Damien frowns and takes a step back. I'm only relieved that his gun isn't pressed to my jugular. I rub the spot with my clammy hand. He asks, "What did you say?"I make a show of looking down. "I know that this is completely inappropriate. You're my boss and I've only started working for you, but I can't help it. I can't change how I feel." I raise my eyes to meet his gaze. There's distrust in his eyes, which means he hasn't really bought what I said yet. If I don't try my best to convince him, I'm a dead woman. "She doesn't deserve you, Mr. Keller. She doesn't realize that your cousin isn't half the man you are. It's unfair that she gets to keep you and not even be loyal to you."His facial expression hasn't changed. Am I exaggerating? I need to make my point believable. But if he didn't believe in me, at least a little, he would've killed me by now. He put the gun down, that's got to mean something.Right? After a beat, he says, "You're a good liar."I smile a little and look down.
Ethan places a hot kiss on Elizabeth's mouth.The movement of her hips is tantalizingly slow. The circular, rhythmic motion is driving him insane. The little moans leaving her lips fuel his passion. He squeezes the flesh of her hips and grinds against her harder. Her fingernails are digging into his shoulders, but the pain blends with the sheer pleasure of being buried inside her.He doesn't know where he loves to fuck her most. At home, when Damien isn't around, or right in the staff room of the lounge. Sometimes in Damien's office, when he isn't around. The thrill of it is what truly turns him on. This must be the most reckless and exhilarating thing he's ever done, and Ethan Keller isn't exactly known for being a daredevil."Fuck, Elizabeth," he mutters beneath his breath as he breaks their kiss. He comes face-to-face with her erect nipples, and he can't help but pop one in his mouth and suck gently. She loves it when he does that.Their affair started a little over four months ago
I slam the apartment door shut.I'm still shaking. I can barely hold my keys. They keep slipping from my sweaty hands and they won't stop jingling. It's like my head is filled with cotton candy. I can't quite believe that I'm alive, that I managed to convince Damien Keller that I'm not a spy.I fish my phone out of my bag and throw my bag across the room. With trembling fingers, I dial Devon's number. I pray to God that he answers this time, because if he doesn't I'll have a panic attack. The phone rings and rings, every ring feels like it's an hour long.He answers on the last ring. "Amelia, listen. I can't really talk right now—""He found out," I interrupt.Devon is quiet for a long time. We're both breathing heavily on each end of the line. He says, "Keller found out about you?""Almost," I admit. "He had cameras. He saw me shove the fucking envelope under the door. He interrogated me and I just panicked.""Fuck," he mutters beneath his breath. "What happened after? What did he sa
"You came," he says.I was right. He is surprised that I'm here. Not taking Devon's advice was the best decision I made. "Of course. I told you I had nothing to hide. I told you the whole unfiltered truth. I'm here to stay."He stands from his high desk chair and the leather creaks. "For a moment I thought that perhaps you would be lying.""No," I say and attempt to make my voice sound breathless. Just for the effect. "I would never lie to you."He stops a few spaces ahead of me and we watch each other. He appears to be much calmer today, yet I'm still filled to the brim with apprehension. To break the tense silence, I ask, "What was the task?""This. I had my doubts about your intentions, but I've had the entire night to think everything through." He turns his back to me. "I didn't think you'd come, Yara, but clearly I was mistaken."I nod. This is exactly what I wanted to hear. I'm out of danger. My shoulders sag with relief. "So what happens now? What will you do about it?"He turn
Devon sits at the bar and orders a drink.The bartender has never seen him before, so he gives him a funny look. A small bar like this, he must know every single person that comes in here. He hopes to hell that Bernard was right about this. He came a long way and he isn't going back without getting this done. He even tore a few stitches earlier. He makes a mental note to go to the clinic as soon as he's done with this.He takes the photo from the inside of his coat and slides it across the table. The bartender looks at him funny, but leans over to take a good look at the photo. "You know this woman?"He snaps his gaze back to Devon's. "Depends. Who's asking?""The CIA, the FBI, Interpol, what does it matter? Just answer the fucking question." He knows that the mention of these normally scares people. No one wants to get involved with the law.He puts both his hands in the air. It's almost as if Devon showed him a badge and told him to. "I don't want any trouble, man. I'm just doing my
He parks his car in the parking lot of a large, nondescript building.For the entirety of the drive, he didn't say a word to me. I oscillate between assuring myself that everything is fine and then convincing myself that I'm in deep shit. Why would he ask me to go with him alone? Without any explanation? This spells trouble. If he had good intentions, wouldn't he make them known? I don't know. Right now, I don't have a clue of what's coming next.There are a lot of cars here, by a lot I mean hundreds. The fact that it's a public place is what puts my mind at ease. I amble behind him, until we get to a white metal door. He knocks and there's the sound of metal grinding against metal. The door opens a crack. "Name?""Damien Keller."The door opens wider. "Are you accompanied, sir?""Yes, by my secretary. Yara Huxley.""Step inside, please."As soon as we step in, I hear music. Fast-paced, the kind you'd find in clubs. The floor is literally vibrating. The man who opened the door shakes
