Forbidden Sins

by J. Margot Critch

  Gabe rolled his eyes, and flipped Alex his middle finger.

  “Dude, do me a favor and shut the fuck up.”

  In the next several minutes, the table filled. In the past couple of years, the Brotherhood had to add several chairs to their private table that sat above the club, as three members of their group—Brett, Rafael and Alex—had settled down with the women they love. It had been unexpected, but his friends were happy, and the women a welcome addition.

  “I can’t believe you, of all people, had a quickie Vegas wedding,” Rebecca said, settling into her seat, as Brett sat beside her.

  “Yeah, I don’t think anyone would have put money on you being the next to get married,” Jessica Morgan, the mayor of Las Vegas and Rafael’s fiancée, said with a hearty laugh. “Especially in a chapel on the Strip at 4:00 a.m.”

  “Yeah, it’s so unlike you,” Maria was next to comment.

  Gabe frowned. That was his reputation in the group. He was the reserved one, and although they would never say the word, the uptight one. He looked over at the happy couples seated around him at the table. Brett had fallen head over heels for his former rival, and had tried to take over her company. Now they were happily married. Rafael and Jessica had both run competing campaigns to be mayor of Las Vegas. They’d survived a high-pressure election and sex tape scandal, and somehow had defied the odds stacked against them, and were living together. Alex had fallen for Rafael’s younger sister Maria, and it had almost destroyed their friendship, and the group. Despite all of the trials, scandals and hard times, all of his male friends had fallen deeply, madly, irrevocably in love, and Gabe wondered if there was something he was missing.

  He and Alana, his closest friend in the group, were the only single members of the Brotherhood.

  “Just you and me left, eh?” she said.

  “Yeah.” He eyed the annulment papers in front of him, not sure what else to say. He wasn’t technically single. He’d gotten married but he’d missed all the steps that normally preceded it—the first date, getting to know each other, living together. He ran his thumb over the envelope that contained the annulment papers, and the rest of the group fell away into his periphery as he thought of seeing Ellie again. When he looked up, he saw that even though the rest of the group had begun talking among themselves, Alana was watching him.

  “What’s that?” she asked, pointing to the envelope on the table.

  “Annulment papers,” he explained, blowing out a heavy breath. “Ellie’s meeting me here and we’re going to begin proceedings to sign our ill-conceived marriage into oblivion.”

  “You had to bring her here?” Brett asked. “You couldn’t do that in your office or anywhere else?”

  Gabe shook his head. “Too risky. It’s a small office. We couldn’t risk serving her with papers there, and someone seeing it. Charles can’t see her there, or catch us doing the paperwork. He would have a lot of questions. And I’ve seen the man asking questions. He’s relentless.” He explained that he and Ellie had agreed that it would be best if Charles never found out about their indiscretion.

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Alana interrupted. “Why are you so concerned about Charles seeing you together?”

  Gabe blinked, realizing that he’d revealed far more than he’d meant to. “Turns out Ellie is Burnham’s daughter.”

  Stunned silence met him, and Gabe blew out a breath. He’d been hoping to avoid the topic altogether. But again, he’d been sloppy. Seemed screwing up was his specialty lately.

  “You drunkenly married your boss’s daughter?” Rafael asked.

  “Apparently so.”

  “Explains why you’d bring those here, and not around Burnham.” Alana nodded in agreement. “Yeah, there’s no chance he’d be seen anywhere near here,” she said, rolling her eyes.

  Gabe huffed out a laugh, thinking about his very conservative boss, who had no idea that his youngest partner had a stake in an erotic club. Charles Burnham had even formed a group who’d lobbied the city to shut down Di Terrestres, citing propriety laws. Gabe knew that if the news of his marriage got out, he could kiss partnership, and probably even his job, goodbye. “Plus, I technically need a third party to serve her with the papers,” he said, taking Alana’s wineglass from her hand, tilting it in her direction, and drinking from it himself.

