He was not in for an easy time for his last days, unfortunately, and Rachel’s heart went out to Damien. He could not bring himself to ask for emotional support from his sister and his father was in no shape to help himself, let alone see his son through this emotional rollercoaster.
Following a mouth-watering veal entree, Rachel found her reservations about Damien dissipating quickly. Damien confided that he needed a break from the deep discussions about his father and ordered them more wine. Their conversation turned from life and death to life in general and as the hours ticked innocuously by, Rachel found herself feeling more and more comfortable, both from the wine and the company.
“So how long have you owned this restaurant?” she asked, as the hovering waiter poured the last of a pinot noir bottle into her glass. Rachel knew the vintage was stupidly expensive but she couldn’t resist its delicate taste.
“About six months.”
“Branching out?” she asked, and Damien eyed her with an enigmatic expression on his face.
“Achilles Technology is merely a name,” Damien explained. “We don’t deal exclusively in the tech field.”
“It’s an interesting name,” Rachel offered. “Achilles.”
“It’s to remind me that everyone has a weakness.” He smiled, and a slight shiver went through her.
“And what’s your weakness, Damien?” Rachel asked somewhat brazenly, leaning back, but meeting his dark eyes directly.
“I fear I have the same uncreative weakness as any man.”
“And what would that be?” She asked, the light warning in her mind slipping away with another sip of wine.
“A beautiful, intelligent woman,” he said, reaching unexpectedly for her hands. Rachel felt a thrill flow through her body. Without tearing his eyes from her face, Damien dismissed the waiter.
There was no doubt in Rachel’s mind what he intended to do.
“I’m sure you meet lots of women in your line of work,” Rachel said, trying to keep the note of excitement from her voice as Damien rose to his full height. Slowly, he sauntered around the table to stand before her, towering over her with an undeniable desire in his eyes.
“I wouldn’t compare you to anyone else,” he said gruffly. “You’re different, aren’t you, Rachel?”
“I like to think so,” she breathed, as he grasped her hand and pulled her to her feet.
The soft background music seemed to come more into focus as they embraced and held each other’s gaze while dancing softly to its rhythm.
After what seemed like an eternity, his strong gaze piercing her soul, Rachel felt like he had connected to her, somehow. It was almost surreal, the sense of bonding that passed between them. Rachel shook herself mentally.
Damn, I think I could really fall for this guy.
The speed of the emotions alarmed her slightly, and she gently placed her hands on his shoulders and pulled back.
“I should probably get going ... it’s late. I need to cover for one of my staff early at the hospice tomorrow morning.” Rachel was startled by how husky her voice sounded to her own ears.
Damien pulled her back into his embrace, before bending his head to fuse his lips with hers. A sigh escaped her mouth, gaining him access to touch her tongue with his. Like an electric shock to her system, she gasped, allowing the kiss to deepen, fully intoxicating her more than the sweet wine had.
His hand caressed her back, moving slowly down to cup her buttock and draw her closer to him, revealing the full extent of his desire.
He pulled his mouth away from hers, yet kept her close to his body.
“We’ll save dessert for our next ... meeting ....” He calmly suggested, despite the raging evidence of his arousal for her.
“I — of course ... our next meeting,” Rachel was mortified to hear herself stumble over the words. She cleared her throat before continuing, “Given the advanced nature of your father’s illness, that next encounter should happen fairly soon?”
“I’ll call you tomorrow, when does your shift end?”
“I should be home by one.” Tomorrow? Really?
She found it hard to believe he was going to call her so soon. She struggled to not sound breathy, the heady effect of that kiss still holding her in its grip.
“I’ll have George take you home,” Damien said, pulling away to retrieve her coat. “He’ll be waiting outside.”
She nodded, studying his too-attractive face. He held out an arm for her to take and Rachel accepted it as they wandered out of the building.
Outside, George had already pulled up the car and waited by the backseat to let her in but he discreetly kept his eyes averted outward as they said goodnight to one another.
“Thank you for a lovely evening,” Rachel offered awkwardly, looking down. “Your restaurant is truly wonderful.”
“Thank you for coming to meet me, Rachel ... and for hearing me out regarding my father.”
“Of course,...we’ll figure this out,” she said again, touching his cheek gently, before turning toward the town car. But before she could take another step, Damien pulled her back into his arms and pressed his mouth to hers.
“I’ll call you tomorrow,” he promised gruffly, as the door closed behind her, leaving Rachel to watch him with skeptical eyes.
“Did you have a good time, Ms. Vaughan?” George asked, sliding into the driver’s seat.
“Yes, thanks, George.”
I did, didn’t I?
She couldn’t deny that she’d had a great time chatting with Damien. He had been charming and witty, two qualities she hadn’t found with the rich frat boys she’d known in her youth.
But boys grow up to be men, don’t they? Maybe I was always too judgemental about the wealthy kids I knew back then.
Rachel really didn’t have a gauge to know anymore. The only wealthy people she dealt with now were the ones dying in her care.
“Mr. Smythe is a good man,” George volunteered.
