by Penelope Sky
He faced me again. “I prefer Annabella. Why would you want to shorten such a beautiful name?”
My mother had been the only one who liked to use my full name. Everyone else preferred the nickname. “I should get going. I’m already late.”
His eyes darkened like he knew I was lying. “I know what you’re going to say, but I’m going to ask anyway.”
When he’d dropped by the restaurant, I was annoyed because Liam had done that so many times. He assumed if he pestered me enough times, I might change my mind. Seeing another guy do the same thing brought back all those feelings of frustration. I had to remind myself that Damien wasn’t my ex-husband, that he couldn’t possibly understand where I was coming from.
He paused as he stared at me, taking in my features for a full minute before he continued speaking. “Let me take you out.”
I probably should have been flattered that a handsome, tall, muscular, rich guy came all the way down to my waitress job just to ask me out, but I wasn’t in the headspace to be flattered. I was still a mess from my divorce and particularly bitter about it. I was in my midtwenties and already divorced—my life wasn’t going well. “I’m not interested in dating right now.” I thought about giving him more of an explanation, but that shouldn’t be necessary. He knew I was divorced.
“Are you interested in fucking?” He asked the question with such confidence, it was obvious he had asked the same question before. With his straight shoulders thick and powerful, he held his body like a strong man who was nothing but muscle underneath that suit. He didn’t even blink as he asked something so blunt, like he had said worse things in his life.
“You just said you have no problem getting women, so you don’t need me for that.”
He took a step closer to me, bringing our bodies just inches from each other. His green eyes slightly shifted back and forth as he looked into mine. “True. But you’re the woman I wanna get.”
I’d been with other men since Liam, casual rendezvous that were just about physical satisfaction. The first few were awkward because I was getting used to being with someone else besides my husband. The others were fine, but not great. The best I’d ever had was Liam, and I was disappointed I couldn’t find anyone to replace him. Damien would probably be the same. “I’m not in the right place right now.”
His eyes dimmed in disappointment. “I’m not asking anything from you. No expectations, no commitments, no explanations. I am kinda going through something myself…and I’m in a pretty dark place. I understand how you feel.”
That was the first thing he’d said that actually intrigued me. I’d felt alone in this because I lost everyone close to me. I didn’t have any friends, relatives… I was on my own. It would be nice to have someone…a friend. “You’re divorced?”
“Pretty much.”
“You’re either divorced, or you’re not.”
“I said no explanations.”
Now, I was more intrigued. “I may be bitter about my divorce, but I won’t be with a man who’s made a commitment to someone else. I won’t be the other woman. That’s nonnegotiable.”
“Then we have no problem. I have no commitments.”
I stared at him with slight confusion because I wasn’t sure what I’d just agreed to. One moment I was walking away from him, and now I was talking about a physical relationship I had somehow entered into.
“So, I can call you some time, Annabella?” He spoke in that same deep voice, looked at me with those same deep eyes. When he was serious, he was so potent I could feel his energy in my blood.
“Yeah…I guess. Let me give you my number.”
“I already have it.” He turned and walked away.
32
Damien
I’d never chased down a woman.
Not once.
Most of the time, women came to me. Maybe they just wanted good sex. Maybe they wanted to be taken out to a place they could never afford on their own. Maybe they just wanted to make their ex jealous. Whatever the reason, they came to me.
Annabella was different. Cash and suits didn’t impress her. She wasn’t afraid to start over and get her hands dirty. So, I really had nothing to offer her, nothing that would catch her attention.
Until I told her I had my own problems.
It wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the full truth either. But if our relationship was just physical, I guess it didn’t make a difference. Ever since she’d stepped into my office, I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her. A part of me wanted to help her. A part of me wanted to know all the details of her divorce. And another part of me just wanted to fuck her.
With Hades gone, I felt isolated. Sofia was my only other friend…but I’d burned that bridge. Every time I looked at her, I had to think about the asshole I despised. I already had to deal with him at work, so I didn’t want to think about him a second longer than I had to.
It really did feel like a divorce.
We hated each other, and we hated each other because there had been feelings there once…a long time ago.
I waited a few days before I called her because I had shit to do. The Skull King stopped by and wanted to have a conversation, but I wasn’t going to crawl to him like some obedient servant. So, I was working a lot preparing for that unexpected visit. With Maddox gone, I was running the city and the entire country. It was a lot of territory for one person, and I lost a lot of sleep because I was too busy making money. The bank was hectic too. It made me wonder if Hades could really handle it if I did step away.
I doubted it.
I sat in my office at the end of the day, leaning back in my chair. I dialed the number into the phone and stared at the screen before I finally had the courage to connect the call. I’d never been a nervous guy, even with a gun pointed at my head, but this woman made me nervous. She was different from the others, smart and independent. She was even different from Sofia.
It rang a couple times before she answered. With a deep voice that was soft as a rose petal, she answered. “Hello?” She possessed an innate level of professionalism, like a secretary. But there was always a hint of unmistakable sass. She didn’t take shit, and she subtly gave off that vibe.
