Spit Fire

"Why are you continuing this?" Damascus asked Gabriel as they filed into the SUV once more. 

"What do you mean?" Gabriel asked. He tried his best to imitate his most innocent expression, however, Damascus could see right through it. Gabriel knew what he meant dammit. 

"Why are you bringing in a human to the kingdom? There is no way that she will be able to continue her firm outside of the kingdom limits. You have always made a point of secrecy," Damascus said. As much as craved to be near her, he knew that their worlds could never meet. 

After seeing Amara at the banquet the night before, his dreams had been filled with a certain blonde with water blue eyes. It was a dangerous game that Gabriel was playing. For the kingdom as well as for Damascus. He had amazing self-control, however, each time that he was around her, he could feel a crack in his armor against her. The thought scared the hell out of him. 

"I believe that she is the right person for the job. However, if you are whole heartily against it, I will take it under advisement," Damascus already knew what that meant. Gabriel would listen to his argument but in the end he was still the King and would do as he saw fit. 

"I just think that you are playing with fire," Damascus said. 

"She was a bit of a spit fire, was she not?" Gabriel chuckled at the reminder of her comment to him. Even though Damascus and himself were more than double her size, she had no problem putting him in his place. 

"Something like that," although if Damascus was honest with himself, her spirit both surprised and earned his respect. Although it was one thing to deal with two dragons in her conference room, it was an entirely other animal to move one’s work to a kingdom full of Dragons. 

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"I could go for a drink. What about you?" Leslie said to Amara as she leaned against the door frame. Amara had just received the document from Gabriel's team. The list of responsibilities that he wanted her to take over was extensive. She had only gotten through half the list before Leslie popped into the doorway. 

"I think I need one after reading this," Amara said as she laid the paper down. She had decided to print the document to make notes on and any questions she might have while reading it. She could use the break though. 

Amara walked over to her closet and grabbed her jacket from its hanger. Leslie followed behind and closed up the office as they left. There was a small bar not far from the building that they work. They frequented it often when they were overloaded with work and needed to let off some steam. 

They took their usual seats at the bar and greeted the bar tender. 

"Evening ladies," Morgan said from behind the bar. "Rough day?" He asked as he dried his hands off on a towel that he kept tucked into his waist band. 

"To say the least," Amara answered. 

"So, something stronger than beer?" Morgan chuckled as he read Amara's pleading look. Morgan nodded and headed to the other side of the bar to make the ladies drinks. 

"So, what is on the list anyways?" Leslie asked as has she hung her purse up behind her. 

"Well for starters, we would have to relocate close to their headquarters," Amara said. She thanked Morgan for the drinks as he placed them in front of Amara and Leslie. 

"Whoa, really?" Leslie asked. 

"Secrecy must be a big deal to Gabriel Eros and his team. Although I still don’t understand why," Amara said. She took a sip of her drink and let the liquid burn down her throat. 

"I mean, at least it isn’t too far, is it?" Leslie asked, playing devil’s advocate. 

"Forty-five minutes from our current office space," Amara answered. She had already googled after reading the first line. "It was written in fine print that Gabriel would pay whatever the remaining amount was on our lease," she added. 

"For how long though? Indefinitely?" Leslie asked.

"I have not gotten that far in the paperwork yet. I did read that I could bring my team if they wished," Amara had no doubt that Gabriel had already looked into Amara's "team" meaning her and Leslie. Since the other marketing manager had already left, they were a two women show. 

Amara and Lelsie talked over the paperwork for some time. Running through their thoughts and what they were willing to agree to, if they ended up agreeing to working for Gabriel solely. It was also written in the agreement that Amara would not take on any other clients while employed by him. 

After a couple hours, Leslie said that she was going to head out. "Do you want me to drop you by your place first?" Leslie asked. Amara did not live far from the bar. She shook her head. 

"I am going to stay for a little bit longer and then head home. Get some rest Leslie," Leslie gave Amara a quick hug before leaving. They were employer and employee but also friends and Amara valued Leslie's input. It seemed that this decision was also going to impact her as well. Luckily Leslie was young and did not have a husband or kids yet to worry about moving somewhere new in order to take a job. 

Amara motioned for one more drink from Morgan who nodded to her on the other side of the bar. She liked Morgan's bar; he didn’t hover or try to hit on Amara. Instead, he would answer any questions they asked for his opinion on and then moved onto the next customer. 

Amara took a sip of her last drink and watched the bubbles as they rose to the rim of the glass. Was she compilating taking the job that Gabriel offered? It would be a valuable addition to her portfolio, but the secrecy and discretion was on another level that she was unaccustomed to. 

Also having to move and give up her prime real-estate where her office was currently located. They had waited for months trying to get the spot from the previous business that had been there. It was a day to celebrate when they had finally gotten that call from the realtor. 

"Hello, gorgeous," a male voice said from behind Amara. She rolled her eyes at the intrusion. She was in no mood to deal with some drunkard trying to hit on her. Amara slowly turned around in her seat and made sure a F off was clearly written on her features. 

The man must have been really drunk not to catch the hint. "I think you are lost," Amara said. Normally she would not be so rude, but her nervous system had been thrown off as of late and this was the last irritation that she wanted to deal with. 

"If by that you mean lost in your eyes, then you are correct," the man laughed at his own pick up line. Amara almost threw up in her mouth. She glanced down the bar at Morgan and nodded to the man who had approached her. Morgan looked over and nodded before walking over to the other end of the bar. 

"Hey buddy, leave the other patrons alone. I got a business to run," Morgan said. It was a polite way of saying bugger off. The man still did not catch the obvious hint. He moved closer to Amara, which made her uneasy and Morgan as well by the way he went for the side counter. He lifted it quickly and grabbed the man under his arm. 

"Whoa," the man said as Morgan showed him out. Morgan was back in a couple minutes and apologized to Amara. 

"Thank you for handling it," Amara said. There was no need for Morgan to apologize. At least he was able to make the man leave before a real scene was caused. Amara decided to drink her last drink a bit slower to give the man time to leave. 

After another hour she bid Morgan goodnight and grabbed her stuff. It was only a ten-minute walk to her apartment. The weather wasn’t too cold yet as it was still September. Amara pulled her jacket close at the nip in the air and began walking towards her apartment. 

It didn’t take long for the hairs to raise on the back of her neck. Someone was following her. Amara tried to pick up the pace, but not make it obvious that she was trying to run. She hoped that she could get to her apartment and inside before the person could try anything. 

"Come on gorgeous. I just wanted to ask for your number," shit, it was te man from the bar. Amara didn’t care about making it obvious. She began to run towards her apartment. She was about halfway there and hoped that the man's drunkenness would cause him to stumble on himself. 

It would seem that luck was not on her side this evening. The footfalls behind her grew louder the closer that he got. Suddenly the night was alive with the roaring sound of a motorcycle engine. The noised caused the man and Amara to look over at the nearby alley. The man was only two steps from Amara and the alley cut between them both. 

An angry set of lights came from a jet-black motorcycle. The engine roared to life again and the motorcycle jumped towards the man. 

"Whoa buddy, careful where you are pointing that crotch rocket," the man slurred. He appeared nervous now that he was being watched. The man on the motorcycle let the gear out and again it lunged toward the man. 

Amara watched in awe at the man wearing a black shirt and jeans with a black as night helmet intimidate the man who was chasing her. After the last lunge the drunk man ran off in the opposite direction. The motorcycle slowly pulled up so that its rider was next to Amara. 

There was no mistake about who was on top of that bike. Damascus. It looked as though he had not learned his lesson after his last accident.