8. Gemma
Chapter eight
Gemma
T he last week and a half has been…unexpected. That night when I went on a date with Stephan, I certainly didn’t expect to see Eoghan there, and I didn’t expect for him to corner me in a bathroom—or to kiss me. Well, I think that first kiss was me, actually. Then, when he told me he put a guy on me without telling me, I was so damn angry with him. But still, there was no denying the intense pull I felt toward him. And when he showed up at my apartment later that night, everything I’d kept bottled up inside exploded, just as I knew it would.
I didn’t know what to expect when he dropped me off at my place after breakfast and gave me a toe-curling kiss and devastating smile before heading to his bar, but it wasn’t that he’d show up that night with a bag of takeout and a bottle of wine, that’s for damn sure. And every night that I’ve gotten home from work and a knock sounds at my door with Eoghan on the other side has been just as unexpected. I’d be lying if I said it doesn’t make my heart flutter every time I open the door for him, and I’d also be lying if I said that doesn’t scare me. We haven’t fully defined what’s happening. Honestly, I have a feeling Eoghan doesn’t want me thinking too hard about the turn of events, considering how hard I fought him and the idea of the possibility of an us. But just because I haven’t voiced my concerns or insecurities doesn’t mean they aren’t sitting under the surface, waiting to rear their ugly little heads.
Sitting at my desk while going over the numbers from our latest campaign, I’m trying to pack in as much work as possible before lunch so I can take a half day. Giada and her husband are leaving for Italy today. She wants to introduce Luca to her Italian side of the family. They don’t have a return flight booked yet, deciding to stay in Italy indefinitely, so I have no idea when I’ll get to see her again.
So far, I’m pleased with the results and the minor tweaks we’ve had to make throughout the launch. Marketing isn’t something that’s ever finished. It’s constantly changing and evolving, and you have to roll with the waves or get swept under the current. That's something I excel at. I have a certain knack for seeing the pieces that aren’t working or can be made just that much better, even in the craziness of a launch. It’s a talent that I've always been proud to possess, and Natalie has often recognized it as well.
The knock on my door startles me out of the numbers haze I’ve been drowning in for the last three hours.
When Natalie peeks her head in, I offer her a smile. “Come on in.”
She shuts the door and pulls a bottle of champagne from behind her back in one hand while holding two champagne flutes with the other.
“Girl, I just got off the phone with one of the biggest high-end department stores on the East Coast. They ordered five thousand units of the new line. We need to celebrate,” she exclaims as she walks to my desk and sets the glassware down so she can uncork the bubbly.
“Drinking on the job? How scandalous. What would my boss say?” I joke as I add a mental reminder to add the new figures to the campaign's cost analysis.
“She would say you did a kick-ass job and deserve to take a little champagne break.”
Laughter escapes us both as she hands me the filled glass. “Have I ever told you I have the best boss?”
“I think she would agree.”
We toast and sip from our glasses, the bubbles tickling my nose.
“I knew from the minute you walked into this building you were going to be amazing. I love it when I prove myself right.” Natalie grins, and I dip my head in appreciation.
We chat a bit about some long-term marketing ideas. I have to keep the buzz going over the first ready-to-wear line Aubine has ever released. When Natalie moves to pour me another glass, I shake my head. “I have to get this work done so I can get out of here in a few. A friend is having a little honeymoon send-off party, and I told her I’d be there.”
“Good for you. You work too damn much. And that’s coming from a workaholic.” Her brow arches in that knowing way.
I shake my head with a smile on my face. “But they say if you love what you do, you never work a day in your life.”
Natalie stands from the chair across my desk. “Do you love it?” she asks, studying my expression.
“It’s what I grew up wanting with my entire heart. Of course I love it. I wouldn’t be here otherwise.”
She nods with her lips tipped up at the edges. “Good. That makes me happy to hear.” She grabs the bottle and her glass. “I’ll let you get back to it so you can get out of here. Great fucking job, Gemma. I’m proud of you.”
I preen a bit at her compliment. Natalie is a tough boss who expects the absolute best from her team, so when I hear that from her, it means that much more.
She heads out of my office as my phone dings with an incoming text.
Eoghan: When are you getting here? I miss your mouth.
Me: Jesus, you’re so damn needy.
Eoghan: Yes. I am. And I’m not afraid to admit it. Hurry the hell up, blondie.
