‘Gabe, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to insult you,’ I said as I stepped forwards and put my palms on his chest. ‘I’ve already told you it’s the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen, but that’s so much money and I don’t deserve it.’
‘Don’t do that,’ he sighed as he pushed his hands into my hair. ‘I love you and you deserve everything I’ve given you and will give you. You make me so happy every day baby, besides I did show some restraint. There was a two and a half carat diamond that I had priced up as well and it came to over forty eight thousand and I knew you’d flip if you found out, so only spending thirty odd was me showing some restraint ok. I get over twelve thousand a month from my investments and they say three months’ salary for a ring, so I’m bang on budget.’
‘Gabe, I’m so scared of losing it now. What if it comes off or my necklace breaks?’
‘You’re still going to put it on a necklace?’ he frowned.
‘Yes, that’s what we agreed Gabe. Don’t make me feel like more of a shit than I already do.’
‘Fine,’ he sighed kissing my forehead. ‘We’ll get you a decent quality chain that won’t break, or we keep it in the safe I’m having installed.’
‘I’d rather the chain please.’
‘We’ll look for one here then. Come on, you need some food, you’re swaying,’ he kissed my forehead again and took my hand.
‘Thank you.’
‘For what?’
‘Thinking I’m worth thirty six thousand, although I’m still cross with you it means a lot to me to know I’m that precious to you.’
‘You’re not worth thirty six thousand to me baby, you’re worth centillions,’ he smiled, quoting back my comment.
‘You old smoothie,’ I laughed.
‘Hey less of the old. In two days’ time you’ll be the same age.’
‘God yes, my birthday, I’d totally forgotten. Please tell me you haven’t gone financially crazy for that as well?’
‘No, just for Christmas,’ he winked and I slapped his arm and looked up to see Robert and Sofia watching us smiling.
We headed back and sipped more champagne as we all chatted and tucked into some nibbles.
‘Come on Mia, let’s leave the men to it and have a dance,’ Sofia announced standing up and reaching for my hand. A dance? I looked at Gabe horrified, it was bad enough walking with this glass paperweight in, let alone dancing. He just wiggled his eyebrows at me and smirked. I took her hand to stand up and we headed down to the busy dance floor and found a space.
‘Were you arguing earlier?’ she asked.
‘Yes.’
‘He has the same pose Robert does when he’s cross. Hands through the hair is frustrated, one hand on a hip is mad, two hands is furious.’
‘O my God, you’re so right. That’s Gabe to a T,’ I laughed as I gently tried to move my hips and got a tingle of pleasure.
‘You calmed him down really quickly, much quicker than I do Robert.’
‘It’s all about looking up through my lashes into his eyes and touching him,’ I grinned as I moved a bit more and enjoyed the sensation.
‘I’ll try that tactic,’ she smiled.
I looked up at Gabe to see he’d taken off his jacket and had rolled his sleeves up. He had one of his new shirts on, with a pink paisley pattern on the inside of the cuffs. I’d loved he was secure enough in his masculinity to not be bothered by wearing that colour. He was watching me eagle eyed and I could see he was turned on, so I pulled out some of my sexiest dance moves for him. I was surprised a moment later to feel a hand on my hip, how had he made it down so fast? I turned smiling and stepped back in amazement to be face to face with the Sam the singer.
‘Can I join you?’ he asked. I shook my head and waved my hand in front of his face.
‘Taken,’ I squeaked thinking how handy this ring was in deflecting men.
‘Happy though?’
‘Yes, very,’ I nodded. Christ, he was hitting on me, Lexi’d die if she knew, he topped her singers top totty list.
‘Call me if you change your mind,’ he smiled as he handed me a business card and leaned in and kissed my cheek. He strode away seconds before Gabe was at my side with steam coming out of his ears as I tucked the card in my bag. He pulled me aggressively to him by the waist.
‘What the fuck was that? Did he just proposition you?’
‘Yes,’ I whispered, dreading him starting a fight in here, in front of Robert and Sofia. ‘Please don’t be mad, I handled it.’
‘I saw, but I didn’t want to give him an excuse to come back, or any of the other famous fuckers that have been eyeing you up,’ he said as he spun me around and kissed me.
