The blonde woman turned to look at Katrina, whose face burned with her embarrassment. Where was Damon? Why did he leave her there sleeping on the floor to be fondled by monkeys and stared at by...
She quickly surveyed the other woman, who was dressed in a light brown uniform, with a nametag identifying her as Faith, and that she worked at the Houston South Zoo. She let out a loud sigh. So this was the zookeeper. She didn't look like much of a zookeeper; she looked like she belonged on a cover of a magazine. It was apparent she wasn't wearing a stitch of make-up and she was still a stunning woman. Katrina felt a pang of jealousy. This woman was here every day?
Faith stared back at her. She didn't seem to be any more pleased to see Katrina as Katrina was to see her. The zookeeper had a thing for him; there was no doubt in Katrina's mind. Had he had a fling with her too? He'd admitted to having a fling with his secretary, did he fuck all his female staff?
*****
"What's going on?" Damon rushed into the room and skidded to a halt as he watched the two women eye each other, sizing each other up. Ahhhh shit, he groaned inwardly. He'd been busy in his office and hadn't expected for Faith to enter the house. Usually when she came in she announced herself, she hadn't today.
Both women turned their attention to him and Faith was the first to speak. "Damon. Hi, I ummm... Kimmy decided to explore and I lost her." She shrugged. "Found her in here with..." She turned her eyes back to Katrina.
Letting out a loud sigh, Damon nodded as he walked over to Katrina, slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her tight. "Well, Faith this is my fiancée, Katrina."
Faith's smile fell and her expression went blank. He knew she was taking the news hard. She had a thing for him for close to a year now, he hadn't encouraged her, but at the same time he hadn't discouraged her either. He enjoyed the younger woman's company, but at the same time he didn't have that 'click' feeling towards her so never pursued anything more than friendship with her.
Katrina cuddled up against him, a smile forming on her lips as she glanced up at him and caught his gaze.
"Oh," the zookeeper finally managed to get out once she got over her shock of the engagement. "That was fast. I didn't even think you were dating someone?" She frowned, keeping her eyes focused on him.
"Yeah, well..." He cleared his throat.
"Nice to meet you, Faith. I look forward to getting to know you better." Holding the blanket she had wrapped around her tight to her chest, Katrina extended her hand to Faith. The younger woman accepted her hand, giving it a quick shake.
"Good to meet you, Katrina." She motioned towards the door. "I'm going to leave now. The animals are taken care of for the day." She scampered away with Kimmy seated on her shoulder before Damon could respond, closing the door firmly behind her.
Katrina slipped from his embrace and he didn't have to look down at her face to know she was angry. As he lowered his gaze to hers, sure enough, there was fire in her blue eyes and not the kind that was in them last night when they were making love. She was indeed pissed.
"Did you fuck that one too?"
Damon fought to keep a smile from emerging on his lips. He'd forgotten how sexy she was when she was angry and how much of a temper she had when other women were involved.
"Well." She tapped her bare foot as she waited for his response.
"My God, you're sexy when you're jealous," he couldn't help but tease.
"I. Am. Not. Jealous," she hissed, poking him in the chest to accent each word.
A bout of laughter overtook him. He couldn't help it. She was just too damned cute and it brought back so many memories.
"This isn't funny. I'm serious," she protested, but a grin was fighting to emerge on her lips, he could see the corners of her lips lifting. "You left me alone to be fondled by monkeys."
"We've been engaged for less than twelve hours and already we're fighting." He tisked at her softly, and pulled her into his arms.
"We're not fighting," she defended, the smile breaking out on her lips. "I was asking a question."
He laughed again and lowered his lips to hers. "Uh-huh. I'd forgotten how jealous you get."
"I'm not jealous, but she gave me a look and you admitted to having that fling with your secretary." She kissed him back, releasing the blanket and sliding her hands up his chest and lacing her fingers behind his neck, pressing her naked body against him.
