She felt tears stinging the back her eyes, blinking hard to keep them at bay. He’s not for me. He’s so out of my league. Even if my life allowed for the distraction of someone like him. Lifting her fingers to her lips, she could still feel the tingle and taste. God, he can kiss! And as she drove through the night, she realized that if that kiss was all she could ever have with him, he might have ruined her for any other man.
*
Gabe sat with Carlos at one of the tables in the kitchen area of the hotel. Expensive brandy sat in glasses between them. So did the silence.
Finally, Gabe said, “So you gonna tell me anything about her?”
Carlos stared deeply at the man in front of him, measuring him. “Why are you so interested? A man like you…got fuckin’ movie stars wantin’ your dick.”
“Not a fan of having my motives questioned, but since you don’t know me well, I’ll give you that,” Gabe growled. He sat in silence for another moment, gathering his thoughts. “What can I say, man? I’m tired of the meaningless non-relationships that I’ve been in for years. Time to settle down. Time to find something real.” He rubbed his large hand over his face before leaning back in his chair and taking another swig of brandy. He looked up into Carlos’ face, making direct eye contact as he admitted, “Don’t know how to explain it. I saw her and felt a goddamn punch to the gut. I went from thinking I’d found a street urchin, to realizing it was a gorgeous woman, to wanting to kiss the hell out of that pixie, to wanting to paddle her ass for being out in the cold, dead of night in alleys.”
Carlos barked out a laugh, earning a glare from Gabe, which he ignored. “Right there, you just earned my trust,” Carlos said as his laughter stilled. “Any man who feels all that is a good man in my book.” Sighing, the older man said, “Although I can’t give you a lot of info. She’s some kind of charity worker. I just know that she has permission to come get the bread and some of the food items that were not served and would be thrown out. She always drives that god-awful pickup truck and takes whatever she can.”
Gabe continued to stare, willing the man to give him more.
Carlos took a swig and smiled. “I remember the first time I saw her here about a year ago. I thought I was going to have to deal with some snooty society bitch and here came this…what’d you call her?” he asked looking up at Gabe. “A pixie? Yeah, that’s just what she looked like. A good-lookin’ woman with a heart of gold. Her old truck’s crapped out on her a couple of times and I sent Big Jim after her to watch over her.”
Carlos caught Gabe’s incredulous look and chuckled. “He may be scary lookin’, but I trust him to see her home safe.”
Gabe stood and reached over to shake the older man’s hand. “Thank you, man. I appreciate it.”
Carlos took his hand and then pushed up from his chair as well. “There’s one thing though that I’ll let you know. I’m pretty sure she lives with a man named Ross. She’s mentioned him liking some of the pastries from here, but she’s got no wedding ring. Now she doesn’t seem like the type who’d be living with some man and then kissin’ you like she was. But, hey – what do I know?”
At this information, Gabe growled once again. The way she kissed me tells me this Ross either isn’t kissing her the way she needs to be kissed or her heart isn’t into that relationship. One way or the other, he was more determined than ever to find her. And if he had his way, making her his was top of his priority list.
*
That night after Jennifer had delivered the food to Henry, given Ross his treat from Carlos and then re-tucked him into bed, completed some work on her laptop, and took a long bath she finally settled into bed. For the past two hours, she had managed to push the thoughts of Gabe out of her mind. Or at least to the back of her mind. But now in the quiet of the dark bedroom, she lay there and images of him came to the forefront. Closing her eyes, she could see his huge, body-building physique standing there staring at her. Square jaw, corded neck, thick chest that tapered down to his…don’t go there! Thighs as large as her waist. With his brown eyes and the smile that drew her in, she wanted to taste more of him. Taste him? Oh my God, I kissed him. Up against my truck. Jesus, what a floosie…I never do that! But as much as she wanted to chastise herself and was mortified that they’d been caught by Carlos, she could not get her giant out of her mind.
Listening to make sure that Ross was indeed asleep in his room, she leaned over and opened her nightstand, pulling out her pink vibrator. Using it, she quickly realized that it did not hold the same appeal that it had before. A poor substitute for the real thing, she thought ruefully.
*
“Lily,” Gabe shouted as he entered her work area. “Got some time for me?” he queried.
“Sure, what do you need?” she asked swiveling around in her chair to face him. Lily was the software engineer for Alvarez Security and wife of his good friend, Detective Matt Dixon.
“I need a favor. I’ve got a name and license plate number and I want to see what you can pull up. I’ve pulled up the address, but I want to see what else you can find.”
“Okay,” she said eagerly as she took the paper from his hand and turned back to her computer station. “Is this one of the cases you’re on?” Silence greeted her. Lily twisted her head around to see Gabe rubbing the back of his neck with a guilty look on his face.
“Um…not exactly,” he said awkwardly.
Just then BJ, one of the other computer experts of Alvarez Security, came into the room. “Good morning,” he greeted. “What’s Gabe got you working on, Lily? Finding out about that new girl he’s interested in?”
At that, Lily’s hand slowly moved away from her keyboard and she swiveled back around, her eyebrow lifted in question. “Girl…?” she asked, drawing the word out.
