Chapter 113: Chapter 112: The Work Day
ARIA’S POV
Aria stared at her computer screen, the words blurring together into meaningless shapes.
She’d been trying to review the same contract for twenty minutes, but her brain refused to focus. How could it, when her body was still humming from what had happened in Damien’s office?
When she could still feel the ghost of his fingers inside her?
When her ass still burned from the spanking?
When she could see him through the glass wall, perfectly composed on another conference call, while she was falling apart at her desk?
She shifted in her chair and winced. The movement pressed the fabric of her skirt against her still-tender skin, sending a sharp reminder of his palm connecting with her flesh. Ten strikes. She’d counted every single one.
One. Two. Three.
Her face heated at the memory.
"Aria? You okay?"
She jumped, turning to find Emma standing beside her desk with a concerned expression.
"Fine! I’m fine. Just....lost in thought."
Emma’s eyebrows raised. "You sure? You’ve been staring at that same page for like fifteen minutes. And you look kind of flushed. Are you feeling sick?"
"No, just...." Aria scrambled for an excuse. "Didn’t sleep well last night. Tired."
"Girl, I feel that. This place will drain you." Emma leaned against the desk. "Hey, a few of us are grabbing lunch at that new salad place around the corner. Want to come?"
Aria glanced toward Damien’s office. He was still on his call, but his eyes....those dark, knowing eyes....flicked to her briefly before returning to whoever he was speaking with.
"I can’t. I have too much work."
"You sure? Mr. Blackwood won’t mind if you take an hour...."
"I’m sure. But thank you."
Emma shrugged. "Your loss. Their kale caesar is amazing." She headed toward the elevators, calling back, "Don’t work too hard!"
Aria returned her attention to the contract, determined to actually read it this time.
But two paragraphs in, her phone buzzed.
A text from Damien’s private number.
Good girl. Declining lunch. Staying focused on work.
Her pulse jumped. He’d been listening? Watching?
Another text came through.
Though I noticed you squirming in your chair. Does it still hurt?
Her face flamed. She typed back quickly.
Yes.
Good. Every time you feel it, I want you to remember who put those marks on you. Who owns that beautiful ass. Who made you come so hard you could barely stand.
She bit her lip, heat flooding through her.
I remember.
We’ll see how well you remember tonight. 6 PM. Everyone else goes home. You stay.
Yes, Damien.
She set down her phone with shaking hands and tried....again....to focus on work.
*************
11:47 AM
Aria had managed to review exactly two contracts and draft half an email when Mark appeared at her desk.
"Hey, stranger."
She looked up, startled. Mark...the CFO’s assistant she’d met at the happy hour last week. The one who’d talked to her at the bar. The one Damien had been so jealous of.
"Mark. Hi."
"Haven’t seen you around much lately. How’s the new gig treating you?" He perched on the edge of her desk, casual and friendly.
"It’s.....intense. Mr. Blackwood keeps me busy."
"Yeah, I bet. He’s got a reputation for being demanding." Mark grinned. "But you seem like you can handle it. You were always one of the smartest people at Mount Sinai."
Through the glass wall, Aria could see Damien’s call had ended. He was standing now, hands in his pockets, watching them with an expression she couldn’t quite read.
"Thanks. I’m managing."
"Listen, a few of us are going out Friday night. Nothing crazy, just drinks and maybe dinner. You should come. You look like you could use a break from...." He gestured vaguely at the office. ".....all this corporate intensity."
"I don’t know if I can...."
"Come on. Just a few hours. You can’t work 24/7. Even Mr. Scary Boss has to let you have a life outside this place."
Aria’s phone buzzed.
She glanced down.
Tell him no.
Her breath caught. She looked up at Damien’s office. He was staring directly at her now, his expression dark, possessive.
"Mark, I appreciate the invitation, but...."
"But she’s busy Friday," Damien’s voice cut in.
They both turned. He’d emerged from his office, was walking toward them with that predatory grace that made Aria’s stomach flip.
"Mr. Blackwood." Mark stood quickly. "I was just inviting Aria to...."
"I heard what you were doing." Damien’s tone was pleasant, but there was steel underneath. "And as I said, she’s busy Friday. We have a project deadline that will require weekend work."
It was a lie. There was no project deadline.
But Mark didn’t know that.
"Oh. Right. Of course." Mark stepped back. "Maybe another time, then."
"Maybe," Damien said, though his tone suggested never.
Mark retreated, and Damien turned to Aria.
"My office. Now."
Her heart raced as she stood, following him across the floor, acutely aware of the curious glances from other employees.
The moment the door closed behind them, he rounded on her.
"What did I tell you about other men, Aria?"
"He was just being friendly....."
"I don’t care. When a man invites you out, you decline. Immediately. Without hesitation." His eyes were dark with jealousy. "You’re mine, Aria. That means you don’t go to drinks with Mark. You don’t have dinner with him. You don’t give him any reason to think he has a chance."
"I wasn’t...."
"Weren’t you?" He stepped closer. "You were smiling at him. Laughing. Just like you did at Morrison’s. Just like you did at the restaurant."
"So I’m not allowed to be polite to colleagues now?"
"You’re allowed to be professional. Polite is different." His hand came up, cupped her jaw. "You forget your place very quickly. Maybe you need another reminder."
Her breath stuttered. "Damien, people can see...."
"Let them see. Let them know you’re taken. That you belong to someone." His thumb traced her lower lip. "Or would you prefer I spell it out? Make an announcement? ’Aria Chen is mine. Anyone who looks at her wrong will answer to me.’"
"Damien...."
"That’s Sir when we’re in this office."
