Chapter 1: Smile

Don't be fooled by her appearance, as beautiful as she seems she could be a cold hearted woman just waiting to rip your heart out at the chance. All women are like that, Damien recited over and over in his head as he saw the beautiful woman across from him. A saddened expression marred on her face as she talked on her cell phone.

He occasionally saw her glance in his direction and frowned as she did it again. This time she had a small smile on her face. He heard a melodic laugh and glanced at her secretively, his brows knitting in annoyance.

All women just want you for your looks; there is no such thing as 'love' anymore. Not since Jane left you. Damien thought again, another frown appeared on his face as she smiled at him. And she knitted her brows in confusion as she saw him frown.

"Flight 402 to New York will now be boarding," The voice called over the speaker system, Damien grabbed his ticket from his brief case and stood up. The woman did as well. God forbid this was going to be a long flight. Damien thought as he walked toward the woman accepting the tickets and handed her his. She smiled flirtatiously at him and he grimaced at her, her smile quickly faded and turned into a frown, she then scowled.

"Your seat ticket Sir." She said coldly and Damien smirked at her, her mouth slightly opened.

"Thank you." Damien's deep voice coolly said and he grabbed his ticket from her hands, slyly touching her palm as he grabbed it.

"You're welcome Sir." She called as his back faded into the tunnel.

"Hnn." He said to himself, he got to his first class seat and sat down on the cushiony leather and accepted a glass of water from a flight attendant who did a double take at him.

"Must all women stare at me like that?" Damien mumbled to himself as he took a sip of his water.

"Well, of course they look at you like that. You're devilishly handsome and you're famous." A woman said from behind and startled Damien senseless.

"Fuck woman, learn not to sneak up on people like that." Damien said and held his chest, trying to calm his quick pulse.

"Generally 'women' don't like to be referred to like that. And I'm very sorry I had startled you." A sweet voice said, but he kept his gaze to the book he pulled out from his brief case.

"I'm Lillian by the way." A hand rested on his armrest and he looked up to see the beautiful woman he had seen earlier.

His lips formed a thin line as she took a seat beside him and smiled.

"I don't generally like speaking, including to women who push themselves at me." Damien said his eyes glued to his book.

"Oh? So, you're gay?" Lillian smirked as he placed his book on his lap and stared at her.

"If it will make you leave me in peace, then yes I am 'gay'." His gaze never wavered and his face became serious, but inside Damien was laughing hysterically and was intrigued by this woman. Did he come off as a homosexual?

"You see, Mr. Hammond, I completely disagree with you. No offense to homosexuals but you just don't come off as a gay man. Believe me, I can tell." Lillian said and placed her chin in her palm and smiled.

"What did you say your name was?" Damien asked and she pursed her full pink lips.

"Lillian Clarke, I'm a photographer for the magazine Vogue? I took your picture a few times. With your ex, Jane Pres—"

"Thank you." Damien growled and Lillian sat back biting her lip knowing that she hit a nerve.

"I don't remember you." Damien said and got back to his book.

"Of course you don't remember me, I was a nerd, with large glasses and horse teeth," She laughed lightly and shook her head, "besides you were so much in love with Jane that you hardly noticed anyone around you."

Damien cleared his throat loudly and glared at Lillian.

A flight attendant slowly made her way toward Damien and smiled politely toward Lillian. "Yes, Mr. Hammond?"

"I'd like some scotch, please, on the rocks." Damien rubbed the corner of his eye and looked at Lillian.

"Yes Sir." The flight attendant walked away from them quickly.

"Wow, I must say Mr. Hammond. Drinking in the middle of the afternoon? I am very impressed. Have a good day, Mr. Hammond." Lillian smiled and moved out of her seat to her own behind Damien and he let out a deep breath.

How infuriating she was. Damien thought as the flight attendant came back with his drink. He gulped it down in two seconds and ordered another one.

He heard a 'tsk tsk' from behind him and he almost smiled. Almost. He hasn't smiled or laughed in two years, not since Jane had left him.

"We are experiencing slight turbulence, we would appreciate it if you return to your seat when the seatbelt sign turns on." A crackly voice said over the intercom.

When the seatbelt sign went on he downed his second drink quickly, and handed the empty glass to a passing flight attendant who smiled politely but had probably wanted to glare at him instead.

"Just turbulence? God I hate flying." He heard Lillian's voice gasp from behind him and he held on the arm rests. He closed his eyes after turning off the light near him and shutting the large window cover beside himself, to at least get some sleep before returning to his apartment and then to a photo shoot with Vogue. He wondered if Lillian was going to be taking pictures of him. But he thought wrong.

"Alright, now I need you to go to hair, make-up, and wardrobe please." A woman said as she rushed Damien toward a room with thousands upon thousands of hair products and make-up. Of course Damien was used to this so he simply sat down on the chair and waited to the woman in front of him to work her magic.

"M'kay, you're all set pretty boy." The older woman smiled at her work and Damien looked at himself in the mirror. He looked the same except his complexion was even, his hair was styled and he had on a Dolce & Gabbana double breasted pin stripe charcoal suit, with leather shoes, a matching belt and a white French cuffed shirt.

"So a model will be posing with you today. Greg, go get Lil please." The photographer said. Damien was slightly disappointed that Lillian wasn't there but when he turned his head to look at the model he raised an eyebrow.

Lillian, wearing a tight black dress and with curly brown hair walked over to him and smiled. "So, I guess you're not the photographer today?"

"Nuh-uh. I'm the model today." She pursed her lips and smiled again.

"I can tell. What did they make you wear? You look r—"

"Ah! Don't even! This is vintage Dior. Alice will kill you if you insult the dress." She whispered the last part pointing to a woman in glasses and flaming red hair, Damien kept his mouth shut.

"Alright people! Let's get this shoot started!" The photographer said and moved them toward the set, a vintage 18th century room complete with a gold framed bed with blue silk sheets and cotton pillows.

"So, I want Mr. Hammond to sit against the bed post, yes and now Lilly can you move to the other side of the bed and rest your head against his lap—great now Mr. Hammond, can you put your hand behind your head—" Damien heard a click and then another one, "Now Lilly get on your knees in front of him but don't sit on him please, okay now grab his tie from his shirt and lean back slightly lifting your head…"

He looked at her and raised his brow, she winked at him and whispered, "Kinky."

And he smiled. That was when the click of the camera went off.