by Julie Olsen
His fingers tightened on mine and he leaned down to my ear.
“Expressly and explicitly, Olivia.”
My inner muscles clenched as a tremor moved through me at his dark words. Although I was still slightly ticked at his method, another needier part of me wanted to do exactly as he said.
Ignoring the raging feminist on my shoulder, my mini temper tantrum started to take a backseat. He was right. We had been fools thinking Travis would just leave us alone. If he was back, we shouldn’t stay in plain view.
I signed. “Okay.”
Damien stared down at me and a slow smile tugged at his lips.
“Good girl,” he whispered.
He straightened and addressed Lucy. “There is nothing preventing him from making good on his house-burning threat. It’s simply not safe here.”
Lucy swallowed, considering his words. “All right, I agree. I’ll call James. I can stay with him.” She smiled wistfully. “After all these years of asking me to move in, I guess he’ll finally get his wish.”
I turned my head at the resignation in her voice, but she pointedly avoided my eyes.
“It’s settled then. In the meantime, I will have a security detail posted here so you need not fear he can harm you.” He turned to me. “It would be helpful if I could have a phot of Dunn.”
“I can do that,” I say, biting my lip at the thought of poring through old boxes. “I’ll give it to Paul when he picks me up.”
For some reason, giving Damien a photo of an old lover seemed wrong. I felt a lot better giving the photo to Paul. Maybe Damien need never see it. Yeah, right, that ever-unhelpful voice in my head chided. Like he’d ever relinquish control. Keep dreaming, oh optimistic one.
Oh, shut the hell up, I hissed back.
“Damien,” Lucy said softly, her face at once serious and serene. “Thank you.”
“No thanks are necessary.” He smiled tightly and straightened, looking down at me. I knew what was coming next.
I squeezed his hand. “I’ll see you out.”
At the door he cupped my cheek. “I will be in meetings all day, so you won’t hear from me, but I will be thinking about you.” He moved his mouth to my ear. “And your underwear,” he whispered, and I could feel his grin.
“Maybe tonight you’ll let me wear some?” I said saucily.
“Hmm. We’ll see. I’ll pick you up after work. What time?”
“Damien, I can’t just leave my Jeep at the gym indefinitely.” I was getting the sense that he would prefer I never drove my own car again.
“Paul will retrieve it.” He pressed a kiss to my lips. “So, five o’clock?”
I sighed. It really was a small thing, I supposed. No need to get huffy. “Five is fine.”
He let me go and walked down the steps, my St. Louis Cardinals travel mug in his hand. It somehow made me smile that he was leaving with it. As trivial as it was, the cup was still mine, a little part of me that was now in his possession. I wanted to share everything with him, even travel coffee mugs. I huffed to myself at my sentimentality.
Paul stood stationed next to the SUV at the end of the driveway. Another dark car was parked at the front of the house, and Paul briefly nodded at the unknown driver before taking his position behind the wheel of the black Porsche. A frisson of alarm coursed through me, until I noticed Damien didn’t bat an eye at this new car. Security detail. Something occurred to me, and when he turned to wave, I called out. “He was here all night, wasn’t he? Paul’s the security detail.”
Damien just smiled. “Five o’clock, baby.” His eyes narrowed and his smile faded into dark promise. “And not a minute later.”
Or what? I wanted to reply, but he was already in the car. A warm flush flooded me as I remembered what he promised he’d do if I missed his last deadline.
He wouldn’t. Or would he?
Jeez, he was such a caveman.
CHAPTER 19
The hours at work ticked by at a glacial pace, and I found myself continually falling into naughty daydreams about a certain delectable caveman, something that was both highly unprofessional and downright dangerous when it came to spotting clients using the machines and free weights.
The noon hour brought my kickboxing class, and the high-intensity workout was a satisfactory solution, albeit a temporary one, to my wandering mind. At this point, I would take any distraction I could get just to make the day go by quicker and five o’clock arrive sooner.
