“What?” I ask as he takes my hand and pulls me away with him.
He hurries away with me in tow as I look over my shoulder and see Ryker walking out of the bathroom. He must’ve heard Damien talking to me. He eyes me as he knew I was coming to him.
I turn back around and run a little to keep up with Damien as he says, “My old friend is having a crisis of sorts. I need to go and see if I can be of help.”
“Take me with you,” I say. “I might be able to help. What’s the crisis? Women problems? I can help.”
“No, you can’t. My friend is shy. Very shy.” He waves at a waiting cab and we get inside of it.
He moves me all the way over, sliding his body with mine to get me on the other side of the bench seat. I look at him as he slides back to the other side of the car. I feel cold and somewhat ashamed of what I was about to do.
“Damien, don’t leave me. Please, don’t leave me alone for the night.” My hands knot in my lap as I can’t stand the thought of being alone.
“You’ll be fine. You can drink the wine I’ve had delivered and eat the cheeses and fruits I’ve told room service to bring to you too. Order a movie on the television. You’ll be fine. I should be back before the morning.”
I feel deflated and look out the back window to see Ryker walking into the street. “Just leave me here then. I’d rather be here than in our room, alone.”
His eyes narrow as he turns his head to look at me. “Gia, that man is a whore. The woman who took me to his office was his slut. Is that what you want? To be a notch on his extremely notched bedpost? I thought you were better than that?”
“How do you know it’s Ryker I want to see?” I ask him as his glare turns into a smile, an evil one.
“Do you think I don’t know you were about to walk into that bathroom he’d gone into? Do you think I didn’t see that exchange between you two when he kissed your neck? Do you think I don’t know what will happen if I let you out of this car?”
“Please take me back to the hotel and stay with me then. I need to feel like I’m one with another person, Damien. I feel alone. Look what I nearly did.” I glance back again and find Ryker is no longer in the street, waiting to see if I’ll get out of this cab and go to him.
Why would he wait for me?
Damien’s right about him. I know he is. It’s possible, if I wasn’t so damn lonely, that I would see right through him and not want a thing to do with the man.
Ryker is exactly like Damien. He’s leaving this planet on the first ride out of here. He’s going to make his life on Mars. I have no place in either of the men’s lives.
Yet, Damien promises to leave me his wealth. That money will make sure my family is taken care of for the rest of their lives and then some. Once he leaves, I can move on as a rich woman. I can find a man to love me then.
Now is not my time, I suppose. Damien is taking care of me. For that I should be grateful. And not be thinking about giving my body to another man.
Tears fill my eyes as I look at Damien. “I’m sorry. That was wrong of me. I felt hurt by what you said about finding things out about me that you’ve never even told me before. And I feel so lonely. You’ve taken your attention away from me.”
“I give you all you need and more. I am leaving you everything I have and this is how I am thanked?” he asks as he looks at me with sadness in his blue eyes.
“I know,” I look down and shake my head. “I’ll shut up.”
He looks out the window as he sighs. “I wish I could feel more for you, Gia. I do. The fact is, I need you here with me now. I know I can’t make you any promises about always being with you. I won’t be. But you will have my money to keep you warm. I’m merely asking for your faithfulness while I’m still here. That’s all. I just need you to be my companion.”
I nod. “I can do that.”
But I don’t feel like I am his companion. I don’t feel like I should be here for him just so me and my family can keep his money. But I don’t know what else to do.
The cab pulls up to the hotel and Damien looks at me. “Go on. I’ll be up when I get done.”
Sliding out of the cab, I walk into the hotel. From what I’ve heard, it could be ten years or more before they begin taking people to Mars. For ten years, I could be stuck in this life.
Money certainly has taken hold of my life.
Stopping to watch the cab with Damien in it pull away, I find my heart heavy and turn back around to go into the lobby. My head hung low as I make my way to the elevator.
“Miss Flynn?” I hear one of the desk clerks call out. “Can you come here, ma’am?”
Looking up, I walk over to the counter. “Yes?”
The young man slides a card to me. His hand covers it. “Mr. Markov isn’t coming in, is he?”
