A few minutes later, she returned from the bar with a bottle of champagne and two glasses.
‘Compliments of the manager, apparently,’ she shouted.
‘Nice,’ I shouted back picking up the bottle. ‘What the hell? This is Cristal. Do you have any idea how much this costs in a place like this?’
She shrugged her shoulders. ‘Who cares? Just open it!’
I peeled off the foil and popped the cork. Armed with a fresh glass of champagne each, we made sure our bouncer friend wasn’t in the near vicinity, before climbing back onto the table to resume our earlier fun.
A few moments later, I was about to declare, for possibly the fiftieth time that night, that this, was in fact, my favourite song when a strong pair of hands grabbed hold of my waist, pulling me down from the table and into his arms.
‘Haven’t you already been told once to get down from there, young lady,’ Gabriel growled in my ear. ‘I thought my days of throwing you out of nightclubs were long over?’ He looked into my eyes and I felt the heat from his gaze deep in my core. I had a sudden urge to wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him.
Thankfully, he set me down on my feet before I did, before helping Sadie down too. I stared at him. I should have been annoyed that he had ruined our fun, but all I could think about was how good it had felt to have him holding me.
‘What are you doing here? This isn’t one of your clubs. How did you even know I was here?’ I asked.
‘I didn’t know you were here until I got here. I came to see the manager, he’s a friend of mine.’
That explained the free champagne then. ‘How long have you been here?’
‘About an hour,’ he shouted.
‘Have you been spying on me?’ I asked, not sure if I was annoyed or flattered. The champagne was making me feel like a giggly teenager. Or was that him?
‘No! But when Tony told me that he was about to throw two women out because they wouldn’t stop dancing on the tables, I had an idea you might be involved. I remember how much trouble you used to get me into because you refuse to dance on the floor like a normal person,’ he said with a smile.
I suddenly felt very light-headed. Champagne always went straight to my head. ‘I think I need to go home now.’ I slurred.
Beth and her friend stayed on at the club, but Sadie, Nick and I tumbled into Gabriel’s car. I sat in the front seat and kicked off my heels, putting my bare feet on the dashboard. My dress, which was already very short, had ridden up to the very top of my thigh, but I didn’t bother to pull it down. As we drove to drop off Sadie and Nick at their respective houses, I noticed Gabriel stealing surreptitious glances at my exposed thighs, and even in my inebriated state, I couldn’t help but smile.
After we had dropped off Nick and Sadie, Gabriel finally spoke.
‘What are you wearing, Samantha?’
‘A dress, Gabriel.’
‘If you could call it a dress,’ he said as he raised an eyebrow at me. ‘You sure it’s not a top?’
‘Yes, I’m sure. I was clubbing, wasn’t I? And I’m not showing any boobs so it’s fine.’
‘Eh?’
‘Boobs or legs — but never both — them’s the rules.’
He laughed. ‘You could get a man into a lot of trouble with those legs.’
I wouldn’t mind getting you into a lot of trouble!
We drove along in silence for a while before I spoke again. ‘I suppose you can’t wait to tell my dad you had to drive me home after I got drunk at a club again, can you?’ I asked him. I had intended it to come out like a joke, but instead couldn’t help adding a hint of sarcasm.
He turned in his seat and frowned at me. ‘What?’
‘Just like when I was a kid, always running to tell my dad when I’d been naughty?’
‘For the record, I never once told your father about any one of the many occasions I had to take you home or throw you out of a club.’
I blinked at him. Surely he was lying. Back when I was a rebellious teenager, he’d been as bad as my father for treating me like I was made of glass — hadn’t he? ‘What? Of course you did.’
He shook his head. ‘Nope. Never.’
‘But I thought ...’
‘You were usually in enough trouble without me adding to the drama. Besides, if he’d known about half the things you used to get up to, your dad would have had you carted off to a nunnery.’
I stared at him with my mouth hanging open. This was a complete shock to me. Gabriel broke the tension by starting to laugh. ‘Remember that time I caught you trying to climb out of your bedroom window and you got stuck?’
