She had Limits between work and feelings, Limits between desire and reason, and Limits between wanting and regretting
But Damon and Andrew didn't just make those limits unclear, they made them disappear.
It had only been three days since she got back from tokyo, but the stress of acting normal was already becoming to hard for her to handle, She just focused on her assignments, on her notes, on the mirror when the stylists fixed her outfits, but never on them, at least not for very long
She wanted to quit her job,
Not because she wasn't skilled enough, no, Kareen had come in confidently and aced her first shoot right away, but because being near them was beginning to confuse her.
They were everywhere she went,
In meetings, walking by her dressing room, speaking quietly in the hallway behind her, She even felt them before they even spoke, like their footsteps carried tension and their presence filled the air with lust.
Even worse, they acted like nothing was sout of the ordinary.
Andrew still gave her that slow, playful smile every time he gave her a schedule, Damon still looked at her with those thoughtful, and mysterious eyes, like he already knew her all too well, and like he remembered every curve of her body under his hands
Because he did know her body,
And she hated that her body remembered him too.
She was in the middle of writing an email to quit when someone knocked on her dressing room door,
The door opened before she could say anything,
Andrew had walked in, he was alone, wearing that navy shirt that made his arms look a little too good for someone holding a clipboard
"Before you do something you'll regret," he said, "maybe listen to what I have to say first"
She didn't turn around to face him,
"What makes you think I was going to do something I'd regret?"
He walked closer, looking at her in the mirror
"Your fingers are shaking," he said quietly, "That usually means someone's about to leave"
"I'm not leaving," she said, her voice started to tense up, "I'm choosing peace of mind"
He chuckled softly,
"Peace is boring," he said, "And not real, especially here"
She finally turned to face him,
"I didn't agree to model for men I've already been intimate with," she said,
"Actually," Andrew answered, "you invited us, not the other way around"
Her face didn't change,
But her heart skipped a beat.
He moved closer, he didn't touch her, but he was close enough that her skin remembered how warm he felt
"You're right to want distance," he said more gently now, "But you're also fooling yourself, we all are"
"Then fool yourselves better," she whispered
Andrew's smile disappeared,
He nodded once, slowly, and walked back toward the door
But before he left, he added, "If you leave now, you'll regret it, not because of us, but because this is your opportunity, don't waste it just because you're scared of how we make you feel"
The door clicked shut behind him,
And Kareen was left staring at her reflection...
Still beautiful and Still strong,
But now… unsure.
Later that night, the building felt more steady and empty than normal,
She stayed to check a shot list, arranging film pieces and coloring ideas, hoping the quiet would bring her a little bit of understanding.
The elevator made a noise when she pushed the button, and the doors opened smoothly,
She got in alone, rubbing her neck and letting out a heavy exhale,
Just one floor down,
Just one night all by herself,
As the doors began to close, someone stopped them with their hand.
She knew who it was without even looking.
Damon came inside, quiet, with his jacket off, his sleeves were rolled up, and tie was undone.
He didn't say a word,
Neither did she,
The doors closed,
And all of a sudden, the feeling changed.
The silence between them was not peaceful, it had become loud.
She could sense him behind her, not touching her, but still close enough that she could smell his cologne.
Her heart start to beat faster,
His breathing remained steady,
She could not move,
But she could feel her legs tighten just because he was there,
He was thinking about doing something,
She was sure of it.
The way he stood still was like his hands were in fists, it was as if he was making himself behave.
Damon was not a man who liked to hold back,
And she was not a woman who wanted to make it harder for him,
But being trapped in the elevator with just the two of them made the moment feel unavoidable.
The elevator passed the eighth floor,
Then the seventh,
There was a little turbulence,
She made a noise and grabbed the railing,
He reached for her without even thinking, it was like instinct to him,
One hand was on her waist,
and the other was on her wrist.
They stopped moving there and looked at each other
And everything else disappeared,
The only sound was their breathing and the buzz of energy waiting to be released was in the room,
Damon's hand was still on her waist,
Kareen could feel his thumb, it was pressing gently through the fabric, low and steady enough to make her forget herself for too long.
"Let go," she said, but it was softer than she meant it to be,
"I should," he said, he still did not move away,
The elevator continued to hum as it went down slowly, floor by floor, like time was going by slowly on purpose.
He still had not let go,
Kareen knew she could have moved back, created some space between them, and ended the moment like she always did at work when he got too close, but she didn't.
Not here, not now.
Because this was not a work meeting,
This was something different,
Damon's hand on her waist tightened a little, not like he owned her, but just like he was there,
His voice was quieter now, he had dropped it just a beat,
"You act like it didn't mean anything," he said softly, "But I remember what you sounded like when I touched you, and I remember how quiet you were afterward."
She swallowed,
"You're my boss now," she said quietly, "This can't happen again."
"But it's already happening," he said,
He moved closer, and the hand that touched her side softly led her backward until she was against the elevator wall.
Her breath seized, like it was stuck in her throat,
She put her hands flat on the mirror behind her, needing something cool to hold on to,
Damon looked at her like she was fragile and he was eager to break her,
"You're allowed to tell me to stop," he mentioned,
She didn't say anything.
He moved in bit by bit, his mouth barely grazing hers,
Kareen's legs felt weak, not because she felt scared, but because she started remembering,
She remembered How amazing it was to be desired so much, and How frustrating it was to be touched as if every part of her was important.
She could sense his stress, not his scent this time, but his self-control.
"I really shouldn't…" she quietly said,
"Then just ask me to go away," he whispered, his lips just barely touching hers,
She didn't say a word,
Her eyes closed slowly and in the small space between thinking and doing, he kissed her.
It wasn't soft or easy,
It wasn't rough or harsh either,
It was held back, filled with control, but just barely.
Their kiss was intense, making her forget everything around them
His hand moved to her neck, his fingers going through the curls she worked hard to style for the next day's photo session
Her fingers grabbed his shirt tightly, holding onto the material like it could keep her steady
He kissed her like he was still mad she had left him in Tokyo, like he had been hungry and was just remembering how to eat
And she let him do it
Because at that moment, she didn't think about her job or the results or who might get on the elevator when it stopped
All She cared about was that his hands still knew the exact right spots to touch
That her body still welcomed him like a door he knew how to open
When he finally stopped kissing her, they were breathing hard, their foreheads touching
Neither of them said a word,
The elevator made a sound, meaning they were on the first floor
The doors opened,
And a security guard looked at them with surprise, standing too close, Kareen's lipstick messed up, Damon's shirt wrinkled near the collar
But neither of them reacted,
Kareen stood up straight, cleared her throat, and went out first
Damon followed after a second, not saying anything
They didn't talk as they left the building
Outside, the night air felt rash against her skin
Kareen wrapped her coat tighter, walking toward the road, her heels were clicking on the ground as if she was trying to run away
She didn't turn around,
Not even once
She waved down the first taxi she saw and got inside
Only when the driver asked where to go did she realize her lips still felt tingly
She told him to go to Ava's place instead of her own
Just in case
Because she wasn't sure what she would do if Damon came to her door
Or worse… if she actually wanted him to
.
Later that night, Kareen stood with bare feet in Ava's guest room, looking at herself in the soft yellow light, Her shirt was wrinkled and Her lipstick was gone And she could not recognize her eyes.
Like someone who had kissed the one man she shouldn't want
Someone who hadn't said no
She told herself it wouldn't happen anymore
She told herself it was just a mistake
Just one kiss
But deep down, past her sensible thoughts, another truth grew stronger
She didn't regret it,
Not even a little bit,
And that made her more scared than anything else.