10
Kelly
I thought about riding my scooter over to the Damian Woods “compound,” but I figured I wasn’t going to be there long enough for me to have to worry about walking back to get the scooter to go home. As I marched down the boardwalk, my hair still wrapped in my ponytail, I could feel my resolve building to go into the house, see what was there, and then let Damian know what I thought of him building his monstrosity on the beach and how selfish and pretentious he was. After I had my say, I could turn around and walk out, go get my scooter and go home and I have a nice glass of wine, reveling in the look that would be on his face when he got schooled by a local.
I got to the end of the boardwalk and went down the steps, taking me over to the road that led down to his front gate. Suddenly I had butterflies in my stomach. I was nervous, not so much about what I had wanted to say to Damian, but if things turned out differently, I didn’t think I was sure how I would react. There was no denying he was nice and friendly from the interactions I had with him, and he certainly was someone I was physically attracted to.
I walked slowly towards the gate and could feel myself sweating more as I got closer with each step. Beads formed on my forehead as the sun beat down on me, and I felt like I was breathing a bit heavier than I should have been.
Maybe this is a bad idea, I said to myself as I got about twenty yards from the gate.
I stopped and looked at the giant house looming in front of me behind the iron fence. If I was going to do this, one way or the other, this might be the only opportunity I had. I shuffled along the sandy road until I stood in front of the entrance and reached over to press the buzzer. My hand shook slightly and hesitated.
I could hear myself say “to hell with this,” and got ready to turn and go, but then my index finger seemed to jump on its own and hit the buzzer. I thought about turning and running, but my legs and my brain were not on the same page at this point either. I tried to remain calm and stand still, figuring there was a camera somewhere that was pointed at the entrance, watching me. My left foot started to tap as I waited for a response.
“Hold on one second,” Damian’s voice crackled over the intercom.
The gates slowly hummed and retracted, and I began my descent down the driveway. The black limo was still parked just where it was yesterday when we saw James out washing it, making me wonder if there was a houseful of servants inside to wait on Damian’s every whim. I knew if I saw that it would give me one more reason not to stay very long.
By the time I reached the front steps, Damian had opened the front door and was standing there waiting for me.
“I’m glad you could make it,” Damian said to me, holding the door open for me as I slid past him and went inside.
The cool blast of the air conditioning enveloped me as soon as he shut the front door, sending shivers up and down my body. We stood in front of the staircase for a moment, neither one of us sure as to what to do next.
“I guess you didn’t have any trouble finding the place,” Damian said, a lame attempt at a joke.
“It’s kind of a hard place to miss,” I told him, only half-joking myself.
“I know, the place seems a little… ostentatious, I guess. When we were working out the plans for everything, and I saw the final blueprints, I was a little worried about how everyone would react to the house. Would you like the grand tour?”
“Do we have enough time to see it all before dinner?” I cracked.
“I think we can squeeze it all in,” Damian told me as he started walking down the hall.
I followed along, looking at the artwork on the walls, typical beach stuff with shells and driftwood that tourists often go for when decorating rental homes. We walked past a few rooms with closed doors that I assumed were bedrooms either for guests, or staff, or both. We ended up in an immense room with a pool table, big screen TV, a large bar and a jukebox.
“Wow, quite a space,” I said, knowing I sounded unimpressed. I moved towards the center of the room and saw another small hallway beyond where the TV was mounted.
“What’s down there?” I asked.
“Oh,” Damian answered. “There’s a laundry room and a small movie theater in the other room.”
“Fancy,” I told him. “I see you have an elevator too.”
“Just easier to bring bags up and down that way,” Damian replied nonchalantly. “Come on,” he told me, leading me back down the hall to the staircase so we could go up to the second floor.
I could see bedroom doors to my left and right, but down at the end of the hall were large clear windows. We walked towards the area, and before we got there, I could see rooms on either side.
“This room is the fitness room,” Damian said pointing to the left.
I peeked in and saw the room filled with various workout equipment, all top-of-the-line stuff, and some TV screens so you could watch while you worked out.
“And this is another fitness room,” he said, heading off to his right. This room was a little larger and was outfitted with a boxing ring, heavy bags, and other equipment.
“You have your own boxing ring?” I said to him.
“I like to box for my workout, so I thought it would be useful.”
“Who do you box?” I asked, thinking he probably had designated people that come in for him to punch.
“Well, I hadn’t really thought about it that much,” Damian said, feeling sheepish. “James and I do spar sometimes.”
We walked back out, and I was standing before the pool area. Damian opened the door for me, and I went in. The transition from the cool, air-conditioned house to the warm air around the pool hit me square in the face. I could hear my sneakers squeaking on the floor as we moved closer to the pool. I saw the area on the far wall where the pool had a small transition to the outdoor area.
