So why was she still standing here, debating back and forth about this?
Because she wanted Teague. She wanted him so badly!
And that still scared her.
A tear escaped from her lashes, dripping down onto her cheek. Besides the day that she’d discovered her mother had died, this was the scariest moment of her life!
The sun was shining brightly in the sky and everyone was hurrying around. Lunchtime, she thought. Boston had some great eateries. Teague would love them, she thought. Teague loved food. Good grief, Teague loved life!
So why was she standing here? Why wasn’t she back in Seattle, where she could walk up to Teague and know that he would wrap his arms around her, pull her close against his side? Why was she here? Why had she abandoned Teague? Again!
Taking her phone out of her purse, she looked down at the messages. None from Teague. But she hadn’t expected anything from him. Not after she’d left him again.
This time, she’d left him a note, but thinking back to it, she wasn’t sure that the note was enough. She’d just said that she had to fix things. She’d been so rushed, so hurried to get back to Boston so she could clean up everything that she hadn’t given Teague enough information. She hadn't said she’d be back! She hadn’t told him she loved him. She’d snuck out of his cabin in the early morning hours and driven straight to the airport, caught a flight, and here she was, standing in front of Toby’s building, wondering how she was going to break off her engagement with such a kind, sweet, gentle man.
But she had to do it. And she had to hurry. Teague needed her. And…she took a deep breath as she finished her thought…she needed him. More than she’d thought possible!
Okay, so she was going to have to grovel. She wanted Teague. She was nuts to come back here to Toby when she knew how she felt about Teague. Yes, the tall, obnoxious man drove her nuts. No, that wasn’t what she’d thought she wanted for her future. But she had to accept that Teague might make her crazy, but he also made her laugh. He made her feel good about herself. Toby was calm and sensible, but when he glanced at her figure, she’d always felt as if he were judging her appearance. When Teague looked at her, she knew he was wondering what she was wearing underneath her clothes.
She wanted to slap herself for being so stupid! Teague was the man of her dreams. She just hadn’t ever realized that her dreams had been so clouded by her past! On the surface, Toby would fit into her future. But digging down even just a little bit, she knew that Toby was too stuffy for her. Oh, she’d thought that was what she’d wanted. Toby represented respectability. He knew the kinds of people that used to look down at her, taunt her.
Teague might know of those people, but he didn’t give a damn about them.
She still worried about respectability. But with Teague by her side, she was going to learn to ignore that superficial-ness. She would work at not wanting societal approval. Because everyone had their own secrets, their own past foibles that they needed to hide from the world. Poverty was hers. But she’d climbed out of that life. She was strong and competent. She could look at numbers and know what was happening, so she would always have a job.
If she needed a house, she’d buy a house! Teague would be Teague. He was happy in his trailer, but he wanted her. She was sure that she could find a reasonable compromise.
He loved her!
And she loved him. More than she’d thought possible! Goodness, the tight band that had been wrapped around her chest suddenly disappeared! She felt free with that admission.
For so long, she’d ignored her need to be with Teague, telling herself that the man was just a fool. Teague was no fool! He was just a guy who lived life fully! And he was incredibly knowledgeable about construction. If he wanted to be the foreman at a construction site, she would love that part of him! She loved him! She loved him so much, she felt like flying! Or dancing! Or just singing and being crazy!
“Gabriella?” a feminine voice called out from behind her.
Gabby turned around, unaware of and unconcerned about the goofy smile lighting up her face.
“It is you!” Doris Weatherby said and moved closer. “Goodness, dear! We’d heard that you’d left on business two weeks ago.”
Gabby laughed. “Yes. But my business has been resolved. Everything is worked out. For the best,” she said. Of course, Teague might be furious that she’d left him again. But she’d just close up her life here in Boston, fly out to Seattle and make her life there. He’d been stubborn about their divorce in the past. She’d be stubborn about it now. He wasn’t getting a divorce. No way! Teague was her husband!