In spite of myself, I laughed too. I blushed as I remembered it. I was sixteen and had been grounded for smoking weed. I was sneaking out to meet my boyfriend when I saw Gabriel’s car pulling into our drive. I had tried to climb back into the window but instead had managed to wedge myself in somehow. Gabriel had shouted from the drive to stay where I was, and then he came inside and made an excuse to use the bathroom before sneaking upstairs and secretly hauling me back inside.
‘If I recall, you never told him about that, actually.’
‘I never told him about any of it,’ he frowned at me. ‘I thought you knew that?’
I shook my head. ‘No. He was always annoyed with me for something, I just thought he knew about me sneaking into clubs and drinking too. I assumed your loyalty always lay with him?’
I watched as Gabriel clenched his jaw shut. ‘It did.’
I nodded. Thought so!
‘But it wasn’t about loyalty,’ he went on. ‘It was about understanding that you were both struggling to adjust, and that you were both just doing your best.’
I stared at him and he kept his eyes fixed on the road ahead. ‘And what about now, Gabe? Where does your loyalty lie? Would you still keep secrets from my father for me?’ I teased him.
I heard a low growl in his throat.
‘Well?’ I asked again, placing my hand on his arm.
He turned to face me. ‘That would depend entirely on what the secret was,’ he said seriously before turning back to the road. Suddenly, the air was thick with tension again.
I looked out of the window. I was far too drunk to be having such deep conversations with a man who was too intense for words.
Chapter 16
Samantha
Despite my protestations, and several irate phone calls to my father, Gabriel continued to turn up at my office at five o’clock every evening. And every night, I made him wait for at least two hours. I never thanked him for the lift home. Instead, I made sarcastic comments and asked inappropriate questions about his personal life.
He was always polite to me. Answering my questions, or graciously refusing if they were too personal, rarely letting any emotion show at all. But, the less of a reaction I got from him, the more I wanted to provoke one. At first it was because I was annoyed at him — and my father. But, once I had resigned myself to the fact that he was going to be my lift home for the foreseeable future, it started to bother me that I never got anything back from him.
What was that about? He never showed any reaction, even when I was being incredibly rude to him. He never once swore at me, or told me to mind my own business. I could only conclude that it was because he felt sorry for me. Poor little Samantha whose husband beat her. Samantha who couldn’t even protect herself. That realisation made me resent him and his presence in my life even more.
I was looking out of the window when I saw him walking up the steps to my office in his customary suit. He looked as handsome as ever and I felt my heart start pounding in my chest as I imagined how he would look naked — and preferably on top of me. My cheeks flushed at the thought until I heard Beth giggling outside my door. I heard the mumble of chatter and wondered what she and Gabriel were talking about, especially when I heard him laughing too. But when he walked into my office a moment later, only serious, solemn Gabriel was present. No trace of laughter remained. As usual, he took a seat
in the chair opposite my desk and we began our regular evening routine.
‘So how was your day?’ I asked, my voice dripping with sarcasm, as I sat down behind my desk.
Gabriel glared at me. ‘How about we strike a deal?’
‘I’m listening,’ I said. The last deal I’d struck with him had resulted in him making me coffee every evening so that had worked out well.
‘You can go on asking me as many questions as you like. You can ask me anything at all, and I’ll answer. But, I get to ask you one question — and you have to tell the truth.’
I studied his face as he stared at me. God, he was so damn hard to read.
‘Deal?’ he asked.
‘Deal,’ I replied. I could answer one question. How hard could that be? And now I got to ask him anything at all. So, I asked him about the one thing that I’d been desperate to know about. The thing that my father had warned me never to mention.
‘So, I hear you were married too while I was away? Who was she? What happened?’ I said as I leaned my elbows on the desk. I expected him to scowl at me but he maintained his cool facade.
‘Her name was Jennifer. We were married for three years. We got divorced four years ago.’
‘That’s it? Come on, Gabe. Tell me what happened between the two of you? Did you love her? Why did you get divorced? We had a deal and your limited answers are really not cutting the mustard,’ I said with a grin. I so enjoyed trying to push his buttons.
