by Anna Antonia
“But your legacy, Gabriel,” I pointed out stubbornly. “Everything you worked so hard for will be gone.”
“No, it won’t. It’s not my legacy anyways. The company should’ve gone to my uncle to begin with. He’s been just as big a part of its success as me. He does have the Board’s trust and he should be CEO. Not me.”
“But—”
“Emma, my love, your bunny’s teeth are gnawing me into oblivion. I’m going to have to break out the aspirin soon if you don’t stop.”
I shot him an embarrassed grin. “Sorry.”
Gabriel kissed the top of my head once, twice. “Gordon Industries was a big part of my life but it’s not my life. I can walk away with a clear conscience, Emma, because it’s past time for me to do something for myself. Wanna come along for the ride?”
My natural fear hovered, ready to strike. I let the feelings push into me and then I did what I would’ve never done before. I accepted that this was out of my control and it was okay. I didn’t need to feel guilty for creating this situation because I needed to trust in Gabriel’s words.
Gabriel wanted to be free to be his own man and I would support that in whatever way he needed.
Tilting my head back, I puckered up my lips. “Lead the way, Mr. Gordon.”
TWENTY-ONE
More than a little exhausted from the upheaval of the day, Gabriel led the way to bed. We stripped off our clothes and slid beneath the crisp sheets. Although it had felt small with just me in it, the bed was positively tiny with Gabriel’s large frame taking up nearly all the mattress.
We tried to make it work, spooning one way and then the other, before Gabriel gave up with a huff.
“Baby, I can’t do this. I know you worked hard for this room, but can we check into another hotel? Please?”
“You’ll get no complaints from me. Help me pack up my stuff?”
Within a half hour we were checked out and on our way to The Westin Paris. Sooner than that Gabriel and I walked into our well-appointed Presidential Suite.
Later I’d explore and appreciate the soothing crème, beige, and gold design scheme. I’d study how the classic French furniture fit so well with the modern lines of the couches and armchairs. I’d explore the two master bedrooms and I’d delight in the views from every room.
But that was after we slept like the dead.
Curled up in the oversized bed with darkened windows, Gabriel and I slept for over twelve hours straight. Every time one of us roused, we’d reach out for the other before settling down again.
My dreams were pleasant for the first time in a week.
When we finally woke up it was still dark outside. I could see the lit Eiffel Tower by looking out the window. It was beautiful but not early as beautiful as watching the sun rise with Gabriel.
Perhaps not surprisingly, we didn’t say much for the first few hours. We were thoroughly talked out from the last few days. I wouldn’t have been surprised if we did more talking this past week than we’d done during our entire relationship.
We had a large, gluttonous breakfast delivered to the suite and ate it in our complimentary robes. Gabriel had to take a call afterwards, so I used that time to call Gretchen. I hadn’t spoken to her in a bit so I was hoping to catch her before she closed her doors for the night.
“I’m sorry, Emma, but Gretchen isn’t here. She had an emergency and had to travel out of the country for it.”
I turned away from the gorgeous sight outside my window. Worry pinched my mouth and I started pacing. “Is she okay, Jael?” Jael had been one of the first girls Gretchen had hired when she started her business.
“Gretchen’s fine. A close friend of hers was hurt badly but she only just found out about it.”
“That’s terrible.”
“I know. Listen, Emma? I have to close up the shop so I’ve got to run. I’ll let Gretchen know you called when she checks in. You can also try to reach her on her cell but I haven’t had much luck with it.”
“Thanks. Please tell her I called.”
“Will do. Bye, Emma.”
“Bye, Jael.”
My fingers flew as I typed up and sent my text.
Gretchen, just heard about your friend. Hope things get better quick. Call me for anything & sending you all my love.
Bad luck apparently was making its round with the people in my life. I hoped everything turned out well with Gretchen. I racked my brain trying to guess who could’ve been her overseas friend but came up empty.
