“He doesn’t want to sell to you?” Shane finished. “Why am I not surprised?”
“Yes.” Ethan should have known Shane would know the man. “He’s hesitant to work with large companies like Graham International.”
“We need you to go over and personally speak with Gerard,” Kayla added. “Let him know that although we’re now part of a large conglomerate like GI, we are still a small company at heart.”
“We’re on it,” Shane said, smiling across the table at Gabrielle. He hadn’t been back to Paris in several years and going with Gabby would be even more fun.
“Don’t come back until you have the design in hand,” Kayla said, smiling.
“You should know me by now,” Shane said. “I’m persuasive and I never give up.”
* * *
“This is exciting. I get to see everything from the ground up…” Gabrielle said from the couch at Shane’s loft in the city later that evening. Ever since he’d surprised her by taking her back to his place a week ago after the show, she’d gotten accustomed to spending time there.
Shane’s industrial-style warehouse loft had a twelve-foot ceiling and ten-foot windows. There were funky cement columns and exposed ducts and brick walls throughout the loft. Gabrielle liked the open layout, maple hardwood floors and the large windows that allowed for lots of natural sunlight. It didn’t surprise her that Shane had opted for the best with a state-of-the-art gourmet kitchen and a vast living room with a mounted fifty-inch TV and surround-sound system.
“Haven’t you been involved in product development before?” Shane asked as they sat around the limestone wood-burning fireplace drinking cabernet.
“Yes,” Gabrielle said with a nod. “I sat in on the meetings, but it was all pretty much a foregone conclusion at that point. All the decisions had already been made, and I rarely had much input once my products became a reality.”
“AC is different. Although our reach is farther now thanks to GI’s distribution, we operate much the same as we did, like a small company with Ethan and Kayla having equal power.”
“I’m sure the Graham International board must love that,” Gabrielle commented.
“Probably not,” Shane conceded. “But it seems to work, and it saved Ethan and Kayla’s marriage. Enough about business,” he said, pulling her toward him. He took the wineglass out of her hand and set it on the coffee table. “I’m looking forward to having you all to myself in the ‘City of Love.’”
Shane watched her pupils widen and her lips part, just as he swayed forward to press his lips against hers. Her soft, cool hands cupped his face and she slanted her lips more firmly over his. A hot ache grew inside him at having complete access to her lips. He demanded a response and Gabby freely gave it. Oh, yes, Paris was going to be fun indeed.
* * *
The overnight flight to Paris was long for Shane, but having Gabby by his side more than made up for it. During the night, he’d found Gabby snuggled next to him with her head on his shoulder. Shane had felt an inexplicable need to take care of her and had pulled the blanket up to her shoulders and nestled her closer to him. They’d been seeing each other only a month or so, but he was enjoying her company immensely.
He’d discovered that Gabrielle had a wicked sense of humor that he hadn’t expected at first glance. He’d thought she was cold and aloof, but it was because he didn’t know her. He knew her now. He knew that she was a morning person and liked to get in an early run. He knew that she preferred to eat one thing at a time before moving on to the next dish. The only thing he knew very little about was her family.
For some reason or another, Gabby never mentioned her family. She’d indicated she’d had a brother, which Shane surmised meant he was deceased. But her parents, she was closemouthed about. Shane took it to mean she wasn’t close to them, so he didn’t push. When she was ready, she would reveal all.
“We’re here,” Gabrielle said, breaking Shane out of his reverie. It was morning and the hired car he’d arranged for had stopped in front of their hotel. Gabrielle jumped out before Shane could come around and open her door. The hotel was situated directly across from the Tuileries Gardens.
She was stunned by the hotel. The exterior was classic French architecture. She’d heard of the hotel before but never had the pleasure of staying there.
Shane exited from the other side and walked around to look at the hotel. “You like?” He’d spared no expense. He’d told Kayla not to worry about expensing this trip. He would make the travel arrangements himself because he had just the hotel in mind.
“Welcome to the Le Meurice,” the hotel bellman said, opening the door to the hotel.