  “What, you want me to do it?”

  “Yeah, why not?”

  She took her glass back. “There are lots of third parties here tonight.”

  “Ah, Lana, but you’re my favorite one.”

  Alana rolled her eyes. “Fine,” she said, snatching the envelope from him. “I’ll do it. Don’t say I never do anything for you.”

  “You’re getting an annulment, eh? Not going to stick it out? What about the sanctity of marriage?” Brett chided him with a laugh, eliciting the same from the rest of the group.

  Gabe chose not to answer. Unlike his friends, he’d always kept himself clear of scandal, and being the center of attention was not something he enjoyed. When he looked down at the floor again, his breath stopped. He saw Ellie in the crowd; his eyes were drawn to her. “She’s here,” he whispered to Alana, hoping to not raise the attention of his other friends.

  No such luck.

  “Whoa, is that her?” Maria asked, following his gaze to the woman standing near the bar. “She’s gorgeous.”

  “Yeah,” he said, without paying much attention to the reactions of his friends. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. He’d hoped that the night could just be business, starting their annulment proceedings. But looking at her, he didn’t think so. He’d been rigid and tense since that kiss in the elevator. As he watched her from above, his body betrayed every command given by his brain. He had to keep his distance from her. Not do anything stupid. He had to think about becoming partner. Not his dick, and everything he wanted to do with her. Gabe wasn’t sure how he’d be able to do that, being assigned as her mentor.

  “Invite her up,” Alex suggested.

  Gabe shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

  “Come on, we’ll be nice,” Jessica insisted with a grin.

  “Yeah, I’m sure you will be. Now if you’ll excuse me...” He trailed off, drained his glass and stood. “Come on, Lana. Let’s get this over with.” He looked at the rest of his friends. “I’ll see you guys later.”

  * * *

  “Oh boy,” Ellie muttered to herself, as she looked around the main floor of Di Terrestres, the club where Gabe had asked her to meet him. She’d heard of the place, and a quick Google search told her it was exclusive, expensive and—she took a look around the room, where people were drinking, laughing and touching each other intimately—definitely sexy. Why Gabe had insisted she meet him there was beyond her. What would he have had to gain? What was he up to? What sort of game could he be playing with her?

  Both she and Gabe knew the importance of signing the annulment papers and putting their drunken marriage behind them. Maybe he wanted to sign the papers—she looked around again at the amorous patrons—but not before they had another night together. She could certainly warm up to the idea. If that kiss in the elevator was any indication of the passion that still simmered between them... “Oh boy,” she whispered again, her throat drying and her stomach fluttering. She definitely needed a drink.

  Dodging interested looks from both men and women, she made her way to the bar. A little liquid fortification was needed before she faced Gabe Foster again. Just five years ago, she would have felt completely at home in a place like this. But that was the old Ellie. Since bumping into Gabe on Friday night, nothing she’d done was indicative of her change, and the great strides she’d made. She’d grown up, put her wild ways behind her. But one night with Gabe was all it took to turn it around. It seemed that no matter how hard she tried to grow up, she’d reverted to her old ways.

  Nudging her way around a small group of
men who all looked at her with interest, she ignored them and took a seat at the bar. The bartenders were busy, but the cute one caught her eye. “Be with you in a second, doll,” he told her with a wink, his hands busy making cocktails.

  When she felt someone come up behind her, her spine stiffened instinctively, knowing who she would find when she turned around. “Can I get you a drink?” he asked.

  She turned her head to look at Gabe. “They’re a little busy at the moment. I’m still waiting my turn.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” he assured her, raising his hand and getting the same bartender’s attention. “What are you drinking?”

  She hadn’t even thought about what to order. “What do you recommend?”

  “Based on our history, can I suggest champagne?”

  “You think that’s smart?” The last thing she needed was to end up drunk on champagne while they should be keeping their wits about them.

