“So tell me, Gabriella, what do you like to do?” His mouth turned up as he grinned.
“I love to volunteer at the women’s shelter and I also help out at Narcotic’s Anonymous. I moonlight at the substance abuse clinic at Bellevue too. I did my residency there so it was hard for me to move on.”
“You’re a very busy lady. Why all the volunteering?”
“I want to help those less fortunate. I think they sort of get lost in the shuffle.”
He nodded. “That’s an admirable quality. Not many people give up that much of their time.”
Her cheeks warmed with the compliment. “Thank you, but I love it.”
“No need to thank me. You’re the one who needs to be thanked. At least that’s how I see it.”
“I don’t know, there are a lot of lost souls out there. Those that need direction and love. And maybe if they get a helping hand, it can make a difference in their lives. You know?” she asked.
“I do.”
“So what about you?”
“I’m pretty basic. I get people from point A to point B and that’s about it.”
“Any volunteer activities?” Gabby asked.
“Afraid not. My only activity is writing the check to the charity.”
Gabby grinned. “Well, checks are very important.”
Their meals arrived and their conversation became minimal as they ate. The food was delicious, the wine extraordinary. She’d never had a culinary adventure quite like it. And she laughed because she couldn’t even begin to pronounce what she was eating. Kolson enjoyed watching the expressions of delight pass over Gabriella’s face even more than he enjoyed tasting the food.
“What?” she asked as she caught him eyeing her.
“The look on your face. It’s exquisite. I don’t think I can remember seeing anyone enjoy a meal like you have.”
Gabby’s hand touched her warm cheek. “Well, it was the best meal I’ve ever had.”
Kolson chuckled at the mischievous look on her face. “I’m happy you liked it so much. Later this week, I’ll take you to La Taverna so you can enjoy some Italian fare. It’s a marvelous place in Little Italy—you’ll fall in love with Giuseppe.”
“Giuseppe?”
“The owner. On second thought, he’ll fall in love with you.”
Gabby laughed. “I’d love to go. Italian is my favorite. Of course, how could it not be?” She sipped from her wine and sat back in her chair. “I need to thank you.”
“For what? Your company made the dinner much more enjoyable than anything I’ve done in ages.”
“That’s not what I wanted to thank you for,” she said, eyes sparkling.
“Oh?”
“You kept your word to not be annoying.”
A rumble of laughter burst from his chest and he eyed her with amusement. “I am so right about you.”
Now it was Gabby’s turn to be curious. “How so?”
“I can see you’re going to be a handful, Dr. Martinelli.” Kolson had already decided that Dr. Gabriella Martinelli was quite a remarkable woman. She was stimulating, witty, and bright.
Gabby hated for the evening to come to an end because she couldn’t remember the last time she’d enjoyed herself so much. When Kolson dropped her home, he walked her up to her door, and when he departed, she was disappointed that he only gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek and a promise to see her again very soon.
A few days later, Gabby was lost in her thoughts of Kolson when her phone buzzed. She was between patients and was happy she was able to answer.
“Hi.”
“Hi yourself. I was wondering if you were up for some Italian?”
“That depends. Is he nice?”
“Very funny.”
Kolson kept his promise and the following evening they found themselves seated at La Taverna, sipping a lovely Chianti. Kolson had been right. Giuseppe had fallen head over heels for Gabby.
“Signor Hart, you must bring Dottore Martinelli in with you more often. I shall spoil her and fatten her up, si?”
“No,” Gabby said, laughing. “I don’t want to get fat!”
“Ah, but Giuseppe will bring you all his special dishes tonight, si?”
“Yes, Giuseppe. Spoil the lovely lady for me, will you?”
And that’s exactly what he did. He brought out dish after dish of pastas and meats, until Gabby thought she would explode. The food was every bit as good here as it had been at Le Chatelaine. Kolson had to stop himself from rolling his eyes at the way Giuseppe fawned over Gabriella.
“So, tell me a little about yourself, Kolson. What do you like to do?”
“I enjoy watching you eat. I am enamored with you, Gabriella. And I am jealous of Giuseppe.”
Gabby let out a nervous laugh. No one could be enamored with her. She was unsure of every move she made and had no finesse around men. “You didn’t answer my question. I find you like to deflect a lot. There must be a reason for that.”
Kolson’s expression flattened. The last thing he wanted to do was talk about himself. He would rather endure waterboarding. Well, maybe not. But opening up to others was not an option. Then he flashed her a disarming grin. “Yes. I have a great reason. When I’m sitting next to a gorgeous woman, why in the hell would I want to discuss me when I can talk about her? There’s nothing more intriguing than uncovering the mysteries of a beautiful woman. And you, Gabriella are much more interesting than I am.”
Kolson was turning on the flirting game with her. She wasn’t very good at it for she’d never been flirted with or played that game before. She bit the inside of her cheek and frowned.
“Ah, there it is again. That doubt is clouding your eyes. You don’t believe me, do you?”
She squinted at him. “I suppose I have no reason not to.”
Finally, Giuseppe presented the grand finale, his specialty dessert, tiramisu. He didn’t make just any old tiramisu. His was made with a chocolate layer of custard and Gabby knew she’d found heaven at first taste.
