by Terry Towers
Time seemed to freeze as they stood together, locked in each others embrace. She could see the hunger evident in his eyes that it sent a pleasurable chill through her. As she pressed up against the length of his body, she felt his erection against her stomach. He wanted her, and she'd never wanted anyone so badly than at that very moment. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words escaped her. He lowered his mouth to hers. His lips were about second from touching hers when the moment was suddenly shattered by a knock at the door.
"Fuck," he muttered softly, as he straightened back up, saying exactly that she was feeling. "We'll talk in a bit okay?" He loosened his grip on her and she immediately missed his warm, hard body against hers.
Beth nodded and gave him a reassuring smile.
"Come in," Gabriel called out, stepping away from her completely and leading her back to the table with his hand planted firming at the small of her back.
The door opened to reveal a number of servers holding platters of delicious looking and smelling foods.
Oh-my-God! I'm going to have to cook dishes like that! She was going to need more than Peter to cook like that; she was going to need a miracle.
****
"The food was amazing Gabriel. I have no idea how I could even compare to the food they serve there. Even with tutoring from Peter." Beth looked up hesitantly at him as he opened the front door of his home - correction, their home - and ushered her in before him.
Gabriel sighed in exasperation. "I've already told you Beth, if I wanted a gourmet chef I would have hired one. As we have discussed in the contract, you're duties include-"
"Wife without being the wife, maybe minus the sex. I got that," she teased.
Gabriel shook his head, but a smile touched his lips.
"But those dishes were intimidating."
Closing the door and locking it behind them, Gabriel turned to face her. He'd wanted to kiss her all evening. If the waiter hadn't had such fucking bad timing he would have. But would that have been the best of ideas? He raked his fingers through his short dark hair, feelings of indecision rushing through him as he considered it.
After a minute he shook his head. "You'll do fine. You were amazing at coffee shop." With a hand at the small of her back, he urged her towards the winding staircase.
Her sapphire blue eyes peered up at him and she flipped her golden hair over her shoulder as they ascended the stairs. "I served you coffee at the coffee shop. Hardly a testament to my cooking abilities."
He grinned. "I suppose not."
At the top of the staircase both paused and turned to face each other. Gabriel's room was to the left, while Beth's was to the right. The air between them thickened. She had been right; it felt like a date. But if it had been a real date, he'd be pulling her into his arms and ushering her to his bedroom, instead of standing before her as the air between them simmered.
She captured her lower lip between her teeth and his eyes were automatically drawn to her frosted pink painted lips. They were lush and inviting. His cock stirred in his pants and he groaned inwardly.
Not being able to control himself he reached out and touched her cheek with the back of his hand. Her skin felt like satin to the touch and he stepped closer, closing the gap between them. He needed to feel more of her and he was powerless to stop himself. Her breath became ragged as their eyes locked and he saw the fire burning in hers that reflected his body's reaction.
He had to have her, at least one kiss. One. Technically she didn't start work for him until tomorrow. Technically.
As if waiting for the inevitable kiss, she inhaled sharply as he slowly lowered his mouth to hers, giving her a chance to back away. His hand slipped from her cheek to the back of her head and he fisted her long satiny locks, tilting her face up a fraction more and then capturing her lips with his own.
Beth slipped her palms up his chest and to his shoulders. She moaned as his lips touched hers, her body melting against him. Her touch and her moan set off fireworks within him. His cock hardened almost instantaneously as he slipped a hand around her waist and pulled her tight to him, his erection pressing hard against her stomach.
Her lips parted and Gabriel took full advantage of the opportunity, slipping his tongue between her soft lips and exploring her mouth fully tasting the sweetness of the wine on her tongue. His tongue caressed hers, as his hand slid to her backside and he pulled her groin tighter against him.
Fuck he wanted her. Needed her. He didn't think he'd ever wanted a woman so much. What was it about this woman that set him aflame? He had no idea, but she was special. She was a classic beauty that didn't even know it. She was genuine and in the span of a few minutes a day for several months she'd managed to enchant him.