Weldon filled me in on his weekend with Joe and the kids. I silently gave thanks as he recounted what sounded like a perfect Easter weekend with the family. Joe had been gone four long weeks—the longest extended business trip I could remember him taking—and I knew Weldon had been worried about their relationship. Sometimes, it was just the little things, and from the clues Weldon had dropped, it didn’t sound tight on the home front. So it was truly heartwarming to hear him gush again about Joe. Maybe now they could get back on track. I hoped so, with all my heart, for Weldon as well as the kids.
As I thought about Weldon’s relationship, I was reminded of the comment Lucy had made this morning in the kitchen. After Damien left, I didn’t have time to talk to her, except for the barest details.
“Well,” she had said when I explained what he was doing back in St. Louis so soon. “He doesn’t mess around, does he?”
I snorted. “You don’t know the half of it. When he showed up at the gym yesterday, I think he really wanted to throw me over his shoulder and stomp back to his cave but only his good manners saved me from that humiliation.”
Lucy looked at me with round eyes. “You realize that’s hot, don’t you?” she said.
“Yeah.” I rinsed out my coffee cup and put it in the dishwasher, smiling to myself. “I do.”
* * *
At two thirty, Weldon and I were finishing setting up a new flat screen TV array in the treadmill area—well, Weldon was doing the work, I was “supervising”—when I felt a hand on my arm.
“Olivia?”
I turned and came face-to-face with Bella. Her blonde hair was pulled back from her face in a different style than the ponytail she’d had at the restaurant, and for a moment I didn’t recognize her until her wide and welcoming smile drew my attention and my memory came back online. Gone were the chef’s whites, a form-fitting maxi dress in pastel colors in their place, showing off a slender yet curvaceous body which had been all but hidden behind her work uniform. A pair of Louis Vuitton sunglasses were perched on her head, making a simple yet glamorous fashion statement. She was beautiful and sophisticated, and I felt vastly inferior in my light pink cropped work-out top and gray yoga pants.
“Bella. Hi,” I chirped, warily pasting on a smile and trying not to be intimidated by her overall gorgeousness.
“I hope you don’t mind my stopping by to chat. Damien mentioned where you worked, and as I was in the neighborhood…”
“No. Not at all,” I said pleasantly while my gut churned.
“Do you have a few minutes?” She looked expectantly at me.
Weldon was on a ladder attaching A to B or some such, and as I looked up I could tell he had heard our exchange. Without taking his eyes off his work, he pointed his chin toward the back hall. “Use the office if you need, Liv.”
I turned and faced her, dread filling my stomach. “Please,” I indicated the hallway. “After you.”
Her straight blonde hair was pulled back in an exquisite burnished copper barrette and fell down her back to her shoulder blades. She walked with a regal bearing, not a sashay like Angelique’s, but as if she owned the place nonetheless. Not charitably, I decided she was way too skinny to be a decent chef.
“Here it is,” I piped up from my musings, directing her into Weldon’s office. She wasted no time in sitting down in the uncomfortable guest chair, taking pains to casually cross her long legs in front of her after setting her Prada bag on the desk.
“
It’s nice to see you again, Olivia.”
I had to hand it to her, Bella was definitely not shy when it came to making eye contact. She literally raked me up one side and down the other with her strikingly blue eyes, picking up on all my imperfections, I was sure. Fixing a smile upon my lips to mirror hers, I somehow maintained her gaze, congratulating myself on not flinching from her accessing stare. Yep, some of Damien was definitely rubbing off on me.
“And you,” I replied calmly. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”
She shrugged. “Can I be honest?” she leaned in conspiratorially. “I’m curious about the woman who’s captured Damien’s heart.”
Whoa. That wasn’t what I expected her to say at all. A flush of warmth reddened my cheeks.
“Um. I think that’s a little premature.”
“I don’t. He’s crazy about you. Any fool can see that.”
A small smile crept across my lips, and it took every bit of willpower I had not to break out into a ridiculous goofy grin.
