Chapter 5 Work

DIANE

A loud ringing snapped me out of my thoughts.

"Excuse me, I have to take this," Damon said, excusing himself as he left the room.

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding while rocking against my heels with my arms folded across my chest.

Dad looked at me with a wide smile spread across his lips as he leaned against the edge of the desk.

"So Paris huh?" He leaned forward, his eyes twinkling. "Four years in the city of love and you come back single? What happened? Did you forget how to flirt, or were French men just not cutting it?"

"Dad!" I felt my face heat up.

"What? I'm just saying, I was expecting at least one heartbroken Frenchman following you home, dramatically declaring his love in broken English," he said with a little chuckle at the end.

I couldn't help the laughter that escaped my lips. I pulled out one of the chairs in front of the desk and sat down. "That's not how real life works, you know?"

"An old man can only dream," he said laughing.

I cleared my throat. "But seriously, Dad, about this whole assistant thing..."

"Why? You don't want to do it?" He raised his brow.

"No no... I mean yes. Yes, I do. I was just wondering if it was a good idea."

"Of course it is. That man built an empire before he was in his mid-twenties. He's in the best place to teach you all you know about running a company," he reassured, a wide smile on his lips.

But that was the least of my burdens. If it were a different person, I wouldn't have a problem working as their assistant for the time being. But when it came to Damon Pierce, this was all shades of wrong.

I nodded, not wanting to dwell on the matter any longer. I had to do what needed to be done and hopefully I'd be able to get through this unscathed.

Dad smiled at me again, clearly satisfied that I'd agreed. "You'll do fine sweetheart. Damon's tough but he's fair. You'll learn faster than you think."

"Yeah," I muttered, trying to sound convinced.

He checked his watch and sighed. "It's getting late. You should get some rest. The event planners will be here in the morning to get started on the decorations."

"Alright, Dad," I said with a little yawn. "Good night, Dad."

I stood up and hugged him before leaving his home office and shutting the door quietly.

The place was so dim that I had to squint my eyes to be able to see where I was going when...

Thud!

I collided headfirst with a hard surface, causing me to stumble backwards while holding my forehead.

"Shit," I murmured as the pain surged through me.

"Are you okay?" a deep voice resonated right in front of me.

Scratch that. That wasn't any wall, that was a hard chest. Damon Pierce's.

He held on to my arm as I stumbled, catching me just before I hit the ground. His hands were warm against my skin.

"Yes...I'm–I'm fine...," I managed to get out amidst the dizziness.

He didn't let go immediately. His grip was firm and his arm snaked around my waist to steady me, his fingers brushing against the bare skin at my back where my top had ridden up.

The touch sent a hot shiver right through me.

"You should be more careful," he said, his warm breath fanning my face.

My knees buckled at the sensation of him this close to me with his arms around me.

Just one touch from Damon Pierce had reminded me exactly why leaving New York hadn't been enough to forget him.

This was bad. So so bad.

I stepped back from his hold, trying to put some reasonable distance between us.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't see properly." My voice was barely above a whisper, still clearly affected by the effect his touch had on me.

" I-I should go. Good night, Uncle Damon," I rushed out and headed towards the staircase, trying to get away from him as fast as I possibly could.

"Diane." I didn't get too far when I heard him call out my name.

I halted in my steps, hearing the soft echo of his footsteps against the tiles as he approached me.

I slowly turned to face him, my mind doing a whole marathon.

He closed the distance between us. For a second, I thought he was going to say something else, but instead, he pulled his phone from his pocket and held it out to me.

"Put your number in," he said, his tone was calm and casual. "For work," he added.

I hesitated for a second before taking it. The tips of my fingers brushed against his, just slightly, but it was enough to make my stomach flip.

God, why did he always have that effect on me?

I looked down, pretending to focus on the screen while typing in my number. My hands felt a little shaky. I hit save and handed the phone back, careful not to meet his eyes.

He took the phone and tucked it away into his suit jacket.

"Good night, Diane," he said, his voice quiet but deep.

"Good night," I murmured, forcing a small smile before turning toward the stairs.

I could feel his gaze on me as I walked away. The moment I got to my room, I shut the door and sat down on my bed, trying to slow down my breathing.

After a couple of minutes, I heard the low hum of his car before he drove away.

If I was going to survive working with him then I desperately needed to get my emotions in check.