by Ruby Steele
"Yes, God, yes. I need you so badly."
I can feel his smile against my throat. Unbuckling his belt and unzipping his pants, he pulls his cock free. Then he picks me up and wraps my legs around his waist, and pressing me up against the wall, he pushing his cock against my sopping entrance.
"I can't be gentle. I've wanted you too badly." He sheathes himself inside me in one stroke.
I tremble and hold onto his shoulders. "I need you, too." I don't care if he takes me like an animal. I want him to stuff me, fuck me, and drain himself inside my pussy. I want it all.
He swears and starts fucking me. With every thrust, I bounce against the wall, and I'm afraid someone will hear. But when his rhythm picks up, I don't care. I just need him to keep fucking me until I scream.
He kisses me, all teeth and tongue, and I grip him tighter with my legs. When I clench my pussy around his hard length, he moans my name.
"Fuck, you're tight." He grits his teeth. "I'm going to come. Come inside this pussy, my seed dripping out of you when you go back to your desk. You'll feel me the rest of the afternoon, you hear me?"
I just nod. I'm coming, too. I'm spiraling and shaking, and with one last hard thrust, his cock jerks inside my pussy. I scream, but he covers my mouth. I moan and shake and come so hard I almost black out. I can feel his heat and his passion, and I can only hang on for dear life.
Slowly, he sets me on my feet. I'm shaky, like a newborn foal. I'm sore, but it's a wonderful feeling. I miss him inside me.
As I reach up and kiss him, I say the words I didn't plan on saying: "I love you."
He stills. He looks down at me, his expression inscrutable. Finally, he pulls my skirt down and says in a bored voice, "Go back to your desk, Kate. I have work to do."
My heart clenches. I watch as he goes to his desk, not even acknowledging what I've told him. He looks so uninterested, so remote. All of my earlier fears come rushing back, and I realize that I was right: he's never going to love me.
Trembling, I pick up my discarded panties and put them on, trying not to cry. I won't cry in front of him. God, I'm such an idiot!
My head held high, I just say, "Have a nice day."
He waves a hand, clearly dismissing me, and my heart crumbles into a million pieces right then and there.
I walk out of the office like a zombie. I can't imagine how this day could get any worse.
Too bad I was wrong. It could definitely get worse.
"Kate!" a woman calls out as I go to my car.
Turning, I see it's none other than Diana. Diana? Why is she here? And talking to me?
I gape at her like a confused fish. "Uh, yeah, that's me."
"I thought so." She smiles, her straight, white teeth shining like fangs.
I shrink away instinctively. Has she come here to beat me up? Kill me? Claw me with her terrifyingly long nails?
"I wanted to talk to you." She looks me over and, to my astonishment, she touches my arm. "Are you all right? You don't look so good."
It's stupid, but her kindness—even if it is fake—makes me want to cry. I wipe away a stray tear, not wanting Diana of all people to see me look so pathetic.
"I'm fine. Did you need something?" My voice is watery and the tears keep falling despite my best efforts.
"You poor thing. I knew this would happen. I wanted to warn you before it went too far..." She clucks her tongue. "Come on, let's talk in my car."
I'm so confused and heartbroken that I follow her to her car without protest. I wonder, rather dully, if this is it. Will she toss my body into the trunk, or just leave me in the parking garage? Will Gabriel be upset when he finds out?
The thought of Gabriel sends such a sharp pain through me that I have to stifle a gasp.
Sitting in Diana's car—a luxurious sports car with dark leather seats that smells of new car and expensive perfume—I don't say anything. I wait for Diana to explain, or take out her knife. Who cares anymore what happens to me?
"I told Gabriel to leave an innocent girl like you alone. I told him, but he wouldn't listen to me. He never did listen to me." She shakes her head. "I said to him, 'you're going to break that girl's heart.' But did he care? No! He just gets what he wants anyway, like always."
I don't even know what she's talking about. It's like she's speaking another language. "What?"
