DamonSeven Months Later"James, come on in." Damon moved back and smiled at Linda, his secretary. "Hold all of my calls for the next thirty minutes.""Not a problem, Mr. Bryant." Linda returned the smile and glanced down at her desk.She was a beautiful older woman and should have been married. Crazy how many people had been handed a shitty situation in life and yet seemed to still get up and smile in the face of all of it. He needed to give Linda a raise or take her out to lunch soon. The poor woman put up with a lot of shit, his in particular."How are you, Damon? You look good. Last time we saw each other, you were having lady problems if I recall." James unbuttoned his coat and sat down, the CEO of Zarpeth looking much better than Damon had seen him look in months."I'll always have problems if a lady is involved. It's just the natural evolution of things. You know this." Damon sat down and pressed his forearms to his desk. "Beth and I are getting married in a couple of weeks. Di
Damon"She's got a 4.0, James. Not only is she beautiful, but brilliant as well." Damon reached over and ran his hand down the back of her hair. "And bossy as hell too.""Hey!" She popped him in the chest and extended her hand to James again. "It's nice to meet you. Don't let him tell you any lies about me."James shook her hand. "Something tells me that he wouldn't dare try."Bethany gave a soft laugh and turned, walking out and leaving Damon staring after her. It was weird to feel so many things at once, especially in the middle of his office. It was the only place he was steady, secure, strong. The other parts of his life, it appeared he was that way, but it took a lot of effort to keep up the facade. At the office, he was simply himself. Beth was unraveling that."I like her." James patted him on the back again. "How about when she gets her CPA certificate, we talk about her being my accountant? It's not healthy for you two to work together at M&B, but maybe she can work for me an
BethanyThere was something about James Talling that Bethany liked. He seemed almost like a warm, fatherly figure."What's that smile for? Looks like trouble." Ben glanced up from the large conference room table where he, Philip and Sadie were gathered around his computer."What?" Beth forced her smile to fade - a little. "I just met Mr. Talling. I like him.""Should we inform Damon?" Sadie gave a shit-eating grin. "Kidding."Bethany chuckled. "No, but if we're going to lunch and still trying to make the Accounting Controls meeting at UT this afternoon, we need to get a move on. Who's driving?""Damon coming with us?" Philip stood and twisted his torso as he swung his arms around."No, he's still talking with Mr. Talling, I believe. I'll text him where we are, but he could probably lead the meeting or discussion this afternoon." Bethany reached down and grabbed her purse. "Sadie, you coming with us?"It was almost comical to watch the way the girl's eyes lit up when Bethany spoke dire
Bethany"Yes. I still do." Philip reached out and grabbed Sadie's hand, pulling her closer to them. "Stop screaming and act your age. I'm trying to help you because I care about you. You can't throw yourself on the bed for any stiff dick that shows up. You hate yourself because of that shit. Don't act like you don't."Her eyes filled with tears. "I have to go.""Sadie." Bethany reached out and pulled the girl to her, hugging her and giving Philip the biggest 'go to hell look' she could muster. "It's fine. Philip is just jealous. He's interested in you, and you giving attention to every guy in the world is pissing him off. He's lashing out."Sadie pulled back and glanced over at Philip as she wiped at her eyes.Bethany was simply trying to throw Philip under the bus, even though there was no way in hell Philip had feelings for the wild redhead that had most of them rolling their eyes at the office."You do?" Sadie's voice softened, her expression changing from anger to neediness.Oh he
BethanyKendal's speech went well the day before, but there was no getting to him for the hordes of people who crowded the stage when he finished. Bethany gave up after a few minutes and left with Ben to head back to the office. After a long afternoon of working on the special project she promised Damon she would help with, she headed back to their place and spent the evening unpacking. Something came up at the office that had him tied up, and at eleven, she gave up and fell asleep on the couch.She woke in the bed the next morning, the smell of his cologne lingering in the room around her. He must have toted her to the bedroom sometime during the night. Where she missed seeing him like crazy, she refused to get pissed over it. He had to do what he had to do. She'd already witnessed him trying to be home more often and ignoring the business when they were together if at all possible."So... no being upset." She rolled over and sat up, stretching. The memory of him stripping her down a
BethanyJake snorted. "No, but I'd love one for Dr. Dickman's marketing final. I'm lost in there. I'm going to have to be the worker bee in a firm because if I'm left to sell my own services, me and my family are going to go hungry."Bethany smirked. "I haven't heard anything, but seeing that you have... what are you going to do about it?" Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she pulled it out to see another unknown number. "Sorry about that." She put it back and ignored it. Bill collectors? Krista? No. Maybe someone just had the wrong number."I changed the test. What else could I do?" Kendal put his hands on his hips and lifted his eyebrow. His devilish expression had to be one of the many tricks he used on women in his younger years when he and Damon were slutting it up in college. Bethany had, unfortunately, heard a few too many of their stories over beers and burgers before."That was a forty-page test, Dr. Tarrington. You changed all of it?" Jake's eyes widened.Bethany's phone b
Bethany"You came back?" Ben glanced up as Bethany walked into the office the next morning. Sadie and Philip were huddled at one end of the table together, deep in conversation about something work related."Of course I did. I don't have another job right now." She smiled and set her briefcase down. "Have you seen Damon this morning?""Yeah. He was in a meeting earlier this morning, but I'm sure he's out by now." Ben turned his attention back to his computer."Hey, guys." Bethany walked down toward Sadie and Philip. "Everything okay?""Couldn't be better." Sadie smiled, but couldn't seem to take her eyes off Philip. "We've decided to try dating.""Workplace romance." Bethany put a hand on her hip. "They're a little tricky. Let me tell you. I know from experience.""You know what?" Damon's voice surprised her.She turned and let her eyes move across him. Perfection. His dark slacks hugged his hips, his light blue button-up shirt looking as if it were made for him."I know you." She tur
Bethany"I haven't been with my man in the better part of a week. It sort of causes a girl to go nuts when he's near." She pressed her hands into his chest and let the feel of him between her thighs drag her into depravity. He could so quickly do it."I owe you some attention for sure." He moved his hands up and cupped her throat carefully. "Get up and take your slacks off. I'll clean up that mess you've made in your panties.""No. It's okay." She moved off his lap and took a step back, only to have him reach up and grab her wrist."I wasn't asking, baby. Do what I said." He tilted his head to the side, watching her intently.Her pulse spiked, and she nodded, unbuttoning her slacks and glancing back toward the door. Had they locked it?"It's locked," he mumbled as he pulled at her waistband.The slacks dropped to the floor, and she stood there, not quite sure what to do. Sex in Damon's office always threw her off a little."I can make sure." She reached for him as he gripped her hips