Dazzled by Silver (5 page)

“Gabriel, you’re avoiding my questions.”

“And you’re avoiding mine. Do you want me to prove how good my orgasms are?”

His breath warmed my lips, tantalizing every nerve on my face.

I wanted to lose myself in his mouth. This was exactly what I needed. A no strings attached, hot off the skillet fling with the hottest man in the city. Why was I discouraging him?

My phone rang. “I have to get that.” I reached for the phone.

“Don’t,” he whispered, gently gripping my wrist.

The restraint revived my pulse; it beat harder in his hold.

“What if someone comes in?” I took in deeper breaths.

My threat must have sounded more like an invitation. Gabe’s eyes almost glowed with an inner fire. “Let them.”

“And have them watch you—?”

“Do what, Samantha? What would you like them to watch us do? I need you to say it.”

The shine in his eyes was like a doorway to the soul, both his and mine. In that moment, I imagined our souls connecting as I sat on Gabe, riding him in the sweetest ways possible. I hadn’t had that feeling in years: I’d never allowed myself to think I could need someone this badly again.

The intercom clicked on.

“Sam, I’m sorry to interrupt you, but the meeting’s in five minutes.”

“Thank you, Cindy. I’ll be there.” I replied. Inside I cursed at the receptionist for scheduling a pointless meeting, even if it wasn’t her fault.

Gabe’s thumbs circled around my hipbones like nothing had changed. “Five minutes is more than enough time for me to taste the feast between your legs.”

“Really?” I widened my eyes. I hadn’t meant to say it out loud.

“It’s what you want, isn’t it, Samantha? With your permission I can take care of those needs in thirty seconds. Just say the word.” His eyes flickered as he examined my face.

It was exactly what I had wanted for so long. Of course he had my permission! I closed my eyes for a moment, ready to comply with his every request.

Another knock on my door rushed me back to reality. As much as I wanted Gabe’s hands on me, under me, and inside me, the need to keep my job outweighed my lust.

“I guess I’ll take that orgasm tonight?” I said.

He stood still. Not a twitch in his body signalled an exit.

I blinked.

He slowly let go of my hand.

“Not a shot I hope. The women who ask for them usually have unsatisfied needs.”

My breath stilled as the fire in his eyes dimmed.

Although I claimed a victory for now and Gabe would have to back off his advance, I felt like the biggest loser in the room.

With a deep exhale he finally said, “And I promise you will never forget the way I please again.” Gabe leaned in.

I closed my eyes and felt his light peck on my cheek. He may as well have Frenched me like a Parisian. As he turned away, my behind found the much needed support of my desk.

“Tonight, Samantha.” He scanned me like a predator from the bottom up one last time and left.

“Tonight.” I whispered drawing my palm to my face.

The rest of the day flew by in a haze. I couldn’t remember one word from the meeting.

Karlis, my other boss, knocked on my door just before five. “I’m sorry to do this to you on a Friday night, but I have a few last minute contracts that need to be reviewed for credit approval. Would you mind staying?”

A request from Karlis, no matter how polite, was more of an order you didn’t want to refuse. Although if I had known his
few
meant two screwed up multi-million dollar accounts whose financial performances and management structures would make me question every figure in the proposed credit reports, I would have definitely tried to find an excuse, or at least get someone to help me. But the smarter people had left the office at five on the dot before I realized what I was in for.

Ah, the life of an underwriter.

By nine o’clock I was half done, and my phone buzzed.

G.SILVER:
My orgasm offer has never been stood up before.

I quickly typed,
SAM:
I’m sorry. I’m still at work, and it may take some time.

G.SILVER:
Need any help?

SAM:
I’m afraid if I say yes you’ll distract me.

G.SILVER:
The only distraction I recall is your mouth. Have you had dinner at least?

Why was he so fascinated with my mouth? I rushed to type:
SAM:
No time for dinner when you’re in a hurry to meet someone offering an orgasm. I have to get back to work. I’ll still try to make it.

G.SILVER:
Promises, promises...

