Chapter Seven
Nora didn’t see their relationship lasting long. Sure, the sneaking around was a lot of fun. Gabriel had gained himself a lot of privacy in the last few years of his life. She had heard the gossip around the office about the women he dated, and the wild life he used to live. He was like a completely different person as far as she knew.
Then of course, she expected only to be “flavor of the week.”
Only that week turned into two. Three weeks rolled by. A month. Two months. Three months. And they were still together.
When he had to go away on business trips, she went back to her old apartment. The moment he came home, he was there, picking her up, and taking her back to his place. She kept on top of her rent, as she refused to give up her independence.
No one but Trudy knew about their relationship. She had caught them kissing one lunchtime, and Trudy had announced she was back. Gabriel had told her not to worry.
There were several promotions that came open within the company, but she decided to focus on her new job role, which she did happen to enjoy. She didn’t realize how quickly people passed up the job of working in the mail room. There were a lot of people who quit, and others just moved on either in the company, or onto another job.
She was entering four months of a whirlwind relationship.
On Friday lunch, she made her way to his floor, stepped off, and much to her surprise, found Trudy there.
“Hello,”
Nora said.
Gabriel tended to send Trudy to lunch, or have her run some errand that would then consist of her eating lunch elsewhere. Nora had felt so bad in the early days, until Trudy had taken her to the side and told her that she loved what was happening.
She had a feeling Trudy had hoped more would come of her and Gabriel. That was not going to happen. She had told the older woman the same thing, but Trudy said she had an eye for this kind of thing, and it was very much going to happen.
“Nora, you’re here already.”
“It’s lunchtime and Gabriel told me to not be late.”
She glanced toward his office and paused.
She was not used to Gabriel having people in his office. Being the boss, she knew he had a lot of visitors, but this was one of the ex-girlfriends. A supermodel.
Nora took a deep breath. “He’s busy,” she said.
“No, you don’t have to leave. He will be done in a minute. Don’t worry.”
She was not going to sit waiting for the boss to be done with an ex-girlfriend. Nora couldn’t help but glance at the woman and feel every ounce of insecurity because why was Gabriel with her?
“I’ve got to go.”
After their first kiss, she had felt this panic, this fear. It had slowly died within her, but now, as she truly got a good look at one of Gabriel’s exes, she didn’t get it.
Nora was just a normal woman. She didn’t stop men on the street and have them gawk at her. She certainly didn’t turn heads. Even when she went to that charity dinner, there was no one craning their neck to get her attention.
And yet, Gabriel wanted her. He loved beautiful women, that was no surprise. She knew that when she met him. His reputation for a list of girlfriends was somewhat legendary.
Even though she had attempted to keep her feet firmly on the ground, it would seem, against her will, they had already started to float away.
She didn’t say another word as she made her way toward the elevator, going straight toward her floor, where she was meant to be. She was just an employee. This was just … not even a fairy tale. This was just a crazy way of looking at life and love.
There was no way Gabriel was going to love her. He was so far out of her league, it wasn’t even funny. Arriving back at her floor, she got to her desk, and at first she just frowned. The truth was, her heart was breaking, and this was not a good sign nor a good feeling. A broken heart meant she had done the unthinkable, and that was not good.
There was no way she could be in love with Gabriel. It was just not right. They were not compatible. She had to make a break.
The very idea of looking for a brand-new job did not appeal. Maybe just … focusing on her job, and ending this with Gabriel. That was what she needed to do. The temptation to leave and call in sick was strong, but she was not a quitter. Even though at times throughout her life, it had felt like she was a quitter. She wasn’t.
Squaring her shoulders, she pushed all thoughts and pain of Gabriel out of her mind, and instead got to work. There was no reason to stop for lunch as she had lost her appetite anyway. Clicking her tongue, she got stuck in her work. The time ticked by, and she made her usual deliveries. As she had already made the first mail delivery to Gabriel, she didn’t need to make a second trip, which was a welcome relief.
She helped her employees, tackled problems, and made notes of the supplies that would be needed.
It was a little after two, when the floor seemed to go quiet, and she spun around to see that Gabriel had entered the mail room. She felt her cheeks start to heat. Since she had taken over, the only time he ventured down here was after everyone had left. She didn’t want gossip spreading.
He walked up to her. “In my office, now,” he said.
Nora looked at him with a frown. He didn’t say anything else but spun on his heel and left. He’d done this on purpose. Gabriel knew she wouldn’t want to make a scene, and by ignoring his demand, that would get people gossiping.
She offered a smile at everyone, and then walked toward the elevator.
