Damon drove by the office. Although he preferred picking up a date at their place, Damon told his personal assistant to meet him on neutral grounds. The office building seemed as a good place as any, a location that screamed ‘nothing but business’. Too bad Damon wanted Joel Cash more than he’d wanted anyone else.
He’d been initially apprehensive about hiring Joel because Cindy Meyers, the head of his HR department, kept pushing Damon about it. Any shred of hesitation vanished when Damon met Joel face-to-face and began working alongside the intriguing man.
Damon had never met anyone who had been capable of synchronizing with his work habits so easily, or able to accommodate his needs. Excellent personal assistants were as hard to find as lovers who were able to see past his status and hard-earned wealth these days. Joel was both though.
Damon had gotten to know his personal assistant a little better this week, and Damon never had anyone laugh genuinely at his jokes before.
God. Damon couldn’t get Joel’s laugh out of his head. Confident, handsome, and unfretted, Joel was a guy who wasn’t afraid to voice out his opinions. And those perfect tempting and kissable lips that let loose that laugh—Damon always had a hard time not reeling himself in.
He had the urge to simply clasp his hand the back of Joel’s neck. Feel Joel’s pulse leap and his breath shudder as Damon claimed his lips—sometimes it was too much.
Damon knew where that particular path led. While his body, his wolf, hell his cock, completely agreed to take that road and see where it led, his mind advised him caution. Unlike the shallow and vapid men and women Damon used to have one-night-stands with, a man like Joel could really get under Damon’s skin. Do some serious damage. After Laurie, Damon swore he’d never let someone pull him under the bus again, yet here he was.
Besides, Joel was different—honest, charming and genuine. Nothing about Joel was plastic or fake, both inside and out. Even Damon’s wolf sensed that.
Feeling a little nervous, Damon whipped out his phone and called his best friend Ethan Drake. As CEO of his own group of successful companies, Ethan was always busy. They went to the same college, were bitten by the same werewolf, and helped each other out during their first few difficult changes. Recently, Ethan had one hell of a rollercoaster ride, rescuing his human mate from his vindictive ex-wife.
Hell, Damon couldn’t believe it at first, when Ethan told Damon he found his mate. Although they weren’t related by blood, Ethan and he were brothers. They were like the same side of the same coin—uninterested in commitments and not tethered to anyone else...until they met the right ones for them.
“Damon, did something happen?” Ethan immediately asked.
Damon grinned. He could imagine Ethan dropping everything if Damon had a problem. He would do the same too. When Ethan asked for his help recently, Damon went through all his resources to search for possible freelance contractors involved in kidnapping his mate.
“Nothing like that, but do you remember the assistant I recently hired?”
On Ethan’s side, Damon could hear another man’s voice, asking Ethan who was on the line.
“Tell Remy, I said hi,” Damon added. Hearing Ethan reprimanding his mate, Damon chuckled. He met the spirited human capable of taming his best friend, and heartily approved of Ethan’s choice. Remy Carlson reminded him a little of Joel actually.
“Oh, why didn’t you tell me it was just Damon? I’m heading back to bed,” Damon heard Remy say.
“Be ready to take your punishment with grace, pet,” Ethan warned.
Remy grumbled in the background, before Ethan returned to him. Another thing Damon had in common with Ethan. They both needed control in their lives, and were dominants in the bedroom. Remy though, had easily accepted the role of Ethan’s submissive, but would Joel?
“Back to your question, yes. I remember. It’s unlikely I’ll forget about the guy you couldn’t stop talking about the last time we had drinks.”
Damon groaned. “Was I that transparent?”
“Damon, I’ve known you for more than ten years.”
“I finally asked Joel out on a date.”
“Wow, Damon. Can’t remember the last time you asked me for relationship advice.”
Damon took a deep breath. “I don’t want to screw this up.”
Ethan fell silent for a couple of seconds. “You won’t, just don’t overwhelm the guy. Take your time. Explain your motives. You have this in the bag. Good luck, buddy.”
