“I told you I'm not sleeping with you,” I snapped.
“Fine. I won't sleep on the king size bed where you and I wouldn’t even be able to touch each other because it's so big. I'll sleep on the couch,” he relented.
“Thank you,” I breathed. My heart which had been pounding calmed down a little.
I headed upstairs, passing the place where Daimon and I had sex. My belly began to flutter, knowing there was a part of me, which still wanted him. Today I had become engaged. Had it been with a man I loved this would have been a happy occasion and sex would most probably happen, but he wasn’t the man I wanted. He was the devil himself, slowing taking me down through the various stages of hell with him. The part which bothered me the most was, that a small part of me didn’t mind as much as it should.
I walked to the door next to Daimon’s perfectly made up bed with its white and brown linens and stepped inside. I closed the door behind me and made sure I locked it by grabbing onto the pewter handle and pulling on it twice, yeah it was locked. With Daimon you never knew. The bathroom was the size of my bedroom at home. I stood in the middle on a small that carpet, which felt like silk against my feet. I looked at the large bathtub and was somewhat intrigued with its modern clean cuts and askew backrest. A small silver chandelier hung above it, the tiny lights barely lighting up the room. I inched closer to the double sinks that mimicked the tub and slowly turned on the water. A gentle flow of warm water cascaded down a waterfall faucet. I began to laugh thinking no one in the world needed so much. Like everything else in his home, Daimon’s bathroom was immaculate with its toiletries and towels perfectly placed. I slowly took off my dress, walked over to his large walk-in shower, and turned on the water.
Once I was done, I took his bathrobe and unlocked the door. I stuck out my head, making sure he wasn’t there. On the bed were a t-shirt and a pair of boxers. The grey t-shirt looked familiar as I held it up. It was our old gym shirt from high school. I couldn’t believe he kept it all this time. I then pulled back the sheets and slipped inside. The bed felt nice and my body easily began to relax until Daimon showed up.
“What are you doing here?” I asked shocked.
“Sleeping,” he said somewhat annoyed.
“You said you'd sleep on the couch.”
“Yes, my couch, in my bedroom.” He walked to the bed and leaned over me. I leaned back trying to gain space. He laughed as he yanked his pillow from behind me. He then took the extra comforter and went to the large plush leather couch by the window on the other side of his bedroom.
“Addie, you're going to be staying here until your father gets out of the hospital. I'll make sure you have what you need,” Daimon said from behind the couch.
I didn't reply, I just attempted to get comfortable. Drako jumped up onto the bed and stood at my feet. He began to circle around a bit until he found the spot he wanted, and quickly lay down and went to sleep. There we were, a pretend family with a dog to boot.
THE DOG WALKER
I was deep in sleep when I was awakened by Drako. He nudged his head on my face and began to lick my cheek. I opened my eyes to see the morning light had seeped into the bedroom in such a peaceful way that I had forgotten where I was for a moment. I slowly rose up, Drako still nudging at me while I lay in bed comfortable and rested.
“Finally you’re up.” I heard Daimon say as he emerged from the bathroom. I was slightly startled as I looked up to see him standing there with his small towel draped over his head. He had taken a shower, his slightly long hair hung loosely as he smiled at me with his sexy little grin.
“Do you mind putting on a shirt?” I asked as I tried to take my eyes off him.
In this light, he looked utterly edible and I had to learn to steer clear of him and all that was between us. I was now engaged to the man who irritated and annoyed me the most and yet he was the only one I had ever met who was able to light me on fire with a mere look. Daimon knew me and knew how to push every single button in such a way that he played me like a fiddle and I hated him for it. Yes, I could finally admit I was always attracted to him, but he lacked decorum and basic human dignity. He used my father’s illness to get me to marry him so he wouldn’t have to marry Clara. Who does that? Daimon apparently does. He’s good at getting what he wants which is why it boggled my mind why such a strong willed man would need me to help him. Either way, I knew I was a tool he paid for. I needed his money to help me with my family and I was going to do everything I needed to get them the lives they deserved. It was my fault they suffered as much as they did and I needed to atone for it. If that meant making a deal with the devil himself then that was what I was going to do.