Gabriel stared at me and I thought I saw the flicker of a scowl, before his face returned to its usual impassive state when he was around me. ‘Of course I loved her - I married her. But we grew apart. Me and your dad were building the business and I spent too much time doing that and not enough with her. She had an affair, and that was it.’
I almost fell off my chair. I’d had no idea. ‘What? She had an affair?’
He did frown at me then. ‘Yes. That’s what I said.’
‘I’m sorry, Gabriel. I didn’t know,’ I said, wishing now that I hadn’t asked him about his ex-wife at all. Although I quite enjoyed annoying him, I hadn’t want to cause him any genuine pain.
‘Don’t be,’ he replied with a shrug. ‘It was a long time ago. We’ve both moved on.’
I smiled at him and wondered how anyone could ever cheat on Gabriel? He was one of the good ones, wasn’t he? Not to mention he was hotter than molten lava. But what would I know? Thinking of all the women who used to envy my relationship with Jackson, I shuddered — how little they knew!
Gabriel pulled up outside my apartment building and turned off the engine of his car. I turned to him. He still hadn’t asked me a question and I was curious to know what it would be. Earlier on, it had seemed like he’d had a specific one in mind. Still feeling guilty for making him talk about his ex-wife, I was reminded that although it was annoying, Gabriel was only being my personal chauffeur because my father was so worried about me. It wasn’t Gabriel’s fault he was stuck in the middle of the two of us. Perhaps I should be a bit nicer to him?
‘You still haven’t asked me a question?’ I said.
He turned in his seat. ‘The night’s not over yet,’ he replied.
I smiled at him. ‘Oh, really?’
‘I think it’s about time you made me a coffee for a change,’ he said with a smile.
Not quite a question.
I considered him. What was his game plan? Maybe he wanted to know about Beth? I’d seen the flicker of fire in his eyes when he walked into my office every evening, after he’d been chatting to my young, blonde receptionist. Whatever it was he was intending to ask me, I was now desperate to know.
‘Okay,’ I said with a smile, trying to convey a confidence I hardly ever felt around him. ‘Come up.’
Chapter 17
Samantha
Gabriel and I were standing in my kitchen, waiting for the kettle to boil when he finally spoke.
‘So, I’ve answered all of your questions tonight, Samantha. Now it’s my turn. And remember, you promised to answer it truthfully?’
I leaned against the kitchen counter, eyeing him warily, wondering what on earth he was about to ask. It had been hours since I’d agreed to his seemingly innocuous request. But there, in my kitchen, I was beginning to wonder if I’d made a huge mistake. Gabriel walked towards me until we were only inches apart. He was almost a foot taller than me and without my heels, I had to crane my neck to look up at him. I could feel the heat from his body; smell his distinctive aftershave. His breathing was slow and controlled. As always, he was the picture of calm and confidence.
I, on the other hand, could hear my own breathing becoming faster and heavier, my blood pounding in my ears, the flush creeping up my neck. I prayed that he didn’t notice, but feared my voice alone would betray me.
‘So what’s your question, Gabriel?’ I asked, my voice barely a whisper.
He looked into my eyes. I wanted to look away from him but I couldn’t. He held me there, his green eyes almost black.
‘Why are you such a bitch to me, Samantha?’ he asked.
I opened my mouth in shock, trying desperately to think of a quick retort. But before I could respond, and reprimand him for his insult, he went on.
‘At first I thought you’d just turned into a bitch, but I don’t think that’s true, is it? Because you’re nice to everyone. Even your receptionist who can’t even get your coffee right.’
He stared at me, waiting for an answer. Then he dipped his head lower.
‘Then I thought maybe it’s a mask. You pretend that’s who you really are so no-one will take advantage of you, and I get that. But, you’re not like that with anyone else, are you? So, why do you reserve this particular charming facet of your personality solely for me?’
I looked away from him, afraid that he would see the truth before I could think of a convincing lie. I could try to walk away from him but he was so close I wouldn’t have been able to move without brushing past him, and I wasn’t sure I could trust myself to touch him.
