Ellie held her breath. All someone would have to do is try to open the door, see it was locked and they would raise suspicion. What if her father came by to check? When the hallway was empty again, Ellie turned back to Gabe.
“This is insane,” he told her. She thought he would zip up and tell her to get dressed. They were at work. He was right. It was insane that she was kneeling on top of a conference room table in her underwear, and Gabe was sitting in the chair with his cock out.
“Should we get back to work?” she asked. “Or should we finish whatever we’ve started here?”
Ellie held her breath, waiting for his response. He stood from the chair, and made no effort to zip up his pants. He put his hands just above her still-spread knees and slid them up her thighs, over the nude-colored lace at the top of her stockings. His touch made her gasp, and a warmth traveled throughout her. She needed Gabe, and needed him now. If he turned her away, she might explode from need.
His chest rose and fell with his breath, and he looked long and slow up her body, until he reached her eyes. “Let’s finish it.”
Thank God. She breathed out a sigh of relief.
Gabe helped her step down from the table, and once her feet were on the floor, she put her hand on his chest and pushed him back into his chair, following him down, straddling his thighs. Gripping his lapels in her fists, she leaned in and grazed his ear with her lips. “Here’s how this is going to work, Gabe,” she whispered. “I know you’re big on control, but now it’s my turn.” She kissed his lips hard—she held the power now—and before he could say anything in response, Ellie slithered off his lap, and onto the floor, to kneel between his knees.
“Ell... You don’t have to do this,” he murmured, but her fingers gripped him and slid up and down his length. He pushed his hips forward into her fist. “Oh Christ,” he sighed.
“Don’t worry. I want to,” she assured him, before her lips closed over the head of his dick. She brought her head down, taking as much of him as she could, before rising, stopping at the crest before taking him all the way again.
“Fuck,” he said, putting his hand on her head, wrapping her hair in his fist. “That’s incredible.” She used one hand on his shaft, but when she cupped his balls with her other hand, he began thrusting into her mouth. She could feel his desperation, knew he was close, but before she could bring him to completion, he put his hands on her cheeks and gently pushed her away.
She got the hint and rose up to straddle his lap again. She licked the side of his throat, and then trailed up to his ear. “Why did you stop me?” she whispered, before taking the lobe between her teeth. He groaned. Ellie knew that she was killing him.
He pulled her close, and the contact brought his hard dick against her still-clothed pussy. She rocked her hips against him, her clit throbbing with the light contact. “Because I couldn’t wait another second to have you.” Shifting slightly, he reached for the table, where he’d put his wallet. He pulled out a condom. In seconds, he’d ripped the foil, and had the latex rolled over his pulsing shaft. With a rough tug, he pulled Ellie’s panties to the side, and she lowered herself over him. At the contact, they both stilled, but then Ellie went into action, raising and lowering herself over him.
Gabe pulled down her bra and closed his lips over one of her nipples, nipping her, making her cry out. He spread his palms over her back, holding her close as she rode his cock, taking every ounce of pleasure she could, and giving it back to him. Riding him, the wonderfully rough friction of her lace panties against her clit, and the way he filled her quickly brought her over the edge. She gripped his shoulders, and in a move to stop herself from screaming out, she dug her teeth into the warm skin of his throat.
In her ear, he grunted his release and he stiffened beneath her.
“God, Ellie,” he whispered against her bare shoulder, breathing against her sensitive nerve endings. “That was amazing.”
“Yeah,” she said, realizing that she had to disengage from him. He let her, and she stood on wobbly legs, walking to the other side of the room to collect her dress. She could feel his eyes on her as she straightened the material of her dress over her body.
“That probably shouldn’t have happened here,” Gabe told her. “I know we promised to keep this separated from our jobs. But, Ellie, you make me lose all control. I just can’t help myself around you. But I don’t regret it.”
“You’re right,” Ellie agreed. “Even though we had an agreement, it was fun, wasn’t it?”
“Doesn’t mean it won’t happen again,” he told her with a smile. She took it as almost a warning.
“I know,” she agreed, and took several steps until she was standing in front of him. Her hands flattened against his chest, while his found her hips, pulling her closer. “I know that we agreed this would be temporary, just until the annulment.” She shook her head. “There’s no way to stop this, is there?”
Gabe paused and kissed her. Already his lips and taste were familiar. She wasn’t sure how the man had already imprinted himself on her senses. “I don’t know how,” he muttered, before turning serious. “But I feel like we need to talk about something first.”
“What is it?”
“If we’re having this relationship, or whatever this is,” he added too quickly for her liking. “I don’t think I can, or should, be your mentor.”
That made Ellie pause. She and Gabe worked great together. “Why not?”
Even though she knew the reasons why, Gabe listed them—propriety, office politics, it was risky to both of their careers. He had a power imbalance over her. She knew all of that, but Ellie didn’t care. She couldn’t fight the way she felt around Gabe.
