I Mind

A week and three days had passed since Ashley moved into the mansion.and this morning just like every other, she was getting ready for work.

Sephirah had been coming around, though not everyday but Ashley guessed it was just to keep her from being lonely. Jacob had been a good man to her too. She was meeting good people and she liked it. Damon was the one she just wasn't sure about.

Ashley was glad he hadn't done any of his silly teasings yet but everyday and everytime she saw him, she felt her admirations grow. When he looked at her most of the time, she felt her heart stop.

Ashley had been trying a lot to help herself but she just couldn't, she wasn't trying enough. Her heart raced alot when she was beside him or when their eyes met. She knew really well that she was falling deeper for his looks, something she didn't want and couldn't help or stop.

Sometimes he smiled knowingly once he caught her staring, some other times, he kept a very cold expression. It was hard to tell if he was angry or not. Ashley didn't understand his mood swings. The man was just something.

Ashley adjusted the collar of her shirt while looking at her self in the mirror. When she was satisfied with her look, she left the room and headed downstairs.

She was happy that it was a Thursday, at least the weekend was around the corner, even though she would be stuck in the house because she couldn't go anywhere, not even with Natalie.

She couldn't leave to have the fun she had started opening up to. She had spent the first weekend in the mansion already, it was just so boring and she had decided to help Jacob out with anything she could help him out with. Sephirah had also come over but that wasn't just enough for her.

Well, at least it was only Sundays she had to spend being at home through out.

When Ashley got to the living area, she met Jacob.

"Good morning My Lady. " He greeted.

No matter how much Ashley told him to not call her that, he didn't listen, saying that he wasn't allowed to call her by her name.

"Why?" Ashley had asked him.

"I don't know what relationship you have with master Damon but if you're close to him then I respect you and besides I could get punished." Was the reply he had given her.

Ashley should have expected that, they would think she was in a relationship with Damon. Why else would he bring a woman home.

Ashley didn't think she was close, like that with Damon. Also why should he get punished when she was the one who wanted him to call her by her name. Was Damon going to be the one to do the punishing? What a life servants lived.

The man looked older than Damon but he was still his servant, and well, the master could do what ever he pleased when it came to his servant.

Ashley had now allowed him to call her what he wanted. They was no point in arguing with him.

Ashley smiled widely after he greeted her. "Jacob, good morning. Do you know where Damon is?" She asked.

"He is outside waiting for you." He said.

"Thank you." Ashley said then walked out to find Damon waiting by the car.

He was wearing black leather pants, with a black shirt and a beautiful black furry coat on top then cool boots too. God, did he look so charming in black. One could call him the king of black. He had earrings on too and she saw him take his hand through his hair as he looked back at her. He looked so pretty as he did that and she watched the strands of his hair fall back into place. His eyes also looked so beautiful beneath his long lashes. Ashley was lost staring again and didn't even realize that she had stopped walking.

"What took you long? You'll be late for work." He asked her.

He had a very beautiful and masculine voice too. Ashley shook her head. This was getting very bad. This was not the first time she was hearing his voice for God's sake.

"Why are you still standing there?" He asked and she realized that she had stopped walking.

She quickly walked to the car and got in. Damon did the same and they left the compound. Everything was about him was beautiful even up to his voice but she knew that all those were deceits. They were demons and as he had said, all that was a cover-up for what they truly were. They looked like that to make men fall into their traps.

Today again Ashley didn't have anything to say during the drive so she was quiet. Damon was quiet too and was focused on the road. Ashley had gotten to know the road from the mansion to her workplace now. It was a bit far and that was why she always had to be ready on time so they could leave on time so as to prevent lateness.

Damon had been doing a good job taking responsibility for her though, none of them wished for all this.

Once she got to work, she was met with Natalie. They did some cleaning then opened up for the day.

Ashley attended to different customers through out the whole day. She expected Zuka to come again but it was surprising that he didn't show up. She thought he would come in the evening like he did once but he didn't come through out the day. Natalie had even asked her why her favorite customer didn't show up but even she didn't know why.

She didn't even have his contact info to maybe give him a call or something. She shrugged it off. If he comes tomorrow then she would just talk to him.

After the long day, it was time to go home. Ashley had stayed a whole week and three good days without having those nightmares. She was so grateful they had stopped. She didn't have to struggle with them anymore.

Damon was on time to pick her up then they headed back home in silence. She had started referring to the mansion now as her home. Well, it was for now so there was no need to avoid using the word.

"Have dinner with me." Damon told her as they walked inside.

She didn't know if he was asking or saying that she should. Either way she felt she couldn't say no. But she was also surprised that he said that.

"You mean now?" She asked him. Why did she? What time was dinner usually eaten?

"Yes. You don't want to?"

"No, I mean yes, I mean okay." She said then pinched herself. She didn't know whàt was wrong with her.

Damon shook his head with a smile and led her to the dining room. He told Jacob to serve dinner which he did and served them at the table.

Ashley felt hungry, she hadn't eaten anything yet so even if he hadn't told her to have dinner with him she would still have had it. After serving some food into their plates, they began to eat.

"It's been over a week since you moved in." Damon started which made Ashley who was so focused on her food look up and at him.

"Do you like it here?"

Ashley dropped her fork and knife and put her hands under the table. She sighed and thought of how to answer him. Did she like it? She herself wasn't sure.

Maybe she somehow did like it, since well, she got to live like a rich person and she didn't have bad dreams and her prayers of meeting a few good people were being answered. But she didn't have enough freedom.

"Well, it's not that bad, at least I have been sleeping well." She said.

"You used to have nightmares." That wasn't a question, she noted.

"Yes. How did you know?"

"I've seen you toss and turn a few times." Damon answered then put a pice of meat in his mouth.

Wow! He had really been watching her, hadn't he?

Ashley picked up her fork again to continue eating. She wanted to ask about the demon man in her dreams since Damon was the one that could give her an answer but Sephirah had said she shouldn't pester him about it. Maybe she should just wait for whatever right time to get her answers.

These were the 'more' that Damon had said he was going to explain some other time, she guessed. She hadn't wanted to disturb for answers because she didn't know what kind of answers were waiting. They could be just like the shocking answer she had gotten about the demons so she would not rush herself into them.

"Can I go out with my friend this Sunday?" Ashley asked despite knowing what the answer would be. She had asked the same thing the Sunday before but he had used the excuse that it wasn't just safe for them out there to make her stay home.

She wondered why he let her go to work then if it was not safe.

"Ashley you...."

"I can't, it's okay I understand." She cut him short.

"You don't." He shook his head. "You don't understand yet but until you do I can't just let you just go out anyhow."

"Why do you still let me go to work then? Or do you still secretly watch me at work?" She decided to ask him.

"Yes." He replied shortly.

"Then can't you just do the same on Sunday?"

"Ashley, it's not as easy as you think."

"Of course it's not. I'm full already and I'll be going to sleep now if you don't mind." She faked a smile and stood up to leave.

"But I mind."