Once Upon A Time

by S. K. Hartley

  “Gabriel and anal.” I threw my hand over my mouth. “Not in that order and Gabriel hasn’t preformed any form of anal, not in here at least. Ugh! Short version, Kylie drunk dialed Gabriel and he’s on his way over. Help me!”

  “Huh, anal.” He chuckled. I glared at him. “Okay! Jeez, what's your problem with anal?!” he asked, standing from the sofa to help clean up.

  “The next person to say that word will get an empty bottle of wine shoved where the sun doesn’t shine. How’s that for anal?” I glared, shaking my head as Quinn pulled a stupid face at me.

  “Painful.” Kylie cringed, finally helping move some of the trash, but quickly stopped what she was doing when a knock sounded at the door.

  “Oh shit!” I hissed, hiding an empty bottle behind a cushion on the sofa while Kylie answered the door.

  Smoothing down my hair, I took a seat on the sofa.

  “Well, hello, Mr. Charming,” Kylie slurred.

  I giggled quietly as Gabriel walked into the apartment, stopping the moment our gazes locked.

  He stopped just inside the living room, tilting his head at me.

  “Just how drunk are you?” he asked, his voice even huskier than usual.

  “Just a little bit,” I answered, showing him how much with my finger and thumb as I squinted my left eye. “Why?”

  He looked towards Quinn, who was trying his hardest not to fall back to sleep on the opposite sofa and then to a swaying Kylie.

  “You’re coming with me,” he suddenly announced.

  “Huh?” I said, not understanding what the hell he was talking about. Going with him where?

  “Come on, princess, your chariot awaits.” He smirked, stepping towards me and before I knew what hit me, I was in his arms and being carried out of my apartment.

  “Bye, honey! Don’t do anything I wouldn’t!” Kylie yelled after us.

  “There’s nothing you wouldn’t do!” I yelled over Gabriel shoulder.

  I WAS STILL IN GABRIEL’S ARMS when he stepped out onto the sidewalk. Deciding I really should use my legs before they started to go numb, I wiggled out of his hold. Shaking his head, he placed me down on my feet but not before catching me as I stumbled in my heels.

  “Easy, princess.” He guided me towards the town car.

  “Wait, where’s Leo?” I slurred, which sounded more like “Waffle, whack 'em loophole.”

  He shook his head as his hand moved to the small of my back. I shivered. Damn, it was cold.

  “Just me tonight, princess,” he said, opening the passenger door and guiding me in. Once secured in place, he moved to the other side and got in. The door slamming sobered me up a little; not a lot, but just enough.

  “Hold on. Why am I in your car and where are we going?”

  He buckled his seatbelt and started the car, the engine purring to life before pulling away from my building before he answered.

  “You’re in my car because Kylie and Quinn are wasted and I don’t trust them to look after you and we’re going to my place.”

  “Oh,” I answered, not sure what to say to any of that.

  What felt like only minutes later, I was woken by Gabriel’s gravelly voice.

  “Come on, princess, you fell asleep,” he said, unbuckling my seatbelt.

  I must have fallen asleep sometime during the drive through the city. The sleep had sobered me up more than I would've liked, and now my brain was trying to process why I’d agreed to get into his car or even drunk dial him. Rolling my eyes, I batted his hands away and stepped out of the car.

  “I may be a little drunk but I’m not completely incapable of normal bodily functions,” I grumbled, crossing my arms over my body. In the craziness of him carrying me from my apartment, I hadn’t grabbed a jacket and the cold of the night had descended, causing a chill to settle over the exposed skin of my arms.

  “Even drunk you’re infuriating. Who would've thought?” he said sarcastically.

  Turning, he walked towards a large white building where I noticed the concierge removing his hat before opening the door for Gabriel.

  This was going to be soooo much fun.

  Deciding I really didn’t want to catch hyperthermia, I followed Gabriel inside, smiling at the concierge as I did so. The moment I stepped inside the warm building, I realized quite quickly that he lived in one of his own hotels. A little weird but the building was absolutely stunning.

