11. Chapter Eleven
~Gabriel~
If I thought concentrating on work had been difficult before Jen’s visit, it became almost impossible afterwards. Assuming she actually lived in Pasadena as she told me she did, and I couldn’t really imagine why she would have lied about that part, she’d come a long way just to see me.
She seemed sincere, but then, I’d thought that before. Obviously, I wasn’t the best judge of character, and I hated not being able to trust myself. It left me feeling completely off-balance and unsure which way to step next.
Desperate to do something concrete, I reached out to my lawyer and asked her to verify what Jen said. In response, she sent over the messages between Jen and Celine that Jen provided. Over my lunch break, I stayed hidden in my office and read through them all, juxtaposing them with the messages between me and Jen, which Jen had also provided since Celine had deleted them on my end.
Reading through our conversations through a new lens, it felt even more dishonest and underhanded to me, but I couldn’t deny that what Jen told me seemed to be true: she did tell Celine that she didn’t think I would cheat, and she tried to end the job a few different times. Celine kept pushing, and that would be when Jen turned more aggressive in her flirting. Before, I wondered if she had some kind of split personality. Now, I could see that it came down to Celine pulling the strings in the background .
Nothing she told me that morning seemed to be a lie, but did I want to put my faith in someone who literally lied to men for a living?
Did you actually go to work today?
Monica’s message, received mid-afternoon, made me smile, one of the few things that had all day.
I did. Are you just waking up?
I had the day off work, thankfully. How’s it going?
Not getting a lot of work done, but I’m here. Jen stopped by.
Rather than reply to that, Monica called me, the sound startling me as I sat with my phone still in my hand.
“She came to your office? In person? Tell me everything, now!”
Rising from my seat, I went to close my office door so I could speak without being overheard. I didn’t want to take any chances, especially with Isaac lurking around. “Yes, she just showed up, out of the blue, because I hadn’t returned her calls. A lot like you did, actually.”
“It’s a good strategy,” Monica confirmed. “I can vouch for it, it works. Maybe you can learn from this and pick up the phone once in a while. But let’s get to the point: what did she say?”
“She gave me her side of the story, I guess.”
“Which is?”
As thoroughly as I could, I repeated what Jen told me and what I’d read in the screenshots. “According to the screenshots, she didn’t send Celine any of the messages from the time we were at the hotel together. Celine must have gotten those through my account, just like you suggested when you were drunk yesterday.”
“That’s because drunk me is really rather brilliant at times,” Monica said with a laugh. “But this is great news! It means Jen didn’t betray you. She really is on your side, at least once she figured out something fishy was going on. ”
“But she didn’t tell me the truth,” I countered. “She had so many opportunities during that weekend, we spent so much time together. At any point, she could have told me about Celine hiring her, but she didn’t.”
Monica pondered that for a moment before asking a simple question. “Did you ask her why?”
I hadn’t. I’d been too surprised by her appearance in my office to ask much of anything, and I didn’t know whether to believe a word out of her mouth. After seeing the emails for myself, I’d become more inclined to believe her, but the ‘why’ question remained unanswered.
“No, I didn’t, but she’s staying in town tonight. She said I could call her if I wanted to talk.”
“Then you should,” Monica urged me. “Even better, go and see her and hash it all out in person. Get all the answers before you make up your mind. Personally, I think what this woman does helping other women is pretty badass.”
“But…” I started to protest, but Monica cut me off before I could get another word out.
“Yeah, it sucks that you got caught up in it, but she seems to genuinely feel bad about that. I think you should give her a chance to explain herself in a real conversation. If nothing else, you’ll get some closure. Besides, what’s your alternative for tonight? Go back home and stare at the walls again?”
“You always know how to cheer me up.”
My deadpan statement only made her laugh. “Trust me on this one, Gabe. You should talk to her.”
“I’ll think about it,” I promised. “But I need to go now. I haven’t done anything productive all day.”
“Alright, but keep me updated. I love you. And if you need Celine roughed up a little bit, just say the word.”