He groaned against her lips and the temptation to lift her up onto his hips and carry her to his bedroom so he could ravage her became too great to withstand. So he released her, stepping back so quickly he nearly stumbled in his haste.
"I'm sorry," he muttered.
He wasn't.
Disappointment flashed in her eyes and she gave him a shy smile. "Don't be."
They stood several feet from each other, both reeling from the kiss and the feelings that came with it. "I'll see you in the morning Beth. Thank you for a great evening."
A soft rose colour touched her cheeks. "Good night Gabriel." Without another word she turned and slowly made her way to her room as he watched.
He even loved the way she said his name, Gabriel, it seemed to roll off her tongue sounding seductive and enticing. What is that saying? If she turns she wants you? He pondered it as he watched her round bottom sway under the fine black material covering it. Damn, what he would love to do to that ass...
As she reached for the door handle of her bedroom she paused and looked over her shoulder at him. Their eyes locked again and he suddenly felt like a school boy with a crush. Get it together, you've dated super models, actresses and heiress' for fucks sakes! But none of them were like or compared to the sweet blonde from the coffee shop. Giving her a half wave he turned and marched off to his own room with the intention of taking care of the throbbing problem in his pants.
****
Beth groaned as her alarm clock began buzzing and attempted to cover her head with her pillow to block out the offending sounds. It was no use. This was her first day at her new job of being Gabriel's personal chef, housekeeper and whatever else that struck his fancy. Giving up on blocking out the alarm clock she pulled herself out of bed and turned it off.
Her head was throbbing. God, how much wine did I drink last night? Judging by the scale of her hangover - too much. Flashes of the previous night came to her. Gabriel had been so handsome and charming and her fear was becoming a reality, she was falling for him. And that kiss! Oh-My-God! If he hadn't stepped back from her and ended the kiss she would have been more than eager to spend the night serving her new boss in whatever way he wanted.
Trying to clear her head of the thoughts of him - he was her boss now, nothing more - she made her way to the shower stripping off her t-shirt and panties as she walked.
A half-hour later, at 6:30am, Beth was dressed in boxers and a fresh t-shirt and was in the kitchen preparing breakfast. Gabriel told her the night before he wanted something nice and simple so she was to prepare eggs over-easy, toast with strawberry jam and bacon. Easy enough right? She hoped it would be as easy as it sounded. She always had a tendency to overcook bacon. Okay, that was a lie, she burnt bacon. Always. She crossed her fingers that wouldn't be the case today.
As it turned out, this morning was no exception.
The sound of Gabriel clearing his throat sounded just as she was about to scoop the bacon from the skillet. Her breath hitched as she spun around and laid eyes on him dressed in a black suit, tie yet to be tied and hanging loose around his neck and the top two buttons of his light blue shirt undone. He was sex personified. The feel of his lips on hers came rushing back to her and the throbbing between her legs began.
"Mo
rning," he greeted sauntering into the kitchen and seating himself onto a bar stool at the breakfast bar across from her. "Something smells... burnt."
Oh dear lord! In the seconds that it took to turn and smile at him the bacon had went from nearly cooked to burnt. She counted backwards from ten slowly trying to calm the frustration welling up within her as she flashed Gabriel a smile and tried to make light of her first failure in the kitchen. "Good thing I'm taking lessons from Peter right?"
"Yes, it's a good thing," he replied, his tone solemn. While his tone may have been solemn, she was relieved to see amusement dance in his eyes.
Her nerves began to calm. At the very least he wasn't angry. Which lead her to the question... Does this man ever get angry? She'd never met someone so easygoing in her life. It was as though he didn't have a single care in the world.
She salvaged his breakfast as best she could as she thought back to her daily encounters with him and couldn't think of a single instance where she'd seen him in a bad mood. With the breakfast plated she was thankful that at least she managed to not screw up the eggs. The toast, was yet another failure. Too dark. She growled to herself as she turned and with a great deal of embarrassment presented him with what he had described as an easy "no brainer" breakfast. "I'm sorry."
