by Sandi Lynn
I clenched my fist and took in a deep breath. Throwing my phone on the bed, I took a quick shower and changed my clothes. I went downstairs and poured a glass of bourbon while I waited for Miss Smarty Pants to come down. Looking at my watch, I saw that she had five minutes left.
“Don’t worry. I’m five minutes early.” She smiled as she walked down the stairs.
My eyes raked over her from head to toe as she took my breath away. She wore a high-waisted pleated short black skirt with a royal blue top that sat off both shoulders. Tall black boots that came over her knee graced her long lean legs, and the way she had her hair pinned up with a few strands of curls hanging down started to give me an erection.
“Well?” She did a spin as she held out her hands. “Am I dressed appropriately for the evening?”
A smile crossed my lips. “You most definitely are. You look beautiful.”
“Thank you, Gabriel. You look quite handsome yourself.” She grinned.
As we were sitting in the limo, on our way to the restaurant, I placed my hand on Kate’s.
“I’m sorry about earlier with Greta. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” She smiled. “I’m still trying to figure out what you saw in her.”
“To be honest, I don’t really know. I thought she was nice and sweet at first. But then as the relationship grew, she demanded more of my time. Weekends weren’t good enough. She wanted us to see each other every day and she would cry non-stop. If I sent her flowers for a special occasion, she would whine that they weren’t the right color. She would blow up my phone all day long and ask me what I was doing and then facetime me to make sure what I said was true. She nagged all the time. I took her on a business trip with me to Florida and the only thing she wanted to do was lie on the beach. And seriously, that’s all she did the whole week we were there. She didn’t want to sightsee or even shop. I was going to rent a boat for a day and she claimed she got seasick, so that was out of the question.”
“She sounds complicated.”
“She was. She even had her mother call to tell me what a shitty boyfriend I was and that a man in my position should treat her like a queen.”
“Wow. Really?” Her brow raised.
“It just wasn’t a good thing.”
“Then why did you stay with her for six months?”
“I was in the middle of opening a new hotel and there were tons of problems. It was easier just to stay with her and keep blowing her off until the hotel was opened. Then, when I was in Seattle, she accused me of cheating on her and she called me, crying her eyes out every single day. I couldn’t take it anymore, so I ended it over the phone. I didn’t want to deal with her when I got back.”
“She sounds like a psycho.”
I sighed. “She pretty much was. The thing women don’t understand is that my career will always come first.”
“I totally get that because mine does too.” She smirked.
“Very funny, Kate.”
Carl pulled up to Tavern on the Green and I climbed out first. Holding out my hand, she placed hers in mine as I helped her from the car.
“Tell me more about your father,” I spoke as we were seated and sipping on wine.
“Can we talk about him later? I just want to enjoy this evening.”
“Fine. But we will discuss it.”
After we finished eating, we headed to the Bowery Room.
“You made it.” Caleb smiled as we lightly hugged.
“Of course. I told you we would.”
“Hey, Kate. How are you?” Caleb asked.
“I’m good. Thanks. I’m really excited to hear you guys play.”
“Thanks. Let’s grab a drink before I go on stage.”
The three of us took a seat at a table in front of where Caleb was going to perform. The place was getting crowded. But that was no surprise. Fallen Angels could always pack a room.
“Would you like another tequila?” I asked Kate.
“Yes, and don’t forget the splash of lime.” She smiled.
I headed to the bar just as Caleb and his band started to perform. When I got back to the table, Kate was in her seat, moving to the music.
“Wow. They’re really good!” she exclaimed.
I smiled at her as I set her drink down. She sat and watched them play while I sat and watched her. She was having a good time and I couldn’t wait to get home and fuck her. The thought made my cock twitch. She definitely was one of the most beautiful women I ever laid eyes on. Too bad she was every kind of wrong.
“Thank you all for coming out tonight to see us play. It means a lot,” Caleb spoke to the audience. “I’d like to introduce you to someone. Her name is Kate and she has the voice of an angel. Kate, come up here and sing a little something for us.”
Kate was horrified and Caleb wouldn’t let it go. He jumped down from the stage and grabbed her hand, pulling her up with him. She tried to tell him no, but he wasn’t taking no for an answer. He handed her his guitar and she whispered something in his ear. Turning to the microphone, she spoke to the audience.
“This is a song my father used to sing to me.”
I sat and watched her, listening carefully to the words as she sang them. The way she sang it was haunting. I could feel the emotion pour from her, which told me that song had a special meaning. When the song was over, the audience clapped and cheered. Caleb gave her a kiss on the cheek, she stepped off the stage, and when she sat down, she finished off her drink and asked for another.
“You were really good up there,” I spoke.
“Thanks. I’m going to kill your brother for doing that.”
The waitress brought over another round of drinks and Kate chugged it as if it was water.
“Slow down there.” I smiled. “That song you sang. You said your father used to sing it to you?”
“Yeah.” She held up her finger to grab the waitress’ attention. “He used to sing it to me all the time.”
“What’s the name of the song?” I asked.
