A quick stop by the house to change into something more club-worthy, and Bethany was on her way to Masquerade. She applied more makeup than usual, her dress covering everything but hugging her curves and accentuating perfectly just how much of a woman she was. If Sadie wanted to step up against her, she was going to bring it tonight. It had nothing to do with Damon and everything to do with someone needing to put the bitch in her place. The redhead thought she had entitlement, the right to demand things and threaten various people at will, including Bethany.

"Not tonight." Bethany pulled up to the club and got out, walking into the loud sound of Pitbull's “Time of our Lives” screaming from the speakers. Ben waved his hands wildly at her, a large table over in the far corner theirs. She walked toward them, cursing herself for forgetting a mask. The theme that night was half-mast and the mask was only allowed to cover your eyes.

Bethany laughed at the large clown mask that Ben pulled from his face, a large smile on his mouth. "Hey, girl. Where is your mask?"

A few other interns turned, smiles on their faces, drinks in their hands.

"I totally forgot it. I can go get one and come back." She shrugged, keeping her eyes on the man in front of her. She hadn't gotten to know anyone that well and felt a bit on the spot all of a sudden.

"No worries." He turned and yelled at the group. "Introduce yourself to Bethany while I get her a mask."

He disappeared, and several people moved up to introduce themselves. She shook hands and smiled, worried about her dress all of a sudden. Trying to feel better about herself by dressing up seemed like a great idea until she stood in front of her peers with all of them dressed like they were going to church.

"Um, wow." Philip's voice sounded beside her. Bethany turned and sighed with relief, reaching out to touch his arm as the muscle flexed beneath her fingers. The black mask covering his eyes made him look more sensual than he had earlier that day. His blond hair and blue eyes were the perfect match for melting girls’ hearts, and when he spoke... Bethany sighed again as Ben moved up.

"Here you go, madam. Philip, have you met Bethany?"

"I have. I was just going to ask her to come dance with me." Philip moved his shoulders a little side to side like he had moves to share.

"I'm glad you're here," Bethany whispered, taking the mask from Ben and slipping it on. She wished for a moment that she had a full face mask so she could hide behind it completely.

"Looks great on you. Go have fun. The tab is open at the bar, and it's on the company, so no worries," Ben called out before turning to lift his glass in the middle of a large group. Bethany turned and slipped her arm into Philip's.

"I'm glad you're here too. I think I might have to hide the rest of the night. Sadie seems dead set on grabbing my attention and, no, just no." He laughed, and Bethany did as well, stopping by the bar and ordering a beer.

"You like beer?" Philip asked, moving to stand closer to her. The button-down shirt he'd worn that day at work looked really good with his jeans, the material soft in appearance and hugging his sleek frame.

"Yeah, you don't?" She thanked the bartender and lifted the bottle to her lips.

"I love it." He lifted his Heineken toward her, and they hit the bottles together. "Most girls drink fruity drinks and stuff."

"I'm not most girls." She smiled, and he wagged his eyebrows before moving toward the dance floor.

The music was loud and fast, fun and energetic. She took another swallow of her beer and lifted her hand to drop it on his shoulder. He draped a hand on her hip and moved with her, their distance comfortable. Something about him helped her to relax and just enjoy herself. His eyes moved along her as they danced, the smile lifting his lips every so often, giving way to his thinking being less than professional.

He wasn't Damon, but that was a good thing. Stripping him naked and making an exhibitionist of herself on the dance floor wasn't at the front of her thoughts either, which was a relief. She had begun to worry about the depravity of her thoughts. It was nice to know it wasn't a shift in who she was but rather the undeniable heat between her and her boss. The song ended, and Philip spun her around, the two of them laughing and crashing into each other.

"I'm going to run to the restroom. I'll join you again in a minute." He leaned in and spoke loudly as Katy Perry's “Dark Horse” started. She nodded and handed him her beer to do away with, the song requiring both her arms in the air. It had been too long since she had let loose, the last time having been at her graduation party.

"What a fucking nightmare that was," she spoke out loud, the music swallowing the sound of her voice completely. The strong hands of a man sliding around her waist as he pulled her against him caused her to stop dancing for a moment. He rolled his fingers along her hips to move her again, the thick press of his strong body against hers giving way to the desire just to let him be a fantasy for a minute. It was most likely Philip, and if it wasn't, that would be even better.