‘Gabe, it’s rude to leave Sofia dancing on her own,’ I sighed as my body quivered next to his.
‘She’s not alone, my dad still has some moves you know,’ he smiled as he nodded over to where they were dancing together. ‘So how about showing me some more of yours sexy girl.’
‘What sort of moves did you have in mind sexy boy?’
‘Let’s go for this one for a start,’ he grinned and dipped me down into a Hollywood romantic kiss. I went limp in his arms and clung to him as he pulled me back up praying I hadn’t just flashed everyone. He turned me around and started sexy grinding to the music with an arm around my waist as he buried his face in my neck and I closed my eyes and let him guide me, enjoying the feel of his body against mine. Every time he touched me it was like the first time, like I’d never experienced it before, yet at the same time it was reassuringly familiar.
‘I love you Gabe,’ I sighed quietly under my breath as we moved.
‘And I you baby,’ he whispered in my ear.
‘You’ve got hearing like a bat,’ I giggled.
‘And don’t you forget it,’ he sighed as he put a hand up between my breasts and clasped my jaw tipping my head back to kiss me.
‘Gabe, your Dad.’
‘What of him?’
‘I don’t want him seeing us all sexy with each other.’
‘He’s too busy making his own moves to care Mia. I’m desperately trying not to look. It’s both uncomfortable and gross.’
I looked over and giggled, they were locked in an embrace and he was clasping her face, just like Gabe did to me. ‘You’re so alike you know. Sofia and I have been talking.’
‘O my God, not the way you talk to Lexi?’
‘Well no, not quite as in depth, but she commented on how dominant Robert was and indicated he was like that in the bedroom too, see he’s just like you, or you him.’
‘Please, for the love of God stop talking now,’ he groaned in an unsexy way. I started laughing and he had to let me go as I bent over in hysterics and then squealed as the egg moved inside me. He pulled me back up quickly and spun me to face him. ‘Are you pissed?’
‘A little, you’re not going to get mad with me again are you?’
‘No but I wanted to fuck you tonight, that was the whole reason for the egg, to get you ready for me,’ he frowned.
‘O for God’s sake, I don’t need anything to get ready for you and when will you give up this nonsense about not sleeping with me when I’ve been drinking? I’m hardly comatose and tonight I’m your fiancée,’ I said waving my hand at him. ‘You can hardly take advantage of a fiancée can you?’
‘No, I guess not, say that again please.’
‘What?’
‘Fiancée.’
‘Gabe.’
‘Well if you’re not my fiancée tonight then I can’t take advantage can I?’ he muttered petulantly. ‘O dear no sex for Mia.’
‘You wouldn’t? No way, I’m so wet for you.’
‘That’s damn tough for you then isn’t it,’ he shrugged. ‘You agreed until Tuesday, is it really that hard for you to say that word when you’re not taking the piss?’
‘I wasn’t taking the piss.’
‘Ok, teasing me, whatever, either way it’s cruel.’
‘No crueller than torturing your
self by making me wear it knowing it’s going to come off Gabe.’
‘I guess,’ he sighed as he held me, still moving to the music. ‘Please baby, just say it, just this once, say what you are to me tonight.’ I looked up into his pleading eyes, why was this so damn important to him? I sighed as he ran a set of knuckles down my cheek before tugging at my bottom lip and my heart.
‘I, Mianna Page, am your fiancée Gabriel Austin.’ I was rewarded with a set of blue watery eyes and a scalding kiss from him and the feeling of his erection swelling against me. I clutched him, desperately wanting to feel what he felt at the thought of us getting married. I so wanted to be there with him, but I wasn’t.
‘Take me home,’ I whispered. ‘I need you, now.’
He straightened up and wiped his eyes and nodded and caught his Dad’s eye. ‘Sorry guys, someone’s had a bit too much to drink. I need to get her home to bed.’ I bit my lip and narrowed my eyes, using me as a damn excuse, the little bugger.
‘Well it’s a fine thing when the youngsters can’t outlast us “oldies” on a night out,’ laughed Robert. ‘I’ll ask Antonio to pull up outside,’ he said as he kissed me on the cheek and hugged Gabe.
