by Sandi Lynn
“How so?” I cocked my head.
“He hates anything wealth, if that makes sense. He got kicked out of more prep schools than I could count, and hung around with his own crowd. A crowd that my parents didn’t approve of.”
“Why? Because they weren’t rich enough?” I smirked.
“Pretty much. The only thing Caleb wanted to do was play music. As soon as he graduated high school, he spent the summer in Los Angeles and when he came back, he told my father he wasn’t going to college and he wanted nothing to do with Quinn Hotels.”
“I’m sure your father loved that.”
He sighed. “He kicked him out, took away his trust fund, and didn’t speak to him for five years.”
“And your mother?”
“She would try to get in contact with him, but he held her just as much responsible because she didn’t try to make my father understand. Since the funeral, they’ve started to reconnect, but they have a long way to go.”
“I can tell that the two of you are very close.”
“We are. We always have been. Music is in his soul and it’s his passion. I never have nor would I ever let anything come between us. My brother is my best friend and, honestly, I don’t know what I’d do without him.”
A small smile crossed my lips.
Chapter 16
Kate
Listening to Gabriel talk about his brother made me envious. I had always wanted a sibling or a dog because then maybe my life wouldn’t have been so lonely.
“Tell me more about you,” he spoke.
“There’s nothing more to tell.”
“I don’t believe you.” His brow raised. “What about your business? Handbags, jewelry, shoes. All the things that make a girl feel pretty.”
I bit down on my bottom lip as I stared at him.
“I don’t want to discuss that,” I spoke.
“Why? Because there is no business with handbags, jewelry, shoes, and all the things that make a girl feel pretty?”
“You know what my business is, Gabriel.”
“Ah.” He tilted his head back. “The men you con buy you handbags, jewelry, shoes, and all the things that make a girl feel pretty.”
“Yes.” I nodded.
He leaned across the table. “Tell me how you do it. How do you find these men?”
Before I could answer him, a shocked expression overtook his face as he stared over my shoulder.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Shit. Samuel Coldwater is walking this way. What if he recognizes you?”
“He won’t.”
“Fuck. We can’t take that chance. We have to—”
“Gabriel, it’s good to see you.” Samuel smiled as he held out his hand.
“Samuel. Good to see you as well.”
Samuel’s eyes diverted to me. “And may I ask whom this beautiful woman having dinner with you is?”
“This is Kate Harper. Kate, I would like you to meet Samuel Coldwater.”
“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” I smiled as I spoke with a light southern accent.
“The pleasure is all mine, dear.”
“Are you here alone?” Gabriel asked him.
“I’m meeting a colleague for dinner. In fact, I see him right over there. It was good to see you Gabriel and a pleasure meeting you, Kate.”
I gave him a smile. He placed his hand on Gabriel’s shoulder before walking away, and Gabriel let out a sigh of relief.
“I told you he wouldn’t recognize me.”
“Let’s get out of here,” he spoke as he threw some cash for the bill on the table and we left the restaurant.
As soon as we climbed into the limo, I turned to him and spoke, “He didn’t look too broken up over Amy leaving him.”
“He was there on business, so I’m sure he’s camouflaging the pain he’s feeling inside.”
I rolled my eyes and looked out the window.
“You never answered my question,” Gabriel spoke.
“What question was that?”
“How do you find the men you do to rip off?”
“Research. The internet is a powerful tool.” I smirked.
“You’re an incredibly intelligent woman, Kate. Why waste your intelligence by doing what you do?”
I turned away. I didn’t like what I did. In fact, I hated it, but I had no choice.
“I’m not wasting my intelligence regardless of what you believe, Gabriel.”
The limo pulled up to the curb of his townhome. When we entered the house, I froze when Gabriel asked me about my father.
“Where is your father?”
I started walking up the stairs, ignoring his question because I didn’t want to talk about him. The less he knew, the better for both of us.
“Answer me!” he spoke in a harsh tone as he lightly grabbed hold of my arm.
“Let go of me!” I yelled.
“Not until you tell me about your father. Was he a con artist also? Is that why you moved around so much as a child? Did he teach you how to con people?”
I stared into his angry eyes. Why the fuck did he care so much? An uncontrollable movement happened as I smashed my mouth against his. His hand let go of my arm and wrapped his around my waist, holding me steady and in place while our steamy kiss continued. In one swoop, he picked me up and carried me in his arms up five flights of stairs, our lips never leaving each other’s.
He lay me down on my bed, hovering over me as he placed his hand up my dress, pushed my panties to the side, and plunged his finger inside me. I gasped as I tilted my head back and his tongue swept over my neck. His lips, his hands, and his hard cock made me feel so good every time. Sex with him made me forget all the bad things that I’d done and all the people I’d used. With him, I was in the moment. With the others, I went to a faraway place. I was just me, Kate Harper, a girl who was born in Boise, Idaho. The girl I was before all the others.
His finger explored me while light moans escaped him as he felt the rush of wetness emerge from me.
