Falling into Surrender(17)

"Pick your poison, Arthur."

"As if you even have to ask." Arthur laughs heartily. "I'll take some red, my dear boy. The color of passion."         

     



 

Gabriel grins at the expression on my face, which I'm sure is one of  confusion. I still don't know who this man is or what he's doing here,  but I actually kind of like him already. He's quirky and a little over  the top, but all of the best people usually are.

Arthur swirls the wine in his glass like a true connoisseur, smelling  and tasting its true essence as he sips. "Let's get down to business  then," he says as he smacks his lips together. "And then I can decide  whether I like the wine or not. Nothing brings out the taste like a  beautiful piece of art."

Gabriel nods and gives me a sheepish grin before he pulls a large folder  from one of the kitchen drawers, sliding it in front of Arthur. When he  opens it up, I feel all of the blood drain from my face.

Inside is something so intimate, so personal, my cheeks are burning with embarrassment.

"Ah yes." Arthur pushes his glasses further up his nose. "Gabriel told me you had an affinity for black and white."

I swallow a big gulp of wine as I watch his eyes rake over every detail  of a photo I took in Central Park. A small girl sitting on the sidelines  of a playground, watching all of the other children play without her.  It's just one of the many that Gabriel's had blown up and printed off  for Arthur to see tonight. All without my knowledge, of course.

"Can you tell me why that is?" Arthur asks, moving to the next photograph.

"I'm sorry … " I stutter over the words. "I don't understand."

"Your affinity for black and white," Arthur says, swinging his gaze back to me. "Why do you like it?"

"Oh." I blink. "Well, I'm not really sure. It's just something about the  photographs, I've always liked them. The way they look once  everything's been stripped away. And all that's left is … "

"Emotion," Arthur finishes for me.

"Yes." I nod.

Gabriel is grinning, and I can't understand why. I'm a nervous wreck,  and I still can't tell what Arthur's thinking as he sorts through the  rest of the photos.

Finally, after what seems like an eternity, he stacks them back into a  neat little pile and closes the folder, his gaze darting back to me.

"You're very young," he says. "But you have the distinct ability to  capture human emotion at its most powerful. That tells me two things."

I wait for him to finish, and when he doesn't, I can't help myself. "And what is that, Mr. Huckabee?"

"The first is that you have a beautiful soul. And the second is that I'd like to work with you."

I grip the breakfast bar with white knuckles to hold myself up as  Gabriel gives me an encouraging smile. I'm lost for words, my throat so  thick with emotion I feel like I'm going to burst.

"Arthur owns a contemporary gallery that specializes in photography and new media art," he explains.

"Of course!" I blurt. "Huck's Gallery. I must have passed by it a  hundred times on my deliveries. I always wanted to stop in but never  did."

"That's the place," Arthur says. "So what do you say, young lady? I'd love to have some of your work on display."

"I'd love that." I give him a shy smile. "Thank you so much, Arthur."

"Fantastic." He rises to his feet and grabs his fancy cane. "I'll have  my assistant make an appointment with you for next week, and we can go  over some of the photos together with a fresh pair of eyes. Now, if  you'll excuse me, I'm off to my weekly salsa class."

I'm still thanking him profusely as he slips out the door, and soon  enough, I'm wrapped in Gabriel's arms. I squeeze him so tight all of the  breath leaves his lungs in a grunt.

"That was very sneaky of you," I squeak.

"I always knew you were talented baby," he says. "I just wanted you to believe it too."

Just as Gabriel pulls me in for a kiss, the doorbell rings again, and I give him a frustrated glance.

"Now what do you have planned?"

"Honestly, nothing," he says, shaking his head. "I'm not sure who it is."         

     



 

The person on the other side of the door buzzes again, and Gabriel moves  to answer it. The moment he opens it, a tall and regal looking man  steps inside, surveying the place with a haughty attitude before his  gaze lands on me.

"Gabriel," he says.

