This man means everything to Gabriel. No matter how much Marie approves or loves us, Gabriel will always suffer if Lucas turns his back. He’s already been rejected by his father and now his uncle. How long will it be before Gabriel thinks the price was too high?
I looked up at Gabriel. His tightly clenched jaw pained me because of the sadness dulling his gaze.
“She’s not to blame for this, Lucas. You are. You are for overstepping your bounds, for not trusting me to know who’s the right person for my life. I listened to you once about Embry and it damned near destroyed everything.”
“And why did you even listen to me? Because some part of you knew I was right. Embry is perfect for you, Gabriel. She would never leave you like Emma has. She loves you completely. She is your true match, son, and I hate to see you end up miserable because you can’t get over your infatuation over this girl here! High school has been over for years, Gabriel. Let the past go. Trust me—it’ll hurt less in the long run.”
I felt the barb strike true. I didn’t know how much more I could take of this.
Gabriel looked back at me. A tender smile touched his lips. “It’s only hurt because I tried to let the past go. I love Emma and she loves me. That’s all that matters, Lucas. Trust me—we’ll make this work just like millions of other couples do.”
“You won’t listen to reason?”
“I won’t listen to you.”
Lucas sighed again, shoulders dropping for just a second before straightening back into their proud lines. “Remember, Gabriel. You pushed for this.”
No, please. Please don’t give Gabriel an ultimatum. Don’t do it.
“Gabriel, I want you to step down from your position.”
His body went stiff and it seemed like he even stopped breathing. “No.”
“Your lack of judgment in seeing Emma leads me to believe Gordon Industries will suffer from the same malaise.”
I closed my eyes. I felt lost, scattered into a million pieces. Gabriel couldn’t lose everything he’d worked so hard to build. I thought of all the people I’d met who worked for him, whose lives were made better by knowing Gabriel.
They couldn’t lose that security.
If I knew how important people like Rick, Waylon, Mr. Jackson, and Bobby were, Lucas knew it too. And more. They would be the first to go if Gabriel went.
Nothing is ever going to be the same after this.
“Either you go or she does. And I mean completely, Gabriel.”
“Fuck. You.”
“Charming. Her influence I suppose?”
Lucas turned his focus squarely on me. We started back at the beginning. Everything descended into madness. The words flew thick and furious, leaving no room for contemplation or reprieve.
“Our Gabriel had a beautifully planned life before he met you, Emma. You’re ruining all that. Again.”
“Don’t you dare say that to her! Emma saved me, Lucas!”
“Saved you from what? A successful career? A beautiful wife whose family could be counted on for support? What, Gabriel? Tell us both because I fail to see the downside to your previous life, but I see plenty for your current one.”
“I’ve already explained this to you. That beautiful life you’re going on about had no substance.”
“Substance. Our family coffers and prestige would disagree.”
“There’s more to life than money and power, Lucas.”
“Really? That’s why you leased this penthouse instead of choosing to live next door to your lady love. What? Couldn’t live the simple life for long, son?”
“My reasons are my own and have nothing to do with what you think you know.”
“Oh, I can imagine. And when the passion’s gone, Gabriel, what then? What happens when the novelty wears off and all the differences between you are no longer so…how should I say it…cute?”
“She’s not a novelty. I love her and I want to marry—”
“For now! Love turns into poison once a lifetime of regret sets in. Don’t you understand that yet? Hasn’t our family history shown you enough?”
“I’m not you, Lucas, nor am I my father. I love Emma. I always have and I’m not giving her up again.”
“Really? Let me tell you what will happen when that love fades—you’ll resent Emma for not being what she’s incapable of being. When you’re snubbed time and time again for her being in your life, when your children must bear the weight of her upbringing, the taunts of being less than, then you’ll regret not being with someone from your own background.”
“Background, huh? You and Father stayed within the circle of your own background. WASP and blue-blooded till the end.” Cruelty touched my lover’s face. “We all know how well that worked out for our little family, don’t we?”
“Yes, and that is why I’m doing my damnedest to make sure you do better.”
“Don’t even try to say you’re doing this for me. You’re just worried about what society will say and what they’ll interpret it to mean for the Gordon name.”
“Believe what you will, Gabriel. You always do.” Lucas turned to me, neatly sending his poison darts in my direction. “Look what you’re already doing to our family. You claim to love Gabriel, but if you really loved him you wouldn’t be this selfish and put him in this situation, would you?”
The memory of Embry’s similar words shook me from my stupor. “I do love your nephew, Mr. Gordon. All I want is his happiness.”
“And you think it will be with you.”
“Yes.”
“And if loving you destroys everything Gabriel has worked so hard for—what then?”
“Emma, don’t you dare listen to him! He’s just trying to get in your head!”
“Of course, she’s listening. I’m already there, can’t you see? Regardless of her unfortunate background, your lovely friend is quite intelligent. After all, she must be to pull herself out of the gutter.”
Somehow I found it in me to vow, “Throw me into a thousand gutters and I’ll climb out of every single one. Only the strong survive in this world, Mr. Gordon, and I’m strong.”
