Stepping into the hot spray, she thought of Gabriel's reaction to her torn shirt. What an asshole. The last few times she did speak with Amber all she did was complain and tell her how badly things were going between them. Being wishy-washy though was Amber's specialty, Salene just figured she was venting, the two weren't even married for half a year yet. Maybe she should have taken Amber's complaints more seriously. If Salene was not mistaken, Amber did mention something about some guy she was talking to online. Normally Salene was completely against cheating but in Gabriel's case—Salene could totally see Amber's point of view.
The next morning, she woke up extra early, Salene had no desire to see Gabriel's face again. Folding the sheets, she placed them neatly on the bed. Grabbing her purse and bag she walked quietly to the kitchen and living area. Ignoring the growls of her stomach she dropped off her towel in the laundry room. Hoisting her bag higher on her shoulder she unlatched the front door's deadbolt.
"Before you make that walk of shame to your new home on wheels, how about you make me some eggs, and I might share some with you." Gabriel smiled evilly standing in the hall entrance pulling on a T-shirt over his head, flashing her his abs.
Salene thought about telling him to go screw himself, but the rumbling in her stomach made her reconsider. The only thing she had to eat yesterday was a couple of granola bars. Setting her bags by the door she walked back to the kitchen. Receiving no help from him as to where things were, she just started opening cabinets until she found the needed supplies. The flatscreen TV on the kitchen counter hummed to life as she made a large batch of scrambled cheese eggs in silence. Salene did not bother asking him how he wanted the eggs prepared—he could choke on them if all she cared.
Dumping the contents on two plates, she slid his plate and a fork across the bar where he was sitting. Cold green eyes gave her a smug look as he forked the fluffy eggs.
"Don't you have to go to work today?" Surely the large company he worked for downtown would have work for one of their company lawyers on a Wednesday.
"Do not worry about what I have to do. You need to be worried about which bridge you’re going to sleep under tonight.” He replied scathingly, as he forked another bite.
The anger and humiliation made her stomach knot, she could not bring herself to eat anymore. Setting her plate near him, Salene fought the urge to throw the food in his face. Out of all her siblings, she was the most calm and levelheaded one, she always took pride in keeping her anger in check and being able to handle any situation with decorum. This bastard was testing her, though. Cleaning the area and pan she used, she left the kitchen without a word.
Grabbing her bags in the front foyer she inhaled a steady breath and turned with her hand on the knob.
Surprised to find him walking up behind her, she lifted her chin in confidence. "Thank you for letting me stay last night." The words fell like vinegar on her tongue, but she refused to stoop to his level.
Scratching his growing beard Gabriel leaned against the wall on one shoulder hooking one barefoot over the other regarding her with mild interest.
"So I take it you will be running back home now, tail tucked firmly between your legs. What was it Georgia, Florida?" This sheer amusement he was taking from this was completely apparent as he made no efforts to hide it.
"It is Florida," she corrected calmly doing her best to appear bored and unfazed by him. "And no I am not going back." Salene would honestly consider stripping before she faced her family in this low moment.
Creasing his brow in confusion, he probed further. "Then what are you going to do? Beg at stoplights?"
Taking yet another deep breath she gave him a chilly glare. "If you must know, I have two interviews lined up today. One for a manager position at a store and the other for a hostess at some place called The Green Room. So if you do not mind," turning she opened the door and stepped onto the porch.
The hot grip on her shoulder pulled her back spinning her back to the door.
"What the hell Breslin?! What are…"
"You moron, you can't work at The Green Room." Now he was right in front of her towering at his full six foot plus height. Shaking her head in confusion with the question on the tip of her tongue he continued. "The Green Room is a strip club you idiot and the "hostess" position is just what they post for new eager and in your case desperate dancers."
Well damn, she thought. Though stripping did make great money, Salene wasn't that desperate—yet.
Not wanting to give him the satisfaction of being right she shrugged. "Well, we don't know that for sure, there really could be a hostess position open."
"Christ," he hissed running a hand through his long hair. "Just go home Salene. Face it you tried and you lost, just go back to Florida."
"No," she yelled. Not able to mask her anger any longer Salene stepped away from him further into the sun and away from the porch. "I honestly rather die before going back. Just leave me alone Breslin, thank you again and goodbye."
Without waiting for a response, she turned on her heel and walked down the stairs. Across the street, she saw a man reaching down for his paper as he looked their way.
The iron grip reappeared this time on her wrist, ignoring her protests Gabriel yanked her forcibly back up the steps and through the door. Pulling her past him into the foyer he kicked the front door shut with his barefoot.
"Fine, you can stay here for a little longer," he ground out.
"What? No," shaking her head, Salene did not want anything from this asshole. "I did not ask you…"
"What the fuck! Are you trying to get raped and killed?" He shouted by now his eyes were ablaze with fury. "Because I can pretty much guarantee one if not both will happen to you if you sleep in your car while working as a stripper."
The rolling thunder of fury was unlike anything she had ever experienced before, Salene unknowingly clutched her bag strap tighter as a frisson of fear went through her. Sensing her alarm, he mumbled something before stepping back to pace into the open living room. Maybe in his own weird way he was just trying to help and make her see sense. Regardless he was right, with no real choice she slowly lowered her bags to the floor.
