11
Damian
The evening ended too soon when Kelly left. We were just starting to get closer when James and Shannon came home, and I was disappointed that she decided to leave right away. I went back inside after James left to take Kelly home and straightened up upstairs, putting things away before making myself another drink at the bar. I took my drink out onto the patio to overlook the ocean and enjoy the night breeze.
It wasn’t long before Shannon showed her face, popping out onto the porch to join me. She sat down in one of the deck chairs and sat silently for a few moments before turning to me.
“Well, how was your night Shannon?” she said in a mock tone of my voice. “I had a lot of fun, Damian, thanks for asking.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, looking over to her. “I guess I was just lost in my thoughts. Did you and James have a good time?”
“Yes, in fact, we did,” she said to me, sounding a little surprised. “I drove us up to Rehoboth, and we hit the outlets and did some shopping. Thanks for the new bathing suits and beachwear by the way. We then spent some time walking around, got some dinner, and picked out a few places that we might like to check out tomorrow if you’re up for some fun. James is a pretty interesting guy. I didn’t realize he had the past he has with the military and all. He’s a badass.”
“I’m glad you guys had fun, and thanks for running out on such short notice. As for your invitation for tomorrow, I’m spending the day with Kelly, so I’ll have to beg off from whatever it is you guys are planning to do.”
“So, I guess the date went well then if she is seeing you again right away?” Shannon asked me. “Bravo to you.” Shannon toasted me with a beer she had grabbed from the fridge.
“It did go well, we had a nice time. Kelly is a wonderful woman – witty, gutsy, smart, fun to be with, and attractive. She has no problem putting someone in their place and standing up for herself. We had some great conversation.”
“More than great conversation, from what I could see,” James interjected as he walked out onto the porch with us, twisting open a beer bottle of his own and leaning against the railing to face Shannon and me.
“I guess you got Kelly home okay?” I asked, hoping to change the subject quickly before I had to hear it from Shannon.
“Home safe and sound, boss” James added before sipping his beer.
“What do you mean more than great conversation, James?” Shannon asked him. “Inquiring minds want to know.”
“I don’t want to speak out of turn here,” James said coyly. “The boss signs my paychecks after all.”
“You may as well tell her now, James,” I said resignedly. “She’s going to pester both of us until she gets the answer anyway.”
“When I walked outside, they were sitting by the pool making out.”
Shannon looked back and forth between James and me, her mouth open slightly.
“Wow, Damian, I’m impressed. I wish I had caught the show. And now you’re seeing her again tomorrow? You must really like her. I can’t remember the last time you saw a woman more than once, never mind two days in a row. Should I send out a press release?”
“You two are as bad as it would be having my brothers here right now,” I answered them, shaking my head.
“I’m sure I can get them on a conference call right now if you want,” Shannon said with a smile as she picked up her phone.
“Don’t you dare,” I told her firmly.
Shannon laughed as she started to lower her phone.
“I have a bunch of text messages from Paul, by the way, saying he needed to talk to you. He’s tried calling you,” Shannon added, taking a quick glance at her messages.
“I told Paul I didn’t want to be bothered before we left. I don’t care what it is he has to say; it can wait. I’m on vacation, and so are you. Put the phone away.”
“What are you and Kelly going to do tomorrow?” Shannon asked. “Do you need me to help you plan anything?”
“Nope, this is all on me, Shannon. I’ll make any arrangements of things to do. We may just spend time on the beach and at the house. I’ll see what she wants to do in the morning and I’ll pick her up, so you don’t have to worry about it, James,” I said to both.
“Can we take the Mustang again tomorrow?” Shannon asked with anticipation.
“Sure, I guess so. I’ll take the truck,” I answered.
“Awesome,” Shannon said. “I can’t wait to get behind the wheel again.”
“No way,” James said to her. “I’ll be driving tomorrow. You were a little nuts behind the wheel. I can tell you live in the city from the way you drive. Leave it to the professionals.”
“Fine,” Shannon pouted.
Shannon finished off the last of her beer, shaking the empty bottle in her hand.
“Well, I’m empty,” she said as she stood up and stretched. “How about a game of pool, Sarge, before I go to bed? I still want to try to kick your ass.”
“Sarge?” I said, looking at her with surprise.
“Sarge,” she said, pointing at James. “He was a sergeant in the army. I decided that’s what I would call him now. You didn’t know he was a sergeant?”
“I knew it,” I told her, thinking back to when I first hired James and looked at his impressive military service record. “I’m just shocked he would tell you about it.”
“You know how she is, boss,” James replied. “She’s relentless with asking questions. It was either give her some information or put up with her nagging me all night long. Besides, it was better than spending hours watching her pick out clothes.”
“Never mind the stalling, Sarge,” Shannon told him. “Let’s go. You can play the winner if you want, Damian.”
“No, I think I am going to sit here for a bit before I turn in,” I told Shannon. “I have to think about what to do tomorrow with Kelly, and plan things out anyway.”
“Well, if you change your mind about playing, or you need help with anything, come on down,” Shannon told me.
“Besides, you would just end up playing me anyway, boss,” James added as he walked towards the door to go back inside.
“Ugh, I want to beat you so bad now,” Shannon said with disgust as she followed James indoors.
I was left alone on the porch, just listening to the ocean waves and the distant sounds of the few people out on the beach this late at night. I swirled the ice in my glass, listening to it click in rhythm as I looked up into the starry sky.
Shannon was right – I couldn’t remember the last time I had seen a woman more than once or two days in a row. There hadn’t been anyone that I had wanted to see again in a long time or anyone that had stirred me up as much as Kelly had in just a couple of days. Even I was feeling a little overwhelmed by it all.
I needed to make sure I came up with ways to make tomorrow fun for Kelly so that she would want to spend as much time as possible together. I set my brain in motion, going over different ideas of ways that I could romance her, and prove to her that I wasn’t just some fat cat billionaire, but a strong man that knows how to make a woman feel special.