∞ ∞ ∞
The next morning, I awoke having to pee. I looked at the clock on the nightstand, which read 6:59 a.m. It was way too early to be awake, but I got up and shuffled to the bathroom. I came out and heard sobs. Fiona leaned on the counter in front of the coffee maker.
“Fiona, are you okay?” I asked, walking her way.
She turned around. Her pupils were dilated. She looked like an anime cartoon character, with pupils as big as saucers. My mouth gaped open.
“I’m not doing well,” she muttered. She sank down to the floor.
I rushed over and sat beside her.
She began to bawl.
“What’s wrong, sweetie?” I asked.
“I couldn’t sleep. I think I took too many pills,” she said, slurring her words.
I brushed her tears away with my hand. “Pills—what kind of pills?”
“Sleeping pills.”
We sat for a few minutes. She calmed down and finally stopped crying. I got her a tissue. She took it and blew her nose. She sat there for a moment before going to the bathroom.
“My eyes!” she shrieked.
I went to her. She gawked at her reflection in the mirror. “Why are my pupils so huge?”
“I think it’s a side effect from taking too many pills. They’ll go back to normal. Let’s go sit on the couch.”
We did.
“What if they don’t go back to normal?” she asked, fear spreading across her face. “What did I do to myself?”
“Everything is going to be okay,” I said, trying to convince both of us. I thought her pupils were slowly getting smaller, but I wasn’t sure what other damage the overdose could cause. “How much sleep did you get?”
“I don’t know for sure. Maybe two hours.” She curled her legs up and sat in the corner of the couch.
“Call in sick.” I handed her the phone.
“No, I just need coffee. Maybe I can go in later.”
I shook my head. “I’m not asking if you can do it, I’m telling you to call in. You’re going back to bed. I’m looking out for you. You can go in tomorrow.”
“I know you’re right.”
She called in sick. I felt better because she wasn’t pushing her condition and going to work.
She got up. “I’m going back to bed.”
“I’ll check on you later.” Luckily, I had the day off so I could watch over her.
“Thanks.” She went to her room, unable to walk a straight line.
I called Gabe to hear his voice one more time before I went to California. I thought he had to work until I left for my trip and I wouldn’t get to see him until I got back. It turned out that I was wrong, and he had the night off. He offered for me to stay the night with him, and I agreed. If Fiona felt better later, I would.
After Fiona had gotten more rest, she got up. Her pupils went back to normal. She was eating and glad she called in. She vowed to never take that many sleeping pills again.
“I’m going to spend the night at a friend’s place,” I said with a bag over my shoulder. “It seems like you’re better. But if you don’t want me to go, I’ll cancel.” She didn’t know about Gabe yet. Because she was mourning her boyfriend, I didn’t talk about my love interest.
“I’m fine. Could you be going to Gabe’s place?” She grinned.
“You know about him?” I asked.
“He left a message on our machine. He said he was going to call your cell too. I guessed that you were dating. Am I right?”
“We are. I didn’t want to tell you after Cam—”
“You can tell me, Amber. I want you to. Yeah, it’ll make me miss him, but you’re still my friend, and I want you to be happy. I want you to share your details about your date. I can’t shut the world out. Love is all around. I see couples every day, either on the subway or at restaurants.”
“I suppose.” She had been through so much. But her wanting to move on with her life was a good sign. “Maybe I can tell you about him later.”
“I’d like that.”
Chapter 31
Iarrived at Gabe’s apartment and walked to the elevator. My heels clicked on the hard floor. Underneath my clothes, I wore my sexiest bra and panties, and I hoped to make love to him. He said he wanted to take it slow. But if he changed his mind, I’d be ready to kick it into high gear.
I stepped off the elevator and went to Gabe’s door. I knocked, and he opened it. “I’m so glad you could come over. Come in.”
Sinatra played in the background, and the lights were dimmed.
“I thought we’d stay in tonight. My roommate is away on business.” He wrapped his arms around me.
I let my bag slide off my shoulder so I could return the hug. “Is he, now?”
“It’s true.”
I kissed him lightly on the lips. Oh, how I wanted so much more than that kiss. Respecting his wishes to take it slow was getting harder and harder—and he was getting harder. I could feel the bulge against my thigh.
“You sure you want to take it slow?” I asked.
“Positive.” He stepped back. “Just for a few more dates. Then, watch out.” He grinned. “I hope you’re hungry.” He removed a strawberry cheesecake from the fridge. Only a few pieces remained. “Leftovers from the last gathering my roommate did. They just had it last night. Want some?”
“Hell yes!”
He laughed. He put our servings on dishes, and we sat at the kitchen table. The rich, creamy cheesecake tasted delicious.
“Wow, that was yummy!” I leaned back, rubbing my tummy as I polished off my slice.
“It sure was.”
Just as we finished our dessert, the Sinatra album stopped playing. Gabe got up and turned off the record player.
He sat on the couch and patted the spot next to him. “Care to join me?”
I nodded. It was getting late, and I curled up against him. I found a soft spot near his shoulder for my head.
“I’m going to miss you like crazy when you’re gone,” he said. He took my hand and showered it with soft kisses.
