“You can do that?” Relief shoots through me at the idea that I don’t need to start from scratch.
“They should be able to access it. Send me the file path and the name of the file, and I’ll take care of it.”
“Thank you, Damian. Seriously.” I collect my laptop from his desk, a lightness in my chest that I haven’t felt in weeks. “What did you want to talk to me about?”
“I’m not sure right now is the best time. We can talk about it later.”
“Why not? If it’s because of my mini meltdown, I’m fine. I’m just so tired. But I already feel better knowing that I’m going to have more help to get everything done.”
“That was aminimeltdown?” he asks, incredulity in his tone.
“Oh, you weren’t kidding when you said you’ve never really been in a relationship, huh?” I chuckle.
“I guess that’s kind of what I wanted to talk to you about.” I freeze, my eyes going wide with surprise. “Not a relationship, per se. But… a proposition. No. An idea. A thought that I wanted to discuss with you.”
Damian is being uncharacteristically vague. His ramblings make him sound even a little bit nervous.
“What kind of a thought?” I ask.
“Not the kind that you need to worry about right now,” he says, trying to avoid the conversation again. But my curiosity has been piqued, and I’m not ready to let it go that easily.
“Damian, tell me,” I push.
He busies himself behind his desk, sorting papers and clearing old notes. Taking that as a sign that I’ve been dismissed, I turn toward the door.
“What are your plans later?”
His question stops me in my tracks, and I turn around. “Well, I was going to get some work done, but I guess I’m free now.”
He shakes his head. “Not tonight. You need to rest. Tomorrow night? Come by my place.”
Butterflies erupt in my belly. It’s a tempting thought, a repeat of our night together in Colorado. It would be a lie to say I haven’t thought about it… often. But our situation hasn’t changed. Do I really want to get embroiled in another scandal at my workplace?
“Damian, we agreed that we’d leave it behind.” My voice holds a warning, but it sounds weak, even to my ears.
“Is that really what you want?” His impossibly dark eyes seem to hold the universe within them, pulling me in like a black hole.
I want to be smarter than this, stronger than this, but I don’t know if I am. I thought when we first got back that resisting Damian would get easier, but that hasn’t been the case. I miss him. I miss our evenings together, sharing dinner, talking. I miss our one night together, feeling more desired, more satisfied than I ever had. A part of me knows I overcommitted on work, insisting on doing everything myself, as a means of distraction. Because if I weren’t wrapped up in other tasks, my mind would wander right back to that hotel room, reliving that night again and again.
“What I do in my personal life is completely separate from my work,” he says. “One doesn’t have anything to do with the other. You just happen to be a part of both.”
“I can’t date my boss,” I tell him. My head is shaking, but it’s as unconvincing as I feel inside. “People will talk, Damian. You know they will.”
Damian can tell I’m wavering. A smirk pulls at his lips. “First of all, I never said anything about dating. I don’t do relationships. This is just two consenting adults. No strings attached. No games. If one of us wants it to end, it ends.”
“And second of all?” I ask.
“Let them.” He shrugs.
The thought of that sends a wave of panic through me. “No.” My voice is firm and unwavering now. That’s the one thing that I can’t compromise on.
“No to coming home with me?”
I can’t believe I’m considering this after everything that happened at my last job. But then I look into his eyes, and I’m pulled into their endless depth with no way to escape.
“No, no one can find out. This has to stay between you and me.Promise me.”
He smiles, his eyes shining like he won a prize. “Okay. No one needs to know what we do outside of these walls. It’s no one else’s business but ours.” He takes a step toward me, crowding my space. His hand lands on my hip, his touch destroying any resistance I had left. “Is that a yes to coming home with me tomorrow?”
