A Risky Business #SYTYCW15 #CarinaPress

Chapter Four

Damien's LA apartment – late that night ...

*Damien*

Well, fuck me, she's fit. And she's going to be my boss. This is going to be interesting.

When I spoke to her dad on the phone last week, I had already decided that I was going to take the job, but he insisted that Kate bring the paperwork over and accompany me back home, and who was I to argue? Meeting her has really sealed the deal. Taking her to that Gigi's was a right touch, her dad had said it was her favourite.

There was something a bit odd though. Just for a moment, when I told her that was where we were going, something flashed across her face. I couldn't put my finger on it, but there was definitely something, almost as if she was wary of going there. But we couldn't have had a better evening. She knew all the staff, the food was amazing, and after a couple of bottles of red she really started to relax and open up. There was still no mention of a man in her life, no boyfriend, no lover. And there was definitely no ring on her finger. Which meant NO competition! What was the matter with these guys in London, were they blind?

I was never intending to stay long in LA. It was just one of those things. This particular opportunity came up and I thought why not. They didn't probe too deeply into my reasons for leaving the army, and that suited me just fine. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy the lifestyle, the sunshine, the nightlife, the girls. Especially the girls. Especially the girls on the beaches. In their bikinis. But much as they are great to look at, and for a while they've been fun, (lots of fun some of them), even I recognise that this is not the end game. Somehow this is all a bit of a pantomime and it can't last forever.

I was ready to come home. I was ready to come home with Kate. And I was going to clean up my act. As she said earlier, I was going to be heading up a team, I was going to have to be responsible, this is what I've been trained to do. No matter how much of a shock to the system it might be I was going to have to sort myself out, play by the rules and keep my nose clean. And, most importantly I was going to have to stay in Mr Weston's good books if I was going to have a chance of getting his daughter into bed.

Speaking of which ....

For a while, I thought I was onto a winner this evening. After we'd polished off our third bottle of wine it was becoming clear that Kate was more than a little worse for wear. It was time to call it a night, one way or another, so I called Marco over and asked him to fetch the bill.

He was back almost immediately. I didn't bother to unfold the piece of paper to check the total amount, I just handed over my credit card, crossed my fingers and hoped for the best. It was either going to decline, or it wasn't. As Marco (and I) waited for the transaction to process he kept looking over at Kate with a worried expression on his face.

Kate had shifted her chair around the table so that she was sitting closer to me and she had been running her hand up and down my leg as she chatted to me for the last twenty minutes or so. I would be lying if I said I wasn't enjoying it, but I was doing my best to fight it. As Kate's hand moved from my knee where it had been resting for a moment, further and further up my thigh, Marco averted his eyes.

As I heard his card machine begin to whir into life and start to print out my receipt I, firstly breathed a sigh of relief, and then gently, but firmly, removed Kate's hand seconds before it reached the point of no return.

She looked at me quizzically and stuck out her bottom lip. Before she had the chance to say something that was bound to embarrass all three of us, I stood up and said,

"Come on you, l think it's time for some fresh air and then we'll get you home."

Just for a moment I thought that she was going to argue, but she decided against it, picked up her bag and stood up meekly.