I cringe internally at the blatant lie. I know without a doubt this is personal. What I don’t know, is why Ethan feels I deserve any more torment. Didn’t he put me through the wringer enough? And what in the hell did I do to deserve his wrath anyway? He’s the one who wronged me!
My assistant scrubs the stainless steel work table aggressively. “Gabs, I need you to be honest with me. I can’t afford my mortgage without this job. If you think I should start looking for a new position, I need time to find one.”
I place a row of fresh berries over toasted crème fraîche, then turn around to face her. “Okay, look. I honestly don’t know what’s going to happen. Based on the popularity of his other stores, I can’t imagine it will be good at first. But I have to believe that once the newness wears off, once people realize the Baking Bad Boy won’t actually be manning the counter, they’ll come back. Sweet Temptations is original. We have new items on rotation daily. Better items. You can’t get that kind of authenticity with a chain.”
“How do you know he won’t be manning the counter?”
That’s the one thing she focuses on?
I sigh. “Caroline, I know Ethan. And trust me when I say, that man thinks he’s above serving the general public. He’s either filming or gallivanting around with supermodels. If it doesn’t involve lying on a beach or getting his face in front of a camera, he’s not going to bother. The fact that we haven’t seen said face around here since that first day is proof of that. Ethan will hire pastry chefs to follow his recipes and someone to manage the business side of it, but he won’t be anywhere nearby. That’s how he does it with the other two. Why would this location be any different?”
“I suppose time will tell.” She looks around the kitchen. “Do you need me to do anything else before I take off?”
I wave her off. “Nah, I’ll be fine. I just want to finish decorating this tart and then I’m out of here.”
Caroline hangs her apron on the hook by the back door. “Okay, I’ll see you bright and early then. Night, Gabs.”
“Night.” I close the door behind her and turn the lock.
Caroline must’ve forgotten her keys because no more than a minute later, the service door buzzer rings. I regret not looking at the security monitor when I open it and find the bane of my existence standing there with a smug smile.
I park a hand on my hip. “What do you want, Ethan? We’re closed.”
He barks out a laugh. “I’m aware. I’ve been waiting all damn day to get you alone. I thought your assistant would never leave.”
I cock my head to the side. “You’ve been spying on me?”
Fine lines form on the outer corners of his baby blue eyes. Damn it, why does he have to get better looking with age?
“Less spying...more waiting for an opportunity to talk without an audience.” He gestures behind me. “May I come in?”
I step aside. “Oh, why the hell not? What have I got to lose?”
When he crosses the threshold, his chest brushes against mine, despite the fact that he had plenty of room to avoid contact. I try to ignore the heat pooling between my thighs. Sadly, my nipples, obstinate bitches that they are, refuse to cooperate. I don’t miss the way Ethan’s gaze lingers on the peaked evidence of my arousal.
“It’s cold in here,” I mutter as I cross my arms over my chest.
He smirks. “If you’re from Brazil, maybe.” I flinch when he reaches out and swipes his thumb across my cheek. “You have a little something right here.”
I make a conscious effort not to squirm when he pops his thumb into his mouth and sucks the tangy filling from the tip. “It’s lemon curd.”
He gives me a dry look. “Obviously, I know that after tasting it. It’s not bad. Not as good as mine, but not bad.”
I roll my eyes at the backhanded compliment. “You said you wanted to talk, so talk.”
“Right.” Ethan’s eyes slowly wander across my kitchen. He walks over to the wall where two eleven-rack convection ovens stand, running his hand over their double doors as if he were caressing a woman. “Nice setup you have here, Gabs. I’m impressed.”
“Don’t call me that,” I snap.
“Call you what?”
“Gabs. Only people who haven’t thrown me to the wolves have that right.”
He whips around, the confusion evident in his expression. “What are you talking about?”
I slice my hand through the air dismissively. “It doesn’t matter. Ancient history, right?”
