by Simply BWWM
The ringing stopped after what seemed like an eternity, and she waited to see if he left a voicemail. After a few long moments she saw that there wasn’t one. He had just wanted to talk with her, and that was something she couldn’t afford to do.
Her fingers trembling, she slid the phone back into her bag and reached her hand up to wipe tears away from her face. She wished she could have answered it. She wished desperately that she could have heard his voice, that she could have asked him to see her, to spend time with her, to tell him that she loved him, but that was a one way road that she could never go down.
She turned her thoughts toward Lila and Sophie, and memories of growing up with them. Sweet thoughts of her best friend, and her scandalous trouble causing sister made her smile, and slowly, with great effort and enormous pain, she pushed Antonio out of her mind until the only thoughts there were warm and precious memories with her friends.
Antonio set his phone down on his desk, rubbing his hand over his eyes, not at all sure why he had tried to call her. He knew that he shouldn’t. He knew that he had no business whatsoever trying to contact her, but he couldn’t get her out of his thoughts or his heart. She had lodged herself there so deeply that there was no getting rid of her. There was no way to escape thinking about her, and it was all he could do to keep his distance.
He’d begun to wonder if maybe they couldn’t just talk on the phone. Julian would never know it. He hoped that maybe he could just hear her voice, just listen to her talk about how things were going, and that would be enough. That would be something at least, and at that point for him, anything was better than nothing at all, even if it was just her voice.
He ached for her, missing her so much, dreaming about her when he was asleep, and fantasizing about her when he was awake. There was no way for him to get away from thoughts of her, and he didn’t want to get away from thoughts of her, for that was where he was truly happy. It felt to him as if nothing else in his life gave him the deep and complete happiness that she did, and he longed for it.
Antonio and Julian had not spent a moment together or said one word to each other since Julian had stormed out of the house in his rage. The tension in their home had not lessened at all, and Antonio knew that it was just going to get worse when word of the changes in control at Medici Corp were finally announced to his brother.
True to his promise to Marcus, he had not uttered a single word about what was happening at the company, and if he was honest with himself, that felt more like a betrayal of their brotherhood to him than anything that had happened with Gabriella. He prayed that his brother would not feel that it was, because his reaction to what had happened with Gabriella would be nowhere near what his reaction to the changes at the company would be when he finally found out, and Antonio was not looking forward to that at all.
He looked at his phone, promising himself that he wouldn’t call Gabriella again. He had thought that he’d give it one chance. One call. If she answered, he would talk with her, but if she didn’t, he would let her go. She hadn’t answered. He hadn’t left a message. He told himself it was the only time that he would do it.
It wasn’t the only time he did it.
Each day he woke from dreams of her, and he would swear that he wouldn’t try to call her, and each day at some point he would cave and pick up his phone and dial her number, hoping that she would answer it just so he could hear her voice and ask her how she was. Each time he called, it would ring endlessly, and he would finally end the call, knowing she wasn’t going to answer it.
After two weeks of trying to call her, he gave up. He guessed that she was listening to what Julian had told her, and that she had given him up for her career.
He understood. He knew how much dedication, time, and work had gone into her modeling career, and he knew he had no business asking her or expecting her to give it up for him. He couldn’t be that selfish. He wanted to support her in any way that he could, and he realized that the only way he could fully support her at that point was to leave her alone so that she could do what she wanted so much to do.
She had spoken to him of her dreams and her goals and he wanted her to reach them. He wanted to see her become the success that she was trying so hard to become. He knew that he had to let her go completely.
Gabriella had begun turning the ringer off on her phone after the third day that Antonio called her. She couldn’t stand not answering it, knowing he was so close, knowing he was just on the other end of the phone and if she swiped her finger across the screen she could hear his voice and talk to him. She knew that if he kept calling her every day, she was going to cave.
She was going to fall to her desires, and the phone call would become a visit, and the visit would become a passionate encounter where she would lose herself in his arms, and then they would be running the risk of being found out. She thought through to time past, wondering where it would all end.
They couldn’t have a relationship. They couldn’t do anything more than have an affair and a secret one at that, and that wasn’t worth her risking her entire career over. She hated to ignore him, hated to let the calls go, but she had to, and one by one, call after call, she turned away from her phone, and then one day there was no call, and her heart ached horribly, and she knew that he had given up and finally let her go.
The call that she got that day was one that she had been dreading, and when she saw it, she knew she had to answer it.
“Hello Julian,” she said quietly, dismay filling every part of her.
“Well, look who it is,” he drawled coolly. “How’s my girl doing? It’s been a couple of weeks since I talked to you.”
“I’m not your girl, Julian,” she stated flatly.
“Whatever.” He brushed her comment aside like a wisp of smoke. “Listen, Gabriella, there’s some business that you and I need to look into. Your contract is coming up and you and I need to discuss it.”