“That they do and so you are. Whether you’re capable of listening to reason is the question here…”
“Emma, don’t talk to him. And you—don’t insult her.”
“How am I insulting her, Gabriel? I’m praising Emma for being able to rise above her family’s extremely humble beginnings. Ah, I mean her mother’s because Emma doesn’t have any other family to speak of, does she?”
“Money can’t buy compassion or ethics, Lucas. Humble or not, Emma and her mother are better than you.”
“Me? What about you?”
“Especially me.”
“Indeed. Come now, son. It’s not like I’m going to hurt her. That’s your job.”
“Don’t call me son! Not if you’re trying to do this to me!”
“You know how it is between us, Gabriel. You are like a son to me. The only one I’d ever have. Nothing you say or do can change that.”
The suspicions rose up again. Marie and Lucas. Lucas and Marie. Marie, Lucas, and Gabriel.
“Stop it. Please.”
It was as close as Gabriel came to begging the man who’d been the father he never had. My heart bled for what was happening and I wished I knew how to stop it without losing the one man I’d ever love.
You have no good choices here, Emma. You know how this is going to end.
“I know you find it hard to believe but I’m not doing this to you. I’m doing it for you.”
The time for denial ran out. Lucas had me in his sights.
“You’ve heard my proposition. So what’s it going to be, Emma? Once I run you out of Med-Tech and every other job in the city, what’s left for you? Are you going to work for Gabriel? That will be your only option. At least, for as long as I want it. And it won’t be for long, Emma.”
Lucas hadn’t turned the screws hard enough. A man like him knew which spot to elicit the most pain.
“Or is your mother going to have to pay the price for her daughter’s indiscretions? She is rather young, after all. Only three years younger than me if one can believe it.”
“Don’t say it,” I gritted out.
Lucas defied me with succinct glee. “I’m sure she can pick up and start over in another town—there’s always toilets that need to be cleaned and she is an expert on it, isn’t she?”
“You leave her out of this. Your problem is with me. Not my mother.”
“Then give me what I want.”
“Go to—”
“Emma!”
I fell silent, bizarrely hurt that he stopped me from cursing his uncle out. Maybe later I’d be grateful but I wasn’t now. Lucas had no right to threaten my mom.
I hated him for that alone.
Gabriel didn’t give any indication that he knew how I felt. Instead he squared his shoulders and commanded, “Stop threatening Emma and stop insulting her mother.”
“Or what?”
“Or I’ll make you stop.”
“Is that a threat, Gabriel?”
“It’s not a threat. It’s a guarantee. You’ve crossed the line.”
“Look at us, son. Look at what she’s done to us. How can you turn your back on our family and take her side against us?”
“I’m not. Emma’s my choice, Lucas, and you’re the only one who won’t respect it.”
“You can’t be reasoned with and so you can’t be trusted. If you won’t back down then I’ll have no choice to recommend your removal from Gordon Industries.”
“Do it. I don’t give a shit and never have. I’ve got enough money to last me two lifetimes.”
My legs shook and nausea churned. Gabriel picked up the gauntlet. The words couldn’t be unspoken. Nothing could be saved now.
Maybe it never could.
“Perhaps, but are you willing to lose your livelihood and pride for this girl?”
“I won’t lose. Besides, you like the money I bring in too much to let it all go to hell.”
“I have enough money to last me a couple of lifetimes as well. Imagine all the layoffs that will happen once you’re gone. You think they’ll be as well off as us? Why don’t we ask Emma’s opinion?”
“Fuck off!”
Gabriel was losing control and we all knew it. My eyes became liquid with grief.
I’m so, so sorry for everything that’s happening. I wish I could make it go away for you.
“You have no power in this situation, Gabriel, and you know it. I control the board. Not you. I’ll have you ousted. You’ll be on the street faster than a phone call and so will a significant portion of our workforce.”
And there it was. The ultimate threat. The one I could never let Gabriel or anybody else suffer.
“Tell me how many fucks I give, Lucas. Don’t threaten Emma or her mother again. I won’t tolerate it. If anything happens to either of them, I don’t care what it is—someone bumps into them on the street—I’ll burn everything down to the ground myself. Understand?”
That’s not true, Gabriel. You care about your employees—even the ones you don’t know. You’d never let me down like that.
Lucas won and he knew it. He left with a parting shot.
“I’m finished here. I trust you’ll both make the right decision.”
“I’ve already made it for us, Uncle.”
He stopped and turned around. “Embry will be expecting you to make this up to her, Gabriel. So will I. A romantic trip to Paris will be a nice start, don’t you think? It’s the least you can do considering everything she’s been through because of you both.”
And then Lucas was gone, taking all the air with him. All the air, hope, faith, trust, and joy.
I’d always thought it was my own fear I’d have to fight through to win the boy. Now I knew differently.
“Baby, I’m so sorry. I never thought he’d be this way. I should’ve seen it coming. I should’ve…”
I relived our past week, seeing something things in such minute detail and others with a hazy cast. Memories were all I was going to have left…
I’m so numb.
Wrapped in his arms, I tried to latch onto Gabriel’s heat but come up cold. “It’s okay.”
