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Everyone’s mouth practically drops to the floor, including my own. The employee slowly reaches out and takes the card from Damien’s tight grip and he nods, bringing his searing eyes back to Sylvia. With a calm intensity that brings a chill to the room, he speaks. “Again, thank you for pointing that out. Ms. Stone is far too rare to be caught in anything this store carries.” He turns to me. “Are you done here? We don’t want to be late for the appointment at the jewelers.” He locks his arm around my waist and presses me to his side. While all the girls stare in disbelief, he takes it a step further and presses a gentle kiss to the base of my neck. Showing a sign of ownership. He’s telling them that I’m his. My tongue is locked in my throat, so I don’t say another word as Damien leads us out of the boutique. Stepping onto the sidewalk, he drops his hold around my waist and guns it for his car.
“I can explain,” I blurt out, trying to keep up with his fast pace. Sylvia couldn’t make it any more obvious she knew who he was. She practically threw herself at him.
“You don’t need to explain anything. I clearly understood the situation.” He doesn’t bother to stop and face me while responding. I’m unsure why he’s so mad. Was it because others know about the club? Are we really in a hurry for a jeweler’s appointment?
“I kinda do, though. And are we really going to a jewelry appointment? I don’t need anything. Seriously, you don’t need to buy me—”
He halts, and whips around, causing me to slam into his chest. “I wasn’t planning on it.” My face falls, and while I quickly try to school my features, I know I do a terrible job at hiding my reaction to his hurtful reply. He sighs loudly and runs his fingers through his hair. “That’s not what I meant. If I thought that’s what you truly wanted, I’d buy you the goddamn store. But you don’t need any of that fancy shit. It doesn’t suit you. Your beauty outweighs all that material bullshit.” Neither of us says a word. He closes his eyes briefly and reopens, taking in a deep breath. “Are those the twits who have been sending you those nasty messages?”
“Huh?”
“That girl. Sylvia. It’s her. The one who holds your friendship hostage?”
He stares down at me. He’s angry. His eyes light with that fury I’ve come to recognize. I just can’t figure out why he’s the one so upset. “Yeah…but it’s fine. I have her handled.”
He sarcastically laughs. “Looks like it.”
“And what is that supposed to mean?” I tug at my wrist he has yet to let go of.
“It means, if you gave those spoiled little brats half the pushback you give me, you wouldn’t be dealing with them. I just thought you were better than that. I would never have thought someone as strong-minded as you could be pushed around by a less than average twit.”
This time, I jerk hard enough, and he releases me. His words sting worse than anything Sylvia has thrown at me. I am strong. He has no right to label me. “You have no idea who I am.”
“I beg to differ.”
“What? Because you’ve had sex with me?” I spit out.
“Sex can tell a lot about a person.”
“Well, it tells nothing about me. You know nothing about me.” I move out of his way and walk past him, but he reaches out, clasping his fingers around my bicep. “Let me go.” I whip around, offering him the same angry glare he’s giving me.
“I know way more about you than you think. Is your anger at me or the truth I speak? Would you have continued to allow those girls to cut you down if I didn’t step in?”
“I didn’t need you to save me.”
“I know. You don’t need anyone to save you.”
I open my mouth to tell him he’s right, but his ringtone breaks the moment. He lets me go and reaches for his phone in his jeans pocket. His eyes darken even more, and he answers.
“What is it? When? Put him in the conference room. I’ll be right there.” Ending the call, he pulls his eyes away from me. “This chat needs to be tabled for now. I’ll take you home.”
And just like that, he shuts down. Gone is the attentive man who whispered such powerful words in the dress shop to make me feel whole inside. Gone is the angry man who wants me to admit my fears. Disappointment is far from the way to describe how I feel.
He drops me off without another word, leaving me so confused and hurt. I’m accustomed to being by myself, but suddenly, lying in my quiet dorm room, I’ve never felt so alone. Everything in my life is spiraling. My friendship with Christine. School. The predicament I’ve found myself in with Damien.
