5: Damien Keller

Damien Keller drains his glass.

It was a long fucking night. He opens the bottle of scotch and pours himself another drink. He lights a cigar, too, because despite the shitty meeting, today was a successful day. His negotiations went as planned and he couldn't ask for more. Now, he'll have twice the alcohol coming in and even more men on his side. He feels invincible. As if the entire world revolves around his existence, which is exactly as it should be.

Theodora enters his office groaning. She takes off her heels and sinks on the sofa before him. "I'm never partying with that man, Damien. It's just not going to happen. Don't ever ask me for those kind of favors again."

He blows out smoke. "Theo, stop complaining. They fucking signed the paper. It's all set. You should be celebrating."

"Yeah, whatever. What're you drinking?"

"Scotch."

She scoffs. "Pussy. Where's the vodka?"

He leans back in his chair and stares at the ceiling. He's ecstatic. He didn't think he could be this content. He didn't think that business with those guys could be so profitable, but they proved him wrong. Theo starts rummaging around the cabinets looking for vodka, when she doesn't find any she practically growls. Damien ignores her. Nothing could spoil his night. "I'll go get some at the bar."

"Could you tell Ethan to come here?"

Theo whips her head around and scoffs. "Do it yourself. What do I look like, the bell boy? Fuck out of here, Damien."

She closes the door behind her. He shakes his head. Theo has been this way for as long as he can remember. She's older than him, so he has immense respect for her. But she mostly acts like a child. Still, she gets the job done, and he can trust her with anything. He noticed that the man they were negotiating with, Garrett, was hoping to grab her attention. He would never ask his sister to whore for the cause, but he did ask her to keep him entertained. And Theo did just that. At the end of the day, everyone was happy.

He has a moment of silence before it he door opens again. He expects to see Ethan, but his eyes meet Elizabeth's. She leans against the doorframe and smirks. Her hair is wavy and frames her perfectly oval face. Her dark eyes glint mischievously. She looks stunning. The red dress she's wearing hugs her body perfectly, and her legs are toned and tanned. "Hey, my love."

She saunters towards him and sits on his lap. Her perfume invades his nostrils and he presses his nose against her fragrant neck. He tastes her sweet skin and she tugs gently at his hair. He places a hand on the small of her back. "Long day?" she asks.

"Hm," is all he says. Her hands move to his zipper and she undoes his fly. Her hand finds his hardened cock.

"Ethan will be here at any second."

"This won't take long," she assures him.

It doesn't take long for him to take her over his desk, wrapping her lovely hair around his fingers. She wraps her legs around his waist and pushes him deeper inside of her. She moans loud enough for the workers in the other room to hear her, but he doesn't mind. Part of the reason why he was so attracted to her was because she was the kind of woman that couldn't be tamed. Not in the real world and not in the bedroom.

She pulls her dress down after they're done and she grabs his cigar. "So I'm assuming you had a good day? You're in a mood." She leans to kiss him, sucking his tongue a little. She tastes like tobacco and cherries. She pulls back.

"Better than any other day."

"What happened? Care to share?"

He shrugs. He didn't like involving her in the mechanics behind the business. All she knew was what everyone else knew. Nothing special. "Just business. Where's Ethan?"

"At the bar, last time I saw him."

"Did you see Theo on your way here?"

She shakes her head. "No. I didn't see her at all today."

"Be a good girl and fetch him for me, will you?" He has something important to say to him. Ethan is his right hand. He makes all the important monetary decisions, but now Damien needs to see him for another purpose. It isn't as urgent, but he wants to put it behind him.

She throws her head back and laughs. "You're something else, Damien Keller. Always getting people to do everything you want. I'll get your cousin for you." She slides off his desk and walks to the door. She purposefully sways her hips. She knows he's looking. She stops and turns to face him. "I'll be heading home afterwards. I'll wait up."