Why was I lying to him? Nothing was going to be okay again. Ever.
“No, it’s not. I’m sorry you had to hear that. I should’ve thrown him out as soon as we got here. I would’ve if I had any clue he’d be this damned unreasonable.”
“You’re not responsible for what your uncle said.”
“Maybe not, but he’s not going to be allowed entry up here anymore. I promise.”
“Are you sure? He’s your uncle.”
Gabriel grimaced and shook his head. “I won’t risk you. He goes against you, I’ll cut him off.”
And so it began. Gabriel was willing to cut off his uncle to respect and protect me. Who next? Business associates? Friends? Casual acquaintances?
I don’t want this.
A sob worked its way up my throat. It wasn’t supposed to end like this. Really it wasn’t.
“Emma, you still love me, right?”
“Always.”
SIXTEEN
Gabriel and I spent the rest of our weekend hidden away in my apartment. We left after Lucas did, moving slowly as if we couldn’t believe what had just happened. The ride over was spent silent but with hands clasped tightly.
We trudged inside my place, emotionally beaten and worn, and closed the door. We didn’t leave it until Monday. We didn’t try to pretend as if Lucas’s threat didn’t hang over us. We just spent that time reaffirming our love physically and emotionally.
We made love.
We slept.
We ate.
We made love again.
We bathed together.
We repeated the cycle many times over.
When we spoke, it was mainly Gabriel who whispered in my ear, “It’s going to be okay. I’ll fix this, Emma. I’ll make it work.”
I couldn’t utter the expected reply. Instead, I kissed him. I kissed his lips, his neck, his hands, his stomach, and his shaft. I wanted Gabriel to imprint himself on every part of my body. I didn’t allow one inch to go untouched, to go unpossessed.
It was the most intimate thing I’d done with Gabriel, losing my virginity twice. During and afterwards, he was so tender I almost cried but I remained dry eyed. Experience had cruelly taught me that there’d be plenty of time for tears later.
So I lost myself in new pleasures until the only thought in my head was how sinfully good Gabriel could make me feel.
Not wanting to lose one second, we stayed up together until exhaustion overtook Gabriel. Sprawled in my bed, arm wrapped tightly around my waist, Gabriel’s face lost its customary innocent expression. Pale and drawn, he wore a frown even while he slumbered. I brushed his golden hair back and hoped I could give him a bit of comfort.
Sunday was a repeat of Saturday.
We made love.
We slept.
We ate.
We made love again.
We bathed together.
We repeated the cycle many times over.
When we spoke, it was mainly Gabriel who whispered in my ear, “It’s going to be okay. I’ll fix this, Emma. I’ll make it work.”
I kissed him until the words turned into moans.
Monday dawned with an urgent call to Gabriel from Rick. Several minutes were spent with Rick speaking and Gabriel listening. Finally, he said, “Call a car for me and send it to Emma’s.”
Gabriel laid back and covered his face with a muscled arm.
I didn’t bother to ask what was wrong. Everything outside of this apartment was wrong now.
“I’ve got to go to Melbourne.”
“I see.” Real life came back with a vengeance. “Is Lucas the reason?
“No. It’s business as usual.” He moved his arm to look at me. “Come with me, baby.”
“You know I can’t do that,” I whisper
ed sadly.
Gabriel nodded once. “I know. I was just hoping the answer would be different this time.”
Me too.
We showered together, unable to keep from making love one last time. Solemnly, I helped pack his bag. Gabriel asked me to fasten his tie. When I admitted I didn’t know how, he patiently taught me.
“Once around the tree, the dog chased the rabbit…twice around the tree the rabbit ran with the dog close behind…”
This time I couldn’t keep my tears at bay.
Gabriel froze. “Emma, what’s wrong?”
Summoning a shaky smile, I let out a watery laugh. “I’m just going to miss you so much.”
He hugged me and rested his cheek against my head. “I’ll be back before you know it.”
“When?” I sniffled.
“Friday.”
“Okay.”
Gabriel kissed my ear. “We’ll go to the lake house when I get back, okay?”
My lips found his and we kissed hungrily. His tongue swept into my mouth, dominating me until I could barely breathe. Limp in his arms, I wanted time to stop.
But of course it didn’t. Time never did. It simply charged over us, leaving us broken in its wake.
Gabriel pulled back, panting and hard against me. “I don’t want to go, Emma.”
“I don’t want you to either. I wish we never had to leave this apartment. I wish we could knock down the wall separating us and double our space.”
Normally Gabriel would’ve said something cocky along the lines of “Well, that can be arranged, my love. I’ll just buy the building. Done!”
Instead, he closed his eyes. “Me too.”
A few minutes later his phone chimed. The car was waiting for him. When I made to put on a robe, Gabriel stopped me. “It’s still early, baby. Stay in bed.”
“I want to see you off.”
His wounded smile pierced my heart. “I won’t be able to leave if you do.”
“Okay.” I understood. Really I did.
Gabriel picked me up and tucked me into his bed. His hand smoothed across my hair and down my cheek. “I love you, Emma.”
“I love you too, Gabriel.”
“I’m not going to give you up.”
Dangerous for You Page 17