I groaned, rubbing my forehead with my hand. “Please don’t say things like that in front of other people. Someone will think you’re serious. ”
“Who says I’m not?” I could hear the smile in her voice even though I couldn’t see her. “Call me tomorrow.”
“I will. I love you too.”
For the first time in days, something close to a smile lingered on my face after I hung up. I had a feeling that Monica would like Jen if she got to know her, or at least, the version of her that I knew. How close was that to the actual woman? And why had she kept lying to me, even after she began to suspect Celine?
Those answers would only be found if I took Monica’s advice and spoke to Jen, and as Monica suggested, in person would be better. Half an hour should be more than enough time to get the answers I needed to satisfy my curiosity and move on. Not to mention, as Monica said, I had no other plans anyway.
Making up my mind, I sent Jen a text.
I have some questions. Where are you staying? I can meet you for coffee nearby.
~Jennifer~
Gabriel’s text made me frown. Not because of its content; on the contrary, it thrilled me that he wanted to talk, but after he told me that Celine had access to his accounts, communicating by text seemed like a bad idea.
With that in mind, I called the travel agency and asked to speak to him. The receptionist put me through on his office line, which Celine shouldn’t be able to trace.
“You need to get a new phone,” I told him as soon as he said hello. “Without knowing exactly what Celine has access to, it’s risky to keep using it. You should change all your passwords too, for anything that she might be able to get into.”
Gabe sighed. “Shit. You’re right, but that’s a lot of work.”
“We can make a list of what needs to be done,” I offered. “I’ve been through this process with a few of my clients.”
He didn’t say anything, and I grimaced at my tactlessness in bringing up my business when it remained a sore spot between us.
As briskly as possible, I moved on. “Anyway, coffee would be great. I’m near Fisherman’s Wharf. There’s a place called the Hyacinth Café right across the street that looks pretty casual.”
“Fisherman’s Wharf?” he repeated, sounding bemused. “I didn’t expect you to choose somewhere quite so touristy.”
“Last-minute trip,” I reminded him, my lips curling into a smile. His gentle teasing seemed to be returning, which felt like an even better sign than agreeing to meet me for coffee. “I didn’t have time to ask for recommendations. Where would you have stayed?”
Almost as if he remembered he should be angry with me, he paused, and when he spoke again, his voice had turned cooler again. And he ignored my question. “I’ll meet you at the café at 5:30.”
“See you then.”
Work kept me busy until the time came to meet Gabe. I gave myself a quick check in the mirror, not wanting to look like I’d made too much of an effort but not wanting to be a complete mess either. A quick touch-up of my makeup and a brush through my hair would do the trick.
Naturally, as soon as I stepped outside, the brisk wind coming off the bay blew my hair into a tangly mess anyway, making my earlier efforts pointless. Sitting at the outdoor tables would only make it worse, so I headed inside instead and grabbed a table near the window so I could see Gabe when he arrived.
He showed up just a couple of minutes later, right on time. With his hands in the pockets of his wool overcoat, he looked both professional and casual at the same time, turning a few heads as he walked down the street, his gaze fixed on the pavement, oblivious to everyone around him.
When he looked up, his blue eyes scanned the sign above the door to make sure he had the right place before looking down into the window and connecting with my gaze. Even with the window between us, a little jolt of electricity passed through me, reminding me that while he might hate me at the moment, my attraction to him hadn’t died off at all.
“Sorry I’m late,” he apologized as he walked up to the table, shucking his coat and placing it on the back of the chair across from me. “Have you ordered?”
“No, not yet, and you’re not late. I’m early. Please, sit down. I’ll get it. Black coffee?”
He looked about to argue, his natural chivalry fighting against his resentment, but eventually, he gave in. “Yes. Thanks.”
After placing the order at the counter, the woman there told me she’d bring the cups over when they were ready, so I sat back down, putting on a smile that I hoped felt inviting but not too familiar. “So, you said you have questions. What do you want to know?”
