Jocelyn doesn’t seem too flattered by that. “Yes, me. When I first got hired. There was obviously chemistry there. Too much for him if I had to guess. And because of it, he wouldn’t make me his assistant. I think it would have made things way too complicated. Instead, he created a new job for me. One that there wasn’t even an application for. I think he knew we couldn’t work that closely without it getting…dangerous…but he didn’t want to be rid of me either. So…here I am.”
I study her for a moment. Everything about this feels like a lie. And yet my heart is a little worried. “Why are you telling me this?” I ask.
“Because when it comes to Damien Graves, you can never be too careful. He doesn’t have a good reputation with women. He doesn’t fall often, if ever. But when he does, he’s controlling. Dominating. And then, once his heart goes soft, he dumps you like a bad habit. He replaces you with someone who is obviously no match. Unfortunately for you, there are no other open positions here. Which means once you’re gone, you’re gone.”
My eyes narrow in on her. “Why should I believe you?” I ask. “We aren’t friends. In fact, I hardly know you at all. So why should I believe you and not him?”
Jocelyn lets out a haughty laugh. “Are you actually naïve enough to believe that he has real feelings for you? Feelings he will surrender to? Honey, Damien Graves hasn’t loved anyone in his life. He’s not about to start now.”
“You don’t know that,” I say, though my balloon of confidence is quickly losing altitude.
“No, I suppose I don’t. But neither do you. And your heart is on the line, not mine. So I would tread lightly if I were you.”
I think about that for a moment before speaking up again. “I’m going to talk to him,” I say. “On our date tonight. I am going to tell him everything, and you’ll see. He’s not who you think.”
“Go for it,” she mutters. “'It’s not my head in the guillotine.”
“And I’m wearing the black!” I call out after her. “Damien hates red.”
Doesn’t he? I’m not sure. I suddenly find myself questioning a lot of things. But it’s not like I can trust Jocelyn. I hardly know her. And my first impression wasn’t great. I decide to ignore her and go with my gut–I’m going to ask Damien for myself. After all, I’m not even sure what he has planned for tonight, and I want to dress accordingly.
When I get to his office, the door is wide open. I find Damien standing in front of the window, his back to me, his stance rigid. I’m starting to assume this is going to be an Opal Room night, not a date night. He looks like he’s had a stressful day and is looking for some relief.
“Damien?” I ask softly. He doesn’t turn around, but I know he hears me. I take a few more steps inside. “Is everything okay?” I ask as I approach him.
“You tell me,” he says, and with that, I stop.
“I was…just wondering what you’d like me to wear tonight?” I ask. No answer. “I wasn’t sure if we were going to dinner or the Opal Room or–”
“Neither,” he says flatly, and I’m lost. When he finally turns around to face me, his face is hard. His mouth is slack. His eyes are anything but warm. “We aren’t going out tonight, Miss Bates. I know what you’ve been hiding from me.”
Fuck.
My heart speeds up in my chest, and my brain scrambles for an excuse, or at the very least, an explanation. “Is this about Luca?” I ask when I finally muster up the courage.
“It’s about a lot of things, Miss Bates. But yes. Your son…and his father are part of it.”
“I wanted to tell you,” I start in but he cuts me off, his tone harsh enough to make me jump.
“Did you? Because if you wanted to tell me, you would have. I think it was much easier for you to lie. At least until you got what you wanted.”
“I wanted a job,” I stutter. “I didn’t know any of this was going to happen. I knew the rules.”
“And yet you still chose to break them,” he hisses.
“I don’t think that’s fair,” I shake my head.
“Fair? You lied to me about your son and your ex-boyfriend who you knew damn well has been going behind my back to ruin my name, and you want to talk to me about fair?”
Again, I’m lost. “What? I didn’t know Dylan was–”
“Cut the crap, Annelise,” Damien shouts, and my mouth clamps shut. “I already know the truth. I know you’ve been working for him and using me. Not only that, but you’ve been distracting me by inching all of this forward into grounds you know are off limits. You signed a contract!”
“So did you!” I shout back. “I’m not the only one crossing lines here. You came to my house; you took me to yours. And worst of all, you got Luca involved. So don’t you dare act like this is all on me. And for the record, I workedwithDylan, notforhim. At the Suerte. If you paid attention to anything I say or actually read my resume, you’d know that. But you didn’t because all I ever was to you was a means to an end.”
“What difference does it make if Luca was involved?” he asks, and my jaw drops. My heart speeds up in my chest as Mama Bear comes charging to the surface.
“I think it makes all the difference in the world,” I say, but Damien dodges the subject like a bullet.
