The Devil's Game

by Alex Strong

  “What?” she asked with a frown.

  “Just thinking how beautiful you look right now,” he said with a grin.

  “I can only imagine what a hot mess I must look like right now.”

  “You’re right about the hot part,” he said and she laughed.

  He kissed her before rolling back onto the bed and Karina slid out of it, intending to head back to her room to rinse off some of the sweat.

  “Where are you going?” he asked, reaching across the bed for her.

  “To my room. I need a shower.”

  “Use mine.”

  “Are you going to join me?” she asked.

  “I’m not sure if I can stand on my own two feet right now.”

  “Well you’ll know where to find me,” she said, walking into his bathroom and leaving the door open.

  “Give me a minute to gather my strength first,” he sighed.

  Karina turned on the water, giggling. She loved the idea of wearing him out. The water warmed quickly and she stepped in, expecting Damien to be right behind her. When she finally realized he wasn’t coming, she turned off the water and grabbed a towel. She walked back into the room to find Damien in exactly the same position she had left him in. Realizing now that she really had exhausted him, she pulled the twisted comforter up over him as best she could and kissed his cheek before returning to her room.

  Change of Plans

  When Karina came down the next morning, she was surprised to see Damien’s place setting still untouched—she had beaten him down to breakfast. Not by much, though, because he came striding in only a couple minutes behind her.

  “Good morning,” he drawled as he sat down.

  “Good morning,” she said with a smile. “How’d you sleep?”

  “Like a rock. I can’t believe I fell asleep on you last night. I had every—”

  Romi walked in, cutting him off. No one said anything as she brought out the jug of fresh orange juice.

  “Thank you, Romi,” he said before she walked away. “I had every intention of joining you in the shower,” he whispered when she left the room again. “I closed my eyes for a second and next thing I knew, it was morning and you were gone.”

  “I suppose you’ll just have to make it up to me then,” she said, leaning in close to him.

  “What did you have in mind?”

  “Hmm…” Karina gazed out the window behind Damien and saw the open water. “What if you take me out on the boat again?”

  The corner of his mouth went up, revealing a dimple. “That sounds like a great idea.” He looked at his watch. “We just have to be back by four,” he said with a frown.

  “Why is that?”

  “I’m flying up to New York tonight.”

  Now she frowned. “Why?”

  “I have a meeting tomorrow. It’s easier if I fly up the night before. I’ll be back tomorrow night.”

  “Will you do me a favor?” she asked.

  “Anything,” he said.

  “Will you have Tom give me a copy of your itinerary for the next two weeks?”

  There was a flash of something in his face again, the same as last night.

  “Because it’s getting real annoying not knowing if you’re coming or going,” she continued, ignoring it.

  “Absolutely,” he said. To her surprise, he pulled out his phone and started tapping away. “Done,” he said, setting it aside. “I’m sure he’ll have it to you before we leave. Now what do you say we get going on this boat trip so we have time for…other things?”

  She leaned toward him again. “I couldn’t agree more.”

  He held her face with one hand and kissed her, making her almost forget they were still sitting at the breakfast table.

  “You go change,” he whispered, finally pulling away. “And meet me at the boat.”

  Less than ten minutes later, Karina was boarding the boat, wearing smarter shoes that she had found among the closet’s collection.

  “You remembered,” Damien said as he glanced down at her feet.

  “I’m a quick study,” she said.

  “Does that mean I can let you sail for us today?”

  She grimaced. “Okay, maybe not that quick.”

  Once again Damien let her take the helm, and even though she would have been fine on her own, he remained behind her and she preferred it that way. This time, they stayed closer to the Miami shore, and he pointed landmarks out to her. Eventually they anchored, but instead of bringing a picnic basket up top, he led her to the berth below.

  “I was going to sleep with you the last time we were on this boat,” Karina said afterward as her naked body lay across Damien’s, her chin on his chest.

  “I don’t believe you,” he said and she laughed.

  “It’s true.”

  “Damn Tom.”

  “That’s what I said.”

  Karina turned her head so that her cheek was now flat against his chest, and he started caressing her back. Between the gently rocking ship and the steady beat of his heart, she was sure she’d fall asleep.

  “You should set an alarm,” she murmured. “Just in case we both doze off. Wouldn’t want you to miss New York.”

  “I was thinking about that. New York I mean. I think you should come with me.”

  She repositioned herself so she could look at him. “Really? Aren’t you just going to be in meetings the whole time? What would I do?”

  “It’s New York,” he said. “There’s plenty to do. My hotel is right next to Central Park—”

  “Of course it is.”

  “—so you’d be able to wander wherever your heart desires.”

  “Maybe…”

  “Have you been to New York before?”

  “I went once for a concert when I was a freshman in college. We only spent the night, though.”

  “You should definitely come with me. You deserve to see more of it.”

  “But aren’t you only spending the one night?”

  “Only for you,” he said. “If you came with, I could extend it a day or two.”

  Only for you. The words made her heart race, and she hoped Damien couldn’t feel it. He didn’t want her to be bored. Surely that’s all he meant by it.

