As much as I wanted to tell him no, meeting with him may be the closure he needed to finally be able to move on. Reluctantly, I agreed to meet him at Sanford’s Deli in an hour. That gave me time to shower and get dressed for my date with Drake.
My mind was preoccupied as I pulled into the parking area behind my apartment and hurried up the stairs, stopping short of my landing as I noticed a figure crouched down in front of my door.
“I have a knife,” I clutched my purse with my hand shoved inside, hoping my keys would be a sufficient weapon against the stranger.
Holding up his hands in front of him, he pushed to his feet. “I have no doubt you can protect yourself, killer. I’m just here because Drake told me to come. I’m Levi.” Running his hand through his short messy hair I suddenly realized he had Drake’s eyes and familiar smirk.
“Right. I’m sorry,” laughing I pulled my hand free from my bag, still clutching my keys. “I forgot that he’d mentioned sending someone over.” Slipping beside him, I unlocked the door and pushed it open. “Would you like to come in?”
“Sure.”
I tried to ignore the awkwardness of having a stranger in my place as I closed the door behind us.
“I have to get ready. I have plans. But feel free to make yourself comfortable.”
Levi nodded before sinking down into the couch with my remote in his hand like he’d lived here for years.
I didn’t waste anytime in scrubbing myself clean and throwing on a simple olive skirt and matching blouse with a matching pink, lace bra and panty set. Levi was still on the couch where I’d left him, looking extremely bored.
“I have to head out now,” I called out to him as I fastened the back of my faux pearl earring.
“You want me to drive you?” Clicking off the television, he stood, stretching as he groaned.
“Um, actually, I have some things for work to take care of before I meet Drake. It would just be boring for you.”
“Suit yourself.” He shrugged as he walked to the front door, pulling it open and waiting for me to slip through.
We parted ways in the parking lot and I kept my eyes on the rearview mirror, feeling another twinge of guilt that I was going to meet Tyler if even to just say goodbye.
My hair was still damp as I entered the Deli, my eyes scanning the busy eatery for Tyler. I spotted him along the side wall, next to a large window sipping a mug of coffee. When his honey colored eyes met mine, he smiled sadly.
I walked toward him, but it felt like I was finally walking away, saying goodbye to one of the few people in this town who actually knew me.
“I was worried you wouldn’t come,” he said as he cleared his throat, standing as I slipped into my seat.
“I said I would.” Folding my hands in front of me, I waited for him to speak.
“I’ve missed you.” Reaching out for my hand, he grimaced as I pulled mine down to my lap. “Are you really going to keep pouting about this? I said I was sorry.”
My eyes narrowed. “And I said we were over. It’s too late to pretend you care now.”
“What’s gotten into you? You never used to be this stubborn.”
“I'm not stubborn, I'm realistic. I want to be happy, Ty. This isn’t making either of us happy.”
“Life isn’t all sunshine and rainbows, Gabby. This is what being an adult is.”
“No,” I shook my head as I picked up his glass of untouched water and took a sip. “I don’t believe that. People can be happy with their jobs and love. It doesn’t all have to be compromise and disappointment.”
He laughed, shaking his head and I felt the heat rise in my cheeks from his dismissal. “You always did have this weird way of looking at the world.”
“I didn’t come here to be made fun of.”
“I’m not making fun of you, Gabby. It’s sweet. Unrealistic but sweet.”
“I’m just not like you. Not like anyone from out here. It’s so superficial and cold like everyone has been dipped in plastic.”
“Money makes the world go round.”
“This has been enlightening,” I sighed as I looked around at the other tables. Everyone was smiling and talking, oblivious to the inner turmoil that plagued me. “I should go.” Standing, I smoothed the silky fabric over my stomach before turning to leave.
“Wait,” Tyler called after me. I turned around to see him standing, feeling that epic moment of him begging for me to stay just ready to pass his lips. I squared my shoulders as I held my breath, not sure what I would actually do if he made that grand gesture. “I left my golf shoes at your place.”