Rachel nodded at the driver. “He does seem that way, doesn’t he?”
Why would someone like him want someone like me? Was it only for the sake of his father, or was there more at play here? Those two kisses and that bulge in his jeans led her to believe that there was definitely some attraction – or was that just wishful thinking on her part?
She harshly pushed those thoughts away. Her concern had to be for his father first, not her own needs, vocal as they were at times. She swore that she’d had to speak sternly with her girl parts a dozen times this evening. It seemed that just looking into his arresting eyes was enough to wake up her hibernating libido.
Damn, she was in trouble…
Chapter 6
“You’re paying me double time and a half for this,” Chandra told him, throwing open the door to the inner office without knocking.
“You’re salaried,” he replied automatically. “But I can put you back to working hourly if you want.”
“As if there’s much of a difference,” Chandra chortled. “You still demand my life, basically.”
Damien didn’t respond, his mind elsewhere as he continued to stare blankly at the computer screen before him.
Chandra paused to study his face quietly.
“You’re distracted,” she commented, cocking her head to the side. A second later, light filled her face. “Oh! You got laid, didn’t you!”
Damien scowled.
Unfortunately, no, he thought, feeling his jaw clench at his own frustration. And he had felt that frustration all fucking night long – explaining his mood this morning.
“Get Ms. Smythe on the line,” he said, more to dismiss his secretary than because he wanted to talk to his sister.
“It’s Saturday, doesn’t she have therapy in her new group on Saturdays?”
Of course.
“You’re right,” he sighed. “I’ll call her later.”
“Seriously, why have you dragged me here on the weekend?” Chandra wanted to know, her rosebud mouth curling down into a sulk
y pout. “I have a life too, you know?”
“Then I should fire you for breach of contract,” Damien intoned. “I’m fairly sure that it reads that you are forbidden from having a life while you work for me.”
“It may as well,” she threw back at him. “All I do is run around for you.”
Damien scowled at her.
“What’s more important to you,” he demanded. “Your life…or me?” he pseudo-joked. “Look, if you need to go, go.”
Chandra just stared at him intently. They had worked together long enough, that although their relationship was unconventional for a boss and assistant, she was usually very good at reading him.
“Seriously,” he said, “I’m not in the mood to argue with you. I’ll find someone else to help me.”
Chandra looked at him closely, perhaps realizing that they weren’t bantering, as was their norm. She didn’t hesitate to share her feelings with him and he gave back as good as he got.
“Sorry, boss. I didn’t realize you were being completely serious.”
Damien eyed her balefully.
“Yes, I’m serious. I need you to do some more research for me into Vaughan Industries.”
“That shit again?” Chandra sighed. “Come on.”
Damien’s eyes flashed dangerously but Chandra didn’t seem to notice or care.
“Do I pay you to question me?” Damien growled, trying to force a note of intimidation into his voice but Chandra didn’t seem to give a shit. He clearly gave her entirely too much leeway in this company.
“You pay me to keep you functioning properly,” she retorted. “And fixating on a decades-old vendetta is hardly the way to run a business.”
“Chandra—”
“Jesus Christ, Damien, they were kids. You aren’t even old enough to remember what happened.”
“I remember exactly what happened,” he shot back. And what he didn’t remember, his sister and father had filled in for him in the days after the incident. “And I really don’t want to discuss this with you. You had no business digging into this in the first place.”
“Well, forgive me for not blindly following orders, master,” Chandra snapped back sarcastically.
“Chandra, you’re really trying my patience. Get me what I asked for. Especially focus on Rachel Vaughan.”
Chandra’s mouth pursed, her grey eyes narrowing suspiciously.
“What the hell does she have to do with anything?” Chandra wanted to know. He lowered his eyes and pretended to read the same screen he’d been staring at for the hour since he’d arrived in the office.
She’s not wrong. Rachel wasn’t the one who destroyed my sister, and then tried to destroy my father’s business when we were seeking justice.
But she was there! She laughed and taunted, just like her father did when Col fell apart!
The doubts made his stomach churn, worse than ever before. He’d had a much better time than he expected to last night. He really hadn’t counted on her being as down-to-earth and real as she had been. As he’d woven his lies around his father’s “cancer” he began to feel more and more guilt ridden by it. She did exactly what her mandate dictated she should do, understand his concerns, empathize with how he “felt” about his father “dying” and offer to support him and his family through this challenging time.
And after that ... that kiss, her passion ... his cock, Jesus! He could have had her right there in the restaurant, had common sense not prevailed. HER common sense, mostly.
“You didn’t answer me,” Chandra sighed again. “What does Rachel Vaughan have to do with anything?”
“You know what? Forget I asked,” Damien snapped. “Go home. I’ll see you on Monday.”
“Damien, what are you doing?” Chandra asked, her tone changing slightly to reveal a note of worry. “Is this your dad’s idea?”
Defensiveness fused down his spine and he glared at Chandra furiously.
“I know you think you have all the answers but you don’t,” he spat. “And my family affairs are exactly that—mine. Stop nosing around where you don’t belong.”