His cock immediately sprang to life, pressing against his jeans. He wanted to take her again. He'd been having a hard time trying to get any work what-so-ever done that morning because his mind kept going back to her and their night together.
He gave himself a moment to run his hands down her back and caress her bottom, while he deepened the kiss, his tongue searching out hers. He was tempted to pick her up, toss her onto the sofa, strip naked and spend the afternoon filling her over and over, but he had stuff to do and it wouldn't get done indulging his cock, no matter how much he wanted to.
With great reluctance he pulled away from her, and stepped back. "Honey, I gotta run into Houston for a few hours so you'll have to entertain yourself. Explore the house. Make yourself at home. If you want to go into the city, maybe do some shopping I can give you one of my credit cards and you may shop to your heart's content. Just take whatever car you want, the keys to them all are in the top left hand drawer of my desk."
Her face fell, disappointment registering in her expression.
"It's not a business thing, I promise. You'll like it. I just gotta do this on my own. But I won't be long."
Her smile reappeared, but not as bright. She fingered the collar of his light blue, pinstripe, button down shirt. "Okay. I'll stay here. But you're all mine tonight?"
He hooked his index finger under her chin, tilted her face upwards and he kissed her softly. "All yours. In fact, there is going to be a delivery in a few hours for you and I have something really special planned for us."
"Really?"
"Really," he confirmed.
*****
"Just make sure it happens, Kevin." Damon ended the call, not waiting for Kevin's reply as he pulled his Lamborghini into a parking slot in front of Gamble and Fennel fine jewellers. They had the best of the best in Houston when it came to engagement rings. He'd rather of had one custom made for her, but considering they were on a time crunch he had to make due.
Getting out of the car, he closed the door, locked it with a press of a button and made his way into the lavish boutique. He immediately walked past the display cases towards the back of the shop. He'd already called ahead and apparently they were supposed to have the perfect ring for him.
As he made his way towards the back of the store his eyes caught sight of a stunning yellow sapphire pendant suspended from a diamond chain set in platinum, with matching diamond pear drop diamond earrings. They were perfect for her and would match the yellow satin gown he was having delivered to the house this morning. Without even bothering to look at the price he kept moving towards the back counter where he was supposed to meet with a man named Ralph Gamble, the owner of the shop.
As he approached, an elderly gentleman entered the showroom from the back to greet him.
"Mr. Gamble," Damon asked, extending his hand to the gentleman.
"Yes, Sir. And you would be Damon?"
"I would. Before you bring me the ring," he turned and pointed to the case in the center of the room featuring the yellow sapphire necklace, "Could you have someone wrap the necklace in the center showcase for me along with the earrings and a matching bracelet."
"Of course, Sir." The jeweller motioned to one of the younger female saleswomen who was within hearing range. "Please box the Esmeralda diamond set, Jenny." Reaching under the counter he produced two velvet cases. The first he opened displayed a perfectly cut 5ct oval diamond in a platinum setting. The second featured a matching platinum wedding band set with three diamonds on the top of each of the bands. The sparkling of the diamonds was mesmerizing under the soft florescent lighting.
"Your fiancée is a very lucky woman," Ralph commented, motioning to the rings. "These are some of the best cut diamonds you can find anywhere."
Damon smiled as he removed the ring from the case and inspected it a little closer. The light danced off of the edges of the diamond. The funny thing was that Katrina would have been happy with a ring from the showcase of Wal-Mart. She'd never been the kind of woman to demand much. She'd been struggling for so many years financially, now that she was in his life, as far as he was concerned she would only get the very best from now on. She deserved that much at the very least, because what she was offering to give him was priceless.
Chapter 12
"Delivery for Miss Alexander," a young FedEx delivery man announced as Katrina opened the front door. Juggling a long white box under his arm, the delivery man thrust an electronic signing device at her, pointing to the spot for her signature. "Sign here."