Me: Well, stop texting me so I can get back to work, then.
He sends me a text with a little yellow emoji face with a zipper for a mouth.
I shake my head and lay my phone next to my laptop.
We’ve spent every night together, except yesterday when he had to work late and cover for one of his bartenders who had a sick kid at home. He told me he’d come over after he closed the bar, but there was no way in hell I was going to wait up for him that late. He pouted over text, but I held firm. Plus, I needed a minute to catch my breath.
Sex and feelings were easy for me to separate in college. I didn’t have much time for a social life, but I dated around, kept my options open, and when the mood would strike, I’d go home with a guy. But I was laser-focused on getting a degree, and that took precedence over a college romance. When I moved to Boston and started working, the amount of time I spent in the office was rarely short of sixty hours per week, more if we were launching a new line. I went on a few dates and finally found someone who I thought understood the demands of my job. He was working on his own internship in finance law. He was a few years older and had a smile that charmed the panties right off me. I thought I was the luckiest woman in the world. I was working my dream job, had a boyfriend who was so far from the losers my mom dated when I was growing up it was laughable, and he loved me.
Then, one night, I decided to bring him and his colleagues a late dinner at his office. I understood working insane hours to impress the boss, and it was the first time since I could remember that I was out of the office before him. Turns out that charming smile worked on his boss the same as me. I looked up to her as a woman who made it in a man’s world. She was successful and didn’t need a husband and kids to make her feel fulfilled. No, she preferred for my boyfriend to fill her—at least, that’s what she was screaming about when I opened his office door. The look of shock on his face didn’t surprise me. Neither did the look of victory on hers. I knew women like her. I’d met plenty in college. They liked fucking another girl’s boyfriend for the simple fact that they could. I threw the container of shrimp lo mein at him and left the office as fast as my four-inch heels would carry me.
Alessia came and stayed at my apartment that weekend. When Richard, my ex, came banging on the door, she opened it with that shark smile she’d really honed to perfection throughout the years I'd known her. He argued with her because she refused to move out of his way.
Then, in a voice that held all the authority befitting a Mafia princess, she looked him dead in the eye and asked him, “Do you know who my father is?”
Richard visibly swallowed and nodded. The Amatto name was whispered in certain circles in Boston, and being that Richard was going into finance law, some of those circles occasionally overlapped.
“Then you know that the man standing behind you will make sure you eat through a straw for the next six to eight weeks with one word from me. The fancy lawyer bitch you were fucking won’t come to rescue you. In fact, Richard, piss me off enough and I’m sure my father can call some of his contacts and have her disbarred, and you put under investigation for a slew of crimes. I suggest you leave and never come back. Do not test me, Richard. I don’t make idle threats.”
When he turned, Enzo was so close Richard had to take two wide steps to the right to move out of his way before he could tuck tail and run. If I wasn’t so heartbroken, I probably would have laughed outright at the petrified look on my ex’s face.
When Enzo looked at his retreating form, he shook his head. “I could follow him and break his nose if you want,” he offered.
I just shook my head and sighed.
“How about some ice cream then? Still like rocky road?”
I nodded and that’s when the tears started again, and Enzo looked wholly uncomfortable. That was the day I decided he was my honorary big brother, and I would never date a man who worked in law or had that charming of a smile again. That’s why I’m feeling all kinds of fucked up with my Eoghan situation. The man oozes charm and has disarmed me more than once when he turns that smile on me. As far as the law part, he’s the exact opposite, but there’s no denying his past as the perpetual bad-boy bachelor, brother of the head of the Irish mob, and player extraordinaire. Maybe that’s why I haven’t told my best friend that we’ve been sleeping together for almost two weeks. Hell, I haven’t told her anything about Eoghan. The last time he was discussed, I said there was no way in hell I would go there.
But I did.
Many, many times.
An hour later, I’m shutting down my computer and grabbing my bag to head to Clovers where everyone is meeting to give Giada and Luca a send-off. The place is pretty empty, but considering it’s midafternoon, I’m not surprised. The only time I’ve been here was during a fight night, and obviously those are busy as hell.