She closes the door and he sinks in his chair with a contented sigh. He has everything any man could want, more even. He built his empire from scratch, with the help of his relatives, of course, but he's proud of his accomplishments. After his father was killed, they nearly lost everything. Those times are behind them now. He has a gorgeous fianceé, desired by all men. What else could he possibly want?

But there's someone trying to destroy everything he has, and he doesn't know who it is yet. They're determined and bold. The spies they sent never stayed long enough to make a dent, but the thought of what could happen if they succeeded lingers above him like a cloud 24/7. He has to find out who's behind it all and eliminate that threat urgently. That means they have to be extra careful about who they employ these days. He'll interview them all personally, and have men he trusts follow them around if necessary. He isn't going to let anyone destroy what he built with his own hands. No, that he won't allow.

The door to his office opens and Ethan curses as he makes his way inside. He shuts the door behind him. "Elizabeth was in here, wasn't she?"

"Just sit the fuck down."

Ethan sits and stares at his cousin. No one would have guessed that they're related. Ethan has light brown hair and dark brown eyes, is taller, but only by a few inches. Damien has raven black hair and blue-green eyes. Physically, they weren't alike. They grew up together, despite their age difference, and Ethan was his best friend. They had the same dreams and aspirations, and that is why they're both at the head of the largest empire in LA. Ethan is the brother he never had.

Damien stares at him. He wants to get straight to the point. "Did you see the new barmaid?"

"Jason's cousin. She's incompetent, we ought to fire her." He reaches over and grabs Damien's glass. "Just for the record, they don't look like fucking cousins. It's just my opinion. Carl said he saw her ID. They have the same surname, though."

"We don't look like we're fucking related either, but here we are." He clears his throat. "Do you think we should have Barry follow her around for a few days, see what she does? Just in case?"

Ethan shakes his head quickly. "She doesn't look like a spy, if that's what you're thinking. She's...I don't know, man. Jason said she was a small town girl. You can tell, she isn't cut out for this. She's different from the other girls. We don't want her spilling drinks on someone important."

Damien raises a brow. "Is she clumsy?"

"She nearly dropped the bottle of whiskey. I saw it with my own eyes. I'll tell Jason tomorrow that she can go back to whatever hole she came from." Ethan rubs his eyes. "Let's focus on more important shit."

Damien takes a drag of his cigar. "Jason asked. We have to give her a chance. Jason's one of the loyal ones. We need him on our side."

Ethan shrugs. "Whatever. You fucking decide what to do about her, then."

"I'll see her tomorrow. You gave me your opinion, but I'll form my own conclusions. We need to be careful about who we employ these days." He wasnt just referring to the four spies who had popped up from out of nowhere. He couldn't forgive himself for how reckless he had become, how quickly he had forgotten what the man employed by the Browns did to his father. Killed him in his bed without mercy.

"Who do you think is behind all this?" Ethan wonders aloud after a beat, making Damien lose his train of thought.

"If it were the police, we'd know by now. It must be a secret corporation. Someone hired them, someone who wants us gone."

"The Browns?"

"They don't have that kind of muscle anymore." Damien dismisses the thought instantly. The Browns were in check, he made sure of it long ago.

"I figured."

"Where's Theo? Did you see her at the bar?"

"She wasn't there. She probably dropped dead somewhere. Why are we talking about her right now?"

Damien chuckles. "It's just a question."

Ethan stands. "I'm going home. I'll see you there."

Damien is left alone with his thoughts. He formulates a plan. His first priority is finding out who's trying to infiltrate his team, and secondly, how to get rid of them. His agenda is full for tomorrow, but he'll make some space to meet Jason's cousin. He has to see her and give Jason a definite answer. If she stays or not. It won't be too long, he's doing this as a favor. Something he hates above all else is stupidity, and if the girl is clumsy, she can't stay.

He'll get it done and over with and move on to more important things. Now, he has to go home. Elizabeth is waiting for him, and he thinks about all the things he'll do to her. He's trying to be good to her. He's putting his past behind him. He'll give her a chance. He'll give them a chance.

He turns the lights off on his way out.