Chapter 33

Damon

"Now that you got your sex? What the fuck does that mean? She didn't want to fuck?" he growled as he took the stairs all the way to the bottom floor of the hotel. She was being so incredibly sensitive, and it was getting old.

It was because she was young, that and the fact that their relationship was so new. Why the hell did he propose? It only seemed to add another layer of weight to their already crumbling foundation.

Because I love her.

Do you?

"Yes," he mumbled and walked into the executive club as a pretty redhead at the hostess stand glanced up and smiled warmly.

"Evening, Sir. Would you like a table with a connection or no?"

"Damon. Over here, man." Ben's voice caught him off guard, and he moved over a little and lifted his hand to wave at his old friend.

Where he needed to get a few things done, the night was young. He could have a drink or two with Ben, catch up and then try to work through some of his ever-expanding to-do list. Besides, he owed Ben a bit of an apology. He'd been a horse's ass earlier that week to both Ben and Linda. Chances are that both of them had let it slide, but nevertheless, Damon was working on being better about letting his emotions get the best of him.

"I'm good. I'll come get another table after a few drinks with an old friend." He nodded and started to walk off as the woman gripped his upper arm lightly, stopping him.

"I'm Amanda." She handed him a card. "Let me know if there is anything you need while you're here."

He winked and pulled from her hold. "Great. Thanks."

Slut.

"Hey, buddy. When did you get in?" Damon slid into the booth across from Ben and started to get his computer out, but decided against it. He could spare a few minutes.

"About two hours ago." Ben shrugged. "The whole team is here, but I thought it would be nice to have a drink by myself, you know, test out the theory that only alcoholics drink alone."

"And? You figured out if you fit the bill?" Damon chuckled, letting the angst from his fight with Bethany go.

"I'm still working on that." Ben glanced down at his hands and backed up. "So Bethany didn't come with you? I thought we were going to start her on-"

"She's upstairs. We're having our tenth misunderstanding for the day." Damon leaned back and turned as the waiter walked up. "Vodka and a splash of sprite. Three limes and a napkin, please."

"Of course, Sir."

"We tried to wrap up most of the third quarter stuff at the office before leaving this afternoon, but it's just massive. We're meeting at six tomorrow morning in one of the conference rooms to try and finish up." Ben shrugged, seemingly ignoring Damon's comments about Bethany. He was almost grateful not to have to explain himself further.

"I'll be down there with you guys. Everyone made the trip okay?"

"Yeah. Who is this new Senior Manager? We met briefly at the airport, but I need to know more. The woman is hot as fucking sin." Ben ran his fingers through his hair.

Damon chuckled. Delilah was beautiful, but Ben was way out of his league if he was thinking about hitting on her. She wasn't the type of woman to date anyone who wasn't wealthy like a well-worn coat. She got that from her mother, as Bridget had too. They looked a lot alike, but Bridget's hair was darker, her tits bigger and she had a nefarious look on her pretty face all the time. Delilah not so much.

"She's a good friend from my high school days. I dated her sister... you know, Bridget."

"Dude. I seriously thought she was Bridget, but when she introduced herself..."

"They do look a lot alike. Maybe too much." Damon sighed and sunk into the booth behind him.

"You miss her?" Ben lifted his eyebrow.

"What? Hell no. She was, wait, is a bitch. Greedy and selfish with her eyes on nothing more than scoring a prize. I'm nobody’s trophy. Screw that shit." Damon rolled his shoulders and took his drink from the server as it was delivered.

"Interesting."

Damon lifted his eyebrow. "Why is that interesting?"

"I would have thought she was your trophy. After you being top dog in Kappa Alpha all through college and sleeping with just about every vagina on campus..."

"I didn't sleep with a lot of women."

"Fuck that; you didn't. You're getting old and senile. You slept with a lot of girls. Period." Ben rolled his eyes and ran his hand down his chest, letting it rest on his portly stomach. "Remember that contest you and Kendal had every year."

"Agh, fuck. Don't remind me of that." He laughed, finally relaxing enough to kick-back and let his guard down. It didn't happen too often, but Ben was an old friend. The poor guy hadn't gotten very far in life, but he was a hard worker and would eventually figure out how to play the game. It was always more about who you knew than what you were capable of.

"Someone should. You're a completely different guy now, or maybe you aren’t, shit, I don't know." He shrugged. "I saw Kendal a few months back, and he's changed completely. Stiff as hell and seems to have a chip on his shoulder."

"I've changed a lot." Damon nursed his drink, thinking of all the women he took to his bed before growing up a little. They weren't toys, though most wished they were. It was disturbing and the older he got, the more he moved away from giving in to their desires, even if they matched his own. Bethany was different. Why, he was unsure, but the fact remained. If she wanted it, all she'd have to do was say so, but therein lied the challenge. She wasn't ballsy enough to stand up to him yet. She was almost there, but not quite yet. "Kendal has a lot of reason to withdraw. He worked his balls off to get that job at the university. Thanks to some whorish child with stars in her eyes, he almost lost everything."

"I'd love to hear that story."

"Then ask him. It's not my tale to tell." Damon turned as a busty girl with big green eyes, and long dark hair walked up. Her blue dress was tight, leaving plenty of her tits bouncing above the top of it. Red lipstick and a pretty pink tongue that darted out and licked at her mouth. She knew she was hot.

