"You will not believe who just called me... Guess who" Deborah Paige said as she emerged from her bedroom, clad in pink silk pyjamas.
"Who?"
"I said guess" Deborah said.
Damon Paige turned to look at his little sister, who had a look on her face that he didn't quite understand. He rolled his eyes and returned his attention to his phone.
"I'm not going to bother about guessing anything" he said. "Because I have a feeling that you will tell me anyways. You know,... Because it's you and you can't be quiet about anything... Even to save your life. I'm not even sure that you can keep secret, so just cut the crap and tell me"
"You are no fun" Deborah said and she glared at her brother, but then she smiled because she knew he was right. She would tell him anyways, but that didn't stop her from picking up a pillow and throwing it at him.
"Well," she began "I know you're going to love this... Do you remember my best friend, Wendy Morgan, from high school?... Oh of course you do.. How could you forget"
For some reason, Damon felt his heart beat a little faster at the mention of that name. Deborah waited for him to say something and when he didn't she continued.
"That was her on the phone. She said she decided to leave her dad's company as she was in this 'independence... Starting over again phase'... I didn't really listen to that last part because I got so excited after she told me she got a job here and she wants to stay with me for a while. Isn't that amazing? It's been so long you know... Remember how close she and I were in high school?"
"Yeah I remember" Damon said. "Well, I guess that's a good thing.... for you. At least you won't complain to me about being bored anymore and maybe I can finally get some peace"
Deborah grinned at him. "Excited about seeing her again?" she asked.
Damon gave her a puzzled look. "Why would I be excited?" he asked. "I don't see any reason why I should be. She's your friend. She's coming to live with you... Not me. I mean, of course it would be nice to see her again after all these years, but excited... Is.. Is just not the right word. Why would you even ask me that?"
"Oh please" Deborah replied. "You had such a huge crush on her when we were in high school. Your eyes followed her everywhere. Remember how I used to tease you about it and you made me promise not to tell her? Because you wanted to do it, and I quote 'on your own time'.. Only that time never came because you were just too shy.
Damon rolled his eyes, but also smiled at the memory. It had been a long time ago, but once in a while he still thought about Wendy Morgan. She had been Deborah's best friend at the time and he had had a huge crush on her till he left for college.
The problem was he could never bring himself to tell her how he felt back then as he thought she was way out of his league. She and Debbie had been cheerleaders while he had been one of the brainy students most people saw as geeks.
Wendy was sharp and really good-looking. She had long red hair and big beautiful green eyes, and most times he called her 'red' to tease her. In addition to being very good looking, she was intelligent and perceptive, and although she hung out with the Soc crowd, she was open to befriending people who weren't in her crowd. Damon was so attracted to her but couldn't never being himself to say it to her. Why would a girl like Wendy even want to go out with him anyways? And besides she was dating some jock guy then. So he had kept his feelings to himself.
Apparently, he didn't do such a good job of keeping his feelings in check because Debbie found out about it, and he had to make her promise not to tell. Leaving for college had helped and when Wendy and her family moved to another state, everyone had just....moved on.Damon glared at his sister. "That crush was many years ago...People move on from stuff like that" he said. "But you know what? I honestly think it would be nice to see her again... It's been so long. Do you think she has changed a lot?"-----------------------Wendy Morgan breathed deeply as she knocked on Deborah's door. Her fingers tightened on her bag, not because she was was scared, but because she was nervous as hell. She still wasn't sure if she had made the right decision by coming to New York.It hadn't been an easy decision to make. And it was even harder because her father was against it. But she knew that had to leave. She was ti
Damon would’ve been completely intimidating if not for the incongruity of all that hair pulled into a knot at the back of his head. Someone so polished, so sophisticated, so rigid in his appearance wearing a…man bun.A corded expanse of tanned neck contrasted with his light blue shirt. His broad shoulders blocked her view of the room, but Wendy didn't care. Her stare was riveted to his body. He was powerfully built, his arm tanned and flecked with black hair below the turned back pearl-studded cuff.Wendy seemed to be floating on a cloud, her mouth turning dry as her gaze slid lower. She was fascinated by the flex of his strong thighs beneath the tight denim as he released her hand as stepped back a bit."Is something wrong?" Damon asked, watching her closely.The question brought her back to reality and she grinned sheepishly."Ye
