Damien couldn't sleep that night. He tossed and turned on his large bed, imagining Céline and how beautiful she would look in person.
Would she wear pants and a shirt?
Would it be a fitted corporate dress, the ones that had a little slit by the side?
He imagined her in every possible dress and outfit.
Ever since Lucas informed him that Céline had accepted the job offer, he was elated.
Morning didn't seem to be coming fast enough.
When it was five o'clock in the morning, he got tired of trying to fall asleep. He jumped off his bed and went to prepare for work. The earlier he got there, the sooner he would put his anxiety to an end.
Damien took a quick shower and rushed out of the bathroom to brush his teeth. He was among the school of thought that felt bathing should be done before brushing, it rhymed better that way.
He checked his teeth in the mirror and thought they were not shinny enough. He was never one to be self conscious. He knew he was good looking and he had a great body. But the thought of having Céline in his arms again made him want to look extra inviting so that this time she wouldn't be able to resist him. So he took another brush and went over the brushing process again. When he was done, he smiled at his reflection in the mirror.
"Who would dare resist this?" He spoke to himself, beaming with satisfaction as the whiteness of his teeth flashed back at him.
He sprayed his body with his cologne and picked out his favourite white dress shirt combined with black pants. He wore his latest Louis Vuitton dress shoes and straightened himself up looking back at the mirror again.
He grinned.
There was no way, Céline would be able to resist all of these. She would be in his bed tonight, no matter what it took. He had to put an end to this powerful pull of lust that made him go crazy just thinking about Céline and the only way was to get her in his bed.
Picking up his car keys, he walked out of his house and headed to work.
The streets were empty since it was still six o'clock in the morning. It took him less than the usual thirty minutes to get to his office building.
The security at the door were shocked to see him so early in the morning but nevertheless they bowed respectfully when the saw him coming.
"Good morning sir!" They greeted, all bent low.
"Good morning!" He replied.
His usually confident strides had an extra bounce to it and the few workers he passed on his way to the elevator wondered what got him so excited.
In no time he was in his office. He dropped his black leather briefcase on the table and opened it, searching for Céline's file. He took it out of the bag and sat himself down.
The question he had wondered the day before returned to him, why did Céline want to marry him?
Did she also feel infatuated with him, even from a distant, so much so that she wanted to marry him?
He went through her file again and he realized that, his mother was yet again, right. Céline was the best candidate, if ever he wanted to consider marrying anyone. She wasn't a public person. She was intelligent and very beautiful. He wouldn't have to worry about having awfully looking offspring. Her contrasting features coupled with his good looks would produce drop-dead gorgeous babies.
"Good lord, Damien get a grip of yourself!" He whispered harshly to himself.
This woman was messing with every rule in his survival book and he had to stop it if he wished to continue with his life the way he wanted.
He checked the time on his gold Rolex wristwatch and so that it was barely a few minutes pass seven o'clock.
The time was obviously taunting him by going too slow. On a regular day, this could have been past nine o'clock already.
To make himself busy, he dropped Céline files and started going through the pile of documents on his desk. The pile was like a curse on him, it would reduce one day and then the next shoot back up to its previous position and quantity.
As he worked, he kept checking the time.
He really needed a personal assistant.
Maybe after he got Céline on his bed, a few times -yes, he couldn't keep telling himself that he would only sleep with her once and forget her, that would be a lie- so after he sleeps with her a few times more, he would have to find an actual personal assistant to help get this pile of work done for him.
He checked his watch again for the nth time that morning and a frown appeared on his face. It was already thirty minutes pass the hours of eight in the morning and she wasn't there yet.
Was Lucas playing with him when he said she was coming?
Anger boiled inside him and he took out his phone to call his best friend. Fortunately for him, he picked on the first ring.
"Lucas, are you playing with me?" Damien asked, his voice dangerously low.
"Good morning to you too bro, what's up?" Lucas replied not even moved by the anger seeping out of best friend's voice.
Damien clenched his fists and kissed his teeth in frustration. Lucas always played the dumb game whenever his best friend was angry. Damien had to calm himself if he wanted to get anything out of him.
"Lucas, she isn't here yet." He was finding it difficult not to raise his voice, but he had to remain calm, or Lucas would torture him even more.
"Oh, we are talking about your new personal assistant applicant, aren't we?" Lucas retorted in a bored tone.
