Stoned (The Stone Series) (7 page)

“What?” I ask him.

“No, nothing. It’s just I was thinking, Is this what normal people do? Eat breakfast in bed? I’ve never had…normal, you make me want that…this, Sydney.”

I don’t know what to say to that. I don’t know what’s going on between us. Are we dating? Does he want to be my boyfriend? Can I really pull that off? I don’t know but I do know that I will do whatever it takes to have more of this incredible man.

Damian rises from my bed again, this time kissing me on the top of my head and telling me he has to get back to his place to shower, he has a morning appointment that he can’t reschedule. He asks if I’ll be alright and what my plans are for the day. I am planning on going to get paint then maybe I’ll hit a few shops and see what I can find. Damian offers to have Mac help me once he gets back from bringing him to his appointment but I decline, I want to walk around until something hits me in a window or a store just calls out to me. He asks if he can take me out tonight to celebrate my new apartment and I agree.

I walk him to the door and he says, “Until tonight then, Sydney” and he softly brushes his lips against mine in that way he has, that way that makes me want, need more.

I head into the bathroom, brush my teeth and start the shower.

************

Damian is dazed and disoriented as the elevator ascends to his penthouse suite. He doesn’t know what is happening to him but he knows something is changing. He can’t explain the feelings he has about this girl. It’s like he knows her from another life, like she was sent to save him as much as he needs to save her. After last night he knows without a doubt that she needs saving from demons, demons different from his but demons all the same.

He steps into his apartment and heads to his room. He strips off his clothes to head into the shower but notices that in his rush to get to her last night he left the cameras on. He notices her on the screen, she’s in the shower. Her body is exquisite and for a moment he looks away wondering if he should wait to see her naked for the first time in the flesh but then he can’t help himself. He tries to resist but just as he’s tried to resist everything he’s felt and done with her he can’t and his eyes are once again drawn to the figure of perfection before him.

She is standing under the water; he imagines it’s warm, almost hot. He can see the steam growing all around her as she allows the water to ease her tense muscles from all directions. She arches her back to allow her long deep red hair to become soaked and at this his dick twitches and begins to expand. He moans without meaning to, it just escapes his body but the sound makes him think of sex and he knows that he won’t be able to hold off much longer.

She starts to work up a lather with a puffy sponge and rub it over her body. He silently promises himself that if she begins to masturbate he’ll allow himself the same pleasure, just this once, but she never does. She washes her hair and her body then lets the warm jet streams and rain showers cover her. When she turns off the water he forces himself to turn off the cameras and give her privacy, something he’s never thought necessary before.

Damian showers under water so cool it’s cold to try to subdue his growing desire but a hard on this solid isn’t going away from a little cold water. He goes through his morning routine of grooming feeling the growing ache in his cock and as he glances at himself in the mirror he allows himself to ask the question “Is normalcy possible?”

I call Alex and tell him about last night, the beer and pizza, the delicate kiss good-night. I admit to watching her with my cameras and I tell him about her nightmare. “I slept with her last night man, I fucking slept with her.”

“You are such a douche bag, so what now you’re fucking over it? Once you got a piece of her ass you’re cured of all those feelings, right?” Alex spits out.

“No, I slept with her, I didn’t fuck her, I slept with her all night. In her bed. Together.”

“Fuck. Wow!”

“Yeah.” I sigh and run my hands through my hair. “I didn’t think I’d be able to sleep. I planned on just lying there with her, you know? I just wanted to watch her sleep, make sure she was okay. I don’t know what happened. Her breathing put me into a trance or something; mine just started to match hers and the next thing I knew I was drifting off to sleep. When I woke up she was all tangled up with me, her leg was wrapped around mine, her head was on my chest. Instead of feeling suffocated like I thought I would in that situation I felt… ”

“What? What did you feel?”

“Content. I felt content.”

“Oh, fuck, man.”

“Yeah, fuck is right. I think I’m falling in love with her, Alex. How can I be falling in love with a woman I’ve never fucked? Me? This is me we’re talking about here. How can this be happening?”

“I don’t know, man but it sounds like you’ve got it bad for her. Again, let me just warn you, sex, love, fucking, whatever it is, whatever you do or call it my promise is still the same. If you hurt her or ruin my professional relationship with her I am going to kick your ass.”

Damian laughs and the two friends hang up. Damian searches for his phone to send an email to Sydney, unable to wait till tonight to have contact with her.

************

When I’m about to head out for paint and supplies an email comes through on my iPhone.

From: Damian Stone

Subject: Your Bed

Date: May 23, 2012 09:44am

To: Sydney Cooper

Sydney,

I hope you found your bed as comfortable as I did last night. You are opening up new doors for me. I would be honored if you would join me this evening for dinner and a show. I will be down to escort you at 7pm.

D…

Damian Stone

CEO, Stone Empire, Inc.

