DamonIt was just after lunch, and she'd yet to stop by or text. She was upset, and he couldn't blame her, nor could he console her. It was a simple request to leave the ring at the house, and it had very little to do with him not wanting to show her off, and everything to do with laying the proper foundation for their relationship.He'd been cocky about the situation before, but that was before he decided to up and ask the pretty girl to marry him.Marriage. Fuck. The word alone seemed to bring with it a whole host of feelings that Damon wasn't ready to face. It was supposed to be the binding of two people into a relationship that spanned time until the end showed up for one member or the other, but it rarely happened.The phone buzzed as he sat at his desk, taking a quick five-minute breather for the only break he would have that day."Mr. Bryant, Erica Hall is on line one for you. Are you free to-""Put her through, Linda." Damon sat up and pressed his forearms to the desk in front
Damon"Damon, I'm not sure if you remember, but your father scheduled an interview for the open Senior Manager position we have. One of the interviews is today and the rest later this week. I do believe this one comes highly recommended from a good friend, and your dad was leaning toward giving her the job. He just needed to go through the motions to make it look legit." Linda stood just inside the office, her back to the door."Really? Damn." Damon reviewed his schedule and didn't find the interview anywhere. "Was the interview with him or me?""She's supposed to meet with him, but he's out of town, as you know. Can I show her in?""I guess. Cancel my lunch appointment with Bart Darren today and reschedule it. Get me a sandwich with the office order if you guys are ordering out.""Ham and Swiss cheese with mustard?""Yep, and chips. Surprise me." He stood and pulled his jacket off the rack behind him as he walked toward the small circular table in his office. He needed the candidate’
BethanyThe rest of the day was a blur, and after watching the late night show, she fell asleep on her couch. Damon not calling or texting was something that would bug her all day no matter how badly she tried to shake it."Everything is fine." She leaned over the bathroom counter in the coffee shop beside campus the next morning. Dr. Tarrington had been out the day before when she finished making preps for his first day of school but wanted to meet the next morning to go over a few things. She couldn't deny him, even though meeting him meant getting up an hour earlier than she planned.She walked out of the bathroom and brushed her fingers through her hair as he waved from the counter at the front of the restaurant."Bethany. Over here." His smile was warm, his face incredibly handsome. He had his glasses perched on his nose, which only seemed to make him more attractive. It was a dangerous position for him, and yet he must have loved his job enough to deal with the friction it cause
Bethany"The hurdles?""Yes." He lifted his hand. "That doesn't mean that he doesn't think he's in love with you, or that he doesn't want a future, but you guys aren't a normal couple."Heat brushed up the center of her chest. "And who has the right to judge what normal is?""Exactly." He let out a soft sigh. "Her name was Ana, and she was so beautiful. Sweet and kind and only four years younger than me, but none of that mattered. Our situation wasn't at all what you might call normal. She was my student, my best student, and the university, my friends, her parents, fuck, everyone threw stones at our budding relationship. You don't get to define normal, Bethany. They do." He pointed to the restaurant and waved his hand about as his words deflated her.He was right. They had far too much stacked up against them to simply walk into the office and announce their engagement, but something about hiding it felt wrong too. The worry that Damon wasn't proud that she belonged to him tried to c
DamonThe alarm clock had gone off too early the next morning, and not having gotten in from work until three that morning left him grumpy and hating the world. It was a fair assessment of most of his mornings, but this one seemed worse.Why hadn't Beth stopped by during the day? There was no fucking way she was completely good with the note he left her. It wasn't like her at all not to swing by and light into his ass over it. It would have been a great time to close the door and press her hot little body against the wall, grinding into her and bleeding out his aggression all over her.Every muscle in his body protested as he moved into the shower and worked quickly to create a thick lather of soap across his chest. How badly he wanted her there with him to enjoy the warmth of the thick mist all around him, the slippery wetness of his skin against hers."You're killing me, baby." He slid his hand down his thick erection and stroked his sack a few times. "I need you here, and yet you'r
Damon"How dare you." She closed the door behind her as she walked into his office. It would seem she had far more subtlety than he did in not letting the whole office know that she was pissed."Me? I fucking didn't hear from you all day yesterday, and then you sluff off a meeting that you know is important?" Her V-neck T-shirt dipped into the sexy curve of her breasts and stole his attention as he turned from the window and walked toward her aggressively."I didn't know about the goddamn meeting." She poked her finger in his chest. "And why did I have to come after you yesterday? You should have come looking for me. You leave me a note that you don't want me wearing my ring, and then you keep your door closed all day? Very mature. Very loving, Damon.""Watch it." He gripped her wrist and pulled her closer to him, locking her against his chest as he leaned down and breathed in deeply. Her scent was so unique and had the power to liquefy his need, forcing it to rush through his veins a
BethanyIt was a stupid decision to make, but after working with Kendal on Thursday, she finally caved and decided that a late lunch with Philip wouldn't hurt. Damon was still being an ass over things that were completely out of her control, and she was learning to leave him to himself when he was in one of his shitty moods. It still stung like a bitch, but she had a ring that said that no matter what happened while they were on their way to the altar, the plan was still to go."Hey." Philip stood and moved around to offer her a friendly hug. His hair was back to being the length it was when they first met before Damon had him cut it off. He looked good, almost too good. Broad shoulders and tanned skin, the man was every bit of California, and yet he was from Down Under. His accent left her heart fluttering, though it was nothing more than a silly infatuation like most women had for foreign accents."Hi. You look great. It seems like your new job is allowing you to work less and play
BethanyAnother night without Damon in her bed made it harder to fight against the nagging sensation that he was battling far more than he should have been where they were concerned. She tried to remain positive and convince herself that everything was fine. Matt had been a good cheerleader during the latter part of the week, but nothing was going to fully set her right but Damon.She needed him to say that he was sorry, that he loved her and they would work through things. The nagging need to be constantly reminded of his feelings was a pain in his ass from what she'd overheard in Jamaica, but it was what it was. He was a dick half the time and therefore could make it up to her by being the kind of guy she deserved the rest of the time, which he was completely capable of.After packing for their flight later that day, she drove over to Kent's house to pick up Matt and have breakfast with her parents. They'd gotten home late the night before, and yet still found the energy to text her