When I walk through the front door, Alessia waves to me from her seat at the table toward the back, where the Monaghans can be found taking up residence anytime they’re here. Giada is sitting next to Luca at the large round wooden table, nuzzled into his side, with Cillian sitting between her and Finn. I can tell all of the hesitation she had about being around the Monaghan clan has vanished as she says something to Eoghan, and he tips his head back in laughter with her chuckling along with him. Luca lovingly places a kiss on the top of her head, and a gooey feeling warms my chest; those two are so in love and happy after everything they went through to get here.
Shit. Eoghan must be turning me into some sort of softy.
Yeah, we’ll go with that.
Alessia stands from her seat and envelops me in a quick hug. “You finally made it,” she says, and then releases me so I have a chance to greet everyone else at the table. I give Eoghan a bland hello, and I can tell he’s a little disappointed with the lack of enthusiasm in my greeting. What does he expect, though? To kiss him senseless in front of the entire table before I’ve even mentioned to my best friend that we’ve been spending time together? Or maybe I’m reading too much into the look on his face. I don’t know. I don’t know how to handle any of this if I’m being honest with myself. The feelings, where we are with each other, keeping it a secret without necessarily meaning to—all of it. I sit next to Alessia in the only empty seat between her and Eoghan. There’s no doubt in my mind he placed himself there on purpose, and if the look Giada is giving me is any indication, she knows it too.
“You want something to drink, blondie?” Eoghan asks, and I give him a withering look when he uses my nickname.
“Watch out. She’s emasculated men for less,” Alessia says with amusement lacing her tone.
“Nah. She likes me too much,” Eoghan replies.
I arch my eyebrow and tilt my head to the side. “Careful, Eoghan. That confidence is going to get you in trouble one of these days.”
“Oh, are you going to spank me? I’ve never been into that type of foreplay, but I could get behind it.”
Finn clears his throat, shooting Eoghan one of his signature you’re on thin ice looks. So, he hasn’t said anything to his brother about what’s been going on between us. Good. Although, if he had, there's no doubt in my mind I would have received a very angry phone call from Alessia about why her husband found out about anything before she did.
“If you consider getting a swift kick to the balls foreplay, then by all means, keep talking.” I shoot him a smile that’s all teeth and zero warmth.
Eoghan laughs and stands from his seat. “Yeah, I’m good on that, thanks. But I’ll still get you a drink even though you're threatening my manhood.”
I look at Alessia's glass of white wine. “Whatever she’s drinking will be fine.”
Eoghan nods and heads to the bar, returning with a glass filled to the brim. When he hands me the glass, our fingers brush for the slightest moment before I bring it to my lips and take a healthy swig of the cold wine. I knew this was going to be hard—pretending like it’s business as usual between me and Eoghan—but I wasn’t going to miss the opportunity to spend some time with Giada—or my best friend—before she left. But I swear to God, if Eoghan doesn’t stop giving me those private looks that tell me he’s counting the seconds before we can be alone, I’m going to fucking combust at this table. Every time I take a sip of my wine, I catch him staring at me from the corner of my eye as though he wishes my lips were somewhere else—somewhere not fit for the general public. At one point, when everyone is engrossed in their own conversations, I turn my head to Eoghan and give him that wide-eyed look that says knock it the hell off. The smirk he gives in return tells me he has no intention of toning it down.
Oh my God, we’ve turned into that couple that talks with their eyes. When the hell did that happen?
An hour passes, and Eoghan refills all of our glasses. Giada tells us about everything she’s excited to show Luca in Italy, along with all the food and shopping she’s excited about. Luca looks on with utter devotion in his gaze as his wife talks, continuously stroking her arm as though he can’t stand to not touch her.
“Any idea when you two are coming back?” Finn asks his cousin.
“Not a clue. I’ve spent the last seven years as someone else. Maybe I’ll spend the next seven being a nomad with my wife.”
“As long as you know you always have a home with us. Both of you,” Finn tells him.
Giada smiles at her husband then Finn. “Thank you. We’ll be back, though. I promise. I think I want to take some college classes.”
“Oh,” Alessia chimes in. “What are you thinking?”
Giada starts telling us about her ideas and interests. Maybe something in the restaurant business, but she isn’t sure. Her mom and grandmother were amazing cooks, and Giada inherited their love of baking and cooking. When she was living under her father’s roof, she was never allowed the opportunity to pursue any higher education or have any sort of career. She was basically raised to be a housewife to a high-ranking man in whichever family her father wanted her to marry into. I don’t think the Monaghans were the one he had in mind, though.