‘Sofia, would you be free to join Mia and I for lunch on Monday? I know Dad is busy with work,’ Gabe asked, taking the three of us by surprise.
‘Yes I am and I’d love that thank you Gabriel,’ she smiled.
‘Please it’s Gabe, Dad’s the only one who calls me Gabriel, or Mia when I’ve pissed her off.’ I smacked his arm as Sofia laughed and he kissed her on both cheeks. ‘Great I’ll get your number off Dad and set something up. Thanks for entertaining Mia tonight.’
‘She’s entertained me, she’s a special girl Gabe.’
‘I think so, but then again I’m biased,’ he said turning to look at me, his face full of emotion again.
‘Night Sofia, thanks for a really lovely night, I had such fun,’ I kissed her and waved over my shoulder as Gabe led me across the dance floor.
‘Ooooo,’ I winced.
‘What’s the matter?’
‘You and this damn egg. Are you supposed to wear it for this long, my muscles feel like you’ve fucked me for days.’
‘Shit sorry baby, I should have made you take it out before you danced. Cross your ankles.’
‘How’s that going to help?’
‘So I can pick you up without half of America’s celebrities seeing your bare beaver.’
‘O ok,’ I didn’t care about being embarrassed, I couldn’t move another inch with this inside me. I did as I was told and he swooped me up into his arms and took me up to retrieve his jacket, which I hung onto as he carried me out with everyone smiling at us. I leaned my cheek on his chest and smiled up at him. ‘I love when you do this.’
‘I know,’ he smiled back full of love.
It was just after one a.m. when we got dropped off he carried me into the elevator.
‘I’ve never done it in an elevator,’ I stated.
‘Well I should hope bloody not as you’ve only ever done it with me and I haven’t either.’
‘Fancy trying it now?’
‘Would I sound like a wimp if I said I just wanted to take you to bed and make love to you, rather than have fast furious elevator sex?’
‘No, as long as we can schedule it in before we leave, I don’t know anyone with a private elevator back home and I don’t fancy testing out a public one.’
‘We have a deal baby,’ he smiled and carried me into the bedroom.
Money , Money, Money
I crept out of bed at 8 a.m. pulling on his shirt and went to get some water, leaving him asleep in bed. I could still feel in internal pull from wearing my egg for hours and from having sex again last night. Much as I liked the look of my new glass object, and the feelings it gave me wearing it, I wasn’t overly happy at the less than glamorous way it had to come out. Gabe had found it really funny and his raucous laughter nearly led to me locking myself in the bathroom and refusing to come out to sleep with him, let alone sleep with him.
I sat on a stool looking at the view as I glugged on the water and pulled my phone out of my bag and giggled when I saw the singers business card. I wondered how many girls he just randomly handed it out to and how many of them called him back. I was really flattered though, to have someone that famous interested in me was an ego boost. I tucked it back in my purse, I had to show Lexi that, she’d go mental. I smiled to see I had a reply from her.
So gel. B fab 2 do that wit u. Missin u. Can’t w8 2cu tues. <3U2 bestie xx
I also had a text from Cindy.
Hey babe, spoke to Mike, Sat 5th you’re on for your next dance and can discuss your schedule with him then. Made it clear you only want one or two shifts at max and he’s cool with it. Call in before if you want a hand with a routine and it would be great to see you. Bring your friend over to talk other work too. Hope you’re ok? Missing our work outs x PS Not too late to ditch pretty boy ;-)
I smiled then huffed my fringe out of my eyes, dreading the confrontation that was inevitable with Gabe. He’d not mentioned either my plans with Milo, nor my wish to go back to Peppers since I’d dropped it on him yesterday. Well now I had a deadline, if he didn’t mention it by then, I was going to have to tell him.
‘Why the big sigh?’ His voice rang out in the large silent room and I looked around to see him leaning on the door frame, arms folded on his chest, dressed in his new silk boxers.
‘Headache,’ I smiled. Well at least it was true.
‘I’ll get you some tablets from Dad’s cabinet. Lots of water baby,’ he ordered and I waved the half empty litre bottle at him. ‘Good girl,’ he smiled, kissing the top of my head as he walked past. He returned with two Advil and stroked the hair hanging down my back as I gulped them down.
