Mr. Lawson's Assistant

Chapter 61

"Damon Lawson, you're despicable." Kenya laughed. I glared at Damon, dropping my purse back onto my shoulder.
"How did you get my keys?"
Damon shrugged, "I guess you'll never know."
Kenya glanced between Damon and I when I narrowed my eyes at him and pursed my lips.
"I really should get going..." Kenya trailed off, shifting over to give me an unreturned side hug. Damon nodded at Kenya as she turned to leave, but she stopped and turned back, a bright, white grin plastered on her face. "Before I forget, and in case Oana fails to mention it," Kenya said mischievously, "David and I are going out tonight for dinner and we hoped you and Oana would come with?"
Damon glanced at me, before he nodded.
"I'm busy." I cut in, seeing Kenya's smile widen. I was not about to go out with Damon on a double date with my brother.
She turned to me with a pouting frown. "Can't you just cancel?" She asked, knowing full well that I didn't actually have any plans.
Sitting on the couch eating popcorn and watching Netflix is having plans.
I thought to myself, looking Kenya in the eyes.
"No."
"Ugh, Damon talk some sense into her. I'll see you guys tonight." Kenya winked at me and strode over to her car. I stood without a word until Kenya's car had pulled out of the parking garage and onto the road. When her car was out of sight, I felt Damon's eyes on me and turned back to face him. He was standing now and had the shoe box extended towards me.
"I hope you're size eight. The woman at the store said that was the average woman shoe size..." He offered me the box, a small grimace on his face.
I felt a smirk rising to my lips, but I held it back. "Seven and a half." I reached out and took the box, pausing to read the lid.
Christian Louboutin.
Holy. Crap.
Returning my shocked gaze to Damon's face, I couldn't stop the way my mouth cracked open slightly. "Are you kidding?"
Damon looked confused for a moment, before he seemed to realize what I was talking about. His lips twitched and he cocked an eyebrow. "Not good enough?" He asked, holding my wide-eyed gaze. I exhaled an exasperated breath and stared back down at the shoe box, before I pushed it back towards Damon.
"There's no way I'm letting you give me these." I shook my head, but Damon reached out and pushed the box back to my chest.
"At least look at them before you refuse me, Oana." He chuckled, reaching out to pull off the lid to the box. I inhaled sharply when I saw the shoes inside the box. Quickly, I looked back up to Damon. He was smiling faintly, and he gestured back to the box when I looked up at him. I hesitated, but staring at the shoes in the box, I changed my mind. Slowly, I pulled back the glittery tissue paper and lifted the first shoe from the box. It was a simple black and red heel, except that the black and red were faded into each other like an ombre pattern. The heel shone under the yellow garage lights and I turned it over a couple times to inspect the perfect make of the shoe. Just holding it, I knew it was the most expensive shoe I had ever even looked at. The sides of the heel's foot hold were wavy, almost like two ruffles made out of shining leather, and the heel itself was nearly four inches tall.
I can't even walk in four-inch heels!
"You like them?" Damon asked after a minute, and I set the heel gently back into the box.
"Damon, you're..." I trailed off, shaking my head in frustration when I couldn't find an accurate word.
"Amazing?" He smirked as I stared at him in unbelief.
Blinking, I slowly shook my head, "No, you're crazy! You didn't have to go out and buy me a hundred dollar pair of shoes to replace a thirty dollar pair!" I stared at Damon as if he'd lost his mind.
He ducked his head, hiding a smile. "Six hundred."
What. The. Heck.
I opened my mouth, but shut it again quickly, shaking my head and looking back down into the box.
"Oana, relax," Damon chuckled, setting the box's lid back into place, "I can afford it. Trust me." He took the box from my hand and turned to my car. Clicking the remote, he opened the back seat and set the box inside, before locking my car again.
I waited for Damon to come to a stop in front of me, before I held out my hands for my keys. Damon gave me a mockingly innocent frown and cocked his head to the side.
"Keys." I demanded.
He smirked and shook his head, "Nope."
I blew out a breath and crossed my arms. "What do you want?"
Damon always wanted something, whether it be a reaction, a date, my middle name...
"I want you to keep the shoes." He told me, his expression sobering as he fiddled with my key ring around his finger.
I raised my eyebrows. "What do you expect me to do with a six hundred dollar pair of four inch heels?" My eyes darted down to where Damon was now jingling my keys subconsciously.
"What do you normally do with shoes?" He smirked, irking my temper slightly.
Frustrated, I threw up one hand. "Fine. I'll keep your shoes. Now give me my keys." I stepped up to Damon, holding out my hand. He grinned and set them into my palm.
"See you tonight." He winked, pulling his hand back when I balled my hand into a fist.
"No, you won't."
*
Since Damon had sent me home so early, when I got back to mine and Soma's apartment, I dressed in comfy shorts and a sports bra and started to clean. I dusted, swept, wiped, and rinsed the entire apartment- except Soma's room- in under four hours. After the cleaning was done, I threw on some tennis shoes and headed out for a run. I normally only ran before or after the sun rose or set, so running with the full heat of the sun beating down on me was slightly more difficult. I still enjoyed the exercize, but after two or three miles, I was drenched in sweat. I ran into town, past the coffee shop where I'd last stopped on my previous run, and continued on into downtown. As I ran, I let myself get lost in thought, eventually drowning out the feeling of sucking air and my burning calves. But, I could only ignore the burn for so long.