Page 193 of Theirs to Desire (Club M: Boxed Set)

DAMIEN

“ W hat?” I blink in confusion. Why would I get her fired? That doesn't make any sense. My head is spinning with a mixture of jet lag and shock. Seeing Sophia here after all these years has me reeling. “No. Of course not.”

“She seemed pretty certain,” Xavier says.

I glare at him. “What the fuck, man? How long have you known me? I. Did. Not. Get. Sophia. Fired.”

That’s not how things had gone down.

Ten years ago. Here, in this very castle. It was the opening night of Club M. After what happened with Stephan and Lina, I walked away from kink. Vanilla and nothing else, I'd sworn to myself. The only reason I showed up was to support Xavier.

And, to my shock, Sophia had been there.

She wasn’t a stranger; I knew her from work.

Sophia worked at a hospital in rural Pennsylvania.

At the time, I was working at a management consultancy firm, and we’d been hired to improve their profitability.

It wasn’t a complicated project. The hospital was a miserable place, and after a couple of weeks there, it was obvious why.

Most of the problems stemmed from the administrator, Mrs. Caldwell.

She micromanaged everyone. She belittled them and questioned their abilities on a daily basis, and as a result, the employees hated their jobs.

Sophia was the bright spot. She was interested in me.

I was interested in her too, but I wasn't going to do anything about it. We flirted. To me, flirting was second nature, something I did as easily as breathing. But that was it. I didn’t want to take it further because it didn’t seem right.

The only thing I had time for was a purely sexual encounter, and I didn't think Sophia was that kind of girl.

Or so I believed until she followed me to Xavier’s club.

We’d had a threesome that night, Sophia, Julian, and me.

And when I called her a day later, she sent my call to voicemail and didn’t respond to my texts. Three weeks later, her phone was disconnected.

She blew me off. I could have tried harder to contact her, but I wasn’t oblivious. As much as I wanted to see her again, I could take a hint. It was clear what happened. She regretted the escapade and wanted nothing to do with us.

Xavier is still looking at me. “This is a misunderstanding,” I say through clenched teeth. “I will sort it out.”

“Okay,” he replies. “I trust you to take care of it. Now, Jodi’s trying to catch my eye, which means it’s time for us to take our seats for dinner.” He smiles easily. “She’s extremely competent and only a little terrifying. Have a good evening, you two.”

Summit’s executive chef has outdone herself. The food is delicious, but I barely pay attention to what’s in front of me. I brood throughout dinner. I make polite conversation with the people at my table, but my attention is on Sophia.

Toward the end of the meal, Xavier strides to the front of the room and makes a speech. He praises the work the Highfield Community Health Center has done in the short time they’ve been open, encourages us to bid generously, and then turns it over to Sophia.

She gives a passionate speech about the importance of accessible health care.

I’m interested in what she’s saying, but I can’t focus.

My thoughts wander. I find myself angry with Sophia.

If she truly believed I got her fired, she should have confronted me.

She had my number; she could have called and yelled at me.

Demanded an explanation. I left her countless messages—she could have responded to any of them.

Instead, she’d jumped to the worst possible conclusion.

Which stings.

When I met Sophia, I’d been struggling. I’d walked away from kink. I’d been at Lina’s funeral; I’d seen the damage BDSM could inflict. I denied my needs, convinced that my sexual preferences were incompatible with a sane, safe lifestyle.

Sophia had changed that. She looked like the kind of girl you’d bring home to meet your mother. When she showed up at Club M, I thought the sex club would scare her off. I thought she’d be scandalized.

Instead, she was intrigued. She looked around with bright eyes.

Julian and I had flirted with her shamelessly, and she’d flirted back.

We hinted at a threesome, and her eyes had dilated with desire.

There had been some kind of show going on at the center stage, something with music, naked bodies, and stylized humping.

It was designed to arouse, but I didn’t need it.

Sophia’s interest, her willingness to experience new things, were aphrodisiac enough.

