Art of Seduction

by Monique Orgeron

  Fallon

  Oh, fuck, what just happened? I knew if I pushed hard enough, he would come for me, like a moth to a flame. But I never expected this. For him to be so...so? I don’t even have a word to describe him, or what he did to me. I look up at myself in the mirror and see a woman who is a mess. I look discarded. I should feel ashamed, but instead he left me wanting. Wanting more of him and his touch. I have never imagined I could feel this way. He just waltzed in here and gave me the best pleasure I’ve ever felt, then left.

  I look up to see something he put on the island. I stand on shaky legs and step over to the counter. There lies a box, a small black box. I take it in my hands, open it, then gasp; it’s a ring. Not just any ring. It’s an engagement ring, and it’s gorgeous. A large single tear drop diamond. It has to be five karats or more.

  What the hell? I think as I stare at it in awe. I start to realize: this is my ring. Gabriel wants me to wear it. Was this his proposal? How fucking dare he? Does he think he can just come in here, take control of my body, make me come undone, and just walk out? Leaving me on the floor with a ring? What does he expect from me? He wants me to what, be grateful? Does he want me on my hands and knees, thanking him for the privilege to marry him? Well, he has another thing coming.

  I might not have had a word to describe him before, but I just figured out one for him: “BASTARD”. And he can kiss my ass.

  18

  Gabriel

  Leaving her there was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Not beating someone up, or even murdering them, but leaving Fallon in that closet was. It’s what I needed to do, and it hurt. I need her to understand I’m the one in control of what happens. I knew when she went through with her plans to go out with Miles, that she was trying to play me, but I also knew it was working. That one action has me so twisted. Not one woman has ever done that to me. No one has ever made me jealous. No one has ever had me waiting for them with blind rage. I knew right then if I allowed her to continue, if she ever let Miles or any other man touch her, I would never forgive her. So, I called her bluff. She and my mother want a union between us; fine, I’ll give it to them – but on my terms.

  Earlier while I waited to hear word from Vin, I called Baxter, my mother’s jeweler, and told him to meet me at the casino with his best engagement rings. If I put a ring on her finger, then she’ll have to behave. Stopping all this bullshit! It will give me time to figure Fallon out. Time, I desperately need. I told Baxter not to mention it to my mother, or anyone else; after all, it’s supposed to be a surprise. Mother thinks she knows best...maybe she does, but I’ll decide my future. I just need her waiting and not pushing me. So, my plan is set. I’ll give her the ring, and she will wait for me to decide. She won’t continue to push me by using other men, because if she doesn’t stop, I’ll show her all over again who the fuck is truly in control.

  Throwing my head back, I remember the feel of her in my arms, watching her feel what only I’m supposed to give her was magical. All I wanted to do was bury myself in her and never leave. She already has a power over me I can’t explain. I need her to feel my power, my strength. She might have won the first battle, but I just won the second. What do they say? All’s fair in love and war.

  “Let’s play.”

  Fallon

  What do I do now? This is what Catherine and I have been working for. This is it, so why can’t I just take the ring, put it on my finger, and be happy?

  Once the rage left me, I sit in my chair next to the window and ponder. He’s giving in. He wants to marry me now, so why am I bitching?

  As I get cozier in my chair, I start to smell him. The smell of his cologne is embedded into the fabric of the chair. I can’t help taking a deep breath and inhaling him. Then it hits me: I can’t be happy because he’s playing me. I’m falling for him. Only he doesn’t feel the same; that’s why I’m so mad. It’s this feeling of love that has me so pissed. That’s why what he just pulled will not do. I came here wanting to be his wife, but now that my feelings are involved, I can’t let him treat me like this. Him marrying me when I know he doesn’t love me just won’t work for me anymore. So again, what do I do? I don’t think I can go to Catherine. I know she’ll tell me to marry him, she’s not worried if I love him or not. I know she won’t give me sound advice, at least not any she won’t benefit from. I just have to think.

