Slipperless(20)

"Doesn't matter," he began. Lifting his chin, he gestured towards an arm on the sofa. "There's fine."

"Okay."

Clutching my coat in my hand, I walked to the couch and draped it over  the leather. I smoothed it with a final stroke before turning to face  him once again. As I did, I swung my hands in front of my body,  interlocking them just above my waist. Reaching down for my bracelet, I  covered it with my hand and squeezed tight.         

     



 

Gabe only looked at me in silence for a moment. I supposed he was used  to this sort of thing …  firing people. But of course, I wasn't. My knees  literally flexed and bowed as they threatened to give way beneath me.  The moments dripped by in syrupy agony.

"Let's talk, Fiona," he said at last, as he gestured with a come hither motion.

I shuffled across the room. My steps felt as if I moved through quick drying cement.

Once I'd drawn to within about a foot of him, Gabe began to speak. "We  need to talk about the situation here. With your position. You know that  don't you?"

I nodded. "Yes."

"Okay, good. This really isn't something we need to be discussing in  front of the rest of the team. You and I can handle it. All right?"

My mouth went dry. The slight wobble I'd experienced moments before  threatened to transform into a complete collapse. This was really  happening. Oh no, what was I going to do? What would I tell my  grandmother? Nausea crept to the back of my throat, lacing my mouth with  a sour taste.

Yet in spite of my internal distress, Gabe's demeanor remained calm,  unhurried. He held my gaze for a moment, confirming I'd heard his  question a moment earlier. "Good. Okay then, we'll get to that in a  minute. But first, there's something else we need to talk about, Fiona."

I nodded, even though I was uncertain of what could be more important than my termination.

"I need to know exactly how committed you are to the company," he began.  Gabe flattened his hands against the edge of his desk, straightening  himself into a standing position. "Are you willing to do whatever it  takes to help Hawkins Biotech grow and succeed?"

Although I tried to mask it, I felt my face wrinkle with confusion. Why  would Gabe ask me something like that when he just had me turn in my lab  coat? Not to mention what happened in the lab with the video camera.  Instead of responding, I stared at him as I tried to process his line of  questioning.

"Fiona," he said, snapping his fingers. "Hey. What the hell's the matter with you?"

"Hmm?" I replied as muddled through my thoughts. "What?"

Gabe crossed his arms at his chest. "You aren't gonna pass out again are you? The infirmary is closed for the day."

"What? No. I just …  I'm confused. What do you mean? Whatever it takes?"

He nodded. "Yeah. It's a simple question. Are you willing to give  everything to me? All you have? Yes or no? Everything about your future  depends on the way you answer the question, Fiona."

"Gabe, I …  I don't know what you're talking about. Didn't you call me here to … ?"

"Never get a straight answer from you do I?" Gabe said, cutting me off.  "Hell, half the time I can't tell whether you want to be working here or  not."

I looked away from him, tugging at my sleeves as I did. Where was all of this coming from? I'd never seen him behave this way.

"You're always hiding aren't you?" he said, as his tone grew in  frustration. "Why Fiona? From me? What have I done to you except give  you a job you've always wanted? I've been nothing but … "

Gabe bit his lip as he stopped himself mid-sentence and turned to one  side, dragging his hand through his wavy brown locks. His jaw clenched  and his upper body flexed beneath the fine fabric of his dress shirt. I  can't explain what happened to me next. But without reason, I found  myself drawn to his anger. I was desperate, in an unexplainable way, to  reach out and touch him. But I dared not. Not while he was in such a  state. Instead, with every last bit of resolve I had, I said nothing …   and waited.

Just then, Gabe raised his hand to his mouth as a thought occurred to him.

"Are you …  a virgin, Fiona?"

As his words settled in, all the reasons I assumed I'd been summoned to  Gabe's office vanished into thin air. In its place a whole new set of  concerns flooded my consciousness. I swallowed as I leaned my upper body  away from him a fraction.

"Why did you ask me here, Gabe?" I whispered. "What do you want from me?"         