"Sir," she corrected, her voice shaking. "I wasn’t trying to....I didn’t mean...."
"I know." His grip softened, became almost tender. "But you need to understand something. I’m not good at sharing. Never have been. And when it comes to you...." His eyes burned into hers. "I’m not sharing at all. Not your time. Not your smiles. Not your attention. Nothing."
"That’s not fair...."
"I don’t care about fair. I care about what’s mine." He released her, stepped back. "Tonight. 6 PM. Be prepared to prove you remember who you belong to."
"What does that mean?"
His smile was dark. "You’ll find out. Now get back to work. And Aria?" He opened the door for her. "Next time a man invites you anywhere, your answer is ’I have to check with Mr. Blackwood first.’ Understood?"
She should refuse. Should tell him he was being unreasonable, possessive, controlling.
Instead, she heard herself whisper: "Yes, sir."
"Good girl. Now go."
****************
DAMIEN’S POV - 1:00 PM
Damien arrived at Marcello’s, the upscale Italian restaurant two blocks from his office, exactly on time.
Julian was already there, seated at their usual corner table, studying the menu like he didn’t order the same thing every time.
"You’re late," Julian said without looking up.
"I’m exactly on time."
"For you, that’s late. You’re usually five minutes early." Julian set down the menu, his sharp eyes assessing. "You look different."
"I look the same as always."
"No. You look...." Julian tilted his head. "Less tense. More satisfied. Like something shifted." His eyes narrowed. "What did you do?"
Damien signaled the waiter, ordered his usual without consulting the menu. Once they were alone again, he met Julian’s knowing gaze.
"I stopped keeping distance."
"From Aria." It wasn’t a question.
"Yes."
"And by ’stopped keeping distance,’ you mean...."
"I mean I’m claiming her. Properly. The way I should have from the beginning."
Julian leaned back, studying him. "Define ’claiming.’"
"She’s working as my PA. Earning back trust. But we’ve also established....parameters. For our personal relationship."
"Parameters." Julian’s tone was dry. "You mean control. Dominance. The things you need."
"She consented. Explicitly. Eagerly."
"I’m sure she did. Aria’s been in love with you from the beginning. She’d probably agree to anything if it meant having you back." Julian’s expression grew serious. "But Damien, are you doing this because it’s what you both need? Or because you’re trying to punish her while keeping her close?"
"Can’t it be both?"
"That’s what I’m afraid of." Julian sighed. "Look, I’m not going to lecture you about healthy relationship dynamics...."
"Good, because you’d be a hypocrite. Your relationship with Rebecca is hardly vanilla."
"Rebecca and I built trust first, then added the control. We didn’t use dominance as a punishment for betrayal." Julian leaned forward. "There’s a difference between consensual power exchange and using sex to work out your trust issues."
"I know the difference."
"Do you?" Julian’s gaze was sharp. "Because from where I’m sitting, it sounds like you’re giving her just enough to keep her hooked while maintaining enough distance to protect yourself. That’s not fair to either of you."
Damien’s jaw tightened. "She lied to me for months. Used me. Betrayed my trust in the worst possible way. So forgive me if I’m not ready to just forgive and forget."
"I’m not asking you to forget. I’m asking you to figure out what you actually want." Julian’s voice softened. "Do you want to punish her forever? Keep her at arm’s length while using her body? Or do you actually want to rebuild what you had?"
"I don’t know," Damien admitted. "Every time I look at her, I remember...."
"What she did. I know. But do you also remember why she did it? Do you remember that her mother was dying and she was desperate? That she tried to tell you the truth multiple times but couldn’t find the words?"
"That doesn’t excuse...."
"No, it doesn’t. But it explains. And explanation matters if you’re going to move forward." Julian paused as the waiter brought their drinks. Once they were alone again, he continued. "You told me last week you’d rather risk trusting her than lose her. Was that true?"
"Yes."
"Then actually risk it. Actually trust her. Don’t just give her your control....give her your heart again. Let her earn it back through actions, not just sexual submission."
Damien was quiet for a long moment, turning his glass in his hands.
"What if I can’t?" he finally said. "What if the trust is just....broken? What if I try and fail and we both end up more destroyed than before?"
"Then you’ll know. And you can both move on." Julian’s expression was compassionate. "But Damien, I’ve known you for fifteen years. I’ve seen you with a lot of women. And I’ve never....never....seen you look at anyone the way you look at her. Like she’s oxygen. Like she’s the only thing keeping you alive."
"That’s the problem. She has too much power. If she betrays me again...."
"Then she does. And you survive it. Like you survived the first time." Julian reached across the table, gripped his shoulder. "You’re one of the strongest people I know. But strength isn’t just about protecting yourself. Sometimes it’s about being vulnerable enough to love someone despite the risk."
"When did you become a therapist?"
"When my best friend started torturing himself and the woman he loves because he’s too scared to take a real chance." Julian released him, sat back. "Just....think about what I said. Figure out your endgame. Because this middle ground you’re in? It’s not sustainable."
Their food arrived, and they shifted to safer topics....business, mutual friends, Julian’s upcoming vacation.
But Julian’s words echoed in Damien’s mind.
Figure out your endgame.
What was his endgame?
Keep Aria close but never fully trust her? Use her body while protecting his heart? Maintain control while denying himself the intimacy he craved?
Or actually take the risk Julian was pushing for....open himself up, let her in, trust that she wouldn’t destroy him again?
The first option was safer.
The second was terrifying.
But as he thought about Aria bent over his desk this morning, the way she’d submitted so beautifully, the way she’d looked at him with such desperate love and need.....
Maybe Julian was right.
Maybe it was time to actually decide what he wanted.
Because this limbo was destroying them both.