  So I announced like it was a normal every day sentence: “You live in a hotel.”

  He chuckled softly as he walked towards the elevators and pressed the button.

  “The entire top floor is mine, the rest is for hotel guests,” he replied, turning his head towards me. “Is that a problem?”

  “Why would it be a problem?” I asked, a little confused as to why he’d ask, why was it my business where he decided to live?

  “You seem to have a problem with money. My money to be exact,” he said as the elevator doors opened and we stepped inside.

  “I don’t have a problem with your money,” I fired back and he pressed the button for the twenty-second floor.

  “Really? You tend to freak out more than normal where my money is concerned.” He chuckled softly as the elevator ascended.

  I sighed heavily; for once we agreed on something. I didn't have a problem with his money, or anyone else's, for that matter, it just intimidated me.

  “I lived below the poverty line for a good twenty years of my life, your money isn't a problem. It’s what it represents that bothers me.”

  “What does it represent, exactly?” he asked, perplexed.

  “A false sense of happiness.” I shrugged my shoulders. “Although my parents had no money, they were happy and still are. We lived without luxuries to make sure we had food on the table every night. Money doesn't buy happiness, as the saying goes; merely a false sense of happiness, which only brings misery.”

  I averted my gaze as I realized I’d admitted far more than I wanted to.

  “Not everyone is unhappy if they’re fortunate enough to have money, Payton.”

  I kept my gaze trained on the floor as the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened. My gaze shifted to the space in which we’d arrived and I was floored. Gasping out loud, my gaze moved about the room. Stepping out from the elevator, I walked into a large space filled with dark furnishings and dark wood flooring. I swore the room was big enough to fit my parents' house twenty times over.

  “Holy shit,” I whispered, taking everything in.

  Stepping into the living room, I quickly noticed there weren't any pictures anywhere. No pictures of his family, no friends or not even a damn pet. Much like his office. Nothing. It was becoming infuriating just how closed off he was about his past and his family. I could never get a straight answer out of him, but maybe this time he might be different.

  “Take a seat,” he growled from behind me. It sounded like an order, but then again a suggestion. I sat down without question.

  The large black leather corner sofa sat opposite an exposed fireplace below the biggest flat screen TV I’d ever seen. Behind me, I could hear a coffee machine brewing with the scent swiftly following after. He clearly wanted me to sober up.

  Minutes later, Gabriel walked into the living room with two cups of coffee and handed me one. Raising my brow, I peered inside the cup. Black, no sugar. He remembered.

  “I noticed what you drank that day in the coffee shop, then again at your apartment,” he said, as if reading my mind.

  “Oh,” I answered, unsure as to what to say about it.

  Over the last couple of weeks, it was evident he knew more about me than I first thought. He’d known where I drank my coffee, how I drank it, even my dress size, yet I knew pretty much nothing about him.

  “Why don’t you have any photos in here?” I blurted out as I took a sip of coffee.

  It was yummy. Expensive, but yummy all the same.

  He sighed, averting his gaze to the fireplace.

  “I used to.” He
paused, his gaze moving back to mine. “I took them down not long after me and my father stop talking.”

  What? He didn't talk to his father? It was news to me.

  “Why did you stop talking?” I asked timidly, unsure if he’d open up and finally tell me a little about himself.

  “We never had a great relationship,” he said, taking a sip from his coffee. “I didn't always have money, Payton.”

  His admission shocked me a little. Wasn't his father was one of the top lawyers in the UK?

  “When I was eleven, my father co-owned a law firm with my uncle. The firm was quickly becoming well regarded firm, the go-to for corporate legal matters but when the cops turned up at my house we soon realized why.”

  My gaze searched his, trying to work out what he was about to tell me but his face stayed blank, much like it always did.

  “What happened?” I asked.