“‘Run’ by Snow Patrol. Funny thing is that song fit our life so perfectly. It was as if it was written for us.”
I took a sip of my bourbon while I continued to stare at her as she sipped her drink and watched Caleb’s band on stage. She didn’t say much the rest of the evening, or on the way home, and I could tell something was bothering her.
“I’m going to go upstairs and change. Any specific lingerie you want me to wear tonight?” she asked.
“It’s your choice. I’ll meet you in my room when you’re ready.”
She gave me a small smile as we stepped onto the elevator.
Chapter 23
Kate
I decided to slip into a black halter baby doll piece with the matching v-string panty. Walking into the bathroom, I took my hair down and ran my fingers through it, letting it fall over my shoulders. A sadness that I’d been holding back all night pushed through all my strength and finally broke me. I sat on the edge of the bed with my face in my hands.
“Kate? Are you okay?” I heard Gabriel ask in a soft voice as he stepped into my bedroom.
I opened my eyes and looked up at him.
“My dad would always say, ‘It’s okay, Katie. Remember, we’re on an adventure. Just me and you. Father and daughter. We can conquer the world together and do anything we want.’ Except his conquering the world left me alone a majority of the time. He used to say ‘Light up, baby girl. One day, we’re going to have the life we always dreamed of.’ What he didn’t understand was that I wanted a normal life, with a house, and to stay in one place where I could set down roots and make some friends. Where he had a normal job and made an honest living.”
He walked over to the bed when he saw the tears fall from my eyes and sat down next to me.
“He conned people, didn’t he?” I asked.
I nodded my head and grabbed a tissue from the nightstand.
“Is that why he’s in prison?”
“He got involved with som
e high-powered people. When they found out he conned them, they set him up and made sure he went to prison. The FBI seized all his funds and he lost everything. A couple of days after he was sentenced to Rikers, a man knocked on the door of the hotel room I was staying in and told me that if I wanted to get my father out of prison, all I would have to do is pay them double of what he stole.”
“How much?” he asked.
“Ten million dollars.”
“For fuck sakes, Kate.” He shook his head.
“They said once his debt is paid off, they would make sure he was released from prison.”
“And they can just do that?”
“These people have friends in high places, Gabriel. You wanted to know why I do what I do. That’s the reason. I don’t like it. In fact, I hate it, but I need my father out of prison. He’s the only person I have in this world.” A tear fell from my eye. “Every piece of jewelry, designer clothes, handbags, and anything else those men gave me of great value, I sold. And whatever I take from them, I pay it towards my father’s debt. That’s the reason I don’t have thirty thousand dollars to give you.”
“How much of that debt did you already pay off?”
“Five million dollars. Samuel Coldwater was going to be my last job.”
“How certain are you that these people would get your father out of prison after you paid them? People like that never keep their word.”
“We signed a contract. I agreed to pay ten million dollars and they agreed to get him out of prison.”
“I see.”
He got up from the bed and paced around the room.
“He ruined your life, Kate. You have to know that.”
“He did what he had to do to support us. He told me that I was the only thing in his life that he’d done right. He quit conning after he met my mother and they got married. He sold used cars and they still had trouble making ends meet. Then I was born, she died, and I was all he had left. In his mind, he was doing what was best for us and doing the only thing he knew how.”
Gabriel sat down on the bed and cupped his hands in his face. There were a few moments of silence and then he stood up.
“Get some rest. Tonight is off.”
I quickly grabbed hold of his hand before he had the chance to walk away.
“No. Please. I need you.”
He turned and looked at me for a moment with hesitation in his eyes. Then he got down on his knees in front of me and brushed his lips against mine.
Gabriel
After I fucked her, I walked out of the bedroom and headed downstairs to the bar, where I poured myself a bourbon. She was upset and I probably shouldn’t have slept with her, but she wanted it. Maybe I should have stayed with her, but I couldn’t. Her story. Was it true? Or was it all a lie? She was good at what she did and I couldn’t tell if she was playing me or not, which was infuriating. I threw back the rest of my bourbon and slammed the glass down on the bar. What was she up to? Was she telling me that story to make me feel sorry for her? To try and understand why she did what she did? Was she trying to con me into giving her money? Perhaps using me to get what she needed to pay off her father’s debt? I wasn’t buying the debt part. She did what she did because it was all she knew. It was how she grew up. She never had any structure, and she certainly was never taught right from wrong.
The next morning, I grabbed a cup of coffee to go and headed straight to the office. I didn’t want to be home when she woke up. I couldn’t even look at her after what she had told me last night. As I took a seat behind my desk, Thaddeus walked in.
“I need you to look over these contracts and sign them for the Chicago property. Once that’s done, we can start construction,” he spoke.
“Hand them over.” I held out my hand.
“Everything okay?” he asked as he took a seat across from me.
“Everything’s fine. Why?” I looked at him.
“You seem unusually tense this morning.”
“It’s nothing. I just had a rough night.”
“Greta’s not back in the picture. Is she?” he asked.
“No,” I replied as I signed the contracts and handed them over. “Are we all set for Hawaii? Is there anything I need to know about before I get there?”