Ethan’s eyes narrow. “No. I think I’d like you to explain, sweetheart, considering you have it backwards.”
What is he talking about?
I straighten my spine. “Save the endearments for your little Victoria’s Secret model. Just say what you came here to say and get the hell out of my kitchen.”
He smiles triumphantly. “Been keeping tabs on me, have you?”
“No,” I sputter.
Ethan laughs. “Sure, you’re not. But you might like to know that Ivanka and I weren’t actually dating.”
“Dating...fucking, whatever.”
He takes a step toward me. “We weren’t doing that either. It was a publicity thing. We’re represented by the same firm. You should remember how that goes. Besides, she’s not really my type.”
“Right,” I scoff. “Tall, blonde, and beautiful isn’t your type?”
Ethan shakes his head slowly as he closes the gap between us. “I’m more into short, brunette, and sexy-as-fuck.” I fight the urge to flee when he fingers a lock of hair that’s escaped its bun.
He looks over my shoulder. “Isn’t a lemon tart a bit generic?”
I narrow my eyes. “Not that lemon tart. Adding the toasted crème fraiche makes a huge difference. And the lemon curd is blended with mascarpone. It makes an ordinary tart extraordinary. I also ensure that the lemon is mild enough so it’ll compliment whatever berries are in season.”
Ethan lifts a brow in challenge. “May I?”
“Sure. I’m always open to giving lessons in humility.” I grab a knife, aggressively cutting through the flaky crust. I lift the slice and turn toward him. “Here.”
His eyes dance with amusement as he leans forward and takes a bite. As he chews, his gaze never leaves mine. Chewing isn’t normally so sexy, but somehow when he chews, it is. Especially when his tongue snakes out to lick the cream off his lips.
He comes even closer, whispering against my ear. “I stand corrected. It’s exceptional...just like the chef.”
“Ethan, what are you doing?” I really hope that wasn’t as breathy as it sounded in my head.
“I have no fucking idea.” He nips my earlobe. “But I’m going to do it anyway.”
Before I can even process his words, his lips are pressed against mine. Shocked, I gasp, which Ethan takes as his invitation to slip his tongue inside my mouth. I hear the pastry flop on my freshly mopped floor right before my nails dig into his firm biceps. I really should push him away but my hands loop behind his neck instead, pulling his body flush against mine.
Oh God, I forgot how well he can kiss.
He tastes like lemon and blueberries and sinful indulgence. My brain is telling me that I need to stop, but as his mouth moves against mine, my body begs for more-more-more. I’ve never met a man besides him that could drug me with a simple kiss. With a few strokes of his skilled tongue, I’m reduced to nothing but pure want.
Ethan pulls my hips roughly and effortlessly lifts my body onto the stainless-steel work surface behind me. I moan involuntarily as he spreads my thighs and grazes my clit through the thin fabric of my leggings.
“Fuck,” he pants. “Why do you always have to feel so damn good?”
“Stop talking,” I demand. “You’ll ruin it.”
What am I doing?
I despise this man. He threw me into a pit of vipers without any remorse. Yet, my body betrays me as my panties flood with arousal. When Ethan hums in approval, I know he can feel my wetness through my clothing. His
thumb brushes back and forth over my sensitive nerves, the friction from the motion against my lace panties creating a delicious tension. It builds higher and higher until I’m on the verge of exploding.
Ethan releases a low growl before looping his fingers under the waistband of my pants, ripping them from my body in seconds, underwear and shoes included. I try not to think about how much practice he must’ve had at that to become so adept.
He slides his hands under my tunic, up my ribcage and over my breasts, brushing his knuckles against my taut nipples. Shamelessly, I push into his palms as he grips my breasts with an almost bruising force. This entire time, his icy stare remains fixated on me, watching my expression.
I lean forward and bite his lower lip. “This is stupid.”
He returns the favor and pulls back with a smirk. “Don’t fucking care.”