He laughed out loud as he looked at her pathetic attempt and then up at her. "Looks... great..."
With a loud huff, she planted a fist on her hip and cocked her head, "Don't lie."
Picking up a piece of charcoaled bacon he took a bite and it crumbed.
She cringed. What in the hell was she thinking taking this job. She blew at a strand of hair that had come loose from her ponytail and fallen over her left eye and grimaced.
Putting the bacon down, he looked up and met her gaze. "Alright, I... Your cooking skills need some work." he held a hand up when she started to protest. "But, I was aware of that and I take full responsibility for this. So don't worry, I expected a learning curve."
A learning curve? He had to be insane if he thought she was getting any better anytime soon.
''Listen, there was something I wanted to talk to you about." The kiss kept coming to the forefront of her mind and she felt she needed to at least apologize for her behaviour the previous night.
"Oh," he cocked a brow at her and gave her that patented Gabriel sex smile that sent her stomach fluttering.
"I'm sorry if I consumed a bit too much wine and then when we got back here, when I-…"
Gabriel placed his elbows on the counter, and steeped his fingers. He leaned over keeping his dark eyes glued to hers, his expression suddenly heated - intense. "Attempted to seduce me?" he offered.
Beth could feel the colour draining from her face as she began to recall the events of the previous evening. Did she really come on that strong? She didn't think so. Sure, she kissed him, or kissed him back, or... Oh God! She remembered the kiss vividly and if she concentrated on the encounter hard enough she could still taste to wine on his lips. The kiss had just happened, she was sure of it.
Upon seeing her distress his face broke out into a grin. "I'm teasing Beth." he reached across the counter and gave her hand a light squeeze. "I kissed you and you responded. It's not a big deal. Okay?"
Not a big deal? She wasn't sure if it was or not. She was slightly disappointed he said it like that. It stung that what would qualify as one amazing moment to her was "no big deal” to him. Well, she decided, at least I know where I stand.
Slowly she nodded. "That's what I was going to say." she shrugged to accent her point. "No big deal." Their gazes continued to hold and her body continued to sing with need for him. Damn it, to her it was a big deal!
Chapter 5
Peter had turned out to be an amazing teacher and an extremely likeable and patient man. Beth was already looking forward to the next lesson, however, being that today was Friday the next lesson wouldn't be until Monday morning. She was confident she'd be preparing gourmet dishes for Gabriel in no time with Peter's tutorage. She still had a few hours before Gabriel was due home so she decided to get some laundry done and was now standing in the middle of Gabriel's massive bedroom and heading for the large mahogany dresser against the back wall, by the door that led to his massive walk-in closet.
The dresser had three columns of four drawers. Sitting the white plastic laundry basket filled with clean, folded clothing in it on the top of the dresser she decided to start with the top left hand drawer and work her way though. It occurred to her for a second that perhaps he wouldn't want her going through his drawers, but it was what she had been hired to do. I'm his cook/maid/personal assistant and anything else he needs and right now he needs his clothing put away, she reasoned, besides, he had no problem sending Gerald rummaging though my stuff.
Opening the first drawer she was confronted with ties. The second made her gasp, her eyes widening in surprise, quickly followed by a grin spreading across her face. Gabriel Reynolds just got a lot more interesting.
She grabbed a thick pink vibrator from the drawer and flipped it on, it buzzed softly in her hand. Giggling softly, she turned it off and tossed it back in. "Well, Mr Reynolds you have been a very naughty boy," she said out loud with a chuckle as she then pulled a soft brown leather flogger from the drawer and ran her hand down the length of it.
"Indeed I can be."
