Mr. Lawson's Assistant

Chapter 16

I looked through the car's open window, to see Damon Lawson smirking at me with one hand up on his leather steering wheel, and the other along the side of his open window.
"No, thank you-" I started to refuse, taking a step back, but he raised his eyebrows and dropped his chin, challenging me.
"I'm not letting you walk home alone this late."
I pursed my lips. "It's only six."
"I know the time, Oana. Just get in the car." He insisted, his lips curving upwards into a convincing half-smile.
Letting out a breath, I pulled open the car door, and slid onto the leather seat, tucking my purse and my jacket onto my lap. Buckling as he pulled out onto the road, I kept my eyes fixed ahead and straightened my spine. The silence was uncomfortable.
"How about dinner?" Damon asked suddenly, and I shot him a warning look.
"I need to get home."
Damon chuckled, "Where is home?" He asked, smirking. My cheeks flushed at his question. My apartment was going to be a joke, compared to his mansion.
"132 Campdon drive." I mumbled.
Damon raised his eyebrows, "You have your own apartment?" I frowned. How had he known it was an apartment?
"I share it with my roommate," I shrugged, stiffening when I felt my left shoulder sting.
Damon noticed my reaction. "Still sore?"
"A little..." I admitted, slowly lowering my shoulders and glancing over at him. His green eyes were focused on the road, and he turned into the next street, not really slowing down to take the turn. I grabbed the support handle to keep steady, glancing at the road hesitantly, but my eyes drifted back towards Damon. I took a moment to admire his side profile. The most noticeable thing about him from this angle, was his jawline- and his sharp nose. He had very well-balanced facial features, except for his green eyes. They stood out far more than his other features.
Damon chose that moment to break the silence.
"How old are you?" He asked casually, as if he'd been dwelling on the thought. It was my turn to raise my eyebrows. He glanced at me sideways, but waited patiently for an answer.
"How old are you?" I retorted, slightly taken aback by his question. He chuckled.
"I asked you first." He said quietly, readjusting his hands on the steering wheel.
I fought the small smile that rose to my lips. "Twenty." I glanced at him, and he nodded.
"That's what I guessed."
I kept myself from rolling my eyes. Everyone had always told me I didn't look a day over eighteen.
"What about you?" I asked, and he smirked.
"I'm four years older than you."
I was about to jokingly ask him if he wanted to know my weight as well, but we turned into my apartment parking lot, so instead, I reached down to grab my things off the car floor. Damon parked the car in an empty space, and as I was about to thank him and get out, he shut off the engine. "Let me walk you in." He said, reaching for his door handle.
"I'm sure I can make it to my apartment by myself." I looked over at Damon skeptically, as I reached for my own handle. He said nothing to that, but rather, he just circled the car, and came around to open the door for me. If he were any other man, I probably would have thanked him, or smiled, but he wasn't. Maybe it was the physical attraction, or maybe the confident, slightly arrogant way that he handled himself. Either way, it made me keep myself under wraps.
We walked in silence towards the apartment building, and I wondered how far he was planning on taking me. If David saw him here, he would certainly think that something was amiss- when it was most definitely not. I wasn't sure how my mom would react, but I was glad that Tony wasn't still here.
We entered the apartment complex and I glanced over to Damon, seeing if he was going to let me go from here, but he gave no signal that he was. Inhaling, I started climbing the stairs to the second floor with Damon in step beside me. Walking up the steps beside him made me realize how strong he really was. The way he moved, even in his suit, was smooth and graceful, his whole body moving with a sort of powerful control. It was almost as if his muscles were all working in unison as he walked. That interested me.
Moving down the hall towards my apartment door, I gave up glancing over at Damon to see if he was going to stop and head back down, and instead, focused on what I was going to tell David when they met.
"You're nervous."
I threw my head sideways to look up at Damon, and he met my eyes momentarily. I hated the way his eyes seemed to pierce my soul.
"What...?" I stumbled, fumbling for words.
"You're gripping your hands together like your life depends on it." He pointed out calmly, and I immediately separated my hands.
"This is my door." I stopped suddenly beside my door number, and Damon's eyes scanned the numbers. "Thanks for the ride." I said quickly, and he nodded. When he reached into his pocket and pulled out my keys, instead of walking away, I stared at him.
"How..." I trailed off, at a loss for words again.
"You dropped them getting out of he car." He smirked, but I knew I hadn't dropped them. Taking them from his hand, I shoved the correct one into the locked door. Hesitating when I felt Damon's heavy stare on me, I glanced up to see his eyes fixated on my wrist where an ugly purple bruise peeked out from under my shirt. I quickly pulled my sleeve down, and his gaze snapped up to mine. He didn't have to speak for me to see the question inside his eyes. A question I had no intention of answering.
Ducking my head, I slipped in the correct key, mumbling a goodbye, before I let myself into my apartment.
"How'd you get home so quickly?" David walked around the kitchen counter to grab his phone off the couch as I walked inside. His eye looked much better, even after just today. Mom must have done something to it.
"I got a ride." I lowered my eyes, hoping he didn't ask with whom I had gotten the ride, as I hung up my jacket beside the door. If he would have, I couldn't have lied if I wanted to.
David knew me well enough to know when I was lying. Not that it was that difficult, because I was a terrible liar.
Like Damon said...
"How was work, honey?" Mom came out of my bedroom with a bright smile on her face.
"It was good, thanks." I gave her a small smile, letting her hug me.
Besides the fact that Damon just saw my bruises...
I pushed that thought away, and asked Mom if I could change my clothes and take a shower in my room. Once I was alone, I grabbed a comfy pair of short shorts and a baggy tee, before hitting the shower. It felt good to take a shower in my room. I had only been away from my apartment for a day, but it felt like several. Climbing out of the shower, I slapped some mousse in my chocolate curls, and headed towards the wonderful smell of cooking chicken.
"That smells amazing." I sniffed, smiling as I walked into the kitchen. David hummed his agreement, and Mom laughed as she finished pulling the chicken onto a plate.
When the table was set, and we were sitting down to eat, I asked Mom and David what they had done today. Mom immediately began telling me about the 'beautiful city' I lived in, and the 'great variety of shopping' that we had. Trying to hold back a grin, I glanced to David to see him glaring at me. The thought of him being subjected to six hours of shopping made me grin.
"I hope you got some nice things." I smiled, when Mom finished telling me about her experiences.
"Oh, she did-" David raised his eyebrows, stopping short when a knock sounded on the door.
"Are you expecting someone?" Mom asked with a smile, and I shook my head.
"Soma isn't coming home for another two weeks." I frowned, standing up and walking over to the door. Pulling it open, I froze when I saw Damon Lawson standing in front of me. My eyes went wide, and he met my gaze, catching my attention. Something was wrong.