“I’m going to keep doing this until you come,” he whispered as his teeth nipped at my ear. “No matter how long it takes.”
My heart rate accelerated faster and it wasn’t long before my body gave in and I orgasmed. Letting out a howl, my body shook as my legs tightened.
“That’s it. Give me everything you have.” His lips brushed against mine.
He climbed off the bed, bent down, pushed my dress up, slowly took off my panties, and began exploring me with his mouth, his tongue moving in circles around me. I gasped as I struggled to take a breath. I reached down and tangled my fingers through his hair while thrusting my hips up and down. After a few moments, he stood up and stripped out of his clothes while staring down at me. The look in his eyes was nothing short of hunger and I could tell he wasn’t going to be gentle with me.
He flipped me over, unzipped my dress, and pulled it off, tossing it over the bed and onto the floor. Hovering over me, his tongue slid up my back as his lips formed tiny kisses up to my shoulders. In one thrust, he was deep inside me. My hands grasped the sheets and clenched them tight as he moved in and out of me at a rapid pace. Groans rumbled in his chest as sounds of pleasure escaped my lips. His thrusts became faster as he sat up and dug his fingers into my ass while he pounded in and out of me. Another orgasm came and his moans increased as he halted, pushing deep inside me and straining to release everything he had inside him.
He collapsed, his muscular chest resting upon my back and his arms wrapped around me. I could feel the rapid beat of his heart against me as I closed my eyes and took it all in. The safeness I felt was overwhelming and I wanted to stay like that forever. Rolling off me, he stood up and I turned on my back and stared at him. He grabbed his clothes from the floor, walked towards the door, and looked at me one last time before leaving the bedroom.
Chapter 17
Gabriel
I put on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, and went up to the terrace. Aft
er pouring a glass of bourbon, I leaned against the cement rail and stared out into the New York City night, trying to figure out what I was going to do with her. She conned rich men. She used them, and when she was done, she walked away with beautiful things and a lot of money. Money that she claimed she didn’t have. I called bullshit on that one. She was a person I could never trust. I thought long and hard and finally came up with a plan. One she’d probably resist but didn’t have a choice. Now she was going to be the one to find out how it felt to be used, and in the end, she’d walk away with nothing.
The next morning, after I showered and got ready for the office, I headed down to the kitchen.
“Good morning, Grace,” I spoke.
“Good morning, Gabriel.” She smiled. “Breakfast?”
“Sure. I have some time.”
I walked over to the Keurig machine, popped in a K-cup, and heard someone stumble into the kitchen.
“Morning,” Kate spoke as she sat down at the island.
“Good morning. Coffee?” I asked.
“Please.”
As soon as my coffee was finished brewing, I picked up the cup and sat down at the table.
“What are you doing?” Kate asked.
“Drinking my coffee. Why?”
“You asked me if I wanted some and I said ‘please.’”
“And? Just because I asked you didn’t mean that I was going to make it.”
Her eyes narrowed at me as she got up and walked over to the coffee maker.
“What am I supposed to do here all day?” she asked.
“I don’t know. Figure it out.”
“What I’d like to do is paint, but I don’t have any supplies.”
I glanced up from my phone and looked at her.
“You like to paint?”
“Yes.”
“Fine. Make a list of what you need and I’ll send someone to get it and have the supplies back here later today. And when I get home tonight, we’re going to sit down and have a little chat. It’s time you started paying off your debt.”
“And how am I going to do that?” she asked as she took a seat at the table across from me.
“You’ll find out later.”
“Since we’re both sitting here, you can tell me now,” she spoke.
“I said we’ll talk later,” I firmly spoke. “Now, if you want those art supplies, you better start that list. I have to leave in a few minutes.”
Grace walked over and handed her a piece of paper and a pen. I didn’t know she liked to paint. But what did I really know about her anyway? She finished her list and handed it to me. After looking it over, I glanced up at her.
“Really? This is a lot of stuff.”
She shrugged. “You can afford it. Or, I have most of it back at my apartment. Send one of your minions to go fetch it.” Her brow raised.
“Where are they in your apartment?” I asked.
“In a chest in the corner of the living room. I’ll need my easel also.”
“I don’t recall seeing an easel in your apartment.”
“That’s because you were too busy ransacking my room to notice anything else about my place.”
“True.” The corners of my mouth curved up into a sly smile.
I finished off my breakfast and got up from the table.
“I’m leaving now. I’ll see you tonight.”
“I’ll be counting down the hours,” she sarcastically spoke.
Grace let out a light laugh and I narrowed my eye at her as I walked out the door. On the way to the office, I pulled my phone from my pocket and dialed Caleb.
“Hello.”
“What are you doing for lunch?”
“Gee. I don’t know. I haven’t even had breakfast yet, bro.”
“Can you meet me at the Shake Shack at one o’clock?”
“Sure. Good thing you picked that place because I wasn’t about to go to any fancy restaurant with all that weird food.”
I chuckled. “Why do you think I picked your favorite burger place? I’ll see you later.”
