Chapter 42: Fluffy Pillows

Katherine was munching on the chocolate bar while her eyes were half-closed. Her other hand was clutching on his torn shirt and the banana tightly as though she was afraid someone might take them away from her.

Shaking his head, he strolled out of the room to get a glass of water for her but when he came back, Katherine was no longer on the bed.

"Now what?!"

Placing the glass on the bedside table, he searched for her in his walk-in closet but didn't find her. Noticing the bathroom door open, he walked inside and turned on the lights only to find her lying inside the bathtub.

He sighed, relieved to find her there. Walking closer, he gently shook her arm to wake her up. "Katherine… come on, let's get back to bed."

"I like it here… I'll stay here," she mumbled.

Damien stared at her for a good minute before he decided to get up and leave. "I give up. Sleep there if you want. I don't care." He grumbled on his way out, turning off the lights in the bathroom and shutting the door just before he left.

The room fell quiet for a while before the door creaked open. Damien came inside with a pillow in his hand and gently placed it under her head. "At least sleep with a pillow," he whispered. Sneering at himself in his head for feeling irritated at her, and yet he can't seem to have the guts to leave her and stop caring.

"You're in deep sh*t, Damien." He murmured, shaking his head as he walked out.

…

Recalling the scene from last night in his head, Damien didn't know whether he should laugh or cry. And now this sober Katherine just nodded, agreeing to accept any punishment. But how would he do that exactly?

A devilish smirk appeared on his face as he inched closer to her. "Do you know how much damage you did last night?"

Katherine shook her head and gulped. Everything in his place seemed to be really expensive. Did she break something? "No matter how much it is… you can take it from my salary."

Damien chuckled upon hearing her response. 'With your salary, how long will it take you to pay me over fifty million dollars of damage?' He asked in his head. He didn't really mind about the painting as he wasn't a fan of the artist but it was an expensive gift. At most, he only felt bad that it was destroyed but he wasn't even attached to it.

"I don't think your salary is enough to pay for it even if you work with me for ten years."

Katherine's eyes widened. She didn't want to believe him but what reason does he have to lie to her? She looked around the room and didn't notice anything missing. But since she wasn't really in the position to question her boss, she could only swallow. "Then… then… what should I do?"

"Instead of money, you pay me back through service. Starting now, you are going to follow everything I say. You are not allowed to ask questions. You only follow." Damien said with an authoritative voice. Katherine nodded and listened as he continued, "No more drinking."

She began to feel nervous as she waited for what else the King wants. "Is… there anything else?"

In reality, Damien didn't think this through. He only wanted Katherine to stay by his side so he could keep an eye on her. And apart from 'no drinking', he couldn't think of anything else. "That's all for now. I will tell you the rest later."

He turned around and sauntered towards the sofa. He felt light-headed and he was drained from having no sleep. "I'll just lie down for a bit," he said and as soon as he laid down, he fell asleep.

Katherine felt guilty despite not knowing what she did. Damien didn't tell her what happened last night but she convinced herself that it probably would be better not to know.

She turned to the sink and finished washing the dishes before she walked up the stairs and brought some things from the bedroom.

For the first time, she saw Damien sleeping peacefully. Bending down, she carefully lifted his head and placed a pillow under it before covering him with a blanket. She sighed as she sat on the floor and stared at his gorgeous yet lipstick-stained face. Katherine had the urge to touch his sharp nose and slightly parted lips but her hands curled away just before she could do it.

With a cotton pad in her hand wet with makeup remover, she gently wiped off the reddish stain on his cheek until it was clean. That's when the thought came to her mind. Why would he have a lipstick stain? Moreover, it's the same shade as the lipstick that she wore on her lips earlier.

Shocked, she pressed her fingertips on her lips and although she couldn't remember what she did, she had an inkling of it.

'OMG.'

Katherine was on her feet in a flash and sprinted up the stairs, closing the door of the bedroom as soon as she got inside.

A small smile formed on Damien's face before he shifted in his position and continued his sleep.

Meanwhile, Katherine leaned on the door with her hand on her chest. She could feel her heartbeat race under the palm of her hand. Did she… did she really?

Not knowing what happened last night was frustrating for her but now, she was more afraid of knowing the truth. She breathed in and out several times as if she was calming herself down.

After a couple of hours of contemplation, Katherine decided to act as if nothing ever happened. She looked at herself in the mirror and gave herself a pep talk. "You're going to go out there, cook food, clean up, and ignore. You're good at this!"

Yes. Ignore the fact that he was an attractive and good-smelling Adonis. How simple.

And that's what she did. She cleaned up his place until it was spotless and cooked a dish with whatever she could find in the fridge while he was still asleep. It was almost four in the afternoon when Damien strode in the kitchen and found her tasting the saucy chicken and mushroom dish. He observed that his place was cleaner too.

He gazed at her and felt a ticklish feeling in his heart as if tiny feathers were brushing it.

Noticing his presence, she glanced up briefly before focusing her attention back to the dish she was cooking, "Oh, you're awake? You must be hungry… I'm almost done. Why don't you wash up and–"

Her words trailed off and she stiffened when she felt his arms wrap around her waist and his body pressed against her back. She could feel his warmth making her heart drum in her chest wildly. And the next second, Damien nuzzled his face on her shoulder.

Her hands froze and she didn't know what to do. She didn't particularly hate what he was doing but was she supposed to just leave him be? Was it okay for her to actually like his embrace?

Not knowing what to say, she tried her best to deflect her awkwardness and lightly nudged him. "What are you doing? I'm cooking… the pot is hot, you could get burned."

Damien smiled ever so slightly and responded, "Don't move. If you do, we could both get burned."

Katherine bit her bottom lip, wondering if she should push him away despite not wanting to. He felt her tense up and told her, "Just one minute. Just let me stay like this for one minute."

And it became quiet.

Two figures were still and their breathing gradually became in sync. Katherine's uneasiness slowly went away at the same time that Damien felt satisfied as if he had been worried for a long time and was finally able to breathe again.

It had been more than a minute but neither of them moved.

It wasn't only until Damien's phone rang that he pulled away and walked out of the kitchen. "I'll be right back."

She watched him leave and step into his office and suddenly felt empty. How could she miss him as soon as he left?

She patted her blushing cheeks and scolded her heart. "Calm down. Nothing's happening."

Not wanting any expectations, she fooled herself once again.