“Get a drink with me.” I refused to state who I was because my voice did it for me. I wanted to see her tonight, to see her sit across from me with her beautiful long hair and a short dress. I wanted the night to conclude in my bed, but I was also fine if it didn’t. My loneliness made me crave things that had never been on my palate before. My closeness with Hades gave me intimacy I’d never needed from someone else. He was family to me, and even though he’d been gone a long time, the wound was still fresh.
“Depends. Who is this?”
“Annabella, you know who this is.” I liked the way she could hold herself in a conversation without making a nervous giggle or saying random shit just to fill the silence. She was confident, and that was sexy. I imagined she was hit on all the time at work, that I wasn’t the only one who’d waited for her to clock out and leave.
“Arrogant and demanding…I think I know someone who fits that description.”
“And tall and sexy. You forgot those.”
A quiet chuckle came over the line. “I can’t hear those things.”
“Trust me, you can.” I could definitely hear her long sexy legs. I could hear her soft hair. I could hear her smooth skin under my soft lips. “You want me to pick you up? Or do you want to meet there?”
“Presumptuous…”
“No. Presumptuous would be me telling you to come over right now.” It would be ideal if she came over and we got straight to the point, but I didn’t mind a night of conversation. She was so pretty, it would be foreplay.
“I’ll meet you there.”
I’d rather her not walk there alone, but I knew I couldn’t be suffocating like that. If this was casual, I had to act casual. “Alright. I’ll see you soon.” I gave her the name of the bar, hung up the phone, and left my desk. When I stepped
into the hallway, I wished I had picked a better time because Hades and Sofia were about to pass by.
Hades had her hand in his as he guided her along, tall and proud and always protective. He knew I was standing there, but his eyes remained forward as if he didn’t know I existed.
Sofia was the only one who looked at me, and she gave me a sad smile like she didn’t know what else to do. I’d been an asshole to her last time we spoke, so she wasn’t very warm to me. She looked at me in acknowledgment but didn’t actually say anything.
I stared back and watched them walk away.
We sat together at the bar, side by side on the stools.
She had elegant posture and held her back perfectly straight with her legs crossed. Black heels were on her feet, and she wore a short black cocktail dress. Her hair wasn’t constricted in a ponytail. It was big, luscious, and all over the place. It was in curls like the first time I saw her. She possessed a lot of features that were beautiful and intoxicating, but something about her hair really turned me on. It wasn’t just the length or the shine, it was something else altogether. Or maybe it was everything combined.
She ordered a gin and tonic when she’d first arrived, which surprised me. She seemed like a woman who would order red wine or some shit like that. But she ordered a stronger drink, something I might order depending on my mood.
I wasn’t much of a talker, so I spent my time staring at her, mesmerized by all the perfect features of her face. I tried to remember the last time I’d seen a woman this beautiful, but I couldn’t recall. Maybe that occasion never existed.
She tilted her head back and took a drink before she set down the glass again. “You stare a lot.”
“You’re easy to stare at.” I grabbed my scotch and pulled it closer to me but didn’t take a drink. I’d been drinking too much these last few months, and I constantly kept canceling my doctors’ appointments because I didn’t want to be told that my liver was dying.
She turned her attention back to me and stared at me with the same intensity. “See how it feels?”
“I think it’s hot.”
She smiled slightly before she turned back to her drink.
Since I didn’t want to interrogate her about her divorce, I didn’t have much to ask her. Her walking into my office and demanding to be removed from his accounts was the only shared experience that we had. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t interested in the details. If they were divorced and he still wanted her to have his money, that could only mean he’d fucked up. He probably cheated, but that didn’t make sense because why would a man cheat on a woman like that? “How do you like your new apartment?”
“I like it a lot.” She rested her hand over the top of her glass, as if she were afraid someone would spike it if she looked away for a few seconds. “I got a good deal on it, and it’s close to work. It’s not in the best neighborhood and it’s a little small, but it has everything I need.”
I didn’t like imagining her in a dangerous area, so my initial impulse was to buy her a beautiful place. But that would offend her, and it would be totally inappropriate on my end. I didn’t even know this woman. It didn’t matter how many billions of dollars I had; I shouldn’t spend any of it on someone I hardly knew. “What are your plans for the future?” I assumed she didn’t intend to be a waitress forever, but I didn’t want to ask her what other skills she had because that would make me sound like an ass.
“What kind of question is that?” She turned back to me. “What are your plans for the future, Damien?”
I took a drink before I answered. “The same shit I always do. Work.” I didn’t have much of a life, but that had never bothered me until recently. I used to work, fuck, and then do it all over again. It was satisfying…until Hades left. Now, I was alone all the time, tortured by my guilt and regret. “To be honest, I don’t have a lot in my life. I don’t have a lot of friends or family. I’m a slave to my job.”
Instead of judging me, her eyes softened. “I don’t have anyone either.”