Her grin immediately faded as she spun around, her hair fanning out around her head and colour draining from her cheeks. The flogger slipped from her fingers and fell to the floor at her feet. She quickly bent, not taking her eyes off of her new boss, retrieved it and then straightened back up. Before her stood Gabriel, his tie loosened leaning his shoulder against the door jab, one foot crossed casually over the other and regarding her with raw desire. He was pure sex in a tailored suit if she'd ever seen it.
"I'd ask you what you were doing in here, rummaging through my personal affects," he nodded towards the laundry basket as he pushed himself off of the wall and stalked towards her, his expression becoming more intense, so intense that her stomach fluttered and the throbbing between her legs ignited. "But I suppose I can see for myself."
"I... Well, I didn't... I mean," She closed her eyes briefly and tried to calm herself. When she opened them up he was standing before her, less than a foot dividing their bodies. She then realized that she was still holding the flogger, clutched tightly in her hand. She placed it back in the drawer filled with sex toys and shut the drawer. "I'm so sorry Gabriel."
He took another step forward, trapping her between his hard, muscled body and the dresser. His dark eyes flashed, and her breath hitched. What was he thinking? She prayed he wasn't angry, she was coming too really like the idea of working for him. She just needed to control herself around him. She just needed to remain professional and not get emotionally attached.
Gabriel bent down and his lips grazed her ear lobe. His body was yet to actually touch hers, though secretly she wished it would. She moaned involuntarily, as she grasped the dresser behind her for support, her legs failing her. But how could she remain professional when her body reacted to him in such a way?
"I'm sorry," she whispered again.
"Do you like to play Beth?" his voice flowed through her like silk.
Did she like to play? What in the hell did he mean by that? The toys. He wanted to know if she was into... Oh, fuck!
"Mr Reynolds?"
He pulled back slightly so he could look her in the eye. "You just seemed quite... Interested... I was curious to know if you liked to play. I normally wouldn't have brought it up, but since you seemed so... curious," a soft sexy smile tugged at the corners of his lips.
She licked her lower lip as her eyes dropped to his lips. She remembered the kiss from the night before and she wanted to feel his lips on hers again. She wanted to feel his body pressed against hers, feel his hands caressing her bare flesh.
"I've never actually used most of what is in that drawer," her cheeks burned at her confession as she dropped her gaze
. He was so intense and her body reacted in turn. The apex between her legs continued to throb and she couldn't stop her hands from reaching up and placing her palms on his shirt clad chest, her fingertips tracing the line of muscle under the fabric.
Placing his index finger under her chin, her lifted her eyes to his and smiled down at her. "Would you like to try?"
Was he serious? She swallowed hard. He had a fairly good sense of humour but something told her he was dead serious about it. She wanted to, God she wanted to, but that could ruin everything. And she was still a little foggy on what exactly play to him entailed.
"You're a beautiful woman Beth. I won't lie. I want you. I've wanted you from the moment I laid eyes on you."
His mouth was so close to hers that their breaths intermingled and began to synchronize. As much as she wanted to listen to the voice of reason, his cologne, his hard body, his presence wouldn't allow for protest as her body demanded that she take what she needed from him. Fisting his shirt, she pulled his mouth down to hers.
Gabriel immediately reacted pressing hard against her body, his growing erection pressing against her stomach as she sucked his lower lip into her mouth playfully.
He groaned, slipping his hand to the back of her head and deepening the kiss. His tongue slipped past her parted lips demanding her tongue's submission. His body was hard and unyielding against hers as he moved against her, enticing her through their clothing.
Beth's fingers worked the buttons of his shirt, anxious to feel the hard muscles beneath. "God, I want you Gabriel," she moaned as his lips left hers and began working their way down her neck. The shivers of anticipation that rushed through her as his lips teased and taunted spurred her desire as she pressed up tighter against him.
Grabbing her by the waist, he lifted her up onto the dresser. "Raise your hands over your head," Gabriel ordered as he straightened, grabbed the hem on her shirt, and tugged it up and over her head, tossing it to the floor. "Beautiful," he whispered, more to himself than to her as his eyes glanced down at her breasts, contained within the black lace covering them.