I let go of my breath and the dream I’d still clung to of a happily ever after. “I’ll drop them off at your office, Ty.” I left, never looking back as I stepped out into the warm night air and vowed to start a new chapter in my life. Falling in love was easy, but finding someone willing to catch you was the hard part.
Chapter twenty-six
Drake
I paced the hotel suite floor as I waited for Gabriela to arrive. With all that was going on with Julia, I was desperate for some time alone with her.
Growing impatient, I tapped out a text to make sure she would still be coming. As I hit send my phone rang in my hand.
“If you’re calling to say you’re not coming, I will be a very unhappy man.”
“As opposed to your typical, pleasant disposition?” Her laughter rang through the phone and I couldn’t help but let my frustration dissipate.
“So you’re coming?”
“Yes. I am just running a little later than I expected. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
“Have you eaten dinner?”
“No.”
“I’ll order us some room service. Don’t keep me waiting long.” I hung up and flipped through the room service menu, picking out a few dishes that looked tempting before calling down to the hotel restaurant.
Levi had let me know Gabriela had left her apartment over an hour ago to attend to business before our get together. As he described the douchebag from the picture I’d taken from Gabby’s fridge as the person seated across from her in her supposed business meeting, I couldn’t help but feel the bitter taste of jealousy. I wasn’t one to develop feelings for others. Most would argue I didn’t have any at all, but I didn’t like the idea of sharing. I’d made it clear from the first night we’d fucked that while we were together, I would be the only one inside of her.
Normally I would have called off our plans altogether but there was something about Gabriela. She didn’t fawn over me like most women. She was the wide-eyed innocent version of me. Normally there’d be a push and a pull but when I pushed Gabriela, she didn’t hesitate to shove back.
I stopped pacing as someone knocked on the door. I pulled it open, sighing as my eyes fell on the cart of food covered in silver domes.
“Just put it on the desk,” I said as I stepped back allowing the man room to push the cart through the doorway.
He removed the lids to our meals and looked to me for approval. With a quick nod, I signed the receipt, leaving him a generous tip. He exited the room and I let the door slowly pull closed, but it stopped short of clicking closed. I fought against a smirk as I noticed the feminine toe of a shoe blocking it from latching.
“I didn’t think you were going to show,” I called out as I opened the bottle of wine and poured a generous amount into each glass on the cart.
Gabriela slipped inside and my eyes caught on her silky outfit that hugged every beautiful curve of her body. Her hair hung in beach waves down across the slope of her breasts.
“I said I would,” she replied with a confident smile, but I could see she was nervous. I wasn’t sure there was ever a time that she wasn’t terrified like a skittish deer who had just wandered onto a busy freeway.
“You’re late.” Picking up both of our glasses, I held one out for her to take, forcing her to cross the room.
“I had things to do,” she replied coolly as she took the glass and pour
ed the crimson liquid down her throat. I drank mine as well as I watched her.
“Like what?”
She looked startled but quickly smoothed her expression. “Does it matter?”
She had me there. I had no reason to really give a fuck. It wasn’t like she went to bed with this guy. It was only a meal. Oddly enough she said she hadn’t eaten. So I couldn’t help but be curious as to what they’d discussed.
“Have you spoken to Julia?”
“No.” I tried to keep the bitterness from my tone, but just the thought of Julia’s continued interference in my life made me livid. “I told you not to worry about her. I’ll take care of it.”
“How?”
Taking the glass from her hand I sat them both on the cart beside us. “Are you still hungry, because I’d really like to eat?” Cocking an eyebrow, I watched as her cheeks became darker. I took a step closer to her, placing my fingers under her chin to tilt her face up to mine.
“I’m dying to taste you again.” I pressed my lips to hers and she let her mouth part, allowing me access. My left hand slid against her lower back, pulling her body against mine so she could feel just how badly I wanted her. Her fingers moved over my chest as before tugging it up my stomach.
