Damon Read online

“I’m not, I’m just a little surprised to have someone who isn’t a business partner hate me that much. I expect that type of behavior from my enemies, but not from random people.

  “No, sorry. He’s kind of a prick. He doesn’t seem to know how to take ‘no’ for an answer. Anyways, where are we going?” she asked.

  “I know this beautiful garden we can go to for a picnic, if you’re interested,” I offered.

  She quickly nodded, and we were soon on our way. I still felt slightly guilty about the interaction with Patrick, whoever he was.

  Amber and I spent the rest of the day together, and we agreed to meet up again on Friday.

  What I liked most about spending time with Amber was being able to talk about anything and everything with her. It made me happy that I felt like I could be myself with her, instead of pretending like I was someone else.

  The Monday following our date was Amber’s first day on the team at work, and I was so happy to have her there. She had quit her job at the coffee shop and was soon working solely on graphic design for me.

  Chapter 6—Amber

  Working as the graphic designer at Grant’s Design was amazing. I made some decent money working there too, which was nice. The work was quite easy to do, despite the unresolved sexual tension that seemed to be building between Damon and me.

  My job entailed working a half-day, every day, on some graphics. The first day was interesting, though. When I got to the office, a blonde-haired woman with a way-too-short-skirt looked me dead in the eye and said:

  “You’re Amber, aren’t you?”

  “Yes. And you are?”

  “I’m Lisa. I’m surprised Damon hired you; I could’ve sworn I saw you working downstairs,” she spat.

  “I was, but he saw that I had the potential to help his business, so he hired me here,” I said.

  The frown on her face was so apparent that I felt a bit guilty for what I had said. But then, she simply walked forward and motioned for me to follow her.

  “This way, please,” she said.

  I followed her, but I could see the look of pure disdain on her face as she motioned for me to continue walking behind her. When we finally got to the office, she invited me to sit.

  “By the way, you’re not...seeing Damon, are you? He normally doesn’t offer these positions to just anyone,” she asked.

  I laughed, pushing my red hair back and looking deep into her blue eyes.

  “You’ve got that completely wrong. I really have no desire to be involved with Damon romantically. I’m just here to work,” I told her.

  “I see. Well, I guess I’ll let you have at it. If you need anything, let me know,” she said.

  “Will do, thanks. I’m very excited to work here. I needed a better job than working at that café,” I explained.

  She nodded.

  “Well, let’s hope you keep it. You need to work hard and deliver in order to stay here. This isn’t a simple place, it’s dog-eat-dog. Someone that you think is your friend might turn out to be your worst enemy.” She said.

  What’s that supposed to mean? I thought about asking her, as she scoffed and walked off. The clicking of her heels was the last thing I heard.

  “I don’t get what her problem is. I’m just working here. It’s not like Damon and I are together or anything,” I said to myself.

  Though, I liked the idea of Damon and I being together more than I was ready to admit.

  I worked in the office putting together new graphics for the company. The ones that they had been using looked terrible. When I finally finished the last set of new logos, I wiped the sweat from my brow.

  “Whew, that was a lot,” I said.

  I thought this would be simple, but the graphics they had been using were from 2005, and they looked like shit. They were old and boring, and it made me sad. I heard a knock at the door and looked up from my work, expecting it to be Lisa. She seemed like the type of person that was always up someone’s ass for no reason.

  I relaxed upon realizing that it was Damon. He looked at me with slight concern, and then smiled.

  “There you are. I was coming over to check on you. How was your first day?” he asked.

  “My day was good, despite having to deal with that secretary of yours. She’s got some weird hate boner for me,” I told him.

  “Yeah, that’s Lisa. She’s just jealous. She’s mad that I put someone else in charge of something. Her behavior towards you is...not abnormal for her,” he said.

  “Well, as long as she realizes that I’m not leaving anytime soon, that’s fine,” I retorted.

  “Right. I have no desire to get rid of you. I saw the graphics, and well, they’re amazing! I was going to ask if you’d be willing to help with a few graphics for our email signatures. You have so much potential, and you did a better job than I expected. I knew from your samples that you did good work, but damn,” he said.

  I blushed crimson, feeling his eyes one me. I was proud of myself, of that I was certain.

  “Sure! I’d love that,” I said.

  “Well, you’ve certainly earned your place here. Continue doing this and I’m sure I’ll have even more work for you,” he said.

  He flashed me a smile, and I wanted to die right there. I was so happy that he liked my work.

  It was a good feeling, working at the office. Over the next week, as I learned the ropes, I realized that the company was the perfect place for me. Though, I could do without the glares from Lisa every now and then.

  Every time I’d try to say ‘hi’, or try to start a conversation with her, she’d just ignore me and act like I was nothing. It was so strange to me.

  That Friday, I was on my way to see Damon once again when I noticed Patrick hanging out near the coffee shop. He quickly raced over to me, seeing me there.

  “Amber! I heard you got transferred. What happened?”

  “Oh that! Yeah, I uh...I got a new job. Damon hired me to work as his graphic designer. He’s a great person, and I’m so glad that he likes my work,” I explained with a smile.