“Um…well,” Gabe stammered, glaring at BJ.
“Sorry, man,” BJ countered, “I thought she knew.”
“Knew what, gentlemen?” Lily asked.
“You haven’t noticed how morose Gabe’s been the last couple of weeks. Met some girl that won’t jump all over him and now she’s got him so tied up in knots that he’s resorted to stalking her.”
“You want to shut the fuck up, BJ?” Gabe growled.
Laughing, BJ walked out of the room calling over his shoulder, “Talk some sense into him, Lily. He’s been a grumpy-ass lately.”
The silence hung between the two co-workers and friends for a minute before Lily finally sighed and patted the empty chair next to her. Gabe settled his bulk into the seat and looked at her, resigning himself to talking.
“So…you met a girl? Someone you really like and you want me to dig into her background?” she asked. “Is she in trouble?”
“No!” Gabe answered vehemently. “She’s perfect. Pretty…nice…real caring.”
“And…?” Lily prodded, then saw her friend uncharacteristically quiet. “What are you not telling me, Gabe?”
“I’ve never done this. You know…actually liked a woman. Lily, you know me. Hell, you know all of us. We don’t mind having fun for a night, this girl’s different. Seems special. And I don’t want to screw it up.”
“Okay. So just talk to her. Ask her out. Have a conversation. Find out what she likes and doesn’t like. Come on, Gabe, don’t be a wimp.”
With that, he leaned back in his chair exhaling loudly. “A wimp. Man, you know how to go for the jugular.”
Laughing, she patted his leg. “Look, Gabe…here it is from a woman’s perspective. If I found out that Matt had been using subterfuge to find out about me before just talking to me, I’d be livid. A woman doesn’t have to have wine and roses. If she’s as nice as you say she is, then talk to her. A woman wants a man who takes a real interest in her.” At that, she noticed the gleam in his eye and she quickly amended, “And not just interested in sex!”
“Yeah, you’re right,” he drawled. “Jesus, who knew this would be so hard.”
Lily threw her head back, her eyes sparkling. “Go get ’em, tiger,�
�� she joked as she turned back to her computer to begin her day of work.
*
Across town, Jennifer stood outside State Senator Reno’s office, waiting impatiently. He and his wife had always been supporters of her work with the elder housing. Watching some of the stylishly dressed women walking by in their sky-high heels and business attire, she smoothed her hands down her grey pencil skirt. Rubbing a scuff mark from her black pumps, she noted that they were beginning to look a little worn. Okay, next month if there is money left over at the end of all the bills I’ll buy a new pair of shoes.
Just then his door opened and another stylishly dressed woman, arms full of papers and files, walked out with her head down as she was reaching into her purse. Jennifer stood too quickly, colliding with the other woman causing files to scatter on the floor.
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry,” she exclaimed, stopping to pick up the papers.
The other woman also apologized, “No, no. I wasn’t watching where I was going.” As she looked up, she exclaimed, “Jennifer?”
“Sherrie! How long has it been?” she asked as they bent to their task. In just a couple of minutes, the files were gathered and placed in some semblance of order. As they stood, they continued their greeting.
“Are you still working at the law firm?” Jennifer asked.
“Yes. Are you here for your elder housing?” The two women had met earlier when Jennifer was canvasing some of the legal firms, looking for anyone willing to assist with the legal needs that some of her elderly clients had.
“I’m heading in to do some more shameless begging as usual,” Jennifer explained, laughing. “It seems like all I do is find new places to beg for money for our programs.”
“Well, I’d love to grab coffee sometime and find out how your programs are going.”
Beaming, Jennifer gushed, “Oh, I’d love to also.”
The women traded business cards before parting ways and Jennifer hurried into the congressman’s office.
“Ms. Lambert,” he greeted warmly.
Walking over to shake his hand, she smiled genuinely and asked about his family.
“I’ve got new pictures,” he said proudly pulling out his cell phone. He quickly scrolled through a few new photos of his children and wife. Inviting her to have a seat, she perched on the edge of his comfortable leather chair. “What can I do for you today?” he asked solicitously.
“I’m just touching base with some of our statesmen to make sure that we are still on track for the continued funding for our centers. I know budget time is coming up and I’m afraid that the plight of our elderly often gets shoved to the side.”
“You know my office is always willing to fight for your funding.”
“Oh, Senator Reno, I know and it’s so appreciated.”
The two continued to chat for a few more minutes before his door opened and his assistant walked in. “Oh, excuse me sir. I didn’t realize you had someone. I don’t have an appointment for you at this time.”
Jennifer noticed the man’s eyes held no warmth when looking at her before sniffing dismissively.
“Oh Monty. You haven’t met Ms. Lambert, from DSS. We were just chatting after our appointment time, catching up a little. This is my assistant Montgomery Lytton.”
Jennifer stood and greeted the assistant, who continued to look as though she were unworthy of the congressman’s time.
“Well, I’ll be leaving sir. Thank you so much for seeing me today. Give my best to your wife.”
Walking out of the office, she was surprised to see that Monty had followed her to the door.