Taking her silent acquiescence Gabriel gave her withering look. "But it will not be for free. You're going to pay me back with your body.”
Chapter 5
Pulling his truck into the driveway Gabriel grimaced at the beat up blue Corolla and the atrocious trailer parked in front of the house. Having Salene live with him temporarily was never his intention, but letting her naïvely walk into her death didn't seem like an option either. For the eighth time, that day he told himself he should not give a shit what happens to his bitch of an ex-wife's best friend, but nothing worked. All throughout work today Gabriel considered calling his house and telling her to get lost, and each time he thought of her being forced to take the "hostess" position at The Green Room. Oh yeah, it would probably start off as one, but once the manager saw the huge rack she had, they would pressure her into revealing those huge tits in no time.
Frustrated by the entire situation he walked into the house after closing the garage door.
"Salene," he yelled as he tossed his keys onto the sparkling clutter-free kitchen counter. "Move your piece of shit car to the back. You're bringing down the neighborhood with that pile of junk."
Yanking off the tie and suit jacket, he stood in the living room surveying the clean surroundings. When he said, she would pay with her body he meant it. Since he fired the expensive maid Amber hired when she left a few weeks ago, the place went to shit despite not even being furnished. Salene needed to earn her keep, Gabriel was done with freeloading conniving women.
"Okay, where should I put it?" Walking from the side of the house with all the guest bedrooms, she stopped in the hallway and stared at him expectantly.
Today she was wearing what looked to be a random grab of clothes. Pink medium length shorts that were neither tight nor appealing with a green T-shirt with random words
on it. This was an outfit no woman he has ever dated would wear, it looked terrible. Her seemingly permanent sun-kissed brown skin had a sheen of sweat, while her frizzy curls were pulled back into a long ponytail.
Looking away from her honey colored eyes he jacked his thumb to point to the garage behind him. "Park it in front of the third garage and unhitch that damn trailer into the empty spot."
"Oh… Okay." Her honey colored eyes went wide with uncertainty before grabbing her keys and heading towards the garage.
Gabriel would bet his whole paycheck that she did not know how to unlatch the trailer. Knowing Salene, she would stay out there all night out of sheer stubbornness until she figured it out. Changing out of his suit he looked at himself in the mirror, he did not look like the man he was months ago. Before all of this, the reflection would have shown an eager and driven man. Now soulless eyes of a man betrayed stared back at him through the mirror. The short hiatus from work along with his ungroomed appearance did not go unnoticed at the office. Rumors swirled, and whispers spread when he stepped back into the office, news of his new wife's betrayal was somehow relayed.
Tying up his tennis shoes he pushed off his bed with an agitated sigh. It had been nearly fifteen minutes, and he had not heard the door to the garage open. She was struggling. At least on the bright side to all this was that he could take out all of his aggression on Amber's so called friend.
Opening the door to the garage, Gabriel frowned when he heard a male voice talking. Stepping in he walked over to the third car spot that now housed the stupid trailer, with her back towards him Salene stood laughing at something the man said. It was a foreign sound, her laugh, it was deep and genuine and oddly very pleasant sounding. Leaning against his second car Gabriel gave an acknowledging nod to the man as he stood up.
"Hey there Gabe, I was coming by to check on you and I found her back here struggling with this trailer hitch." Tobias gave him a knowing smirk.
Tobias Marshall was a mountain of a man, that lived directly across the street. They quickly became friends when Gabriel moved in. Both him and Tobias shared a lot of interest, but one amongst all was fitness. Tobias was like a walking muscle magazine, the man worked at his body with the dedication of an artist. Art apparently Salene could not stop ogling at as she stood there wide-eyed staring blatantly at the man's biceps.
"Yeah well I bet she is, what idiot hooks a trailer to a Corolla?" Gabriel was beyond annoyed as he pushed her out the way to see the hitch.
"She told me the guy she bought it off of on craigslist hooked it together for her," Tobias laughed good-naturedly.
Turning his head slowly Gabriel gave her a disbelieving stare. Dear God, how can one female be so dumb? Everything from sleeping in a deserted parking lot, taking interviews at strip clubs and meeting random guys on craigslist. If Tobias knew half the shit she has done, he would not be laughing. A blatant disregard for personal security didn't fly too well with the man who was the current lieutenant of the Dallas Police Department's SWAT team. Avoiding his stare Salene turned away from him and focused back on Tobias.
"Here let me get my tools," Gabriel said when he eyed the obviously rigged hitch. "Go make yourself useful woman and grab us some waters."
Smiling at the mumbled curses she threw at him before walking back inside, Gabriel swiped some tools out of a cardboard box in the corner.
"What is up with you?" Tobias raised an eyebrow, obviously questioning his harsh treatment to Salene.
Aggravated Gabriel pulled up his jeans to squat near the hitch. "Don't worry she will be fine, besides that is Amber's friend I told you about a while back."
"Oh, I see," Tobias smiled as he loosened the rusted bolt. "The real pretty one that looked at you like dirt when you first met, correct?"