Worried, but also knowing Gretchen would share with me if and when she was ready, I had to take comfort that she herself was okay. The rest was going to have to wait for when I got a chance to talk to her.
Still, I said a quick prayer for Gretchen and her friend. Just in case.
Making a mental note to send a gift basket over for when she got back, I wandered over to the bathroom. Gabriel eventually found me splashing in the luxurious tub and joined me.
Let’s just say I learned that making love in a large tub overseas was just as fun as it was at home. After we were sated and had refilled the tub, Gabriel said, “Baby, I seriously can’t take any more of this angsty stuff. I need things to go back to our normal. What do you say?”
“You won’t get any arguments from me.”
“I love a woman who knows her mind. Give me a kiss. Mmm. Another one. Oh, one more…mmm…okay, last one.” Gabriel rolled his eyes in bliss. “Emma, I was going to ask you to go sightseeing but—”
“I can be ready to go in ten minutes.”
“Ten minutes, huh?” He sighed and then laughed. “Okay. Let’s be tourists!”
It was beyond fun. Gabriel had been right in wanting me to wait until he could come along. Paris was everything I’d hoped for. My eyes drank in the beauty of gorgeous architecture and streets filled with effortlessly fashionable men and women of all ages and walks of life.
Paris had the magic of making even the mundane infinitely more beautiful. Shops filled with chipped furniture in every shade of white inspired a strong lust in me.
Gabriel peered at various objects with a questioning frown. “But, Emma, it looks like something you’d find on the side of the road.”
“It’s not,” I disagreed while running my hand along a dresser with exquisite molding detail. “Unless you’re lucky enough to find a piece like this that aged naturally, it takes an incredible amount of work to replicate this look. And it’s usually kind of expensive too.”
“You mean people actually do this to furniture on purpose?”
I shook my head, pitying my poor Gabriel for not understanding the wondrous beauty of distressed furniture. He shook his for me liking chipped paint over gleaming stained wood.
We visited the Louvre along with thousands of others. I couldn’t imagine how it was once a palace and that people lived in such opulence. Gabriel teased by saying, “See there’s rich and then there’s criminally wealthy. I am a proud member of the first group.”
“Because you’re not a billionaire anymore?”
“Exactly! I couldn’t afford to buy you this at my current wages. Isn’t it great? Now you’ll have to accept a house from me since I’ll be working hard for my money.”
“We’ll see, Mr. Gordon.” I arched for a kiss which Gabriel promptly obliged me and then threw in a couple more for good measure. “Besides, I don’t think you could’ve ever bought it for me.”
“Hmm, you’re right. A billion doesn’t stretch like it used to. We’re practically tripping over billionaires nowadays. They’re everywhere.”
“Is that right?”
“Damn straight. I can name five under thirty-five on one hand. Let’s see, there was me, Trevor St. John, Damian Black-Price, Alexander Monroe Draven II, Peter Collins, and Sebastian Wolffe. And that’s on one hand. I could keep going.”
“You know a lot of billionaires,” I noted dryly.
“I’m acquainted with a few.” Gabriel sighed mournfully and said, “But I’ll be kicked out of the clu
b for sure now that I’m a working-class man.”
I smacked his arm. “You are so not a working-class man, Gabriel! You’re still a…how much money do you have?”
“A shade under 500 million. The rest were stock options, salary, and a few other doodads that came as majority shareholder and stuff like that. I’d rather just give those bits to Lucas but he probably will insist on paying me for them. I’ll still be off the billion mark for a few years to come.”
“Wow.” My breath exited in a whoosh. “Okay, you definitely cannot call yourself a working-class man. Drop it to one million and maybe you can squeak by. And that’s a big maybe and you better be closer to sixty when you say it.”
“So harsh, Emma!” He perked up as we approached the archway serving as entrance. “Come, my love. Let’s hope we don’t die of exhaustion as we walk across this ginormous courtyard.”