I thought I’d moved on from Lina and Stephan’s deaths, but the true healing came that night.

My friends had been reckless, but Sophia wasn’t.

She was level-headed and responsible, and she was also kink-curious.

I thought I had to pick between one or the other, but that night, I realized I could have both. I thought I had won the lottery.

That night had been the start of my road back.

I walk up to her after dinner. “Xavier said you think I got you fired,” I blurt out. Smooth. Way to ease into it. Nice job, Damien. “I didn’t.”

She gives me a long look. “Whatever,” she responds dismissively. “It was a long time ago. As you can see, I’ve landed on my feet.”

It’s blatantly obvious she doesn’t believe me. It’s also just as obvious that even though she pretends otherwise, being fired ten years ago still upsets her.

That gives me pause. Makes me a little less defensive. “Sophia,” I say softly. “I didn’t. I would never.”

Her expression hardens. “The fact remains that I got fired because Mrs. Caldwell found out I slept with you,” she snaps. “As she pointed out when she let me go, that violated the employee code.”

“That makes no sense. I wasn’t even an employee of the hospital.”

“And you think that being in the right would have protected me? You think that HR would have taken my side over Mrs. Caldwell?” She tries to shoulder past me. “Will you excuse me? I have an auction to run.”

If I were a nicer guy, I’d step out of the way. “Who told Mrs. Caldwell we slept together? I certainly didn’t.”

“I don’t know,” she says. “It doesn’t matter. That experience taught me an important lesson, Damien. I’m grateful for that.”

Don’t ask, don’t ask. Never ask a question you don’t already know the answer to. “What did you learn?”

“I learned to stay away from people like you,” she snaps. “You’re the heir-apparent to a multi-billion-dollar company. You float around in a world of privilege. You have no idea what the world is like for the little people. It probably didn’t even strike you to be discreet.”

What the hell? We were in Xavier’s private sex club. How much more discreet could we have been? “Oh, come on,” I protest. “That's a very unfair depiction. You don’t know me.”

“I know your type. I’ll prove it to you. You have an assistant, don’t you?”

I blink at the sudden change in topic. “Yes.”

“How long has she been working for you?”

“It’s a he. Luis has been with me for eight years.”

“Is he married?”

“You don’t think I know? Yes, he’s married to a lovely woman. Martina is from Argentina and is a chef at a steakhouse in Lima. They have two children. Twin girls.” I strain my memory for their names. Emma and Maria? Ella and Olivia? Oh, crap.

She sees the look on my face and goes in for the kill. “When’s his birthday?”

I open my mouth and shut it. “Some people are good at remembering dates, and some people aren't,” I finally mutter defensively. Damn it, could she be right? Luis keeps my world running, and I appear to have forgotten the names of his daughters. I don’t like what that says about me.

Sophia doesn’t miss my reaction. “I rest my case.”

I make a mental note to check in on Luis and transfer my attention back to the woman in front of me. Damn, she’s beautiful. “Fine. You’ve made your point. I admit I may need to pay more attention to the people around me. But I’m also not the asshole you’ve decided I am.”

“If you say so.”

For fuck’s sake. I’m not getting through to her, and it’s driving me nuts. I should just let it go, but I can’t.

And then an idea strikes me. A bold, insane idea. “This community health center is important to you, right?” Her passion had shone through in her speech. “And its funding is precarious. As you said, I’m very privileged. I’ll make you a deal.”

Her expression turns wary.

“You think I’m an asshole? Okay. For the next month, you teach me to be a good, empathetic person. In return, I’ll donate a million dollars to your organization.”

Shock fills her eyes. “You’re nuts.”

“I’ve heard that before.”

“This is an absurd idea. Empathy can’t be taught.”

“Really? You don’t think people can change? You don’t believe they can improve?”

She hesitates, torn. “I didn’t say that.”

“So, I can be taught.” I tilt my head to the side. “Are you up to the challenge?”