The inside was like a French palace, with marble, gold-leafed white columns, chandeliers, gilded chairs and beautiful draperies.
“Did AC approve this?” Gabrielle asked from Shane’s side.
“No, this is all me.” Shane squeezed her hand. “I wanted it to be special.”
They checked in and soon they were on their way via private elevator to the seventh floor and the Belle Étoile Royal Suite. A butler greeted them at the door and showed them around the light and airy suite, which housed a sitting room, dining room and master bedroom with a bathroom made of Italian marble.
“Let me show you the best feature of this room.” The butler motioned for them to follow him and led them out to a private terrace.
“Wow!” Gabrielle exclaimed. She could see Notre Dame, the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower from any area on the terrace.
“Did I do good?” Shane asked, watching Gabby’s excited expression.
“This is really quite lovely. I’m touched.” Gabrielle smiled, before turning back around to take in the view.
“You also have a personal chef at your disposal, Mr. Adams,” the butler continued from behind them, “for anything you might desire during your stay.”
“Excellent! Thank you.”
“I will take my leave then?”
“Absolutely,” Shane said. Once the butler left, Shane slid his arms around Gabrielle and rested his chin on her shoulder. “How about we freshen up? Go see some sights and then have some dinner. Our meeting with Gerard isn’t until tomorrow.”
“Sounds great!”
* * *
After they’d showered and washed off the flight, Shane and Gabrielle hit the town. They started across the street at the Tuileries Gardens, just walking around and enjoying the spring day. Then, they hailed a cab and headed to the Champs Elysées, one of Gabrielle’s favorite places with its beauty and elegance, luxurious shops, theaters and famous restaurants. There was something about the wide footpaths full of Parisians and tourists that appealed to her.
She and Shane meandered through several shops and she tried on several outfits, which Shane graciously bought for her. Now that she’d liberated herself from browns and grays, she was embracing showing off her figure in bright colors. Thanks to Shane and Courtney, she now had an entirely new stylish wardrobe.
When they reached a good spot near the end of the Champs Elysées, they took a picture with the Arc de Triomphe as the backdrop. Having lived there for the past decade, Gabrielle felt like a tourist, but she indulged Shane.
Eventually, they settled on a quiet, unassuming French bistro for dinner, where they enjoyed a four-course champagne meal. The entrée was a delicious burgundy beef dish with truffle mashed potatoes and spring vegetables that had Shane very nearly licking his plate.
After dinner, they headed back to the hotel and ended up sharing a glass of ice wine on the terrace while enjoying the 180-degree night view of the famous Paris monuments.
“Aren’t the stars beautiful tonight?” Gabrielle asked, looking up at the sky as she leaned her head back against Shane’s shoulders. The spicy scent of his aftershave sent her mind swirling to the last time they’d been together at his loft. The fire he’d stirred in her then was simmering now and just waiting to be rekindled.
“They’re not as beautiful as you are,�
�� Shane said huskily as he massaged her shoulders.
Gabrielle heard the arousal in Shane’s voice and turned around to face him. His steady gaze was riveted on her face, then moved slowly over her body and back up.
His eyes were flaming hot and Gabrielle swayed forward. Shane’s arms quickly wrapped around her, bringing her closer to his masculine frame. She looped her arms around his neck and opened herself to him. His lips were warm and sweet on hers, with a promise of more to come. Gabrielle had never felt this way about a man before. She literally ached to be with Shane. He had a way of speaking to everything woman in her. The warm sweep of his tongue inside her mouth nearly caused her to swoon. His fingers combed and massaged through her hair as he seduced her with his lips.
She pressed closer to him, eager for more contact. The hard length of him told Gabrielle that Shane wanted her just as much as she wanted him. She clawed at the fastenings on his dress shirt as hunger gnawed inside her. When his muscled chest was bare to her admiring gaze, Gabrielle spread her hands over his shoulders and flicked aside the offending shirt. Shane had a beautiful, well-toned body, and Gabrielle bent down and placed butterfly kisses over his honed chest. She trailed a path down to his six-pack abs. She glanced up at him devilishly as her fingers fell to his zipper. She made fast work of relieving him from his pants, but not before reaching in his pocket and grabbing protection that she knew he kept handy for spontaneous occasions like this.
