by Lechna Baram
I blinked once. Twice. Trice. Then I started to realize what was happening. Someone broke into my room. I looked around, my heart racing in my ribcage. What if that person was still in the house? What if he was still in my room? I gulped and looked around to see if there was anyone there. Nothing. He was watching me. Even with the security guards, someone managed to break into the house. I quickly ran to the front door. I don't know how I managed not to break my neck running down the stairs. I opened the front door and ran outside. My hair was most probably a mess and when the cold chilly air touched my legs, I realized that I was still wearing my blouse and my ass was still half uncovered.
“Athena?” I rose my head to see Liam standing in front of me, with a torch in his hands. His eyes trailed down my legs and he raised his eyebrows in confusion. Just as he was about to talk again, the gate opened and Damian's car drove in. It didn't even reach the parking spot when I saw the car stopped. I watched as Damian got out, his eyes glaring at me. Well, at my bare legs. Damn. He hadn't even seen my ass yet. He walked towards us, his eyes never leaving me. Once he was close enough, he finally turned to acknowledge Liam's presence.
“What are you doing here?” Damian asked. We didn't know to who he was addressing as his eyes flickered from me to Liam. Liam opened and closed his mouth like a fish while I was busy tugging at my blouse so that it would seem longer. “What are you doing out here?” Damian asked again, his eyes now focusing on me. I blinked several times.
“I don't know. I just found her here,” Liam answered.
“Someone broke into my room,” I finally burst out. Damian's jaw clenched while his eyes hardened. “I–I was going to take a bath when I saw the words on the mirror,” I told him. I imagined my face right now. I was panicky and my hair was messy. Not to mention that I was all sweaty due to running down the stairs.
“Liam, call the police and inspect the guest room.” Damian ordered. Liam nodded before running away while talking on his walkie talkie. “And why were you going to take a bath at this time?” Damian asked, sounding angry. I watched as he started taking off his coat and quickly turned me around. I heard him take a deep breath. “You're nearly naked,” he said as he covered me with his coat. I held onto the coat and turned to look at him.
“I was reading a book in your library,” I told him, shivering a little bit because of the cold.
“Let's get inside,” Damian said and at the same time, Liam and the other security guard came. They both entered the house before us. Damian walked by my side and we walked behind the guards. “Check the house for any intruders and try to find out how they got into the house,” Damian demanded. Damian pulled me by his side, so I was resting my head on his shoulder. “Are you tired?” he asked softly. I nodded and pushed myself more into him. It felt good to be in his arms. I felt safe with him.
“I want to sleep,” I whispered, my eyes wanting to close. I should have gone to bed early. I have work tomorrow. What was I thinking? But again, what if I was in the room when the intruder came in?
“You're sleeping in my room,” Damian told me. Soon, I was being lifted in the air. Damian was carrying me bridal style to his room. I was actually too tired to realize how sweet he was. I heard the door open and a few more steps after, I felt the soft mattress under me.
“Stay with me,” I whispered, pulling him even closer to me. He lightly kissed my forehead and slowly unbuttoned my blouse before sliding it off my arms.
“Sleep. I'll be coming back. I'm going to talk with the security guards,” Damian whispered. I nodded, sleep slowly catching up on me. Then, I felt him put the covers on me.
Sleep soon welcomed me.
“Athena?” I felt the bed dip next to me. The familiar voice called me once again. I knew that I wasn't dreaming. Slowly I opened my eyes and saw Damian sitting by my side.
“Yes?” I answered, closing my eyes again, hoping to get the peaceful sleep that I just got.
“You're taking my side of the bed,” Damian told me, making me open my eyes in disbelief.
“You woke me up to tell me that?” I asked, my stare turning into a glare. He smirked and lightly smacked my ass.
“The problem is that you're taking both sides of the bed,” he told me, amusement glimmering in his eyes. I moved a little bit to look at my body. I was sleeping diagonally on the bed, hence taking nearly all the space. I turned and smiled sheepishly at him.
