409 A Seed of Doub

When Katherine got off work that day, Damien insisted on picking her up from Young Corporation and letting Felix drive her car back home. Then they headed to West Bespoke Tailor to have the final fitting of their outfits done. Upon arriving, she didn't allow him to see her when she went in for her dress fitting, so he could only see her in it on Saturday. Katherine couldn't believe that Mr. West was able to pull it off with a custom made dress in just a few days. Though it was still incomplete, she was already loving the design that she actually looked forward to wearing it on soon.

After the two were done with their fitting, Katherine urged Damien to have fast food for dinner instead of going to a fancy restaurant. She even convinced him to order from a drive-thru, and since he couldn't really say 'no' to her, he obliged. With their takeaway dinner, they drove to a spot overlooking the harbor to have their meal. 

The night was calm yet a bit chilly and surprisingly, there weren't a lot of people in the area, unlike most nights. The moon shone above them and there were only a few stars visible in the sky. In front of them was a large body of sheltered water with plenty of boats and ships at the dock. They were on elevated ground so the view from where they parked was marvelous.

Katherine and Damien ate inside the car and when they finished their meal, they quietly enjoyed the peaceful evening. He looked at her and saw the slight crease in between her brows. Noticing that she was in deep thought, he gently touched her chin and urged her to face him. "Is everything okay? What's on your mind?" he asked.

She met his concerned gaze and she thought of sharing her uncertainties with him, "The Club…"

"You mean The Platinum Club? What about it?"

She shifted in her seat so she could face him and talk comfortably. "It's an exclusive club, right? What could be the reasons why an applicant would get rejected?"

"Hmmm…" Damien thought about it for a second. "There are many factors actually. Like—reputation, social status, if one or many of the founders suppress—or are against the applicant from joining. Why do you ask? You're already a member…"

"Well, I…" Katherine opened her bag and showed him the papers that she took earlier. "I found these in my aunt's office this afternoon when she wasn't around. Actually, I wouldn't have thought much about this had we not met and talked in her office this morning. She invited us—you and me—for a meal on Saturday but I told her that we had a prior engagement. That's when we talked about the club. I remember she said something like 'not having time for clubs like that'... She pretty much said that she wasn't interested."

"No, you don't. Normally, you'd be billed for a renewal fee but you don't have to send applications every time," he answered as he continued to check the letters, noting the dates on them.

"Mhmm… That's what I thought. So this could only mean that she tried to apply several times. But why do you think she lied about it?"

Damien shrugged as he handed the papers back to Katherine. "Maybe she was embarrassed? You got in fairly easily only a week after you returned here. Judging by those applications, she must have applied several times but got rejected. That's just my speculation."

"If that's the case, that must be frustrating. Could you deduce the reason why?"

"I'm not sure… I don't know your aunt very well. Do you want me to look into it?"

"It's okay, I'll do it. You already have too much on your plate… It isn't urgent anyway, I'm just curious about it. Did you say you were leaving at ten?" She checked the time on the dashboard.

"Yeah, I still have an hour and a half. We should leave. I need to grab some stuff at the penthouse."

…

Gold Phoenix Residences

At a quarter to nine in the evening, they arrived at the 61st floor penthouse where Damien accompanied Katherine until they reached her bedroom. She went to the closet and turned to face him. "I want to go with you..."

"You mean... to France?"

She nodded. "Will you tell me what you're currently working on?" She was curious as she had no idea about his current projects unlike when she was still in CRG.

"That depends. Why do you want to know?" He looked at her in the eye and was careful with his expression.

"Just curious… So will you tell me?"

"Maybe…"

She opened her mouth to respond but then she took her words back right away. "You know what, forget it. I have missed a lot at work already. Too bad I don't work for you anymore." She shrugged and without thinking twice, she took off her clothes until she was only wearing undergarments. "And too bad you're also leaving tonight."

Katherine took steps towards him slowly, watching him scan the length of her body.

"I'll be back before you know it…"

"Are you sure I can't make you stay?" She closed the gap and toyed with his tie before yanking it off his neck in one swift move, Katherine style.

Unabashedly, she leaned against him and fiddled with his collar, popping the top buttons and her fingers skimmed his chest. They were so close that she could feel his erection.

Damien's jaw clenched as he tried to control himself. But since he was going to be away for two days, he decided to give in just a little. So he backed her to the wall and pressed her there. He had her hands pinned above her head and he left soft bites on her neck, her shoulder, and the top of her breast. She squirmed but he didn't let her touch him.

"You better behave while I'm away, Kitten," he whispered in a rough voice a hair's breadth away from her lips just before he kissed her hard.

Later…

At the foyer of Katherine's penthouse, Damien gave Felix some orders before leaving. "...Just be with her while I'm away. Don't leave her unattended even if she says she's okay to be left alone and keep your lines open."

"Got it. What about the other?" Felix probed.

"You mean me?" Amelia appeared from the side, a smirk forming on her face as she approached them. "I can take care of myself, Damien. You don't need to worry about me. No one knows I'm alive except you people, so my life isn't really in any danger."

Damien and Felix exchanged looks before the former changed the subject. "I've set up a meeting with you and the detective. Wear a disguise when you meet him and tell him everything you know about what Edward told you. I've already arranged for his accommodation. He'll be safer under our watch. No one else can know that we have him."

"Okay… I understand"

"And…" Damien swallowed, still unsure of how to address the woman she was talking to. "You can't go back to the mansion anymore. It's unsafe for you. Just wait for me until I come back before you do anything else, is that okay?"

Amelia formed a small smile seeing that her son showed concern for her. "I will try my best."

Damien was worried about the two women. If only he knew that while he'd be away, the two would come out to play.