“Ms. Lambert, the Senator is a very busy man and it would be best if you remember to stay on your designated appointment time in the future. He may forget to look at the clock, but for you to continue to have access to him, you need to remember.”
Smiling her most charming smile, she said, “I think in the future, Monty, I will continue to let Congressman Reno let me know when he’s available. And if you think you’ll keep me from making appointments, I’ll just talk to him and his wife when I see them at the elder-care functions.” With that, she turned and walked to the elevator.
Fuming, she left the building and walked to the bus stop. The wind had picked up, causing her to pull her scarf around her neck a little tighter. On the ride back to her building, she began to calm. He’s just the assistant to the Senator. He doesn’t threaten me! And if he thinks to intimidate me, then he’s got another thing coming. By the time she made her way back to the office, she felt much better.
Greeting Roy and Sybil, she wrote up notes on her meeting with the Senator, making sure to include him in the next elder-care publication she was working on. Smiling to herself, she decided to add his wife to her mailing list. Take that, Monty.
CHAPTER 4
Michael Gibbons sat behind his large, polished mahogany desk in the spacious office at the top of his office building. Pewter framed photographs of his wife and children sat at the edge, in clear view of any visitors. The corner office afforded him a view of the revitalized downtown Richland as well as the river that meandered through the city. His silk suit jacket was carefully placed on his suit-tree, as he preferred to work in comfort with his sleeves rolled up unless he was expecting guests. A real-estate mogul, he had made a fortune in buying old, dilapidated buildings and turning them into prime real-estate. He regularly dined with the mayor, the governor, and numerous other politicians from city councilmen to senators.
Michael’s grandfather had raised him to attain the highest social standing possible while making sure his many businesses were secure, whether through legal means or not. Working to keep the legitimate business in the spotlight, he found that the under-belly of Richland’s society began to come to him…for money, advice, protection. It did not take long to realize how much more money could be made by following in his grandfather’s footsteps while keeping the lawful business in the forefront. Extortion and fraud were extremely profitable and so far he had been successful.
A self-made man, Michael believed in hard work, arriving at his office by seven a.m. every morning and staying as late as needed. If his wife was unhappy, she knew not to complain and since he kept her in jewels and her country-club estate, she was very satisfied.
A side door to his office opened and his mistress walked boldly in, straight to the back of his chair, and put her arms around his neck. Running her ruby-tipped fingernails down his chest she leaned forward, pressing her breasts against his shoulder as her hands found their way to his crotch.
A flash of irritation crossed his face, but her expert hands soon had him deciding to admonish her for the surprise visit at another time. Theresa had become more assuming and if there was one thing he wanted in a mistress, it was for them to know their place. She had been his paramour for almost two years, replacing the previous mistress that had been with him for the five years before that. His former mistresses were well satisfied as was his wife; he rewarded their loyalty with a home, cars, and plenty of money to live the rest of their lives comfortably. They understood that when another woman came that caught his discriminating eye, he would set them up and move on.
Theresa was becoming greedy. No longer willing to stay in the shadows, she was hinting at wanting to escort him to functions instead of his wife. Michael had worked too hard to establish his business interests as legitimate to have a pussy fuck them up. But for now, she was still compliant and her hands on his swollen dick at the moment did distract him.
He unzipped his pants allowing her to slide between his legs and suck him off. Sliding his hands down the front of her low cut dress, he grasped her breasts firmly, pinching her nipples. He came hard, spilling into her mouth just before his private phone rang. Glancing at the name he zipped his pants up quickly and picked up the phone.
“Mr. Gibbons? Just wanted you to know that she was here.”
“Are we going to have a problem with her? You know what I want.”
“Yes, I know. I�
��ll take care of her.”
“Well for God’s sake, don’t fuck it up. I don’t want my name in it and I don’t want any publicity.”
Wanting to continue the conversation in private, he jerked his head toward the door, indicating to Theresa that she should leave. Pissed at being dismissed before she was able to be taken care of, she stood and gave a stiff smile. She walked over to the door leading to a small hall and private elevator. Unbeknownst to him, she did not leave immediately but instead pressed her ear to the door, trying to overhear the conversation.
“Okay, we can continue,” he added. “My private investigators tell me that this one building in the two block area is in a prime location and the only hold-up is that the apartment is for old folks. We could force them out, but this bitch is in our way. Hear me well, the last thing I want is for her to end up in the newspaper championing the cause of these old geezers. And for fuck sake, I don’t want other groups involved.”
“I got it.”
“Keep an eye on her and let me know if she comes back.”
“Yes, sir,” came the expected response.
Ending the private call, he pressed for his secretary. Immediately, a distinguished woman entered, ready to assist. She was his cousin’s wife and completely trustworthy. What was it that grandfather always said? Keep your family close if you want to keep your enemies at a distance.
Concluding their legitimate business, he asked for her to send for his private investigator whose office was in his building, as well as his head of security. As she left, he mulled over the file open on his desk. The fucking Elder Care Housing Grant. And the equally beautiful Jennifer Lambert that had spear-headed the project.
Gabe: The Alvarez Security Series Page 5