by Selena Kitt
As they began to move for the next set of people to hop on he answered her. "Well, I had almost completed the program when my parents died. Their private plane crashed, killing them and the pilot. So I didn't feel I had a choice. I couldn't bear the thought of some stranger running the company that my grandfather founded and my father loved. So I stepped in and had to settle for owning restaurants rather than being in them cooking."
"Well, do you even like running the company?"
He gave her a wry grin. "I'm good at it."
"That didn't really answer my question... Just because you're good at something doesn't mean you have to like it. I was pretty good at my job at the coffee shop and I hated every second of it."
"Good point. But I had an obligation to fulfill."
Beth nodded. She understood his reasoning, but it still felt so unfair for him to be doing something he hated.
"And don't get me wrong it's not all bad, I certainly can't complain from the financial perspective and I am the boss so that certainly has its benefits. It's just not what I'd hoped for myself," he shrugged. "Money isn't everything."
"But it helps," Beth countered.
Any further conversation was put on hold as the ride finally filled and it began to move at a steady, quick pace. The car they sat in rocked back and forth, allowing for a bird's-eye view of the entire park, thousands of coloured lights twinkling below them. "Isn't it beautiful?" Beth asked with a warm smile on her face.
"It is," Gabriel confirmed.
Beth glanced over at Gabriel, her eyes catching his, and realized that it wasn't the park below that he was referring to. She ran a shaky hand through her hair. She was beginning to become familiar with the look he was giving her. His look was dark, heated and sexy, making her stomach do flip flops and her pussy ache.
"Gabriel..." The Ferris wheel came to a full stop just as their car topped the ride. Their car rocked with the sudden stopping and Beth immediately focused her attention on their surroundings and the people in the other cars muttering their displeasure from the stop. They could see everything, the fairgrounds and well into the city of Portland. It was a breathtaking view. She glanced over at Gabriel, who was grinning. "You paid him to stop the wheel didn't you?"
"Guilty."
She sat back in her seat and snuggled closer to Gabriel, "How long do we have?"
"Five minutes was as long as he would stall it."
"Hmmm. Well, I guess that rules out sex on a Ferris wheel," she teased, turning partway in her seat so she could look up at him. His whole demeanour was relaxed and carefree. She liked it. At that moment she was able to forget that he was her boss and she was his employee, and that he was severely out of her league - a thought that kept creeping into her mind.
"Well, Miss Wilmington, that is a very appealing idea. Perhaps I should have offered him more money." He cupped her chin in his hand and lowered his mouth to hers.
Beth smiled as his lips touched hers. As usual, the simple touch of his lips set her body aflame. With a sigh, she parted her lips to him needing to feel more as she slid her hand around his neck, urging him to take more. He obliged, his tongue sweeping past her parted lips to caress hers. She ached to reposition herself over him, straddling his lap, but the bar kept her seated and their contact restricted.
"My God, what you do to me Beth," he murmured, pulling his lips from hers slightly as he touched her cheek.
What she did to him? Then he must have had no idea her body's reaction to him. Beth couldn't speak. She could only stare up at him. She felt the same way. Why of all men did she have to find herself falling for Gabriel?
When she was growing up she had a tendency to bring home, as her mother would call them, the riffraff of the community. Men who were destined to be incarcerated for some crime or who had a promising career as a grocery store clerk. Her mother would tell her that it was just as easy to love a rich man as it was a poor one. She never believed it, but here she was with the most amazing man she'd ever met and she was falling.
Before she had a chance to respond, his lips claimed hers once more, harder and with more urgency than before. She fisted the front of his black t-shirt, as the throbbing between her legs increased. "I want you Gabe," she whispered against his lips.
He growled low and deep, slipping a hand to the back of her head and fisting her hair. She yelped, more in surprise than from the slight pain as he gave her hair a jerk, exposing her neck to him. His lips touched her neck, his tongue flicking at the sensitive flesh. She closed her eyes and moaned softly as pleasure rushed through her.
