before he climbs inside and drives off.
Chapter Six
Em returns from Catalina on Thursday. Her skin is tanned to a golden brown, and her hair lightened to a strawberry blonde, but the most notable change is her eyes, which are bright and happy.
“Oh, Kat, I think I’m in love. You wouldn’t believe what I experienced in Catalina.” She flops on the couch in front of me. “We stayed in a house by the seaport, sailing by day and snuggling at night. He cooked every meal for me. There is nothing sexier than a man in the kitchen.” She gushes nonstop, then asks, “How did your meeting with Damon go? Tell me everything.”
I sit next to her, turning my body to face her. “Nothing happened. Just the normal stuff, like school and studying. I returned his money, we had lunch and dinner, and then he propositioned me again. He wants to rent me regularly. I told him no.”
Her eyes bug out at my statement. “He didn’t!” Em knows me like the back of her hand and seems as appalled as I am.
“He did.” I nod in affirmation. “Listen. He’s a complex man who kisses like a master, but I can’t settle for so little when I know I’d want so much more. There’s no reason to set myself up for such a disaster.”
“Wait, I’m still at kisses like a master. You kissed him?” Em’s eyes looking for a clue to what I’m not telling her.
“Yes. I kissed him twice in his office. The first was an experiment, and the second was to confirm my belief that he’s an excellent kisser.” A sigh deflates me. “When somebody kisses you like he kissed me, something happens to your insides. My toes curled, Em. I couldn’t survive too much of that and then have him dismiss me when he grew tired of me. I wouldn’t be able to stop my heart from getting involved.”
“It sounds like you’ve given it a lot of thought.” She looks mildly disappointed. “Too bad, because we could have double-dated.”
“Speaking of dating, what are you going to do about your escort service? How is Anthony going to respond when you dress up and accompany other men to various functions?”
“We talked about it, and I decided I’m closing up shop for the time being. He’s okay with me doing what I do, as long as I promise not to wear the blue dress.” She laughs. “He has claimed that dress for his eyes only.” A dreamy look blankets her face. “After giving it thought, I couldn’t imagine spending time with any other man. All I’d be thinking about was Anthony.”
“We have three months of school left before we graduate. I always planned to quit after graduation, anyway. It’s time to find a real job. My savings account is solid, so I can afford to be out of work for a while.” Her fingers twirl a strand of her hair as she talks. “Speaking of graduating, Anthony mentioned they have temporary job opportunities at Ahz. The opening will be huge, and they need all the help they can get. You should apply. Besides, it would give you experience, and it’s an excellent resume builder.”
“I’d be afraid of running into Damon.” While Ahz is a perfect fit for my degree, being in the same building as Damon would drive me crazy.
“I’m sure you would never run into him. It’s a large corporation that employs hundreds of people. You could get lost in the crowd.”
“Damon told me about the positions when we had dinner, but I’m still hesitant to apply.”
Emma is right. I’m sure I wouldn’t even see him, but if I did, I’d thank him for suggesting I apply for the job, then I’d move on.
“Thanks, Em. You are right, I should apply.”
“Do it right now before you chicken out.”
I give her a hug, grab my laptop from the table, and head to my room.
The application process is thorough but straightforward. I apply for an internship as the assistant to the event planner, press send, and close my computer. With nothing else to do, I head to the kitchen to make a cup of cocoa and pick up Em’s copy of Bound on the way. With cocoa in hand, I collapse onto the soft, overstuffed sofa. A few minutes later, I hear the beep of a text coming in.
Hi, it’s Damon. I am hoping maybe we could be friends in some capacity. Are you having a nice night, Katarina? What are you doing?
I think