a private jet or two.”
“It’s definitely weird,” Kylie agreed. “But what if he really did like you, and then couldn’t reveal who he really was? It would completely explain why he never asked for your number. The truth would have come out eventually.”
I rolled my eyes. For a woman who had experienced her share of heartache, Kylie could still be the eternal optimist. I let out a groan of mortification before I said, “I wouldn’t have kissed him if I’d known his true identity.”
Damian had made me feel special, and it did hurt to know that the entire encounter had been nothing more than a game to him.
“Exactly!” Kylie exclaimed as she wriggled her eyebrows. “He didn’t fess up because he wanted to kiss you. Maybe he wasn’t messing with you, Nic. Maybe he isn’t a complete narcissistic asshole. I can tell you from experience that things aren’t always how they seem. When someone is out of their mind from alcohol, sometimes shit just…happens.”
I tossed the trash from my lunch into the garbage can, and crossed my arms as I watched my best friend try to make something out of…nothing. “He wasn’t intoxicated on that flight.”
“But he definitely was in that naughty picture,” she said. “Sometimes, people do things when they’re drunk that they’d never do sober. Honestly, he was so glassy-eyed in that picture that I’m not even sure if he was capable of getting it up. I’m not saying that you should forget all about the whole orgy thing, but maybe you need to hear his side of that story.”
Really, I loved Kylie dearly for not wanting me to feel like a fool, but there was no saving Damian Lancaster.
He was a liar.
He had to be twisted to play that stupid game with me on our flight.
He was the type of guy who indulged in orgies and multiple female partners.
Lastly, Damian was exactly the type of man I’d run from like my ass was on fire if I’d known who he really was before I’d kissed him. Maybe I had been tipsy, but I couldn’t blame that damn kiss completely on the alcohol. Even after the alcohol had worn off the next morning, I’d still been just as attracted to him as I’d been the night before.
“Give it up, Kylie,” I urged. “You just can’t save Damian Lancaster. Nothing you say is going to convince me that he isn’t a complete jerk.”
A deep baritone voice suddenly sounded from the doorway. “I’m definitely a wanker, but I’m hoping I can change your opinion of me, eventually, Nicole.”
I didn’t have to shift my eyes to my open office door to know exactly who was standing there.
I could feel his presence, and even if I couldn’t, that damn voice with that sexy British accent was unmistakable.
What in the world was Damian Lancaster doing at my office?
CHAPTER 11
Nicole
KYLIE SQUEAKED AS she jumped to her feet, her eyes as wide as saucers. “Mr. Lancaster?”
Damian gave my best friend a smile that was so charming I wanted to punch him as he said, “Kylie, I presume. Nicole mentioned you during some of our conversations.” He held out his hand in greeting.
Kylie nodded as she shook it, her expression still a little stunned. “What are you doing here?” she questioned suspiciously.
“I wanted to have a word with Nicole,” he answered amiably.
I stood. “I don’t think we have a single thing to talk about, Mr. Lancaster.”
I hated the fact that I couldn’t control my reaction to seeing Damian again. My heart tripped, and my body instantly responded to his raw sensuality, while all my brain wanted me to do was kick him in the balls.
Damian moved past Kylie once he’d dropped her hand, and stopped right in front of me. “Give me five minutes to explain, Nicole.”
Ha! That request had sounded more like a demand to me, and I wasn’t about to give Damian Lancaster anything he commanded. He sure as hell wasn’t my boss. Thank God!
I shook my head, trying not to let him know that his actions on our flight had gotten to me. “You had over twelve hours to tell me the truth.”
“It’s…complicated,” he said.
Kylie interrupted in a cheerful voice that I knew was completely faked. “Well, I’ll be right next door in my office if you need me.” She walked to the door before pausing. “I mean, right next door,” she added in a warning voice. “Like…my office shares a wall with this one, if you know what I mean.”
Damian nodded. “Message