  “My uncle was arrested for embezzling client money. They came for my father shortly after,” he admitted solemnly, his head bowed. “There was no evidence my father knew anything about it nor was he involved, but the moment you mention embezzlement, no matter whether you were involved or not, your career is over.

  “My uncle embezzled over half a million in client money and was sent to prison. They released my father without charges but by that point, Black Brothers Corporate Law was gone. We were broke at the time; my father spent what money we did have on legal council and we had to sell the house to pay off some bills and find somewhere else to live.

  “Eventually, everything died down and my father managed to rebuild his career, using the scandal to his advantage and using the victim card. But I always thought my father played some part in it knowingly.”

  My mouth had dropped open. I was shocked to hear not only had his uncle been imprisoned for embezzlement but his family ended up broke because of it. Suddenly, everything made sense.

  “That’s why you didn't tell me who you were,” I whispered.

  He nodded his head. “I’m a private man, Payton. I don’t just tell anyone about my past.”

  “Then why tell me?” I asked.

  He chuckled softly. “You know why. Are you still going to sit there and tell me we can’t do this or we shouldn't do this?”

  I was speechless. What the hell did I say to that? Was I falling for him? Yes, and maybe by now I think I may have even loved him, but we both knew acting on it could risk everything.

  “I don’t know,” I admitted. “Kate isn't the easiest of bosses to get along with. She’d fire me on the spot if she found out I was sleeping with a client - one of our most profitable clients.”

  He stared me in the eyes for a moment, looking for something.

  “Work for me.”

  I balked, handing him my cup of warm coffee before pinching the inside of my arm.

  “Ouch. Shit.” I winced, rolling my eyes at myself for pinching a little too hard.

  “What the hell are you doing?” Gabriel asked, shaking his head.

  “Making sure I wasn't sleeping!” I shrieked. “I can’t believe you suggested I work for you just so we can sleep together! Who do you think I am, Gabriel? Thank you for the offer, but I’m not a whore and I can’t be bought. I believe in working my way up without my skirt rising along with me,” I announced, standing from the sofa and making my way towards the door. The minute my hand was on the door handle, I was taken right back to Omega.

  Standing behind me, his hips pressing against my back, was Gabriel. His breathing was heavy in my ear and the low growl which rolled from his chest sent shivers down my spine. He wasn't helping the situation. I wanted to get out of there as fast as humanly possible so I wouldn't succumb to the pull he had on me at every waking moment. We both knew nothing could stop the pull, luring me in without warning.

  “Stay.” He growled, the fierceness in his voice somewhat hypnotizing.

  I closed my eyes and shook my head.

  Just say no, just tell him you can’t do this and walk away.

  It never happened.

  I couldn't deny the want rolling inside me, the infatuated need to give myself over to this man who tempted and infuriated me at the same time. It seemed all the feelings I’d been denying and pushing back came rushing to a head and, for the first time since we met, instead of turning away, I finally gave us both exactly what we wanted.

  “Okay,” I whispered as I turned to face him.

  “Okay?” he asked, his brow raised.

  I smiled. “Okay.”

  Without warning, Gabriel’s lips were on mine. I moaned the moment our lips locked and my arms moved behind his neck as I pulled him impossibly close. I decided right there to finally listen to my friends, to finally let my feelings come before my job, my home, my life long enough to just feel without worrying about my future.

  The moment his tongue ran along the seam of my lips, I moaned and opened for him, allowing him to devour my mouth. And my, did he devour. His hands moved to my ass and I was suddenly off my feet and we were moving, our lips never breaking. His tongue grazed the roof of my mouth and I noticed we had moved to a bedroom. In a flash, my back was against a wall, Gabriel still devouring my mouth as the evidence of his arousal pressed between my thighs.

  His lips broke away from mine and I was sure I groaned out in frustration from the missing contact, but soon moaned in pleasure. His lips moved from mine to my neck, his five o’clock shadow grazing against my sensitive skin. My eyes rolled back slightly as he nipped, licked and kissed my neck while squeezing my ass and thrusting between my thighs.