She moved away from him back there, when he was reaching for the bottle. Imperceptibly, but he caught it. It was clear that she was uncomfortable because of how close they were, which makes Damien wonder if what she said the previous day had any truth in it. She never seems to make an effort to be closer to him, to touch him in any way. In fact, she looked scared. He's had countless women in the past, and all of them that were attracted to him acted that way.He wonders if Yara Huxley is a liar for the hundredth time today.He's torn between believing and not believing her. She's a walking contradiction. She's outspoken, yet she's shy. She seems confident, but she has her moments of self-doubt that are quite evident. She appears weak minded, but has endured a handful of awful experiences in a matter of weeks. Not everyone reacts well to having a gun pointed at them. Yet, she's oddly fearless. He saw it in her eyes when he had his gun pointed at her. There was no fear there, but there
Turquoise.It's all I see at first when I first open my eyes. My heart's beating uncontrollably. I climb out of bed and rush to the bathroom. I think of splashing water in my face, but I change my mind and take a cold shower instead. Last night's events affected me more than I expected. Damien truly wasn't himself. Almost as if someone—or something—took over his body. The alcohol played a role, of course. I can't stop thinking about what happened. I turned and twisted in bed before I fell asleep just processing everything, hence the dream. I haven't had a dream like that in a long time, since high school I think. When I close my eyes, I can still feel his lips on mine. The fact that my entire being is up in flames is the most degrading part for me. I'm too old for this. I can't believe that my subconscious would trick me like this. The cold shower helped.I turn the tap off and pad into the bedroom. I wrap my towel around my body and dry myself quickly. It's still early, but I want
Six months have passed.They've been peaceful and for the most part, quiet. Tremendously busy, but I'm used to that part now. Working alongside Damien is the best part about it. I get to be with him all day and make sure that he isn't exerting himself. He has a lot more work now; he had to take over Ethan's duties. Theo helps, but there are certain things only Damien can handle. When Ethan was here, he took care of it, but he's been gone for half a year and there's no one capable enough to replace him. I think that deep down, Damien doesn't want anyone to take over Ethan's job, but he'll never admit it out loud. I help him whenever I can. There's a lot I still don't understand, but I'll get there.It's only a matter of time.He doesn't ever ask me to go home when there are people coming over to meet with him. We never talked about what happened with Ash, but it changed a lot of things. I gained some respect after I killed him. I see it in the way people look at me whenever we're at so
I help him peel his blazer off.This day has been mentally exhausting for him. He rarely leaves the office early, but I'm glad he did today. I'm glad, because at least we have the whole day ahead of us. It's going to be just the two of us. Theo rarely comes here, she prefers to stay in the city. It's closer to everything else. I love it here, because it feels like we're all alone in the world. I stare out the window and all I see is the vast sky, green hills, nature. I don't even see the guards surrounding the house. They're invisible to me.It's peaceful here, and breathtakingly beautiful. It's home. I understand why Damien is so attached to this place. It's not simply because he grew up here. I feel safe, here, untouchable. The first time I was here, I felt like an intruder. Our relationship was so different back then, I can't help but marvel at how everything is so different now. I never would have guessed that we'd end up here, closer than ever, madly in love. We've come a long wa
Today's an important day.I've been on edge all morning. Damien has called for a Keller family meeting. We're all going to be there, including Ethan and Penelope.He announced that there'd be a meeting only last night during dinner, and he asked Theo to give Ethan a call. I was startled by the news and so was she. He didn't tell me what he'll say to Ethan, but we can guess what it is. He wants closure. Ethan owns a third of everything, and that matter needs to be resolved. I doubt that Damien will allow him to return to the company. I just don't see it happening. Ethan himself never mentioned it to Theo, not that he'd dare to.Theo told me that he's out of the hospital. She said he hasn't left the country yet because he wants to see Damien first. Damien, however, wanted nothing to do with him until yesterday. He's asked after him, but he didn't want to see him. He's still hurt by what Ethan did to us, his betrayal is a wound that will never quite heal for him. And if it ever does, it'