"Oh, my dear, I'm so sorry. I'm sure I can guess what happened." She hands me a tissue, which I take gratefully. "He finally got you into his bed, and now you're in love with him. Is that right?"
I sit there, stunned. Was it that obvious? Oh my God, who else knows? I blanch, and I'm stuttering some kind of excuse.
"And when you told him you love him, he rejected you," she adds in a soft voice. "I'm right, aren't I?"
Now the tears won't stop. I'm crying like an idiot, and Diana has just confirmed my worst fear: Gabriel will never love me.
"He did the same thing to me. I almost died. Broke my heart into a million pieces." She sighs. "I tried to get to you before it got this far, but Gabriel is anything if not stubborn."
I wipe my eyes one last time and ball up the tissue. If Gabriel couldn't love a woman as beautiful as Diana, there's no chance in hell he'll fall for somebody like me. I know this, and it hurts. It hurts like Diana really has stabbed me.
"My dear, I'm so sorry. But did you really think anything else would happen? Gabriel's a playboy, through and through. He's not going to fall for someone like you." Diana pats my hand like I'm a little girl. "Dry your tears and forget him."
I just nod. My tongue won't work, and besides, what is there to say? I'm about to get out of the car, but I turn back.
"Thanks, I guess. For talking to me."
She smiles, but there's a gleam in her eyes that takes me aback. But then it disappears as soon as I see it.
"You're welcome. Feel better." She's all sugar, a cloying sweetness that makes you feel nauseous.
As I drive home, I know that Diana didn't talk to me out of the goodness of her heart. Yet that doesn't mean what she said wasn't true.
By the time I get home, Tiff is there. When she sees my tear-streaked face, she just hugs me and makes me tell her everything that happened. I have a good cry.
"We'll cut off his balls in his sleep," Tiff says by way of comforting me. "We'll sneak into his house and he'll never know what hit him."
"Thanks, Tiff. You're the best."
"Of course. That's what friends are for, right?"
I smile, although I know tomorrow I'll have to break things off for good. That realization just makes me cry harder until I don't think there are any tears left to shed.
14
Gabriel
I'm in a meeting with my team, including my VP Nick, but I can't hear a damn word anyone is saying. Kate is all I can think about: the way it feels to be inside her, how she moans my name. Her face when I didn't say anything when she told me she loved me.
I clench my fist, and I hear an ominous cracking sound. I let go of my pen before it can get ink all over my hands. Nick gives me a strange look, although he pushes through his presentation without comment.
Who gives a fuck about current marketing strategies and financial forecasts? Who cares about any of this bullshit when I know I fucked up but there's nothing I can do about it?
I'm not a guy who falls in love. I never have been. I enjoy women, and they enjoy me—that's it. There's never been any other kind of relationship that can be in my life. I thought for a while that I loved Diana. Then she fucked me over, so that showed me what love meant.
It means getting betrayed while thinking that everything is sunshine and goddamn roses.
But that doesn't help my conscience, however small and black it might be. I keep seeing Kate's eyes, the way she trembled as she left my office. And now she won't even look me in the eye. She conveniently scheduled meetings with Jenny and other interns when she's supposed to come to my office, and it's pissing me off.
Does she really think she can avoi
d me? That I won't get what I want?
That thought only depresses me. If she thinks she loves me, she's only going to get hurt further if I continue things.
I want to throw my things at the wall, push the table over, smash my fist into something. Someone. But all I can do is grit my teeth and listen to Nick drone about shit I don't care about until the meeting is finally, finally over.
As we leave the room, Nick stops me. "You okay, man?"
I've known Nick since we were in college together. We started Prestige together, although he's one level lower than me. Nick is one of the few people who I can talk to about things.
Except for this.
"I'm fine. Just have shit on my mind."
Nick looks like he wants to ask me something else, but I don't let him. I'm not about to pour my heart out like some sap. Jesus, when did I get so soft? I fuck one virgin and suddenly I want marriage, the white picket fence, and a bunch of drooling infants?