  “Nope. But I’ll try to control myself if you do,” he said with a chuckle. “Phillip,” he called to the bartender. “A bottle of Dom.”

  “Yes, sir. Coming right up,” he said, pouring three cocktails from a shaker and placing them in front of waiting patrons, and then immediately moving to get their champagne. He retrieved the bottle and two stemmed glasses and handed them all to Gabe.

  Ellie could barely pull her gaze away from Gabe when she heard a throat clearing next to her. She turned and saw a stunning blonde woman.

  “Ellie Carrington?” she asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “Here you go,” she said, passing her an envelope. “Happy annulment,” she said cheerfully, before casting a more serious look at Gabe and walking away.

  “Friend of yours?” she asked Gabe. He nodded.

  “Are these what I think they are?”

  He nodded again. “A third party serving the complaint is procedure.”

  She nodded, too. “Makes sense.” All of the sparks that had previously snapped between them just minutes ago had sizzled. She understood what this was—not a chance for a second night together, but business. On his turf. “Makes sense.” Part of her was disappointed. She’d been looking forward to seeing him again, outside a work setting. Another part of her was embarrassed; she should have known that Gabe would be eager to get the annulment underway. He wasn’t thinking about sex. Plastering a stiff smile on her face, and ignoring every hormone that screamed at her to rip her clothes off and jump him, she knew what was the most important thing—signing the annulment papers and putting this whole embarrassing episode behind her. “Let’s do this.”

  “Let’s get a table. We can talk,” he suggested, barely looking at her.

  Gabe, with his long fingers on one hand wrapped around the neck of the champagne bottle, settled those of his other hand on her lower back, guiding her toward a bank of tables on the other side of the room. His touch, both light and commanding, was filled with so much promise that she almost came from the unspent sexual tension since the elevator incident earlier that afternoon.

  “Quite a table,” she said, as they slid into the plush leather semicircle booth. She looked around at the other booths, filled with people who kissed and touched. A spell of erotica filled the air and blanketed everyone in the room. This place was brazen, carnal, and Ellie was intrigued as to what she was doing there. There were literally hundreds of places where they could have met. With a third party serving her the papers, as per protocol, he didn’t have to be present at all. But still he brought her to what she’d learned was an erotic club. What was his goal? She couldn’t figure him out. Like hot and cold, Gabe now looked at her with the same fiery desire he had earlier, and she wondered if he was also warring with his body to resist her.

  Reminiscent of the last time they’d shared a booth, he slid in next to her. Their thighs touched, and she breathed through desire that clenched her chest.

  “You must have connections here.”

  He chuckled, and she watched his hands as he opened the bottle of champagne. His capable hands withdrew the cork with a small, careful pop. “Yeah, you could say that, I guess.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  Gabe shook his head. “Why don’t we get down to business?” he asked, pointing to the envelope in her hands, without answering her question. She opened the envelope and looked over the papers as he spoke. “I’ve filed a standard annulment here. We were both intoxicated, so we could both argue diminished capacity. We both leave the marriage with what we had coming into it,” he explained. “The sooner you answer the complaint, hopefully the sooner we can have our day in court.”

  “Sounds good to me.”

  He reached into his breast pocket. “And I believe this is yours,” he said, putting the platinum and diamond band on the table. The one he’d tried to give to her on Saturday.

  “Gabe, I told you. I can’t keep your ring,” she said.

  “It’s yours,” he told her. “I don’t have any use for it. I mean until my next drunken wedding, I guess. But then I can always get another ring.” He cracked a small smile. “Seriously, keep it. It’ll be a great reminder of a weekend we’ll never forget.”

  “If only either of us could remember.” She laughed. She examined the delicate band and the small, flawless diamonds that encircled it. “Thanks. It’s really pretty.”

  “I don’t remember picking them out.”

  “You insisted we hit the Tiffany & Co. at Caesars Palace.”