  I could leave, run away, and never see him again, but that won’t work. Catherine has invested too much into this, into me. She would find me and bring me back. Maybe I should just marry him, knowing I will never be happy without his love. No, no, I have to be smarter about this, but how? I’m so tired of thinking about it. I just wish I had a friend to talk to. Someone who I can confide in. Then it hits me: I’ll call Brittany. She’s a friend, right? Well, to me she is. I like her, and she’s easy to talk to. She doesn’t know everything, but I’m sure she could advise me about men, or at least take my mind off Gabriel for a little while.

  Quickly, I find my cell and locate Brittany’s number. I hope I’m not going to catch her at a bad time.

  The phone rings, and I swallow, waiting for her to answer.

  “Fallon, what’s up, babe?”

  “Oh! Hey, Brittany. I hope you don’t mind me calling. You’re not busy or anything, are you?”

  “For you, never. I was hoping I would hear from you again. I don’t have a lot of women friends, and I had fun with you the other night. The morning, however, wasn’t quite as enjoyable. By the way, how’s your boy, Vin?”

  “Vin? Really?”

  “Yep, that is one fine man. He’s so big and bruting, just the way I like them.”

  “Well, Vin is fine, still acting like my babysitter.”

  “OK, so now that we got Vin out of the way, why did you call, Fallon? I hear it in your voice something’s wrong.”

  “He gave me a ring.”

  “Who, Gabriel? Well, I’ll be damned. Congratulations, Mrs. Gabriel Stern.”

  I shake my head. “Not so fast. I don’t think I can go through with it.”

  “What the hell are you talking about? I thought that’s what you wanted?”

  “It is, or it was, Brittany. I think I’m falling for him.”

  There’s a moment of silence, then I hear Brittany laugh.

  “Shit! Fallon, you’re scared.”

  “You’re right I am. I know Gabriel doesn’t feel the same way, and it scares the hell out of me. He treated me like a possession, a toy; not like a woman he’s in love with. I know I wanted to marry him, but now I don’t think I can go through with it.”

  “Fallon, babe, what do you want to do?”

  “I thought about leaving, but where? Catherine will find me and bring me back. I’m screwed.”

  “Fallon, Catherine won’t find you, Gabriel will. If he wants you – and I know he does – he will hunt you down. You won’t have to worry about Catherine, because Gabriel will never let you get far.”

  Is she right?

  “Do you think he would do that? I don’t think he would. Gabriel can have whoever he wants. He wouldn’t go to that much trouble just for me.”

  Brittany starts laughing. “Are you crazy, Fallon? Gabriel wants you; he gave you a ring. Whether you like it or not, you are now his possession and his toy, as you put it. He will never let you go. Think about it, though, Fallon. If he wants you enough, that makes him weak to you. Get my drift?”

  “No, I don’t.”

  “Have you not learned anything from Catherine? She taught the other girls and me to use what we have. You can’t tell me she didn’t tell you all about seducing a man to get what you want. Anyways, you already have Gabriel hook, line, and sinker. Now all you have to do is reel him in.” She continues. “Gabriel desires you; he wants you enough to be his wife. Now you need to decide what you want from him, then play on his desire and want to your advantage. Don’t play coy with me, Fallon, I know you know what I mean. How did you get him to give you a ring, huh?”

  “I went on a
date.”

  “Oh, and it got you a ring. Do you understand now? Push a little more, get his love and devotion. Demand it!”

  “Brittany, I think I might love you! I’m definitely kissing you when I see you.”

  “Well, bring it, girl. Whatever floats your boat, but Gabriel might not like me kissing his woman.”

  “You never know! I’ve got to go, Brittany, but I’ll call back soon, and we can make plans to do something, OK?”

  “I’d love that, Mrs. Stern.”

  I hang up the phone with so much excitement. She’s right; Gabriel just needs more of a push. He needs to learn I want more – no, I demand more.

  First things first, I need to send Gabriel my answer, and I’m going to do it with the same regard he gave to me. I write on a piece of paper in large, bold letters, a simple word in all caps and quotations.

  “NO!”

  I address it to Gabriel, along with the ring, and send it by messenger to the casino. Now to make plans. I need dates, lots of dates.