  The sudden realization that he wasn’t going to be working with me anymore was obvious on Patrick’s face.

  “Oh, I see. That’s why,” he said.

  “Why are you so jealous? It’s not like I’m gone forever. I’ll come say hi and all,” I said.

  “I just thought that we’d...you know, keep working together,” he said.

  “Patrick, you know I only worked here because of school, right?”

  He paused, looking me in the eye for a moment, and then sighed.

  “I see. So, you don’t want anything to do with me then,” he muttered.

  “It’s not that...I just don’t like you like that,” I explained.

  I didn’t think it was that damn hard to comprehend, but I could tell that Patrick was upset. Suddenly, he scoffed.

  “I knew my chances were slim. Sorry to bother you,” he said.

  He walked off, leaving me alone and confused.

  I guess he really did like me, which was fine, but I definitely wasn’t interested. Plus, when I thought about my feelings, there was only one person that kept coming to mind.

  And that person, of course, was Damon. I liked the time that we spent together, but seeking out a romantic relationship with him made me feel wrong, and I couldn’t quite place why.

  I guess it was partially because I didn’t know if he felt the same way about me, or perhaps if I was overthinking this one.

  Chapter 7—Damon

  After finishing up at work that day, I went home and talked a little bit with Amber. She was the perfect worker, and whenever I was around her, I couldn’t help but feel like there was something more between us. The little touches and glances that were shared between us were always a shock. Nevertheless, they made me happy.

  I also feared what might happen next. I didn’t even know what to expect anymore. I knew I wanted to talk to her about all of this, and possibly propose the idea of going to that gala with her at the e
nd of the month. Time was ticking, and I was getting sick of having Gabriel on my ass about it.

  I was also slightly worried about what all of this might mean for our relationship. I felt that, if things did continue to go this way, it would only make things far more awkward for the two of us. I didn’t know how much longer we could go on ignoring the feelings that we had for one another.

  The frustration of the situation began to eat away at me. It was compounded by the fact that I had people bothering me about when my “heir” would come. I had no desire to work on answering that question, let alone think about it.

  It was about a week before the gala when I heard a knock on my office door. I knew it had to be Lisa.

  “Come in,” I said.

  She walked in, slapping the gala invite on the table.

  “What’s this?” she asked.

  Great. There was the invite to the gala, just sitting there on the table. I bit my lip, trying to keep my attention from the obvious glare she was throwing at me.

  “Nothing. It’s just something I was invited to,” I said.

  “Mmhmm. Why haven’t you responded to the invite yet? What’s going on here, Damon?” she asked.

  I shook my head.

  “It’s frankly none of your damn business. I got asked if I could go, I said maybe, and they’re following up,” I replied.

  “Then what is this? You need to bring a date. Were you just going to ask me at the last minute?” she muttered.

  I shook my head.

  “I wasn’t planning on asking you at all,” I said.

  She looked at me with an incredulous glance.

  “W-what do you mean?”

  “Simple. I don’t want to go with you. It isn’t that serious,” I explained.

  She looked too shocked for words.

  “But I thought I was your right-hand woman,” she said.

  “Yeah, you’re great. You’re a part of the team, but that’s not what I’m here for. I don’t like you romantically, Lisa. I never have, and I really wish you would understand that and know your place,” I said to her.

  My voice grew dark with those words. I was frustrated with the situation, primarily because I just didn’t want to deal with this shit anymore. After a moment, she looked around, and then stared back at me.

  “Fine. I guess you’ll be taking that new girl instead,” she muttered.

  “And what if I do? It’s not like it would be anything more than a business matter. You’re just jealous, and I highly recommend that you knock it off before it bites you in the ass,” I stated.

  She quickly stepped out of my office, and I sighed. I wanted to tell Amber how I felt, but the last thing I wanted was for this to create more drama. If a relationship did develop, it would certainly make things complicated, but I also somewhat liked the idea of a relationship with Amber.

  That evening I texted Amber and told her to come to the office when she was done working. She walked in and closed the door behind her.

  “Hey, you needed me for something?”

  I could see the expectancy on her face and the obvious blush on her cheeks. She certainly wasn’t ready for whatever was going to happen. I could tell that she had a lot of questions, and that she was worried about us meeting like this. I was too.

  It had been a long time since I had felt this way about a woman. I couldn’t blame it on anything other than working too much. I never felt like putting the time into relationships. But in that moment, with her looking at me like this, I actually considered it.

  “Oh, uh, I wanted to ask you about what you think of this,” I started.

  I showed her the gala invite, and she looked at me with a confused expression.

  “What should I be looking at?” she inquired.

  “Well, it’s this event. I’m going to this gala, and I’m supposed to take someone. I figured...why not? You seem on board, and you’re a key player in the company. I wanted to see what you thought about it,” I asked her.

  She paused, looking at me with concern on her face. I could tell she was a bit worried about my proposal.

  “Sure, I would like that,” she said to me.

  My eyes widened slightly in surprise.

