Chapter 38: 1 Tequ, 2 Tequ, 3 Tequ, Floor


    The Harborview Paradise


    Damien took everyone to one of the restaurants that he loves. He asked what kind of food they liked to eat and most of them agreed on seafood and this restaurant serves it fresh. They get to pick the seafood raw and ask the kitchen to cook it however they like.


    In a private room that amodated all eleven of them, they found their seats and waited for the food to be served. This was what they liked about their Big Boss, he''s always generous whenever he takes them out for a treat. Unlike other bosses, Damien may be strict but he knows how to have fun after work hours.


    Katherine found an empty seat and Damien sat on her right while Caleb sat on her left side. It was like the Devil and the Angel sitting on either side of her.


    When their food arrived, Mr. Lim raised a ss of wine to make a toast. "To Ms. Miller, wee to Crown Resort Group."


    "To Ms. Miller."


    "To Katherine."


    They cheered in unison. Katherine blushed, yet she liked the feeling of belongingness.


    Katherine''s friend Emma would always tell her not to drink beyond one ss because that''s the only amount of alcohol that she could handle. Otherwise something dire could happen. However, Katherine would never remember what happens when she gets drunk. Raising her own ss, she took a sip and made a mental note not to drink too much that night.


    Once they started eating, Caleb was very thoughtful that he shelled a few shrimps and ced it on Katherine''s te.


    "Oh, thank you but you don''t have to. I can do it myself." Katherine politely said.


    "I know. Just think of it as a wee gift or the interest for that pending coffee treat." He chuckled and continued to eat.


    "Ah Thanks."


    Damien, who saw the whole thing, felt a bit sour. He already nned to give her food too but Caleb beat him to it. With a lobster on his te, he skillfully took the meat from its shell and ced the whole thing on Katherine''s te.


    "Oh."


    Surprised by his gesture, she nced at him but saw that he wasn''t even looking at her and was eating quietly by himself as if nothing happened. Her heart thumped as she looked at her te with all the food in it; she didn''t think that she would be able to finish them all. She thought for a quick second and before she knew it, she was already cutting a piece of the lobster meat, dipped it in her favorite sauce and ced it on top of Damien''s spoon. "This one is good You should try it," she said.


    The rest of the group saw what she did and they all froze. Although they knew that their boss was approachable, he never liked women who do this for him. They heard about Natasha''s sudden resignation and they knew she came on too strong to Damien thinking that she was going to get more from him  and that was her mistake. Damien initially tolerated her sly innuendos which made her think that he liked it. What she didn''t know was he only kept being patient with her and ignored her advances until he finally got fed up.


    However, his new secretary Katherine  what would his reaction be? Anticipating for their boss''s response, they quietly snuck nces at him. To their surprise, Damien stared at the food on his spoon before he looked up to see Katherine''s smile waiting for him to taste it. "Okay," he said and shed a brief but genuine smile before cing the food in his mouth.


    That very short reaction from him made the rest of the group breathe out a sigh of relief. They exchanged stares at each other and snickered, they realized that their boss was definitely biased towards his new secretary.


    The night was still young as it was only eight in the evening when they got out of the restaurant. Feeling energetic after the scrumptious dinner, one of them said, "It''s too early to go home for a Saturday night. Why don''t we go somece else and have a few drinks?!"


    "That would be great! It''s been a while since we had a gathering," Mr. Lim agreed and the rest of the group waited for Damien to approve.


    Katherine didn''t mind at all, she doesn''t have anywhere else to go that night. At least, she didn''t have to worry about spending the night alone with Damien in his ce.


    "Mhmm," was all that Damien uttered. His response made the group exim in excitement. Too bad he didn''t know that he was going to regret his decision that night.


    They didn''t have to go too far as there was a bar with private rooms for their group just right across the street. After ordering their drinks and snacks, some of them started dancing and singing on the mini-stage in the middle of the room. Mr. Lim ordered a round of shots for everybody to start their party and when the tray of tequ shot sses arrived, each of them took one.


    Damien got a little worried for Katherine who was sitting right next to him. But since this was her wee party, he let her enjoy.


    "Alright on the count of three," Caleb scanned the group with a naughty smile on his face and saw their waiting expressions. "Three!"


    Caleb''s trick surprised everyone but nevertheless, they downed their shot sses and cheers followed right after.


    The assistant manager named Jane grabbed Katherine''s hand and dragged her to the tform. "It''s your night, it''s against the rules not to sing!" She shoved the microphone to Katherine''s hand and an upbeat song sounded in the background.


    "I don''t sing." Katherine returned the microphone to Jane and was about to sit back on the couch when she was pulled back to the stage by the rest of the group.


    "No-no-no you stay here! At least dance with us!" Jane insisted and handed her a ss of beer. "Here, drink up! It will ease your nerves. You need to enjoy, Katherine. It''s your party!"


    "But I can''t"


    "We''re drinking with you!" Jane and the rest of the people on the tform raised their sses and shouted, "Bottoms up!"


    Feeling yful, Mr. Lim gently pushed the ss to her mouth and Jane helped, forcing Katherine to drink her beer together with them.


    "Yes!!!" They cheered once again and started singing and dancing to the song "Bad Romance" by Lady Gaga.


    Katherine winced, her eyes closed as she exhaled deeply, the beer was bitter and cold making her body shake involuntarily. But soon after, a smile on her lips appeared making Damien sigh thinking that she should be okay and secretly hoped that she would be ok for the rest of the night.


    The longer they partied that night, the more alcohol was consumed.


    And of course, the more Katherine felt untethered.


    The next morning, Katherine woke up having a massive headache and sore muscles. Squinting her eyes, she found herself inside the bathtub.


    Half naked.


    With a pillow under her head that smelled of choctes.


    She turned her head only to find a blob of chocte on the fluffy white pillow.


    She raised her hand wanting to touch the chocte mess only to find a banana in her hand.


    "Are you sober meow I mean, now?" Damien''s cold voice startled Katherine making her sit up inside the bathtub and saw him leaning against the doorframe  his hair disheveled, shirt torn, and lipstick stains on his face.


    He was expressionless when he added, "I promise I won''t take your chocte away from you ever again."


    What in the world happened to you, Katherine?