  “I think,” she said, tracing her finger in a figure-eight pattern on his chest, “you just want me there to keep your bed warm.”

  “That would be a bonus, I suppose,” he said with a wicked smile. “Does this mean you’ll come?”

  “Oh, I’ll come,” she said, sliding a leg over his hips until she was straddling him. Leaning forward, she gave him a quick kiss before moving to nip at his ear. “I will definitely…come,” she whispered.

  It was with reluctance that they headed up top and made the journey back to the house. This time Karina wasn’t dreading it so much, since she no longer had to say goodbye to Damien. At least not tonight. As the house came into view, she was painfully aware that they had exactly two weeks and one day until she went home. She pushed the thought to the back of her mind, determined to enjoy every last second with him.

  “You should visit your parents while we’re up there,” Damien said as they climbed off the boat.

  She frowned. “You do realize that my parents don’t live in New York, right?”

  “Of course I do. But I could get you a train ticket. It’s only a couple hours’ ride, isn’t it?”

  “It’s a nice thought, but how am I supposed to explain why I’m popping in for the day if they think I’m in Miami?”

  “I don’t get it,” Damien said with a tilt of his head. “Tell them you’re in New York City for a couple days and wanted to say hi.”

  “But how do I explain what I’m doing in New York?”

  Damien grabbed her arm, pausing her. “What exactly do your parents think you’re doing down here?”

  “I told them I was down here for work, that I’m helping to open another store. What was I supposed to tell them?”

  “The truth?”

 
She laughed harshly. “You’re joking.”

  “Do they know anything about me?”

  She shook her head. “Why would they?”

  “Where do they think the money came from?” he asked, frowning.

  “I don’t know. But they have no idea it has anything to do with me.”

  “You mean they seriously aren’t questioning it?”

  “My mom wants to believe it’s a miracle,” she said. “Knowing my dad, he’s probably poking around. Don’t be surprised if you get a fruit basket delivered one day.”

  “Why wouldn’t you tell them about where you were going? About me?”

  “Because they never would have let me do this. They would’ve freaked at the thought of me going to spend a month with some guy I don’t even know, let alone because he paid all their bills. You must realize how this looks.”

  “Yet you came,” he said, his expression softening. “You didn’t tell them so you could come.”

  “I came because you kept your end of the deal. The truth is…” She remembered how she had planned to tell him the deal was off.

  “The truth is what?” he asked.

  “It’s nothing.”

  “The truth is what, Karina?”

  “There you two are,” Tom called out, and they both looked up to see him coming out onto the lawn. For once, Karina was glad for his intrusion.

  “You’re early,” Damien said, frowning.

  “I’m always early,” Tom said, looking puzzled. “I brought the itinerary you asked for. It’s on the kitchen counter.”

  “There’s been a change of plans for tonight,” Damien told him. “Karina’s coming with us.”

  “Oh,” Tom said with raised eyebrows.

  “I hope that’s okay,” Karina said.

  “He’s the boss,” Tom answered. It didn’t exactly make Karina feel any better.

  “And we’ll be staying an extra night or two if nothing comes up,” said Damien.

  “Of course.” Tom turned to Karina. “Do you need any help with packing?”

  “No, thank you. I think I’ve got it,” she said as the three of them headed back into the house. “Is there anything special I should bring, though?”

  “I’d recommend a good dress for dinner,” Damien told her. “Other than that, bring whatever you feel comfortable in.”

  “Got it. I’ll go get ready then.”

  As she left them in the kitchen, she couldn’t shake the feeling that they were waiting for her to leave before talking, and she paused around the corner.

  “What is it?” she heard Damien ask.

  “I’m just surprised you’re bringing her along,” Tom replied.

  “She’s my guest,” said Damien. “I can’t keep abandoning her.”

  “Ah, is that what it is?” Tom asked, and Karina rushed off to her room before she could hear anything else.

  She was right, Damien just felt bad about her being bored.

  Late that night, they were walking into Damien’s suite while Tom and the bodyguards retreated to their own rooms nearby.

  “You mean I don’t get my own room?”

  “I didn’t realize you would want your own room. Is it a problem?”

  “I’m sure I could make do,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck.

  “Are you sure?” he said, pulling her hips into him. “Because I could easily arrange for you to have your own suite.”

  “Then I’d just have to do the walk of shame to it later tonight.”

  “So you’re willing to stay here with me out of convenience?”

  “Only if you make it worth my while,” she said with a smile.

  “Then I guess I’d better get started.” He picked her up and she giggled as he carried her into the bedroom.

  Karina lay awake in bed while Damien slept soundly next to her, his arm across her chest. Too many thoughts were racing through her head, making it impossible to fall asleep. And they all centered around Damien.

  It was all his fault. She could be home now, asleep in her own bed, probably tired from another long day at the coffee shop. Now she wondered how she was supposed to go back to that life two weeks from now. How was she supposed to forget what Damien was doing to her, what he was causing her to feel?