She closed her eyes and her heart filled with dread. She knew it was coming and she prayed that it would pass by without him ever being aware of it, but apparently he was keeping a closer eye on her than she knew. He never had anything to do with the model’s contracts. That was for Kathy to handle, but being the owner of the company, he did have the right to take over the renewal of one if he so chose, and he was obviously choosing to.
“Oh… that’s right. It is coming up, isn’t it?” she tried to sound like it hadn’t been on the forefront of her mind for the last month.
“That’s funny, Gabriella. Don’t act like you didn’t know.” He sounded like he had a smile on his face, but his tone was not funny at all. “I will send a car for you tomorrow afternoon. You have the time off work already. I told Kathy that I would be handling this, so work a half day in the morning and then get in the car I send, and come to me. We’ll talk about your renewal options,” he said with a voice as cold as steel.
Her heart was racing in her chest and adrenaline was flying through her. She tried to calm herself so that she wouldn’t be sick. “Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said quietly. She hung up the phone and closed her eyes, praying that it would go well and that she would get the renewal with no trouble.
She had given up all hope of getting the April cover, and no one had talked about who might be on it, but she was certain that it wouldn’t be her, since Julian hadn’t gotten what he wanted out of her. Her only hope now was to have her contract renewed. She had no backup plan for modeling, and she didn’t want to change the job she had come to love unless it was to move up to the international model status that she was trying so hard for.
The next day, Gabriella dressed herself professionally, wearing a smoky gray business suit of pants and a jacket with a white blouse buttoned up beneath it. She wanted to give the visual impression of business, so that it might deter Julian if he had any ideas about getting romantic with her.
Her nerves were a tangle from the moment she woke up, and for the first time in days, she woke up not thinking of Antonio
, but thinking of Julian instead, and not one of her thoughts was nice or encouraging. She prayed all morning that it would go well, that she would be successful in her renewal, and that everything she wanted, everything that she had worked so hard for, would come to her.
Her focus at the studio that day was skewed with her distraction, and though no one said anything, she felt bad when James had to call her name a few times to get her attention. She was as tense as a fiddle string the entire morning until a man dressed in a black chauffeur’s suit came in and asked for her.
Then something in her broke and she tried to let the tension go, lifting her chin, readying herself for the meeting to come. She was going to be brave. She was going to be strong. She was going to be successful no matter what. She was not going to be bullied by Julian Medici. She was going to get her contract renewed.
Feeling some strength course through her, she followed the chauffeur out of the studio and let him put her into the back of the car that was waiting outside for her. Twenty minutes later, the car pulled up to one of the most expensive hotels in all of Los Angeles, nestled in Beverly Hills. She got out of the car and the chauffeur handed her an envelope.
She thanked him and walked inside the hotel, pausing in a quiet corner of the luxurious lobby to open the envelope. There was a room number on it. She bit her lip and furrowed her brow, wondering what Julian was up to. Taking a deep breath and squaring her shoulders, she walked to the elevators and pressed the button for his floor.
When the elevator doors opened, she stepped out of them, looking around her as she got her bearings. Her heart thumped hard in her chest and she tried to steady her rapid breathing, hoping against hope that it was going to be the best possible scenario for her, and dreading that the worst was possible, no matter what she hoped.
She stopped before his door and lifted her chin again, raising a trembling hand to knock on it. A few moments later he opened it and she looked into his eyes and fear stole its icy fingers around her heart. The hungry look in his eyes was a look that she had seen there many times, and it was one that she had grown to hate.
“Come in my dear. I’ve already been waiting for you,” he said with a sultry drawl. She walked in and was astounded by the grandness of the room they were in. It was a suite with a living room area in which they were both standing, and beyond that there were double doors that opened into a massive bedroom. She had never seen a hotel room, or any room for that matter, as finely appointed and decorated as the one she was standing in.
He reached behind her and placed his hand on the small of her back, guiding her into the living room. She saw a bucket of champagne near the fireplace where a roaring fire was dancing and giving off a fair amount of heat.
He let his eyes drift slowly over her body, taking in her lines and curves, knowing that not too long from that moment, his hands and his tongue were going to be moving over her body and she was going to be wrapped around him, giving him exactly what he wanted from her. Imagining it filled him with heated desire and his groin tightened as they stopped beside a table near the fireplace.
Julian didn’t say anything at first, but instead walked over to the champagne bucket, and lifted the bottle out of the ice. The cork was popped and it sounded to her like the gun shot death knell of her future. She tried to steady her breathing and slow her heart down as much as she could.
He poured two glasses of golden, bubbly champagne and turned toward her, walking over with a sly grin on his face and a wicked twinkle in his dark brown eyes. He handed one glass to her and then lifted his in a toast.
“To my beautiful Gabriella, and your wonderful modeling future with me.” He touched the rim of her glass with his and then tipped his back, swallowing most of it in one drink.
She didn’t drink hers at first and he noticed. His gaze darkened some and he looked at her expectantly. “You don’t care for champagne?” he asked casually, though his eyes were anything but casual.
She took a breath. “I’m not really in the mood for it today,” she answered, trying to be clear about what she felt.