Kolson eyed her with interest, because he knew what was about to happen. He watched as her mouth closed around her fork, pulling the semisweet concoction inside. Her lids fluttered, closed, then opened wide as she hummed and moaned and Kolson got his first inkling of what she would sound like in bed. His hand closed into a fist as he felt his dick grow hard.
Gabby grinned and said, “Oh my God! This is better than sex.”
Kolson quickly swallowed his bite of dessert and in a voice thickened with lust, he said, “Then, my beautiful kea, you’ve never had sex with the right man because I can promise you this: there’s not a dessert in the world that’s better than sex with me.”
Gabby could only gape at him as he stared back at her, smirking.
“Is that a challenge?” she finally asked.
“Not at all. It’s a promise. But if you care to test the waters …”
“Th-that’s not necessary.” But Gabby wouldn’t mind testing those waters. She wouldn’t mind at all. Maybe she wouldn’t even mind going for a swim. A nice long swim.
“If you change your mind, let me know.”
The temperature in the room had risen, and so had the tension between them. The undercurrent had grown heavier with passion. Gabby couldn’t look at Kolson without picturing him naked, kissing her. And Kolson’s thoughts ran much darker than that. He wanted to fuck her, he wanted to hear her moan like she did when she tasted her tiramisu, and he wanted to make her scream when she came.
They both knew one thing: it was only a matter of time before that happened.
Chapter Nine
Danny Martinelli was a charmer. He’d been that way ever since he was a toddler. His parents never denied him anything; his mother was smitten with him as soon as the nurse handed him over. She’d taken one look at him and that was it.
He’d learned at a very early age exactly how to cry, which tone of voice to use and what to say to get what he wanted. And he’d been given everything his heart desired—
from clothes, toys, the latest computer, video games—whatever it was at the given moment. Even his aunt and uncle fawned over him like he was some sort of gifted child, which he wasn’t. His gift was he knew what people wanted to hear and he told them those words exactly at the right moment to achieve his goals.
With one exception—his cousin Gabby. She never paid him the least bit of attention. No matter what he did or said, she would sit silently in the corner, reading her stupid books, and never laugh, grin, or take part in any of his stimulating conversations.
One day, Danny decided he would make it his personal mission to make sure Gabby noticed him. It started when he was fifteen and for one solid year, he went out of his way at every opportunity to pay attention to her. He would visit his alcoholic aunt and pompous uncle, spend time with Gabby and her brother, try to engage her in conversation, take her places and buy her little trinkets. Nothing worked. The only things Gabby cared about were doing well in school and reading her damn books. Those goddamn, stupid meaningless books.
Danny reached a point where he’d had it. His aunt, uncle, and cousin were going out, so Gabby needed a babysitter. Danny kindly volunteered. And that’s when it all began. It went on for years. Danny enjoyed it so much he even came home from college a lot more than he probably should have. He said he missed his family. But that wasn’t the real reason. The truth was he missed terrorizing and fucking Gabby. He loved how he had that control over her. It irked the shit out of him when she left for college and he lost some of it. He could only get to her occasionally then.
But the best part was when he’d convinced everyone that she was the problem child and had made up her ridiculous accusations. Even her obtuse parents believed him. Danny reminded Gabby of it constantly, but particularly when he was punching her. He liked to do that. But she was tough. She never showed any emotion and it took a lot to scare her.
He had no problems or issues with ruining her life. He didn’t even care that she tried to commit suicide. The only thing he cared about was that had she succeeded, she wouldn’t have been around for him to fuck anymore.
Then his mother told him a secret—the best secret he’d ever heard. It was one that made him the happiest kid on Earth. When she whispered the truth to him, Danny laughed. He laughed so hard his sides ached. It was so perfect because when he went to Gabby’s father with his little blackmail plan, he insured that Gabby would be his forever. Appearances meant everything to her old man, even more than his own daughter.
Danny waited outside Gabby’s building for over two hours after he thought she should be getting home from work, but she never arrived. His anger mounted. No doubt her little boyfriend picked her up after work and had taken her on a date. That wasn’t going to work for Danny. Gabby was his and his alone, and Danny didn’t like sharing. He let out an expletive, startling a small elderly woman walking her poodle, and stormed off down the street. He’d return later to check to see if she was back. But then, what good would that do? She’d be upstairs and safely tucked away in her little apartment, where he couldn’t get to her.
He’d poked around the place several times, and there were too many men hanging around the front and in the lobby. He’d need a distraction to sneak past them, and Danny wasn’t stupid enough to try something that daring on his own. He would need an accomplice, but he didn’t trust anyone to ask for their help.
Grinding his teeth, he headed to a place where he could down a few quick drinks. Maybe that would soothe his temper. After walking ten blocks, he found a seedy bar that looked like it had seen better days. Several people clustered in booths and the stools along bar were nearly filled. The pool table sat unused under blaring music. No one gave Danny a second glance as he hunted a seat.
A waitress took his order and brought him a drink … whiskey neat.
“Better bring me another,” he said.
“Looks like you might need a couple of extra on the side.”