“Thanks, Ethan. I needed to hear that.”
“No problem. Hey, if it works out, let’s get together sometime. Do a double date.”
“Can you hear yourself?” Damon had to ask, sounding amused. “Way back, we used to go out hunting for orgies and wild rides. Now we’re tamed.”
“Let me tell you, it’s a lot better on this side. To have someone waiting for you back home, that’s priceless,” said Ethan. “I bet. Now scram and pick up your date.”
Damon cut the line and focused on the task ahead.
At this time of the night, most of the business district had emptied out. A few late night office grunts walked past, but otherwise the area was practically a ghost town. Damon parked his black Jaguar by the curb and got out. He didn’t need to look long for Joel. The human stood out like a beacon, leaning by the glass walls of the building entrance.
Damon had to take a second, appreciative, and lingering glance. His personal assistant had discarded his smart office wear for something sleek and appropriate. Joel must’ve taken his advice and charged a new tux to his account, and Damon decided every penny was worth it.
The tux fitted Joel like a second skin, highlighting the lean muscles of his upper chest, his slender waist, and muscular calves. Joel must have made a quick trip to the salon too, because his short auburn hair was slicked back. It drew Damon’s gaze to Joel’s intriguing face, the slight stubble on his jaw and chin, and alluring emerald eyes.
Damon suddenly wished they could skip the entire evening. He imagined tearing off the buttons of Joel’s crisp white shirt, unveiling the flat planes of Joel’s chest, and putting his hot mouth to Joel’s heated skin.
Then Damon would render Joel’s body completely helpless—bound, strained to its limits, and make Joel want and beg for more.
Damon shook off the thoughts when Joel came closer. Joel wasn’t ready for that. For the kind of dark passions he favored, but they could always go slow. Joel was no virgin, no skittish kitten.
Confident and daring, sexy and irresistible, Joel would fit nicely in Damon’s world, but only if Joel let Damon inside his shields.
Joel broke into a smile when he spotted him and Damon didn’t imagine the appreciative glance Joel gave towards Damon’s own appearance. “I’m sorry, am I late? You look fucking handsome in that tux, Joel. So sexy. I’m afraid I need to keep an eye on you at all times. ”
Joel shook his head. “I’m early. You look great too.”
Damon grinned. “Then we’ll make quite a pair.”
He extended his hand towards Joel’s and was delighted Joel clasped his fingers.
Damon frowned. “You’re cold.”
Damon unthinkingly raised Joel’s knuckles to lips and blew across them. Joel’s cheeks flushed slightly, and Damon didn’t know whether it was a genuine blush or if was from the autumn cold. “Shall we?”
Joel’s smile was answer enough. It was going to be a sweet ride tonight.
* * * *
The rest of the evening felt like a fleeting dream. Joel remembered greeting a never-ending procession of faces, shaking hands, and indulging in amiable conversations with wealthy strangers. Joel noticed the looks of contempt and hungry interest some men and women gave him, but none of it mattered. What Joel remembered most poignantly had been Damon’s irresistible magnetic pull.
Throughout the event, his boss kept his gaze solely on Joel’s, as if he were staking his claim and challenging the stray males that dared enter his stalking grounds. It was a little territorial. Maybe shifters were like that, Joel didn’t know, but he privately liked the attention.
Damon kept Joel at arm’s length too, never straying far, and always giving Joel little touches. Be it a brush on his arm or a gentle hand on his back, Joel felt a chord connecting him to Damon and each touch sent a current through his body.
After a long and tedious dinner, and the organizer’s speech, Damon leaned over to whisper to Joel’s ear. “Shall we have one dance before we make our hasty exit?”
Joel laughed, and nodded. He couldn’t wait to get out of here. “Only one dance?”
“Indeed.” Damon offered his hand, a perfect gentleman, but his feral gaze told Joel a different story.
Those eyes told Joel that Damon wanted to strip him bare, before devouring him completely. Joel shuddered. He could almost imagine the fabric ripping, those warm hands sliding down his chest.