  Deciding she needed some distance from him, she carefully slipped out from under his arm and put on the nearest article of clothing—Damien’s dress shirt on the floor by the bed.

  It smelled like him, but at least it wasn’t warm or breathing softly against her neck.

  She moved out to the living room and stood in front of the window facing Central Park. People were still milling along the sidewalks, even at this hour, but there was little movement in the park—just a maze of lights from the street lamps lining the paths.

  A chill swept over her and she stepped over to the couch, where she wrapped the throw blanket around her shoulders before sitting on it, tucking her feet beneath her. She laid her head on the armrest, her eyelids finally feeling heavy, and wondered if she had been right about there being no harm in staying until the end of the month.

  “Karina?”

  She opened her eyes to see Damien crouched down next to her, worry all over his face.

  “Is everything okay?” he asked as she realized she was still on the couch and light was streaming in through the window.

  “Yeah,” she said, sitting up. “I was having trouble sleeping and came out here. I didn’t mean to spend the whole night here.”

  “You’d tell me if something was wrong, wouldn’t you?”

  “Of course,” she lied. “Do you have to leave?”

  “Soon,” he said. “Do you have any idea what you want to do today?”

  “I’m not sure. Maybe visit some museums.”

  Damien stood up and pulled the wallet from his back pocket.

  “This should get you through the day,” he said, handing her several hundred-dollar bills.

  Karina looked at them, wanting to say no. The problem was that she didn’t actually have any cash of her own at the moment.

  “It’s okay,” he said with a chuckle. “They won’t bite.”

  “I just feel bad accepting it,” she said.

  “Don’t. I invited you up here, and I want you to enjoy yourself. I promised I would take care of everything for you when you agreed to come to Miami with me.”

  “I know. It’s just that—”

  There was a knock at the door.

  “That must be Tom,” said Damien.

  “I should go hide in the bedroom,” Karina said, standing. “He probably doesn’t need to see me in nothing but your shirt.”

  “Don’t worry,” he said with a small smile. “Tom’s gay, so it won’t affect him the way it’s affecting me right now.”

  She wrapped her arms around him. “It’s a shame you have to go,” she said as Tom knocked again.

  “If I came back and you were still wearing only that, I wouldn’t complain one bit.”

  “Go,” she said and kissed him before heading to the bedroom.

  “I’m leaving the money here on the table,” he called out. “Use it.”

  The door shut behind him and Karina climbed into the shower, excited to explore Manhattan.

  Karina was immediately glad she had agreed to come with Damien. Even though he was going to be in meetings all day, it was so much easier to get out and about on her own without relying on Damien’s staff.

  After spending the day exploring the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Guggenheim, she made it back to the room only a half hour before Damien.

  “I don’t know about you, but I’m starving,” he said as he loosened his tie. “You ready to head out for dinner?”

  “Are you kidding?” she called from the couch where she was sprawled. “I’ve just spent all day walking around. I need to rest my feet.”

  “We’ll eat here in the hotel. They have a great bistro downstairs.”

  “Will it require me to wear heels?”

&n
bsp; “Well, I wouldn’t recommend wearing sneakers,” he said as he sat on the edge of the couch.

  She sighed. “I don’t think I could squeeze my poor feet into anything tight even if I wanted to. Which I don’t.”

  He kissed her forehead. “I’m sure any flats you have will be fine.”

  “Thank you.”

  Ten minutes later, Damien had lost the tie completely and swapped his suit jacket for a sports coat. Karina came out of the bedroom in black flats and the same wrap dress she had worn to the engagement party and watched as Damien shook his head, smiling.

  “You do remember what I said about this dress, don’t you?” he asked, fingering the bow tied at her waist.

  “How could I forget?”

  He gave a gentle tug, not enough to loosen it. “I’m not sure we’ll make it down to dinner.”

  “I thought you were starving. So much so that you couldn’t let my poor little feet take a rest.”

  “I’ve changed my mind,” he murmured into her ear.

  “Too bad,” she said, pushing him away and walking over to her purse. “I’ve gotten dressed up for you. Now you’re taking me to dinner.”

  “Fair enough. But you might have to make it up to me later.”

  “Gladly,” she said with a wicked smile.

  There was already a small crowd at the hostess booth, and Karina watched as Damien shook hands with the maître d’, who left to go check on their table.

  “I could always tell him to put our name down for twenty minutes later,” he whispered as they waited.

  She fiddled with the lapel of his jacket. “You really think twenty minutes would be long enough?”

  “Probably not,” he said and kissed her right there in front of everyone.

  Her phone started ringing and she reluctantly pulled away, digging it out of her purse to see that it was her mom.

  “Hey, Mom,” she said, shooting Damien a glance just as the maître d’ returned. “What’s up?” she asked.

  “Karina, sweetie, are you in New York City by any chance?” her mom asked.

  “Why would you think that?” Karina asked, her heart beating fast.

  “It’s just that I’m sitting in a restaurant and I swear I saw you kissing some guy in the lobby.”