40. Chapter 40
Iwas drugged on sex. There was no other way in which I could explain what had just happened in my office. My office!
Gabriel had come in early for a meeting where I was, along with Devon, presenting the final plans for the Miami hotel.
”You”re early,” I muttered as I looked through the printouts I was putting together for the presentation. ”I”m not ready. You have to—”
He shut the door and locked it. He prowled…that was the only way to describe it.
”You look good enough to eat.”
I”d dressed carefully and wore a burgundy sheath dress with black high heels.
”I”m busy. Shoo.”
He came to my side of the desk and kissed me. And that”s when I lost my mind.
He had his hands on my ass, squeezing, feeling me while his tongue fucked my mouth, his erection pressed against my stomach.
”Gabriel, this is my place of—”
He spun me around and pushed me, so I was face down on my desk. ”Hold on to something, baby.”
”Oh god.” I was scandalized.
”This is your fault.” I heard his belt buckle release. ”You didn”t come to me last night, and I”m hungry as hell for you.”
I had wanted to work, so I”d stayed at my condo and told him to leave me alone. This meeting was important.
He pushed up my dress and groaned. ”I love your lingerie.”
I”d worn La Perla lace panties in hope that after the meeting, we”d go to my place.
”And you”re wet. I”ve been in your office for two minutes flat, and you”re soaked for me.”
He pulled aside my thong and ran a finger over my slit.
I wanted to stop him. I was lying on top of printouts and papers, and for some reason, I didn”t care.
”Come inside me,” I pleaded.
”I will, baby, but let me look at you.” His hands went up and down my thighs, and then suddenly, he was inside me. I groaned. ”Shh, baby. You”re gonna have to be quiet.”
His fingers never left my clitoris as he pumped in and out of me. ”You”re gonna leave my cum inside you, aren”t you, while you sit prim and proper in that meeting room?”
He was pounding into me now, and my senses were as scattered as the papers falling off the table.
”You”ll be flushed, and I”ll know you”re still wet for me. Still wantin” me. You”ll smell like me, and I”ll smell like you.”
He kept thrusting, as his breathing changed and I knew he was about to come, he pinched my clitoris hard, and I unraveled right before he did. I felt him leak out from inside me onto my thighs.
I leaned on the desk now for support because my legs were shaking. I felt a finger wipe out his semen, rolling down my right thigh. And then he brought that finger to my mouth.
”Open, baby.”
I did and cleaned his finger. ”Yes, like that. Will you suck me off tonight?”
”Yes,” I breathed.
He used tissues to clean me up; pulled my panties up and pushed down my dress. He patted my ass gently and helped me stand.
I turned to face him and watched his smug expression as he fixed his clothes. There was a flush on his high and sharp cheekbones. His eyes were still lit with arousal. There was a sensual lift to his lips. There was no doubt he”d just gotten laid.
”How do I look?” I asked, panicking suddenly, smoothening my hair.
”Thoroughly fucked, darlin”,” he drawled.
”Oh god. We have a meeting and…”
”You have my cum inside you.”
”Stop it,” I admonished. ”Now get out so I can get ready.” I looked at my watch. ”I have just fifteen minutes. Damn it, Gabriel.”
He kissed my mouth. ”You should touch up your lipstick.”
”And you should wipe some off your face.” I pushed him as he laughed.
I wanted to be annoyed but what I felt was intense satisfaction that not only had he lost control, but that I had as well. I was trusting Gabriel again, and it felt good to do so.
”You look beautiful,” he whispered.
I smiled. ”Now, go, get a cup of coffee or something. You”re way too distracting.”
”The feeling is entirely mutual. No one would ever believe that Gabriel Rhodes was so gone for a woman he was ready to disrupt a work meeting for it.”
He seemed surprised by his response to me. Well, join the club. I was just as amazed, and it felt damn good.
Throughout the meeting, I felt a low hum of that euphoric feeling of being in love.
Nina Davenport was at the meeting along with my boss Luna. Stella was going to be the landscape designer on the Miami project, and I knew she could make my dreams of a bit of Versailles in Miami Beach come true. Ginny, our head of construction, asked a ton of questions, which Devon and I answered.
Gabriel had several comments that I wasn”t surprised were well thought through and would only enhance the plan. He knew his hotel business well and knew exactly what sold with his clientele and for how much.
”I”m concerned about the budget,” Nina said as the meeting was coming to an end.
”Budgets are always a concern,” Devon said cheerfully. ”But I think we”re okay. Did you take a look at the numbers I sent you yesterday, Gabe?”
Gabriel nodded, his fingers steepled. ”I”ll add my concern to Nina”s, Devon. I don”t want this project to go over budget by even a cent—we”re already at the edge of what the whitepaper for this project recommended.”
”Check,” Devon said. ”Well, Aurora, looks like we need to maybe tweak a little more. And knowing you, I”m assuming you already know what we need to do to keep us on budget?”
”If you can let go of a few things in the lobby area; and agree to the bathroom fixtures to be what I suggested…we can get there.” I couldn”t keep the excitement out of my voice. This was my first project where I was the lead, and we were almost done with the planning phase.
”Let me think about that,” Devon grumbled. ”She”s tough, Nina.”