By eleven, when I got home to change, all I wanted to do was crawl into my cold bed and weep. When was the last time I had an opportunity to be whooshed off my feet by someone like Gabriel Silver? Never!

I texted a quick apology for dissing him and dragged myself into the shower. It took all my strength to pull myself together and wash. I could have stood there all night, but my drooping eyelids preferred the bed. When I finally shut the water off, I heard an insistent knock on the door.

“Sam, it’s Gabe, are you okay?” The sexy voice echoed up.

I pulled my robe tight and rushed downstairs

When I opened the door, he let out a long exhale.

Mrs. Blight across the street closed the white sheers she’d been peeping through. I was sure I’d be the neighborhood’s gossip, given a silver Bentley was parked on a road littered with domestic cars without tinted windows or fresh coats of wax.

“What are you doing here?” I asked. A few streets to the west, falling drops of rain hummed louder.

“You didn’t return my text. I brought food.” He showed me a bag.

I looked over to the kitchen table where my phone’s red light blinked.

“I’m sorry. I was so tired. I went straight into the shower.”

“You stood me up after all.” He frowned.

The rain began to pour, streaking down Gabe’s face. My nose wiggled as I took a big whiff. My taste buds woke up at the delicious smell.

“Please, come in.” I opened the door wider.

“And now you only want me for my food.” He let out a mock sigh. Lowering his head, he stepped inside.

“Hey, a girl’s gotta eat. I’m sorry. I really wanted to come, but I just got home a few minutes ago.”

One of Gabe’s eyebrows rose as he removed his shoes.

I shut my eyes and clenched my teeth. There was no way he’d let this go. Did I want him to?

“It’s never too late to come, Samantha.”

And there it was. Exactly what I expected him to say.

“Do you mind if I eat first?”

“Not at all. You eat first, I’ll eat second.”

Would every sentence he spoke hint at sex? Or was it just me interpreting his words? I looked at the single portion of food he’d brought and butterflies tingled in my tummy. They flapped urgently against the walls of my stomach sending delectable vibrations deep between my legs.

“It looks like you had a tough night. Sit and relax.” His imposing tone took me aback, but I found it comforting. No one ever took charge in my life except me. I was left to fend for myself and for my mother now as well. Her unexpected illness left me with not only my loans but also her clinic bills. My father died in a boating accident. The memory of blood stained water and a frenzied shark had kept me out of the ocean for years.

And Casey took charge only when his balls overfilled.

Gabe opened the trays and set them in front of me.

Digging into the roast of lamb in a balsamic reduction with caramelized pears I wondered if Gabe had run into Wolfgang Puck himself. Out of nowhere Gabe pulled out a bottle of red wine and poured me a glass.

“You’re like a magician tonight,” I said with my mouth half-full, wiggling my toes.

“And there are more tricks up my sleeves.”

I didn’t doubt him. Gabe surprised me more than any man ever had. This kind of treatment couldn’t be normal, could it?

“Here, put your feet up.” Without waiting, he lifted my feet to his lap and began massaging my swollen soles.

I slouched back against the couch closing my eyes, just for a moment.

“You know you’re going to have to make it up to me for tonight.”

I shot up. “Oh?” Where this was leading and when would the word
orgasm
escape his mouth?

“Have dinner with me tomorrow.”

I shook my head, swallowing the tender meat. “I don’t do dates. It’s my new policy. Why complicate life?”

“Perfect. I don’t date either. It’s just dinner, Sam. I don’t take well to women saying no to me, especially after being stood up.” He pressed his thumb in one specific spot; the one which urged me to scream
yes
.

Instead, I asked, “And that happens often?” Should I even care? Every instinct inside me told me to give in to all his requests and have that wonderful fling I longed for. But inside I wondered just how many women Gabe swayed with his charms.

“No, it doesn’t.”

I tightened my lips. Dinner with Casey in the past sent alarms off that I’d have to scramble to make the next month’s rent. He’d never paid on our dates. But Gabe was nothing like Casey. I was sure he’d agree to split the tab.
Dinner. It’s just a friendly dinner.

