Free The Devil's Game by Alex Strong

they were already sailing in a straight line back to his property. All the playfulness had left the air, and Damien only spoke to her when he needed help with the rigging.
    There were two men when they got back to the house this time, and as soon as Damien had helped her safely onto the dock, he headed toward the house, leaving the two men to take care of the boat. Not sure what else to do, she followed him inside, where they were immediately met by Tom.
    “I’ve already packed your bags, and Jim is getting the plane ready as we speak,” he said, keeping step with Damien, who continued through the house and up the stairs. “The car should be here in twenty minutes at the most. I hope that gives you enough time.”
    “I just need a quick shower.” Damien said.
    “Where are you going?” Karina called out from the bottom step.
    Both men stopped walking and turned to face her as though they’d forgotten all about her. Damien came back down.
    “There’s been an emergency shareholder’s meeting called in Beijing. A completely bullshit meeting, but it’s imperative that I’m there to keep things from getting any worse.”
    “How long will you be gone?” she asked. She realized she didn’t want him to go. She wanted him to stay here, with her, to take her back out on the boat.
    “I don’t know. Only a couple days, hopefully. A week at the most.”
    “A week .” That was almost a quarter of the time she was supposed to be here. Five days ago she would have been breathing a sigh of relief. But now….
    “I’m sorry,” he said, kissing her cheek. And then he rushed back up the stairs to Tom, who kept talking to him as they walked away.

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Doubts
     
     
    Karina had never known boredom like this before. And she never imagined it could’ve come while in a house as impressive as Damien’s. The truth was that she missed him more than she wanted to admit. Something had changed, a shift had occurred, and once the walls had come down, it turned out she enjoyed his company—even when he wasn’t touching her (though she rather preferred that part).
    Monday morning she was curled up on a lounge chair, watching the filter robot moving along the bottom of the pool. She wondered if there was a pattern, or if the movements really were random. What if it kept missing the same spot?
    Annoyed with herself, she stood up just as Romi came out holding a phone.
    “It’s Mr. Bishop for you,” she said.
    Karina’s heart raced at the thought of hearing his voice.
    “Hello,” she said.
    “Bored yet?” he asked.
    “I’m keeping busy,” she lied. “Why? Are you heading home to come interrupt my fun?”
    “Unfortunately not,” he sighed. “Which is why I’m calling. I have to attend a charity event on Saturday.”
    “Will you be back in time?”
    “I’d better be, I’m the keynote speaker. I was hoping you’d come with me.”
    She laughed. “You called from China just to ask me on a date?”
    “Actually, I’m calling to tell you that you have an appointment tomorrow.”
    “I do?”
    “Yes. Assuming you would agree to come, I made an appointment for a dress fitting. It’s a formal affair. I had planned to take you to the fitting, but there’s no way I’ll be back in time, so I’m afraid you’re on your own.”
    The idea didn’t really appeal to her, at least not without Damien. It was something to kill the time though.
    “I suppose I could fit it into my busy schedule,” she said.
    “It’s at eleven, so you should leave by ten-thirty.”
    “You mean I get to drive one of your fancy cars?”
    “Nice try,” he said. “I’ve arranged a driver for you.”
    “Of course you did.”
    “And everything at the boutique has been taken care of. You don’t need to worry about anything other than getting yourself there.”
    “Okay.”
    “I should probably get some sleep,” he said. “The jet lag is killing me and I’ve got another long day tomorrow.”
    “All right,”