I lean over and let Alessia know that I need to use the restroom before standing from my chair. The glazed smile from my best friend tells me she’s definitely feeling the effects of the wine. She’s always been a lightweight.
After washing my hands, I step out of the bathroom and back into the dimly lit hallway when a hand grasps my wrist and pulls me through another door. Before I can even let out a yelp of surprise, demanding lips meet mine in the dark room. Familiar lips that have spent the last week and a half tracing every inch of my naked body.
When Eoghan releases my mouth and trails his tongue down the column of my neck, a needy moan escapes my throat.
“What are you doing?” I whisper. “Everyone is right outside.”
Eoghan flicks the light switch on, and a soft glow illuminates his office—or what I’m assuming is his office since I’ve never been inside this part of the building.
“I couldn’t sit next to you for another second and not touch you,” he whispers hotly into my ear.
“This is going to look suspicious,” I say as I run my fingers through his short, blond hair.
“Yeah, I can tell you’re really worried.”
“Shut up.” I pull his lips back to mine and practically climb his body as I delve my tongue into his mouth. God, one night away from him, and I’m so damn desperate to feel him again, I’m willing to throw caution to the wind and take whatever he can give me before heading back out to meet our friends. Hopefully, what he plans on giving me is at least two orgasms.
My legs wrap around his waist, and Eoghan carries me over to his desk, setting me on the edge before he sits in his chair directly across from me.
“I missed you last night,” he says, running his hands up my covered thighs.
“Me or my pussy?” I ask as his fingers undo the button of my black slacks, and he lowers the zipper.
He stops and looks me straight in the eye. “You, Gemma. Always you.” His mouth quirks up in a devious smirk. “But your pussy is a close second.”
I chuckle, trying to dispel the heavy feeling that settled in my chest when he said he missed me. I missed him too. And that thought alone should have me walking out of this room right now. But it doesn’t. Instead, I lift my hips from the desk, allowing him to slide my pants over my hips and down my legs before he removes my heels and pants in one fluid motion. Eoghan places both of my feet on the armrests of his chair, opening me up to his heated gaze.
“Fuck, blondie. Fisting my cock to the memory of you last night doesn’t even compare to seeing you in the flesh.” He dips his head toward my center and takes a long lick over my panties. “Not even fucking close.”
Before words have a chance of forming on my tongue, he pulls the thin, lacy material to the side and dives in, licking at me furiously.
“Holy shit,” I breathe out as his mouth begins its mission to destroy me in the best possible way.
When he pushes one, then two fingers inside of me and immediately finds that spot, my walls begin to tremble with my impending orgasm. Eoghan groans into my pussy, feeling the same thing. He works double time as his finger massages over my G-spot, bringing me to the edge faster than ever before. I come completely undone, trying to keep my voice down in case anyone comes looking for me, but a high-pitched cry manages to escape.
When I come down, Eoghan takes his mouth from my center and looks up at me with unbridled need in his gaze. “Fucking hell, Gemma. Take your top off,” he says while standing from his seat. He quickly unbuckles his belt, pulling his pants down to release his hard cock. “I want to suck on your tits while I fuck you on my desk.”
He opens his desk drawer and finds a condom before sheathing himself while I rip the light sweater from my body and drop it next to me. I unclasp my bra and discard it on top of my sweater. Eoghan looks up from his task and mutters something before attaching his mouth to my pebbled nipple and sucking hard. When he releases me, he lines his cock up to my pussy and slams in. It’s fast and frenzied, and I absolutely love it. I lean back on my elbows, arching my back to give him better access to my breasts, which he wastes no time taking advantage of. He laves one nipple, then the other, nibbling and sucking while he pumps into me over and over. We’re both so wrapped up in the glorious sensations of him being inside of me that it takes a moment to register the incessant knocking on his office door.
“Eoghan,” a voice barks from the other side. “Get out here. The Russians are here.”
“Fuck,” Eoghan gripes before calling to whoever is on the other side that he’ll be right there.
“Who was that?” I ask as he pulls from me and rips the condom from his still-hard dick.
“Cillian.”
Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit. There’s no way he doesn’t know what we were doing in here.