‘Sleep ok?’ I asked.
‘Like a log, you?’
‘Hmmm. Nice pants.’
‘They feel really nice, smooth and silky. You’ll have ruined me, I’m not going to want to wear jersey ones now.’
‘Well it’s not like you can’t afford to kit yourself out with a fresh pair for every day of the year,’ I observed and got a smack on the bottom.
‘Ok, I want to be out soon to give us time to visit Ground Zero before we have to head over for our timed trip up the Statue. I’ll ring Antonio and let him know to pick us at up nine thirty so we can wolf breakfast and get ready.’
‘Can we just go by the metro?’
‘Why? We have a nice Merc at our disposal,’ he frowned.
‘I know that. I just … don’t take this the wrong way, but sometimes I like to do normal things. I’ve been treated like a celebrity since we left home and I’d just like to ride the metro and be normal, experience New York like most people do.’
‘A lot of people in New York have drivers, but fine I’ll just arrange him for the homeward bound trip.’
‘I’d like to get a cab,’ I said, almost apologetically.
‘Seriously?’ he sighed.
‘Yes. A yellow cab’s iconic, I can’t have been here and not sat in one. It’s like going home and saying I went to New York and didn’t visit Central Park or go up the Empire State Building.’
‘Fine, but I draw the line at getting the bloody bus anywhere ok?’
‘Agreed. Now shake that sexy ass and cook me breakfast man slave,’ I giggled slapping his bottom as hard as I could and shaking my hand as it stung.
‘Fuck, I wish you wouldn’t do that,’ he said as he jumped out of my reach. ‘It bloody hurts.’
‘Ahhhh Mr Sensitive,’ I teased. ‘I take much harder smacks than that.’
‘I may stop giving you them if they hurt that much. It stings like buggery,’ he moaned rubbing his bottom as he opened the fridge.
‘Do we have any plans for tonight?’
‘Not yet. Why what do you fancy doing?’ he asked as he cracked and whisked up some eggs.
‘Would you mind if we stayed in? I’d really like to
just have a carpet picnic in front of the fire and enjoy the view.’
‘Me or New York?’ he asked looking over his shoulder with a smile.
‘Both, hard to tell which is better to be honest,’ I sighed as I looked him up and down.
‘Okay, there’s a good deli not far from here. We’ll stop on the way home and pick up some bits and pieces. Can you do some toast? The eggs will be ready soon.’
We lay on the rug, well fed and in post orgasmic bliss after a quick rough session in front of the fire. We’d done loads of walking, the Ground Zero memorial, the financial district, then up the Statue of Liberty and I’d purchased T-shirts for Doug, Milo, Gabe and myself and a Snow globe for Lexi. Now, after more sex I felt pleasantly tired. Gabe pulled my NYPD t-shirt back onto me and spooned behind me as we watched the flames flicker.
‘I like this t-shirt on you. It hugs your curves perfectly.’
‘Thank you. I thought I could wear it running or for workouts. We need to get back into our running when we get back home, we’ve slacked off lately.’
‘We could go back to our Wednesday mornings and maybe go on a Sunday too. You don’t want to overdo it if you’re doing Pilates and the gym on a Thursday too, and you’ll have the pole at home. I plan on making you do a lot of that, for your benefit of course.’
‘For my benefit?’ I laughed. I could feel the smile on his face and wondered if his throw away comment about Thursday meant he was finally ok with me spending the time with Milo.
‘Hmmm yes and I’m more than happy to closely observe and give very detailed feedback. In fact my sight’s not as good as it used to be, maybe you’ll have to throw in a nightly lap dance as well so I can give you a thorough and unbiased appraisal,’ he murmured as his lips ran back and forth across my shoulder.
‘Yes,’ I sighed. ‘That sounds like an excellent plan, though I doubt it will be unbiased. Would you like a lap dance now?’
‘Thanks but I’m ok, I already have plans for you this evening.’
‘Again? Already? But we only just finished.’
‘I didn’t mean sex, though I’ve no objections if it leads to us having it again. I thought we could go and relax and enjoy the view.’
Love & Loss (The Austin Series) Page 23