“Damien is…” I paused, trying to come up with a descriptor that summed him up in a nice tidy package. Irresistible, beautiful, dynamic, caring, sexy, possessive, special. Perfect. He was all of those things and so much more. Oh, this could take all day. In the end I went with, “Damien is a great guy,” and felt anticlimactic at the generic nature of the word.
She shook her head and smiled, though it was missing some of the genuineness of before. “I’ve known him a long time, and I’ve never seen him like this. He’s never picked a woman over business, like he did yesterday.”
So she knew he was back? Boy, news traveled fast.
“Yesterday was just a communication mix-up.”
“I don’t think you heard me,” she interrupted, gazing at me in a calculated way. “Damien doesn’t see his sister often, and I happen to know his meetings in Chicago were important. He dropped all that—family and business—to come rushing back to you.”
I frowned at her as she continued to gaze at me in something akin to assessment. What was her angle? Damien had said they were just old friends, and I wanted to trust him, yet my female intuition had picked up on the vibes Bella had given out at the restaurant. The same vibes I was picking up on now.
“You received my friend request, I assume?”
Cowed at her expert handling of our conversation, and feeling the frisson of tension that set off warning signals in my head, I did the only thing I could think to do. I played dumb.
“Oh,” I smiled apologetically. “I haven’t checked my social media in ages.”
“No worries. I like to branch out, network a little”—lies!—“so I took a chance you were of like mind.” She shrugged, indicating a level of indifference I knew she did not possess.
Networking, my fat ass. I was now one hundred percent certain that she had ulterior motives where Damien was concerned. It couldn’t be any clearer that she wanted me to see the photo of her and Damien, and her feigned indifference showed she was disappointed that I didn’t. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’d orchestrated the whole thing just to ensure she would have the firepower for her intimidation scheme. In fact, I’d put money on it.
My enemy radar went off like a metal detector over a nail.
“I can tell by your expression that you have questions. So here’s your chance. Fire away.” She held up her palms as if she had no secrets.
And now it was my turn to assess her. I wasted no time with pleasantries.
“Let’s just drop the pretense, shall we? It couldn’t be more obvious that you’re in love with him. Tell me, does Damien know you’re here?”
She gave a derisive snort and her eyes hardened. “Let me give you a piece of advice, Olivia. Run. Run as fast as you can. Because what Damien and I have can’t be replicated. We have history. And I know him. I know him better than he knows himself.”
It didn’t escape my attention that she hadn’t denied the part about being in love with him. My gut twisted, but I smiled confidently. “I’m not going anywhere, except straight to Damien to inform him of this conversation.”
She laughed throatily, shaking her head. “And what, pray tell, do you think that will accomplish?” She shot me a look full of pity. “For years we have looked out for one another. That’s not going to change. Our relationship goes beyond the bonds of simple love, Olivia.”
A pinprick of apprehension ran down my spine. “He told me there’s nothing between you.”
Surprise crossed her features, so briefly that I almost thought I’d imagined it. “Yes, well,” she said, folding her hands in her lap. “Damien tends to keep much of his private life under wraps. He surely also told you that we go way back. Damien was there when I found myself pregnant and abandoned by my family.” Her expression tightened. “He saved my life.”
Pregnant! My mind raced with the possibilities, a sick dread falling over me at the too-obvious conclusions.
She smiled grimly. “I know what you’re thinking and no, Damien is not the father. But when my entire family turned their backs on me, Damien was the only one who cared enough to help. He supported me financially until I could get back on my feet. He’s always been there for my son. That’s the kind of man he is, Olivia.”
Relief swept over me in palpable waves, tempered in part by gnawing suspicion. “Why are you telling me this?”
“Because Damien would never tell you the sordid details of my life, and like I said, I want to get to know you. I’m in Damien’s life, whether you like it or not, and now you know why. He’s the only father my son has ever known. I hope you won’t make him choose between the two of us. Because Olivia,” she lowered her voice meaningfully, “you would lose.”