You are cutting me off? Fine, Dad" Wendy said. "I think it's better that way. Maybe I don't need your money and now I have one more thing motivating me to do better for myself"She hung up immediately, a little scared that if she stayed on the phone, he would talk her out of this and make her go back home."Family issues?" Damon asked as she dropped the phone on her lap and buried her face in her hands. She looked up and nodded slowly."Yeah" Wendy replied. "I just had to leave, you know. It wasn't my intention to piss him off, but this is something I feel like i have to do. All my life I have always done things the way he wanted me to... Every single thing. And now he wants me to marry some doctor guy i barely know. He said something about securing my future... Whatever that means. I thought about it a lot and I just can't do it. I can't keep living like that... I want more. I want to make decisions on my own... G
The vultures were circling.Wendy stood back, wineglass in hand, and surveyed the crowded ballroom. The fund-raiser was supposed to be more pleasure than business, but business was uppermost on the minds of her competition.Across the room, Damon Paige stood in a large group of people. He looked relaxed, seemingly in his element, an easy smile making his extraordinarily handsome face even more gorgeous.It should be a crime for a man to be that good-looking. Tall, rugged, he looked every inch the kind of man who’d be at home in the athletic wear his company designed and sold. There was an aura of confidence and power around him, and above all, Wendy loved a man who was sure of himself.Given the long, searching glances they’d exchanged over the last few weeks since she came to live with Deborah, she’d be a fool not to entertain the idea of seeing where things could lead...If he wasn’t a prospective client.
Frank owned Creative Edge Promotions, and according to Evan, not only had Frank lured away a few of Standard gate's top clients in recent months, he’d also launched a PR campaign against Standard Gate. Evan said that Frank was ruthless, and he’d do anything to win.“Well, yes,” Wendy murmured. “His ad execs are busy working Damon over.”“Any reason you aren’t?” Evan asked her.She laid her hand on his forearm. She knew how important this account was to Evan—to everyone at Standard Gate Communications. It was important to her too. She wanted to prove herself, both to Evan, and more importantly to herself.“I need you to trust me, Evan. I know Damon Paige and i have studied him extensively. He knows I’m interested. He’ll come to me eventually. I’m sure of it.”She said.&ldquo
Wendy grinned at him. "Enjoying the evening?” she asked.“I think you know I’m not.” he replied.She raised one eyebrow and stared at him over the rim of her glass. “Do I?”Damon snagged a flute from a passing waiter and turned his attention fully on her. It was all she could do not to gasp under his heated scrutiny. It was as if he undressed her right then and there in front of a roomful of people. Her blood simmered and pooled low in her belly. He had beautiful eyes, and they were currently devouring her, delving beneath the modest evening gown she’d chosen. He made it seem like she wore the most scanty, revealing dress imaginable. She felt nude and vulnerable under his searing gaze. And somehow she had a feeling that he knew the kind of thoughts she was having about him...and that he was thinking it too. Why was he looking at her like that if he wasn'
It would make her life easier to be able to hide her thoughts from this man. Then she wouldn’t concern herself over whether he was giving her a shot because he thought she deserved it or whether he was thinking only of the powerful sexual pull between them and how best to capitalize on it.Wow, Wendy. Lump him in with all the other jerks you’ve known, why don’t you? Nothing like being tried and convicted based on your gender, she thought.Okay maybe that was wrong to judge him like that, but what about Debbie? What if something happened and her friendship with Debbie was ruined. She didn't want to hurt someone who had always been good to her.“Relax. You’re thinking way too much,” Damon murmured close to her ear. "You were the one who said you wanted to do this professionally""And I am doing this professionally" she replied.
His fixation with her couldn’t be readily explained. It wasn’t as though he lived as a monk. He had sex. He never lacked for partners. Sex was good. And all this while when she hadn't been in his life, he had been seeing women.But he knew that sex with Wendy would never be just good. It would be lush and delicious. The kind of experience a man would sell his soul for.She was indeed a beautiful woman. Tall, but not too tall. She would fit perfectly against him, her head tucked just underneath his chin. The girl he had once known had become a woman... A beautiful woman. She often wore her long red hair up in a loose style that told him she didn’t pay a lot of attention to whether every strand was in place. It kinda reminded him of her ponytail back in high school.He wanted to take that damn clip out, toss it in the garbage and watch as her silken mass spilled down her back. Or better yet, let it spill over him while the