Shane stepped out of his pants and briefs until he was wearing nothing but a smile. He loved the fact that Gabrielle was taking control. When she pushed him back toward a nearby lounger on the terrace, he didn’t object. Instead, he leaned back and watched her slowly unzip the spaghetti-strap cocktail dress she was wearing until she wore nothing but a champagne-colored satin bra and matching panties. Blood was pounding in his head, and his heart nearly leaped out of his chest at the sight of her exposing every inch of herself to him in such a public place as the terrace. And although no one could see them on the top floor, he loved that she was letting go of her inhibitions with him.
“Aren’t you still a little overdressed?” Shane asked, glancing up at Gabrielle. He wanted to reach behind her to unsnap her bra so he could taste her breasts.
“Hmm… Someone’s impatient!”
“Only when it comes to you, baby,” Shane said and smiled wickedly.
Gabrielle wasn’t nervous as she undressed in front of Shane. She liked his appreciative male gaze when she unhooked her bra and it, along with her panties, fell to the floor. She came toward Shane and straddled him with the condom between her teeth. It was sexy as hell, and Shane thought he was about to come right then.
“Are you going to put it on me?” he inquired.
“Wait for it,” she whispered in his ear, placing the protection next to him on the lounger. Gabrielle could see he was as turned on as she was by this exercise, and she wanted to continue. “Do you always have to be in control?”
“No, I don’t. What do you have in mind?”
Gabrielle nipped at his front jaw first and then buried her face in his neck, tasting and nibbling while her hands fanned over his chest, lightly teasing his nipples with her fingertips.
A groan grumbled from deep within Shane, and he went to cup her hips and full behind, but Gabrielle smacked his hands way. “God, woman, you’re not playing fair.”
“In due time,” Gabrielle replied. She dipped her head and flicked her tongue over a nipple. She lavished it and the other with equal attention before drawing circles over his stomach as she made her way lower. She continued to trace lower until she reached his hard arousal. She stroked him, slowly and deliberately, until she felt Shane contract at her touch, and that’s when she replaced her hands with her warm mouth. Shane’s eyes slammed shut, his teeth clenched and he grabbed a handful of her hair in his hands.
“Gabby… Oh, Gabby…” he hissed.
Gabrielle shifted and fluidly smoothed a condom down his arousal. She didn’t want him to come without her, but she also wanted to try something new. And with Shane she felt as if she could. Quickly, she spun herself around so her back was to Shane and carefully guided his penis until she felt the thick pressure of him inside of her.
“Gabby, you naughty girl,” Shane said from behind her as he reached around to stroke her breasts, belly and thighs. Using her feet and legs as leverage, Gabrielle moved up and down Shane’s penis, savoring the sensual feeling and stimulation.
“Yes, baby.” Shane kissed and caressed her shoulders, back and spine. He loved watching her wiggle her tight butt from side to side—it made him even hornier.
He was surprised when Gabby leaned her body back as lightly and softly as a feather, and her upper body sank into his chest. And when Gabby tightened her muscles around him, Shane felt pleasurable contractions spread throughout his entire body. He reached down and lightly stroked the wet lips of her womanhood until he came to her clitoris. When he did, he stimulated it with gentle flicks until Gabrielle cried out.
“Shane!”
She was on the edge, and Shane knew it. He flipped positions quickly so that Gabrielle was beneath him. With her legs over his shoulders, he thrust full and deep inside her. The sweet scent of jasmine in her perfume wafted through his nose, arousing him even more. He slid two fingers between them and teased at Gabby’s taut nub that was a bundle of raw nerves. Gabrielle moaned aloud as pulsations rocked through her very core.