Chandra was unflappable and she stared at him, deadpan.
“Damien, you started this company to show your father that you didn’t need him. You built Achilles through your own sweat and blood. Don’t let his misguided ways drag you back down to his level otherwise you might as well dissolve Achilles into Smythe Corp and call it a day.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You don’t know what you’re doing!” Chandra barked back. “You’re fixating on something that happened twenty fucking years ago! I thought you agreed to let this go.”
Damien ground his teeth, knowing that the words she spoke were true—to a point.
So what if Dad suggested this again? It doesn’t mean I’m getting sucked back into his clutches. We’re doing this for justice. This is about family, not business.
“Again, I don’t owe you an explanation. Get out if you’re not going to help me.”
“I’m going,” Chandra agreed. “But not before you tell me what you’ve done.”
“I haven’t done anything!” he lied, guilt showering through him. “And whatever I do is none of your concern.”
“Rachel Vaughan is younger than you,” Chandra reminded him. “Maybe you don’t remember it like you think you do. Maybe she doesn’t deserve to be dragged into this vendetta that your father and sister have brainwashed you about.”
“I do remember what happened!” Damien yelled, slamming his fists against the desk. Chandra jumped at the unexpected reaction. “I saw my sister fall apart. I saw the ambulance. And her…body. I know what he cost her and I know what she did because of him.”
“You can’t possibly know the whole truth – you were a kid yourself!” Chandra insisted. “If you speak to—”
“I’m not doing this with you again, Chandra. Just get out so I can think.”
She held his gaze steadfastly, making no move to leave.
Damien ignored her, not willing to discuss it further.
Chandra released a huge sigh and turned away.
“For your sake, I hope you know what you’re doing,” she muttered. There was no note of confidence in her voice. “You’re so fucking much better than your father. Please don’t forget that.”
She left the office and Damien could only stare after her silently, his mind whirling. He was so torn but the plan was already in action.
Without giving himself any more time to think, he reached for his cell phone and dialled out, checking the time – she should still be at Hollywell.
“Rachel Vaughan,” she answered softly. Her honey-laced voice filled him with an unwanted warmth and an image of her full lips breezed through his mind.
“Hi,” he said. “It’s Damien.”
“Hey!” She didn’t even try to hide the happiness in her voice. “I guess you made it home all right last night.”
“Of course. And George assured me you did too.”
“He’s a good driver,” Rachel chuckled but he could hear the nervousness.
“Listen…I know it’s short notice but are you free tonight? There’s a Jazz Festival in Central Park on the Summer Stage. Is that something you’d be interested in?”
“That sounds lovely!” There was a husky note to her voice and before he knew what was happening, there was an uncomfortable bulge forming inside his boxers.
“I’ll send George for you around six ... we can grab a bite after?”
“Sure ... that would be great …” She trailed off.
“Is something wrong?” he asked.
“Not really,” Rachel rushed out. “I don’t want to ruin a moment between us, but…”
“You can tell me. What is it?”
“Well…your father. We will need to discuss plans for his care at some point soon.”
Damien chewed on the insides of his cheeks.
“Yes, of course,” he sighed, trying to find a way to put her off.
“I guess I was just trying to sweep all the unpleasantness under the rug. We can’t really do anything over the weekend, how about we enjoy the night and go over my options on Monday.”
“I don’t mean to be blunt, Damien, he’s in stage four cancer… we’ll want him to be settled and comfortable as soon as we possibly can.”
“Yes.” He didn’t know what else to say.
“I’m sorry. I’ve upset you now,” she apologized. Sometimes she was too pragmatic. It likely came from having to help with this planning stage for so many families.
“Not at all,” he replied. “We’ll go over the legalities involved next week.”
“Of course. So…I had trouble sleeping last night ...” Rachel confided suddenly. “I’m not sure why you have this effect on me,” she confessed softly and his shaft instantly responded to the words. Subconsciously, his wide palm rubbed against the material of his black dress pants and the heat of his crotch made him sigh.
No one said this had to be boring, he reasoned with himself, trying to silence the guilt echoing through his ears.
“Trust me, I know exactly what you mean,” he growled back. “I’ll see you tonight. We can discuss the effects we have on each other then.” He couldn’t stop the smile from entering his voice.
“Can’t wait,” she signed off and Damien dropped the phone back on the desk, his hand gripping his hardened shaft, beneath the desk. Chandra stormed back in then, so he casually moved his fist onto the top of the desk, glad that he hadn’t been standing.
“And what do you hope to achieve by this?” Chandra asked as though she hadn’t promised to leave. “What good will it do if you infiltrate their lives?”
Damien glowered.
“After everything you dug up on the issue, you really need to ask me that?” he demanded, but Chandra didn’t back down.
“I’m wondering if you even know what it is you think you’re doing,” she shot back, as she slid a folder onto his desk. Damien’s mouth became a hard line and the arousal which had filled his body evaporated as he remembered exactly what was at stake.
Revenge Revealed Page 5