"Yes..." Damien said. He started hitting his pen on the table to hide his irritation.
"She didn't exactly say when she will be coming, but it should be today." Damien could hear the amusement in his voice and that made him snap.
The breaking sound of the pen resonated in the room and Lucas burst out in laughter.
"Calm down bro, she should be there soon," he said in between laughs.
"I swear if you are playing me on this, you won't like what I will do!" Damien warned, his anger making him see red.
"Look bro, you have to be calm about this. I am not the one to decide if she wants to show up or not. We just have to hope and believe that she would come," Lucas explained after he had calmed himself.
Damien was quiet. He took deep breathes and threw the half of the broken pen still in his hands in the paper bin beside his leg on the ground.
"Okay. If she isn't here in the next hour, I'll let you know so you can send me her address." Not waiting for Lucas to respond Damien ended the call. His impatience was getting the better of him. He checked the time again and groaned.
Rather than call Lucas again, he decided to call the reception to arrange something for him to eat.
"Hello, can you send me something for breakfast?"
He was in such a hurry to get to work, he forgot to have breakfast. Maybe when he ate he would be able to appease his impatience and anger. If he was lucky she might have even come by then.
There was a knock on his office door and his heart skipped a beat -an habit his body was not accustomed to.
He got up and walked to the door.
"...don't forget to add a cup of black coffee to it." He rushed, dropping the call. He straightened his shirt and pulled the door open.
He let out a short gasp as his eyes landed on the one woman he spent days searching for, Céline.
He stood there, like in a trance, he couldn't move. His eyes remained glued on her body.
Her red hair was tightly packed in a low chignon. She had the lightest of make up on her face. She wore a tight black dress that reached her knee. The dress hugged all the right places, accentuating and defining her perfect features and curves. It was a miracle he wasn't drooling by now.
A good two minutes passed and they were still in the same position. The tension filled the air around them and Céline bent her head, an attempt to hide her blush. An habit Damien found too cute to even deny.
"Good morning," she greeted him, her voice was shaky and though she tried to hide it, Damien noticed and this caused a great warmth to flow through him.
If he had as much effect as she had on him, then getting her on his bed won't be a difficult task at all, or so he thought.
"Why didn't you come back to the house?"
===
Suspecting her motives?
Picking up a dress for the interview was an extremely difficult task for Céline. She wasn't sure if Damien was the one to receive her or his friend Lucas. Either ways, she knew she had to look her best.
The job meant everything to her.
Once she got the job, getting Damien would become an easy task for she would be with him through out the day. At that time, seduction and teasing him, would be so much easier, it would be a matter of days before they got married. She was more confident now.
After searching her entire wardrobe, which wasn't exactly a large one, she found the perfect dress. A simple black dress she wore on special occasions. She picked the precious little thing up and spread it on her bed.
She had a quick bath and fixed her hair in a low chignon for a more formal look. Usually, she would just pack it in a rough ponytail but this was not a 'usual' occasion. Afterwards, she slipped into the dress and picked up her bag. She had already placed her résumé and necessary documents in the bag, the night before.
Finally ready, she left her room and took a cup of tea, her aunt had left for her on the kitchen counter. After the quick breakfast, she left the house and went to the interview.
On her way, she kept praying for the universe to be in her favor and for luck to shine her way. She needed this to work more than anything she had ever wished for in life.
When she got to the Culhane building, the place was packed with cars. She checked the time and saw that it was barely nine o'clock in the morning, she hoped she wasn't too early.
Damien's friend, Lucas, didn't exactly say when she was to come. He only mentioned the day and address, so she figured it was better to come early and get the whole thing over and done with. Now, that she was here though, her heart beat picked up pace.
What if she was too early and Damien suspected her motives?
Or she was too late and they had gotten someone else already?
"God, please help your daughter. Do not forsake me now!" She whispered a quick prayer and entered the building.
The security personnel at the entrance were more than eager to help her the moment she mentioned she was there to see Damien Culhane himself. They ushered her to the right direction and in no time she was standing in front of his door.
She checked her heels and made sure they were still shinny. Then she readjusted the fitness of her dress properly drawing its length to reach just above her knees.
She took a deep breathe and gave a soft knock to the door.
The sound added to the tremors she was feeling inside. Her hands became sweaty and she tapped her foot gently, waiting for the door to open.
She heard shuffling on the inside and gently pressed her ears to it.