In the next breath, Ethan drops to his knees, putting him at eye level with my exposed pussy. He yanks me forward, hooking my legs over his shoulders. I’m forced to lean back on my elbows so I don’t hit my head against the table.
To my utter horror, I release a loud moan when his tongue snakes out, giving me one long lick down the center. I watch as his dark head of hair moves between my thighs, as he feasts on me like a man starved. It’s the most erotic thing I’ve ever seen and my head falls back from the sheer ecstasy of what this man is doing to me.
“We’re violating all sorts of health codes right now,” I whimper.
Ethan pulls back slightly. “We’ll bleach the shit out of it later.”
I nod in agreement as he resumes his task of licking and sucking my hot flesh until my legs are squeezing his ears, until I’m screaming his name over and over. I can feel his smile against my skin as he trails soft kisses along my inner thigh. He stands with a devious grin and begins making quick work of undoing his black slacks. He lowers them just enough to free his cock and I have to stifle a gasp. My memory somehow blocked how impressive his erection is, likely so I wouldn’t set unrealistic expectations with other men. Ethan hisses my name as I give him a hard squeeze before moving my fist up to the flared head, brushing my thumb over the precum leaking from the tip.
He pushes my hand away and his thumbs dig into my hips as he moves closer, burying himself to the root in one hard thrust. I can’t even be ashamed of the needy mewl that rips from my throat because it feels too good when he slowly slides out and shoves himself back in again. I’ve only been with one other man since Ethan and that guy was nowhere near as well endowed. Nor skilled. It almost seems cruel that the one man I should stay far away from is the only one that can light my body on fire.
Without warning, Ethan withdraws, leaving me feeling unbearably empty. I’m about to question him but he beats me to the punch and shows me what he’s doing instead. Just as easily as he propped me onto this table, he pulls me down and then turns me around so my back is pressed to his front. I slam my hands onto the cool surface as he thrusts into me once again. He flattens a palm between my shoulder blades, encouraging me to rest my chest against the table. I curl my fingers around the edges as Ethan sets an unyielding but oh-so-exquisite pace, giving me a good slap on the ass before rubbing the sting away. He’s never been gentle with me because he knows I prefer sex with a slight edge to it. I never had to say a word either; this man could interpret my wants like no other. Sex has never been as good as it is with him.
“Fuck, Ethan, I’m so close.”
I shiver as he fists my hair and bites my earlobe. “You want to come again, Gabbie? Beg a little and I’d be happy to oblige.”
“Fuck you,” I spit out.
He slams into me with a little extra force. “That’s what I’m doing, sweetheart.”
My jaw clenches. “Well, do it better.”
Ethan pinches my clit, making my back bow in pleasure. “You’ve never had better, honey, and you fucking well know it.”
I moan as he rolls my hot flesh between his fingers. “You give yourself too much credit.”
His palm goes to where our bodies are joined. “Your dripping pussy says otherwise, Gabs.”
“I told you not to call me that.”
Ethan parts my ass cheeks and presses his now slicked finger against my tight hole. “I think I more than have that right when my dick is inside of you, Gabs.”
I open my mouth to give him a snarky retort, but I wind up calling out his name instead as his finger presses forward at the same time he changes the angle of his dick. Warmth spreads down my spine when he hits that special spot inside of me, jerking me back into him. My whole body quakes as the force of my orgasm rushes over me, leaving me gasping for breath. When my spasms subside, Ethan moves inside of me with renewed purpose, until he’s cursing into my neck and biting my shoulder as he finds his own release.
We stay there for a moment, practically bent in half, sweat sticking to the shirts we never got around to removing. The only sound in the room is our breath, slowly but surely returning to normal. Ethan hisses as he slides out of me. I don’t move a muscle as I listen to him fastening his pants and belt. I hear what sounds like rustling paper so I crane my neck back to find the source. Sure enough, Ethan places a folded white square next to my outstretched arm.
I finger the corner of it. “What’s this?”