My meeting ended at twelve forty-five and I had fifteen minutes to get over to the Shake Shack to meet Caleb.
“I’m heading to lunch, Lu. I’ll be back in a couple of hours.”
“Enjoy, Mr. Quinn.” She smiled.
Carl dropped me off around the corner, and when I made my way to the restaurant, I saw Caleb standing outside.
“Hey.” I smiled as we lightly hugged.
“What’s with the lunch date?” he asked as we stepped inside.
“I figured out how Kate is going to pay me back.”
Our order was up, so we took it to a table and sat down.
“Do tell, big brother,” Caleb spoke.
As I told him my plan, he sat there and stared at me with a narrowing eye.
“I’m all for the first part, but, bro, I’m not so sure about the outcome.”
“Why?” I asked.
“It’s a little harsh, not to mention the fact that I don’t think you can do it.”
“It won’t be a problem.”
“If you say so. Listen, Gabriel, Dad was always about teaching us lessons. You know that. This concerns me. You’re playing with someone’s life.”
“Just like she’s played with all those lives of all the men she ripped off. You think that’s okay?”
“No. I don’t. But do two wrongs make a right?” His brow raised.
“She ripped me off and she’s going to pay me back. Hopefully, she’ll learn her lesson and not do it to anyone again.”
“You know what they say: Once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic. I’m pretty sure that applies to con artists as well.”
“We’ll see, won’t we? Anyway, what’s going on with you?”
“I got a call yesterday from Atlantic Records. They loved the demo I sent them and want to hear more, so we’re going to fly out to L.A. next week.”
“Good.” I nodded my head. “It’s too bad things didn’t work out with Sony.”
He shrugged. “Everything happens for a reason, right?” He smiled as we both finished our burgers and got up from the table.
“You’ve always been the philosophical one in the family.” I smirked as I placed my hand on his shoulder and we walked out the door.
Chapter 18
Kate
“It’s about time, Carl,” I spoke as he brought my art supplies into the house.
“Sorry, Miss Kate, but I had other stops to make as well.”
“Can you do me a favor and just take the easel up to the terrace?”
“Very well.” He nodded.
“Thanks, Carl. You’re a doll.”
It bothered me all day as to what Gabriel wanted to talk about when he got home. He said it was time I started repaying him back. But how? Was he going to give me a job at his office? That wouldn’t be so bad. At least it would get me out of this damn house.
I took the elevator up to the terrace and moved my easel over by the railing where most of the sun hit and overlooked the city and river. This would be the perfect place to paint. I walked over to the bar area and took a glass and filled it with water. Moving one of the small tables over by my easel, I set up my paint supplies, put a canvas up, and began painting. With each stroke of the brush, I was transported into another place. A place where I had no troubles or worries and a place where I could be me.
A few hours had passed when I heard the elevator doors open and Gabriel’s voice.
“How was your day?” he asked.
“Fine,” I spoke as I continued painting.
He walked over to where I was and stood behind me.
“You’re painting the sea?” he asked.
“The sea is only part of it.”
“It’s beautiful. You have great artistic talent.”
“Thank you. My mother was an artist. My dad told me that she loved to paint and had a very creative mind. She would tell stories with her portraits.”
“And what’s this sto
ry?” he asked.
“You’ll see once it’s finished.” A small smile crossed my lips.
“I brought home dinner. Come and eat and we can discuss some things.”
“I’ll be down in a minute. I just want to finish this last part.”
“Very well.” He turned and walked away.
Once I finished, I placed my brush in the water and took the elevator down to the kitchen. When I stepped out, I noticed Gabriel wasn’t there, so I went to the dining room where he had the table set and bowls of pasta, salad, and bread were laid out.
“I got meat sauce, plain sauce, and alfredo. I didn’t know what you liked.”
“All are fine. Thanks.” I took a seat and placed the napkin on my lap.
My nerves were getting the best of me in anticipation of what he wanted to discuss, and I could no longer wait.
“So talk, Gabriel,” I spoke as I picked up my fork.
He cleared his throat as he set his napkin on his lap.
“The way you’re going to pay me back is by being my companion for thirty days. A thousand dollars a night.”
I arched my brow at him. “Excuse me?”
“You will work off your debt by having sex with me every night. You will do as I say and do what I want. You will attend events with me and travel if necessary.”
“I’m not a fucking prostitute!” I deadpanned.
“Really, Kate? You seduce men, have sex with them, get them to fall in love with you, and then you take payment. If that isn’t prostitution, I don’t know what is.”
“You son of a bitch.” I shook my head.
“There’s no need for name calling. If you agree, which you really have no choice, you will be able to leave the house, with a bodyguard, of course, whenever you please. We will have dinner every night together and then we will go to my room and have sex. When we are finished, you will go back to your room and we’ll see each other in the morning. Once the thirty days is up, you will leave and go back to your apartment and to your life.”
“Are you that lonely of a man that you have to resort to this?” I narrowed my eye at him.