The Billionaire's Fixation

Chapter Five: The first meet

Damon’s POV

The drive was too long. Longer than it should have been. My fingers gripped the steering wheel, knuckles white. The night air rolled in through the cracked window as the city lights faded into the darkness. My thoughts were too focused on the idea I couldn’t quite shake, the dare my friends had convinced me to take.

I had no business being here.

I wasn’t the kind of man who slummed it at pubs like this. Hell, I didn’t even know how to behave in a place like this. My world was polished suits, luxury, skyscrapers, and exclusivity. A dive pub wasn’t a part of that. But tonight, I didn’t care about that world. Tonight, I wanted to see what it was like on the other side.

It took me a few wrong turns, but eventually, the neon sign flickered in the distance The Rusty Nail. The name itself sounded like something that belonged to a different world, a world I never had the inclination to step into. My tires crunched over gravel as I pulled into the empty lot. The pub was tucked in the corner of an alleyway, old and worn out.

There was no going back now.

I pushed the door open, the musty air hitting me as I stepped inside. The low hum of chatter filled the space, but everything else seemed drowned out by the bass from the jukebox. People were gathered in the corner, laughing, talking, and drinking. This wasn’t my scene. I could feel the weight of every eye on me.

I didn’t belong here. But that was the point. My heart raced a little faster than I liked.

I took a step forward, surveying the room. And then I saw her.

She was standing behind the bar, her back to the room. Dark hair pulled up in a messy knot, the dim light casting a glow around her. It wasn’t the way she looked that got to me, it was the way she moved. Everything about her was deliberate, calm, and confident. She belonged here, in a way that made me feel uncomfortable, like I didn’t belong.

She turned then, the movement slow, purposeful. Our eyes locked. For a split second, the world went still.

A jolt ran through me, a charge of electricity I hadn’t felt in a long time. I didn’t know why I was staring. I just couldn’t stop. She didn’t look at me like she recognized me, and that made the pull even more intense. She was the kind of woman who had the kind of power I was used to, the kind that could control a room just by existing in it. Her eyes were dark, intense, and for a moment, I thought she could see everything about me.

I wasn’t used to this feeling.

I wasn’t used to anyone being able to break through my walls with a single glance.

I walked up to the bar, trying to compose myself. She didn’t flinch, didn’t even move.

“What can I get for you?” she asked, keeping her tone neutral, as she set my hands on the bar.

“I’ll have a whiskey,” I finally said, my voice smooth, controlled.

She nodded, moving to grab the bottle. “Neat?”

“Yeah,” I replied, my eyes still following her every movement.

I felt the rush of heat under my skin, like a pulse I couldn’t ignore.

She was a challenge. I could feel it in the way she looked at me, the way she spoke. No woman had ever made me feel this way. No woman had ever commanded my attention this much, just by existing in my line of sight.

The space between us felt charged. Even as she turned away to prepare a drink, I couldn’t tear my gaze from her. There was something about her something I couldn’t name, but I wanted to. I needed to.

She was like a magnet, pulling me in.

I took a seat at the pub, not looking anywhere else. Every part of me was focused on her. I didn’t know how long I sat there, just watching her my drink untouched. There was something so mesmerizing about the way she moved, how she interacted with the customers, how she never seemed rattled by their demands. She was in control, and I couldn’t look away.

She didn’t approach me again for a while. I wasn’t sure if it was intentional or not. But every time I glanced up, she was there, just within reach but unreachable.

A part of me knew I should leave. This wasn’t the world I was supposed to get lost in. But something kept me there, tethered to that spot at the pub, unable to move. I wasn’t sure what it was.

When she finally came back over, she leaned against the pub, resting her arms. “You still here?” she asked, a flicker of amusement in her eyes.

“I’m not sure why, honestly.” My voice was lower now, more introspective. I had never been one to speak openly, but there was something about her that made me lower my guard.

Her lips twisted again, a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “You’ll figure it out.”

And just like that, the way she said it so casual, yet with something deeper beneath it made my chest tighten.

She didn’t know it yet, but I wasn’t leaving without her. I wasn’t sure how I was going to make it happen. But I had to. I had to know everything about her.

I wasn’t sure why I felt this way, this overwhelming sense of needing to possess what was just out of my reach. But I couldn’t shake it.

When she walked away again, I realized I was already planning my next move. There was no going back now.