Her enthusiasm to see me feels nice, and I grin back at her. "Hey Angelina, thanks for meeting me."
"No problem," she says, taking a seat across from me.
The waiter appears and I order an iced tea while I look over the menu. Angelina watches me closely, and then laughs when I give her a strange glance.
"You look like you might blow away over there." She smiles. "I'm under Gabriel's strict instructions to make sure you eat, so you better not even think about ordering a salad."
I laugh and roll my eyes. "He would say that." But even as I say it, I feel a little pang of sadness. He didn't seem so concerned about me this morning when he was rushing out the door.
"What's the matter?" Angelina asks, noticing my sudden shift in mood.
I set down my menu and shake my head. "It's nothing."
"Tell me," she demands, with the same intimidating look Gabriel likes to use. I smile at the resemblance I never noticed before. "Did he do something to piss you off?" she asks. "He's good at that."
"No." I laugh. "It's kind of weird, he's your brother, I don't really want to … "
"Just tell me," she says, exasperated. "We're friends, aren't we? You can tell me anything, I promise I will be totally unbiased."
I blow out a breath and shrug as though it's not really that big of a deal. "I don't know," I say softly. "He just seemed kind of distant last night after everyone left, and this morning too. I don't know what's going through his mind."
Angelina dismisses my line of thoughts with a wave of her hand. "He's just worried about you honey," she reassures me. "You should have seen him while you were away. He was so angry, geez you couldn't say one little thing to him. And then yesterday when he knew you were coming home, he lit up like a Christmas tree. Trust me, you have nothing to be worried about, Victoria, he is madly in love with you."
"Okay," I say, resigned.
Angelina smiles knowingly, reaching across the table to squeeze my hand. "You've both been through a lot, it's just going to take some time to get back in the swing of things."
"Yeah, I'm sure you're right." I nod. "I'm just being silly."
"Well, you shouldn't feel weird. I've never seen Gabriel so happy before. Quite frankly, it's a little creepy." She laughs. "But seriously, he's head over heels with you honey. You're all he ever talks about."
"Thanks, Angelina."
"And you don't have to worry about Anya anymore because I told her exactly that the night she showed up at Gabriel's. She was trying to play his sympathy card, and I told her to forget it. I even threatened to tell the media about all the work she's had done." She smirks. "So you can rest assured you won't be hearing from her again."
Over the next hour, Angelina makes sure I order an entrée, a main, and a dessert. By the time I leave, I'm stuffed, but surprisingly relaxed. I feel good after our conversation, and it gives me an idea for tonight. An offer that I'm sure Gabriel can't refuse.
The minute I hear the front door shut at six o clock, I scurry down the hall and into the sex room. I'm wearing one of my corsets and matching thongs along with my best stockings and stilettos. Grabbing my phone, I type in Gabriel's name and send off a quick text.
Hide and seek?
Waiting for you x
I don't bother waiting for a reply as I chuck the phone aside and get into position. My head is down, my eyes cast to the floor while five long minutes tick by before the door creaks open. I sneak a glance up at Gabriel when he doesn't move.
He's still in his black work pants, but his dress shirt is unbuttoned and his tie undone around his neck, casually showing off his bare chest. He has a glass of whiskey in his hand which he brings to his lips as he circles around me slowly, like a cat hunting it's pray.
I cast my eyes back to the ground, waiting nervously for his instructions. This is what I want from him. What I need. But when he stops in front of me, not moving or saying anything else, my throat burns with repressed emotion.
A glance upwards only serves to confirm my fears when I find his jaw rigid and his blue eyes stormy. That isn't desire I see staring back at me, but irritation. My shoulders slump as the realization hits me hard in the gut. He doesn't have any intentions of dominating me right now.
When he sees the disappointment on my face, he reaches down and scoops me into his arms, carrying me to his bedroom silently.
"What are you doing?" I protest.
"Shh baby," he whispers. "Not today."
He lays me down on the bed, climbing on top of me and kissing me gently. It isn't our usual passion laced routine, but I'll take what I can get right now. I rock my hips against him, his erection digging into my belly. He looks at me with a forlorn expression, and I want to shake him. To demand he tell me what's wrong, but instead, I say the only words I can.
"Gabriel, I need you."
"I know," he says softly, kissing my cheek.
To my relief, he stands up and removes his pants and shirt, tossing them onto the ground in a haphazard pile. He climbs back into the bed and lifts me so that I'm straddling him. I'm surprised by this, and more than a little disappointed. He's giving me free reign again, but what I really want is for him to take control of me. To guide and comfort me the way that only he can. But if his expression is anything to go by, I know arguing is pointless.
I slide my thong aside and mount him, pushing his cock inside of me slowly. My hips ease forward to give him access to my breasts, and he palms them both gently for a moment before resting his hands on my hips.
Unable to hold back my emotions, a sigh escapes me. I want to feel his wanton hands and mouth on my body the way I remember them, to know he still desires me in that way. I rock my hips against him harder, increasing the pace before he grabs them and slows me down again.
My frustration comes to an all-time high when I realize I'm not going to come. My mind has shut down and can only focus on one thought … . he doesn't want me anymore. When I look into his eyes, I know he isn't enjoying this the way he usually does. We've made love before, but it was different. This feels so stilted, so … wrong. I've never needed or wanted him more than I do right now, and I can't understand why he doesn't feel the same. I need his passion, his guidance, his control. And he's refusing to give it to me.
Resigned to my fate, I pull off of him, watching his thick erection flop back against his belly. I scoot down between his legs and pull him into my mouth. His hand reaches out to stop me as he speaks.
"Victoria, don't."
I ignore him, giving it my all as I suck him furiously. At least one of us should come. Eventually, his protests are drowned out by his groans as he relaxes back into the bed. I suck him into oblivion, and within moments he explodes in my mouth. I swallow everything he has to give me along with my pain and sorrow.
And then I gather what's left of my dignity and walk towards the bathroom.
"Victoria," he calls out, "come back, baby."
I don't respond because I can't. The minute I have the door shut the tears spill down my cheeks. I want Gabriel back. My rough, possessive, dominant Gabriel. But somehow I fear this is the end. We've been through too much. I pulled him into my fucked up life, and now he doesn't want to deal with it. It's the only logical conclusion I can come up with.
I turn on the shower and strip off my clothes, leaving the door locked behind me. As I relax under the stream of hot water, I think back on my time in prison. How I imagined what it would be like if I got out and came back to Gabriel. I envisioned it in my head hundreds of times but never was it anything like this.
When the water finally runs cold, I step out and dry off, my skin as raw as my nerves at the moment. The bed is empty when I open the door, and Gabriel has disappeared again. I'm sure he's holed back up in his office, and if last night was any indication, he'll be there all night.
After throwing on comfortable clothes, I text Alanna and ask her if she wants to meet for drinks. To my relief, she agrees right away.
Gabriel's office door is shut as I pause in front of it, debating whether I should even say anything. But then I realize it would just seem childish if I didn't, so I knock lightly, feeling a little awkward as I wait for him to call out. When he does I open it to find him sitting in front of his desk with a stack of paperwork.
"How did your meetings go today?" I ask.
"Good," he mutters, not even bothering to look at me. "Yep, everything is good."
Okay then. "Alright, well I can see you're busy, so I'll leave you to it. I'm going to meet Alanna for a while."
Gabriel spins around in his chair and looks up at me, a lingering note of sadness in his eyes. Again I want to beg him to tell me what's wrong with him, but I can't. I've already asked him several times since I've been home, and he needs to tell me on his own.