Thankfully we didn’t. Gabriel could barely contain his excitement as we approached the Louvre Pyramid’s entrance. “What do you want to look at first, Emma?”
“All of it!”
“Okay, let me rephrase that. What do you absolutely, positively want to see today?”
We looked at each other and then said at the same time, “The Mona Lisa!”
Gabriel pointed out the statues lining the unbelievably large building, telling me that he’d once read they were of French scholars.
“Just think, Emma. If you’d have been alive back then you could’ve been up there.”
“Huh, Gabriel? That wouldn’t have happened—”
“Nonsense I say! You would’ve replaced that stuffy fellow…right…there! I would’ve made sure it happened.”
Oh, he was so incredibly cute when he tried to rule the world.
We started and ended our visit in the Denton wing. I was never really into art but our earlier visit to the Smithsonian changed that. I could appreciate the history, beauty, and legacy all rolled into one building. There was so much to see that I wished I could stay for a month. Gabriel assured me we’d be back so many times I’d be sick of it.
Yeah right.
Every now and then Gabriel would remind me to look up. The painted ceilings were proof that aristocrats once roamed the hallways. My eyes struggled to take in the wondrous splendor. The “Statue of Winged Victory” took my breath away. I could hardly believe it was older than Christ by two centuries.
We also saw “Venus de Milo” and admired the armless beauty intently. Gabriel playfully covered my eyes and admonished me not to notice “those cheeky fellows who are choosing to stand there without clothes.” I peeked anyways.
Gabriel groaned when we reached The Grand Gallery. “Baby, it’s going to take forever to walk this.”
“We’ll go slow.”
“All right, but if I get too tired you have to carry me.”
I rolled my eyes and swore that in the future I’d bring a red wagon and tow him behind me so he’d stop complaining about walking so much. Gabriel thought it was a fine idea.
When we finally reached the “Mona Lisa” there were at least a hundred people all crowded about the railing separating her from us.
“Emma, here’s what we’re going to do. We’ll crowd surf our way to the front. What do you think? That or I’ll bribe everyone here to step aside.”
“A working-class man wouldn’t do that,” I pointed out in sing-song.
“Yeah, but you said I’d never be one so there’s that.”
“True.” I tugged on his arm until he leaned closer and whispered in his ear, “Or we can just wait.”
He stood back up with a frown. “I don’t like that idea, Emma.”
We didn’t crowd surf and he didn’t bribe anyone—at least I didn’t see him bribing anyone. Eventually we made our way to the front and studied one of the world’s greatest treasures.
“I really thought she’d be bigger, Emma.”
“You said that last time about the other da Vinci. At the Smithsonian. Remember?”
“I still mean it.”
Later when we were in front of “The Coronation of Napoleon” I asked, “Is this big enough for you?”
Gabriel cocked his head and appraised the twenty by thirty foot painting. “It’ll do.”
I enjoyed the Neoclassical paintings. Gabriel preferred the Romanticism works. I completely lusted over the crowns on display. Gabriel took a picture of me and swore he’d blow it up just for the “wee spot of drool” on my mouth.
After several hours of taking in all the pieces, we finally trudged out of the museum. Exhausted, Gabriel held my hand as we made our way over to the Pyramid pools and found an open spot.
Gabriel looked up. “Have you ever seen a sky more beautiful than this one, Emma?”
Pure blue with cotton candy clouds. “Never.” For me it wasn’t the sky but the company I kept that made it so lovely.
“Like I said this morning, the last few days have not been fun. Baby, seriously. I’m more than ready to start our real lives. Maybe something a little bit boring. Predictable even.”
I crossed my legs and looked out across the courtyard. “Me too.”
“Tell me something, Emma. If you could do anything in the world what would it be?”
“I don’t know.”
“Think about it.”
“Anything?”
“Anything.”
I ran through all the dreams I had, starting from when I was a little girl. They all shared one common thing.
