Chapter Five

“No, you didn’t, Clarissa…”

I turned around sharply to see my sister walk up to us. Her emerald green eyes shot daggers at me. I stared back at her, unfazed by her anger. It wouldn’t be the first time.

Damien looked between us in confusion.

I cleared my throat dramatically. “Damien, this is my older sister, Lilly, remember? The one who bypassed me to book a meeting with you.” I turned around to look at her. Her eyes were blazing murderously, her hands tightened into fists on each side, and her chest was heaving. She was mad, alright, but I was not going to give in to her, not anymore. I was no longer a child, unable to defend myself. “Lilly, this is Damien. Of course, you don’t need introductions…” I leaned forward. “You know him, alright.”

“How low can you go, Clarissa? How desperate can you be that you’d go after Damien and try to seduce him, all of this right in front of me!” she spat in disgust.

My lips curled into a small smile. She had no idea what was going on. If she did, she would be crying blood. I reached forward and cupped her cheeks. She swatted my hand. “Oh, dear sister, you have no idea…” I whispered in her ear.

I spun around to face him. “Have you changed your mind?”

He smirked. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

I flashed her a dazzling smile. “See you later, sister.”

Her mouth gaped as she watched me walk off. My heels cracked noisily against the marble floors as I walked off. I could hear him follow closely behind. I tried to slow down my steps to give him time to catch up. When he didn’t, it dawned on me he was checking me out. My knees suddenly felt wobbly. I was conscious of him behind me. I tried to sway my hips from side to side, but it felt like I was doing too much. I stopped in my tracks.

He stared at me in amusement. When he walked up to me, “Where’s your car?” I asked

“In the parking lot,” he answered.

This time around, I made sure we were walking beside each other. He opened my side of the car for me and got in through the other door. He leaned closer to the driver and whispered.

“So, your sister…”

I shut my eyes and sighed.

“She clearly isn’t happy about our little arrangement,” he noted.

“There are many things Lilly likes, but I’m not one of them.”

He nodded and did not push further.

Damien’s POV

Clarissa looked around the hotel suite. There was a large four-poster bed draped in luxurious linens and silk sheets. A crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, casting a warm glow on the room. The plush velvet curtains were pulled to the side to let sunlight stream into the room. Her eyes wandered to the huge abstract paintings that hung on the walls. She looked at everything else but me, even though I was standing across from her. It was hard to believe she was the same person from earlier. “Clarissa…”

Those eyes turned to look at me. I pulled off my watch and held her gaze. It was purposeful. I wanted to make her nervous. Her eyes followed my every move.

“So…” she trailed off.

“So… what’s it going to be?” I asked, plopping down on the large sofa, and with one hand, I began to undo my buttons. It was a power play for me. Everything was done with a purpose: my stance, my words, my intense gaze that never left her face for a moment.

For a brief moment, I could see the nervousness in her eyes, but it was quickly replaced by indifference. I smiled. She was definitely an exciting woman, and I wanted to know all of her.

She averted her gaze. “You have experience with this, don’t you?”

My smirk deepened. “So, we’re going to play this game, aren’t we?”

She knit her brows in confusion. “What game?”

“The one where you pretend you don’t want this, where you pretend you’re not remotely intrigued by the thought of this…”

She licked her lower lip.

“There, there it is…” My voice had become hoarse, my eyes fixated on her lips. I knew she wanted this as much, maybe just as much as I did.

“Shall we cut to the chase then?” she asked and dropped her purse on the bed. I watched her in silence as she undid the buttons of her suit jacket. She began to undo the top buttons of her shirt, and just when I could see the top of her black lacy bra, I stopped her. “I don’t want to fuck you, Clarissa…” I interjected and gauged her reaction. I was uncertain if it was relief or disappointment in her eyes. “At least not yet.” I got to my feet. “I want to know why you want to marry me.”

She paused for a moment, “You’re the perfect tool in my revenge plan. I couldn’t think of anyone better.”

My hands were behind me as I began to pace from one end to another. “I’m assuming this has something to do with your sister.”

“Your guess is accurate. I found out she’s having an affair with my husband, Karl. Quite frankly, I don’t know how long it has been going on…”

I turned my attention to her. Her eyes were emotionless orbs, her tone flat. It was hard to tell what she was feeling on the inside.

“I know they are making plans to kill me…” she paused and shrugged. “Maybe later, but they’ve already hatched the plan.”

“How do I come to play in all of this?” I asked.

She sat down on the bed and tucked her hair behind her ear. “My sister has a gigantic crush on you…” There was a flicker of emotions in her eyes, but I couldn’t tell exactly what it was. “It would be the ultimate betrayal. Karl’s suffering is knowing I’m married to someone else, someone better…”

My smile widened. I couldn’t tell why a random woman’s approval of me over her ex-husband mattered so much. I thought hard and long about her words. There was a benefit for me in this. Something I would gain, aside from being married to the enchanting Clarissa Devor. “I see how this benefits me…”

Her eyes lit up excitedly. “Tell me!”

“The rumors of me still being hooked on my ex-girlfriend have lingered for too long,” I explained. “Far too long. A marriage to you, a marriage of two people like us, would surely put a lid over those rumors forever…”

A small smile played out on her lips.

I returned the smile. “There’s also the fact that the board has demanded that I get married, boardroom politics and all of that. Of course, I know it’s all my grandfather’s orchestration. He wants me married by all means.”

She flashed him a radiant smile. “Looks like we have ourselves a mutually beneficial deal.”

“Don’t we now?” I asked and spun around. “We have to go over the general terms of the contract.”