  19

  Gabriel

  The next day, I’m back at work. We have a few issues with another casino. The owner owes us money, but he has now turned sick. So, I’ve got to deal with how to handle him. I’m having a hard time concentrating on work, though. Fallon is not far from my mind. Since I gave her the ring last night, I haven’t heard from either her or my mother. I guess Baxter or Fallon hasn’t told Dear Ole Mom yet. Good, let her wait.

  As I’m deep in thought, my brothers decide to interrupt me.

  “Hey, Gabriel, what’s up?” Liam asks.

  “What’s up is I’m working. What do you two want?”

  Liam laughs. “Come on, Gabriel, is that any way to greet us? What’s got your panties all in a twist? Is it a certain girl we know?”

  “No, it’s the business with the casino on the north.”

  Zander knows what button to push, because he starts, “So, how is our Fallon? I haven’t seen her in a couple of days; I might actually miss her. Go figure.”

  “Me, too,” Liam says.

  “Leave it alone. Number one, neither of you should miss Fallon. Two, she is not our Fallon. She is my Fallon.” I watch as their faces show confusion. “Fallon and I are engaged to be married. I gave her a ring last night. So, leave her alone. She’s mine, and I won’t have my brothers drooling all over my fiancée. Got it?”

  They both look shocked, but then Zander smiles and says, “Wow, you did it. I knew you would. I just didn’t know you would give up so easily. I mean, I’m sure Mom is happy.”

  “Shut up, Zander. I don’t give up shit. This was my decision.”

  “Sure it was, big brother. Just tell me what made you decide to do it last night. Did it have anything to do with Fallon’s date?”

  Liam laughs again. “Really? She had a date? Oh, that’s priceless.”

  I shout, “Both of you shut the fuck up and leave me alone!”

  Before I can physically kick them out of my office, someone knocks on the door.

  “Come in.”

  A delivery guy walks in with my security. He hands me a letter and the ring box I left for Fallon.

  “What’s this?” I ask the messenger.

  He shrugs his shoulders and walks out of the room.

  Liam looks over at the box. “Gabriel, what is it?”

  I ignore him and open the letter. It is one word in all caps.

  “NO!”

  I crumple the paper, throw it across the room, and start cursing like a bitch.

  Zander grabs the ring box, opens it, and whistles. “So, Gabriel, I guess the engagement is off.”

  Liam asks, “Gabriel, what did the letter say?”

  I slam my fist on my desk. “It said, ‘NO.’”

  “Damn, man, sorry about that. I never would have thought any woman would have turned you down. That’s just cold.”

  “Yeah, man,” Zander says.

  Liam starts to smile and says, “Well, I’m not letting a woman like Fallon go that easy. If Mom wants her as a daughter-in-law, then maybe she’ll say yes to me.” Before I can react, he grabs his phone and makes a call.

  I yell out, “Liam, what the hell are you doing?!”

  He stands and walks to the other side of the room, then starts to speak into the phone.

  “Fallon, hey! It’s Liam. I was wondering if you would like to join me for dinner tonight?”

  I rush towards him and grab the phone as I push him to the wall. Screaming into the phone, I tell her, “Fallon, this shit is not up for debate. You will take this ring back. And if you think about going out with Liam –”

  She cuts me off. “Gabriel, I do not appreciate your tone. I believe you already got your message, and your ring. By the way, tell Liam I’ll be ready for him at seven. At least he was gentleman enough to ask for what he wants.” She then hangs the phone up on me.

  I throw the phone at Liam and tell him what she said. I also inform him if he knows what was good for him, he won't dare touch her. Because if he does, I will forget he’s my brother.

  Zander and Liam are both laughing. Zander then looks at me and says, “Boy, brother, you got it bad. How did you propose? You know, so I don’t do it that way.”

  “I just gave her a ring and left,” I tell them with a shrug.

  “You what?!” Zander shouts. “You’re an idiot! To think I looked up to you. No wonder she said no!”

  I turn to look at him, baffled. “You don’t know shit, Zander. She was sent here by Mother for one purpose, to marry me, so I gave her a ring. She should be happy. What else am I supposed to do? I’m not her or mother’s dog.”