“Oops,” I said and moved a little bit so he could get into his side of the bed. I noticed that he was only wearing boxers to bed. I unconsciously licked my lips and observed how he got under the blankets with me. I turned around to sleep, trying to ignore the amazing feelings I was getting because Damian was sharing his bed with me. No sex. We were only sleeping. I was sleeping on my side and he was sleeping on his. I felt the bed move and Damian's body shift. Soon, arms encircled around me and the next thing I knew, I was being pulled into him. I could feel his bare chest against my bare back.
“Kitten,” Damian whispered as he buried his head in the crook of my neck and took a deep breath.
“Yes?” I answered, breathing softly, getting more comfortable in his arms. He lightly kissed my skin.
“You're not working tomorrow,” he told me.
“Why?” I asked.
“You seem tired,” he told me, making me scoff.
“I'm working tomorrow.”
“You're not.”
“I am.”
“You're not.”
“I am.”
“You're so freaking stubborn.” He sighed.
“I am.” I admitted, chuckling.
Chapter 36
Bad Idea
I woke up, expecting warmth around me. But there was none. I slowly opened my eyes to see that I was alone on the bed. Where did Damian go? I sat up and turned my head to look for the clock and when I saw none, I took my phone which was on the bed post.
What the hell?
It was currently ten freaking a.m. Damian didn't wake me up because he knew that I was going to go to work. I rolled my eyes and quickly got out of bed. I was going to work. Even if I was going to be late, I needed to get to work. I pulled a blanket and wrapped it around me. I rushed to my room and noticed that the door was closed. I tried to open but it was locked. I quickly ran back to Damian's room and took my phone. How was I supposed to get access to my things which were in my room? I dialed Damian's number and waited for him to pick up the phone.
“Yes?” his husky voice soon came on.
“How am I going to get the stuff I left in the room you've locked?” I asked, my hand on my hip. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes as I felt dizzy. Freaking head rush. Why the hell was I having a head rush right now? Maybe because I ran down the stairs. I could hear Damian chuckling on the other side.
“All your things have been moved to my room,” he said and I tried to register what he just said.
“Excuse me?” I asked in disbelief.
“You'll be sleeping in my room from now on,” he told me sternly. He was most probably waiting for my argument.
“And when am I returning back home?” I asked with a huff.
“Are you serious right now?” he asked as if I was plain stupid.
“I am.”
“Someone broke into my house, which was guarded by security, and you still want to return to your apartment?” he asked. Yeah. I was stupid. I scratched my head, trying to find something smart to tell him so that I wouldn't feel so stupid. Well, too late for that.
“I'll talk to you later,” I huffed before ending the call and turning my attention to the closet. Why did he have to move my things to his room? Where will he be sleeping? That was a stupid question. Why am I being so stupid lately?
I let the blanket fall to the ground and walked to the closet with nothing on but my bra and panties. I opened the door and when my eyes saw the huge closet, my jaw dropped open. His closet was of the same size as my room and Rose's room combined. I looked around and everywhere you'd see blac
k suits hanging. When I saw a little bit of pink, I realized that it was actually my clothes hanging over there. My shoes were placed just below them very neatly.
I looked for my work clothes and my shoes. I quickly took a towel and ran to the bathroom after putting everything on the bed. I took a quick bath then rushed outside again. I was already late, so I was trying my best to reach the office before noon. Damian was most probably thinking that I wasn't going to come.
After I was ready, I ran downstairs with my files in my hands and my handbag hanging on my arm. When I reached the porch of the house, my stomach grumbled from hunger. I huffed and walked towards the security. Liam was still on duty, which was pretty weird. When I approached him, he smiled and then his smile turned into a frown when he saw that I was wearing my working clothes.
“Where are you going?” he asked, sounding alarmed.
“To work.”
“Mr. Spears told us that you were not going today,” he said, looking at me.