  “So said my credit card statement. I used my account activity to piece together what happened that evening. We bought the rings right before we got a cab to the chapel, where I only paid for the best wedding ceremony two drunk people could want at $24.95.”

  “A lot of that does sound familiar,” she affirmed. “Let me at least pay you for some of the night—the rings, the champagne, the suite.”

  “Don’t worry about it.” He laughed. “I still can’t believe we got married. Why would they ever let people that drunk sign any sort of legal papers?” He sobered, and she felt him shift away from her. “It’s so strange how fate threw us together this way. You’re Burnham’s daughter. And he wants me to mentor you.”

  Dismissing any confusion she’d felt about what Gabe expected from their night, Ellie pushed down any desire she was feeling. Gabe had just laid out their professional relationship, not leaving any room for sex. Even though Ellie had tried to forget their professional ties, Gabe had put it on the table. Knowing where they stood, Ellie was relieved, but also disappointed. Part of her had wanted another night with Gabe, but it was for the best. She sipped her champagne and smiled. “It’s such a crazy coincidence. I didn’t know the world worked that way. But you should have seen your face today in my dad’s office.”

  “You were no less shocked, honey,” Gabe told her.

  “Really? I thought I had a pretty decent poker face.”

  He tilted his head, and made a show of appraising her. “You were pretty good,” he conceded. “But I saw the flash of recognition in your eyes,” he said, his voice dropping in volume. She had to lean in to hear him over the music and the din of the club. “I saw the small, surprised O you made with those lips,” he continued, brushing her bottom lip with his thumb. He sat back quickly, changing his demeanor. “But I don’t think we need to worry. Charles didn’t suspect a thing.”

  “Thank God.” She laughed again. “The less he knows about this the better.”

  “I’ll have you know that your father loves me. I’d be an excellent son-in-law.”

  Ellie scoffed, having fun bantering with him. “Sure, he loves you. You didn’t spend the majority of your teen years publicly embarrassing him.”

  Gabe sat back and watched her, and she knew that she had revealed too much. “Sounds like there’s a story there.”

  She blew out a heavy breath at the memories that flooded her
. “Is there ever.”

  “Tell me.”

  “No,” she said, shaking her head. “It’s too embarrassing.”

  “Come on, Ellie, we’ve already shared so much. At least let me have one embarrassing story before we get annulled.”

  She looked at Gabe, and took a drink from her glass. The champagne reminded her of drinking with Gabe on Friday. “Okay,” she said. “When I tell you this, you have to promise you won’t judge me based on who I was as a teenager.”

  “I promise.” He crossed his heart with a solemn, but joking, look on his face.

  “Picture the most self-absorbed, obnoxious underage party girl who has ever gotten into the hottest LA clubs, and at least twice as many celebrity gossip blogs.”

  His eyes widened. “Done.”

  “Multiply all of that by at least one hundred, and you would have me. Or who I was.” She took a deep breath. “My mom is an actress.”

  “Oh really?”

  “Yeah, she was a serious D-lister. She was in a few horror movies, and her star was set to rise—until she met Charles and had me after what I’ve learned was a very brief affair. So instead of being a success—which she’s sure she would have been—her star burned out. And she’s never let me forget that it was my fault.”

  Gabe dropped his hand on her thigh. She could feel the heat from his touch reignite the flames of want that licked at her from the inside. “You know that’s not true,” he told her.

  “I know that—now. I was raised in Hollywood, with all of those child stars. But much to my mom’s disappointment, I was never talented or charismatic enough to be an actor or singer—where my talents lay was in having a good time. I was underage, but people still kept letting me into clubs. Partying basically became my job.” He started to rub her thigh, making small circles with his fingertips. His touch did something to her. She tried to breathe through the sensation so she could keep talking, instead of moaning.

  “When we met on Friday, I was just stoked that you didn’t recognize me. But I was right up there with the likes of the Hiltons. People knew me, and it wasn’t good.”