“You want to work on more scenes for your book? Perhaps, play a little pretend?” I asked as I pulled back from her, pulling my t-shirt over my head and let it fall to the floor beside me.
She nodded, her gaze dropping to my stomach as her fingertips slid over the ridges of my abdomen.
“Take off your shirt.” I took a step back from her to allow myself a full view of her body. She began to pull the silky material up. “Not like that. Slowly. Tease me.”
With an unsure expression, she swayed her hips as her hands slid over her sides seductively. I knew she wasn’t comfortable putting on a show, but she wasn’t one to step down from a challenge either. I enjoyed making her squirm. Her fingers slid upward, her nails dragging the slippery fabric over her ribs, revealing her lacy bra before dipping lower again. I sank down on the chair in front of the small desk as she shimmied, her hands roaming down her bare thighs.
“Turn around,” I commanded as she slipped out of her shoes, turning her back to me but looking over her shoulder with uncertainty. She hiked up her skirt, revealing the bottom of her perfect little ass as her hips continued to sway to the imaginary beat.
“Bend over.”
She obeyed, bending at the hip.
“Now take off your panties. I want to see what is mine.”
Shaky fingers looped in her underwear before she slip the down her hips, exposing her smooth cunt to me. I pushed from the chair, gripping her hips as I ran my tongue over her wet slit. She groaned, gripping the edge of the bed in front of her as I pushed her legs farther apart to give me better access. “I fucking love the taste of you,” I groaned as I reached between her legs and rubbed the pad of my finger against her clit. I shoved my tongue into her folds, licking every drop of her excitement.
Standing behind her, I continued to run my fingers over her slit and slowly dragging it upward causing her to tense as I slid her moisture over her ass. “One day, I’m going to take this too,” I warned, but she relaxed when she understood that I wasn’t going to take her that way tonight. I slipped my hand lower and retraced the path between upward over and over until she began to press back against my fingers, begging for more.
“You were so stubborn when I met you and now look at how well you listen.”
Her body tensed like she wanted to protest, but only a small whimper escaped her lips.
“I like telling you what to do, Gabriela.” I pressed my hips against her ass and she moaned as the rough fabric of my jeans moved against her sensitive flesh. “But I enjoy making you listen even better.” I brought my palm down against her ass cheek causing her to yelp before shoving her forward onto the mattress. She rolled onto her back, her skirt still hiked up around her hips.
“What happened to that fighter spirit you had when I first met you?” Popping the button on my jeans, I slowly lowered my zipper as she crawled backward toward the headboard.
“I haven’t changed.” Her eyes narrowed, but her tone was playful.
I placed my knees on the bed between her legs and pushed the fabric of her shirt up her ribs. “You’re such a pushover now.”
She grabbed my hand and shoved it away as her lips curved into a devious smirk. “Fuck you,” she snapped.
“I never thought you’d ask.” I shoved the fabric of her shirt and bra up over her breast, exposing her hardened pink nipple. Her chest was heaving now as her fingers laced in my hair, tugging gently in a halfhearted attempt to keep my mouth at bay.
“No.”
“You can say no all you want,” I placed a soft kiss against her stomach and she shivered. I’d been dying to continue what we’d started in her office. “But if you really want this to end,” I pressed another kiss below her breast. “Say cut and this will end just like a scene in a movie. Understand?”
She studied me for a moment before she slowly nodded her head. “Okay.”
I ran the tip of my tongue over her nipple before sucking it into my mouth and grazing it lightly with my teeth. She hissed as her back bowed from the bed to press herself against me.
My fingers circled her wrist before gripping it tightly and pushing it against the pillow above her head. Her hips bucked in a futile attempt to push me off her.
“We shouldn’t be doing this,” her free hand shoved against my shoulder as I let more of my weight rest on her, pinning her to the bed.
“You going to stop me?” I teased as I grabbed her other hand and put it above her head, gripping both her wrists in one hand so I could us the other to shove down my jeans. She wiggled underneath me as I pushed them down my hips along with my boxer briefs, freeing my hard cock between us.