No thanks. I'm not about to change my stripes. If Kate is convinced that she needs a man who loves her, she can find someone else.
Of course, that only makes me seethe with jealousy. She's mine. No one else's. Imagining her with another man makes my gut clench.
I toss my things onto my desk, growling when my pen bounces onto the floor. What the fuck am I doing? I need to get it together. I've never been this messed up over a woman. Not even Diana messed me up like this.
When I hear someone enter my office, I'm about to tell whoever it is to get the fuck out. But then I hear her voice.
"Gabriel."
I still. The hairs on the back of my neck prickle. My intuition tells me something's wrong. Definitely wrong. Kate's face is pale, and she has deep circles under her eyes.
"You're talking to me now?" I sound like an asshole, but my patience's run out.
Nobody—not even Kate McMurray—ignores me without consequences.
She swallows, takes a deep breath. I can't help but remember the Kate who first came into my office, all nerves and awkwardness. This Kate, though? She's poised. Calm. It's unsettling. I want my nervous little intern to return because I don't know if I can convince the mature woman in front of me to do anything I want.
I don't give her a chance to speak. I wrap my arms around her, my chest pressing against those soft breasts, and I make sure she feels my burgeoning erection. I swallow her gasp. Tangling my fingers in her hair, I kiss her so deeply that I’m almost convinced I can make her forget why she came here. I stroke her tongue with mine. I dig my fingers into her hair, and I know I'm probably hurting her.
I don't care. And she doesn't tell me to stop, either.
We break apart, panting. Some color has returned to her cheeks.
"What is it?" I ask gruffly. "You look terrible."
She blushes. "Thanks, asshole." Realizing what's she said, she blushes so red that I can't stop myself from grinning.
"The rose has thorns." I lean back against my desk, all nonchalance. I'm not going to let her know how much she affects me. How my heart's rattling against my ribs right this second.
When she reaches into her pocket and pulls out the envelope, I don't move. We've been here before. I cross my arms and cock an eyebrow.
"I'm putting in my notice. For real this time." She tries to hand me the envelope, but I don't take it.
I sigh. "What is it now? Can't we just discuss this like adults instead of you running off like a scared rabbit?"
I know it's cruel, but at this point, I don't care. I watch as her eyes flare. Anger I can deal with, though. I'd rather have her angry, because that means she still cares.
"I'm not running. I'm doing this because I should never..." She shakes her head and sets the envelope on my desk beside me. "This was a terrible idea. I'm so stupid. I told myself that it wouldn't work out." Inhaling, she rubs her arms, and she looks so sad, so bereft, that it takes every ounce of self-control not to embrace her.
"So you regret our affair?" I bite out the words.
"No, I regret falling in love with you!"
There they are: those words. Again. I ignore the pain in my chest when I hear them. I also ignore my whispering conscience, which tells me that I'm making a huge mistake.
I don't have fucking time to listen to my conscience when I know that logic always wins out in the end.
"Look, baby, I get it." I move toward her, but I don't touch her. "You were a virgin; it was your first time. First times are a big deal, especially for women. I'm not surprised you thought you've fallen in love with me. But it was just that: sex. You're full of endorphins and not much else. It'll pass."
She looks at me like I'm some kind of a stranger. "Are you serious right now?" she manages.
I touch her cheek, but she moves her face away. "Deadly serious. I've heard those words so many times from so many women, Kate. They always mean the same thing: I want you to care more about me than your career. About yourself. I want you to sacrifice everything for me because I think I deserve that." I shake my head. "I've been around the block too many times to fall for that game."
Kate stares at me, her mouth agape. I can't help but notice how her breasts press against her blouse, how with every moment, her anger rises. I can see it in her eyes and I can see the angry flush crawling up her face.
She's always been easy to read.
"You know what, Gabriel?" Her voice is low, scathing. "Fuck you. Fuck you for thinking I'm too stupid to know what's true and what's not. I don't have time for this. I hope you fall off of a cliff and no one is there to give a damn—" Her voice clogs with tears. Turning away, she tries to get a hold of herself, but the tears just keep coming.