“I am,” I said. “Aren't you supposed to be off duty?” I asked. This time, the frown was on my face. He sighed and smiled in a reassuring way.
“Mr. Spears called in all his security guards.” I looked around, realizing there were more guards than before.
“But you should be at home!” I exclaimed. “You go home.” I finally tried to order and watched as he started laughing. I glared at him, crossing my arms over my chest.
“My boss is Mr. Spears,” he finally said as he pretended to wipe a tear from his eyes.
“Your boss listens to me at times.” I boasted. “I can make him fire you,” I then added teasingly. He stopped laughing. He observed me for a few minutes and when he realized that I was not joking, he huffed.
“I'll tell him that you told me to go home,” Liam said. “Let me, at least, drop you off at work,” he begged. I needed transport to work so I nodded happily and followed him to his car. Liam was going to be an amazing friend here. I got in his car and he started driving to Damian's car.
“Thank you,” I told him, smiling. He nodded.
“You're welcome,” he said and gave me a side glance. “You don't seem to be worried about the intruder thing.” I shrugged and turned to look at him. He seemed so serious.
“I know I have guards like you,” I joked, making him chuckle. “But seriously speaking” I started again and watched as he rolled his eyes at me. “We all have to die one day. So why should we stress ourselves over something we can't control?” I asked. Liam scoffed.
“You can control the person who's trying to kill you, dumbass,” he added. “The other day, Spears brought you here and he seemed to be pretty worried about you,” he told me. “You should be more careful.”
“You seem to care about me,” I teased, trying to make the atmosphere more fun rather than serious. He nodded, a frown still on his face.
“Yeah,” he said. “I have a little sister who looks just like you and I see a good friend in you.” Just as I was about to talk, he continued, “And if I need some days off, I'll have you talking to Mr. Spears for me.” I laughed at his words but nevertheless nodded.
We soon reached work and I got out of the car after saying goodbye to Liam. He was sure someone fun to be around. I knew that the first day I met him. I walked to the elevator while smiling to myself. Just as I was about to reach it, I felt my head aching. What the hell was happening? I closed my eyes for a fraction of a second, which was a really bad idea because as soon as I opened them again, my head started spinning. I should have eaten something before coming. I got into the elevator and leaned against the wall for support. Maybe it was really a bad idea to come. I took deep breaths and tried to control my headache. Yeah, I didn't actually know what I was doing. I pressed on the button and the elevator door closed. Soon the dizziness and the headache faded, making me smile.
Ting!
The door opened and I walked out of the elevator. I quickly passed by Kelsey's office and waved before running to mine. I didn't even have the time to look at her face. I knew that she was looking at me though. I got into my office and sat down. Why was I so tired? I relaxed for a few seconds before starting to work. Just as I turned on the computer to study Damian's agenda for today, Kelsey walked into my office, looking quite surprised.
“Good morning. Mr. Spears told me that you were not coming today,” she said, looking quite confused.
“Well, seems like there's a change in plan,” I told her as I motioned for her to sit down. She did, observing me. I raised my head to look at her, trying to understand why she was looking at me like that.
“You look sick,” she finally said. What? I took my phone and turned on the front camera. Yeah, I looked pale. That's because I haven't eaten yet.
“I haven't eaten yet,” I told her. “Can you bring me some coffee?” I pleaded and watched as she nodded before standing up.
“I've got some biscuits in my bag. I'm going to bring them too,” Kelsey told me while walking away. I nodded. Damian had a meeting in ten minutes. I stared at the screen then closed my eyes again when I felt the headache resurfacing.
Holy shit. It felt as if someone was hammering my head. I groaned and put my head on the table to rest a little bit. Why did I have to be so freaking stubborn and come when I was told to stay at home? I should have stayed at home. I sat straight and tried to ignore the headache. I took the office phone, then dialled Damian's number.
“Hello?” he answered in confusion.
“You've got a meeting in ten minutes.”
“What?” he asked.
“You've got a meeting in ten minutes,” I repeated.