"I never said she was pretty," Gabriel hissed as he forced the second bolt off in pure anger.
“No you're right," Tobias hid a smirk as he fixed the hitch for future use. "I believe the word you used was beaut..."
The sound of the door to the kitchen opening cut him off just in time. Smiling widely at the warning glare Gabriel shot him Tobias turned towards Salene accepting the tall glass of water.
"Oh, you fixed it! Thank you, Tobias." Gabriel could practically hear the smile in her husky voice without even looking as he stood and turned towards her.
"Well, Gabe here did most of the work." Tobias slapped Gabriel's back with stinging force.
"Did he now?" The light brown eyes cut towards him in unhidden derision as her wide smile reserved for their guests disappeared.
Thrusting the cup in his chest to catch, she grabbed her keys to go move her car. Fucking ungrateful woman, he thought, he should have made her sleep in the garage.
Eventually, Tobias bid them farewell, leaving them alone again with their hate.
It seemed from the very beginning they were destined to rub each other the wrong way. Gabriel could still remember their initial meetings with vivid clarity. It seemed with every word he spoke Salene loss more and more interest in him, by the third meeting they were all but arguing across the table. Not once in his adult life had a woman ever riled him up as much a Salene could. At their last dinner, he found himself fighting off accusations of misogyny and nepotism. All the while his newly minted wife laughed and occasionally agreed. That was one of the moments he got to see the real Amber. There were warnings before then, but like an idiot he ignored them, Gabriel was far too busy trying to cement together the perfect life, the house, the wife, and the great career. When he asked Amber that night what was up with her friend she just gave him a contemptuous look. Gone were the high-pitched feminine giggles and demure looks, it seemed from that moment on the real woman he married came out of the mask. Rolling her cold blue eyes, she laughed and told him Salene only respected men who have made something for themselves from the ground up, not rich boys whose daddy has paid for everything.
"Before you plan on any scheme of seduction or get your hopes up you can stop now." Gabriel pushed away the unpleasant memories and focused on the woman in front of him now.
"What are you talking about Breslin?" The exhausted look Salene gave him annoyed him further. No one besides his boss referred to him as Breslin.
"I am referring to your sad display of flirting back there." Gabriel tossed the tools back into the box while watching her unlock the overstuffed trailer to fish something out. "First of all, you're barking up the wrong tree. Tobias only likes men, so if you are planning on being possibly rescued by him, that ship is a no go." He couldn't help but laugh.
Slowly she turned around and gave him that familiar look of disdain that drove him into a blind fury. With her hands on her hips, she leaned her head slightly to the side.
"Why do you have to be such a stone age prick? What woman goes around wanting to be “rescued”? I mean are you not aware that women are equal to men or are you just choosing to formally ignore it?" Shaking her head in pity, she grabbed the items out of the trailer before turning back to him. "Have you ever considered this old world view you have towards women might be one of the reasons Amber left?"
Not giving her a chance to move Gabriel stepped closer, invading her personal space, backing her into the trailer door. With widening eyes, she bumped into the filthy U-Haul clutching her clothes as a barrier between them. Placing his hand near her head on the metal trailer door he leaned in close.
"If you ever bring up that slut's name again in my presence I will throw you out onto the street, do you understand me Salene?" He kept his tone low letting her feel the anger that pulsated through him.
Nervously she nodded her head. The feminine scent of flowers perfumed the air between them at her slight movements. Inadvertently his eyes followed the loose wisp of curling hair that fell to her neck. Without thinking his eyes traced the narrow column of flesh. The exposed flesh made him recall the scene in the laundry room, whether he wanted to or not the memory of her exposed cleavage stayed with him. Nothing about that moment exuded sexiness
overtly, but there was something deeply satisfying by her look of innocent shock. The way she clutched her shirt together to hide her practical no-frill bra. Gabriel could only imagine that with breast that large only the sturdiest sensible bra would get the job done right. The sudden intake of breath brought his thoughts back to the present.
Disgusted with his turn of thoughts he pushed away from her leaving her standing in the garage.
Chapter 6
Being a maid was not as degrading as was being a maid for bonafide asshole. With a big sigh, she plopped onto a nearby chair. Gabriel wanted her to wake up every day when he did and make him breakfast. Reminding herself, it was better than sleeping on the streets Salene patiently waited each morning through grit teeth until he left for work.
Since there was hardly any furniture the actual cleaning took no time at all. Most of her days were spent relentlessly applying for jobs and unpacking Gabriel's boxes. It was odd going through a stranger's things, even more so if you despised said, stranger.
Boxes of personal photos, childhood sports trophies, and other pieces of Gabriel's history was at her disposal all tucked in the corner of one of the guest bedrooms. Flipping through one of the old yearbooks Salene couldn't help but laugh at the tall gangly senior in the picture. So you are only thirty-two years old, huh? Salene remembered Amber telling her he was only six or seven years older than them when she was dating him. The boy smiling back at her was a complete contrast to the man she knew now. Every day ritualistic weightlifting pumped and bulked the tall familiar form into what it was now while his smiles were only reserved for harsh laughter and snide remarks.
Desperate (A Contemporary Romance) Page 2
