Chapter 16
Damien POV
I sat at the bar, staring at the half–empty glass in front of me. I had taken over five shots, and I still couldn’t stop thinking about her…
“Man, you’ve got that look again, came a voice to my right. I looked up
see Tyler; he was polishing a glass.
“What look?” I asked as I played with my drink.
“We’ve been best friends for fifteen years, and I sure
are know that look–the one that screams
“woman trouble,” he
“he said with a smirk.
I scoffed and took another sip. “Not everything’s about a woman, Ty”
He leaned against the bar giving me a knowing look. “If you say so. Then what is it?”
“It’s about my friend,” I said, staring at my drink.
“He likes someone he’s not supposed to like, and now he’s confused about whether he should follow his heart or his family,” I said.
And that friend of yours is you, right?” he asked.
I ignored him, focusing on the whiskey. Ty didn’t push; he knew me well enough to back off when I wasn’t in the mood to talk. I took another shot of whiskey, and then I heard the beep of my phone. I looked at it–it was a message from my father
“Stop ignoring my calls and meet me at home. Now,” he texted. I ignored the message and slipped my phone back into my pocket.
“Down as before?” a lady said from behind, placing her hand on me.
Down as before” a lady said from behind, as she put her hand on me.
“Why do I always find you in this state?” she asked. “It’s been a while.”
I looked at her, trying to remember where I had seen her before–it was the one–night stand lady.
“My place!” I asked, skipping any pleasantries.
“Sure,” she said.
After finishing my last glass of whiskey, I left the bar with her. We barely made it through the door of my apartment before I started kissing her. Her touch was intoxicating, but as we moved, it felt empty. Mechanical
No matter how hard I tried not to think about her, my mind betrayed me–just couldn’t forget her.
Even with another woman in my arms, she was still the one I couldn’t stop thinking about.
“What a sick joke,” I muttered as I let go of her and turned to the other side of the bed.
The next morning, she was gone, leaving a message on the pillow.
“Didn’t bother waking you up. I took some dollars from your wallet, and it’s clear the sex didn’t solve your problem. We’ll surely meet again.
P.S. Melissa.
My phone buzzed on the nightstand, and I reached for it. It was a text from Julie.
Meeting at 2 PM. Don’t forget.
Istared at the screen. Instead of confirming, I typed back: Can’t make it. Reschedule.
Maybe staying away from her would be the answer. Maybe she was the problem. I needed to get my head back in the guine and not fall in love with her. Falling in love with her would ruin everything.
For the next two weeks, I threw myself into work. I barely left the office, ignoring calls and texts from Julie. She deserved a response,
1/2
Chapter 16
sure, but I wasn’t ready to face her or even respond to her texts at t
the moment
But no matter how hard I worked or how many tasks I completed, she still couldn’t get out of my mind. Her voice, her smile, the fire in her eyes, her lips–it was maddening.
Then, one afternoon, as I was heading out of the building. I saw her–or maybe I thought I saw her. After looking at her for a while, I realized it was her and not my imagination playing tricks on me, as usual. She was standing at the entrance, arms crossed, her expression unreadable.
I froze, debating whether to turn around, but she saw me. Her gaze locked onto mine, and before I could walk away, she marched forward and blocked my path.
“Damien,” she said.
I sighed. “Julie, not now-
“Yes, now,” she interrupted. “Why have you been avoiding me? You ignore my calls, barely reply to my texts, and now you’re trying to
past me like I don’t exist?”
walk
Julie, please. I’m busy. I don’t have time for this.”
Busy?” she scoffed. That’s what you’ve been saying for the past two weeks. I tried to understand you, but now you don’t even bother answering my calls anymore. Damien, what exactly is wrong with you? One minute, you can’t get enough of me, and the next minute, you want nothing to do with me. What the hell is going on?” she asked, hitting my chest.
“Can we not do this now?” I said, holding her hand.
“Look,” she continued, stepping closer, “I don’t care what’s going on with you personally. We’re business partners, and I expect you to act the part.
Julie, please, not now,” I said.
She didn’t listen and kept on rambling, As she continued, I took her hands and dragged her to my private car park in order to avoid creating a scene and to get away from prying eyes and ears.
As we reached my car, I let go of her hand
Julie, please, let it go.”
“No,” she snapped. “You don’t get to brush me off. Tell me what’s going on. And why have you been canceling our meetings? I need an explanation, because right now, I am close to losing it with you.”
I stared at her, and it took everything in me not to kiss her lips–those damn sexy lips of hers,
“Because I love you,” I said.
She looked at me as if she couldn’t believe what I had f
just said.
“I love you, Julie, I repeated, louder this time. “And it’s driving me crazy. I can’t think straight, I can’t focus, and I sure as hell can’t be around you without wanting more than what we have or without wanting to kiss you every time you speak.
“That is what’s driving me crazy. You drive me crazy.”
“Damien, stop this…” she said, but I shook my head.
“You wanted the truth, and now you have it, I said, stepping past her. “Do whatever you want with it”
And
Olivia Harris is an emerging author celebrated for her captivating romantic and steamy DaisyNovel. With a talent for crafting deep emotional connections and fiery chemistry between her characters, Olivia’s stories offer readers an escape into worlds filled with passion, intrigue, and heart-stopping drama.