and force yourself to be like her anywhere else."
"All right. I'll be in touch." He dropped the call and swallowed the need to apologize a million times to her. It wasn't that he wasn't willing to, but that he couldn't figure out what the hell he was actually apologizing for.
Be more fun outside of work. He could do that. Maybe.
Chapter 36
Bethany
Maybe she was overthinking it. A few weeks back he'd been more of an ass than ever, and she'd been fine with it. For some reason, she half-expected him to change simply because of the engagement, but she hadn't changed much, right?
She packed up and walked out of the conference room after everyone else had skipped off to dinner thirty minutes before. Damon had texted sometime just after lunch for her to meet him out at the street around seven. After a long day of trying to catch up to where everyone seemed to expect her to be, a hot bubble bath and TV sounded good, but that wasn't happening.
As long as there wasn't another fight to deal with, she'd be good. Too much more and she was liable to crack and chuck the ring at him. There was only so much someone could be expected to put up with, even someone head-over-heels.
She t
ook the elevator down and stifled a yawn as she walked out of the building. A sleek black Mercedes much like Damon's sat parked in front of the building as other cars moved by in the street. Bethany clutched her bag in front of her and tried to appear casual as she looked around. If Damon were in the car, he needed to roll the damn window down.
As if on cue, it rolled down.
Her breath swept from her chest as he smiled, neither of them saying a word.
Don't cry. Don't cry.
The five o'clock shadow that dusted his chin and cheeks left him looking more rugged than she could handle. How physical attraction could wash over the aches and pains and make them momentarily better was a mystery that she was too tired to think through, but it worked its magic on her.
"Hi, pretty girl. I have the night off and was wondering if maybe you'd like to go to dinner? Maybe grab a drink at a piano bar after and let me twirl you around the floor a little? Dessert could be optional but might be fun. A long shower?"
"I thought you didn't dance unless forced to." A smile touched her lips as she trapped the pain of their roller coaster relationship deep inside of her.
"Only at a wedding or when-"
"Seducing a woman. I remember." She glanced down the street and shook her head. "I'm good, but thanks for the offer. I'm not looking for one night, but many. The guy who's supposed to come get me is, well, he's soon to be everything to me. I think." Tears blurred her vision.
So much for trapping it behind a cheeky facade.
He got out of the car and moved to stand in front of her, his expression loving and filled with concern.
"Baby. I'm right here. You know we have a lot to work through."
"And a ring doesn't change that. I get it." She reached up and wiped at her tears angrily. "I wish dinner and dancing were the cure-alls for the hurt inside of me, but it isn't."
"Can it be a start?" He touched the side of her face and licked his lips. "Please."
It wasn't a request.
"Yeah. Sure." She touched his hand before turning her face to kiss his palm a few times. "Stop shutting me out, and stop being a dick. I've kept up with your rules and your demands and your needs. Give back a little before this thing falls apart."
Mister Big Stuff_A Single Mom Friends to Lovers Novel Page 69