“No. Everything is smoothed out and the grand opening is set.”
“Good. I expect there to be no problems.” I arched my brow.
“There won’t be. I’ll talk to you later.”
As he walked out of my office, I heard him say hello to someone. When I looked up, Kate was standing in the doorway.
“What are you doing here?”
“I was out and about and I wanted to see where the great Gabriel Quinn spends most of his day.” She smiled. “May I come in?”
“I’m really busy right now, Kate.” I looked at my watch. “It’s only ten o’clock. How are you out and about already?”
“This was my first stop.”
“Where’s Edmond?”
“He’s behind me. I’m sorry to have bothered you. I’ll see you later.”
As she turned away and began to close the door, I spoke, “Kate.”
She turned and looked at me.
“We’re leaving for Hawaii in a couple of days. Make sure you start packing.”
“And you’re just telling me this now?”
“I was going to tell you tonight.”
“And what’s in Hawaii?” she asked.
“The grand opening of my new hotel.”
“Okay. I’ll start packing.” She turned away and shut the door behind her.
I picked up a pen and threw it across my desk as I got out of my chair and paced around the room. I had this rage built up inside me that I couldn’t let go of. It wasn’t about the watch anymore. It wasn’t being able to believe a word she said. I wanted to trust her and I wanted to believe her because these fucking feelings that stirred inside me wouldn’t stop.
After a long day, I was finally able to leave the office and head home. When I walked through the door, the aroma of something cooking hit me. Following the scent to the kitchen, I found Kate at the stove.
“What are you doing?” I asked as I set my briefcase down.
“Making dinner for us.”
“Where’s Grace?”
“She was finished and she left. I thought it would be nice if I cooked tonight.” She turned her head and a small smile crossed her lips.
“I didn’t know you could cook.”
“Who do you think did all the cooking for me and my dad? If he had his way, we’d have pizza and fast food every night.”
“It smells good. What are you making?” I asked as I took a seat at the island.
“Bruschetta chicken with a salad and homemade rolls.”
“Did you teach yourself to cook?”
“Somewhat, and I had some teachers along the way. There was this woman my dad was with for a short period of time. She was a chef and owned her own restaurant. I spent a lot of time at her house and she taught me a few things.”
“A woman that your father conned?” I asked.
She swallowed hard. “Yes.”
She took the chicken out of the pan, arranged it nicely on a platter, and took it into the dining room. Before taking a seat, I walked over to the bar and poured a glass of bourbon for me and a glass of white wine for her.
“This looks delicious. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” She took a sip of her wine.
“What did you do today beside food shop?” I asked.
“Shopped a little bit for Hawaii.”
“With what money?” My eye narrowed.
“Who said I needed money?” A smirk crossed her face.
My blood started to boil at the thought that she had stolen the merchandise.
“I swear to god, Kate. If you—”
“Relax, Gabriel. I was kidding. I do have some money in my bank account. And before you ask how much, it’s not thirty thousand dollars. Besides, I don’t s
hoplift. I never have and I never will.”
I reached across the table and grabbed the salad bowl. As I was placing some salad on my plate, she threw a roll at me, hitting me square in the face.
“What the fuck?!” I glared at her.
“I want to know why you have an attitude with me. I noticed it this morning at your office.”
“I don’t. Now drop it and finish eating,” I sternly spoke.
“You do and I want to know why. What did I do to make you so angry? I haven’t got a clue, unless you’re still holding a grudge about your watch. But I thought we settled that. Isn’t that why I’m here? I’ve done everything you asked of me so far. So there is no reason for you to treat me the way you did or the way you are.”
Her mouth. She kept rambling and it was pissing me off. I slammed my fists down on the table and stood up from my seat.
“You want to know why I’m so angry? It’s because I can’t trust you. I can’t trust a word you say. That little fabricated story of yours last night was a good one. But not good enough for me to believe you or your lies.” I pointed my finger at her.
She sat there as she dropped her fork onto her plate and stared at me while her eyes filled with tears. She slowly got up from her seat, wiped her mouth with a napkin, and set it down on the table.
“I’m sorry you don’t believe me. But it’s all true. Everything I told you last night was the truth. I’m dealing with dangerous men, Gabriel. They want their money and I want my father out of prison.” She walked away and headed upstairs.
Chapter 24
Kate
I ran up to my room, slammed the door, and threw myself on the bed. Did I really blame him for not trusting me? Did I have the right to be so upset over it? Why did I even care if he trusted me or not? That was the big question. I needed to accept the fact that he would never trust me after everything I’d done. The sooner I did that, the easier this arrangement would be. The only reason I was here was to pay off a debt, nothing else. He only saw me as a business deal, so the less I told him about my life, the better off I’d be. I was stupid for wanting to see where he worked and for caring that he left the house before I even woke up. When I found out he was already gone, there was a part of me that was sad, and all I had wanted to do was see him before I started my day. These feelings and emotions were out of control and I needed for them to stop. I’d never had problems like this with the other men I was with. Never got involved. Never felt a thing. I didn’t even have to pretend, but with Gabriel, I did.