“Gabriela Martinez?”
I look up as a slender blonde walks into the shop. She looks familiar but I can’t quite place her.
“Yes, I’m Gabriela Martinez. How may I help you?”
“I’m Leslie Williams, a columnist from Los Angeles News. I was hoping we could talk for a few minutes.”
That’s where I know her from! She writes for the metro and entertainment section. She has a small picture and bio under each article she publishes. Caroline shoos me away, letting me know she can handle the line. I step from behind the counter to speak with the journalist.
I wipe my hands on my apron before shaking hers. “What can I do for you?”
She gives me a toothy smile. “I’m covering the grand opening for Baldwin’s Bakery. I’d like to get a quote from you about it.”
I bite my tongue to hold back my anger. “Why would you need a quote from me? I have no affiliation with them. You should be speaking with the owner.”
Leslie’s smile turns smarmy. “Miss Martinez, with all due respect, we both know you are well acquainted with the owner. I think our readers would like to know how you feel about Ethan Baldwin opening his new bakery right next door to your bakery. Surely you don’t plan on staying here. Do you have plans to relocate Sweet Temptations?”
My jaw clenches so hard I have to make a conscious effort to loosen it so I can speak. “I have no comment.”
She pouts. “Oh c’mon, woman to woman, I’m sure this isn’t easy. After all of the drama from your past with him, this must sting. You really don’t have anything to say?”
“Ms. Williams, with all due respect, I said I have no comment. Now, unless I can interest you in a pastry, I’ll need to ask you to leave.”
She brushes an imaginary piece of lint from her shoulder. “Well, thank you for your time. Perhaps I’ll be able to convince Mr. Baldwin to comment on the matter.”
I open the door for her and give her a fake smile. “Good luck with that. Have a great day!”
“You too, Miss Martinez.”
Leslie flips her hair and gives me a cold look, in that bitchy way women do when they’re sizing up their perceived competition. The joke’s on her though, because if she wants Ethan, she can fucking have him. No matter how great he is in bed, he’s an asshole through and through and I have no need for someone like that in my life. The other night was a mistake I have no intention of repeating.
10
Then
ETHAN
“What in the hell are you doing?”
I lock the door behind me and continue advancing upon Gabbie until her ass hits the back wall of her dressing room.
“I said we weren’t done with our conversation, Gabs. You can’t just bolt to your dressing room and ignore me.”
She throws her hands up. “And why not? There’s nothing to discuss.”
I press my body into hers and bite her earlobe. “That’s bullshit. Tell your publicist to pick anyone but him. He’s a prick.”
Gabbie groans when I grind my erection against her. “He seemed perfectly nice on the phone.”
“You talked to him on the phone?”
Her eyes narrow contemptuously. “Of course I did. We needed to discuss when and where we’re meeting. I have to be at The Ivy in an hour so I really need you to go so I can finish getting ready.”
My hands slip under her dress, caressing her smooth skin.
Gabbie gasps when I give the thin string anchored to her shapely hips an experimental tug. “Ethan, what are you doing?”
I pull harder, creating a satisfying ripping sound right before the flimsy material falls to the ground. “Taking what’s mine.”
“Wha—”
She doesn’t get a chance to finish because my lips are on hers in the next moment, demanding entry. Gabbie doesn’t hesitate. She opens her mouth and welcomes me in, her desperation mirroring my own. My dick throbs against her stomach. Gabbie moans when I push two fingers inside of her, my thumb circling her clit.
She breaks away from my mouth. “Ethan. Get your dick inside of me. Now.”
I bite back a smile and quickly unfasten my pants. In one smooth motion, I’m lifting her up and thrusting inside of her. I groan and drop my head to her collarbone.
“Fuck, two months is way too long to go without this. You feel amazing, Gabs.”
Amazing is an understatement. Nothing has ever felt better than being inside of this woman and something deep inside of me tells me that I will never get enough.
Gabbie locks her ankles behind my back and squeezes me with her thighs. “Move, Ethan. I don’t have a lot of time.”
I growl as I pull out almost completely and thrust back in. “Well, then I’m going to make damn sure you feel what I do to you while you’re with him.”
Her fists clench around my hair, holding on for dear life as I fuck her hard and fast against the wall. Gabbie bites my shoulder to muffle her screams. I do the same to hers to stifle my compulsion to shout her name. Our heavy breathing and the sound of skin slapping echoes throughout the room. The smell of sex clings to the air. Pure male satisfaction courses through me, knowing that Gabbie will be wearing our combined scent on her date tonight. Our dressing rooms aren’t equipped with showers so she really has no choice.
My hands are squeezing her ass cheeks so hard, I’m certain she’ll have bruises in the shape of my fingertips afterwards. She doesn’t seem to mind though. In fact, the rougher I get during sex—the more primal—the more she gets off on it. Nothing overly kinky, but my girl loves a good, hard fuck. If I wasn’t already convinced she was the perfect woman for me—someone I could easily spend the rest of my days with—that in itself would do the job.
