AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“A kiss to seal the deal.”
His eyes flicked up, lust burning so hot she could have sworn she would go up in flames on the spot. But then she blinked and the man disappeared, replaced by the distant CEO.
“We’ll discuss details at a later date. But for now, we have work to do.”
CHAPTER TEN
EVOLETCHECKEDHERemail for the dozenth time since eight a.m.
“We submitted it ten minutes ago.” The dry humor in Damon’s voice made her look up. Amused, he nodded to her computer. “It’ll probably be Monday at the earliest before we hear if Bengtsson wants any revisions and probably another week or two before he makes any decisions.”
She sank back into her chair with a huff. “Did I mention I’m impatient?”
His eyes darkened before he refocused on his own computer. “I noticed.”
She shot him a teasing look, but nervousness had her biting back a witty reply. Today she’d awakened with uneasy energy snapping in her veins. Today was the day they submitted the final bid, a full twelve hours before Royal Air’s deadline. Part of the tension vibrating inside her like a taut wire was from what would come next. They’d shared the occasional heated glance or accidental brush of physical contact that made her breath catch, but there had been no more discussions, no more flirtations, no more searing kisses. There hadn’t been time. It had been a whirlwind of a week as they’d reviewed the proposal over and over again—fine-tuning, discussing, meeting with others in the company, then revising again. It had been a heartening experience to see the level of investment from everyone in the company.
She wanted the contract for Bradford Global, and not just because she was besotted with the company’s CEO. She’d continued to witness the work Damon’s business did, where manufacturing quality equipment was just as high a priority as keeping its employees healthy and happy.
Perhaps, if the company her father had worked for had had the same attitude toward investing in its employees, the course of her life might have been very different.
“Where did you go?”
His voice slid into her musings, gentle and deep. It was odd to have someone she’d known less than a month become so in tune with her and her emotions. Once their deal had been struck, she’d felt the shackles she’d placed on her emotions loosen and start to fall away. The wanting that had been stoked in her the night of the gala had flared to life. She’d let Damon see more of her, the real her, than she had let anyone see in years, including herself. She didn’t analyze everything she was going to say before it was said. She’d let herself relax and laugh at jokes, engage with the other employees.
It had also helped her realize just how utterly exhausting it had been to keep up those barriers between herself and the rest of the world. Even Constanza had commented on her last visit how much happier she’d seemed.
And she was. Mostly.
The audition with the Orchestra of St. John’s had resulted in a brief email over the weekend thanking her for her time, saying the orchestra had gone in a different direction but she was always welcome to audition at a later date. It had hurt more than she’d liked, shaken her confidence. She’d spent hours in the park practicing, listening for what she had done wrong, analyzing every note until she’d been irritated and exhausted.
The sad truth was that there was a bevy of talented musicians and only so many spots. She could either give up or she could keep going. She’d indulged in a pity evening, including an old musical, popcorn and a long soak in her tub, then gone back out Sunday and played again.
Monday had brought another test. Damon had taken one look at her face and known something was wrong. Letting down her barriers had certainly let in more joy. But it had also brought with it an uncomfortable vulnerability she hadn’t experienced since her early years in foster care. She could handle more friendships, more outings with coworkers, finally letting herself experience a physical relationship with a man whose company she enjoyed and who she found incredibly attractive.
Yet sharing her body felt safer than opening her heart. That she wanted to share more of herself every time he asked was a major red flag. But God help her, she wanted to be with him, to experience sensual pleasure with someone she liked, someone she trusted, someone who could make her entire body ache with a single glance.
Which is why, she reminded herself as she tucked a loose tendril of hair behind her ear,you came up with the arrangement.
The terms were clear, finite. They would have sex. She would finish out her contract with Bradford Global. And then she would move on.
“I was thinking about how well you run your company,” she finally said, finding a compromise on her thoughts. “I’ve never seen something run so smoothly or so strongly.”
“Why did that make you sad?”
She tensed. “It didn’t.”
“Something did.”
She looked up, ready to push back. The genuine interest and compassion in his eyes struck her, tugged at the strings she’d wrapped tightly around her heart. As a child, she’d rattled off her entire life story to the first two foster homes she’d stayed in. The families had been kind and considerate. One mom had listened to her and hugged her while she’d cried. Evolet had liked her a lot, had even started to envision staying with them and becoming a part of their family.
Only to have the system yank her out and place her in a new home three weeks before Christmas. She’d cried and begged to stay, but the family’d had the resources and training to care for a child with critical needs that many foster homes didn’t. So Evolet had been transplanted to a home in a different school district.
Again and again, she’d gotten her hopes up, until finally one day she had woken up to the news that she was being transferred to yet another new house, another new school. Whether it had been the freezing cold hitting her in the face as she’d gotten off the bus or the sight of unfamiliar faces in a crowded school, she didn’t know. All she knew was something had switched off inside her. Something only Constanza had managed to break through in the years since.
Until now.
Would it hurt anything?she wondered to herself.