“Nice,” I said to him, trying to sound casual. “I have to tell you, Damian, having a pool at the beach seems a little… well strange to me.”
Damian looked back at me as if he were expecting me to say something like this.
“I know,” he told me. “I’m sure people around here just think I’m some eccentric rich guy that doesn’t want to swim in the ocean. Truth is I love the ocean and love to swim in it. I just thought some of my friends and family would like the pool better, especially the kids.”
“Did it have to be indoors and outdoors?” I asked him. I could tell my questions were starting to make him feel a little uncomfortable. Part of me felt victorious in my efforts, and another a little guilty for pressing him so much.
“No, it didn’t have to be, but I thought it looked nice,” he said honestly. “Besides, now I can swim even if the weather isn’t so good in the summer or the winter.”
“So, you plan to be down here often?”
“Yes,” he said, standing in front of me now. “I plan on making this area my home, maybe even full-time if I can work it out.”
“Hmmm,” I said to him as I looked out on the vast pool area outside.
“You sound skeptical of my intent,” he said to me as we started walking back to the entrance to the indoor pool area.
“Well, we have lots of rich folks come down here and build houses or buy houses with the same idea, but I think once they see what life is like living here, they get a little bored with it and change their minds. There’s not much of a nightlife here, and even less so in the winter.”
I walked back into the air conditioning, grateful to have the cool air on me again.
“I can see that,” Damian said as we started to climb the steps to the next floor. “But I’m not much for going out on the town. I do a lot of that stuff because I must. I don’t go in for art shows, restaurant openings, and red carpets. That stuff bores me. I’m more of a homebody.”
We reached the top floor, which was perhaps the most expansive in the house. Each room was nicely decorated, and the kitchen Damian had seemed larger than the one I had in the bakery. It was an open floor plan, so all the rooms melded together nicely, and there was one room with a closed door that I assumed was his bedroom. I walked over to the glass doors that opened onto the patio outside and opened them to step out and have a look. It felt like I was far above the beach, and I could see the beach out to the right and where public access opened up again about fifty yards down. Just below us was the outdoor pool, with a waterfall and slide, a cabana outside, and what looked like a built-in stone grill and other outdoor accessories.
“Can I get you something to drink?” Damian called to me from inside.
I turned toward him and saw him standing behind the bar, ready to get me anything I could ask for.
“A glass of white wine would be nice, please,” I said to him as I looked back out over the ocean.
I had grown up living and looking at the ocean, playing in its waters and on the beach, and being in this house seemed to speak against everything that I thought living here was supposed to be about. I felt this down to my bones, but Damian was making it hard for me to not like him. Every time I tried to come up with something to say against the house, he just gave me a calm, rational answer that made him endearing.
Damian appeared just to my right, handing me a glass of nicely chilled white wine.
“Thanks,” I said politely, taking a sip.
“See,” Damian said as we looked out over the ocean, “we finished the tour, and the sun hasn’t even set yet.”
“You have a nice place here, Damian,” I said to him. “I hope you make the most of it.”
“Oh, I think I will,” he told me as he took a sip of his drink. “I hope you like seafood,” he said to me as he turned to walk inside.
I followed him into the house and walked over into the kitchen, where he had a big pot going on the stove already.
“Of course, I like seafood,” I said to him, feeling slightly offended.
“Great,” Damian answered as he took a small cooler out of the fridge and placed it on the counter next to the stove. “We have an indoor clambake tonight. I know it’s probably not as good as what you’re used to right on the beach, but at the last moment this is the best I could do.”
I watched as Damian prepared everything, deftly taking the lobsters out of the cooler and placing them into the boiling water where the other items already were. He put the lid on the pot quickly to keep the lobsters from trying to work their way out. While the seafood boiled, I watched as he chopped items for a salad. He cut the greens and vegetables with great expertise and then made a quick vinaigrette with some olive oil, vinegar, garlic, and spices.
“I have to say I’m impressed,” I told him.
“Impressed by what?” he asked as he tossed the salad lightly in a wooden bowl.
“I don’t know, I guess I thought you would have a chef or wait staff or something taking care of all this for you,” I told him. After I said it out loud, I realized how silly it sounded.
“I don’t have a staff like that,” he told me as he put the salad down on the table that was set for dinner. “James is my driver, and bodyguard, but that’s all I have. Although I do have a cleaning service come in and clean my apartments and the house. I like to cook, so I try to do it myself. Hopefully, you’ll appreciate it tonight.”
