Chapter 4 Thoughts

Kayla

The men scrambled, getting into the car and zooming off.

Damien leaned over pulling me up effortlessly. "Are you okay?" He asked.

"I'm- fine," I stuttered, "thank you for stopping."

"You don't have to thank me Kayla. Let me drive you home," he offered.

I shook my head, "I'm sure you have somewhere to be, I can't keep you."

He stared me down, "Kayla, take a look at the state of your car, your clothes are all dirty. You can't go home by yourself."

"Yeah Kayla," Chelsea started, "we can't go home by ourselves." She nudged me with her elbow.

Damien smiled at her gesturing towards the car, "Please, I'll not forgive myself if anything happens to you."

My heart almost fluttered. I've worked for Damien as an executive assistant for six months and heres all I can gather. The man is dangerously hot and refered to as 'the devil in a suit.'

He is literally sex on a stick. One of the most attractive and seductive men I've ever met. The only reason I haven't joined the fan club is because my job is important to me.

The man separated business from pleasure. He's good at everything he does, every woman's dream.

Damien pulled the door open and Chelsea entered first, then I followed. The door closed and we were sealed into a world of luxury.

This car was nothing compared to the run down Sedan I drove. It's slick. The leather is cool against my skin and right now I can't stop myself from falling asleep.

"Are you guys okay?" Miles, Damien's best friend, asked from the front seat. He looked back at us with genuine concern.

I nodded, resting my head against the seat.

"I'll make sure you get reparations for the car, Kayla," Damien said, settling into the seat beside me.

A smile spread across my face. The thought of not having to pay for the repairs myself felt like a miracle. "Thank you so much. I really appreciate it, sir."

He turned his head toward me with a smirk on his lips. "We're not at the office, Kayla. You can call me Damien."

Chelsea tilted her phone toward me, the screen glowing in the dark car. My heart stopped. It was a video of me in the driveway as I screamed at Jason at the top of my lungs. The view count was climbing so fast it made my head spin.

"It's everywhere," Chelsea whispered. "It was probably Olivia who posted it. Look at the caption."

I didn't even want to read it. I put my face in my palms, hot embarrassment consuming me. I wanted to crawl under the expensive leather seats and stay there forever.

"What happened?" Damien asked, noticing my composure slipping. "Why is my executive assistant on the internet yelling at someone in a driveway?"

I couldn't even find my voice. I stayed frozen, hiding my face.

Chelsea, being as blunt as ever, didn't hesitate. "She was just cheated on by her boyfriend of three years. He cheated with her best friend. That video is currently going viral," she said so casually.

I wanted to disappear into the ground. The silence in the car felt a mile deep. I could feel Damien's gaze on me.

My boss who valued perfection and "business over pleasure"-was now watching the worst, most private moment of my life play out in 4K.

"Three years?" Miles asked from the front, his voice soft with pity.

"I'm sorry," I managed to choke out from behind my hands. "I know it looks unprofessional. I'll handle the PR if it affects the company, I just-"

"Kayla," Damien interrupted my breakdown. "Look at me."

I lowered my hands from my face slowly. He wasn't looking at the phone. He was looking at the tear stains on my cheeks and the way I was shaking.

"So, the encounter with those fools, your car and the state your currently in," Damien's jaw tightened. "All of this happened because of that boy?"

I nodded once, my lip trembling.

Damien looked away, staring out the window at the passing city lights. "Miles," he said, his voice turning cold as ice. "Find out who the boy is. And make sure that video is taken down within the hour."

"You don't have you do that," I murmured, "thank you."

I couldn't believe my boss was using his resources to save what was left of my reputation.

"Umm," Chelsea cut through, "You can stop here, I'll walk the remaining distance," she said as we got to her campus.

She got out of the car thanking Miles and Damien once more before going her way.

Of course my phone buzzed: [That's the dominant boss you talked about. Sweet baby Jesus Kayla, he's hot!]

I smiled at her text trying hard not to make it obvious.

"So that was your..."

"Sister, Chelsea." I answered, remembering he was my boss and really didn't know anything about my personal life.

"She's, a lot," I added.

"I wished I had a little sister like her. She's very... Passionate."

My phone buzzed again: [And that Miles guy, he can get it!] I almost laughed out loud. This girl was a sucker for beautiful men.

The car went quiet after Chelsea left. I could feel Damien's eyes raking my body, lingering on the curves my sundress barely hid. I didn't mind it at all.

Heat crawled up my neck. I looked out the window, focusing on the passing streetlights to keep from melting under his gaze.

I gave Miles a few more directions until we pulled up to my apartment complex.

"Thank you again," I said, as I climbed out. "Goodnight, Miles. Goodnight, Damien."

"Kayla," Damien called out before I could close the door. I paused, looking back at him. "If you need to, take Monday off. Rest. Clear your head."

I shook my head immediately. "Thank you, but I'll be there. It would be completely unprofessional of me to skip out because of... this."

A ghost of a smile touched his lips, but he didn't argue. "As you wish."

I entered the lobby, and the sound of shouting hit me instantly. My landlord was in the middle of a heated argument with a group of neighbors over a broken pipe. I froze. I was still two months behind on rent because I'd used my savings to fund Jason's "last brilliant business idea." I definitely wasn't in the mood to be cornered.

I stepped out of my heels, holding them in one hand, and snuck past the group like a ghost. I didn't stop until I was safely inside my apartment with the deadbolt clicked into place.

I went straight to the bathroom and stripped off the ruined dress. I turned the knob for the shower, praying for a bit of warmth, but the water stayed ice-cold.

Courtesy of the landlord, no doubt. I stood under the freezing spray anyway.

By the time I crawled into bed, my hair was damp and my body was aching. I pulled the covers up to my chin, feeling the silence of the empty apartment press in on me.

My phone vibrated on the nightstand. I reached for it, expecting another thirsty text from Chelsea or a pathetic plea from Jason.

It was a text from by boss.

Damien: [Sleep well, Kayla.]

I stared at the screen until the light dimmed. My heart gave a strange fluttery kick.