  Zander stands, shaking his head. “Like I said, you’re an idiot. First, we all know why she’s here, and you are one lucky son of a bitch. Mother found you a girl who surpasses all the others. Still, you stomp around like a petulant child. Then you throw a ring at her and wonder why she’s not grateful. You should have asked her to marry you. Better yet, you should have begged. You think Mom would have brought just any girl here for you to have? You won’t do any better, and we all know it. But I tell you what, if you don’t want her and won’t love her, all because of your stupidity, then someone else will. You will lose her.”

  He turns and storms out the door, slamming it behind him. Liam follows, shaking his head.

  “What the fuck?”

  20

  Fallon

  Wow, I did it. I told Gabriel, right? Oh shit, I made dinner plans with Liam. At least I think I did. I go downstairs to inform Catherine and the kitchen I will not be dining in tonight, then retreat upstairs as quickly as I can. I don’t want to be hounded by Catherine with questions about my progress with Gabriel. I don’t know what she’d do if she knew I turned him down.

  A few hours later, I’m ready for my dinner date with Liam. I’m wearing the prettiest off the shoulder black lace dress, with a flirty pleated skirt, short but classy. Jeffery knocks on my door to let me know Liam is waiting downstairs for me.

  I descend the stairs to where I’m greeted with an overly happy Liam.

  He whistles. “Well, hello, Ms. Fallon. You look beautiful.”

  “Thank you.”

  “And might I say, my brother is a loser.”

  “What? He told you? Don’t tell Catherine, please.”

  “Don’t worry, she’s not here. And I wouldn’t anyway. Are you ready?”

  “Yes, thank you, Liam.”

  “For what?”

  “For not telling Catherine. I mean if she were here.”

  “I figure some things, Mom shouldn’t be allowed to interfere in. A proposal is definitely one.”

  “A proposal? Is that what he calls it?”

  “Afraid so. Shall we go?”

  “Lead the way.”

  We walk out of the mansion, and Liam has driven a truck, like, a big ass truck.

  “Liam, how am I supposed to get in that thing?”

  “Oh, you mean my baby? Well, I’ll lift you. I could’ve brought my c
ar, but I figured what would be the fun in that? At least this way when I lift you up, I get to touch you and Gabriel can’t say shit about it. After all, you are a damsel in distress. Right?”

  I can’t help laughing. “Well, aren’t you a clever boy. Who says chivalry is dead?”

  “Gabriel would still want to kick my ass, but I’m willing if you are.”

  He winks at me, and we both laugh.

  Once Liam has finished molesting my body trying to get me in his truck with a dress on, in which I am sure some things became exposed, he jumps in like it was nothing.

  “Hey, Fallon, nice panties.”

  I slap his arm, then wink back at him. He brings out the young girl in me. With Liam, I feel carefree. He’s such a good guy. He’s about three years older than me, and it makes me think. I wish I would’ve fallen for him, but I know I couldn’t; he’s more like a brother to me. I feel like we could get into a lot of trouble together and Catherine would ground us.

  Liam gets my attention by saying, “I’ve made a reservation for us at an Italian restaurant. Is that okay?”

  “That sounds great. I’m so glad you called. I really needed to get out tonight.”

  “I figured. Hey, Fallon, you know you can’t use me against Gabriel, right?”

  “Liam, I would never. I promise. We’re friends, and I enjoy our time together, that’s all. Besides, I would use Zander.”

  “Oh yeah? Why’s that?”

  “Because I figure Zander likes being used by women and pushing Gabriel’s buttons.”

  “Boy, you have us all figured out, huh?”

  “Not all, but I like each one of you differently.”

  “Well, we like you too. We’re here.”

  We obnoxiously pull up to valet parking in this monstrous truck. The valet comes around to open my door and help me down. But, all of a sudden, Liam has him pinned to the side of the truck, telling him he dare not touch me; geez, maybe the arrogance and possessiveness do run in the family bloodline. After Liam finishes groping me again to get me out, we walk into the restaurant. Immediately, Liam is spotted and ushered to a table where the hostess gives me a nasty look. What is it with all these women?