Damon would’ve been completely intimidating if not for the incongruity of all that hair pulled into a knot at the back of his head. Someone so polished, so sophisticated, so rigid in his appearance wearing a…man bun.
A corded expanse of tanned neck contrasted with his light blue shirt. His broad shoulders blocked her view of the room, but Wendy didn't care. Her stare was riveted to his body. He was powerfully built, his arm tanned and flecked with black hair below the turned back pearl-studded cuff.
Wendy seemed to be floating on a cloud, her mouth turning dry as her gaze slid lower. She was fascinated by the flex of his strong thighs beneath the tight denim as he released her hand as stepped back a bit.
"Is something wrong?" Damon asked, watching her closely.
The question brought her back to reality and she grinned sheepishly.
"Yeah... Oh nothing is wrong" she said hurriedly and smiled at him. "It's just that you look so different... Not different in a bad way of course... I mean, you look really.... Sexy"
Damon looked surprised at her forwardness, but then he smiled and said, "Thanks.. I think you look amazing too... You always have"
"Please have a seat" Deborah said as she took Wendy's bags from her. "I will put these in your room. Make yourself comfortable"
Gladly, Wendy thought. She was so tired, but immediately she sat down her phone rang. She groaned when she saw that it was her dad. She couldn't ignore him forever, so it was better to get this over with.
"Hi dad," she said trying to sound cheerful.
"I have been calling for hours. Why haven't you been picking your calls?" her father asked angrily.
"I'm fine, dad. How are you too?" she
replied sarcastically.
"Don't take that tone with me young lady" Fred Morgan said, sounding more angry, if that was even possible.
"I'm sorry, dad" Wendy replied, "But I just got to Debbie's place and I didn't want to have this conversation where anyone could listen and frankly, I'm not sure I want to have it now... Or ever for that matter"
"Well, you are gonna" her father replied. "Now listen to me, young lady. I don't know what has come over you, but you will do as I say. I have done everything possible to ensure that you have a comfortable life... And this is how you pay me? By defying me?"
Wendy ran her fingers through her hair in frustration. She was so tired and she wanted to rest so bad. She definitely wasn't in the mood to have this conversation. "I know Dad," she said. "And I'm grateful for everything you have done for me. But maybe it's okay to let me make some decisions for myself. I'm tired of having everything planned out for me. You have always been there in every aspect of my life, the schools I attended, my job and now you even have a suitor ready for me. I don't want that anymore Dad, and I'm done with it. I love that you care so much about me, but I can't keep living like that and i sure as hell can't marry Jordan... I don't love him... I barely know the guy. No one does this arranged marriage crap anymore"
Her father snorted, like what she had just said was pointless."There are more important things in marriage than love. That can come later. You mother and I had an arranged marriage, and it worked out well for us. I don't see why it's going to be different for you. You haven't even given it a chance. Look, I'm not going to have this talk with you again. Just know that if you refuse to come back, I'm cutting you off... Don't bother running back to me when all your plans go to hell.. And trust me, they will."
You are cutting me off? Fine, Dad" Wendy said. "I think it's better that way. Maybe I don't need your money and now I have one more thing motivating me to do better for myself"She hung up immediately, a little scared that if she stayed on the phone, he would talk her out of this and make her go back home."Family issues?" Damon asked as she dropped the phone on her lap and buried her face in her hands. She looked up and nodded slowly."Yeah" Wendy replied. "I just had to leave, you know. It wasn't my intention to piss him off, but this is something I feel like i have to do. All my life I have always done things the way he wanted me to... Every single thing. And now he wants me to marry some doctor guy i barely know. He said something about securing my future... Whatever that means. I thought about it a lot and I just can't do it. I can't keep living like that... I want more. I want to make decisions on my own... G
The vultures were circling.Wendy stood back, wineglass in hand, and surveyed the crowded ballroom. The fund-raiser was supposed to be more pleasure than business, but business was uppermost on the minds of her competition.Across the room, Damon Paige stood in a large group of people. He looked relaxed, seemingly in his element, an easy smile making his extraordinarily handsome face even more gorgeous.It should be a crime for a man to be that good-looking. Tall, rugged, he looked every inch the kind of man who’d be at home in the athletic wear his company designed and sold. There was an aura of confidence and power around him, and above all, Wendy loved a man who was sure of himself.Given the long, searching glances they’d exchanged over the last few weeks since she came to live with Deborah, she’d be a fool not to entertain the idea of seeing where things could lead...If he wasn’t a prospective client.