I thought back to the notion that it might be the time for me to ask him about the road, the beach access, and what his house did to the area. Now seemed like a good time to have my say.
“You look like you want to ask me something,” Damian said to me. He could see me watching him in the kitchen.
“Actually,” I said, standing up straight on the other side of the counter where he was prepping food, “I do. You know, when you had this house built, they took away the public beach access to this area for everyone. It seems kind of selfish of you to do that, especially to people that really like this area of the beach. A lot of people love to come down to this end. The views are better, and it's off the boardwalk, so it doesn’t get as crowded, but now they can’t even walk down the street here.”
I had gotten it all out and felt a little flush, unsure of what Damian was going to say in response. He put down the knife he was using and looked over at me, wiping his hands on a towel.
“Yeah, I felt bad about that,” Damian said to me in a serious tone. “That wasn’t my intent or even my idea. I knew the house was going to take up a lot of space, and the town insisted that I have the gate and the walls to keep things private. They decided it would be better if they just made the road private and closed off access. I wanted to put a pathway that led from the road around the house and out onto the beach, but the approval for that hasn’t come through. They said maybe before next season, so I hope it goes through. I would like to let people onto the beach if they want to be there.”
Once again, Damian had foiled my view of him by being Mr. Nice Guy. In fact, he was almost Mr. Too Nice Guy. There had to be something about him that wasn’t so… perfect. I caught myself gazing at him as he bent over in the refrigerator to get something, and I blushed when he looked over his shoulder and saw me staring at him.
“Well, that would be very nice of you,” I said softly, walking back towards the view out towards the water, sipping my wine.
“Shall we sit and have some salad while everything finishes?” Damian said to me as he came over to pull out the chair for me.
I sat down in the chair, and Damian gently pushed it closer to the table. He briefly placed his hands on my shoulders as he stood behind me, sending a chill through my body. He sat himself down in the chair across the table from me and passed me the salad, allowing me to take some first.
We sat and ate for a few minutes, with me picking lightly at my salad while I watched him from the corner of my eye. I couldn’t help but notice that he was watching me the whole time until I finally put down my fork and looked directly at him.
“What?” I asked me abruptly.
“What are you talking about?” he asked in between bites of lettuce and cucumber.
“You keep looking at me like… well, like I don’t know what, but you keep looking.”
“I’m sorry,” he said politely, wiping his mouth with his napkin and standing up from the table. He picked up his salad plate and put his hand out, waiting for me to hand him my dish. “I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable.”
Damian placed the dishes in the sink and then began to place the clambake items on a large platter. He came back over to the table, placing the platter between us.
“I just find you very attractive,” Damian said. He placed a lobster on my plate and handed me the serving utensils so I could help myself to corn, potatoes, clams, sausage or whatever else I might want. “I have since the first time I saw you in the bakery. I haven’t been able to get you out of my head since then, and then when I saw you at the bar last night, I knew I just had to talk to you some more. So now I thought this might be a good chance to get to know you better.”
I was a little taken aback by his statement. I wasn’t surprised that he had an interest; hell, he had invited me over to his house. I guess I was caught off guard by the direct way that he said it to me. Most men I had come across were not nearly as bold to say how they felt. The ones I dealt with in town all were much meeker, had less confidence. Damian was nothing like that.
So, I went on to tell him more about myself as we ate dinner. He asked question after question, about what it was like to grow up in a small town in Delaware, what culinary school was like for me, why I left New York and came back home, starting the bakery, what my sisters were like, about my dog, and everything else in between. By the time we were finished with dinner, I felt exhausted from all the talking, even though I had managed to wolf down a whole lobster, a dozen clams, potatoes and more.
I sucked the last bit of meat from one of the lobster legs, slurping away as I did, and looked up at Damian as I did. He had a big smile on his face, almost as if he were in awe of what I was doing.
“Boy, you really make the most of eating a lobster,” he commented.
“I suppose you just eat the tail and the claws,” I told him as I looked over the pile of empty shells on my plate. “There's lots of great nooks and crannies you are missing when you do that you know. The lobster gave his life for our pleasure. The least we can do is make it last.”
This brought about a hearty chuckle from Damian, the deepest I heard him laugh. He shook his head in disbelief at me as he cleared the platter of empty clam shells from the table. He came back over and started to clear away the rest of the plates.
“Let me help you,” I said to him, picking up some items from the table and bringing them into the kitchen.
Damian was stacking dishes into the dishwasher, and I stood next to him, handing him item after item until everything was put inside. He closed the dishwasher door, latching it shut, and stood up quickly, bringing his body very close to mine. With him standing next to me like this, I could feel the electricity between us was strong. Damian was looking down into my eyes and slowly moved past me, his body brushing against mine as I leaned back against the counter. I inhaled a bit, my breath taken away from the experience.
