“Like hell I will!” she yelled, placing her hands on her hips. “Get your butt out there!”
I didn't move. Not when Quinn hollered from my living room that Gabriel was here, or even when he peeked his head around the door, informing us how hot Gabriel’s ass was.
Kylie rolled her eyes and I was suddenly launched out of my bedroom and into the middle of my living room. My feet couldn't get their bearings and I was teetering on the ridiculously high Louboutins Kylie made me wear. I threw out my arms to try to balance myself, praying that the laws of gravity would be sympathetic to my situation and help me out.
The gods didn't answer.
It was too late.
My ass hit the floor with an almighty thud. My eyes instantly slammed shut and I was completely mortified. This was why heels of any kind should be burned.
A deep, sensual laugh had me opening my eyes, and I was greeted by the deep grey depths of Gabriel Black's eyes.
“Did you really just fall?” He chuckled deeply within his throat and offered his hand. I took it and was quickly pulled to my feet.
“No,” I said, wiping off the back of my dress and whatever dignity I had left, “I just attacked the floor.” I shrugged, peering up through my lashes.
“Backwards?” His brows furrowed as he let go of my hand more quickly than I’d have liked.
I rolled my eyes. “I’m freaking talented.”
He looked at me for a moment, tilting his head to the right ever so slightly.
“Are you high?” he asked, perplexed.
No.
But it sounded like a good idea right now.
“What? No!” I groaned. “Can we just get out of here before I embarrass myself further?” I caught Quinn in the corner of my eye, clearly checking out Gabriel from the back, his gazing lingering a little too long on his ass. “Or before he does?”
I pointed to Quinn over Gabriel's shoulder. He turned, tilting his head a little more as he gave Quinn the once over before thrusting out his hand.
“Gabriel Black.”
Quinn’s eyes almost bugged out his head as he stared down at Gabriel’s hand. Placing his hand in Gabriel's like the royalty he thought he was, Quinn giggled.
“Quinnlan Myers.”
I think Quinn may have just swooned. Oh dear god.
“Should we head out?” I asked, grabbing Gabriel’s attention.
“Of course.” He smiled warmly, turning back to my friends. “It was nice to meet you, Quinn.” He turned to Kylie. “I owe you one, Kylie.”
I rolled my eyes as his hand moved to the small of my back, guiding me out of my apartment.
“Do not trash the place, guys!” I yelled over my shoulder. “I’ll deal with you later, Kylie Jackson!”
We exited my apartment building with the sound of my best friends' laughter trailing behind us. One day, I might kill them. We moved in silence as we stepped out onto the sidewalk. I looked around the street, fully expecting to see Leo and the town car but they were nowhere to be seen.
“No Leo?” I asked, turning to him.
“Not tonight.” His voice rumbled in his chest as he guided me once more, stopping at a sleek black Mercedes.
“Wow.” I paused, running my fingers over the polished surface.
“My sentiments exactly,” he whispered behind me. I had a feeling he wasn’t referring to the car and it thrilled me, yet irritated the life out of me.
Opening the door, I slid inside and marveled at the softness of the leather. It always amazed me what luxury money could buy. Gabriel climbed into the car and started the engine. We drove in silence and I stared out the window, watching as New York drifted by in a sea of dancing lights as darkness fell upon the city.
Lost in my thoughts, I hadn’t realized we’d stopped until I felt a large, warm palm on my mid-thigh. The touch registered deep inside me, and was enough for me to turn to the man who confused me and turned my normal life upside down.
“You’re fucking beautiful.” He smiled, stepping out of the car and moving around to mine. Opening my door, I didn't have time to really process what he’d said until my hand was in his, pulling me from the car.
“Thank you,” I muttered, unsure how to respond to his statement.
His hand came to the small of my back once more, resting just above the curvature of my ass. A chill spread across my exposed skin as we walked through the open double doors of Illusion.
