Chapter 15 Gabriel
Gabriel
Iopened my eyes to find Sophia smiling, sharing my pillow.
Sunlight bloomed and faded as clouds rolled through the sky, filling the room with natural light then taking it away.
I held her gaze then pulled her closer, resting her head on my shoulder.
She wrapped around me like the soft sheets, her bare breasts pressing against my chest.
“Good morning,” she said.
“Morning,” I replied, my voice tired and raspy. The moment stretched on as I drifted off again. I felt outside of time with her in my arms.
“We have to go to work soon,” she said, kissing my neck and preventing me from falling back asleep. This was the first time I could remember not feeling like shit after waking up. I didn’t feel hungover or the gnawing need for coffee. I felt good just being.
I pulled her tighter against me, unwilling to let this moment fade. “We will call in sick,” I said.
She wiggled out of my grip and climbed on top of me, straddling me. She rocked her hips, teasing me with gentle bounces.
“Time to get up, Gabriel.”
I returned her rocking with a thrust. “I'm up,” I said with a growl.
She laughed, her green eyes twinkling with alluring mischief.
"So you are," she murmured, her delicate hand sliding down my chest as she moved her hips, tracing the contours of my muscles.
I watched as her lips parted slightly in a gasp.
Her teasing grind shifted to more deliberate, pleasure-seeking movements.
Her soft skin against mine felt like pure euphoria.
I tangled my fingers in her hair as she arched her back, accentuating the curvature of her breasts in the morning light.
I let my hands wander over her body, and a devious smile tugged at her lips.
“What?” I asked lightheartedly.
“Nothing,” she said, but her smile remained.
She leaned over me, draping her chest against mine, and began kissing down my chest, moving ever so slowly, lower and lower.
Each kiss coming closer and closer to my cock.
The sheets rustled under us as she finally wrapped her lips around me.
I reached down and grabbed a handful of her hair, pushing her head down.
She pulled up just enough to look up at me. “Oh, not yet,” she said before I felt the warmth and softness of her mouth again. My eyes nearly rolled back as I growled.
At this encouragement, she picked up speed.
“Holy fuck,” I said. She giggled with her mouth full, then took me in deeper.
Pleasure coursed throughout my body as she sucked the life out of me.
A moment later, she crawled up my body, bringing hers closer to mine, tucking her head under my chin.
Feeling her gradually catch her breath against my chest and tracing random patterns on her bare skin, I closed my eyes, holding on to that moment.
“That was fast,” she whispered.
I smiled, keeping my eyes closed. “It’s the morning, what can I say.” I said dismissively, as she giggled again. We lay silently together, savoring the perfect stillness. Then she spoke softly, innocently, “What does this tattoo mean?”
"Ah," I said, a hint of discomfort creeping into my tone as I opened my eyes. Her fingers traced the intricate black snake eating its own tail around my left bicep. The symbol of raw power and dominance that my family all shared. I unclenched my jaw and said, "It's... a family thing. It's nothing."
She propped herself up, her wavy hair falling across my chest. She searched my eyes, looking for the answer I dodged. I sighed and gave in. "It's my family's sigil. We all have it," I said, careful to keep my tone light.
"A family sigil? What is a sigil?" she repeated, her brows furrowing in confusion.
The soft buzzing of my phone vibrated on the nightstand.
I feigned hesitation to answer it, then rolled over, escaping her curiosity.
The moment I had clung to before she started talking had slipped through my fingers, but I was grateful for the perfect timing of the call.
I could feel her eyes drilling into my back as I faced away from her, looking at my phone.
“It’s the office.” I rolled back over. “I should take this,” Before she could protest, I answered. “Hey, it’s Gabriel. Listen, I don’t think I’ll—”
Edwards panicked voice cut me off. “You should get over here, someone broke in last night.”
“What? Did they take anything? How did they get in?”
“We don’t know. They only touched your office.”
My heart thudded in my chest, adrenaline already pumping through my veins.
The air suddenly grew thick, the once comfortable sheets felt hot, tangled and constricting against me.