Katrina signed and accepted the white box secured together with a large silver ribbon and bow. She closed the door with her hip, as she pulled the card from under the ribbon. She made her way into the living room and placed the box onto the oval coffee table. She then opened the envelope and pulled out the card.
For tonight, I know you'll look amazing in it. Love you, Damon.
A wide grin spread across her lips as she opened the box to reveal a yellow satin gown. Standing, she gently pulled it out of the box, and examined it at arm's length. The dress was floor length and sleeveless, with a v-cut that dipped low, appeared to be form-fitting and flared out at the bottom. The satin was so soft in her hands that she couldn't resist the urge to bring it to her cheek and rub her face against it. It was beautiful, easily the most stunning dress she'd ever owned. Along with it, the box contained a matching purse and golden, glittering strappy heels.
"You got the dress I see."
Spinning around, her grin widened as she set her eyes on Damon, looking as sexy as ever in a black suit, with the blue pin-striped shirt he'd been wearing earlier. "Thank you so much. I love it!" she squealed rushing across the room and into his arms. "You don't need to buy me stuff. I'm happy just to be with you again." She pressed herself against him and kissed his lips lightly. "Thank you, thank you, thank you."
Damon chuckled, "You're welcome."
She stepped back and examined the dress again, feeling like a princess and praying it would fit. "I really don't need you buying me stuff."
Damon's smile faded and he shrugged. "In that case, I guess I can take this back."
Turning back to him, her eyes quickly caught sight of a brown bag dangling from a string on his finger. "Well, we can make one more exception." She rushed back to the coffee table and gently placed the dress back into the box, feeling like a child on Christmas day.
She spun back around to see Damon standing behind her, the parcel for her still suspended from his index finger. Taking the bag, her heart rate accelerated as she peeped inside.
"Well, open it!" Her eyes met his and she could see his excitement was at par with hers. As kids he'd always loved buying her little things. Neither one of them had much in the way of money so they couldn't afford much, but it hadn't been about the money. It had always been about the thought.
Sitting back down and with trembling fingers she pulled out a medium sized narrow box. Opening the white box she was confronted with a black velvet jewellery case.
"Damon, you really don't need to spoil me," she said as she slowly opened the box. Despite her protest, she loved that he had.
"In that case, I can take it..."
She slapped his hands away from the box. "No. You already bought it."
Chuckling, Damon sat back onto the sofa and watched intently as she continued opening the box and gasped. Katrina's blue eyes widened, hardly being able to believe what she was looking at. The diamonds sparkled unlike anything she'd ever seen before. She didn't even have to know the price to know the contents of the box cost more than she'd make with two years wage, at the hotel.
Her legs felt weak under her and she sat down next to Damon, as she fingered the stunning necklace. The diamond bangle bracelet and earrings were equally as stunning, but it was the large yellow sapphire that kept her eyes drawn to it.
"This is too much Damon," she gasped as she continued to finger the beautiful diamonds. "I don't know what to say."
Damon took the box from her and set it onto the coffee table, next to the dress. Grabbing her hips, he pulled her over to him. Katrina stretched out over him and kissed him softly. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." He ran his fingers through her long locks, taking a moment to watch the golden strands falling from his fingertips. "There is one thing you can do for me."
Katrina nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, anything."
"Put the dress and jewellery on. We have a little function to go to. I tried to get out of it, but it's a charity thing and it was strongly suggested we attend." His hands snaked their way around her waist, holding her secure to him.
Katrina's spirits fell. She hated the idea of sharing him this evening. She was being greedy, she knew she was, but after the previous evening with him the only thing she could think about was the feel of his hard, naked body against hers. She'd been itching to masturbate all day, but she'd restrained herself waiting for him.
His grin widened upon seeing her disappointment. "It'll be a couple hours at the most; we'll try to escape within an hour."
She nodded. "Okay." She ran her index finger down the front of his shirt. "And then you're all mine for the rest of the evening?"