The small room suddenly felt too cramped and an icy chill ran through me in sharp torrents.
“That’s right, we fucked. And you loved every second of it.”
“Oh my God. What have you done?” I whispered, backing away from his malicious leer.
“I did what you begged me to do. It’s a shame if you don’t remember, because it was hot, Liv. You were an animal, and I gave it to you good. Just like you wanted.”
My head pounded, and I couldn’t seem to get enough oxygen. Stars swam before my eyes as I turned to run.
My arm was grabbed viciously and I was swung around to face him, his face mere inches from mine.
“Don’t you even think to tell anybody. You got that, bitch?” Travis growled in warning. “Because you will lose.”
Bella stared at me, a curious expression on her face. I blinked at her, willing away the specter of Travis’s abuse.
“Are you okay?”
I nodded sharply, taking in deep lungsful and counting my breaths. Seven…eight…nine…
Bella looked alarmed and stood. “Olivia, I’m going to get someone…”
“No.” I smiled weakly. “That’s not necessary.” I stood and held out my hand. “I appreciate your candor, Bella. But I really must get back to work.”
Her brows drew together in surprise, but she took my outstretched hand. “I know you may not believe me, but I hope we can be friends. If for no other reason but for Damien’s sake.”
My bearings were back in full force. I plastered on a smile as I released her hand. Cattily, I noticed she was in desperate need of a manicure. I supposed as a chef she was constantly washing and rewashing her hands. I know it was a spiteful thought, but secretly I placed a tiny check in my column.
As for her wish to become friends: Let’s see, become bosom buddies with a gorgeous woman who looks upon Damien as her lifesaver and, oh, did I mention, she was in love with him?
Oh yeah, like that’s going to happen.
* * *
Thankfully, Weldon didn’t ask who the tall blonde was, and I didn’t volunteer the information either. I didn’t want to go there. Not yet.
The rest of the day two things kept popping into my head. One, although he denied it, Dami
en and Bella certainly fit the friends with benefits mold, particularly with Bella’s admission and warning ringing in my ears. I remembered her familiar hands on him, his easy smile, and subsequent quick denial of my suspicions. The thought made me physically sick.
And two, I was effectively moving in—albeit temporarily—with him, a man about whom I knew very little but who now was fully versed in some of my most intimate and shameful details.
Maybe he was aware of her feelings but didn’t return them. I supposed that could be possible. But that didn’t explain why he’d take me to a restaurant if there was a chance of bumping into her. It was her restaurant, for crying out loud. We’d just had sex for the first time and of all the restaurants in St. Louis, he took me there?
And then, of course, there was the Easter trip to Chicago, and his neglect at telling me she and her son would be accompanying him.
My stomach roiled at the implications. Is this what life as Damien’s girlfriend would be like? Half the day spent vividly and graphically planning all the delicious ways I would make him come, the other half spent wallowing in despair and self-doubt about how he truly felt about me.
One thing was for sure. If I was staying with him, he needed to open up. Bella knew more about his whereabouts than I did. That couldn’t continue. It wasn’t like when we were together we only talked about me. Or was it? Why didn’t he tell me more about himself? Was he hiding something?
By the time five rolled around, my head was spinning. I was in need of some answers. I toyed with the idea of making him wait, remembering his promise of what would happen if I was late. By making him wait, he would undoubtedly come looking for me, and regardless if he kept his promise—he was clearly a man of his word, of course he would keep his promise, and would that be such a bad thing anyway?—we would be on my territory and I would stand a better chance of getting the answers I needed. At least that was the theory.
But when the time came, I couldn’t stand him up. It had been ten hours since I’d seen him and I missed him. Missed him like crazy, if I was honest with myself. The thought of sitting next to him in his car, the smell of him, the feel of his hands on me…I was fit to burst with the need of it. So it was with a sense of obedience and heady anticipation that I sauntered out the front door of the gym at four fifty-nine to find the black SUV parked next to my Jeep, with Paul and another man standing by the door.