I glanced at Sophia, who stared back at me with wide-eyed concern.
“I’m on my way.” I hung up the phone and got out of bed, putting on the same clothes as yesterday.
“Get up,” I commanded, forgetting it was Sophia I was talking to.
She swung her bare legs over the edge of the bed and stood up next to me.
Her fingers gingerly grabbed my arm, pressing against the snake tattoo.
“What happened? Is everything okay?”
“Everything is fine, but someone broke in last night.”
Her eyes widened, fear washing over her. "Broke into the office?”
“Yeah. I hate to say it, but you need to get dressed.”
She searched my face and eyes, then relaxed as much as she could in this situation. "Okay," she replied, already moving towards a box of clothes in the corner. I disappeared into the bathroom, scrubbing my face with cold water while she got dressed.
As we drove towards the office, I glanced over at her.
She was hunched slightly in the passenger seat, her forehead creased in worry as she chewed on her lower lip absentmindedly.
The sight stirred a protective instinct within me.
Before I could say anything to reassure her or set her at ease, we arrived.
Yellow police tape blocked off the entrance.
There were uniformed officers milling about, two detectives in cheap, untailored suits stood out in the crowd.
Why were they so interested in a simple robbery?
A cop approached my car as we came to a stop.
“Are you Gabriel?” He asked through my rolled-down window.
“I am. What happened here?”
He looked over his shoulder at the scene.
“Someone, or multiple someones, broke in to your office last night. We need you to get us the surveillance footage. There is no sign of forced entry, no broken windows, no kicked-in doors. The only sign this place was robbed is, well, your office.” He looked at me thoughtfully, as if my face might reveal something.
“Whoever did this planned it well,” he said.
Sophia and I got out of the car and walked together toward the building with the cop. “What exactly happened to my office?” I asked.
We passed by Edward and some other employees sitting in the common area, their eyes lingering on me like deer in headlights.
The officer stopped. “You’re free to take a look, but don’t touch anything.
We still need to take some pictures. Meet me back down here with a copy of the surveillance footage and we will be out of your hair. ”
Sophia and I climbed the stairs in silence.
The long, dark hallway leading to my office felt darker, more narrow than I remembered.
In the corner of my eye, I noticed Sophia wipe her face.
She was successfully holding back her tears silently, until I opened the door.
My office was unrecognizable. Papers were scattered across the carpeted floor, files turned upside down, every drawer on my flipped-over desk open and empty.
The large window that offered a view of the town now bore the haunting reflection of Sophia’s distant stare.
Having seen enough, I came up behind her and held her around the waist. For a long while, neither of us spoke.
“Are you going to check the footage?” she asked, her voice monotone.
I stepped away from her without a word and lifted my desk upright.
I opened my backpack and pulled out my laptop before glancing in her direction, thinking about telling her to come over, then deciding against it.
She didn’t need to see this. I logged into the security software and played the footage.
I saw a man clad in black clothes, his face and head shrouded in a hood and mask.
He casually approached the building, then pulled out a set of lock picks.
He got through the front door as fast as he could have with a key, then disappeared into the building.
I clicked on the next camera, just past the reception area.
He stared right at the camera, but only his eyes were visible.
I was so focused on the video I hadn't noticed Sophia had left the window until she gripped my arm.
She shifted, resting her chin on my shoulder as she watched, her tears dampening the side of my face.
The man entered the elevator and stared deeply into the camera again the entire ride up.
When the elevator door opened, he winked before stepping out.
“Fucker.” I muttered as I switched to the next camera covering the hallway and a small portion of my office.
He knew exactly where it was. I could feel Sophia's racing heart beating against my back.
He strolled down the hall, tried the handle on my locked office door, then pulled out his lock picks again before slithering through.
Through the open door, I could hardly see what he was doing.
He walked over to my desk, opened it, and grabbed my whiskey, then sat at my desk and yawned with an exaggerated stretch.
He propped his feet up and took a long swig, then absentmindedly opened all the drawers.
He read through each paper, dropping some, collecting others, then slid the blue folder containing the incomplete pollution report into his satchel.