Gabbie and I are compatible on every fucking level. I want the world to know that she’s mine but if I have to temporarily hide my affection for her, then I’m going to make damn sure she knows who she belongs to. Maybe that makes me a Neanderthal, but quite frankly, I don’t fucking care. This woman owns every part of me and I’d be a fool not to stake my own claim.
Her back arches when I change the angle a bit. “God, I missed this so much. I almost forgot how good it feels.”
I grunt. “I could never forget how good this feels.” I hold still inside of her and grab her chin so she’s forced to look me in the eye. “I mean it, Gabs. I’m not good with saying those three little words, but that doesn’t mean I don’t feel it. Sex is different with you. Everything is different with you. Better. I think about you all the time and I want to be with you every second of the day. I don’t want anyone but you. You’ve become a vital part of my life. You get what I’m saying?”
She nods quickly and places her palms against my cheeks. “I do. I feel the same.”
I run my thumb along her lower lip. “I hate that you’re going out with him.”
Gabbie’s face softens. “I know you do. And I’m sorry...I really am. But it’s just like your outings with Sienna Atwell. It takes the heat off of us until we can go public and it drums up publicity for the show. Strictly business.” She leans forward and bites down on my lower lip, making my cock twitch. “Would it help if I said I’ll be thinking of you the entire time?”
I smile. “Maybe. It’d be even better if you told me that my dick is magical.” I start moving again, slowly building up speed.
She gasps. “So fucking magical.”
“Now that we have that settled...” I nip the side of her neck. “Hold on, baby. I’m going to make you come harder than you ever have before.”
Gabbie looks me dead in the eye, the challenge unmistakable. “Bring it, Baldwin.”
11
Now
GABBIE
Three.
That’s exactly how many people came through my door today. And that’s two more than yesterday. In the month since Baldwin’s Bakery opened, I think it’s safe to say they’re doing well. And much to my surprise, Ethan has been running the place himself—according to the feature I read online anyway. I tried s
taying away from the window, but curiosity got the best of me after the third day and I saw quite a few of my regulars standing in line waiting to enter Ethan’s store. I’m not going to lie; it hurt. A lot.
With a sigh, Caroline places the last box in her car. “Okay, I’m going to drop these off and then head home.”
I glance at the dozen or so boxes stacked carefully in her trunk. Before Baldwin’s opened, I couldn’t tell you when the last time was that I had any product left over, but here I am, with almost two hundred unsold pastries for the twentieth day in a row. Since they don’t have any preservatives, donating them to the homeless shelter is my only chance of ensuring they’ll get eaten before they go bad. At least some good will come out of this, I suppose.
“Thanks for doing that, Care.”
She closes the trunk. “Of course. I’ll see you in the morning then?”
I nod. “I think we need to back off on production, at least until things pick up again. I can handle everything in the morning if you want to sleep in. Maybe come in around ten?”
Caroline gives me a sad smile. “Sure. I’ll see you at ten.”
I watch Caroline drive away before sliding into my car. I put the key in the ignition but I can’t seem to gather the strength to crank the engine. I think the last few weeks are finally catching up to me. I feel fucking clobbered. I rest my head on the steering wheel, close my eyes, and take a few deep breaths to center myself. Despite my best efforts, tears start pouring down my face.
I knew business would suffer initially when Ethan opened his doors but I honestly didn’t expect it to be this bad. I never thought my regulars would be lured by the flashiness of a new store. I’ve established relationships with them. I know them by name and what they like to order. I feel like a fool for having believed that would be enough.
I don’t know how long I’ve been sitting here crying, but I think it’s been a while when there’s a knock on my driver’s side window. I jump in my seat and look up to find the bastard responsible for my problem. I quickly wipe away my tears and try gathering my wits. I turn my key and roll down my window.
“I’m not in the mood to listen to any gloating, Ethan.”
He frowns and actually has the nerve to look contrite. “Are you okay?”
I belt out a humorless laugh, which if I’m being honest, sounds a bit hysterical. “Yeah, just great.”
I try rolling up my window but his hand stops its progress. “Wait, Gabbie. I’m serious. Are you okay?”
I roll my eyes. “Don’t pretend that you care, Ethan. You should be happy. It looks like your plan’s working. My business—my fucking livelihood—is tanking. If this keeps up, I’m not sure how much longer I can stay afloat. Is that what you wanted to hear? Does that make you fucking happy? I don’t know why you felt the need to screw me over more than you already had, but what’s done is done. As long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters, right?”
He shakes his head. “I...” He runs a hand through his hair and tries again. “That’s not all that matters.”
I scoff. “Yeah, well, actions speak louder than words. Goodbye, Ethan.”
I shift my car into drive and pull away right before bursting into tears again.
12
Now
ETHAN
As I watch Gabbie drive away, I feel sick. It fucking kills me seeing her cry—knowing I’m the cause of her sadness. That’s ridiculous, right? This woman stomped all over my heart with no regret, yet watching her break down in her car, when she thought no one was watching, tore me apart. I was running purely on instinct when I approached her, intending to take her into my arms, and never let go. And then she spoke, throwing me completely off guard with her comment that I’d screwed her over back then. That’s the second time she’s alluded to me being at fault for the demise of our relationship, which confuses the hell out of me.