From: Sydney Cooper

Subject: My Bed

Date: May 23, 2012 09:48
am

To: Damian Stone

Damian,

I found my bed more than comfortable once you arrived like a knight in shining armor to save me from the dragon. You are the one opening up new doors for me. I just wish I could tell you… Anyway, I would be honored to join you this evening for dinner and a show but what shall I wear? I will try my best to be ready by 7pm but you know how girls can be, don’t you Damian? I have the feeling you know all too well.

Syd…

When I reach the street I receive another email from Damian and it causes a flutter in the pit of my belly.

From: Damian Stone

Subject: I like the ring of that

Date: May 23, 2012 09:55
am

To: Sydney Cooper

…Syd. I think I’ll call you that more often.

I am no knight in shining armor but I will make it my priority to keep you safe.

You would look amazing in Vera Wang, Wal-Mart, a potato sack or I hope you don’t mind my saying, nothing at all. As much as I would love to experience the later I don’t think it would be appropriate for this evening’s venue. I hope you will accept the delivery from Vera Wang later today. I can’t wait to see you in it.

D…

Damian Stone

CEO, Stone Empire, Inc.

From: Sydney Cooper

Subject:
Then I get to call you

Date: May 23, 2012
10:06am

To: Damian Stone

Da
y…I like the sound of that! But first I should admit that I’ve been calling you Mr. Perfection! Silly, right?

You are the first man I have ever felt safe with but that scares me even more
than everything else has, we’ll need to talk about this at some point.

I would
look ridiculous in a potato sack and I would disappoint you in nothing at all.

I’m sure you have had many, many beautiful girls, ones I could never compete with.

I will accept the delivery but only because I have nothing to wear and I don’t want to embarrass you in my rags but this treatment must cease and desist at once.

I can’t wait to see you
in anything you wear, the sight is always splendid, Mr. Perfection.

I thought you had a meeting…are you emailing me from the meeting? Shouldn’t you be paying attention? I need to pick out paint now…

TTYL…

Syd…

I hear the
ping of his response but I ignore it. If I keep this up all day I’ll never get any work done. I’ll check it when I’m in the checkout line with my bedroom paint in hand.

I pop into the hardware store and purchase a can of blue paint for my bedroom walls, lighter blue for the ceiling, deep blue for an accent color and white for the trim. I grab a few drop cloths, rollers, brushes and painter’s tape. I hope there’s a maintenance person at the apartment building and that they have a ladder I can borrow for the day. I take my purchases to the line and while I wait I look at my email.

From: Damian Stone

Subject:
I love the sound of that

Date: May 23, 2012
10:11am

To: Sydney Coope
r

You are only the second and final woman who has been and will be allowed to call me “Day”. The first being my sister! And WOW! Mr. Perfection, huh? You can keep calling me that for as long as you like. I’d especially like to hear you call me that when I am standing in front of you naked.

I agree we need to talk about a few things but all in good time
, Angel.

You can never disappoint
me. We’ll need to work on your self esteem. I don’t think you realize how exquisite you are. The only girl I find myself interested in these days is you and trust me when I say you will have no competition for my attention as no one can compete with you. That feeling is one of those doors I was speaking of earlier. I plan on treating you like a princess for as long as you’ll allow me to so get used to it, baby.

I am in a meeting but these people fucking bore me
to tears and you excite me so I pick you!

Can’t wait to see the colors you pick
for your apartment. See you at 7pm; but I really do need to concentrate now before I sign away millions.

TTYL

Day

Damian Stone: Mr. Perfection, an apparently splendid sight

CEO, Stone Empire, Inc.

When I arrive back at the apartment I find Veronica with three men waiting for me. She smiles at me but the smile does not reach her eyes. She tells me that Damian sent them over to help me with my project before she says she’s due back at his office and leaves.

I give the paint to the men and instruct them where I want each color then I tell Pete, the man in charge that I want dark w
ide plank hand sculpted solid strand woven bamboo for the flooring and he says he’ll see what he can do about making that happen today. He’s a man who looks like he can make things happen with a curve of his supple lips, a smirk from under that dark goatee of his or a twinkle of his eyes. Pete Roman is a gorgeous man, not Mr. Perfection but damn close.

We get to talking and I learn that Pete and Damian are friends and have been for some time now. Pete is a general contractor and after doing a job for Damian they found they had some things in common and became friends. Damian, trusting Pete completely uses him on all of his jobs.

I text Damian…
Thank u 4 the help…syd

And he responds…
Glad I could help…day

With all this extra help I have time to hit a few more shops and manage to purchase a wardrobe, two nightstands, a chest of drawers, a large area rug, curtains, bedding, two lamps and a flat screen TV. I take the light items like the curtains and bedding home with me but ask that the rest of the items be delivered. They assure me I will have them within a few hours.