Call me a jerk, but I have her. She cares deeply about the Highfield Community Health Center and its mission. Tonight’s fundraiser will solve their rent woes, but they still need money for equipment, salaries, and so much more. A million dollars is not the kind of money she can walk away from.

“You want me to teach you empathy, and in return, you’ll donate a million dollars to the health center.” Her jaw tightens. “Let’s make one thing crystal clear. I’m not sleeping with you.”

“Come on, Sophia. Do you believe I think so little of you? I’m not asking you to.”

She straightens her shoulders. “Fine,” she bites out.

Her eyes flash with barely concealed rage.

“It’s only four weeks. It probably won’t kill me.

I’ll do it.” Then she pastes a smile on her face and pushes past me.

“Mrs. Howard, it’s so good to see you.” Now that she’s not talking to me, the ice has melted.

Her voice is warm as she clasps the older woman’s hands. “Thank you so much for your support.”

Someone thrusts a glass into my hands. “I saw you talking to Sophia,” Julian says. “You look like you need a drink. What did you do, Damien?”

“Why do you think I did something?”

“Because I know you. You’re generally sensible, but every so often, you do something profoundly stupid.”

He’s not wrong. “I’m taking a month off work,” I reply. “I paid Sophia to give me empathy lessons.”

Julian blinks. “Let's take this from the top. You're taking a month off. You, Damien Cardenas, Chief Operating Officer of the Cardenas Group, are taking a full month off. What happened? Are you dying?”

He’s closer to the truth than he thinks. “I had a medical scare,” I finally admit. “Don’t worry; it’s nothing. My family doctor arranged a battery of tests, and everything came back clear. But he told me to slow down, and so, here I am.”

Julian’s expression makes it clear that we’re not done with this conversation. But there are people around us, and now’s not the time to get into details. “How is your family taking it?”

“They don't know.”

“What? Why haven't you told them?”

“Because.” I spread my hands. “It’s only been three years since my father died.

My mother will worry herself sick. She will insist that I see a thousand specialists.

Tomas will blame himself. Victoria and Cristiano will feel guilty that they don’t do more in the business.

It’s a lot easier to keep it quiet. I told my mother and stepfather I needed a change of scene.

I’ve promised to check emails and call into meetings as much as I can.

Which reminds me, I have a meeting in four hours. I should switch to water.”

Julian glances at his watch. “Four hours from now, it’ll be two in the morning.”

“Yes, I’m calling Melbourne.”

“How is this taking time off?”

I lift my shoulders in a shrug. It is what it is.

Julian knows my family situation. My mother won’t delegate to anyone that isn’t family.

My stepfather Tomas doesn’t know what he’s doing, Vicky has two young children and refuses to travel, and Cristiano and his partner Magnus are trying to get married and have a baby.

I pick up the slack, something I’ve been doing all my life. “This is the best I can do.”

“Okay,” he says. “Tell me about the empathy lessons.”

I recap my conversation with Sophia. “I didn’t get her fired,” I finish in frustration. “Why won’t she believe me?”

“I don’t know,” he replies. There’s something in his tone that makes me take a closer look at his face.

How does Julian feel about all of this? Is he reeling from seeing Sophia again, the way I am?

Does her presence here bring back memories of that perfect night?

I don’t know; I don’t ask. That fire has been stomped out.

It’s not like we’re going to rekindle it.

“I don’t know how anyone found out,” I continue.

“I didn’t mention Sophia to anyone. At least, I don’t think I did.

But maybe I’m wrong. It was ten years ago.

” I sip the Oban Julian brought me. “Maybe my privilege blinds me to other people’s concerns.

Maybe she’s right, and I do need empathy lessons. ”

Julian raises an eyebrow. “I don’t buy it,” he says. “There’s a much simpler explanation.”

Jet lag has made me stupid because I have no idea what he’s talking about. “Which is?”

“Maybe you really like Sophia. Maybe you're looking for a second chance with her.”

I drain the rest of my drink—Australia meeting be damned. “Fuck off, Julian.”