God. The wine must be making his face flush and his cock hard.
Damon led him to the dance floor. All Joel saw was Damon’s figure, perfectly cut in his sleek black tux, the dark crown of slicked-back hair, and the slightly rough and handsome angles of his face. Damon held him, confident and sure. He took the lead and Joel followed, aware of Damon’s proximity.
“You’re a smooth dancer,” Joel commented.
Damon flashed Joel a devilish grin. “Surprised?”
“I shouldn’t be, should I? You’ve probably attended a hundred of these.” Joel became breathless when Damon suddenly spun him, only to catch him again.
Joel’s heart hammered in his chest. Jesus, Damon’s smoldering gaze combined with the dance left Joel’s entire skin humming with tension.
“I have, but never with such a delightful companion,” Damon answered, clasping his fingers again.
Joel had been surprised to find he immensely enjoyed Damon’s company. Throughout the evening, they never lingered long to speak with attendees. When no one approached them, Damon dug deep, asking Joel about his origins like where Joel grew up, Joel’s family and friends, and his views and interests.
Damon genuinely seemed to want to know more about the person underneath, and Joel did the same. It felt like they were playing a game—testing and teasing each other to their limits.
Did Damon know the longer they remained this close, the more he set fire to Joel’s body?
“We should continue this in a more conducive and private setting,” Damon suggested.
Joel easily caught on. He pressed a hand against Damon’s chest and he gave Damon a silent and questioning look. Whether Joel should go back home with his boss, or ask Damon to drive Joel back to his apartment had been the sole question Joel had been pondering about all night long.
The chemistry between them was undeniable. Hot enough to burn, and burn bright, but a part of Joel remained terrified.
What if one night could evolve into something more? Something messy?
Joel didn’t want to mend his broken heart again. Unlike the men Joel had dated before, Damon was in a completely different league altogether. Nothing about Damon seemed simple. There was a hint of darkness about Damon, and the same dark energy surrounded them now, seeping into Joel and reeling him in.
“We can’t. You’re my boss and I’m your employee. Situations like these never end well,” Joel pointed out.
He needed to hear the facts out in the open. That was the only way Joel could stand by his decision. Joel had always been a confident guy. He hardly cared about what the rest of the world thought, but with Damon, Joel felt like he stood on uncertain ground.
Joel let out a surprised breath when Damon eliminated the inches of space between them and pulled Joel close. The fabric of Joel’s tux rubbed against Damon’s, black-on-black. Clothes were unnecessary. Clothes kept them from crossing the boundaries though, and reminded them to stay on the logical end, even though their bodies begged them to head over to the primitive side.
“Tell me, Joel. Don’t you feel this?” Damon whispered against his ear.
Damon bit down on Joel’s earlobe. Joel let out a whimper, but Damon didn’t stop. Damon pressed his lips against the side of Joel’s neck, sucking softly at the flesh, not caring the gesture strangely out of place in the formal ballroom.
Joel’s knees almost banged together as he missed a dance step. He nearly tripped, but Damon easily caught Joel with his strong arms. “Are you really going to deny what’s between us, Joel?”
He let out a shaky breath when Damon brushed his knuckles down the front of his chest, grazing his nipples through the fabric. Jesus. His cock hardened instantly at the sensation.
“If I unzip your trousers, are you going to lie to me and tell me you’re not incredibly hard? Can’t you feel this?” Damon grinded against him, letting Joel feel his erection.
Damon certainly made it clear he was sick of playing games and a word from him could end the evening, or be the prelude to something wild and reckless.
He swallowed.
“I can’t deny that there isn’t anything between us,” Joel admitted.
“Then what are you afraid of?” Then Damon kissed Joel. No, Damon didn’t kiss. He plundered, and took Joel’s lips with delicious ferocity.
Joel’s apprehension and worries vanished. Why fight, when his body begged to yield? Joel kissed Damon back, fervently and passionately, accepting Damon’s heat. Damon deepened the kiss, taking Joel further to the edge.