I'm afraid of opening the door.I've been standing here for a full minute with my heart in my throat. My hand is on the knob, ready. I can't bring myself to turn it, though, simply because I know that Damien's on the other side. There's a lot we need to talk about, so much in fact that I wouldn't know where to start.I hold my breath and close my eyes. I've been standing out here for too long. I remind myself that he's my husband, he's the man I love, and we'll get through this. We'd get through anything together. I've been in a far worse position before. This time, I was actually focusing on the well-being of our family.I open the door slowly.Only the bedside lamp is on. I see him right away; he's seated on the couch across his bed. He's staring out the window with a distant look in his eyes. I take a few steps towards him, my eyes on his handsome face. My heart's thumping against my chest. I'm overcome with emotion, but I put a hamper on them for now. He's a little pale, I notice
Amelia's going to hate him for this, but that's okay, because he doesn't plan on ever seeing her again.He means it this time. He's done with this shit. He had his chance, he fucked it up a hundred years ago. It's time to get over it. If there was ever a part of him that thought he'd get a chance with her, that part of him died a while back. She loves Damien Keller. He lost her a long time ago. That doesn't necessarily mean that he's content with the outcome, but he'll admit defeat. Staying here is slowly killing him.She's going to be alright. Leaving her back there was a dick move, sure, but he stands by what he said to her; when everyone finds out that she did it, there will be no revenge. He helped her along the way, but no one needs to know that. The Huntingtons won't dream of touching her, especially when the truth about Damien comes out. It would be an entirely different story with him.He glances at his watch. Five more minutes in there and he'd miss his flight. He can't miss
I've never been so glad to see him in all my life."Devon," I say, the word a gasp. "How did you—"He doesn't let me finish. "Did he hurt you? Are you hurt?"I shake my head. "No, but how did you—""I'll explain later," he assures me. "Right now, we've got to get this asshole tied to that chair. Quickly, before he wakes up. Bring that chair over there. I have rope under the bed."I grab it and Devon grabs a duffel bag from under the bed. He opens it and fishes out rope and a couple of knives. He's been lying under the bed the entire time. It's clear that he planned this thoroughly.He didn't abandon me. He said he'd help me kill Ash and here he is. I tell him, "I thought you weren't going to show up. I thought you tricked me.""I don't blame you for assuming the worst," he says, looking up at me. His eyes are glinting with mischief and something else, something I won't dare name. He points at my gun. "You know how to use that thing?"I stare at it. "Yes."He's watching me intently. "A
It's quarter to midnight.The clock is ticking and my heart is racing. I'm ready, my small gun is hidden in my underwear. I've made sure to wear an extra tight pair just for the occasion. The dress is scarlet and flowy, perfect for tonight.I'm waiting for him in the lobby. This time, I'm early. It makes me feel more in control of the situation even though that's far from the truth. I take a small sip of champagne and look back at the entrance. My heart's in my throat, making it hard for me to breathe. I have to remain cool, though. There's a lot at stake.Everything depends on this."Anything else?" the bartender asks me while pouring someone else a drink. I shake my head, I can't even speak at a time like this.I'm taking another sip of champagne when I finally spot him. There are two men walking behind him. He's saying something to them as he looks around. For me, no doubt. I fix my gaze on him and hold my breath as I wait for him to see me. He doesn't, which is fairly disappointin
"Leave," Damien says to the nurse. She scurries out of the room as soon as he mutters the word.He's in a terrible mood and he doesn't want anyone around him. He has finally moved from that awful, desolate place and he's home. He made sure that they didn't change any decorations. They lost a lot of antiques and furniture that was in their family for decades, but he's made sure that everything else remained the same. He's sure that he'll recover in no time here, he already feels better. He's not in bed, he's sitting on the sofa beside his bed. He's supposed to be resting, but he's done enough of that.He can't sleep when he's worried sick about Amelia.The fact that no one gives him any news is a bad sign as it is. They're hiding something from him, he can feel it. The last time he spoke to her, she told him that she wasn't going to turn back, that she'd go ahead with the plan. He has no idea of what her plan might be, but he knows it won't be anything he'll agree with. He wonders if p
I can't stop chewing my thumbnail.I force myself to put my hand down. I'm in agony; I don't know what to do and I'm running out of time. I'm supposed to be meeting Ash tonight. This was supposed to end it all, according to Devon, but he let Ethan go so what happens now? The only reason why I'm agreeing to everything is because of him. It isn't, but that's what Ash thinks. Am I still expected to show up? Why would he do this?I can't figure it out.I wish I had a way of contacting Devon to let him know that everything went to shit, but I don't have his number. I don't know where he's currently residing. I don't think I'll be seeing him anytime soon; tonight, maybe but not earlier. In the meantime, what do I do? I can't ask anyone's advice. My family is against me entirely. Theo probably thinks that our negotiations with Ash have come to an abrupt end, but she doesn't know half of it. I'm planning on killing him once and for all, I made a promise to myself that I would.For Damien.I h