The first thing I noticed was the array of lights set in the middle of the ceiling. Different colors, sizes and designs of light bulbs lit up the vast space. It was unique and drew the eye instantly. The interior was modern, sporting leather chairs with glass tables, the dark wooden paneling surrounding the room giving it an antique feel.
“Welcome back, Mr. Black,” a cheery blonde greeted us. “May I show you to your table?”
I wondered for a brief moment whether he’d brought other women here. Was I just another notch to place on his bedpost?
“Thank you, Julia.” He smiled.
Thank you, Julia, I repeated his words mockingly in my head. I had no doubt he’d brought others here, showering them in luxury and money before dropping them the moment they put out.
My god, why did I even care?
This was a business meeting, nothing more. Right?
We were shown to our table, an intimate space at the far end of the room. I kept my eyes fixed on the floor when I was positive we walked past an Oscar winning actor.
“Your usual, Mr. Black?” the woman –Julia – asked. It didn't pass my notice the glint of lust in her eyes as he smiled warmly at her.
“Please. Also, please ensure Niko gets my compliments.”
She nodded warmly and turned to leave, swiftly coming back with an expensive looking bottle of wine. Gabriel waved her away, pouring us both a generous helping of the red wine.
“So, who is Payton?”
His question caught me off guard. I'd assumed this would be business only, not discussing the ins and outs of my life.
“What do you mean?” I asked, grabbing my wine as my own distraction.
“Coy doesn’t suit you.” He smirked. “Who is Payton Miller? Surely there’s more to you than your job.”
Was there? I pondered for a moment, quickly realizing I’d pretty much thrown myself into my education and then my job. Wow. So dull.
“My childhood consisted of an old two bedroom house in the sticks of Kentucky, two loving parents and a young girl who wanted to get the hell out of there.” I paused, trying to deflect the interrogation to him. “What about you? You’re very much an enigma.”
His smile faltered for a moment. He grabbed his wine and took a large gulp from the glass.
“I was born in the UK. My father owned a large law firm in London and by the time I was sixteen, he had plans for me to work for his company. I didn't want it. I decided to leave the UK at eighteen to go to NYU. Luca works for my father in London.”
“No accent?” I asked.
“I lost it pretty much the instant I got here.”
“I can hear it when you’re turned on,” I blurted out. I threw my hand over my mouth, completely mortified at what I’d just said and that I even knew it in the first place. “I’m so sorry! I don’t know where that came from.”
He chuckled, deep and husky, flashing his smile.
“Don’t be. I like that you cut straight through the bullshit.” He took another sip from his wine. “So why did you want to move out of Kentucky? Don’t you miss the smell of horse shit?”
“Oh, har har!” I rolled my eyes. “It didn't smell of horse shit all the time.” I sighed. “My parents have struggled financially for as long as I can remember. I came from a life of necessity over luxury. When I was in high school, my aunt offered me an internship at the PR firm she worked for. I spent six weeks there, learning the basics of marketing and event planning. I finally got to see what a big city looked like. Chicago was stunning and I was a deer lost in headlights from the moment I
stepped foot outside the state of Kentucky. After that, my passion was PR and I knew if I moved to a big city and worked in PR, I could give myself a life my parents never could.”
Wow, that was way more than intended to admit. No idea why I blurted all that out.
“Can I ask you something?” I nodded into my wine glass. “Where’s your Southern accent?”
“Ah, that. My aunt sent me to a speech therapist to try to help me suppress it when I stayed in Chicago.” His furrowed brows showed just how confused he was by this statement. “I did it because I believed no one would take me seriously in New York with a Southern accent. Turning up to a job interview with 'Hey y’all' and sporting a pair of cowboy boots would've gotten me a resounding no. When I moved here, the accent loosened even further and my boss had me in a refresher course to suppress the rest of it.”
“You own cowboy boots?” He smirked, a devilish glint in his eyes.
“Get your mind out of the gutter. Yes, I have a few pairs.” I laughed, shaking my head.
“What’s with Quinn?”