  “Are you sure? We don’t have to go as anything more than friends and—”

  She stepped forward, put her hand on my shoulder and gazed into my eyes.

  “I’m serious. I’m definitely happy to go with you,” she told me with a smile.

  She was about to turn away when I leaned forward, pulled her into my arms, and kissed her. God damn her lips were so, so soft. I melted against the warmth of her skin. The taste of her strawberry lipstick lingered in my mouth. My hands moved towards her waist, touching her lightly. I could see her nipples peeking through the blouse she wore, and I moved my hand to lightly grasp her breast. She didn’t move back or refuse my touch, and my hands began to explore. She let out a series of small moans as I touched her, watching her come undone.

  I moved my hand under her skirt, and shifted her panties aside to massage the outside of her warm cove. She grasped at me, holding herself there as she rode my finger. Suddenly, she shuddered, relaxing against my body.

  The moment of heat and passion was suddenly interrupted by the sound of a vacuum cleaner, as the janitor cleaned the rugs outside of my office.

  I gave her ass one last gentle squeeze. She shivered, walking away and leaving me alone once again. I sunk myself into the office chair and tried to catch my breath. I was tempted to call after her; to tell her how I felt.

  My fear of commitment nudged at me and stopped me from doing so.

  Chapter 8—Amber

  Working for Damon was different. I actually enjoyed it. I loved it when he touched me, and when his hands wandered and fondled me. His touches were perfect; it was like he knew exactly where to keep his hands, how to rub my clit, and how to tease my breasts. He would sometimes get me off while I was in the office, and after we were done, he’d look at me with a look of pure desire.

  I could sense these little, fleeting touches were his way of flirting, and I liked it. But I was scared of going further, of...experiencing whatever it was he wanted to experience. I liked him, but I wondered if this would only get harder for us over time.

  I still couldn’t believe that he wanted to take me to the gala. He had even told me to get a dress at his expense.

  I picked one out from a store in town. It was a really expensive dress and I was nervous about the price, but when I told Damon, he said he had it covered.

  Once I had the dress back home, I quickly tried it on with my hair done up.

  I showed my mom, and she looked so proud of me. She was happy that I had a “big girl” job, and that I wasn’t stuck working at the café anymore. Even though my current situation was slightly unorthodox, she was still proud of me, and I was happy about that.

  “I’m so glad you’ve found your passion in life, dear,” she said.

  I didn’t know how long my employment at the company would last, but Damon seemed happy. I figured that if he was happy with the work, I’d stick around.

  School was becoming easier, too. Because I wasn’t working nearly as many hours with Damon as I did at the café, I actually got my schoolwork done early and ahead of schedule. I was proud of myself for this, and I felt fulfilled.

  On most days, I’d work on graphics for the company after I finished my schoolwork. Damon often said he was proud of me, and he also gave me some other work too. Sometimes I’d design presentations, other times I’d work on personal items for him. He always seemed to have something more to say in all of his emails to me, and whenever I talked to him, I could sense that he was holding something back.

  In a strange way, I liked it. I liked that he wanted to tell me more but was too scared to actually do it. His behavior gave me some reassurance that I wasn’t alone in my feelings for him.

  On the day of the gala, I got myself dressed and ready. Damon came and picked me up.

  “
Damn, you look mighty beautiful in that dress, Amber,”

  “Thank you, Damon. You look quite handsome yourself.”

  We smiled at each other as he opened the car door for me.

  On our way to the gala, Damon made a quick stop by the office to grab some documents.

  I got out of the car to get some fresh air, as the air conditioning was too cold. I heard the ‘click-clack’ of high heels coming from a distance.

  “Great, just the drama I need,” I said to myself as I saw Lisa round the corner heading towards the car.

  “Why are you dressed like that?” she asked.

  We stared at one another for a good minute or so, and I could see the seething anger in her face.

  “Oh uh...I’m going somewhere tonight,” I said.

  “With Damon, right? she asked.

  I tried to figure out a good way to get out of this one. I feared what might happen if I were honest with her.

  “Why does it matter?”

  “Because he’s been completely avoiding me. You don’t have a place here; you’re just some stupid little college student that got lucky,” Lisa snapped.

  I was about to say something in retort when Damon walked out.

  “Lisa, what are you saying to Amber? Why do you keep bothering her?” he asked.

  “I was just asking why she was dressed like that. I thought you were going to that gala alone?” she asked.

  Damon looked at me, and I tried to hide my face. I felt bad for even making this much of a fuss.

  “Lisa, we’ve been over this. I don’t like you like that,” he said.

  “Oh, so you like her?” she asked.

  “That’s not what I mean! I mean, I do, but...”

  “I see how it is. You like young, hot pieces of ass because you can take advantage of them, just like you did with Gabby!” she cried out.

  Gabby? What the hell was she talking about? I looked at Damon, and he was furious. I hadn’t seen a man look that angry in a long time.

  “You take that back. Gabby was not like that,” he said.

  “Oh, whatever. You still think you did nothing wrong there. I heard all about it in the headlines. Whatever, you can string this one along too,” she said.