Shane gripped her hips harder and thrust one final time as pure bliss took over his entire body. He sagged over her and their sweat-slicked bodies were skin-to-skin. Shane stroked her hair and placed a moist kiss on her forehead as he eased onto his side. Gabrielle could barely glance up at Shane because she was overwhelmed. She was completely fulfilled and also in way over her head. She couldn’t forget her fear that this dalliance with Shane would end badly.
He had made such an impact on her life in such a short amount of time. Would she be able to handle it when Shane inevitably wanted to move on to the next woman?
Chapter 9
“This glasswork you’ve done is simply stunning, Gerard,” Shane said the following morning at the glassmaker’s small shop in the heart of Paris.
The cobalt-blue of the crystal glass and the angular shape made the bottle stylish and sophisticated. It was exactly what Shane was looking for for Ecstasy.
“Thank you, Shane,” Gerard replied. “And this scent that you made is really quite lovely.” Shane had allowed him to smell a sample.
“Thank you, but it was a team effort.” Shane smiled and glanced at Gabrielle.
She appreciated that he wasn’t one of those bosses who didn’t give credit where credit was due. He appreciated her comments on some of the notes in the fragrance and wasn’t afraid to say so. In the short time they’d been working together, Shane had made a complete transformation as a boss. He was a changed man and more open to her opinions and ideas than he’d been when she’d started.
“But you know I can’t and won’t sell to a large conglomerate like Graham International,” Gerard said. “You know how I feel about big business. I mean, Ethan Graham wants me to sign a long-term, exclusive agreement with him.”
“I know you believe in the little guy,” Shane said, taking a seat on the stool opposite Gerard while Gabrielle stood nearby and watched him work his signature charm. “And that hasn’t changed.”
“How can you say that with a straight face, Shane? You know everything has changed. Adams Cosmetics is now part of an international conglomerate,” Gerard replied. “I thought Kayla would never sell. I thought she would go to her grave before she let that happen.”
Shane remembered the exact conversation he, Kayla and Gerard had had long before Ethan entered the picture. They’d discussed the future of AC and knew that developing a fragrance was a natural progression, but then finances had run short. They’d had to put it on hold until last year, when they were forced into action to save AC. And in the end they still ended up merging with
Graham International.
“Gerard.” Shane walked toward the older man. He wasn’t going to lie; he was going to give it to him straight. “Yes, AC is still part of GI, but at the heart, at the center of, it is still my family. Adamses run this company. We are the talent, the vision and the creative force behind this company. Without us there is no Adams Cosmetics, and Ethan knows it. Your bottles are exquisite masterpieces that deserve to be on display for the world to see, and what better way than by housing one of my signature fragrances?”
“Shane.” Gerard sighed.
Shane knew Gerard was on the fence and gave him the final push. “How about we agree to purchase your designs on a case-by-case basis? We buy this design and you retain your rights to work with whomever you choose? This will allow you to see how AC is working as part of Graham International. What do you say?”
Gerard shook his head. “That sounds good, but Graham is never going to agree to that.”
Shane smiled. “You let me handle Ethan.”
“Are you sure about this?” Gabrielle asked in the car on the way back to the hotel from Gerard’s office. “Ethan wanted an exclusive.”
“Of course I am,” Shane said emphatically. “Ethan can’t get what he wants every time, and he’s going to have to accept that.”
“As long as you’re sure,” Gabrielle said, reaching over to grab his hand. “Then I’m with you.”
“Trust me, it’ll be fine.”
* * *
Since Shane had arranged their visit to make a long weekend, they spent the next couple of days acting like tourists. They strolled through the streets of Montmartre near Sacré-Coeur. Since they’d both already seen the white-domed church, they opted to act like locals. They had crepes at one of Gabrielle’s favorite spots, browsed through the local street-artists’ stands and Shane even sat for a caricature portrait that Gabrielle secretly vowed to keep with her forever, even after their affair ended. They finished off the night at the Moulin Rouge. Although she’d seen the show in Montmartre half a dozen times, she acquiesced to Shane’s desire to see the cancan girls and their cabaret show.
Lost Without You Page 11