  “Jesus.” I moaned as my back left the solid wall and moved to the soft duvet of the bed.

  “He’s not going to answer, princess.” He chuckled before moving back to my neck, carrying on his mission of driving me into a lust-filled frenzy. “I’m the only one who can hear you moan and beg and scream out when you come with my name on your lips.”

  Moisture pooled between my thighs and I was becoming increasingly frustrated at the lack of skin on skin contact. Placing my hands on his chest, I pushed against him. His lips moved from my neck as he quickly realized what I wanted. I grabbed at the lapels of his suit and threw it off his shoulders. He took the cue and pulled his jacket off his arms.

  I smirked as my fingers grazed the seam of his dress shirt before swiftly taking hold of either side and pulling it apart. Buttons rained down around me and a chuckle left his lips as I relived the moment from Omega.

  “You seem to have a problem with my shirts, princess.” He smiled but the minute his gaze met my eyes, his expression quickly changed.

  Gone was the humor, gone was the playfulness. In its place was Gabriel Black: the man who dominated a room just by walking into it, the man whose eyes would change to a deep black the moment he was aroused, the man who ultimately had hold of my heart.

  Biting my lip, my fingers grazed his hard abdominal muscles, reveling in the delicious feeling of pure hard muscle beneath my fingertips. My fingers moved slowly, making their way to his happy trail which descended further down into his dress pants and suddenly, I was jealous of those damn dress pants.

  “Take them off,” I demanded, my voice stronger than I expected although the lust was clearly evident.

  With a smirk, he stood from the bed, unbuckling his belt and dramatically pulling it through the loops of his pants in one swift move. With hooded eyes, he dropped the belt to the ground, the sound of the buckle clattering against the wood flooring pulling a gasp from my lips.

  “You’re wearing too much,” he said, shrugging off the destroyed shirt before reaching out his hand to me.

  Taking his hand, I stood from the bed and was pulled to his chest. The height difference between us was apparent. He stood at least a foot over my small frame but I was never intimidated, merely turned on by his height, build and sheer dominance as he stood over me.

  Slowly, Gabriel reached out for my blouse and pulled it over my head, leaving me in my bra and pencil skirt. Then, it was as if the
air in the room was drowning me. I couldn’t get enough air into my lungs. I inhaled hard, watching him as he slowly walked around me, his eyes burning into every inch of skin I had exposed.

  I noticed I was never embarrassed about being nude around him, my usual modesty never really appeared. He made me feel confident within my own skin, something which had never really happened before.

  Without warning, the cups of my pretty blue lace bra were in his hands and as I realized I was wearing another of my favorite bras, a rip sounded around the room, followed by the sound of the destroyed fabric hitting the ground.

  I chuckled.

  “You seem to have a problem with my bras, Mr. Black.”

  “Only when it’s in the way of what I want,” he fired back before pouncing like what could only be described as a hunter capturing his prey.

  My back was against the duvet once more and Gabriel’s lips back on mine as his hands moved under my ass, looking for the zipper of my skirt. Finding the offending zipper, he pulled it down and within seconds my skirt was on the floor, joining the discarded clothing.

  His hands wandered as his tongue caressed mine, arriving at the apex of my thighs before all movement stopped.

  I groaned.

  “Panties?” He smirked, looking down between us to find the matching blue lace panties.

  Just the word "panties" rolling off his lips was enough for my nipples to pebble, the devilish smile which appeared only made them impossibly hard and my core ridiculously soaked.

  I gave a little shrug as he assessed the panties I was wearing. I’d usually go without; the thought of having uncomfortable panties on underneath my clothing was something I hated. Today was a one off and thankfully I wore them, considering my surprise appointment at Vera Wang.

  “Are you just going to stare at them or are you going to fuck me?” I asked brashly, uncaring of how it came across. I was worked up and in need of release, and him resting a couple of inches above me did nothing to stop the want inside me.

  “Oh princess, you have no fucking idea.” He smiled, standing and removing the rest of his clothing.