Authors: Ginni Conquest
“Now I know why my son likes you. You are a beautiful woman inside and out. Things have a way of working out as there are no such things as coincidence. Everything happens as it was meant to be.” I lived by that mantra too. I believe in destiny and thought back to everything that happened to bring me to this point; to bring me to Damien.
“I know how my son met you. Though I raised him better than that, I can now understand his motive. I hope you have forgiven him my dear.”
I couldn’t help but turn a nice shade of red. She didn’t know everything that happened on that flight or did she? How embarrassing.
“Yes, Evelyn, I have. I couldn’t stay mad at him for long as he is very charming and persuasive.”
“Yes he is. So is his brother, Richard, but he can be a tad more serious than Damien. Dawn is just like Damien, strong willed and outspoken. I would love you to come to dinner one night to meet everyone.”
“I would love that, thank you.”
I have to say, I had a beautiful lunch with Evelyn. We spoke about what happened on the dive, my work, her volunteer work which I told her I would love to get involved in and my family. Before I knew it, she needed to leave. Damien’s Dad was almost done with his golf game and she was going to join him at the club. I thanked her so much for her visit, for lunch and the extra groceries.
“It was so nice meeting you my dear. I hope to see you very soon again and enjoy each other’s company. And Selina, one thing: forget about your jobs and the Board. One needs to follow their journey and see where love takes them.” Giving me a wink, Evelyn let herself out of the condo.
Closing the door behind her, I realized that Damien’s family was very close, just like mine. The thought of possibly being a part of his family gave me a good feeling as I missed mine so much. I wonder if I can get any of them to visit me soon, even my brother if my parents couldn’t get away. Thinking of waiting until Christmas to see them was just too far away. The sound of the intercom brought me out of my thoughts.
“Dr. Harrison, you have a package that was just delivered. I’m sending someone up with it, ok?”
“Yes, of course.”
Wondering what that could be, I looked thru the peep hole at the security guard standing there with a white envelope.
“Dr. Harrison, this was left for you.” Thanking the security guard, I was curious as to who had this sent to me. No one knew I was here but a handful of people.
So I carefully opened it up and a chill came over me
.
It rea
d
:
Stay away from Stone industries and Damien or else. I'm watching you.
Dropping the letter on the counter, I picked up my cell and called Damien immediately.
"Hi Princess."
"Damien, who knows I'm staying here?"
"My parents, Sam and Steve. Why?"
"The security guard said that an envelope was delivered to my attention here. I opened it up and there was a threatening note in it that says stay away from Stone Industries and you or else."
"You have got to be fucking kidding me?"
"I wish I was."
"Ok, don't touch the letter any more in case there are fingerprints on it. I'll call Sam and get him over there as fast as he can. I'll call the guards downstairs and see if they remember anything or if they have anything on the security cameras. Did they happen to say who delivered the note?"
"I didn't ask them. I really wasn't thinking about that, just thinking about who knows that I’m here."
"Obviously someone is watching you. Don't go anywhere. I'll get there as soon as I can. I'll call Sam now. Jesus Selina. What the Hell is going on?"
"I don't know Damien but I'm scared and pissed at the same time."
"That's my girl. I promise you we'll get to the bottom of this. Just lock the door and stay in the condo."
As I hung up with Damien, I thought about how quickly my life has changed. I went from a broken woman to having sex with a stranger on a plane who has turned out to be my boss who is very attracted to me: to me almost dying to possibly being on my way to loving her boss. On my way to loving? No, I was already there. I am in love with Damien. I know for sure that in a short time, this is who I was waiting for in my life. We have gone thru more in less than a week then what some couples go thru in a lifetime.
I'm worried that I'm putting Damien in danger being with him now. What do I do? Do I forfeit my happiness to protect him and his company? Who is this person who doesn't want me around? Could this be the same person who might have tampered with my tanks on the dive? If they are, they are very capable of doing anything to get what they want. If they want me out of the way, they would do it. Keeping my reservations of being with Damien to myself, the intercom startled me out of my thoughts.
It was Sam. I let him up and waited anxiously for him to arrive.
"Selina, Damien called me immediately. Let's see it."
"Here it is Sam. I was careful to just touch the corners. I'm hoping you can get some answers very soon as this note puts me on edge a bit. Only a handful of people know I'm here and I can't see any of them causing a problem for me."
"We have an idea who is doing this but I need them to slip up. I haven't told Damien anything yet but I may need you to help us flush out the person or persons doing this."
"This sounds like a police drama with me caught in the middle."
"Yes, I agree but sometimes this is how these things go down. I'm going to take this note with me and try to lift a print from it. I don't believe this is an act of a professional criminal so you can breathe a sigh of relief there. In the meantime, you are not to leave this place under any circumstances. I'll have an unmarked car downstairs watching the place. The guards already know so they are on alert. One of the guys was someone who worked with me on the force. You are well protected."
He looked at me as though knowing what was in my thoughts.
"Selina, if are you planning on leaving Damien because of this, he will find you. I can see the look in your face. I will find out who is threatening you, I promise you this. Walking away from Damien will not be the answer. I know that man all too well. He would go thru fire for you." Winking at me, the man of my dreams walked into the condo. Not even acknowledging Sam, he came over to me and just held me.
"Um Damien, let the poor girl breath," chuckled Sam.
Looking down at me, those blue eyes drowned me in emotions.
"Are you ok?"
"Yes now that you are here." Nodding his head at me, he turned to Sam with an attitude that was pure Damien.
"Sam, let me see the note."
"Don't touch it D. I'm taking it over to the lab and I also told Selina, I have an unmarked car downstairs for observation. The guys downstairs are aware of what's going on so Selina will be under 24 hour surveillance."