“What the hell are you doing here, Athena?” Damian finally snapped. “Get to my office, right now.”
I groaned, ending the call. I went to Damian's office and when I hesitated to open the door, I realized that Damian had a camera and he was most probably observing me. I walked in without knocking to see a frowning Damian.
“Yes?” I asked tentatively.
“Didn't I tell you to stay home?” Damian asked, his voice soft. He didn't snap. I nodded.
“I remember declining the offer.”
Damian stood his sexy self then ran his hand through his hair. I was concentrating too hard on him as I felt a wave of pain in my head, making me close my eyes and groan.
“What's wrong?” I heard Damian ask suddenly. I could hear the worry in his voice and that made my stomach flutter.
“Headache,” I simply said before opening my eyes.
“Sit down.” He ordered as he started walking towards me. Just as I moved my feet forward, I felt like the whole place was moving and the next thing I knew, I was falling down. “Holy shit! Athena.” I was on my knees, my hands over my head at the unbearable pain. What the hell was happening to me? My eyes were turning teary. I clenched my jaw, unable to bear the pain anymore.
“My head's burning,” I gasped, then felt arms enveloping around me. Soon, I was being carried. I heard the door open.
“I'm taking Miss Amington to the hospital. Cancel all my meetings and try to reschedule them for tomorrow.” I heard Damian order. I buried my face in Damian's chest, wanting to hide my horrible crying face. It was the first time I experienced such pain. I closed my eyes and the next thing I knew, I was being pulled into a dark soothing place. “Athena.” I heard my name being called. “Don't even think of sleeping.” I tried to open my eyes but I couldn't.
I simply couldn't.
Chapter 37
Hospital
“Follow the light.”
I sighed in annoyance as I stared at the penlight the doctor was holding. Damian was standing beside him looking extremely worried. I felt much better during the ride from the office to the hospital. I followed the light again and again and finally closed my eyes when I grew tired of it all.
“I'm fine now.” I huffed.
“What did you eat this morning?” the doctor asked as he started scribbling in his file. I shrugged, making Damian glare.
&
nbsp; “I forgot to eat,” I told the doctor.
“And last night?” he asked again.
What was he trying to do? Maybe he was trying to make Damian kill me? I decided not to answer, knowing that Damian was going to get pissed with my answer.
“Athena.” Damian urged.
I could hear the control in his voice.
“I forgot to eat,” I mumbled, staring at my hands. I could hear Damian taking a deep breath. Yeah, breathe in, breathe out.
“Then, young lady, we just found out the root of the problem,” The doctor said without looking away from the paper he was studying. “You should eat at regular times. The lack of food makes you weak and thus, you're more prone to get headaches, dizziness, and at times your stomach will ache as well,” The doctor told me. I nodded and turned to look at Damian who was glaring at me.
“Stop glaring at me!” I exclaimed, making the doctor laugh. Damian rolled his eyes and when the doctor stood up, Damian followed him outside. I stood up and put my high heels on. I was really hungry to be honest. I walked out of the cabinet, then tried to find Damian and the doctor. They were standing by the reception, so I walked to them. When I reached them, I gently tugged on Damian's arms to get his attention. He turned around to look at me. When his eyes fell on me, his facial expression softened. “I'm hungry,” I mumbled, making the corner of his lips tug upwards a little bit.
“I bet you are,” he responded smartly. I rolled my eyes but still stayed by his side like a good kid. The doctor gave Damian a small piece of paper and then walked away.
“What's that?” I asked, leaning my head against his arm as I was feeling really tired.
“Your medicines,” he simply said and we started walking to the main door of the hospital. Damian wrapped his arm around me, to keep me steady.
“Why do I need medicines?” I asked. “I simply need food. I'm hungry,” I huffed.
“You need medicine for the headaches,” Damian told me. I didn't know that he was that patient. I wrapped my arms around him, pulling him in for a hug. I was quite surprised to feel him hugging me back.