All Chapters of Tired of me, Mr. Taylor?: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

By the third afternoon in Lake Como, Serena had discovered that working beside Damian was considerably easier when she had a helmet on.The morning had been spent filming road footage farther north, followed by distributor presentations and another round of technical discussions that had stretched well past lunch. By four, Serena wanted a shower, a change of clothes and at least thirty minutes in which nobody asked what she thought about steering response.The private Street Nation showcase began at seven.She left Daniel downstairs with Elena and headed for the elevators. Her finger had barely touched the button when Damian approached from the direction of the conference rooms.“Serena.”Of course.“Mr. Taylor.”His gaze rested briefly on her face. “Ms. Ellis.”The elevator arrived. Serena stepped inside, and Damian followed. Neither spoke. She pressed four. Damian didn’t need to press anything.The doors closed.Serena watched the numbers change above them, acutely aware of how smal

Serena had to redo her lipstick.She stood in front of the bathroom mirror with the tube poised near her mouth and stared at her reflection for several seconds before applying it. Her hair required less repair than she expected, although one side still bore evidence of Damian’s hand having been buried in it.That memory brought another with it.That’s not why I ended it.Serena pressed her lips together, then reached for a tissue to clean the edge of the color. If he hadn’t grown tired of her, why had he ended it? Apparently Damian had an answer. He simply hadn’t been willing to give it.She wasn’t spending the evening inventing one for him.At six fifty-five, Serena left her suite in a fitted black evening dress with a softly draped neckline and gold earrings, then took the stairs rather than risk another elevator.The Bellariva’s lakeside gardens had been transformed for Street Nation’s private showcase. The SN-R occupied the center of a raised platform overlooking the water, its bo

“You’re checking out?”Serena looked up from signing the Bellariva’s departure form to find Cecilia beside the reception desk, already dressed for travel in tailored navy trousers and a fitted sleeveless top. Her blonde hair was swept into a loose knot at her nape, oversized sunglasses resting on top of her head, and for once she looked less like the future Mrs. Taylor attending an event and more like a woman preparing for several hours on a plane.“Almost. Street Nation arranged cars to take us to the airport.”“So did Damian.” Cecilia smiled. “Apparently leaving a hotel requires considerably more coordination when you’re him.”Serena returned the pen to the receptionist. “I’m surprised he hasn’t acquired the airport.”“I wouldn’t give him ideas.”The laugh that escaped Serena came easily enough, but something about Cecilia had felt different since the showcase two nights ago. Not colder. If anything, she remained almost determinedly pleasant whenever they crossed paths. Yet there wa

Damian had read Sophie’s message once.He had looked at the photographs considerably longer.By morning, he had decided Sophie was reading too much into them. Laurent picking Serena up from work proved nothing. Damian already knew the man wanted her, and Serena had never pretended she disliked his attention.What he couldn’t dismiss quite as easily was how comfortable she looked.That thought followed him into work, irritatingly persistent despite everything else requiring his attention. Sometime after eleven, Damian realized he had read the same paragraph of a financial report three times.He set the document down and forced his attention back to the meeting.Malcolm was halfway through the next item on the agenda, and when the discussion turned to Damian, he answered without hesitation. Nobody at the table would have known that part of his mind was somewhere outside Ellis Atelier, fixed on a photograph he had no business caring about.By the time the meeting ended, he was thoroughly

Damian was halfway through reviewing a revised set of figures when Victor walked into his office without knocking.He looked up briefly. “You have an assistant.”“So do you. Neither of them has ever managed to keep me out of a room I intended to enter.”Damian returned his attention to the document. “What do you want?”Victor crossed the office and placed a folder on the desk. “The Arden revisions. Their legal team accepted most of Malcolm’s changes. There are two points they want reconsidered before Friday.”Damian opened the folder and scanned the marked pages. The first amendment was reasonable. The second wasn’t.“No.”“I assumed you’d say that.”“Then why are you here?”“Because assuming what you’ll say and obtaining an answer are generally considered different things.”Damian gave him a look, but Victor merely took the chair opposite him.For several minutes, they discussed the revisions. Damian rejected one, altered another and instructed Victor to have Malcolm prepare the resp