“Damn it Sam. Are you close to finding the bastard that is doing this?"
"Not yet but one thing is for sure, they are not professional. Checking with our underground sources, there is no threat or target to either of you or the company."
"Selina, I'll be right back. I just want to walk Sam out."
As I watched Damien close the front door behind him, I realized at that moment if God forbid something happens to me, I want to have known Damien. That means everything. Knowing that I have moments to spare, I run into the spare room with my decision that I wanted him. Looking in my bags, I saw that Anna packed my sexy new lingerie that I picked up at Maddie's. God bless Damien’s romantic assistant.
Letting my hair down in waves, I put the black lingerie slip on and planned my seduction. Hearing the door shut, I came out of the room only to be standing in front of Lauren!
"What the Hell are you doing in here?"
"I can ask the same of you too. What are you doing, slutting your way to the top? Damien is mine, not yours."
As she is talking to me, I see a glint of a knife in her hand and also a wild unstable look in her eye. I felt my heart speed up as the adrenaline flowed thru my body. Where did Sam and Damien go?
"Answer me this Dr. Harrison. Why have you spoiled all chances for me to marry that man? Look at you just standing there, just waiting to be fucked. Well, that’s not going to happen good Doctor. You know, I ought to scar that pretty face of yours so Damien won't even look at you. Then he will be in my bed where he belongs and not crawling after you.” Lauren starts slashing the knife thru the air as try to remain calm but I’m at the very brink of hysteria now. I just knew I had to keep talking to her to distract her. I felt the tears start to flow down my face.
“Lauren, why don’t we just talk about this? I didn’t know you felt this way about Damien. You don’t have to do anything you will regret. Please don’t do this Lauren!”
The laugh that echoed thru the condo was eerily like a woman that was insane or definitely on her way to being insane. I didn’t take my eyes off of her eyes.
“You should have died out in the Gulf. How you ever survived that is a miracle." Seeing Damien, Sam and a few of the guards walking quietly thru the front door, I wanted her to keep talking while they decided what they were going to do.
"Oh my God, did you have something to do with my accident?"
"I had help of course. I couldn’t do it on my own. So I gave him money and let him fuck me. Dave was putty in my hands. He said it was nothing to hit a valve to let some air out. He really didn’t care about you. No wait! I take that back. He thought it would be a waste to kill you as he wanted to fuck you first. You are like Helen of Troy: all of the men seem to want you but I wanted you out of the way permanently. You can’t have Damien. I won’t let you. So now it looks like I will have to do the job myself." Lauren started to make her move towards me as I backed up down the hallway.
I knew that Sam had enough evidence with Lauren’s confession but I wanted to see if I could try to reason with her and come out of this without getting hurt or killed.
"Lauren listen to me. I'll leave. I'll pack up and catch a flight today to go back home. You can have Damien. That's what you want, right? You do this, you will go to jail for the rest of your life so where would you be then?"
"You would still be alive and who is to stop him from chasing you back to the East Coast. No, I will have to kill you."
Seeing Damien, Sam and the guards making their move, Sam was the first to react.
"Drop it Lauren or I'll shoot. It's over. Drop the knife now and put your hands in the air. Do it now," shouted Sam.
"I hate you Doctor. I hate that you have taken my man away from me."
"Lauren,” said Damien. "You haven't lost me. I'm here for you. Please put the knife down and come here to me."
As Lauren still stared at me, she addressed Damien.
"This woman ruined my chances with you my love. With her out of the way, you would love me, marry me and we would have lots of children together. We would be the dream power couple in the business world. I would love that."
"Lauren, leave the Doctor alone and we'll start our lives together today, just you and I. But you have to drop the knife. If you kill her, you will go to jail for the rest of your life and we'll never be together. Do you understand me?"
Waiting for her answer seemed like an eternity.
"You're right Damien, she isn't worth it."
Dropping the knife on the floor, she turned and walked over to Damien with a twisted smile on her face. As soon as she got closer, Sam and one of the guards grabbed her from behind and pinned her down to the floor. My legs gave way as I felt myself sliding down the wall. I heard hysterical crying sounds and realized it came from me. Damien ran to me and scooped me up in his arms. Holding me close to his body, my sobs wracked thru my body at the thought that I could have died again. I heard him whispering words in my ears but for the life of me, I didn’t know what he was saying. I felt an enormous sense of comfort in having someone take care of everything for me right now.
Bringing me into his bedroom, he sat me carefully on his bed and put his bathrobe around me.
"It's over Princess. I will not let anything happen to you. Stay here for one second and I'll be right back, ok?"
Nodding my head yes, I crawled to the center of the bed into a ball and just hugged myself. Smelling Damien's scent on his robe and on the pillow comforted me but I needed his strength right now. Crying everything out of me, my breakup, the flight, the dive, meeting him and wanting him, I finally felt stronger than I have in a long time.
Chapter 30 Damien: Safe at Last
Hearing Sam tell his partner to find Dave, I looked over to Lauren who was cuffed and secured with one of the officers guarding her.
"Lauren, why couldn't you just move on? Why this?"
"You have ruined me for all men Damien. When she came on the scene, I saw how you looked at her. I knew then that I lost you."
"You lost me long before Selina came here. I can't help but feel pity for you Lauren. I hope you will be able to get the help you need."
"What help Damien? I'll be out soon and we can plan our wedding. I don't care if I get pregnant before we are married too. I might even be carrying your baby now!" She started the wild uncontrolled laughing again. It’s a sound I don’t think I will ever forget.
"Get her out of here," Sam shouted to the officer.
As we watched the officers and guards leaving with Lauren, she was singing that nursery rhyme about two people in a tree kissing.
"Thank you Sam for everything. I don’t know how I could ever repay you.”