     



 

Gabe's expression changed. It was the same one he'd shown me on the  elevator on the day of my interview. I continued to move away from him  until I bumped against the edge of a coffee table across from the couch.  Nearly losing my balance in the process, I reached down and grabbed  hold of it as I steadied myself at the last instant. But no sooner had I  done so than I turned back towards Gabe to find him less than a foot  away from me.

I swallowed hard as I looked at him. Raw excitement, verging on fear,  sent blood racing through my veins as I struggled to focus.

"You didn't answer me," Gabe began. He stepped even closer, and I caught  his scent. I heard the sound of breath draw into his mouth ahead of his  challenge. "Are. You. A. Virgin?"

"I …  I don't have to answer that." I said, as I looked past him towards  the door. My entire body pulsed with lust in spite of my anxiety. The  mix of emotions, not to mention his presence, overwhelmed me. Fear and  worry consumed my thoughts. Would I have to sleep with him to keep my  job? Is that why he'd called me here? As soon as that notion occurred to  me, my mind went blank as I stared at him.

"Please," I muttered at last. "I'd like to leave. I'm not …  comfortable."

Gabe looked at me for a moment and then drew his lips inward, thinning  them in anger at my refusal to answer any of his questions, especially  the last one.

"Okay," he said, as he exhaled. He stepped back a bit and gestured towards his office door. "Go ahead. We'll talk later."

Talk later?

I studied him for a second or two. His gaze remained fixed on me,  unbroken, as he held an extended arm pointing away from us. I blinked as  I glanced at the distance between where we stood and my escape route.  At last, I looked away from him. What just happened? Was I fired? Not  fired? I didn't know what to do or say. But above all else, my instincts  told me to go, just get out and whatever happened, happened.

"Excuse me." I said with a cautious tone. Tugging my hair behind my  ears, I ducked a shoulder as I attempted to pass by him and leave. But  I'd managed to get no further than about a foot when Gabe grabbed me  with such force, one of my sleeves almost tore at the seam near my  shoulder.

Blindsided by his speed and aggression, I gasped as Gabe crushed my body  into his with a hard pull. He yanked me as if I were weightless, an  experience I didn't think possible. The power of his embrace was a  hundred times greater than I expected. Just then, my eyes locked on his.  Inexperienced though I was, there was no mistaking, none, about what he  intended to do. My breath hitched in the middle of my chest as the  muscles of Gabe's arms flexed against my curves.

Without wasting a second, Gabe descended upon me, pressing his mouth  into mine. I inhaled as he did, half-shocked, half-lustful. His lips  were soft, moist and seemed to fit against my mouth as if by design. I  flinched at first, thinking I ought to know better, do better, be  better, but as Gabe's tongue invaded my mouth, I felt my desire to be  right slip away.

In its place, just a desire to be …  desired …  took its place.

Twisting our heads from side-to-side, Gabe and I continued to kiss for  several seconds. His firm embrace eased as his strong fingers trailed  along my curves. I reached up, squeezing the hard roundness of his  biceps as he explored me. As the seconds drifted on, Gabe's hands made  their away around my backside and up towards my head where he snaked  them amongst my silken strands, clutching small handfuls as he went.  When at last we broke for an instant, I leaned away from him.

"I don't understand why … " I muttered, as I looked at him through a lustful gaze. "You can't want me."

Gabe licked his lips in frustration.

"Oh Fiona, for fuck's sake," he said in disgust. "It's obvious I'm going  to have to use words to communicate this to you because you literally  think everything to death."

"No I don't. I … "

"Fiona, shut the fuck up. Right now. And listen. Don't speak. If you say  another word, you won't enjoy what happens next. You got me?"

Gabe's words offended me but his tone …  commanded me. My jaw slackened as he spoke. I nodded.         

     



 

Wordless, Gabe reached towards me, sliding his fingers in the space  between my ears and my shoulders and hooking my neck with a gentle tug. I  felt my pulse thump against the tips of his digits. My breathing  stopped as he leaned in and started to speak.