‘You promised me the truth,’ he reminded me.
I was trapped. Had I known he’d ask something so insightful, I would never have agreed to his stupid request. I couldn’t even think of a good lie. He had shaken me — seen right through the confident facade I presented and saw the real Samantha – and therein lay the problem.
‘Because I can’t stand the way you look at me, Gabriel!’ I shouted and he took a step back from me.
A look of confusion flashed across his face before disappearing behind his usual mask of certainty. ‘But I’ve always been nothing but respectful to you. Haven’t I?’
‘Exactly. And that’s my problem. I see the way you look at other women. I see the way you look at Beth.’
‘Beth? Are you fucking kidding me?’ He frowned at me.
‘You never look at me that way, and it’s because you will only ever see me as a victim. As someone to pity.’
He glared at me then. His eyes burning into mine. ‘Of all the things I might feel for you, Sam, pity is not one of them. You are the strongest woman I know.’
He called me Sam!
I shook my head. I didn’t believe him. How could I? ‘Are you telling me that when you found out about what Jackson did, you didn’t feel sorry for me?’
Gabriel ran his hands through his hair as he stared at me. ‘I wouldn’t call it feeling sorry for you, but yes, I felt sorry about what had happened to you. I’m only fucking human, Sam.’
‘I don’t want you to feel sorry for me. I want you to look at me and see me. Not some poor little victim who needs protecting.’
‘I do see you. I don’t feel sorry for you, but that doesn’t mean I don’t hate what that bastard did to you. And you think I want Beth? For an intelligent woman, you really are clueless sometimes,’ he snapped.
‘Clueless? You-'
Before I could finish my sentence, he was on me. His hands in my hair, his body pressing mine against the worktop. ‘Yes,’ he growled in my ear. ‘
Clueless, if you think that I want anyone other than you.’
He pushed his groin into mine and I could feel his erection pressing against me, just above where I ached to feel him the most. The throbbing between my thighs intensified and I could feel the warmth and the wetness pooling there already. Everything about him was driving me crazy. The smell of him. The weight of his body almost crushing mine. The scratch of his stubble against my throat as he growled in my ear. Even the way he spoke to me made my legs tremble. His lips grazed my neck as he moved his head to look at me, and my face flushed pink as I thought about what else I would like him to do with that mouth.
He smiled at me and then he whispered, ‘I’m not sure you could handle me though, Sam.’
Mistaking his statement as a challenge, I grinned at him. ‘I’m not sure you could handle me, Gabriel?’ I breathed.
He moved so fast that I could barely process what was happening. Before I could even blink I was bent over and pinned to my kitchen table, with one of Gabriel’s large hands on the back of my neck. I gasped in a lungful of air and willed my heart to stop racing. It should have been a huge turn off for me. My brain was telling me to run, but my body was physically aching for him, desperate for him to sate the constant feeling of need he instilled in me. The way he did everything with such confidence and certainty — on paper, it should put me off, but it only made me want him even more.
Bending over me, Gabriel pressed his groin into my behind and his mouth against my ear. ‘Do you want to know what I’ve been thinking about when you’ve been making me wait in your office?’
‘What?’ I whispered, hoping that it involved him doing unspeakable things to me.
‘I was thinking about how much I’d like to bend you over that desk of yours, and fuck your brains out,’ he said and I felt my insides turn to hot liquid.
Gabriel stood up and removed his hand from my neck. ‘Don’t move, Sam,’ he ordered.
I remained still, my hands splayed against the cool wood of my kitchen table as my legs trembled in anticipation of what this man was about to do to me. I felt his hands on my knees first, lifting the hem of my pencil skirt as he started to slowly slide it up my thighs towards my hips. His fingertips brushed against my skin, leaving trails of hot lava in their wake. He continued pushing the fabric up my thighs and over my backside, until my skirt was bunched around my waist. I could hear his steady breathing but otherwise he was silent, his movements confident and controlled.
Dark Angel: A Dark Romance: London Ruthless Series Book 1 (The London Ruthless Series) Page 6