“No,” I say as I look over my shoulder again. “Not until later, he said.”
“Okay, I was instructed to give this to you, only if he wasn’t with you.” He slides his hand off the card and I see his cheeks go pink. “And you have nothing to worry about, Miss Flynn. We’re a discreet bunch of people here.”
I nod and take the card then walk to the elevator. My heart is thumping as I squish the thing in my hand, balling it up. I have a feeling I know what it is and I don’t want the temptation.
In the elevator, I think about what I’d be giving up by messing Damien over. What I’d lose for my family. And it’s just not worth it.
As I leave the elevator, I toss the waded card in the trashcan, just outside of it. “Thanks, Ryker, but no thanks.”
All the way to our suite, I think about his dark good looks. His dancing eyes, his kissable lips. And I know I will never allow myself to taste his kiss or feel his intimate touch.
Opening the door to our room, I feel a warm breeze move over my face. It brings to mind how his hot breath would feel as he kisses my body all over. His hands would bring heat to my skin as he grazes them all over me.
Pulling my clothes off as I go into the room, I find the bottle of wine and retreat to the bathroom. A bath is in order. A nice, long, hot bath might help me to forget about the handsome man who wants me.
Something has to help!
Chapter 5
RYKER
“I thought you hated him, Ryker?” Ian says as I address the board about letting Damien’s company make our boosters.
“I hate the way he treats his woman. But this is business. I did my research and if we let the Russian government make them, they can and most likely will, give our technology to all companies in Russia who make these kinds of things. If Damien makes them, only his company and ours will have this booster.”
“Should I even try to talk about using an American company?” Sandy asks.
I smile at her. “What do you have for us? Anything near this good?”
“No, but Steel Corp will make them for only ten million each,” she says, knowing there’s no way in hell I’ll pay that over nearly free.
With a shake of my head, I look at Ian. “We can take a vote if you like.”
“No,” he says as he admits defeat. “The fact is, I didn’t know the Russians could do that. It would put us nowhere near the lead in the race for Mars. Go with Markov Global. It makes the most sense.”
“It does,” I say and have to smile. “Meeting dismissed!”
Making my way to my office, I open the door to find Bridget sitting in my chair. She jumps up as I come in and I laugh.
“Sorry, sir.”
“Not a problem. Get Damien Markov on the phone. I have great news for him and I feel a celebration coming on,” I tell her as I toss my briefcase on the chair by the door and head to my private bathroom.
It’s quite likely Damien will bring Gia to dinner when I invite him to meet me, so I can tell him the good news. I know I should bring a date and I have no idea who I should bring on such short notice.
When I walk back into the office I see Bridget has the phone in her hand. “Mr. Markov is waiting on the line for you, sir.”
“Good,” I say as I walk over and take the phone out of her hand.
“Should I leave, Mr. Crawford?”
Shaking my head, I point at the chair for her to take a seat. She does as I say, “Hello, Damien. How’s your day going?”
“It’s alright. Are you about to make it better?” he asks.
I want to ask how Gia is doing but I know that’ll piss him off, so I just say, “I can try. How’d you like to meet me for dinner at The Capital Grille at eight tonight? I’m bringing a date, so bring Gia along, if you’d like.”
“I don’t like to mix her into my business,” he says, making me mad in an instant.
I chill, though. I want him to bring her. I’ve been thinking about her nonstop since I left my number with the front desk and she never called it. I know she was going to come into that bathroom two nights ago, I heard her outside the door.
“Tonight, business will be short and celebrating will be long,” I say as I watch Bridget fidget in her seat.
“I will see if she cares to come with me,” he says and I find that’s not enough for me.
“Reservations have to be made,” I say. “Is she around? Ask her if she wants to come.”
“You said you’re bringing a date too, right?” he asks.
“I am,” I say and my eyes settle on Bridget. “I’ll be bringing my personal assistant, Bridget. You’ve met her.”
With a laugh, he says, “Her? Okay, I’ll bring Gia. We will see you there at eight. Is it formal?”
“Yes, see you at eight,” I say and end the call with so much cheeriness, it’s slipping into insane proportions.