Do not fall in love with this man. It is too dangerous.
Nora had to keep reminding herself to always keep her feet firmly on the ground. This is what she needed to do. Feet firmly on the ground. And yet, she felt ready to run.
Her feelings for Gabriel were not going away. They were not casual. Having sex, being around him, seeing the man beneath the corporate mask, she was falling for him, and this was going to end badly for her. She knew this, and yet she got on that elevator and felt her heart race. She felt a tightening in her stomach.
Gabriel didn’t move.
Neither of them made a sound.
The elevator was taking its sweet time getting them to his floor, and she wanted to scream at it to go faster. The sooner this was over and done with, the better.
Finally, the elevator opened, and she stepped out, hoping to see Trudy. The other woman was gone.
Gabriel took hold of her arm, and marched her into his office. “Why did you leave?”
he asked, pulling her around to face him, and this time not letting her go.
“You had company, and if you remember, we’re keeping this a secret.”
She wanted to ask him so many questions, but she kept them to herself.
Why was his ex at his workplace? What were they talking about?
So many questions.
“This fucking secret thing again. You didn’t want anyone else to know about us. I’m keeping to your agreement but that doesn’t mean I agree with it.”
She nibbled her lip and clasped her hands together, not exactly sure what to say to him.
“I think I should get back to work.”
“Damn it, Nora. You know that was an ex, right? You know that,”
Gabriel said.
She glanced down at the floor and nodded. “Yes.”
“She was trying to convince me I was the father of her upcoming baby,”
Gabriel said.
This made Nora jerk. She took a step back. “What?”
She hadn’t even considered the thought of Gabriel cheating. This was … had he cheated? Did it count as cheating if they were not really together, together?
“I’m not,”
Gabriel said. “I’ve not been with Maya for months. She had her details crossed, and trust me, I cover all my tracks. I always wear a rubber, and there is no way that baby is mine. She wants to try and argue with me, but as I explained, our brief time together ended when I caught her giving a blowjob to my father.”
Nora gasped. She had taken a step back but Gabriel closed that distance.
“She did that?”
Nora asked.
“Yes.”
He took a deep breath. “You had good parents. I had a great-grandfather who was more of a parent than my own. My own parents keep trying to take my company from me. They’ve ran my grandfathers into the ground, and now they’re after mine. They use anyone at their disposal. They had gotten to Maya, offered her the life of a queen, all she had to do was get pregnant. Seeing her with my dad made me realize I couldn’t trust anyone.”
Nora had absolutely no idea.
****
Gabriel was pissed off.
Maya had made a big mistake. His parents were getting desperate. George had been caught attempting to steal client requests and documents for his parents to steal. He’d been fired and was facing criminal charges. This is why he didn’t call people out, he waited for them to do damage, and he just handled the rest.
Now his ex of over a year came calling, trying to manipulate him into believing three months ago they hooked up, and she was now pregnant with his son. He had a horrible suspicion the baby Maya carried was in fact his father’s. He knew they were desperate. A DNA test would show him not to be the father, but he wondered if they were hoping using his dad would create a confusing reading.
That was never going to work, especially as he had the memory of Nora and himself finally hooking up three months ago. He hadn’t been interested in any other woman since he first caught sight of Nora. She had called to him from a distance, not that anyone would understand that. To women like Maya, Nora was a no one.
Gabriel had seen Nora leave, and he’d looked at her as she stepped on the elevator and knew what her facial expression meant. He couldn’t have her believing she was less. Did she not see he was fucking devoted to her?
After he had warned Maya about her next steps, Trudy had come in to tell him what he already knew. Nora was breaking. He’d not been honest with her about his parents, about anything.
“Your parents do that?”
Nora asked.
“I guess they’re like your aunt and uncle, only they like to send in spies,”
he said. “I’ve had them attempting to steal client files and poach my business. They have reported some of my companies as well. That worked for a while, but I’ve proven to be a good employer. There have been countless lawsuits. They have stopped, as I realized what was happening, and put in all the necessary security details to help.”
He was not going to tell her there was a rape allegation.
His grandfather had told him to watch his back by any means possible, and so he had, at each step. Security cameras were located in all parts of his building. They had saved him a lot of trouble when the cops came calling.
“Wow,”
Nora said. “I had no idea.”
He moved toward his desk. “The private investigator I hired came back with the details. Your aunt and uncle forged your signature, relinquishing the power over your parents’ estate.”
Gabriel saw Nora’s frown.
“You don’t need to talk about my aunt and uncle. This must be a big deal for you, having a woman accuse you of being the father of her child?”
