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A knock on my window brings me out of a naughty dream where Damien is dancing for me onstage and the club is empty. I mourn the loss of Damien’s dream abs as they vanish along with my dream. I open my eyes and see Emma staring at me through the window.
Oh, I forgot Emma teaches yoga during the day at the club.
“Do you want to come inside to take a shower?” Emma asks with her kind eyes.
I fall in love with her at that moment. She offered me a shower without asking any questions or signs of pity on her face.
“Thank you,” I say, fetching my backpack before following her into the club.
“You can use Damien’s shower. He’s not going to be in for another hour or so.”
“Thank you, Emma. I’ll take a shower and head right out. I have class soon.”
“No problem. Do you need anything?”
I stop before heading up the stairs to Damien’s office. My bottom lip is clasped in between my teeth as I stare at Emma. “Could you not tell Damien?”
Emma exhales before giving me a genuine smile. “I won’t say anything.”
I nod, and run up the stairs into Damien’s shower where I use his shampoo. Is it weird I miss him? Is it weird I want more of him? And, more than anything, I don’t want him to know I’ve been sleeping in his parking lot.
8
Damien
The smell of Shayne slams into me when I open my office door. I glance around expecting to find her lounging on my couch. I don’t see her, so I go further in to check the rest. A sense of unease creeps up my back as I walk into my bathroom to see my shower walls wet as if someone had just used it. Forgetting all about the work I need to get done, I sit down and pull up the security footage from last night.
“What the fuck?” There’s nobody to hear me, but the sound of my anger bounces off the office walls. My hand shakes as I grab my phone and punch in Emma’s number.
“Hey, Damien.” She sounds hesitant, confirming what I already know.
“Shayne slept in our parking lot last night.” It’s not a question but Emma answers anyway.
“Yes, she did.”
“And why didn’t you tell me?” I feel betrayed by my brother’s fiancée. Emma and Clara have become my family and having her lie to me hurts almost as much as Shayne not confiding in me.
“She asked me not to. Besides, I knew you would check the cameras when you saw your bathroom had been used. It’s why I had her use your office and not Clara’s. I like Shayne and I didn’t want to betray her when she asked me not to tell you, but it didn’t mean I couldn’t leave you clues.”
Some of my anger fades away. Emma knows I’m particular about my office, making her fully aware I would’ve noticed someone had been in it. It was her way of telling me without breaking her promise to Shayne. Loyal but cunning, my brother has his hands full.
“Alright.” I run my fingers through my hair. I’m frustrated with Shayne. Frustrated with myself for not figuring out how hard up she was for money. Frustrated she put herself in a dangerous situation by sleeping in a club parking lot with no one around to protect her.
“Go easy on her, Damien. I don’t think she’s used to having someone to lean on.” Emma’s advice echoes in my brain long after we hang up.
I pull up Shayne’s application, noting her address. It’s in a cheaper part of town, and I wonder if she’s probably safer sleeping in the parking lot here than where she lives. The anger I’d just gotten rid of flows back. I want to rescue her.
Nope, I mean I’m going to rescue her.
I can’t wait to see the fight in her eyes when I tell her she’s staying with me at my house. She’s never sleeping in her car or in an unsafe neighborhood again.
I’ll give her until tonight to see if she opens up to me. If not, we’re going to be playing it my way.
The whole night, I wait for Shayne to come confide in me. During our dance, I watch her, letting her know she’s all I see. I spend more time at the bar than normal, babysitting a whiskey as I watch her work. She doesn’t crack.
During her break, I catch her when she’s coming out of the bathroom. The dark circles under her eyes makes the Neanderthal inside me beat against my chest. She obviously needs a good night’s sleep and her stress to be reduced. She’s running herself ragged, but that all ends tonight. Yes, tonight I’m going to ensure she has a good night's sleep at my house, and I’m going to find out what’s stressing her out and get rid of that too.