“Get dressed,” he says, pulling his pants up his legs before he tucks himself into his jeans. I put my bra back on with shaky fingers and tug my sweater over my head. Eoghan helps me back into my pants and slips my shoes back on my feet before opening the drawer to his desk and pulling out a gun.
“I take it the Russians aren’t friends of yours?” I ask as he tucks the gun in the back of his pants and covers the butt with his shirt.
“Not by a long shot. Stay behind me.” He opens the door to his office, and we both walk out to the bar.
I spot Alessia and Giada by the jukebox, staying out of whatever is going on with the three Russians and the rest of the Monaghans. Luca glances at us briefly, then fixes his attention on the strangers standing at our table.
“That’s what he wanted you to know,” the stranger in front says to Finn. I have no idea who he is or what they were talking about before we came out here, but judging by the tension visible on everyone’s face, it isn’t good. “His plans to make his way into Boston have been put on hold.”
“Tell him he’d better keep it that way. I’m not open to any new alliances with him or anyone from New York,” Finn says, his cold eyes never leaving the man he’s speaking to.
The man nods in Finn’s direction, then his attention turns to me and Eoghan, who’s wound tighter than a drum, standing slightly in front of me.
“You look familiar,” he says to me, staring at me like wherever he knows me from is right on the edge of his memory. “Have you ever lived in New York?”
“Nope. And never plan on it,” I reply, crossing my arms over my chest. I don’t feel bad for the attitude radiating from me right now. These guys obviously aren’t friends of the Monaghans.
“Hmm. Could have sworn I knew you.” He turns and meets Eoghan’s hard gaze, then Cillian and finally Luca and Finn, who are still sitting at the table. “I'll let you get back to your celebration. Have a good night.”
The three men turn and leave the bar. The interaction took less than a minute, but something inside me is left unsettled.
“That was fucking ballsy as hell,” Alessia comments when she walks back to the table. “For all they knew, you could have shot them on sight.”
“That’s probably why Nikolai sent Andrei. He knows if Luca sees his face, he might do just that. And in Irish territory, he’d definitely get away with it,” Cillian mutters, his dark stare focused on the door they just exited through.
Andrei . I don’t think I’ve ever met an Andrei in my life. I’ve only been to New York a handful of times, usually for Fashion Week with Natalie. For some reason, this Andrei guy doesn’t seem the type to attend runway shows.
Alessia and Giada return to their seats next to their husbands, and Alessia tucks herself into Finn’s side before looking in my direction. There’s something in her eyes that’s giving me the feeling she knows exactly where I’ve been and what I’ve been doing. She just shakes her head a bit, and the conversation resumes at the table for a few minutes before Giada and Luca stand to say their goodbyes. I know for a fact their plane doesn’t leave for several hours, but the way Luca is looking at his wife, I have a sneaking suspicion they aren’t going home to pack.
“I’m going to miss you,” I say, pulling Giada into a hug.
“I’m going to miss you, too.” When she pulls away, her mouth is right next to my ear. “Your sweater is on inside out,” she whispers quickly before releasing me then turning to her husband. “Ready?” Luca nods, and they both wave as they walk out of the bar into the afternoon sun.
“I’ll be right back,” I say to no one in particular as I haul ass to the bathroom.
“Son of a bitch,” I mutter when I see my reflection and the state of my clothes. I rip the sweater off and fix it before slipping it back over my body. I’m positive that’s why Alessia gave me that look. She saw me standing next to Eoghan and undoubtedly put two and two together. Hell, everyone in the bar probably figured it out.
When the door opens, I don’t have to look up to know that my best friend is standing behind me. I turn around to find her standing in front of the door with her arms crossed.
“I’m not going to ask you to explain this second even though it’s killing me not knowing everything this instant. But I know whatever’s going on with you and my brother-in-law, you’ve kept under wraps for your own reasons. I get it. But just know I’ll be showing up to your apartment very soon with a bottle of wine, expecting all the details.”
I nod. “Fair.”
Alessia has always been good about not pushing me on anything. There are things she doesn’t know about my past simply because I’m no longer that person. She never insisted on having my entire life’s story, just as I didn’t insist on having hers. There are things about her life I’m not privy to, and vice versa. That’s always been okay between us. I don’t think that’s going to be the case here, though.
And that only gives me a few days to figure out what the hell I’m going to tell her and everyone else. Whether Eoghan and I like it or not, our bubble has burst, and it’s time to face reality.