That crazy giddiness made her want to clap her hands with joy. So she did!
Doris Weatherby’s head pulled back with surprise and she smiled carefully. “You’re excited about your wedding day, aren’t you dear?” Her eyes turned admonishing. “Decorum, child! We must maintain our decorum despite our inner excitement.” She nodded, trying to emphasize her words.
Gabby laughed. “You’re absolutely correct, Doris,” Gabby said, ignoring the woman’s disapproval when Gabby used the matron’s first name. It simply wasn’t done, she knew.
“I have to go. I must talk with Toby.”
“Of course you do, dear,” Ms. Weatherby agreed with a patronizing pat on her arm. “Go on. Talk to your fiancé and we’ll see you in your beautiful white dress in a couple of weeks.”
Gabby’s smile widened. “You have a very nice day,” and she turned around, almost skipping into the building.
She typed out a message to Teague. “I love you. I’m sorry I left and I should have explained more than the silly note. I was wrong. You were right. Please forgive me! I’m coming back. I just have one thing left to do.” She felt better after sending that message.
The receptionist smiled as soon as Gabby stepped through the door. “Good morning, Ms. Hicks,” she greeted graciously, immediately handing Gabby a visitor’s badge.
“Thank you, Jennifer,” Gabby smiled as she pinned the badge to her collar. Walking over to the bank of elevators, she felt a different spring to her step. She was practically bouncing on her toes. She was excited! Not to see Toby. But she was excited to get back to Teague.
Oh, he was probably furious with her. But she’d figure out how to reassure him that she was completely, irrevocably, crazy in love with the man. Just like he’d convinced her.
It was going to be a great life, she thought with satisfaction as she stepped into the elevator.
A few moments later, she stepped out onto the top floor. Toby liked being on the highest floor, thinking that it made him feel more exclusive. Gabby thought about Teague’s style of management. He talked with his crews, discussed various ideas with them. Toby didn’t really do that. He stayed up here in his tower, dictating memos through his assistant.
Hmmm…odd. Danielle wasn’t at her desk. That was definitely weird, Gabby thought, because Danielle normally guarded Toby’s office door like a lioness. The woman was an outstanding assistant. At least, that’s what Toby said constantly.
She must have gone out to lunch, Gabby thought. Was Toby gone as well? She hadn’t given him warning that she would be stopping by. Normally, he would be irritated with her about that, but she suspected he would be even angrier with her about what she was about to do. Breaking off one’s engagement two weeks before the wedding was…well, it was bad form, Toby would say.
Gabby almost laughed, but then she heard a noise in Toby’s office. It was a strange sound. Was that…?
Her mind couldn’t even picture what might be going on but it definitely sounded strange. Very un-Toby-like. He would be furious if someone was in his office.
Stepping over to the door, she realized that it wasn’t completely closed. Someone was in his office! Someone was…
“Oh my,” Gabby whispered as she pushed the door to Toby’s office open.
If Gabby had imagined the craziest, most insane scene in her mind, she still would not have pictured Toby like this. Bent
over the woman, his hands bound behind his back, and his ankles in some sort of strange contraption, as well…and was that…leather? Was Toby wearing a leather thong? As he shifted, she realized that it wasn’t all leather. There was some sort of metal contraption around the base of his very erect penis. Gabby’s eyes moved to his body. She’d never seen Toby naked before, but she was fairly certain that his hairy butt wasn’t normally that red. Sure enough, the woman in the crotchless body suit whipped Toby, causing him to groan with…pleasure? Most likely, since he increased his efforts at pleasuring the woman with the spread legs sitting on Toby’s desk. Another whack, this time to Toby’s legs and he seemed to double his efforts at pleasing the woman.
As Gabby took in the scene, a part of her mind told her that she shouldn’t be here. She should turn around and leave. This was a private…scene…? She wasn’t sure what to call this. A tryst? That word seemed too innocent for what was happening here.
“Gabriella…” a feminine voice said from right behind Gabby.