“What do you mean?” Confused, I took a sip of wine. Damn, it was yummy. Expensive, but yummy. “Oh, you want to know why a guy in his mid-twenties would be hanging out with a pair of women?”
He nodded.
“If you hadn’t already worked it out, Quinn is a queen. And for legal purposes, I have to tell you he is the most fabulous queen you’ll ever meet. He’s practically royalty.”
That pulled a chuckle from his lips. It was true. How could he not tell? I mean, Quinn was checking him out from the moment he stepped into the apartment. I smiled, then a thought came across my mind: we’d spent a good half an hour talking about ourselves, yet this was supposed to be a business meeting.
“Gabriel, what are we doing here?”
The question seemed to have caught him off guard a little as confusion spread across his features.
“We're here to eat,” he replied simply.
“You know what I’m talking about. I said a business meeting and you've turned it into twenty questions.”
“I want to get to know you.”
“In a business capacity or for your own personal torture?”
He paused for a moment, seemingly contemplating my question.
“Both.”
Dinner went by in a flurry of too much wine and the most amazing food I’d ever tasted. We talked about me, about where I came from and what I saw myself doing. I noticed pretty quickly he wasn't giving up much about him. I remembered his brother's words from his office: he wasn't one to talk about family. It intrigued me.
My heels nearly give out as we stepped out of Illusion, a combination of too much wine and that fact that Gabriel was playing footsy with me under the table for the last twenty minutes of our meal made my head spin. As I regained my balance, I shook my head and pulled off the Louboutins; class wasn't something I had a lot of. Gabriel’s chuckle had me standing up straighter as he took the shoes from my hands and pointed to the street. Leo and the town car were waiting for us.
“What about your car?” I asked, confused.
“Leo will pick it up later.” He smiled, guiding me into the back of the car.
My tipsy state wasn't helping me in sliding into the car. I still couldn't really breathe all that well from the dress, my feet throbbed with every movement I made and, to top it off, I was giggling like a school girl for no apparent reason. Wine and I were having a talk in the morning.
Finally able to sit my ass on the leather seat without the possibility of sliding off, I buckled myself in. Gabriel slid in gracefully, seemingly unaffected by the amount of wine he’d consumed, even though I knew full well we’d had the same measures. Gabriel buckled himself in and we were quickly moving through New York once again.
“Night cap?” Gabriel asked, flicking the switch for the whiskey tray.
I shook my head. I needed as clear a head as possible when I was in a confined space with him. My head was still fuzzy from the buzz of the wine and as he leaned forward to pour the amber liquid into his glass, the unique scent of him penetrated my nose.
Autumn rain and sin.
Chills ran through my body and goosebumps graced my skin. A small, barely audible whimper escaped my lips and I closed my eyes, praying he hadn’t heard it, but as I pried open my eyes, he was staring at me with something I could only describe as pure, unapologetic fire.
“Payton?” he questioned, his glass suspended in his hand.
“Yes?” I replied with a shaky breath.
I had no idea what was wrong with me, but right then, the mere scent of him was doing things to me that my normal sober self would shrug off and block out.
Gabriel pressed another button before speaking huskily.
“Leo, to Miss Miller’s apartment.”
I watched as he closed his eyes for a brief moment, seemingly lost in his own head. I didn't understand what had just happened. One minute I was inhaling his scent and the next I was about ready to climb him like a damn tree. What the hell had gotten into me?
The conversation went no further. We sat in silence for the rest of the journey back to my apartment; he lost in his own little world while I looked out at mine. The moment the car stopped, he all but bolted out of his seat and the car, opening my door and helping me out. Standing on the sidewalk, confusion completely took me over as I wondered what tonight was really about.
“Gabr—”
“Don’t,” he whispered. “I’m not worth the risk.”
Leaning forward, he placed a tender, lingering kiss on my cheek before turning and climbing back into the car, leaving me even more confused.
What the hell was that?