"To do whatever you want with," he confirmed, brushing his lips across her temple.
She wiggled onto him, and relished the sound of his sharp intake of breath and the feel of his growing dick against her. "Mmmmm. You're making it too tempting an offer to refuse."
"Good." He gave her ass a quick, but smarting slap, making her yelp in both surprise and because of the sharp burn that came from the slap.
Pulling back and getting to her feet she growled at him, eyes narrowing. "You'll pay for that mister."
Damon laughed, mischief dancing in his dark eyes. "Oh promises, promises." Getting to his feet, Damon picked up the box with the dress in it and nodded towards the jewellery case. "Come on. Let's get ready for the ball, baby."
She cocked a brow up at him. "A ball. Are you serious?" She grabbed her beautiful new necklace, earrings and bracelet.
"As a heart attack, sweet thang," he attempted a Southern drawl, but failed miserably. He attempted to give her rump another smack, but she scampered out of the way and turned the tables on him, giving him a taste of his own medicine, smacking him soundly on the rear.
He made a soft 'omph' sound and growled at her. "Oh, you're going to pay for that missy."
"Gotta catch me first!" Without waiting for a response she clutched her jewels to her chest and sprinted from the room on her way towards the stairwell leading to the bedrooms on the second floor. She heard laughter behind her, along with his heavy footsteps in hot pursuit. She doubted she'd mind all that much if he caught her, but at least wanted to make him work for it - if even just a little bit.
*****
Katrina stepped into the satin gown and wiggled as she pulled it up and slipped the straps over her shoulders. How he knew what her size was still baffled her, she'd gained some poundage since they were younger, but it seemed everything Damon did was perfect... Well, except for the idea of driving the Ferrari to the lookout, but she'd cut him some slack on that considering he was trying to be romantic.
Brushing her loose hair over one shoulder, she reached behind her and attempted to pull the zipper up, but was only able to get it part of the way. She groaned her frustration and sighed. Leaving her massive dressing room, which was easily as big as her apartment in Bangor, she entered the bedroom she was going to be sharing with Damon to search him out.
She stopped in mid-stride when she laid eyes on him. Standing in the middle of the bedroom, adjusting a cuff-link
was Damon wearing a tuxedo and looking so drop dead sexy that it took her breath away, rendering her speechless.
He turned his eyes toward her and a wide smile broke out on his face.
"I... Ummmm." Katrina frowned. Her words seemed to leave her.
Damon cocked a brow at her, his grin widening.
"Yeah, I..." She spun around. "Zipper." Holding her hair up, she waited, breath held. She was about to turn back around when she heard his footsteps behind her.
Damon touched her shoulders, sending a shiver through her, igniting the fire between her legs. Leaning into her, he bent down and grazed his lips up the side of her neck. "You smell incredible," he murmured, his lips moving closer to her ear lobe.
She closed her eyes and leaned back against the hard wall of his chest. His cologne overtook her, sweeping her up. She longed to lose herself in his arms and in the smell of his cologne. Damn, she wished they didn't have whatever charity function it was that they were going to attend and that they could just spend the evening naked and in each others' arms.
"So do you," she managed to choke out.
He straightened back up and slowly tugged her zipper up, the bodice of her dress tightening around her modest breasts. "Stay there a second and I'll put the necklace on you."
Chewing at her lower lip, she nodded. Excitement welled up within her. She really was going to be the princess of the ball. Her... Katrina Alexander... a banquet server for a hotel in Bangor was being lavished in diamonds and beautiful clothing. It had to be a dream. Any minute she'd wake up and it would be all a cruel dream and she would be going back to her life as a server, avoiding the landlord because she didn't have the rent for him.
Damon stepped up behind her and then slipped the diamond necklace around her neck, the yellow sapphire landed just over her breastbone. Despite her building excitement over going to whatever event he was taking her to, she was craving his touch, the apex between her legs becoming increasingly wet.
An Heir For The Billionaire Page 9