“The reason I stopped by.”
I stand up and turn around to face him. Thankfully, my shirt is long enough to cover my lady bits since I’m suddenly feeling too exposed. “I’m still on the pill, by the way. And clean. Thanks for asking.”
Ethan’s eyes widen, as if he’s just now realizing we didn’t use a condom. He clears his throat. “Me too. The clean part. I guess we got carried away.”
I start unfolding the paper and mutter, “You can say that again.” My face warms as I look over the flier. “What the fuck, Ethan?”
He gives me a cocky smile. “Those are going out to the masses tomorrow. I thought you’d appreciate being the first person invited.”
I scan the details of his grand opening invitation, scheduled for one week from tomorrow. “You asshole!” I shove his chest but he doesn’t budge an inch. “Get the hell out of my bakery!”
The bastard holds his hands up in surrender as he backs away. “All right, all right, I’m going. Does that mean I can count on your attendance?”
“You can count on my knee hitting your balls if you don’t get out of here in the next five seconds.”
He actually has the nerve to laugh. “I see you’re still a wildcat. Although, I already deduced that over the last thirty minutes.”
My fists clench. “Go to hell!”
Ethan winks as he opens the back door. “I’ll take that as a yes. See you next week, sweetheart.”
I scream at the top of my lungs as the door slams behind him. I can’t believe that son of a bitch just talked me out of my panties!
What have I done?
And what’s the fallout going to look like this time?
8
Then
ETHAN
“What do you mean you have a date tonight?”
Gabbie’s eyes widen in warning, reminding me to lower my voice. “It’s not a real date; my publicist arranged it. She wanted to drum up some buzz before season three premieres next week.”
I clench my jaw. It’s been almost two months since I’ve been able to lose myself in this woman so I’m a bit on edge. I know quite well how many dates are arranged strictly for publicity purposes—hell, I’ve been on a few this month alone to keep the media from sniffing around me and Gabbie—but I still don’t like it. If anyone takes this woman out, it should be me.
“Who are they setting you up with?”
She takes my elbow and leads me into a dark corner of the set. We’re rolling in less than five minutes so this probably isn’t the best time to have this conversation but I’m not about to drop it after she gives me that sheepish look.
“Luke Warner.”
“Are you fucking kidding me, Gabs?”
&
nbsp; “Keep your voice down!” she whispers harshly. “We have the same agent and Luke’s new show is airing next week as well. Plus, my publicist doesn’t think we’ve quite dispelled all the rumors about us so this helps with that, too. It’s a win-win.”
I narrow my eyes. “You are not going out with Luke-fucking-Warner.”
Gabbie looks around as the crew starts glancing our way. “It doesn’t matter who it is. It’s not real, Ethan.”
“Don’t think for a second that wasn’t intentional,” I grumble.
Luke Warner and I go way back. All the way to culinary school, in fact. And we’ve never gotten along well. Quite the opposite, actually. We’ve been pitted against each other competitively almost every step of the way in our climb to fame. Jobs, women, you name it, that man always goes after what I want. I have no doubt he set his eyes on Gabbie after the rumors about us started flying. This may not be a real date on her end, but I’d bet my Bugatti that he intends to make it one.
She sighs. “You’re blowing this way out of proportion.”
“Don’t be an idiot, Gabriela. He wants to fuck you.”
Gabbie glares at me. “Did you really just call me an idiot?”
I roll my eyes. “I said don’t be an idiot. There’s a difference.”
She releases a sexy little growl. “You’re unbelievable! And even if he did want in my pants, it wouldn’t matter because I’m not interested. Give me a little credit, Ethan.”
“Ethan! Gabbie!” our director, Jay, calls. “Places!”
I give her a stern look as I take the seat next to her at the judge’s table. “This conversation isn’t over.”
Gabbie side-eyes me. “That’s what you think.”
9
Now
GABBIE
Sweetest Obsessions - Anthology Page 253