Dancing with someone was the precursor to sex, their ability to move with fluidity on the dance floor leaving no question as to their talents in the bedroom. Good thing she was with her coworkers tonight and Damon was with his girlfriend, whoever the fuck that was. Anger burned through her as she reached back and let her hand slide down the back of the man's thigh, pulling him in tighter as she rocked against him.

His fingers spread out on her stomach, his other arm moving to wrap around her chest just under her breasts. She dropped her head back on his chest, knowing she was under cover of the dance floor. There were so many people around her it felt like a sea of heat she might drown in. He pressed his lips to the side of her neck, kissing his way to her ear. The soft whisper of his voice undid her, the immediate need to be his for the night fucking her hard.

"I thought I told you not to wear this dress. I think I might have to punish you for your insubordination."

Damon.

She tried to turn in his arms, but he locked her to him, pressing his face back down to her neck as he sucked on her heated skin. She groaned and rocked herself against him over and over, the smoldering heat of the bodies pressing against them doing nothing compared to the strong man behind her. He finally released her just enough for her to turn. She spun around, Damon moving back just a little before she slid down the front of his body, rolling slowly back up. From cheek to hip, every part of her brushed along his erection.

She stopped in front of him as he growled at her, the shiny white mask covering half of his face reminded her of Phantom of the Opera. He was beyond breathtaking, sin that would snuff out any goodness that might spark inside of the woman he wanted. His eyes spoke of long nights, screams and moans, pleasure beyond anything she could conceive.

"Why are you doing this?" she whispered, taking the final step to fill the gap between them. His hands rolled over her hips, sliding so painfully slow over the curve of her ass. His fingers tugged at the side of her dress, but he didn't pull it up. He leaned down, lining up their vision perfectly, the muscles in his cheeks locked down as if he were struggling to breathe.

"Because you want me to." He leaned forward, running his nose along the side of her jaw, Bethany closing her eyes in anticipation of a kiss. A loud moan left her, and Damon rolled his hips again, rubbing himself against her belly.

"I can't take much more, Damon. You have to stop."

"You sound convincing. I don't think we've even come close to pushing you toward the edge of what you truly want from me." He brushed a kiss across her lips as one hand released her. She pressed against the kiss, moving back in shock as the air became so hard to breathe.

The back of his fingers brushed across her sex, the dress a hindrance. He moved the other hand to hold her head still, his fingers softly petting her, the motion lost to the movement around them.

"Tell me you don't want to push to the edge with me. Tell me, Beth." He turned his hand and cupped her, pressing his fingertips hard against her. She yelped, rocking into him and hating herself for doing it. What was wrong with her?

Tell him to stop, and walk the fuck away.

"More," she whispered, her mind screaming to back away.

"Yeah, more, baby ... I need more of you." He tapped his fingers a few times as she panted against his mouth, the sound loud and drowning her in dark lust.

He moved his hand from her face and took her arm off his shoulder, pulling her hand down to stroke his arousal as he growled against her lips.

"More, God please, more," she whispered, a frantic throb destroying her ability to reason.

He rocked against her hand, moving his from her and holding her tightly to him as he made love to her mouth, his fingers lost in her hair as she forgot anything but him existed. The world faded fast, the music becoming her reality, the force of his tongue her lifeline. She sucked hard on his offering, moaning and panting until he broke the kiss.

"Fuck," he growled, turning and pulling her from the floor. They walked to the front of the club, Damon ripping the mask from his face. He dropped it in the trashcan beside the door and walked out into the night, breathing in deeply.

Bethany stopped beside him, pulling her hand from his. "No. I can't do this. It will change everything between us."

He turned toward her, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her in tightly as he glared down at her. "You and I ... we're going to happen. You can choose if you want me to take you the first time in the comfort of my home or sprawled out, naked and shaking across your desk. Tell me now because I will decide for you if you don't speak up. Demand something of me, Bethany. Take charge of what's about to happen to you. Show me who you are."

She let her eyes move across his face, her vision swimming from the emotions pumping through her painfully. "Get the car, and take me to your place. No lies between us. No drama from you. No complaining when I give you exactly what you want."

He whispered softly before leaving, "Fuck me ..."

"I plan to." She ran her fingers through her hair and shivered, the night just having taken a drastic turn. No more cat and mouse. Time to let him have his way.