Gabby was too busy staring at her fiancé and…oh my, was that… “Danielle?” Gabby asked, looking at the older woman in the crotchless body suit with the whip in the air. She was wearing a black mask over her eyes and her lipstick was red. Bright red. Normally Danielle wore no lipstick, her mouth pressed into a disapproving frown. But this Dominatrix was lovely! And scary!
Toby looked over, his mouth gasping for breath and his erection…well, upon being discovered his erection…deflated. “Gabriella!” he gasped.
Danielle was in mid-whip but she stopped herself, jumping off Toby’s desk, covering herself…well, covering her crotch area at least. Gabby noted that the body suit wasn’t just crotchless. It had nothing covering the woman’s breasts!
“Good heavens!” Ms. Weatherby shrieked from behind Gabby. “Tobias! What in the world is going on here?” she demanded.
Gabby covered her mouth, trying not to laugh at the horrified expressions on Toby and Danielle’s faces.
Ms. Weatherby’s mouth fell open as the leather-clad couple stared. “What in the name of all that is good and decent are you doing?” the commanding matron demanded in an outraged hiss.
Gabby stepped backwards, trying to avoid this scene. She loved the things that Teague did to her, so she didn’t want to judge another person’s sexual desires. But she couldn’t deny that she was enormously relieved that her issues with breaking off the wedding were gone.
“Is that your secretary?” Ms. Weatherby demanded. Gabby wasn’t sure if Ms. Weatherby was more horrified by the fact that Toby was having sex with his secretary, or that Toby was bound up and being whipped.
Poor Danielle, the woman couldn’t cover up enough with her hands. Well, nor could Toby, since his hands were still bound behind his back. He was looking at the elderly society matron, not with horror but with…well, his look was completely blank.
Another noise behind her had her turning around to see who else was about to witness this scene. She was going to hurry out, backing out of Toby’s office, but a huge shadow came up behind her, blocking her escape.
“Damn!” Teague breathed as he too took in the scene in Toby’s office.
Looking down at Gabby, he chuckled. “I can’t wait to do that to you!” and with that, he took her hand and tugged her back to the elevators while Gabby laughed. She was laughing so hard, she couldn’t see where she was going.
All she heard behind her was Ms. Weatherby screeching at Toby and Danielle to get dressed and stop “the nonsense”. Poor Toby, Gabby thought.
“How long had you been there?” Teague asked.
She smothered another wave of laughter as she leaned against his hard chest. “Maybe ten seconds before you walked in. I had no idea!”
“Got an eyeful in those ten seconds though, didn’t you?” he teased, chuckling as his arm tightened around her.
“Oh my yes!”
The elevator doors opened up and he pulled her out of the building, into the dark car that was obviously waiting for them at the curb. “Come on, honey. You’re going home.”
“With you?’ she asked, leaning against him again when they were settled against the black, leather seats.
He pulled her onto his lap, his hands firm as he held her in place as the limousine pulled away from the curb. “Yes. And you’re not leaving me again.”
Her arms wrapped around his neck, perfectly content to be on his lap. Exactly where she should be, she thought with happiness. “You came after me,” she murmured, her eyes widening as that realization hit her.
He pulled her closer, his hands resting on her bottom. A few weeks ago, she would have been horrified that he would touch her like that, thinking it wasn’t dignified. But now, she loved it. “I didn’t come after you the first time, but I know better now, Gabby. You’re my wife. I won’t let you go again.”
She smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Okay. Sounds good to me,” she replied and leaned against him.
His eyes narrowed at her easy agreement. “I mean it, Gabby. You’re mine! I won’t let you leave me. We’ve both been miserable over the past year. You’re staying with me.”
She nodded her head. “Okay.”
He pulled back slightly, trying to see her eyes. “Gabby, what’s going on?”
She shrugged. “I realize that I love you. Didn’t you get my messages?”
He stilled, and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. “I turned it off mid-flight because Zeke was being an ass.”