Nora went to him, and he watched as she reached out and cupped his cheek. “How are you?”
This was a first. Trudy and his grandfather were the only two people to ever care and ask him how he felt. No one else had cared. Everyone had always been after something.
Now Nora cared, and he saw it in her eyes.
“I’m fine. It’s something I’m used to.”
She let out a light laugh. “Gabriel, something like this is not getting used to. It’s absurd.”
He reached in and kissed her lips. “Then next time, don’t walk away,” he said.
She nibbled her lip and pulled her hand away, but he reached for her, pulling her closer. There was no way he was going to let her pull away.
“Gabriel, come on.”
“No. You’re mine, Nora. I’m saying it now, and today is why I didn’t want this to be private. You and I are in this together. I want you.”
There, he had said it. Trudy had warned him that if he didn’t act quickly, he was going to lose Nora.
“What are you saying?”
“Be mine,” he said.
Nora stared at him and he saw he’d shocked her.
“You mean that?”
she asked.
“Yes.”
He’d never been surer of anything in his life.
“But, people are going to talk. They’re going to assume I got my job by sleeping with you.”
“Nora, I don’t give a fuck what people think, and you know what, neither should you. They’re going to come to their own conclusions.”
He couldn’t believe he was attempting to do this.
After listening to Trudy, he’d felt this fear, and that was something he wasn’t used to feeling. All his life, he had dealt with whatever came at him, especially in the form of his parents. The very thought of losing Nora and not being able to win her back, or for her to understand what she meant to him, scared him more than anything else in the world. This has been eye-opening.
The last few months had been a crazy train, that was for sure. He’d known from the very beginning that Nora was different. She was not like any of the other women he’d been with.
“You’re sure you want this?”
Nora asked. “Because we can just call it a fling right now, and then it can all be over.”
“No, this is not a fling and you know it.”
He wrapped an arm around her.
He’d been her first lover, and he was going to be her last. Pulling her in close, he stared into her eyes and was totally mesmerized. She had such stark brown eyes, deep in color. When he looked into her eyes, he saw true beauty, and she looked at him as a man. Not a meal ticket.
“Then kiss me,”
Nora said.
He stared at her inviting lips and was just about to do that, but the paperwork he had on his desk couldn’t wait.
“Nora, you need to know what happened and how your aunt and uncle gained power.”
“Shut up, Gabriel, and just kiss me. That can wait.”
He smiled down at her and took full possession of her lips, and this time it felt different. Nora had chosen him. Just as he had chosen her, not for something brief, but for the rest of their lives. He didn’t want to ever stop.
Sliding one of his hands up her back, he sunk his fingers into her hair and held onto her. He didn’t want to ever let her go. Nora moaned, and he swallowed it down, moving her back toward her desk, to press her against it.
“Am I interrupting something?”
Trudy asked.
Gabriel groaned. He was hard as rock, but he still wore his jacket, which would hide how aroused he was.
“You said you were leaving for the afternoon,”
Gabriel said.
“Well, I was, and I was attempting to complete some of my chores, and then I wanted to be the first one to congratulate the two of you. You’re going to make this work, and I know it is going to be great for both of you.”
Trudy moved forward, and it was strange, but Gabriel knew his grandfather would also approve, because Trudy did as well. “He’d be so proud of you.”
Gabriel nodded and he looked toward Nora, seeing the confusion on her face. “My grandfather.”
“Oh,”
Nora said with a smile.
“And he would have adored you,”
Trudy said.
This was surreal, but it felt good.
Trudy had been with him through thick and then. Yes, she had always criticized his choices, but she had never stopped him from making mistakes.
“Don’t let anything hold either of you back.”
Trudy held onto his hand as well as Nora’s. “You both have this.”
And with that, Trudy left his office and he turned toward Nora.
“You’re not scared?” he asked.
She shook her head. “I mean, not of Trudy, but now that you say that, I can’t help but wonder if I should?”
“I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”
He knew the vultures would be circling, but none of them would touch Nora. She was special. He’d known it from the moment he met her, he just wasn’t expecting how special she was going to be to him.
His grandfather had told him that when he found the right woman, he was going to know what it felt like to fear loss. To fear losing it all. Today, listening to one of his exes tell him she was pregnant, attempting to force him to take responsibility for his father’s baby, it opened his eyes.
If Nora hadn’t listened to him, there was a high chance he was going to lose her. He was never going to let that happen.
His parents weren’t finished, but he didn’t know for sure how far they were willing to go to get exactly what they wanted.