He had walked back over to the table, picked up our wine glasses and poured us each another glass of white wine.
“Would you like to sit outside for a while?” Damian asked as he handed me my glass. “We can sit on the porch, or go down by the outdoor pool, or even out onto the beach if you like.”
“Let’s go out by the pool,” I decided, wanting to see more of what it was like down there.
I started walking over towards the stairs, but instead, Damian walked over to the elevator door and pressed the button.
“We can take the elevator down,” Damian said as the doors rattled open. “It will be easier to handle our wine glasses.”
Damian held the door open for me so I could step inside first, and he followed and shut the outer door before closing the inner elevator door. The elevator was quite small, and you would have a hard time fitting a third person in there. As I felt it slowly move downward, I stood silently, looking down at my wine glass. I found it difficult to fight the strong attraction I felt. This wasn’t like me, to find myself drawn to someone or even having a crush like this, but it was getting more difficult for me to deny.
The elevator seemed to move in slow motion, and when it finally settled on the second floor, we had to wait a moment for it to secure in place before the door would allow itself to open. There was a slight jolt, and I could feel myself losing my balance slightly. Damian braced me with his right hand, gently grabbing my elbow to hold me up before he opened the door. He then took my left hand in his right and helped me out of the elevator. His hand was strong and firm, stronger than I had expected of a guy who spends all day in an office. I couldn’t help but notice that the palm of my hand was now noticeably sweaty.
Damian led me towards the pool, and we walked through the interior section and out a door that led to the back. The pool area outside was illuminated by solar lighting and casting from the bright moon that was now shining in the clear night sky. The temperature had cooled from the heat of the day, and there was a beautiful breeze blowing in off the ocean that we could feel as we took seats in lounge chairs positioned around the fire pit.
“Okay, I have to admit, I was skeptical of how nice this would look Damian, but it is beautiful out here.” I took another sip of wine, having lost track of how much I had to drink so far tonight, and not really caring that much anymore.
“Thanks,” he said to me with a laugh.
All we could hear is the combination of the ocean gently hitting the beach and the waterfall cascading down into the pool.
“You know,” Damian said, breaking the silence, “after listening to you tonight, I think you and I have a lot in common.”
I couldn’t help but let out a hard laugh.
“Really?” I said in disbelief. “I don’t know what you think we have in common. My house is about the size of your cabana back here, I drive a scooter, not a limo, and I work in a hot kitchen all day.”
“That’s all just cosmetic stuff, Kelly,” Damian said to me seriously. “The house, the cars, all those things are nice to own, but they don’t define me as a person. I’m a lot like you. I have two siblings, come from a strong family, own my own business, work hard, and take pride in what I do, and when I want something, I go after it.”
“The difference is when you want something and go after it, you can afford to buy it.”
“Money doesn’t get you everything you want,” Damian said as he sat back in his chair. He seemed a bit insulted by what I had said. “I put a strong effort into everything – my business, my family, and my relationships. It takes work, just like it does for you. Sure, having money gives me some advantages and perks, I don’t deny that, and there are times where I use that to gain an edge. I’m using what I have at my disposal, and you would do the same thing. That’s what a good businessperson does.”
“I didn’t mean that to come out as an insult, Damian,” I said to him apologetically. “It’s just a reality of the worlds we live in. You’re right – if I had the money I am sure I would use it to my advantage at times too.”
Damian got up from his chair and began to put some wood into the fire pit. He took a lighter from his pocket and lit the kindling, sparking the fire instantly. Within moments flames were licking up towards the sky. He then walked over to a large chest against the far wall and pulled out a green-checkered blanket and placed it at the foot of my lounge chair.
“In case you get chilly,” he said to me.
“I’m actually feeling a little warm already,” I said to him.
I stood up from the chair, kicked off my sneakers and pulled off my socks. I walked over towards the edge of the pool and sat down, dangling my feet into the water. The water was the perfect hint of cool I was looking for. I looked back over at Damian sitting in his chair, smiled, and then patted the ground, indicating that he should come over and sit next to me. He kicked off his shoes, grabbed our wine glasses, and came and sat down. Our arms were practically touching as I playfully moved my feet in the water.
“So, Damian,” I said to him, finishing off what was left in my wine glass, “how is it that a rich, good-looking guy like you isn’t already attached to someone?”
“You think I’m good-looking?” he said to me with a grin.
I pushed my shoulder up against him to give him a little shove.
“Are you going to answer me? You peppered me with questions all night.”