When Damon released him, the world narrowed its scope and Joel only saw the two of them.
“Is this what you’ve been afraid of?” Damon asked.
“This is exactly what I’m afraid of. The feeling of falling, and you’re the kind of man who doesn’t do things by half measures,” Joel confessed.
There. Joel just bared his soul to his boss. Joel had a history of falling in love with men who didn’t love him back. Men who left him a little broken each time, and unable to trust again. It was the same reason why Joel only went on random dates, but never took the relationship beyond the quick fuck in the bedroom.
“There’s no reason to fear, Joel. If you fall, I’ll catch you each time. Always. Never forget that.” Damon’s words shook Joel to the very core.
Joel was so tempted to trust him, but he knew from personal experience that some guys lied as easily as breathing. “Hush. Don’t think so much.”
Damon tipped Joel’s chin upwards and kissed Joel again, this time slower and sweeter, taking his time. “I’m not the kind of man who doesn’t understand the word ‘no’. Would you like me to take you home, or would you like to have drinks back at my place?”
“Drinks sound cool,” Joel answered, surprised by the confidence in his voice.
Damon’s face lit up for a second, before it went back to its usual mask of confidence and indifference.
“We can take things slow,” Damon suggested during the short drive to his apartment.
“But that would be a lie,” Joel finished for him.
“Have I ever told you how your honesty is one of the things I love about you?” Damon spared Joel a grin, before turning his eyes back on the road. “You’re right. When I see what I want, I go for it. No questions asked.”
“Rumors say you don’t do relationships, that you’d fuck anyone remotely attractive.”
Joel noticed Damon visibly winced at the jab. He was glad Damon didn’t deny it at least.
“Did you know that finding a good personal assistant these days is practically close to impossible? It’s as hard as finding an honest, handsome and intelligent mate,” Damon said casually.
Joel shifted in his seat uncomfortably. He didn’t know much about shifter customs, but even he knew how every shifter took the concept of mates seriously. Supposedly, a shifter possessed some kind of in-built radar that could instantly pinpoint their mate. Damon must be kidding, wasn’t he? “You don’t have to soften me up. When you hired me, I thought we had the perfect arrangement.”
“How so?” Damon asked, mildly intrigued.
“You’re—forgive me, a proven manwhore. I don’t trust easily, so I had hoped there was no chance of us getting to this point.” Joel let out a sigh. “But the damage’s done.”
“It’s clear to me words won’t persuade you or change your opinion of me, but that’s fine. We’ll let our bodies do the talking. Although I must ask, what made you agree to come home with me?” Damon inquired.
Damon parked his car by the curb of a lavish-looking apartment building in a high-priced neighborhood Joel knew he could never afford. He unbuckled his seat belt, and refused to be daunted or look overly impressed.
“I took the risk, because I knew if I didn’t, I’m going to regret never finding out if you ever came close to my fantasies,” Joel said.
Damon raised one eyebrow. “Fantasies?”
Joel mentally cursed himself, but he refused to be embarrassed. Hell, Joel was a grown man. He was no longer in high school. “Sometimes I have erotic daydreams of you at work.”
Jesus. Joel couldn’t believe he just said those inappropriate words to his boss. Tonight though, Damon wasn’t his boss. Instead of looking repulsed or mad, Damon actually appeared....pleased by Joel’s admission.
“Don’t leave me hanging. Please say something,” Joel finally begged, unnerved by Damon’s silence.
“Let me amend my previous statement. Your honesty is what I love about you the most.” Damon opened the car door for Joel.
Then, Damon gently nudged Joel inside. The elderly bellhop didn’t even give them a second look. Maybe he was used to seeing Damon bringing his dates back home? The thought made Joel queasy and pissed for some reason. He didn’t need the reminder Damon didn’t do commitments, so what made Joel any different?
“Why don’t you tell me about your erotic fantasies on the way up, Joel?”