The Tycoon’s Secret(17)

Before the men walked outside, Damien looked toward Sierra who was refusing to meet his gaze. Surprise filled him as shimmers of desire shot down his stomach. He found himself wanting to grab her chin and force her gaze to meet his. A need to taste her lips, experience her unique flavor was almost overwhelming. He found he liked the confusion of the foreign desire.

For a man who was known for his impeccable control, it was a unique feeling to experience the uncharacteristic emotions overpowering him.

“I could use a beer,” Damien said as Drew prodded him in the arm. He followed Trinity’s husband and the other men as they stepped outside into the cool evening air.

“You know where to get them,” Drew replied.

Damien headed straight for the outdoor fridge and grabbed a bottle of dark liquid, quickly unscrewing the top and taking a long swallow. The icy drink felt good going down, internally turning down his escalating temperature.

“So, are you going to tell us about the sexy new employee?” Ryan asked with a laugh.

“Nope,” Damien quickly replied as he took another long swallow.

“Hmm, interesting,” Drew said with a smirk.

“Nothing interesting at all,” Damien replied with a glare.

“Yeah, I know that look. It seems Sierra may be more than just a new employee,” Ryan taunted.

“Not at all. There’s just nothing to tell. I’ve actually only met her today.”

“Come on, Damien. Sparks are sizzling between the two of you. You may have just met her, but that’s not stopping your mind from stripping her naked in my kitchen,” Drew said with a knowing smile.

“Mind your own damn business, Drew,” he snapped.

“All right. I’m done,” Drew told him while holding his hands up in surrender.

“I think I’m going to take a swim and cool off,” Derek interrupted as he moved to the pool house. To Damien, the thought of swimming until exhaustion overrode his hormones sounded like the perfect solution, so he walked in the direction of the pool with Derek.



∞∞∞



“Spill the gossip, Sierra. How long have you known Damien? I’m not trying to hurt your feelings if it’s been a while, but usually he tells me everything and he hasn’t mentioned having such a gorgeous employer,” Trinity said as soon as the guys were out of earshot.

Sierra instantly turned red, hating how she was so easily embarrassed. Other than Bree, she didn’t have girlfriends to talk to, so she was on unfamiliar territory with the whole gossip thing.

“I was just hired today,” she finally answered.

“Today? And you’re already going to Australia with him. Mmm, that’s a long jet ride. A lot can happen,” Jasmine said with an exaggerated wink. Sierra flushed even more.

“It’s not like that,” Sierra quickly replied, hoping they’d drop it.

“No way. I saw him watching you. His body was tense, and his eyes were practically stripping you where you stood,” Trinity said with a giggle.

“Mmm, agreed. We didn’t even need to turn the oven on to boil the water,” Nicole added.

Sierra didn’t want to say how close to right they may actually be. He may have hired her for nothing but a call-girl. He’d be disappointed if that’s what he was after.

“Honestly, I swear it’s not like that,” Sierra said, but as the women laughed, she couldn’t help but smile with them. Her fear was quickly evaporating in light of Damien’s choice of friends. He couldn’t be too terrible of a man if he associated with such good people.

“You do think he’s hot, right?” Trinity asked, her gaze boring into Sierra, not allowing her to lie.

“I am human. It’s pretty hard not to notice he’s a bit better looking than the average guy. Then again, all your husbands are on an equally sizzling scale, so I think it may just be that this house has some incredibly good lighting,” Sierra said with a giggle.

“Ah, great come-back. No, it’s certainly not the light. Those men are definitely drool-worthy. Seriously, though, they have hearts of gold – each one of them,” Trinity said, her eyes softening as she talked about the men she loved.

“I’m sure they do,” Sierra replied, a bit envious at the connection these women shared with not only their husbands, but each other, as well.

“Okay, we promise not to grill you anymore tonight, but only if you swear to tell us if anything does occur on that lengthy flight,” Jasmine said as she pulled a tray of sizzling meat from the oven.

“Deal,” Sierra promised, feeling confident there wouldn’t be anything to tell.





Chapter Seven