“I feel the same. Maybe someday, you and I can visit my family together.”
“I’d like that.” He put my hand down and held onto it with his own. I wrapped my other arm around his, interlocking our arms and hands together around my waist.
“Want to watch some TV and get our minds off of how much we will miss each other when you’re miles away?”
“Sure.”
He put on the TCM channel. An old black-and-white movie played. Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers danced, perfectly in sync with each other. Ginger’s dress flowed around her as she spun. It was as if the feathers on it were part of her body not something she wore. They accentuated her movements.
“You want to watch this?” he asked.
“Okay.”
He held my hand. I felt safe and happy. Gabe was the bright spot in my life in the city. His taste in music and movies suggested that he was an old soul. He appreciated the older styles of the past, and he seemed pensive. Even when we talked, he seemed to choose his words carefully, mindful of what he said. I found this endearing.
He even wanted to wait to have sex.
I loved the way he made me feel. I felt cherished. He seemed to be falling for me too. With that thought, I drifted to sleep.
In the morning, I awoke to a different movie playing and Gabe snuggled up against me. He moaned, moving his body closer. His hand moved underneath my underwear, and I gasped in pleasure. His fingers grazed my aching nub. I arched my back, allowing his erection to find a cushion against my butt. I bit my lower lip.
“Oh God, Amber!” He stopped midstroke and yanked his hand away. “I was having the most wonderful dream. I thought I was still dreaming.”
I took his hand and guided it back down. “I think you should finish it, don’t you?”
He took his hands out from under my panties. “Oh, I really want to.”
I turned around. Our eyes locked, and my heartbeat raced
. He cupped my face in his hands. My eyes pleaded for him to ravish me. He softly kissed me. Blood hummed in my veins as I only desired one thing. His kiss gave away to a kind of wildness—he slipped his tongue into my mouth and gripped the back of my head. His hands wandered down to my pert nipples, which beckoned him to touch them. I couldn’t feel the couch underneath us. All I could feel was our heartbeats pounding together.
Then he moved to my neck. His kisses were soft until he got to my ears. He lightly tugged on my skin, to the point where I thought he might give me a hickey. The nipping was the kind of pain that left me yearning for more.
“Let’s go to my room,” he said, nibbling on my ear once more.
We made our way to his room. I heard him unzip his pants in the hallway. I quickly took off my shirt to reveal my black lace bra. He bit his lower lip as I sat on his bed. I leaned back with my palms planted on the mattress and my straight arms behind me. The anticipation of us becoming one was almost too much. I pulsated, ready for him to enter me. He took off his shirt and underwear. His rock-hard abs glistened with sweat. He came over and put my hands above my head. Holding onto them, he reached to the nightstand and pulled out a condom and put it on. His oversized cock squeezed into it.
When he crashed down into me, I moaned. He filled my body perfectly. His tongue skimmed my trembling lips. I felt the power and ecstasy of his member, and he teased me by putting just the tip in. His smoldering eyes held mine the entire time.
Shuddering with desire, I begged, “Please, more.”
Gradually, he moved in deeper. The world around us disappeared. I saw only him and heard only his grunts of pleasure. The city sounds blocked the noises of my deep desires. He put his mouth on my breast, flicking my nipple with his tongue until I squealed in delight. He moved up and down in slow motion. He loosened his grip on my hands. I stretched my arms out and gripped onto the bed clutching the fabric as tremors built up inside of me. He crushed his mouth onto mine, and my body shook. Then he groaned as he plunged deeper into me. He gripped both of my hands, holding me down as he thrust harder. His cock reared hard inside of me. His tongue swirled around my mouth. He played with my clit with one hand, and shock waves of pleasure flooded over me again and again. When he had exhausted himself, he buried his head in the crook of my neck.
“Aren’t you glad we didn’t wait?” I asked, panting.
He looked up at me, and his eyes were full of love and sadness.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” He brushed my hair away from my eyes. “I love you.”
“I love you too.” I wondered why he seemed sad.
∞ ∞ ∞
It was one o’clock in the afternoon when I left Gabe’s. I had four hours until my shift at the pub. In that time, I had a lot to accomplish. Early the next morning, I would leave for California.
Gabe had given us many romantic dates. Dancing in his apartment to Frank Sinatra was enchanting, as though he was courting me. I loved the thrill of feeling his body next to mine and wanted to plan a romantic date with him to match our first.
I had heard tourists talk about the literary walk in Central Park. They were kind enough to tell me where I could find it, and I was going to go there.
When I got back from California, I planned to meet Gabe on that walk. But first, I wanted to admire the statues of famous authors and poets on my own, since Gabe had probably already seen them. After all, he had lived in Manhattan for years. I wanted to see the statue of Balto, the Siberian husky too. Balto led the team of sled dogs that traveled the last treacherous miles to deliver medicine to stop the outbreak of a diphtheria epidemic in Nome, Alaska, which I appreciated because my cousin was from Alaska.
I arrived at the Balto statue first. The bronze sculpture was majestic, standing on an outcropping rock. The stance of it was strong, alert, and as though it would move forward at a moment’s notice.