“No strings attached?”

“None.”

“And I pay for myself.”

He frowned, his fingers suddenly freezing in one spot. “You stand me up and then insult my invitation?”

My feet lowered to the ground. “Insult? I’m just asking that we pay for our own dinner. Gabe, I’m tired of covering for others. I have loans and bills...”

“Sam.” He gently picked up my feet again. “I’m the one offering the dinner. I insist on treating you.”

“Oh.” He was for real, wasn’t he? I thought men like him were only in movies.

“Tomorrow then? Six o’clock?” Gabe’s fingers pressed into that spot on my foot again as if magically I would agree to anything he’d said.

My head leaned back against the couch, and I squished my eyes closed for a moment. “I have plans tomorrow. It’s ladies night out,” I added before he got the wrong idea.

He frowned. “And I’m away on business next week.”

Could I really stand to be away from Gabe all week? I wondered whether I could weasel out of the bachelorette party, but I’d already stood the girls up one too many times when I dated Casey. I couldn’t do that to them again.

“If it helps, I promise I won’t forget about that orgasm for the whole week.” I yawned and took another sip of the wine that held a hint of leather. It flowed along my tongue like a silky ribbon, leaving just enough of its fruity blend to linger until the next sip. “You never told me what business you’re in.”

“I own a private investigations company.”

“Is that how you found out where I live?”

“Yes.”

Instead of scaring me, his affirmation soothed my nerves. A veil of honesty and integrity I hadn’t seen in years on a man’s face covered Gabe’s.

“You
are
Magnum, aren’t you?” The rain pounded against the windows in a lulling rhythm.

“No, still just Gabe.”

But to me he was more than just Gabe. “Why didn’t you tell me before?” I asked, my eyelids getting heavier with every second.

“I just formally met you this morning.”

Except the hours that had passed since we’d shared our first coffee felt like days.

My eyes closed for a moment. Or, I thought it was a moment because the next thing I knew sunshine filtered through my bedroom window as I stretched my limbs. My feet ached with a pleasurable memory. Finally, my eyes flew open. I sat up in my bed still wearing my robe. A handwritten note rested on the pillow beside me.

Samantha,

I wish I didn’t have to leave you, again. Your breakfast is ready downstairs.

The smell of a fresh hazelnut vanilla brew jolted me higher.

I hope you’re feeling better. I borrowed a spare key from your kitchen drawer and will give it to you when I see you. There’s an appointment booked for midday to change your locks. The ones on your door are too easy to break into. (If you need to cancel it, that’s fine, just don’t delay it for too long.) Save your strength for next week’s dinner (not a date) so you don’t fall asleep on me again. I may have to re-assess the quality of my orgasms as I don’t seem to have a lasting effect on you.

Have a good time tonight.

Gabe (not Magnum)

I closed my eyes and leaned back against my bed frame. A faint memory of snuggling on Gabe’s thighs before he carried me to bed lingered. The six days I had to wait for our dinner would seem like years. And if there was anything my P.I. had wrong, it was that he had no lasting effect on me.

C
HAPTER
6

The apartment was filled with sunshine. I opened the shutters wide throughout the whole house, dancing and singing as I cleaned every room. And for the first time in a long while, I cooked just for me, no one else. I hadn’t made gourmet food in weeks
and the red wine left by my P.I. stirred blissful memories of Gabe’s thoughtfulness.

Knowing I’d see Gabe again made me feel giddy again. Where were all these funny nerves coming from? How in the world would I be able to wait for an entire week to have my fling?

Deep inside, the more I thought about meeting him for dinner, the more I wanted to delay it. Once it passed, it would all be over. He’d disappear and move on to his next prey, next dinner, next woman, perhaps even the blonde bartender.

I grabbed my phone and texted Gabe.

SAM:
 Thank you for breakfast and last night. Wherever you’re going, I hope you have a safe trip.

It wasn’t too long before my phone vibrated.

G.SILVER:
Due to an opening in my calendar and someone standing me up, I’ve scheduled a meeting before I leave tonight. Have a good time with the girls.