Oh my God, is this real? It felt like a dream. Like one beautiful, romantic dream, sitting atop a gigantic Ferris wheel while such a beautiful, amazing man touched and kissed her so expertly. Gabriel's mouth made its way down her neck until he reached her collarbone and as if on cue when he reached that point the wheel squealed and jolted forward. Their time was up.
* * * *
"I just have to take a moment and make a few phone calls. I won't be long." Gabriel released her hand and strode off towards the wing of the house that contained his office, leaving Beth sitting on the sofa in the living room, the big-screen 3D television in front of her and the big pink teddy bear sitting in the armchair to her left.
Beth began to flip through channels almost mechanically, but nothing was catching her attention. Her thoughts were completely of Gabriel and their day together. Maybe she'd been too hard on Gabriel. Maybe she did mean a little more to him than a convenient fuck. Sure, he was hardy in love with her, but he liked her - smitten even.
Just when she found herself a reality television show that caught her interest the doorbell rang. At first it didn't seem peculiar to her that someone would be at the door, but by the time she reached the front door it occurred to her that the person on the other side of the massive oak door knew the passcode to get past the front gate without being buzzed in.
Who in the hell can it be? She crinkled her nose as she flung the door open and came face to face with a tall, slender blonde-haired woman wearing a trench coat that fell to her knees. The woman looked oddly familiar, though she couldn't quite place her. She had a sinking feeling in her stomach however.
The woman glared at her with open hostility, her eyes travelling up and down Beth, making her feel extremely self-conscious about her ripped blue jeans and tank top. "So you're the new help, I assume." She brushed past Beth without waiting for a proper invitation.
What the hell?
"Where's Gabriel?"
"Ummm... He's-"
"Never mind. I'll find him." She waved a dismissive hand at Beth and took off in the way of Gabriel's office.
Beth watched the woman, not sure if she should stop her or let her go. She seemed to know her way around and she did know the passcode. So who was she? A tinge of jealousy reared up within Beth as she watched the other woman saunter off. With her curiosity getting the best of her she made her way upstairs to her bedroom.
Once inside her room, she closed the door behind her, sat at her desk and booted up her laptop. She did a quick search on the internet for Gabriel. In particular, Gabriel and his dates. Sure enough, within a few minutes of searching a picture of Gabriel with the blonde woman appeared on the screen.
Chyna Petrova. Model turned actress. Damn, damn, damn. She continued her search, discovering Chyna was Gabriel's most recent fling, but they reportedly split several weeks ago. Well, why is she here and why hasn't he changed the code? Forgot maybe? Gabriel didn't strike her as the kind of man to overlook such things as forgetting to change security codes, but on the other hand maybe he just didn't feel it was necessary.
She was tempted to go downstairs, peek her head into his office and offer them coffee or refreshments. Isn't that what a good chef-slash-maid would do? But what if they were in the middle of something she didn't want to know about? She raked a hand through her hair and sighed. No, she'd do nothing. She'd read a book for a while and go to bed. Simple as that, getting emotionally and ph
ysically involved with Gabriel had been a bad idea and this proved it.
* * * *
"You're a fucking asshole Gabriel Reynolds!" Chyna snarled, storming out of his front door.
Closing the door behind Chyna, Gabriel let out a loud sigh of relief. Fuckin' finally! He was seriously having doubts he'd ever get her out of the house without calling security. Chyna wasn't the type of girl to take rejection well so when he'd decided to end the relationship, partly because of sexual incompatibility issues, but mostly because she was a self-centered snob, she'd been less then thrilled, but she had seemed to have accepted it.
Until tonight.
He couldn't have been more shocked to see her strolling into his office, stripping off her trench coat to reveal she was naked underneath. She told him that she'd offer him whatever it took. She'd be his sub if that meant they could try again. He knew she could never be a sub and that still didn't fix the biggest issue. He really didn't like her all that much.