“I agree that what we’re doing is inappropriate,” she said, carefully choosing her words. “I know it puts us both at risk. But there’s no one else I would rather have by my side in my career. I can learn a lot from you, professionally. So if you think we have to end one aspect of our relationship, either physically or professionally,” she took a deep breath, “it needs to be the physical.” As she said the words, she felt a pain in her chest. She wanted Gabe in every way. But if he was making her choose, she could still make the right decision for her future.
“Is that what you want?” he asked her.
“No. It isn’t at all. I want both. And Gabe, I’m not some young ingenue, I know exactly what I want. You.”
He didn’t say anything for a moment. But then he nodded again, his serious frown turning upward. “Let’s go to my house.”
Ellie couldn’t wait to go to his home. To see the kind of person he was outside of the walls of the law office. She wanted to know the real Gabe. But as she smiled, watching Gabe collect their things, his words rang through her head.
I know this is temporary...
Yes. It was temporary. They were just having fun until their annulment was finalized. Gabe finished up, putting his laptop in his shoulder bag.
He smiled at her. “Ready to go?”
Ellie nodded. For once she wished she’d met Gabe under different circumstances. That she didn’t work at his firm, that he wasn’t so close to her father. That they hadn’t had a drunken Vegas wedding. Whether or not they were temporary, it didn’t mean that she wouldn’t enjoy every second that she could get with Gabe. “Yeah,” she told him, wishing she could take his hand as they walked out of the building. “Let’s go.”
CHAPTER TEN
ELLIE STOOD NEXT to Gabe as he unlocked his door using a pass code, and when he opened the door, she walked inside ahead of him. She’d been in his home before, the day after their wedding.
“I’ll be right back,” he told her, disappearing around a corner.
She turned her head, and then she saw it. Speaking of knowing nothing about him. She walked to the grand piano, shiny and black, and sat at the bench in front of it. Did Gabe play the piano? She pictured his long
, capable fingers, his grace, his beauty—she knew that he must have been a skilled player, and she longed to hear him play.
She lifted the lid and pushed one of the keys. The sound filled the hallway, and echoed off the marble. She hit the next key. Then she played a little song that she remembered from childhood.
When she looked up, she saw Gabe watching her from the hallway. She was surprised to see him, having not heard him approach, but not as surprised as he looked to see her sitting at the piano.
“Do you play?” he asked.
Ellie shook her head. “That’s about the extent of it,” she told him, standing. “But based on this, I’m willing to bet that you do.”
“Some,” he explained, not moving from the hallway.
“You any good?”
Gabe shrugged. “I’m okay.”
“Will you play me something?”
“Later,” he told her. “But now I’m hungry. Want some food?”
Ellie realized that she hadn’t eaten since lunchtime. “Yeah. I’m starving.”
“Let’s go to the kitchen,” he suggested, taking her hand and leading her through the house. “How do you feel about a very, very late breakfast?” he asked, opening the fridge.
“Sounds great.”
They weren’t going to be together forever—sex was just a fun diversion for them. There was no way they would be able to maintain the pace they’d set, keep the fires burning as hotly. But being in his kitchen as he opened the fridge and pulled out a selection of fresh vegetables and a carton of eggs? Well, it felt nice.
“Well, I’m about to make you the best omelet you’ve ever had.”
“Oh really? That sounds like some big talk.”
“Not just talk. You should know by now that I’m amazing at everything I do.”
Ellie laughed. “You’re not wrong. Want any help?”
“No, you take it easy. You’ve worked hard tonight,” he said with a wink. “Want a drink? There’s some wine in the cellar over there.” He gestured over his shoulder to a door off the kitchen.
“Sure, what kind of wine goes best with eggs?”
Chuckling, Gabe cracked one into a bowl. “Surprise me.”
Ellie went into the wine cellar, and picked a bottle of red that looked appealing. She poured them both a glass and handed one to Gabe. The small act of domesticity made her smile.
Just temporary... Just temporary... Just temporary.
Ellie knew that she and Gabe had no chance of a future together. She watched his back as he whisked the eggs, and mentally ticked through the list of reasons why they couldn’t stay together—their career tracks, her father. The fact that they were so freakin’ sexually compatible couldn’t stand up to those things. But still, she liked Gabe, and wanted to get to know him.“Tell me about your friends,” she said.
“What do you want to know?”
“You’ve told me about your business interests, Di Terrestres, but who are they? What are they like? What drew you all together?”
“That’s a lot of questions,” he told her, his hands busy chopping vegetables. “My friends and I are tight. I met them when I returned from London after finishing law school. We did everything together. Went into business together, each of us using our strengths to ensure the success of the group. We share everything. We were like a wolf pack, the Brotherhood.”
“The Brotherhood. Sounds like one of those secret societies, with the robes and rituals.”
He laughed. “Not quite. We don’t have nearly enough robes and rituals,” he told her. “Brett and Alex are real estate developers, Rafael is the politician, Alana runs Di Terrestres, Thalia, our new hotel and the rest of the entertainment properties.”
“And you?”
“I’m the lawyer.”
“You put out all the fires.”
“We all work together to put out the fires. We did everything together.” He artfully flipped the omelet, with a flick of the pan.
