Chapter: 61:Unplanned Encounters
Elena
With a click of the door.
Nothing, nothing happens
"I locked the door when I came in," Damien whispers in my ear.
Relief at the sound of his words washed over me but it was short lived as Ethan's voice came through.
"Elena I know you're in there, lunch break is going to be over soon."
We usually ate together during lunch breaks so it's not surprising that he came looking for me.
"Damien," I whispered giving him a look that needed no explanation.
"I'm coming Ethan," I said awkwardly but loud enough to be heard outside the door.
We both arranged our clothes, well mostly mine.
Damien helped me, his fingers brushing against my skin wiping away the bodily fluids—the lingering traces of our intimacy. We were now both good as new for the most part.
"I'll see you later," Damien said to only my hearing as I opened the door.
It was hard to miss the surprised look on Ethan's face. Damien paid him no mind walking past him casually.
"Girllll, what just happened?" He remarked in a zesty voice, looking back and forth between me and Damien.
"Nothing," I lied. " he just had confidential work information to tell me."
"Hmm," his gaze was doubtful. "left alone I would have thought you two had a secret relationship."
"Hahaha," my laugh, low and awkward.
'You guessed right Ethan, but there was no way I was going to tell him that.'
"The boss is handsome, I'll be surprised if you said you didn't find him attractive," Ethan added.
"Enough talk, I'm hungry," I said trying to change the topic while dragging Ethan to the lunch room.
Luckily for me, Ethan never brought up talks about Damien again. We got done eating and I went back to work.
When the workday ended, I was gathering my things when Damien appeared in my doorway, his usual confident stance making my stomach flip against my will. He always looked effortlessly handsome in his expensive suits.
"Ready to go?" he asked smoothly.
I hesitated, gripping my bag strap a little tighter. "Actually, I'm not going straight home today."
His brow lifted slightly. "Oh?"
I swallowed. "Ethan invited me to dinner. He just got promoted, and he wants to celebrate."
I didn't know why I felt the need to explain myself it's not like we were in a defined relationship.
For a brief moment, his expression didn't change. Then, he gave a slow nod. "I see. Hope you enjoy your…" he paused "outing."
That was it. No arguments. No questions. No snide remarks.
It threw me off, but I wasn't about to question it.
Ethan came to pick me up and we drove to the restaurant. I had to admit—it was nice. A warm, upscale atmosphere, dim lighting, and the kind of place you would expect to see important people.
"This place looks amazing," I said, scanning the menu.
Ethan grinned. "Told you. I've got good taste."
I smiled, shaking my head. "well let's hope the food tastes as good as it looks."
"With these prices, it had too," he joked.
We ordered our food, settling into easy conversation. The waiter finally served our order and the food wasn't what I expected. It looked as good as the pictures but the taste was nothing to write home about.
By the end of the night, I knew I would have more wine than food in my system. I could see the look of disappointment plastered on Ethan's face.
"We can go somewhere else next time," I tried to lighten the mood.
"I promise I'll make it up to you."
"It's fine Etha—" left my lips when I felt it.
Someone was watching me.
I turned my head only to see Damien going up to the second floor. He wasn't alone, two other men who looked like the company executives were with him, it seemed like he was out on a business meeting.
His gaze met mine almost immediately, and a slow smirk tugged at his lips, as if he knew exactly that I would notice his presence.
I quickly turned back around, trying to ignore the heat that crept up my neck.
"What were you looking at?"
Ethan didn't seem to have noticed.
"Erm, nothing, I just thought I saw someone I knew."
He continued talking, oblivious to what just happened.
The dinner went on, and by the time we were finishing up, Ethan excused himself to the restroom. And that was when Damien made his move.
I barely had time to react before he was standing beside my table, looking completely at ease.
"Where's your little friend?" he asked casually.
I frowned. "He'll be back soon."
Damien hummed, slipping into the seat across from me. "I'll wait, then."
I narrowed my eyes. "Damien—"
"Actually," he cut me off, "you don't have to wait for him. I have some important business to talk about with you."
I scoffed. "Business? Work hours ended a while ago,"
He nodded, completely unfazed. "I'll handle the bill. Your dinner is over."
"Wait—No, you can't just do that,"
"But I just did," the words came out as he handed his card to the waiter.
Before I could protest further, Ethan returned, looking slightly confused.
"Uh, Elena?" He glanced between me and Damien.
"She's leaving," Damien said smoothly. "I have things to discuss with her."
Ethan frowned, clearly not happy about it, but Damien's presence was commanding. He was our boss after all.
"I'm really sorry Ethan," I said with pleading eyes.
I knew Damien was being serious and the last thing I wanted was for him to say something I didn't want Ethan to hear, so I went along with his scheme.
After an awkward pause, Ethan finally nodded. "Alright. See you at work, Elena."
And on cue, Damien took me by the hand leading me out the restaurant. And just like that, I was alone with Damien.