“Yes, it is beautiful!”
Gabe spoke softly from where he now leaned against the marble banister watching me. Heat ran up my body. His gaze caused the opposite effect on me than the strange man at the bar. Gabe’s gaze made me think of naughty things. A shiver went through me as I remembered what he had just done to me in the limo.
He smiled wickedly, as if he could hear my thoughts and he knew the effect his lusty eyes were having on me.
“Champagne?” A waiter who seemed to appear out of nowhere holding a golden tray asked. I looked over at Gabe.
“Do you like champagne?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know. I’ve never had it.”
Gabe took two flutes off the tray.
“Thank you!” He told the waiter before he handed me one of the flutes.
I took a little sip kind of afraid, remembering almost dying the first time I drank liquor at Shugga’s Place. I smiled surprised that it didn’t taste that bad. I took a bigger sip.
“I take it you like it?” He muttered coming to stand so close to me I could feel his body heat.
I chuckled stepping away from him as I turned up the glass and took a bigger sip. There was a marble bench close by and I needed to get off my feet.
He sat on the bench next to me. “Are you running from me?”
I shook my head, the champagne causing me to feel warm. “No, my feet hurt! These shoes are torture devices.”
I finished my champagne and Gabe took my empty glass from me before handing me his glass. I frowned.
“Aren’t you going to drink it?”
He shook his head. “I don’t drink.”
I was getting ready to question him about that but he reached down and picked up my leg.
“What are you doing?” I asked as he slipped my shoe off. He brought my leg to rest over his.
“Helping your feet feel better.”
I turned to see if we were still alone. For the most part we were, there was another couple way at the end but they weren’t paying any attention to us.
He began to massage my feet in his big warm hands and a moan came from my throat.
It felt so good!
I bit my bottom lip trying to keep from moaning again as he increased the pressure. This was the closest thing to heaven I had ever felt. And then I remembered what had just happened in the limo and I slowly opened my eyes. My breath caught in my throat because he was watching me with hungry eyes.
“You are so damn sexy shorty!” He mumbled.
I didn’t know how to respond to his compliment, so I lifted my flute and drained my glass. The bubbles tickled my nose, causing me to giggle.
“I got a question for you.” He said still working his magic on my feet.
“Mmmhmm.”
I leaned back on my hands for the first time not afraid to drink him up with my eyes. The champagne, the foot massage, and the throbbing in my core making me feel wantonly.
“Have you ever made love?”
I held up my eyebrow shaking my head at him. “Gabriel Calhoun, you should never ask a lady that.”
He chuckled. “Why? Is the lady afraid to answer my question?”
I shook my head feeling courageous. “Nope, the lady is not. And the answer to your question is no.”
“Before I kissed you, have you ever been kissed?”
I shook my head.
“A boyfriend?”
I shook my head again. He looked out in the vast darkness with an amazed look on his handsome face before his gaze came back to mine.
“How in the hell is that possible?”
I laughed. “My pa-pa!”
“Your pa-pa?”
I nodded. “Mmmhmmm! If my pa even caught some boy sniffing around my post he’d put a bullet in his behind.”
“Yeah, but what about school? He couldn’t be at school with you.”
I shrugged. “Well, he was, because I was homeschooled.”
Gabe nodded understanding. “Your pa-pa is a very wise man.”
The smile left my face. “Was a very wise man, he died four weeks ago.”
“I’m sorry to hear that baby. Is that why you came to New York?”
It was my turn to look off into the distance. I couldn’t tell him why I came to New York, I couldn’t tell anyone. I wondered if he would still want to marry me if he knew I had killed a man. I nodded.
“Yeah, that’s why I came.”
He put his finger on my chin and gently turned my head back to face his.
“Why are you lying to me? What are you hiding?” I shrugged feeling tears trying to come to my eyes.
“Nothing.” I whispered, turning my mother’s ring around my finger. His gaze missed nothing. They fell to my hands then came back up to my eyes.
“Whatever it is baby, you can tell me, I will take care—”
“Mr. Calhoun, they are getting ready to serve dinner!” One of Gabe’s board members called as he approached us.
“Okay, just give us a minute.” The man nodded and went back into the ballroom. Gabe turned to look back at me.
“It’s okay. We can talk about this later. I will fix whatever caused you to look so afraid. Your pa-pa may be gone but I’m here now and will always keep you safe. That’s my word.”
I closed my eyes because I wanted to believe him. I wanted to be able to lean on him. I had been on my own for four weeks and it had been the hardest four weeks of my life. But that was my fate now. I could not trust Gabe. I could not trust anyone. It was just me now, and that’s what it will always be.
* * * * *
“I’m stealing a dance!” Kenny said before he grabbed my hand and twirled me on the floor away from Gabe.
I laughed up into his face thrilled that he was dancing with me. I think it was safe to say that after five glasses of champagne, I was good and tipsy, maybe even