“You’re bringing me?” she asks as she looks at me with wide dark eyes.
“Do you mind?” I look at her and think she’s surprised.
“No! Not at all. I just thought dates weren’t a thing you wanted to do with me.” She gets up and paces a little. “You see, here’s the thing, well, how do I say this?”
“Just spit it out, please,” I say, feeling a bit annoyed.
“I have a girlfriend now.”
“Huh?” I ask as I’m more than stunned. “You’re a lesbian?”
“Bi,’ she says. “And my girlfriend is jealous. She doesn’t know just how much I assist you. I tell her I’m on birth control to keep my monthlies in check.”
“You’re bi-sexual and you have a girlfriend?” I ask again, in disbelief.
“Yes, Mr. Crawford,” she says as she looks a bit nervous.
“For tonight, it’s Ryker. And only for tonight. Is this girlfriend going to be anywhere near that restaurant tonight?”
“No, she works at a bar. As long as I’m home by two in the morning, she’ll be none the wiser.” She offers me a weak smile. “But, no sex. If you get me home too late to take a shower, she’ll know and boy will there be hell to pay. That woman loves my ass.”
“Noted,” I say as I didn’t plan on doing much with her anyway. “Can I ask you something, Bridget?”
“Of course,” she says as she stops her fidgeting and pacing.
“Do you like it when I fuck you?”
“Of course!” She fans herself. “Your great, sir!”
“But you’d rather be with a woman. Are you with any other men?”
Shaking her head, she says, “For the last five years, it’s been strictly women. And then you, when I was hired for you.”
I feel more than a bit sick as she gets nothing out of it and now I can see that as clear as the nose on my face. I don’t want to tell her she’s no longer going to be needed for my frustration releasing, any longer. I need her to go with me to the meeting. But it is over.
How blind am I?
Chapter 6
GIA
“He’s bringing her?” I ask as Damien tells me we’re going to meet Ryker and the woman he said was Ryker’s personal assistant and his slut.
“Yes, so you will get to see the man for who he truly is. I hope this will settle you about him. Talking in your sleep, has me knowing that you think about him,” he tells me, shocking me.
“What? Why are you just now telling me that I’ve talked about him in my sleep?” I ask as I cringe at the memory of the steamy dreams I’ve had every time my eyes close.
“What did you want me to say to you, Gia? Hey, what’s up with you screaming obscenities that end with that man’s name on your lips. You bitch about not getting enough sex, but you seem to be getting plenty, in your dreams.” His light eyes hold mine as he looks at me like he’s caught me in a lie or something.
“I can’t help my dreams,” I say as I go to look in the closet for something nice to wear. “Should I go to get my hair and makeup done, Damien?”
“Why, you want to look nice for your dream lover, Gia? Of course, by all means, please go use my money to pretty yourself up for the man who would use you and toss you away like he does all the rest.”
I ignore him and go to the closet. “Red or blue?” I ask him as I hold out a couple of dresses.”
“Black should work,” he says as he walks past me to pull a tux out of the closet. His face is near mine, his cheek, nearly touches mine. “Like your soul.”
“Damn it, Damien!” I toss the dresses to the floor and hurry to the bathroom. “I can’t help my damn dreams!”
“But you can stop thinking about the man. You can think about me and what I’ve done and will do for you. You could think about pleasing me, sexually, instead of him.”
I spin around and glare at him. “You’re never here! How could I even do that?”
“Are you telling me that you’ve forgotten how to be spontaneous? Are you telling me, you’ve forgotten how easy I am to please. You don’t try, Gia. You never try anymore.”
“Because you ignore me, almost entirely,” I shout at him.
“Shouting at me, is not a thing I allow. You know this. So, lower your voice when you speak to me,” he says as he begins to pull his clothes off in front of me. “I am here now. There are hours before we must leave. Are your hair and makeup more important than pleasing your man?”
I tremble with how I’m going back and forth with what I should do. Damien’s right about Ryker. The man is bringing his tramp to dinner. And the man who takes care of me is open to sex right now.
So why do I feel torn about what to do?
To be continued...
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