She has to be fucking with me; it must be all part of the sick games she likes to play. But as I recall the look on her face as she said it—how devastated she seemed to be—I don’t think even the best actress in the world could fake that. So, again, I’m back to being clueless about what the fuck is happening. I should be stoked her business is failing, that my revenge is coming into fruition, but instead, I just feel like an asshole.
13
Then
GABBIE
“I had a nice time tonight, Luke. Thank you.”
“Me too.” He smiles. “I’ve gotta say, this is the best PR setup I’ve ever had.”
I chuckle. “This is the only PR setup I’ve ever had, so I don’t really have anything to compare it to. But I did enjoy myself.”
“So, maybe we should do this again. For real.”
“Oh. Um...” I dig my keys out of my purse, trying to figure out what to say without revealing my relationship with Ethan.
Luke pushes a strand of hair behind my ear. “Gabbie, look at me.”
I tilt my chin up to meet his eyes but the second I do his lips are pressed against mine. The kiss only lasts for a few seconds, and there’s no tongue involved, but I’m instantly flooded with guilt. I know people have different levels of cheating, but in my opinion, a kiss is just as intimate as having sex if you’re committed to someone else.
I pull back and blink a few times. “Luke...I, uh...I’m actually seeing someone. I’m sorry, but we’re exclusive.”
I think. Ethan and I haven’t really had the talk, but it’s been implied.
Luke raises an eyebrow. “Baldwin?”
I bite my lip. “I’d rather not say his name. We’re keeping it quiet for now.”
He smirks. “So, that’s a yes.”
My eyes widen. “I didn’t—”
Luke laughs and grabs my hand, placing a soft kiss on my knuckles. “Relax, Gabbie, I won’t say anything, other than he’s a lucky bastard.” He squeezes my hand. “How about this? I really did enjoy spending time together tonight. So, what if we try being friends? We obviously get along and have things in common. What harm could it do?”
“Uh...”
He gives me a boyish grin. “Yeah, I know Baldwin can’t stand me, but I’m not asking to be friends with him and I have no interest in pursuing a woman who’s already taken. I’ve done some things in my life that I regret but that was never one of them. What do you say? Can I at least keep your number on standby?”
I suppose that wouldn’t hurt. I really do think he’s a nice guy, and he’s right; we do have a lot in common. I know this is strange considering we just met, but I’m comfortable with him, like he’s an old friend. I’m smart enough to know how rare that is.
“Okay, I think that would be all right.”
“Okay, then.” He opens his arms. “Should we hug it out?”
I chuckle. “Sure.”
Luke pulls me into his arms and gives me a quick hug. When we’re done, he opens the storm door and gestures for me to unlock my front door. As soon as it’s opened, he steps backwards off the porch and gives me an adorable little salute.
“It’s been a pleasure, Gabbie. Until next time.”
I wave. “Until next time.”
As I step inside my apartment, I wonder how in the hell Ethan is going to handle the prospect of me being friends with his nemesis.
14
Then
ETHAN
I’m woken from a hot as fuck dream about Gabbie by my publicist’s ringtone. I check the time before hitting the button to accept the call.
“Avery, why are you calling me in the middle of the night?”
“Where are you, Ethan?”
I sit up and rub the back of my neck. If Avery Jacobs-Maxwell is calling me at three in the morning with that tone, I’m not going to like what she has to say.
“I’m at home. Why?”
“Alone?” she counters.
“Yes, alone. What’s going on, Ave?”
“Get to Ken’s office ASAP. And whatever you do, do not look at the internet.”
I pull the phone
away from my ear for a second. “What the hell is going on?”
She sighs. “I’ll explain everything at your agent’s office. Do not make any stops or talk to anyone on the way. We need to do some major damage control and I don’t need you fucking that up. Understand?”
I hang up the phone and stumble into my walk-in closet to get dressed. Avery is one of the best publicists in Hollywood. I’m lucky as hell to have her, but she can be a real ballbuster sometimes.
When I get to the automatic gates at the end of my driveway, the damn paparazzi has tripled in size. They’re trying desperately to get my attention, flashes blinding me as I drive past them. It takes me about twenty minutes to get downtown to my agent’s office. Cameramen are staged in front of his building as well, but thankfully, the parking garage is private, only accessible with a code.
Seriously, what the fuck is going on?
I take the elevator to the tenth floor, and walk straight into Ken Brighton’s office. He’s wearing wrinkled flannel pajamas and looks tired as fuck. Apparently, I’m not the only one Avery got out of bed.
My publicist of course, looks as well coiffed as she always does. Designer suit, red-soled heels, and not a hair out of place. Her arms are crossed as she stares me down, telling me she means business.
“Take a seat, Ethan.”
I resist the urge to roll my eyes as I take a seat in front of Ken’s desk. I’m a grown ass man yet this woman has a way of making me feel like I’ve been sent to the principal’s office.
At Avery’s prompting, Ken pushes a few buttons on his laptop and turns the monitor toward me. It takes me a moment to piece together what I’m looking at, but the second it hits me, I slam the computer shut and bolt out of my chair.
Sweetest Obsessions - Anthology Page 254