Frank owned Creative Edge Promotions, and according to Evan, not only had Frank lured away a few of Standard gate's top clients in recent months, he’d also launched a PR campaign against Standard Gate. Evan said that Frank was ruthless, and he’d do anything to win.“Well, yes,” Wendy murmured. “His ad execs are busy working Damon over.”“Any reason you aren’t?” Evan asked her.She laid her hand on his forearm. She knew how important this account was to Evan—to everyone at Standard Gate Communications. It was important to her too. She wanted to prove herself, both to Evan, and more importantly to herself.“I need you to trust me, Evan. I know Damon Paige and i have studied him extensively. He knows I’m interested. He’ll come to me eventually. I’m sure of it.”She said.&ldquo
Wendy grinned at him. "Enjoying the evening?” she asked.“I think you know I’m not.” he replied.She raised one eyebrow and stared at him over the rim of her glass. “Do I?”Damon snagged a flute from a passing waiter and turned his attention fully on her. It was all she could do not to gasp under his heated scrutiny. It was as if he undressed her right then and there in front of a roomful of people. Her blood simmered and pooled low in her belly. He had beautiful eyes, and they were currently devouring her, delving beneath the modest evening gown she’d chosen. He made it seem like she wore the most scanty, revealing dress imaginable. She felt nude and vulnerable under his searing gaze. And somehow she had a feeling that he knew the kind of thoughts she was having about him...and that he was thinking it too. Why was he looking at her like that if he wasn'
It would make her life easier to be able to hide her thoughts from this man. Then she wouldn’t concern herself over whether he was giving her a shot because he thought she deserved it or whether he was thinking only of the powerful sexual pull between them and how best to capitalize on it.Wow, Wendy. Lump him in with all the other jerks you’ve known, why don’t you? Nothing like being tried and convicted based on your gender, she thought.Okay maybe that was wrong to judge him like that, but what about Debbie? What if something happened and her friendship with Debbie was ruined. She didn't want to hurt someone who had always been good to her.“Relax. You’re thinking way too much,” Damon murmured close to her ear. "You were the one who said you wanted to do this professionally""And I am doing this professionally" she replied.
His fixation with her couldn’t be readily explained. It wasn’t as though he lived as a monk. He had sex. He never lacked for partners. Sex was good. And all this while when she hadn't been in his life, he had been seeing women.But he knew that sex with Wendy would never be just good. It would be lush and delicious. The kind of experience a man would sell his soul for.She was indeed a beautiful woman. Tall, but not too tall. She would fit perfectly against him, her head tucked just underneath his chin. The girl he had once known had become a woman... A beautiful woman. She often wore her long red hair up in a loose style that told him she didn’t pay a lot of attention to whether every strand was in place. It kinda reminded him of her ponytail back in high school.He wanted to take that damn clip out, toss it in the garbage and watch as her silken mass spilled down her back. Or better yet, let it spill over him while the
She preferred the glitz-and-glamour facade of the jewelry world over the sweaty, athletic image of his company. It was just as well she wasn’t bright enough to have done any research. If she had, she would have known that Damon's company’s earnings far exceeded those of their family's jewelry business. And it had only taken him a few years to accomplish it.His mother wouldn’t believe it but Damon was grateful to Sam for being a selfish pinhead. Sam wanted Grace becausese Damon had her. Thanks to that deep need for one-upmanship, Damon had narrowly escaped a huge mistake. But it didn’t mean he wanted to spend quality time with his spoiled, self-indulgent cousin. He’d agreed, however, and now he needed a date.With a shake of his head, he began scrolling through the contacts on his phone. He had narrowed his options to three women, when the solution came to him.It was brilliant, really. He w
“You can’t have it both ways, Grace. Either I was serious about you or you were an accessory,” he drawled.“Which is it?” She flushed angrily. “I only meant that you haven’t dated any woman more than once since I broke things off with you.”He made an exaggerated expression of surprise. “You flatter me. I had no idea you were so interested in who I date. I would have thought my brother kept you too occupied to monitor my love life.”“Bring your date, Damon. But you know and I know she isn’t me. She’ll never be me. Don’t think you’ll take anything away from my wedding day.” Grace hissed.With that she stalked out of his office, leaving Damon to shake his head. He really ought to call his cousin and thank him profusely. He had dodged a bullet.He sank into his chair and opened his day planner. Maggie kept meticulous records of all appointments for just such rare occasions that