He looked at her and half-smiled. “Maybe.” He let his eyes wander up and down her body. She wore a tight black V neck T-shirt that dipped low, exposing a good amount of her ample cleavage. She wore no bra and her rigid nipples stood firm, poking right through the thin fabric. The shirt ended above her belly button and her tight black shorts hit her below her hips, exposing tanned skin. She knew how to work it, and work it she did. Long legs completed the look.
When Danny finished his inspection, she swayed close to him and asked, “Well? Did I pass?”
“With flying colors.”
“Wanna take it for a test drive?”
“That depends.”
“On what?”
“How much?”
“Let’s just say I’ll let you have a few laps for free.”
Danny was an okay-looking guy. Dark skinned and thick black hair, some women found him attractive. But he was flashy and liked to grab the room’s attention. In recent years, his laziness had added extra pounds to his midsection, making him look much older than his thirty-two years.
“When?”
“Now, but we need to be discreet. I don’t want my boss to know. He won’t like it.”
“You got it.” It offended Danny that she wanted him to be low-key about this. He was prime. Everyone ought to know about his conquests.
“You go first and I’ll meet you there. Men’s room.”
He downed another whiskey and headed to the back. It wasn’t long before she walked in, a grin on her face, but he wiped it clean when he pulled her in, jerked her shirt up, and pinched both nipples cruelly. “You are a fucking tease, walking around with your tits poked out like this. You little cunt. What’re you trying to do to me?”
Then he took that same shirt and twisted it around her wrists, binding them tightly so she couldn’t move. As he moved her up against the wall, he unzipped her shorts and tugged them down. Slipping his finger under the elastic of her thong, he gave a twist and snapped it off her. Then he stuffed it into her mouth.
“Not a fucking peep out of you or I’ll make this hurt. You got it? This is gonna be either fun or painful. You can have it either way. Is it gonna be fun?”
Her eyes were like saucers as she nodded.
“Put your hands above your head and don’t fucking move.”
Danny put his hands on her breast and someone pounded on the door. “Goddammit, Nadine, are you in there again? Open the door right now!”
“Nadine?” Danny asked.
Nadine nodded again.
“Godammit, Nadine, customers need drinks. If you don’t open the door right this second, I’m busting it down.”
Danny grabbed Nadine’s thong out of her mouth and loosened the shirt from around her wrists.
“Just a second,” Nadine called out.
“NOW, Nadine.”
“I guess we’ll have to do this when you get off work,” Danny said. “How long?”
“Eleven.” She reached down and grabbed his crotch, which was hard as a rock and gave it a firm squeeze. “Hang around?”
“Hang? Doubtful.”
Nadine wriggled back into her shorts and put her mouth on his. “I’m looking forward to sucking you dry.” Then she waltzed out the door. Danny grinned. Sex with her was gonna be fun. But then his mood soured. It would never match what he’d had with Gabby, though. Nothing would.
Chapter Ten
Gabby was in her office when her phone buzzed. Since she was with a patient, she ignored it but checked her messages after her patient left. It was Kolson, inviting her to dinner.
“Gabriella.”
Every time he said her name, desire unfurled in her belly.
“Kolson. I would love to join you for dinner tonight, except I have to …”
“Volunteer somewhere,” he finished for her.
“Yes. You’re starting to figure me out already.”
“So, Gabriella, is there any night you don’t volunteer? How is a man supposed to take a woman he’s interested in out to dinner when said woman is always volunteering?”<
br />
“Now that is certainly a dilemma for said man, isn’t it?”
“It certainly is. And said man is getting quite frustrated with said woman’s busy schedule.”
“Hmm. Then perhaps said man should accompany said woman to her volunteer activities.”
Gabby was met with dead silence. “Kolson, I was only kidding.”
“Where and when?”
“No. It was a joke,” Gabby insisted. “Besides, you’ll be stuck in a an office where it’s cramped and unpleasant. Either that or you’ll have to wait in the waiting room with the patients. You can’t be with me while I work.”
“I know that. I can wait for you in your office and do work of my own, or wait in the waiting room. Shall I get it out of Sam?”
“Tonight’s not a good place to join me. It can get pretty ugly and honestly, you’d sort of be in the way.”
“I won’t be in the way. I’ll stay off to the side. I promise. What time?”
“Kolson. I’m serious.”
“As am I. Time, Gabriella. Besides, how am I ever going to get to know you and understand exactly what it is that you do if I don’t see it or at least the setting in which you function? Can you understand that I want to be with you?”
Her gaze softened as she stared at him. “Yeah, I think I can. Seven.”
“I’ll be there.”
“Um, no. You’ll have to come with me or they won’t let you in. Security.”
“I’ll pick you up with Sam at six thirty, then.”
True to his word, Kolson and Sam picked her up at six thirty. She noted Kolson’s casual attire.
“I’m glad you dressed down. I forgot to tell you,” she said.
The Hart Brothers Series Box Set (Including the bonus book Sabin: A Seven Novel): Freeing Her, Freeing Him, Kestrel, The Fall and Rise of Kade Hart, Sabin: A Seven Novel Page 8