She lifted her head, looking up into his green eyes and worried that his brothers were sick of her silliness. “About you coming here to talk to me?”
Teague shook his head. “Hell no! All three of my brothers would have kicked my ass if I hadn’t come after you.”
She leaned her head back against his shoulder, snuggling closer to him. “I understand if they thought I was bad for you. But I’ll prove them wrong. I’ll prove everyone wrong.”
He flipped his phone back on and read the messages. She knew the moment he’d gotten to the end because his arms tightened around her. Smiling, she kissed his neck. “I meant it.”
He looked at the time stamp on the messages. “You’d come to that conclusion even before you’d walked in on Toby and his Domme, eh?”
Gabby couldn’t stop the laughter with his comment. “Oh my, he was in trouble, wasn’t he?”
Teague chuckled as well, the deep sound making her shiver with anticipation. “I don’t know if he was more turned on by his Domme or by the old biddy yelling at him.”
Gabby laughed again. “That ‘old biddy’ is one of Boston’s society ladies. She’s in charge of…well, everything. Without her approval, you’re not going to make it in Boston society.”
He looked down at her, his arms tightening. “You don’t need approval from anyone, Gabby. You’re beautiful and wonderful.”
“And all yours,” she lifted her head to kiss him. She’d been aiming for his jaw but he turned his head and captured her lips with his, deepening the kiss as his fingers tangled in her hair, holding her head in place for his kiss.
“You’re all mine, Gabriella Steele,” he grumbled.
“Gabby Steele,” she corrected, then pulled his head back down to hers, kissing him again. “I love you, Teague Steele.”
When he had thoroughly kissed her again, he lifted his head, leaning his forehead against hers. “I love you, Gabby,” he told her with heartfelt sincerity.
Her eyes turned sad. “I’m so sorry for running away last year. I should have known that you were the right man for me.”
His rough hand moved up and down her back. “You weren’t ready for what we could have between us. I pushed you too fast in Vegas. But I knew what I wanted. You.”
She smiled, her fingers teasing the hair on the back of his neck. “You were right.”
He laughed. “I love hearing those words.”
She chuckled again. “I also know that you’re annoying and obnoxious and...”
He s
topped whatever she was going to say by kissing her again. When he lifted his head this time, she was breathless and clinging to him. “And you love all of me,” he argued right back.
She smiled, her fingers enjoying the soft feel of his hair while her body enjoyed the hard feel of him everywhere else. “Yeah, I do.”
The car pulled into what she suspected was the airport, but it wasn’t Logan International Airport. Or was it? She looked around and, sure enough, commercial flights were taking off in the distance. “Where are we?’ she asked because nothing looked familiar.
“At the airport,” he answered and stepped out of the vehicle. Turning, he extended his hand to help her out, then pulled her against his side. “We’re flying home together this time.”
She looked around his broad shoulders and gasped when she spied the private plane he was leading her towards. She glanced back and the uniformed chauffer was stepping back into the black vehicle and driving off. “Teague, you don’t have to…”
“Relax, Gabby. This is the Steele Industries’ company plane. Pete is the pilot and he’s very experienced. No need to get nervous.”
She shook her head, stunned and confused. “Steele Industries owns a private plane?”
He shrugged, not understanding why she looked so mystified. “Four actually. We have to fly to various sites across the country, so it was easier and more efficient to just get a couple of planes than to try and fit our needs into the commercial flight schedule.”
She tried to close her mouth, to hide her stunned surprise. But it was hard. Especially when she stepped onto the plane and the incredible luxury hit her.
“Ready, Pete?” Teague asked the pilot as he led Gabby over to one of the leather seats.
“Fueled up and ready, sir,” the pilot replied. “I’ve even gotten a takeoff slot for you. We should be in the air in thirty minutes.”
Teague nodded and winked at the flight attendant. “Gabby, this is Olivia. She’s Pete’s husband.”
Seducing His Wife Page 12