I rolled my hips, dragging the length of myself against her wet clit, causing her eyes to fall closed as she moaned. Dropping my mouth beside her ear I whispered, “I’m going to fuck you and there is nothing you can do about it.” Rolling my hips again, her body lifted, meeting my motion. I pulled back, my mouth hovering over hers as she panted. “Maybe I should fuck that pretty little mouth of yours first.”
Her tongue ran out over her lips and my cock twitched. “Maybe if you do a good job I won’t fuck you.”
She dragged her teeth across her lower lip before nodding in agreement.
“I’m going to let you go but if you make me chase you or do anything stupid, I’ll have to punish you, understand?”
“Yes,” she practically moaned and I pressed my lips to hers.
“Good girl.” I slowly let her wrists go and climbed beside her on the bed, taking my cock in my hand and stroking it slowly as my eyes danced over her body. “Take the rest of your clothes off.”
Gabriela sat up, pulling her shirt over her head before reaching behind her back and unhooking her bra. It fell away from her breasts and she slid it down her arms before tossing it on the floor.
“The skirt,” I commanded.
Laying back on the bed she raised her hips, unzipping the zipper in the back before sliding it down her legs and kicking it from her feet. “What do you want me to do?” Her eyelashes fluttered as she looked down at my hand, watching me stroke myself.
“I want you to put your mouth on my cock and show me how much you appreciate me letting you go.”
Flipping onto all fours Gabriela lowered her head, keeping her tight little ass in the air as her fingers circled mine and she began to jerk me off.
“Fuck, you are so fucking sexy,” I groaned as I slid my hand from under hers. She lowered her head and I gathered her long hair so it wouldn’t obscure my view as her tongue ran over my head, lapping up the bead of pre-cum from the tip. Her eyes met mine as she slid it into her mouth, slowly taking me in, inch by inch until I hit the back of her throat, trigging a small gag reflex.
“Fuck.”
She pulled back,
her eyes wide and deceptively innocent. “Did you like that?”
“Do it again.” My grip on her hair tightened as I guided her back down. Her tongue had pressed against the underside of my head before she took me into her mouth again, sucking as her hand worked my shaft. The nails of her free hand scraped against my inner thigh before lightly sliding over my balls. My body tensed as I hit the back of her throat again and again.
“You’re magnificent at this. You’re a little tease aren’t you?” I asked, testing the waters to see how she felt about name calling.
“I’m a good girl,” she replied with a slight pout, her hand still gripping the base of my cock that was now aching with the need to come.
“Show me how good you are. Come here.” I tugged her hair gently, guiding her to straddle my waist. She lowered herself to my length, dripping wet. Her hips rolled, rubbing her clit against my length. “You want me to make you come?”
She shook her head but slid against me again. Gripping her hips, I pulled her forward. “I need to taste you again. She slid her legs over my arms and lowered her cunt to my lips. I gripped her ass and held her against me as I slowly fucked her with my mouth. Her fingers tightened on the headboard as she rocked against my tongue.
“Turn around.” I smacked her ass cheek causing her to yelp before she rotated her body. “Now finish what you started.” I pulled her down against my mouth again as her thin fingers wrapped around my cock and slowly started stroking. She whimpered, riding my mouth before her own lips slid over my length, sucking me hard as she bobbed against my length. I could feel my balls tighten as I lapped at her. My stomach muscles flexed with each dip of her head and I knew I was on the verge of coming. Pulling her clit into my mouth, I slid my teeth lightly against her. She bucked against my grip on her, moaning around my cock as I lifted my hips so my head would hit the back of her throat, muffling her cries of pleasure that vibrated my dick. I stilled, releasing my load into her as her body shuddered against my face, coating my tongue in her sweet juices.
“Fuck,” I panted as I ran my tongue against her one last time. “You are so fucking perfect.”