“Did?”
“One by one—first Brett, then Rafael, then Alex—they fell in love with amazing women. They’re better for it, of course. These women challenge them, love them. I’ve never seen any of them happier or more complete. It wasn’t what I thought I wanted, but...” He trailed off, as if searching for the words. “Sometimes I wonder if that’s what I’ve been missing.”
Ellie heard the words he was saying and wondered if that was the reason he’d drunkenly suggested they head to the wedding chapel.
He turned back to face the stove where the omelet cooked. “I can’t believe I said all that,” he told her, with a shake of his head. “My friends are great, kind of jerks sometimes. You’ll meet them officially tomorrow. They’re coming into the office for our monthly briefing.”
Gabe plated their omelets and put hers in front of her, and they ate in near silence. She hadn’t eaten since lunch, and just realized that she was starving. Ellie watched Gabe as he ate. It was the quiet moments they shared—not just when they were having sex—that she enjoyed. Just talking about his friends, sharing a meal with him, getting to know him. It was those moments when a small amount of hope told her that she and Gabe might have a future between them. But more than once, he’d laid out the temporary, inappropriate nature of their relationship. Especially once he became partner, they would never be able to see each other.
Ellie frowned. And if her father found out, there would be no chance of them reconciling. There was no happy ending for her and Gabe. Watching him eat, she pushed her plate back, no longer hungry.
Gabe must have noticed her shift in mood. He put his fork down and looked up at her. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” she lied. “I’m just full.”
Gabe ate the last forkful on his plate. She could tell from the way he looked at her that he wasn’t convinced. But he didn’t say anything. Instead, he took her hand and stood. “Come on,” he told her. “Let’s go to bed.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
ONLY A DAY after he and Ellie had had sex in the very chair where he was sitting, Gabe looked around the conference room at Brett, Alex, Rafael and Alana. The Brotherhood had gathered, as they did every month, to discuss their business interests and to brainstorm ideas for new revenue streams. The group went through their joint portfolios, analyzing their profits and deciding where to allocate funds and reinvest in the business.
There was a knock on the door. Gabe hit the switch that turned the glass wall clear, and he could see Ellie standing on the other side.
He smiled, as he found himself doing when she was near, and waved her to come in. “Gabe, I just wanted to let you know that Charles just got off the phone with Hong Kong and he wanted to let you know that Tsai and the board came to an agreement. They’re going through with the acquisition. It’s all because of your work last night.”
Gabe could have kissed her. He put another big client in the win column, and it would definitely ensure he was brought aboard as a partner. He could almost picture himself sitting behind his new desk in the office next to Charles’s that his father had vacated the year before. “That’s amazing! And it was our work. I couldn’t have done it without you.”
He heard a throat clear behind them. He’d completely forgotten his friends were there. He turned and saw four amused smiles. “You going to introduce us?” Rafael asked.
He sighed. “Yeah, Ellie, take a seat. These are my friends—” he went around the table “—guys, this is Ellie.”
“The new Mrs. Foster,” the bigger one, Alex, said, extending his hand across the table.
“Stop,” Gabe warned him.
“You told them?” she asked Gabe. “I thought we agreed to keep it secret.”
He shrugged. “Of course, I told them. We share everything. These people are my closest friends. You didn’t tell your closest friends?”
She thought back to the conversation
she’d had with Rachel. “Yeah, I told Rachel, my best friend,” she explained. “You met her the night we met, if you can remember.”
He heard a snicker and he wasn’t sure who it came from—hell, it could have been any of them, as a look around the table told him that they were all enjoying the show.
“Ah, yes,” he said, recalling the woman who’d snapped a picture of his ID. “I told you that these guys are my business partners, too. My business is their business. But a few nights ago, they had explicitly promised that they’d be nice,” Gabe said. “Although I don’t really believe that.”
“That was Jessica who said that,” Brett retorted. “But we’ll behave,” he added, winking at Ellie.
“How are you liking Vegas?” Alana asked her.
“It’s nice. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to see much of it—with work taking up so much time—”
“And getting married,” Alex commented. “Huge time commitment. I’m planning a wedding, and it’s a lot of work. Although I think we’re skipping the Elvis impersonator.”
“Dude. Be cool.” Gabe’s voice was rich with warning.
“It’s fine. I can take it,” she assured him.
“I’m just having fun. Sorry, Ellie.”
There was another knock on the door, and Gabe looked up to see Charles Burnham. He expected to be summoned, but instead the man looked at Ellie. He didn’t look happy. “Ellie, may I speak to you?”
“Yeah, sure,” she turned to the group. “It was nice meeting you all.” Gabe watched her leave the room and walk down the hallway with Charles, a bad feeling clenching his gut.
* * *
Ellie followed her father down the hallway to his office. He didn’t say a word, not until they were inside with the door closed.
He turned on her, his face twisted with disgust. “What were you doing in that conference room?” For a brief moment, she thought he had somehow found out what she and Gabe had done in there the night before. She had no idea how she would talk her way out of that one.
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