“Fair enough,” he said, emptying his wine glass. “I’ve spent so much of the past few years focusing on the work we do that I just haven’t had time to devote to anyone, and, to be honest, I don’t think I have met anyone in the past that I would want to be attached to.”
I took notice of how he said “in the past” as he looked at me.
“But there must be all kinds of beautiful starlets and models that would love to go out with you,” I asked him, brushing a stray hair from in front of my eyes.
“I don’t know about that,” he chuckled. “I’ve had dates with models and actresses, sure, but a lot of that stuff is set up by PR people so they can get good pictures for some magazine or website. I don’t think I ever went out with someone like that more than once. I have less in common with them than I do with you.”
I looked over at Damian and could see him staring deep into me. He slowly leaned down and kissed me, softly at first, but with greater strength as the kiss endured. I put my hand up to his cheek and held his lips to mine. We moved even closer to each other, our bodies pressing against one another as we balanced to avoid falling into the pool. Kiss after kiss lingered longer and longer until I could feel myself losing my breath and Damian slowly parted his lips from mine.
“That was nice,” I said softly.
“I thought so too,” he said in a hushed tone before leaning back in to kiss me again. Just as we started kissing more deeply, with Damian putting his arm around me, we heard the door open and close. I broke the kiss quickly and saw Damian look over as I turned to see who was there. It was James standing there.
“I’m sorry to interrupt you, boss,” James said. “I didn’t know you still had company. Good evening, Ms. Barton,” he said politely.
“Hi, James,” I said to him. I scrambled to my feet, the spell broken. “It’s okay, I should get going anyway. It’s getting late, and I’ve been up since four.”
I walked back over and slipped my socks and sneakers back on my feet, and Damian followed me over to the chair.
“Are you sure you have to go?” I could see the disappointment on his face.
“I think I should,” I told him.
“I can drive you home,” Damian said. “You shouldn’t walk home in the dark.”
“No, it’s fine. My scooter is back at the bakery. I can just walk over and get it. It’s not a big deal.”
“I’ll drive you home,” James said as he stepped up. “The Mustang is still in the driveway.”
“Perfect,” Damian said. “I’ll walk you out, and James can meet us out there.”
Damian looked over at James and nodded to him, and James nodded back.
“Just let me go grab the keys,” James said, going back inside.
Damian walked me back into the house and then down the stairs towards the front door. We strolled out towards the driveway, where there was a red Mustang convertible parked.
“Wow, nice car,” I said to him, running my hand over the hood, feeling that it was still warm.
“It’s one of my favorites,” Damian said as he walked behind me. I stopped at the passenger side door and turned to look at him.
“Thank you for dinner,” I told him. “I had a lovely time.”
“It was my pleasure.” Damian gave me another kiss. “Your sister said you were off tomorrow. Do you think you would like to get together? We can do whatever you would like, maybe spend some time at the beach, or in the pool, or out somewhere. Whatever you want to do. I want to see you again.”
“I think we can do that,” I answered with a smile. “Do you have your phone on you?”
Damian took out his phone, and I took it from his hand and put my phone number in his contacts.
“Call me in the morning and let me know what you want to do,” I told him.
I leaned back into him and kissed him. Damian pressed my body up against the door of the car as he got closer to me. It was only the sound of James clearing his throat that made us break the kiss.
“All set?” James asked me as he walked around to the driver’s side.
Damian opened the car door for me, and I slid into the passenger seat.
“See you tomorrow,” Damian told me as he gave a light wave when we backed out of the driveway. I could see that he stayed in the driveway, watching to make sure we got off okay.
I sat back in the leather seat, giving James the short directions to get over to my house. I could feel the breeze blowing through my hair as we sped along the roads, and within moments we were pulling into my driveway.
“Thank you for the ride, James,” I said to him as I climbed out, fishing my house keys out of my purse.
“You’re welcome, Ms. Barton,” James said to me.
“Please, call me Kelly,” I told him.
“Okay, Kelly,” he said with a laugh. “I guess I’ll be seeing you tomorrow.”
“Yes, you will.” I walked up the path to my front door and unlocked the door, waving to James, who was waiting for me to get inside.
I noticed a sticky note placed just inside the door on the table where I normally put my keys. I picked up the note and saw it was from Jodie.
I came by and fed Alice for you. Hope the date went well. I want details!! Call me!
J
Alice jogged out to greet me, and I bent down to pet her as she gave me a slobbering kiss. She followed me into my bedroom, where I sat on the bed and took off my shoes, socks, and jeans and just lay on the bed. Alice curled up next to me, getting ready to call it a night and glad that I was home. She was snoring almost immediately.
There was no way I was falling asleep that fast, not after the night I had.