”Every time I”m thinkin” that stickin” to the budget will be like trying to nail Jell-O to a wall, Aurora here finds a way,” Nina said in her mellifluous voice.
”Well, Gabriel, what do you think? You approve?” Devon asked.
”I do. Take it to the branding committee and get their approval—then we can release the funds to get you started on construction.” Gabriel gave me a warm smile, and I”d never felt this good about anything I”d ever worked on.
Gabriel told me he”d see me at a restaurant for dinner in an hour as he wanted to talk to Devon.
I was on a high and walked up to Nina”s office, wanting to thank her and Luna for trusting me.
”When Betsy said that she wanted Aurora for this project, I can”t say I didn”t have doubts,” I heard Nina say, and I froze at her door.
”You were already planning to promote her, Nina,” Luna”s voice came through.
”Maybe in six months, I would”ve started her out with a smaller project. But Betsy was adamant. And it wasn”t like I didn”t think Aurora can”t do the job. I just didn”t want to put too much pressure on her too soon.”
”But she”s handled it beautifully,” Luna”s voice was filled with pride.
”I know,” Nina agreed.
I knocked on their door, not wanting to eavesdrop any longer. I walked in when Nina called out for me to enter.
”Aurora, great work today.” Nina waved at the empty client chair next to Luna.
I didn”t sit, couldn”t. ”I”m sorry but I overheard your conversation just now,” I blurted out.
Nina raised an eyebrow.
”Did you promote me because Betsy Rhodes asked you to?”
Luna groaned. ”Fuckin” hell.”
”Sit,” Nina urged.
I did, feeling all the joy I”d been feeling evaporate. I was here because I”d been sleeping with Gabriel, or rather not, and his family had manipulated it so I would spend time with him. Be grateful to him for this opportunity. It was all kinds of wrong.
”You really think I”d give you a job if I thought you couldn”t do it?” Nina challenged.
”That dog won”t hunt, Nina,” I felt rage inside me. ”I heard what you said.”
”And what I said is that I was going to promote you, anyway. I didn”t want to burden you with a big project. It was taking a chance. I like taking chances on people I trust.” Nina didn”t seem a bit fazed by what I was accusing her of. ”And believe me, if I didn”t want to, Betsy Rhodes, friend extraordinaire she may be, wouldn”t be able to make me.”
I looked at Luna, feeling small and petty suddenly.
”Hey, you got here on your own merits. Did Betsy help? Sure. But then my connection with Nina got me my job here, doesn”t mean I wasn”t good enough. Stella”s father”s investment in Savannah Lace made her partner, you think she”s not a good enough landscape architect?” Luna spoke softly, gently, knowing that I was an insecure ninny.
”You sure I”m good enough?” I asked in a small voice, hating that I had dropped my super confident Ice Maiden routine to show Nina who I was though Luna already knew.
”Did you or did you not get approval on a three hundred million dollar project in less than six months?” Nina asked.
I licked my lips. ”I did.”
”Do you think Gabe approved your plan because you”re sleeping with him?”
”Ah…I don”t think so,” I squeaked, my face burning with embarrassment.
”He wouldn”t because he”s all business,” Nina continued, ”I know him and I can tell you, he keeps his personal and professional lives separate.”
”He”s involved with me both personally and professionally,” I argued.
”He demanded the professional.”
I looked at her, confused. ”I thought it was Betsy and—”
”Come on, she came to me because Gabe asked her to. He believes in your work. He”s seen your work. He”d have found another way to woo you back, Aurora. He did this because he saw a win-win.” Nina was using her most no-nonsense tone; I knew to let me know that I was worrying for no reason.
”Thank you.”
”Now, should we go get a drink?” Luna grinned. ”I know Gabe is taking you out for dinner, but we”ll tell him where we are, and he can join us.”
”Maybe bring Devon along,” Nina commented as she looked at her phone.
”We can ask Rose to join,” Luna chuckled, ”They”re keeping it casual…but…you know Rose.”
”Do you all know each other?” I asked, surprised.
”Honey, the Savannah society is small and incestuous,” Nina explained. ”We all know everyone”s business. And since you”re now part of it, what with your association with the Rhodes family, you”re everyone”s business. Don”t be surprised if you find new clients who bring us pots of money so they can get some gossip about Gabriel Rhodes and his new tart.”
”Tart?” I asked, amused.
”Well, yeah. We”re all tarts, darling until we get a ring on the finger.” Luna fluttered her eyelashes. ”That is why so many of us Southern girls get an M.R.S. degree.”
The Missus degree!
”Well, that”s not any of us who work at Savannah Lace,” I gushed.
”We have some married women,” Nina said thoughtfully, ”but you”re right; most of us are single or, like me, divorced. I wonder what that means.”
”Means we”re independent, kick-ass women who don”t think a man is a plan,” Luna announced. ”Now, let”s go clink some champagne glasses together and celebrate the approval of your first major project, Aurora. Because I think there are so many more to come.”
”I have to say one thing, Aurora. If you go to Rhodes Hotel as an in-house architect, I will kick your ass,” Nina warned.
With their banter and sincerity, they”d managed to make my insecurities disappear. I was so grateful to have these women in my life.