The Willowdell Arch was close. It was next on my list. I’d walk under it and head to the literary walk. Under the arch were two men standing next to each other. All I could see was two figures, due to the poor lighting. I thought I heard Gabe’s voice, but if it was him, he was facing another man. This man had on a hat similar to the one the mystery guy who left me a note wore. He handed Gabe an envelope. Just as I walked closer to them, Gabe stepped closer to the envelope until he was hidden by the shadows.
I needed to find out what was going on. Is that the guy who left me that note? The men followed the path until they were out from under the arch. It was Gabe and the mystery guy.
They went separate ways. It forced me to choose whom to confront first. I couldn’t stop them both. I froze, frustrated at the tough decision. Watching them get farther and farther away, I made a choice. The mystery guy had to be the one. I didn’t know if I’d ever see him again.
I marched up to the man. I grabbed his arm and jerked him toward me. But in seconds, he was free of my grip. He had forced my hand off of him using some kind of defense maneuver. I had to let go.
When he made eye contact, he said. “Amber!”
No, can it be? “Dad?”
Chapter 32
Icouldn’t believe my father was standing there. I hadn’t seen him since I was seven years old. My heart skipped a beat. When it began beating again, it seemed like it was up in my throat. A whooshing sound in sync with my heartbeat thumped in between my ears. A trickle of sweat rolled down the side of my face. Darkness clouded my eyes as I swayed. He put his arm around me.
“Let’s go,” he said. His words sounded distant, and I couldn’t understand his sentence. He led us to the benches under the archway. We sat down. Again, he spoke, but I couldn’t understand his words. He pushed my head in between my knees and rubbed my back.
Eventually, my vision cleared. I shivered as a breeze hit my body, which was beginning to get back to normal temperature. I sat upright.
“Do you feel better?” he asked.
“I think so.”
“Oh, Amber, you’ve grown into a beautiful woman just like your mother.” He brushed my sweaty hair away from my face.
I scooted further away, because I needed answers. “You wrote that note. Why wouldn’t you talk to me? Didn’t you want to see me, after all this time apart? Don’t you want to know how I’ve been? Why couldn’t you reveal your identity to people who work with or for the mob? What kind of history do you have with them? Who are you afraid of? And why were you talking to Gabe? Does he know you’re my father?” The string of questions poured out of me as if they were a waterfall with unstoppable momentum.
“I’ll tell you what I can. I was waiting to see you when a certain investigation is finished. Meanwhile, I wanted you to move far away from this mafia drama. I’m not afraid of anyone. I’m here to make sure a certain man, who is married to the mob, gets what he deserves. I didn’t even know you’d be in the city until I got here. When I saw you looking like your mother, I knew who you were. I had the bartender confirm your name to be sure. The night of the pub fire, I saw a fireman rescue you, and I tracked him down. Gabe has been informing me of your status. I told him I was an old family friend who promised your father I would check in on you. I told him you wouldn’t talk to your father directly because of a traumatic past.”
“Yeah, about that”—I stood up and put my hands on my hips—“How the hell could you leave us?”
“That’s a long story for another time. It broke my heart to do that.” He slouched and sank into the bench. He looked at his watch. “Unfortunately, I can’t stay with you much longer. I have other places to be. Besides, the longer we sit here, the more we risk someone seeing us together.”
I slapped him. Slack-jawed and wide-eyed, he touched the side of his face. I didn’t care if it put him in danger to be seen with me. He owed me an explanation, and then he could disappear from my life forever. “You’ll stay until I’m done talking. You owe me at least that much.” I crossed my arms and sat next to him.
“This is dangerous, Amber.”<
br />
“You may have good intentions of protecting me by suggesting that I move away from here, but what makes you think I value your opinion? The last time I saw you, you left our family with one suitcase in your hand.” Tears pricked my eyes. “I watched you walk out our door and never come back. You have no right to abandon our family, then show up years later, proclaiming you know what’s best. It doesn’t work that way. You want me to leave my friends in danger, like a coward would. I refuse to do that.”
“I don’t want you to get hurt.” His pleading eyes had no effect on me.
“You know what doesn’t feel right? You having any connection to the mob. It seems ridiculous. What the hell would an insurance agent do with the mob? Don’t tell me you were part of some insurance fraud.”
“I wasn’t an insurance agent. I used to be an undercover cop. Your mother never knew. Those insurance conferences for the weekends were really assignments.”
“So, we were your fake family.” My lower lip trembled. “I thought you loved us.” I choked back a sob.
“I did.” He wiped away my tears that had escaped my eyes. “Of course, I love you.”
“I don’t think you know what love is,” I shouted. “What was in that envelope you gave Gabe?”
“I was paying him for looking in on you.”
My mouth gaped as I shook my head, not wanting to believe sweet Gabe wasn’t as innocent as he seemed. He had been such a gentleman.
“Today, he refused the money for the first time. He muttered something about being in love with you.”
I closed my mouth and sighed. I was glad that Gabe hadn’t accepted my father’s cash. If he had taken it, I would have reason to doubt that he did love me. I would have felt used and manipulated. Still, at first, he dated me for the money. I didn’t know how to feel about that.
City in the Middle Page 19