Why Beth let her onto the property without consulting with him first was beyond him, but he intended to find out. Doing a brief sweep of the main rooms and turning up empty on the Beth front, Gabriel took the stairs two at a time as he made his way up to the second floor and headed straight to her room. The door was open and the light on. Gabriel was pleased to see she had stayed up, despite it being past midnight.
"Hey Beth... I'm sorry about that interruption," he began as he strode into her room. Gabriel skidded to a halt as he caught sight of Beth curled up in a ball, still wearing her jeans and snoring soundly with a book in her hand. A warmth washed over him as he stood in the entryway of her room watching her.
The greedy part of him was tempted to wake her, but he simply didn't have the heart to. Walking as quietly as possible across the room he bent and took the book from her fingertips - some sappy romance novel with a steroid-pumping goon holding a sword on the front cover - dog-eared the page she was on and set on it the night table. Grabbing the top of her knit blanket he pulled it up over her, to her chin, and then leaned down and kissed her on the temple.
"Goodnight baby," he whispered as he straightened back up and turned off her reading lamp. As he exited the room he didn't take notice of her eyes opening and watching him leave.
Chapter 9
Beth heard Gabriel come into the kitchen, but pretended to be too preoccupied with preparing breakfast to have noticed. His footsteps sounded behind her, and her heartbeat accelerated with each step he took. By the time he made it to her she could feel her heart thudding so hard in her chest that she was sure he'd be able to hear it beating.
Stay strong, you decided last night to keep this strictly professional from here on in, the voice at the back of her mind reminded her. She knew she made herself the promise, but his cologne was now reaching her nose and it smelled so divine. All Gabriel. She gulped down the lump forming in her throat.
"Good morning. I'm sorry about last night. You were asleep when I went looking for you." Gabriel wrapped his arms around her waist and nuzzled the side of her neck.
She stiffened in his embrace, to keep herself from melting into his arms. It would be so easy to just roll with it and lose herself in him again. She'd like nothing more than that actually. "Morning Gabriel,” she replied solemnly.
"I have a fun day planned for us after breakfast."
Gotta stay strong. "Is it business-related?"
Gabriel stopped nuzzling her neck and took a step back from her. A part of her cried out in frustration as the sweet sensations that were beginning to get her wet and cause a fluttering in her stomach immediately stopped. "Beth, what's wrong?"
Taking a deep breath to gather the courage she needed to say what she needed to, she spun around to face him. Her resolve faltered as she noticed the concern in his eyes and expression. "I think us getting involved beyond an employer/employee basis is a bad idea and I feel it's best if we-" she lowered her eyes to the floor between their feet.
He placed his index finger under her chin and tilted her eyes up to meet his once more. "Are you saying that because it's what you really want or are you just scared of what might happen between us?"
"Gabe..." Not wanting to discuss it any further or continue to have his dark eyes staring into hers she attempted to turn away, but he grabbed her upper arm and spun her back around to face him.
"Is it Chyna? Nothing happened last night between us. I seriously doubt she'll ever be back."
Why did he have to make it so difficult? His eyes coaxed her to tell him the truth and she found herself unable to keep from spilling what she felt to him. "I'm not like them," she murmured, avoiding eye contact at all costs.
Gabriel's frowned deepened. "I'm not following you Beth."
"The women you date. I'm not anything like them. I'm your maid!''
He raked a hand through his short dark hair and shook his head. "We've been through this already. I want to be with you because you're not like them!" Smoke began to rise from the pan she had on the stovetop behind her. "Fuck!" Leaning over her, his hard, lean body pressing hers against the countertop, he turned off the stove and removed the burnt food from the heat.
She waved at their burnt breakfast, in disgust with herself. "I can't even do the job properly." She fought back tears threatening to well up in her eyes.
