After the meeting, Trevor gathers the team and invites us to a working lunch. We crowd into the elevator and hit the first floor in seconds.
The doors slide open, and Damon’s voice bounces off the walls of the lobby. I hear him before I see him. There’s no avoiding him. As he steps into the elevator, I exit it.
“Kat?” He stands in front of the door so it can’t close. “What are you doing here?” Concern colors his voice. “Is everything okay?”
I call ahead to my group and tell them I’ll catch up.
With a smile that sits like an imposter on my face, I say, “I work here. I took your advice and applied for the internship.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I wanted to do it on my own. Besides, you haven’t been talkative lately.” My coworkers walk out of the building. “Gotta go, people are waiting for me.” I dash after them to catch up with Trevor and the others.
“I’m sorry about that,” I tell Trevor.
“How do you know Mr. Noble?” He lifts a quizzical brow.
How do I explain my relationship with Damon? Without a clue, I divulge as little as possible. “We were in a book club together, but he quit because of a conflict.”
“I don’t see Damon Noble as a book club kind of guy. What books do you read in this club?”
This is like a college exam I didn’t study for. “Mostly books on The New York Times Best Sellers list.” I change the subject to avoid further discussion. “Where are we having lunch? I’m starving.”
“There’s a diner down the street that has the best burgers in town.”
We spend an hour eating and discussing the grand opening while I gobble up something called a black and blue burger.
Once the lunch meeting concludes, we head back to Noble Enterprises.
As soon as I arrive at my cubicle, my phone rings and Greta asks me to come to Damon’s office. It’s not a surprise since I didn’t give him a chance to react to my presence.
Greta greets me with a smile. “Hello, Ms. Cross. It’s a pleasure to see you again. Mr. Noble is waiting for you.”
She raps twice on the door and opens it a crack. There’s a murmur from inside, and the door swings wide open.
“Thanks, Greta,” I cautiously walk into his lair. That’s the only description that comes to mind because, at the moment, I feel like a mouse entering a lion’s cage.
“Come in, Kat, and have a seat.” He waves toward the couch. “I’ll be with you shortly.” He nods to a tray with soda. “Help yourself to a drink.” He stares at a pile of papers. He does nothing to them but stare. He’s stalling. He asked me here but doesn’t know what to do with me now that I arrived.
I break the ice. “Thanks for the aspirin and water.” My head falls in shame. “I made an ass out of myself, and I’m embarrassed.”
“You’ve got nothing to be embarrassed about, Kat.” He grimaces as he says my nickname. “Oh, hell, I hate calling you that name. It’s almost painful.”
I want to laugh, but this isn’t a laughing matter. “It’s not my intention to cause you pain.”
He looks up with eyes full of despair. I don’t know what’s going on in his head, but I want to pull him close to me and comfort him.
“I’m in pain every moment I can’t have you in my arms. It kills me every night I can’t hear your voice,” he confesses. “I’m a jealous fool. I can’t have you, but I don’t want anyone else to have you either. I’m a complete asshole.” He grabs the sides of his head and runs both hands through his hair.
“Damon, you can have me. All you need to do is ask. I’ve been yours since the day I took your arm and you walked me to the limousine. There isn’t a minute I don’t think about you.” I stare into his glacial eyes and see them melt before me. “I sleep with that silk scarf like it can magically make you appear. I haven’t put that beautiful dress away, because looking at it makes me feel closer to you.”
We stand, and step by step, we close the gap until I’m in front of him with my face pressed against his chest. I can’t contain my emotions and tears run down my cheeks.
Strong arms hug me tightly.
“I have no right to you,” he says. “I did everything to get you to stay away. I’ve even been cruel at times.”
“Stop. You’ve mostly been kind and generous and always noble. You took me home Saturday and put me safely to bed. I was in a vulnerable position, and you acted like a gentleman. Your mom would be proud.”
“I don’t know what I’m doing. I’m on unfamiliar ground, and I don’t know how to act.”
“Kiss me. Let me in. Let me love you.” I reach up and place my palm on his cheek.
He leans into my touch. “I don’t know if I can. I want to feel your love, but I don’t know where to start.”
I pull him to the couch and frame his face with my hands. “We start small and work on this together, one step at a time.”
“One kiss at a time.” He presses his lips to mine before walking to the door and talking to Greta. When he returns, he resumes kissing me. I don’t know how much time passed, but the sun sits low in the sky when we come up for air. My lips are chapped, and my jaw is tired, but I’m happy.
“Can I get you something to drink?” he asks.
I jump up and walk to the bar. “Let me get you something. What do you want?”
“I want you, but I’ll settle for a diet soda.”
“Why settle when you can have both?” I pour two diet sodas and walk back to where he sits.
“Come here,” he grips my hips and pulls me onto his lap.
I nearly spill the sodas as he buries his face in my hair and draws in a long, deep breath like he may never get another.
When he leans back, I hand him his drink and tease him for keeping me so long. “When I get fired tomorrow, I’m blaming you. I’ll have to go to Java Joes and beg them to take me back.”
He chuckles. “I know your boss, and I took care of it. Greta called Trevor and told him you were detained and would return tomorrow.”
“I’m excused for the day? What should we do?”
“Let’s go eat, and then I want to show you my house.” He takes my hand and leads me out the door. “Greta, I won’t be back until tomorrow. Send all my calls to voicemail.”
Greta smiles at both of us. “Have a great night, Mr. Noble, Ms. Cross.” Her giggle follows us down the hallway.
Damon guides me into his private elevator that goes directly to the garage. When the door closes, he pins me against the wall, crashing his mouth against mine until I am dizzy with ecstasy.
“Are there security cameras in here?” I ask between kisses.
“There are cameras everywhere, except for my office and the bathrooms. Does it make you nervous?” His hand roams over the curve of my bottom. “Is it exciting to know someone might watch?”
“Is that why you have a glass floor above the VIP lounge? Is it because you’re a voyeur?” I look into his eyes, because if he hasn’t shuttered his emotions, his eyes never lie. “Is that your thing?”
“No, I’m not a voyeur, although I could spend my life watching you,” he sighs. “Saturday night after I undressed you, I wanted to sit on the side of your bed and watch you all night, but my mom raised me to be a better man. As for the glass floor, it was an interesting concept, and I wanted to try it. I wish I could have given you the club tour myself.”