Rolling my eyes, I entered my building and stepped into the elevator. My thoughts drifted to him and every mixed signal he gave me tonight. One minute we were talking like two normal people in a restaurant, the next the tension was so thick in the back of the car I could've passed out. Shaking my head, I exited the elevator and opened my apartment door. Stepping inside, I was greeted with two passed out best friends.
Kicking the door shut behind me, I walked to my room and opened the closet for a blanket. I threw the blanket over both of them and made my way to the bathroom. I stripped down quicker than I ever had and stepped beneath the hot shower spray, washing away the ridiculous and conflicting feelings that had overpowered my mind since I stepped out of the restaurant.
I finally came to realize I was now in a battle between everything I ever wanted and everything I craved.
Fucking romance.
What a damn mess.
“RISE AND SHINE, BABY CAKES!”
I groaned and rolled over. Kylie just had to be a freaking morning person.
“Go away,” I mumbled, pulling the pillow over my head, trying to block out her chipper voice.
“No way,” she said, jumping on my bed and squashing my damn leg.
“Ouch. Get off, you lump!” I shrieked, pushing her off my now numb leg and hiding back beneath the comfort of my pillow.
“One, you’re going to be late for work and two, you need to fill me in on what happened last night!”
I needed coffee for this and maybe an Advil… or a shotgun.
Pulling my head from under the pillow, I rested my head on my arms and turned to her. She cringed and poked beneath my eyes.
“Damnnnn, you need some sleep. Maybe some Botox.” She chuckled, poking my eye again, only this time she nearly freaking blinded me.
“Jesus,” I hissed out, cupping my eye as I sat up. “I take it that’s your way of saying I look like shit?”
“Pretty much.” She grinned, standing from the bed and pulling me with her before diving into my closet and throwing a mass of clothes at me. “Get dressed. We’re going to be late so you'll have to fill me in on the way to work.”
Grumbling a few choice words, I all but dragged myself into the bathroom and stared at my reflection. Wow. Kylie was right; I looked like I could win an award for worl
d’s Worst Dark Circles and the nomination for Best Bags. I hadn’t really slept that much. My mind was constantly on him. It was ridiculous. Why the hell did my thoughts always drift to him? I was like a lovesick puppy begging to be petted.
Shaking my head, I decided today was going to be the day I dove into my work and blocked him out. I was slacking and it was showing. I had Kate on my case daily, wanting updates on everything she could possibly think of. I was becoming flustered in a job I’d wanted for so long, if I wasn't careful I’d lose it, even without Gabriel being directly involved.
Managing to finally hide the ridiculous bags under my eyes with an obscene amount of concealer, I was finally ready for work, minus coffee.
“Ah, the walking dead has arrived!” Kylie announced as I stepped into the kitchen and turned on the coffee machine.
“You,” I pointed, “are hilarious.”
She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest as I pulled out my travel mug. Pressing the button for brew, I felt eyes burning into the back of my head. I sighed.
“Yes?”
“Don’t make me beg. What happened last night?” Kylie smiled as I turned to her.
“Dinner.” I shrugged. “Like I said, it was a business dinner. Although, we didn't really talk much about work. Actually, work didn't even pop up.” She nodded enthusiastically, as if waiting for more. “There’s nothing to tell.”
She sighed dramatically.
“So you’re telling me he didn't even try to cop a feel under the table? You wore Vera Wang, for Christ’s sake, it was a sure thing!”
“Wait, did you loan me the dress for that reason?” She smirked. The little witch! “Kylie! Seriously, nothing happened. He’s confusing as hell.”
“What’s to be confused about?” she asked as I turned back to fix my coffee, placing the lid on the cup.
“Nothing.” I sighed. “Everything when it comes to him. He did exactly what I told him to. He backed off. Everything is so damn confusing. I can’t go near him physically because of my job, yet I only have to sit in the back of a car with him and all I want to do is beg him to at least let me dry hump his leg.”
Once Upon A Time Page 12