"Hi, boys. My friends over there and I were wondering if you might like to buy us a drink." She smiled as Ben grunted.

"Nope. We're gay. Can't you tell?" He lifted his eyebrow and glanced across the table at Damon. "Women nowadays. Jeez."

Damon chuckled and lifted his glass to the girl. "Thanks for the offer, but no thanks."

"Wait. Are you?" The girl shifted her eyes back and forth between Damon and Ben.

"We don't kiss and tell." Damon finished his drink and pulled out his laptop as she walked away, mumbling about how all the good ones were taken.

"You're welcome." Ben tapped the table between them.

"Thank you?" Damon popped open the computer and ran his finger down the screen to open the programs.

"Yeah. I was saving you."

"From what? A hot woman?" Damon smirked and turned his attention back to the screen.

"No, from making a mistake. You're with Bethany now, right?" Ben coughed. "You know that's a big ass mistake in the making, right?"

"We had this discussion already, and you didn't save me from anything. I proposed to her. I'm a lot of things, but a cheater isn't one of them." Damon brushed his fingers across his lips. "Why is it that our tax people never seem to work as fast as the audit side?"

"The rules change too often. You know that. Cut them some slack."

Damon sat back as Ben reached across and closed the screen. "We're old friends, right? Frat brothers?"

"Yeah. So." Damon reached for the top but paused.

"So I'm telling you as someone who cares about you, you need to set this thing up with Bethany well. She's not only an intern at the firm, she's-"

"I know. Stop fucking reminding me," he growled, wishing like hell he could pick them up and move to a foreign country where no one knew either of them. That would solve everything in their relationship, maybe, but the host of other problems it would create was almost stifling.

"She wants to move in together, which is the next step in the relationship, but I'm not sure I'm ready for that just yet." Damon picked up his glass and lifted it, trying to get the server’s attention.

"You proposed. I'm pretty sure you don't get to not be ready for anything. Next steps are blown out of the fucking water thanks to the ring you gave her."

"What's with the tone, Ben? You don't even know her." Damon leaned forward a little as aggression pumped through his center.

"Hey. I'm just worried about you." Ben leaned back and lifted his hands in a show of surrender. "You know I'd support you in any crazy, fucked up adventure you wanted to go on, but this... it's nuts. Period."

"I agree, but it is what it is." Damon shrugged and opened the laptop. He'd proposed too soon, but like any great opportunist, he wasn't willing to let go of the one that would eventually become the right partner for his lifestyle. She was everything he wanted and then some. She'd grow into the rest, and most likely mold him into the man she wanted him to be. It would just take time and a whole lot of fucking frictions from what he could tell.

"It's not what it is. This is marriage. It's a really big deal." Ben lifted his hands again. "I know, I'm just saying."

"Well, don't. I'm fine. We're not moving in together for a while. We both need to grow into our relationship a little more. I'm happy with the moves I've made. I love her."

"Do you, or are you infatuated with her."

"Is there a difference?" Damon chuckled. "You're drunk and emotional. Stop projecting that sappy love shit on me. Bethany and I are good together, and everything is going to work out perfectly."

"How do you know?"

"Because I'll force it to."

"Even if that upsets her? Women don't like that alpha male shit too long. It's good in the beginning, but then you better start softening."

"Not happening." Damon clicked a few buttons. "Go get some sleep and leave me in peace. My relationship with Bethany is great."

"Where is she?"

"In the room." He glanced up. "Why?"

"I'm pretty sure that's her getting into that cab." Ben pointed out the window as Damon's heart almost stopped in his chest.

"What the fuck." He slipped out of the booth and took his phone with him. The cab was gone by the time he walked out of the hotel.

A valet turned toward him and smiled. "Need me to get your car for you, Sir?"

"No. Where was that girl headed?"

"Um... I don't know." He turned back toward Damon with an odd expression.

"Right. Of course you don't." He turned and walked down the long sidewalk that led toward the parking lot as he called her.

"Hey." Her voice was thick as if she'd been crying.

"Where are you going? It's fucking eleven o'clock in a big city."

"I'm getting some Tums. My stomach is killing me, and they don't-"

"Why didn't you text me to get them."

"Because you were busy." Her bark was worse than her bite.

He pulled the phone from his ear and let out a long sigh. She didn't see him as anything more than an asshole. Otherwise, she would have come down and asked him to go with her, or for her.

"Be careful. I'll see you when you get back. Stop by the bar and let me know you're safe."

"Right. Will do, boss." The phone went dead.

A growl left him that had an elderly couple moving to the other side of the sidewalk. Why did women have to be so damn sensitive?

Ben walked out of the hotel. "Everything okay?"

Damon slipped his facade into place. "It's great. She's just running to the store."

"Ah. All right, boss. See you in the morning. Good talk."

Ben turned and walked back inside as Damon lifted his face toward the sky and tried not to condemn her to an ass-chewing when she got back. Why in the world she would leave the hotel without telling him was a mystery.

"She's an independent, strong woman. It's one of the many things you love about her," he huffed as if combating his thoughts. "You do. You love her. Period.”