hapter 11: A Distraction from the Distraction-1
Damien’s POV
The door clicked shut behind James, but the silence he left behind was anything but peaceful.
Damien stood unmoving at the window, hands tucked in the pockets of his tailored slacks, eyes locked on the city that sprawled beneath him like a kingdom he no longer recognized.
“She was crying.”
The words rang in his head louder than they should have. Sharper. Unwelcome.
He hadn’t asked for details. He didn’t need to.
He could already picture it-Maya curled beside the window, small and vulnerable, trying to pretend she wasn’t breaking. Trying to stay invisible.
A bitter breath hissed between his teeth.
This is exactly why personal entanglements didn’t belong in business.
It was a distraction. A liability. A crack in the glass wall he had built around himself and this company. And still-
Still.
He could feel the memory of her the last time he passed the PR floor. The way she refused to meet his eyes. The barely contained storm behind her silence. The scent of those damn flowers.
Paul Sanders.
The name stuck in his mind like a splinter.
He’d seen the type before. Harmless, perhaps. Well-meaning. But blind to consequence. Sending anonymous flowers to an intern barely four days into the company? Stupid. Disruptive. Reckless.
And Maya had paid the price.
Damien walked back to his desk, jaw tight, and tapped a few keys on his sleek, minimalist
keyboard. Her employee profile came up on screen in seconds.
INTERNAL EMPLOYEE FILE – BLACKWOOD ENTERPRISES
Name: Maya Serene Thompson
Age: 25
Position: Internship – PR Division
Type: OJT/Temporary Assignment
Supervisor: Trina Brooks
Direct Executive Contact: Elle Rochefort
Internship Duration: 6 Months
Requirements: Completed
Performance Notes: On time. Compliant. Observant. Overqualified
Overqualified?
He frowned slightly at the last note, left by Elle.
+25 Pamits
His gaze drifted down to her submitted documents. Her transcript. Cover letter. Even her scanned
barista schedule. He hadn’t noticed that before.
Intern Schedule:
scholarship)
Background:
Damien’s throat constricted, just slightly.
She was barely keeping it together. The intern everyone whispered about was burning the candle
at both ends, and no one even realized it.
Except now… he knew.
And he hated that it made him feel something.
At the bottom of the screen, a system flag showed:
Unauthorized rooftop access –
He should’ve closed the window.
He didn’t.
Instead, he stared at her photo.
Big, soft eyes. Not naive, but unguarded. Curious. Honest.
Innocent.
Too innocent.
Damien muttered a curse under his breath and reached for his phone.
He pinched the bridge of his nose, willing the headache away.
This was about control. About the environment he had built.
*25 Points
His rules had worked for years-no distractions, no attachments. Keep things clean. Efficient. Safe.
And yet, here she was.
Throwing him off balance with nothing but silence and soft-spoken defiance. No flirting. No games. She didn’t want his attention.
She didn’t even want Paul’s.
Damien straightened and snapped his laptop shut. Something twisted in his chest-sharp,
unwelcome. It wasn’t guilt. And it wasn’t quite anger. It was something worse. Something he didn’t
have a name for.
Something worse.
Possessiveness.
He hated it.
He was used to owning companies. Negotiating billion-dollar deals. Not… wondering if a woman had eaten lunch. Not hearing her name and feeling something.
He pressed a button on his phone.
James answered instantly. “Yes, sir?”
“The usual. Monarch Hotel. Penthouse. Tonight.”
“Confirmed. Preferences?”
“Something different. New. NDA signed.”
“Understood.”
He ended the call without another word.
Maya Thompson was a distraction.
And he was going to fuck her out of his system.
Hours Later – Monarch Hotel, Penthouse Suite
The woman waiting in his penthouse was stunning. Objectively, that is.
+25 Points
Tall. Curvy. Lethally sexy. She wore lingerie under an open silk robe and heels that belonged on a stripper pole. Her lips were blood red, her eyes dark with heavy makeup, and her perfume choked the air before she even moved.
Cedella
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