Okay! I guess that meant I was supposed to head that way. I looked at the parlor as I crossed it. Last night this room had been full of people. Now it sat big and quiet as if it had never been used at all. It looked as if the majority of the furniture had been moved for the party but was now back in place.
The floor was made out of the same white marble as the stairs, and Gabe’s bathroom. There were several pieces of deep brown, mahogany and white furniture that blended in with it beautifully. In the center of the floor on top of a plush white rug was a table that sat low to the ground. This room felt modern…yet, cozy.
When I got to the kitchen door I inhaled, trying to prepare myself for whatever it was I was going to see on the other side. Gabriel wasn’t normal. There was no doubt about that. Who knew what I was getting ready to witness.
I looked back toward the front door. The guard still stood there appearing big and unmovable. And the only other way out I knew of was on the other side of this door. Maybe that’s why he directed me this way. Hadn’t the chef from Shugga’s Place called the back door the servant’s entrance, and I was a servant. That had to be it. At least, I prayed so. I pushed opened the door and walked in.
The kitchen was huge and very sterile. Stainless steel everything. It felt cold, more like a restaurant kitchen than a home kitchen. As I headed for the back door I was almost afraid to look around. My freedom was just beyond that door, but then the hairs rose on the back of my neck. I stopped and turned letting my gaze scan the huge kitchen until I found what had caused my spidey senses to start tingling, or shall I say who.
Sitting over in the corner at a breakfast nook… looking larger than life was Gabriel. In front of him was a big bowl and a box of Apple Jacks. He was watching me like a wolf as he ate his cereal. He seemed at ease as his powerful jaws flexed as he chewed. I turned to look back toward the back door.
“You ain’t gone make it.” His deep voice caused me to jump. It was like a drum in this quiet kitchen. And then I remembered the roar he had let out when he yelled for his men to get out of the room they held me in.
“What do you want with me?” I couldn’t help the fact that my voice quivered, I was scared as heck.
“Would you like some breakfast?” He asked gesturing toward an empty bowl. Was the brute asking me if I wanted cereal?
“I don’t eat anything before I have coffee.” I was so uncomfortable with the way he was watching me, I began to fidget with my backpack strap. He shook his head slightly.
“Don’t have any coffee, how about orange juice.” He picked up a carafe of orange juice that sat on the table next to him and poured some in a glass.
“I guess… that would be alright.” I said hesitantly.
“You’re going to have to come a little closer to get it.” He muttered, looking at me through lowered lids.
I chewed on my bottom lip. I was aware of that. But I could not convince my feet to move toward him. He looked harmless enough dressed in a black tank and black jeans. On his wrist was a gold watch. Probably one of the ones I tried to steal last night. On his feet was a pair of red and white Jordan’s.
To anybody looking at him, he just looked like a normal brotha from the hood. One of the one’s that Shanice called Baller's, but looks can be deceiving. I know what I saw. He was super strong; stronger than any normal man. He had hit that guard and caused his body to slam against the wall with so much force that it bounced off it.
“I can’t really see your eyes because you have your hat pulled down low, but why does it feel like you’re looking at me like a monster?” He spooned another heaping spoon of cereal into his mouth.
“Umm!” I cleared my throat. “Last night… you… you umm!” I didn’t know what to say.
“Come here, you so far away I can barely hear you. Here, have a seat.” He gestured toward the chair that sat opposite the bench he was sitting on. I didn’t move. He chuckled.
“Come on Yas, I ain’t gon’ bite.” He spoke those words with a wicked grin on his handsome face; if it could even be called a grin. It had to be the look the wolf wore when he told Little Red Riding Hood to come closer so that he could look in her basket.
“I know you want to find out what’s going to happen to you at this point.” He brought the spoon to his mouth again, satisfied that the bait he had just thrown out would get my feet moving toward that chair.
And it did... slowly I approached him. The closer I got the bigger he got. Goodness gracious, this was a whole-lot-of-man as my grandmother used to say. I pulled the chair out and slid down in it, but my backpack prevented me from sitting comfortably.
“Here, let’s take this off.” Gabriel said reaching across the table lifting my backpack off my back. When he first reached toward me I nearly jumped out the chair. He paused looking over at me.
“I’m not going to hurt you