He narrowed his eyes. “Humor me. Drink it,” he said shortly, watching her like a hawk. He loved the feeling of power that he had over her. It was like an aphrodisiac to him, warming his groin and making his desire build.
Sighing, she frowned slightly and tipped her glass back, taking a sip of it.
“More…” he drawled as he began to smile.
She hated the control that he was exacting on her. She tipped it further back and he smiled wider. “Finish it for me,” he said smoothly, grinning. She obliged him and emptied the glass.
“Good girl,” he said quietly, looking satisfied with her acquiescence. He turned and reached for the bottle again, and lifted it to her glass.
“I don’t really want more,” she said in a quiet voice.
He looked at her intently. “I want you to have more,” he said firmly. She looked away from him but she didn’t miss the grin that slid back over his face as he filled her glass. When he pulled the bottle from the flute, he spoke in a velvety tone.
“Drink it,” he said softly. “All of it. Right now.” He watched her as she hesitated and he gave her a warning look. Sighing again, she lifted the glass to her lips and slowly raised the bottom of the flute as the bubbles coursed over her tongue and down her throat, warming her belly. When the glass was emptied, she turned and set it on the table near her.
“That’s enough,” she told him adamantly. “We aren’t here to drink.”
He paused a moment and then laughed lightly. “You’re right, my feisty girl, we are most certainly not here to drink, but if I want you to have more, you will.” He felt himself growing hard for her, and he was anxious to feel himself inside of her body finally. The thought of it made him ache for her.
He looked at her sharply then and set his glass down, looking entirely pleased with himself. “Have you ever been in a hotel room like this before?” he asked in a light tone.
She hesitated a moment and then shook her head. “No,” she answered simply.
He raised one eyebrow and smiled. “I’m not surprised. Come with me, and I’ll give you the grand tour,” he said, reaching for her back and sliding his hand low around her hips. He walked with her through the living room and took her into the bedroom where he passed the bed and led her into the bathroom.
It was enormous, and she was surprised to see that the bathtub was filled completely full with steaming water and miles of bubbles. She frowned and looked up at him in confusion, wondering why there was a bath ready for someone just then.
He smiled at her and rubbed his fingers over her back gently. “Do you like it?” he asked in her ear with his velvety voice. She wondered how much he had had to drink before she got to the hotel.
“It’s a lovely room,” she said without showing any emotion at all. She turned to walk out of it and he followed her, his hand still on her back. She was walking through the bedroom, hoping not to stop and really look at it, though it was a magnificent room, when his hand closed on her arm and he stopped her in her tracks.
“Wait a moment now, you don’t want to miss this room,” he said in a low voice, leaning over her shoulder as he closed his other hand around her and turned her to him. Her blood was racing through her, saturated with adrenaline as she looked up into his eyes.
“I can see it just fine. I don’t think that we need to be in here,” she told him with more strength than she was feeling.
He chuckled slightly and shook his head a little at her. “Oh no, baby, this is exactly where we need to be. You see, you’re here to renew your contract, and if you want to do that, you’re going to have some work ahead of you convincing me to sign it for you. You see, I’m done waiting for you. This is it. Now, I thought I’d be a gentleman and give you your choice.
I have that fire going in the other room, and you can start in there with me. I have the bathtub all filled with hot water and bubbles if you would rather go bathe me first,”
he said, rubbing his thumbs over her arms as he held her close to him, “or we have this excellent bed here.” He tipped his head to the massive bed beside them.
“And you can start there with me, but you will be giving me what I have wanted for so long with you, or you will not be renewing your contract. Take your pick, baby, do you want the fireplace, the bathtub, or the bed?”
Julian felt that his thoughtful and romantic offerings were going to make it much more difficult for her to say no to him, to resist him, and that no matter which she chose to start with, once she felt him inside of her, screwing her like the lustful Italian that he was, she was going to be so turned on and aroused that he would get to do all three of his ideas with her, and she would be begging him for more after each one.
She clenched her jaw. “We are not doing any of those things, Julian, I am here to sign my contract and that is all. That’s it. There isn’t going to be anything between us but a business relationship, and that is it.
I’m not sleeping with you now. I’m not sleeping with you ever. You sign my contract, or you don’t, but there will be no sex.” Resentment and anger had begun to boil up in her, and it had given her the boost of confidence that she needed to tell him exactly what she thought and how she felt. She wasn’t going to let him try to force her to have sex with him just to get her contract renewed. If he didn’t renew it, she would figure something out, but she was adamant that she was not going to cave in to his lascivious demands.
His eyes narrowed and his hands tightened around her arms. “Be careful, Gabriella, you might just cost yourself much more than your contract. You might very well be costing yourself your job and your career. I’ve already warned you what would happen if you didn’t give me what I want.
I’ve waited much too long for this. You should have been in my bed a long time ago and long gone by now, but you kept putting it off, and now the time has come. You will give me what I want, and you will do it right now, or you will find yourself without a contract, without a job, and without a hope of a career in the modeling field. Do you understand me?”