I feel like absolute shit. Guilt fills me until I can barely breathe. I'm angry at Kate for ruining this, and I'm angry at myself for giving a damn this time.
I take hold of her wrists. "Look at me. Look at me, Kate."
She looks at me, her gaze defiant.
"There's something—I don't know what this is, but I've never felt like this about any other woman. Why should we throw away whatever this is? This passion between us? Jesus Christ, Kate, I can't go a second without thinking about being inside you. How you moan my name and how tight and wet you feel around my cock. You're like some kind of addiction and goddammit, I can't—I won't—get over you. Not like this."
She just shakes her head. "Don't do this."
"Shouldn't I be saying that to you?" Before she can react, I kiss her again. This time, it's hard and ruthless, and I bend her over my arm as I kiss her with every ounce of emotion I have in me.
I want her to know that she can't leave me without it hurting her. That the second she goes out that door, all she’ll feel is regret.
A little sob catches in her throat. She yanks herself out of my arms, wiping her lips.
"Kate."
She just smiles, but it's a sad smile that causes a crack right in the middle of my heart. "Goodbye, Gabriel."
15
Kate
One month later...
I thought I was sick because I was heartbroken, tired, and not sleeping. When I didn't get my period, I thought it was from stress.
But my life was never that simple ever since I met Gabriel.
I stare at the two pink lines on the pregnancy test, and it doesn't compute for a few moments.
Pregnant. I'm pregnant. With Gabriel's baby.
"Oh my God, Gabriel." He's all I can think about. I slump down onto the toilet and put my head in my hands.
What the hell am I going to do?
I did quit my internship. I hated giving up the opportunity, but I couldn't bear to be so close to the man I loved—and still love, damn him—while he acted like he didn’t care about me at all.
I don't think any girl could take that kind of pain without breaking down.
That last day in his office, when I told him goodbye, it was for good. I got my things, told Jenny I was leaving, and even though she tried to get me to stay, I refused. I couldn't bear to tell her
what happened. What I'd done, knowing full well what the consequences could be.
I packed up my stuff and I left, keeping my head high despite feeling like I was going to crumble within seconds. I held it all in until I got home. When I finally collapsed onto my bed, I cried until my head pounded and my eyes hurt. Tiff and Beth tried their best to console me, but they couldn't heal my broken heart.
I walked around like a zombie. I couldn't stop loving Gabriel. It sucked, to say the least. I hated him, loved him, hated him. Mostly, I just loved him. But I knew I had to move on, because he definitely had.
He didn't call me or try to contact me. That was the sign I needed to know that it was officially over between us.
Now, the present rushes back to me. I thought me and Gabriel were over, huh?
I guess fate has other plans.
I take a deep breath, then another. My mind whirls with what this means for my future. How can I raise a baby by myself? I don't know the first thing about babies!
Someone knocks on the bathroom door. "Hey, Kate, you in there?" Tiff asks.
I wipe away the tears and try to find a way to throw away the pregnancy test without her noticing, but I give it up as a lost cause. Opening the door, I hand her the test without a word.
Beth's standing behind her, and they both blink. "Uh, so...? Tiff says.
"I'm pregnant."
They both look at me like I've sprouted two heads. I almost start laughing at their similar expressions.
Then: "Oh my God!" from Beth.
And not to be outdone: "Oh my fucking Jesus Christ tap-dancing on a cracker!" from Tiff.
"Yeah, that about sums it up."
Tiff returns the test to me and then frowns. "Did you just give me something you peed on?"
I grin. "Yeah."
She squeals and pushes past me to wash her hands. As the water runs, Beth places a hand on my arm. "You okay?"
I shake my head, but then I nod. "No, but I will be. Is that weird?" I touch my abdomen, wonder filling me despite the circumstances. "I'm pregnant. With a baby."