My other hand rested on my thigh, and there were times when I wanted to reach out and rest my fingers against her knee. I wanted to touch her like she was mine, but she was different from other women, so I couldn’t do those things. “I find that hard to believe. You’re a lovely person.”
“Even if that’s true, it doesn’t matter. After my divorce, people took sides. And of course, they sided with him.”
Why would they do that if he was in the wrong? Maybe she was the one at fault after all. “Why did they choose him?”
“He’s the one with the money.” She rolled her eyes and took a drink.
Since she didn’t elaborate, I didn’t pry.
“The bank closes at five, so I’m surprised you have to work so much. Don’t you own it?”
“True. But I have a second job.” If her husband used our services at the bank, he wasn’t a clean-cut guy. He must break the law in many ways. She was either aware of that or completely in the dark. The fact that she didn’t want his money made me wonder if his criminal activities were the reason she was opposed to it. If she knew I was a drug dealer, would she walk out right now? I didn’t want to lie, but I didn’t want to ruin this before we even had a chance.
Thankfully, she didn’t ask. “I might have to get a second job too, but I’m sure my reasons are different from yours.”
“What did you have in mind?” I could get her a good job somewhere with a nice salary, but I suspected she would reject my offer. Maybe after we got to know each other a little better, she’d be more receptive to it. I could tell this woman was too proud to take a handout. I admired her for it even though I didn’t like it. But the thing that surprised me the most was myself. Why did I want to help her at all? Why did I care?
“Maybe bartending.” She turned on her stool, and her knee gently grazed mine. She had beautiful tanned skin that didn’t possess a single flaw. Her body was toned like she did weights or some other form of exercise. “Maybe stripping.”
Both of my eyebrows rose up my face. “You’d be a damn good stripper.”
She chuckled slightly at my reaction.
“I’d be in the front row every night.”
She chuckled again. “I’m kidding. My ex-husband would march in there and drag me out by the hair.”
I wasn’t sure how long they’d been divorced, but I was surprised he still felt involved in her life. “You don’t seem like the kind of woman that would let that stop you.”
Her smile faded away, but her eyes had a new look. They softened like warm butter. She took me in with an expression she hadn’t given me before. “I could use the money…but not the headache.”
“You could strip for me…privately.” I smiled so she knew I was kidding…even though I wasn’t kidding.
That pretty smile was back, and her shoulders relaxed now that she was growing more comfortable around me. She ran her fingers through her hair and pulled it from her face. I noticed the way her fingertips glided through the curls so easily.
I wanted to do the same thing.
“Truth is, I don’t have a lot of work experience. I got married too young and didn’t work for years. I’m basically starting over.”
“You’re still young. Have plenty of time to do anything you want. Question is, what do you want to do?”
She considered the question in silence, swirling her drink as she tried to find an answer. “I really don’t know. Right now, I’m just looking for a stable job that pays the bills.”
“I always have positions at the bank…if you’d be interested in that.”
Thankfully, she wasn’t offended by the offer. “That’s sweet, but no thank you.”
“You could be my secretary…or sex-retary.”
“You already have a secretary.”
“But you’re way sexier.” I winked at her.
Even when she laughed, she was beautiful. Her lips parted, and all her beautiful teeth were visible. Her eyes crinkled in the cutest way. “I don
’t think that’s a very good qualification.”
“Depends on what you’re trying to get done. Having a beautiful woman in my lap is far more important to me than expense reports, meetings, all that boring bullshit.” I could visualize it now, her dress riding up and exposing her slender thighs as she straddled my hips.
“Sounds like you wouldn’t be in business long.”
I shrugged. “I do have my other job, so…”
She grabbed her glass and took another drink, this time finishing it off. She didn’t ask me about my other occupation, and this time, it seemed purposeful.
“You want another?”
She pushed the empty glass away. “No. I’ve already had two. That’s my limit. Any more than that and I lose my mind and think I’m a wizard.”
I chuckled. “I’d like to see that. I have a wand for you to use.”
She smiled slightly at my joke. “Thank you for not asking a million questions about my divorce.” Maybe the alcohol had suddenly hit her hard and made her vulnerable. When I’d shown up at her restaurant, she had been a spitfire of anger and sass, but now she was calm and interesting…the way she was at the bank. “Every time I go out with a guy, they fixate on that. They ask me a million questions, and it feels like an interrogation.”
“You can tell me as little or as much as you want.” I had to admit I was curious, but I was glad I hadn’t asked. It seemed to make her more comfortable around me. I hadn’t looked into her husband’s account to figure out what he did or what he was like. I thought it might make me jealous, so I refrained. “I would like to know how long you’ve been divorced, but you don’t have to tell me that.” It seemed like it was fresh because she was still on his account and she’d just bought her own place, but she talked about other men, so some time must have passed.
“It’s been six months.”
I could barely control my reaction. That was a long time, and I was surprised she wasn’t able to get herself off his account until recently. I was surprised she hadn’t gotten her own place before now. A million questions came into my mind, but I didn’t ask any of them.