"I don't give a shit about breakfast Beth, so don't change the subject. You want to discuss this, well then, let's discuss this," his voice had risen, not a lot, but considering he was always so calm and collected the slight shift in tone and volume was slightly unsettling.
Her own temper ignited as they glared at each other. Fine! He wants honesty, he'll get it! "I am not going to be a fling. And I'm not going to be used," she growled, planting her fists on her hips and daring him to say the wrong thing.
Gabriel closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. Taking a deep breath in, he held it for a few moments before releasing it in a loud huff. He shook his head as he opened his dark eyes back up, the anger rapidly leaving them. "When did I ever say you were? And why would you ever think..."
She chewed at her lower lip as she considered it. Sure, he hadn't actually said she was, but what else could she be? His girlfriend? She scoffed at the idea; it could never work.
"Damn woman. Why would you think I considered you that? Have I given you any reason to feel that way?" His jaw clenched and he was visibly fighting to remain in control.
Beth shook her head. A stray strand of hair fell over her eye and before she could brush it back, Gabriel reached up and did it for her.
"I need to share something with you," he stated, taking her hand in his. "Come with me."
Beth was tempted to refuse, but her reserve was already faltering. Maybe I'm just overreacting? The least I could do is give him a chance to explain. "So what happened with Chyna last night?" she asked as he led her up the staircase. "And where are you taking me?"
"I restated to her that I had no interest in her romantically and that it would be appreciated if she no longer stopped by for anything other than business reasons."
"And how did she respond?" A rush of happiness flowed through Beth hearing him say that, but she quickly pushed the emotion down. She couldn't allow herself to be excited over this, because that would mean she wanted him. And she couldn't want him because she'd only get hurt in the process. She'd taken chances on men before and it turned out horribly bad.
They reached the second floor and he gave her hand a tug, leading her towards his bedroom. "She called me a number of unsavoury names and left. Which reminds me. Please do not buzz anyone that you are unfamiliar with past the main gate without my permission."
"I didn't, I just opened the door when she knocked. She knew the code."
Gabriel stopped in mid-stride and frowned. "Shit, I must have forgotten to change the passcode once we broke up. I could have sworn I had changed it though." With a shrug, he gave her hand a squeeze and tug as they continued on their way.
"So what is it you need t
o show me Gabriel? And why is it in your bedroom?" she asked as she found herself facing his bedroom door.
"I need to show you a part of who I am. It's part of the problem I have with women. I don't share this part of me with many women, so just keep an open mind," he turned to face her, his eyes pleading, "please."
She gulped. She was beginning to fear what he had to show her. However, a smile and his light chuckle helped relieve some of the uncertainty.
"I don't think it's as bad as what you may be thinking by the look on your face."
Beth blushed as he ushered her into the bedroom. "Well. No. I just. I'm not sure what I think, but you don't make it sound like I'm going to be pleased."
He grinned down at her, his dark eyes blazing and sending a shiver through her. "You never know. You may find what I have to show you very pleasing." Walking over to what she had assumed was a second closet, he opened up the door and ushered her into the dark, windowless room. Following behind her, he flipped on the light switch and a faint glow illuminated the room from sconces along the walls.
Beth's eyes widened as she surveyed the contents of the small room. Against the back wall was a large metal X with restraints attached to it, she knew the name for it, it was on the tip of her tongue, but it refused to come to her mind at that moment. Four chains dangled down from the ceiling with leather cuffs dangling from them. A spanking bench was to her right, a swing to her left and a couple of machines that she was unfamiliar with towards the back. It was the ultimate collection of BDSM equipment as far as she could tell.
She could feel his eyes on her as she entered the room, and just the feel of his eyes sent a shiver of anticipation through her and her breath hitched. She walked slowly through the room, examining everything. She fingered one of the leather cuffs suspended from the ceiling and wondered how many women he'd had suspended in them. The thought of another woman in here sparked another shot of jealousy. She swallowed and pushed it down.