"Richard."

Gabriel's voice and posture are both stiff, and instantly I know, this is his father. Richard Maddox.

"Would you care for a drink?" Gabriel asks, gesturing to the bar.

Richard nods and Gabriel pours him a glass while I wring my hands  together nervously. I'm not exactly sure what I should do in this  situation or whether I should excuse myself or not.

"Victoria, this is Richard Maddox," Gabriel says in a formal tone. "Richard, this is Victoria."

"I've heard a lot about you," Richard says, his dark brown eyes crinkling with a polite smile.

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Maddox."

Gabriel hands him a tumbler filled with dark liquid and then raises his  brows expectantly. "So to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit,  Richard?"

His voice is anything but friendly, and I can practically feel the  tension rolling off of his body as he comes to stand beside me.

"May we talk in private?" Richard asks.

My cheeks heat as I move to excuse myself, but Gabriel pulls me back, wrapping his arm around my waist protectively.

"Anything you have to say, you can say in front of Victoria."

Richard seems to consider this for a moment before nodding.

"Your mother tells me that you're dead set on following through with this business venture of yours."

"I am," Gabriel says. "I think we both agree that will be for the best."

Richard sighs and runs a hand through his inky black hair, his expression filled with what looks like a lifetime of regret.

"I know my words don't mean anything to you," he says. "But I am proud  of you, Gabriel. And you will always have a place at the Maddox  Corporation, a part of our legacy … "

"But it's not my legacy to have," Gabriel bites out. "Is it, Richard?"

Richard flinches away as if he's been slapped, and I'm still trying to  make sense of the conversation as I shrink into Gabriel's side.

"Perhaps not by blood," Richard admits. "But I would hope that you'd know that has never stopped me from loving you as my own."

Gabriel softens beside me, and my hand strokes his back in an attempt to  comfort him as his eyes fill with sadness. As I look between the two  men, like night and day, the truth is finally clear. Gabriel isn't  Richard's son.

"I know that you did the best you could," Gabriel says. "Under the circumstances."

Richard nods and both men look away from each other as silence engulfs the room.

"Would you like to stay for dinner?" I ask, having no clue what else to say.

Richard smiles softly and shakes his head as he stands.

"No, thank you, sweetheart. I really should be going. I just wanted you  to know Gabriel, that you have my full support on this venture. I've  contacted some investors, and they want to meet with you."

Gabriel surprises me by breaking away and shaking Richard's hand in a  quick and awkward gesture. And then just as quickly as he arrived, he's  out the door again.

"Are you okay?" I ask.

Gabriel pulls me into his arms and lets out a deep breath as he kisses my temple.

"I guess you know the dirty family secret now," he says. "I'm the  bastard child of the Maddox family. A product of one of my mother's  tawdry affairs."

I don't speak because I know that's not what Gabriel needs right now. I  grab him by the hand and lead him back to bed, where I show him how much  I love him all night long.





Chapter Fourteen

Victoria





It's Monday morning, and I'm sitting inside of Gabriel's office, tapping my foot impatiently.

He was a nervous wreck all morning while he prepared for today, and I  didn't want to admit how nervous I was for him too. In a huge leap of  faith, I bought a bottle of champagne and some celebratory lingerie.

Margie assured me he'll be the only one coming back to his office, so I  already took my dress off, and now I'm sitting in his chair, drumming my  fingers across the desk. If I'm wrong about this, then I'm not sure  what I'm going to do. Throw the champagne away and give him a relaxing  blow job instead. But I really, really don't want to be wrong. I know  how much this means to Gabriel, and I desperately want him to be happy.         

     



 

The door swings open, and I stiffen as his gaze swings to me in  surprise. For a moment, we just stare at each other, and I can't read  the expression on his face. But when he grins and locks the door behind  him, I take it as a good sign.

"Well?" I spring towards him expectantly, not even caring how much I'm  on display right now. There's no way we're having sex until I know how  things went.