All Chapters of A private deal with the billionaire ceo: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

The limousine slowed, humming low like a predator at rest. My phone buzzed in my palm, Damon’s name glowing against the screen.Damon: I’ll be there soon. I might come late. Don’t wait for me. Go inside.Late. My stomach knotted at the single word. I was about to enter a grand banquet, his world, this glittering stage I knew nothing about and he wouldn’t even be there to shield me. I stared at the message as I felt nausea rising like a tide. For a wild second, I thought about telling Rocky to drive us back to headquarters, or at least stall until Alice arrived. But Alice wasn’t coming, not yet. She’d been pulled into a lab emergency.Which meant it was just me.I closed my eyes and breathed slowly, counting to ten the way Damon had taught me when panic threatened to undo me during training. By the time Rocky opened the door, I forced my nerves to stay hidden where no one could reach them.The cool night air rushed in and I stepped out.The venue towered above me, drenched in gold ligh

Music started almost immediately. Like it was trying to reduce the tension in the air. The MC stepped forward to call out the commander to dance with his plus one. Obviously, Alice had to step forward and join him on the dance floor.I watched them glide across the polished marble. Alice looked as radiant as she always did, all grace and quiet steel wrapped up in beauty. But Halstrom? Well, it wouldn’t kill him to smile a little more. His stiff jaw and rigid posture made him look more like a warden than a man celebrating his birthday. It may have just been me noticing his sourpuss face. Maybe because deep down, I know who he really is inside. A wicked and conniving old man.When the first song was over, everyone else was allowed to join in. Couples flooded the floor, dresses sweeping, shoes gliding, laughter mingling with the soft hum of violins. I sat at my seat, watching the elegant movements unfold like a scene straight out of a period drama. For a moment, I smiled. It was almost e

The ride to Damon’s place was suffocating in the most deliciously torturous way. The silence wasn’t empty. It was thick, humming, vibrating through my skin like a live current. I sat pressed against the leather seat, my hands in my lap, pretending to study the glow of the passing city lights.But I couldn't even concentrate on that. I just couldn't.Not when his hand had settled firmly on my thigh the moment the car door shut.It wasn’t just resting on my thigh, it was claiming it. I almost regretted buying a dress with a slit in the front. His thumb traced slow circles, sending fire up my leg, his grip tightening when I shifted even slightly. The warmth of his palm burned through the thin fabric of my gown, a constant reminder that we weren’t done and that kiss outside had only been a beginning.“You’ve been quiet,” Damon finally said, his voice a low drawl that vibrated straight through me. He didn’t take his eyes off the road, but I could feel the smirk pulling at the corner of his

After the fire of earlier, the quiet that followed felt almost fragile.I hadn’t expected Damon to suggest food. Not after the way he’d kissed me, not after the way his hand had burned against my skin. But he’d stepped back first, steadying his breath, and with a half-smile that didn’t quite hide the tension in his jaw, he muttered, “You must be hungry.”It startled a laugh out of me, and maybe that was his intention, to ease the heat that threatened to consume us both.Minutes later, we sat across from each other at a long, polished dining table that seemed far too big for two people. He’d prepared nothing elaborate. Just bread, roasted chicken, olives, and a bottle of wine uncorked with casual precision. Yet the simplicity of it settled something in me. The clinking of plates, the faint crackle of the fireplace across the room…it felt almost normal. Like it was a regular occurrence.I picked at the food more than I ate, my nerves buzzing. Damon noticed, of course. He always noticed.

The wooden dummy cracked beneath the force of my elbow strike, splinters of dust clinging to my sweat-slicked arms. I welcomed the gentle ache in my muscles, the burn in my lungs, anything to keep my thoughts away from Damon. Training was the only place I could disappear, where repetition drowned out his piercing eyes, his sugar-coated words and his feverish touch.But even here, I couldn’t escape him.I felt his gaze long before I saw him. Those calculated and deliberate eyes fixated on me. Damon leaned against the far wall, arms crossed, dark expression carved into his features. He wasn’t even trying to hide the way he watched me, like I was something dangerous that needed to be guarded.I swung harder at the dummy, pretending not to notice him.When practice paused, one of the soldiers, Henry, tall with a cocky grin, strode over, handing me a towel. “You’ve got a wicked right hook,” he said, tone just a little too smooth.I laughed softly, more from politeness than anything. “Thank