“Numbers. I love numbers. I’d want to my day to revolve around them.”
Gabriel propped his chin on his hand. “Does it matter where these magical numbers come from?”
“Not really. Just as long as I can work with them.” I laughed at the comical expression on his handsome face. “What? You asked!”
“I know. I shouldn’t be surprised but I didn’t quite expect that answer.”
I bumped his shoulder with mine. “What would you do?”
“Run away from all the numbers.”
“Gabriel.”
“Emma.”
“Seriously. What would you do? I know you. You’ve at least got an idea. Your mind never stops. You don’t sleep much—”
“Only because I have such a brilliant and beautiful woman sharing my bed. I dare any man to choose sleep over you. Scratch that. Only in theory, baby, because you’re my sweetie and only my sweetie.”
I was smiling so much my cheeks hurt. After so many days of tears and misery, to think that I could feel this again made me want to dance in the streets and smile until I dropped.
“Tell me more.”
“Well, you see my lady is the best. She laughs at all my jokes, usually doesn’t think I’m uncool, and has the sweetest tasting—”
I lunged and covered his mouth with both of my hands. He was capable of saying anything, anywhere. “I mean about your future company.”
“Oh. That’s what you meant. I thought we were talking about that sweet spot right between your—”
My hands covered his mouth again. “Gabriel!”
My golden boy winked, audacious as always. “Okay, okay. I’ll be good. But before I tell you I want to know if you’d agree to working with me.”
“With you? Not for you?”
“Heavens no! With me for sure!”
I preened, ridiculously pleased to hear once more that he thought me his equal.
“I’d hate to be your boss, Emma. You’d work me to death just so I could keep up with you! No thanks, baby. I’ll do anything for you but I won’t do that.” My mouth dropped open. Gabriel leaned forward and closed it for me.
“Seriously?”
“As a heart attack.”
“Hmph!” Then I shrugged. “You’re probably right. Okay.”
“Okay, Emma? Okay, okay?”
“Okay, okay. Let me know when you need me and I’ll be there.”
“Serious?”
“All the way.”
Gabriel’s smile blinded me but I didn’t look away.
He looked like he got his birthday and Christmas all at once. “Emma, you’re the best! You won’t regret it. We’re going to change the world together, baby. For sure.”
His enthusiasm was infectious. “The whole world, huh?”
“Yep. I have a few ideas I’d like you to hear—”
Our conversation was abruptly cut short when a trio of men attired in black suits caught Gabriel’s attention. Lucas, immaculately attired as always and flanked by his bodyguards, strode straight towards us. Gabriel and I stood up, side by side, and waited for the threats and insults to fly from his lips.
What we didn’t expect was for Lucas to say without preamble, “Embry tried to commit suicide this morning. I need you both to come to the house.”
TWENTY-TWO
Marie met us at the door of her beautiful chateau. I would’ve admired the property and architecture in happier circumstances. Her pale face and tired eyes told the tragic story. “Gabriel, Emma. I’m so glad you’re both here.”
He leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. “How is she, mama?”
“She’s upstairs. The doctors say she’s stable and shouldn’t suffer any physical effects. Embry’s parents are already on their way. She’ll be going to a treatment center as soon as they take her.”
Gabriel turned to me, clearly uncomfortable but determined nonetheless. I didn’t want to force him to ask permission or to think I was going to stew and pout because he was with his ex.
“It’s okay. Go on and see her, Gabriel. She needs you right now.”
He leaned down and kissed me quickly on the lips. “I’ll be down as soon as I can. I love you, baby.”
“I love you too.”
The three of us watched him stride up the grand staircase. I had a sick feeling in my stomach but it wasn’t jealousy or worry about Gabriel tending to Embry. It was pity and sadness for a woman who was so lost that she felt she had no choice but to permanently disappear.
It saddened me but how guilty would Gabriel feel that he was the catalyst?
When is this going to end? When is our love going to stop hurting people?