Glancing around to make sure no one paid any attention to us, Gabe leaned forward, his elbows on the table and his hands clasped in front of him. He’d taken his wedding ring off, I noticed. A thin pale band of skin on his fourth finger betrayed where it had sat for more than two years.
“When we were at the hotel in Napa, you helped me arrange the PI and deal with the fact that Celine might be cheating, or at least lying. You must have been fairly convinced that she’d done something wrong.”
I didn’t hear a question in there, but I nodded anyway. “Yes. By that time, I felt pretty certain.”
“Why didn’t you tell me then that she hired you? Why keep up the pretense if you weren’t working with her anymore?”
Damn. He didn’t waste any time in getting straight to the heart of the matter. Thankfully, the waitress arrived with our drinks at that moment, giving me a few seconds to gather my thoughts and try to decide how to respond. On the flight that morning, I promised myself to be as truthful as possible, since withholding the truth from him got me in trouble in the first place. Too afraid of losing his friendship, I’d lost his trust instead, so even if the truth was a little embarrassing, it seemed like the safest option.
“I was afraid you wouldn’t accept my help if you knew,” I said after we both took a sip of our hot coffee. “I thought you might not want anything to do with me, and selfishly, I didn’t want that to be the case.”
“Selfishly?” His brow drew down as he repeated the word, as if it didn’t make sense to him in that context.
My stomach clenched with nerves, but I forced myself to answer fully. “Yes, selfishly, because I enjoyed talking with you and getting to know you. I felt… well, I felt drawn to you, and that doesn’t happen to me very often. I didn’t want to lose that connection before we really had a chance to get to know each other, but I should have realized that we couldn’t truly get to know each other as long as we had that deception between us. It was a very awkward situation for us both to be in, and I wish I’d been honest with you once I had an inkling what Celine was up to. I wish that we could have met under entirely different circumstances, to be honest, but there’s nothing I can do about that. Continuing to keep you in the dark is something I did have control over, and I made the wrong choice. I’m sorry.”
Gabe took a few seconds to process all of that, his fingers sliding along the handle of his coffee cup as he thought over my words. “So, you lied to me because you liked me?”
“It sounds stupid when you say it that way.” I threw him a sheepish smile. “But basically, yes. You’re nothing like the men I usually meet through my work, and I lost sight of the line between the job and my personal life. Even so, I almost told you several times. The last time right before we…”
I trailed off, my eyes dropping to his lips as the memory of their warm press against mine flooded my body, sending a delicious tingle through me .
Gabe seemed to know exactly which moment I meant, even though I hadn’t said the words. “You said you had something to tell me,” he remembered, his voice lower than before as his eyes dipped down to my mouth and back up again.
Clearing my throat, I forced my eyes to return to his and stay there. “I went to your room the next morning to tell you then, but you’d already checked out.”
His lips parted as he blew out a long breath. “It would have been nice to know before Celine told me.”
“I’m so sorry about that. I know I can’t turn back time, but I wish I could make it up to you.”
Though I hadn’t meant that to sound sensual in any way, the words sounded provocative as soon as I said them and Gabe swallowed another mouthful of coffee before answering.
“You sent the screenshots to my lawyer,” he reminded me. “That’s going to be a big help.”
“She doesn’t think there’s any chance Celine will get your inheritance, does she?”
He shrugged. “She’s not making any promises, but with you backing up my side of the story, I have a much better chance.”
“I’m glad. Really.”
We both took another drink, the tension between us growing stronger by the moment, but it didn’t feel like resentment from his side anymore. It had morphed into something else, something that had me squirming in my seat.
Gabe spoke first. “You make it pretty difficult to stay mad at you.”
“You’re a very understanding person,” I countered. If he could forgive me, he deserved the credit for that, not me.
“You, uh, you mentioned you could help me make a list of things I need to change so Celine can’t access them anymore?”
“Yes,” I answered too quickly. “I actually have a template, believe it or not. I should have put it on my phone so I could show you, but I can send it to you at work once I get back to my room. You’ll have to adjust it a little based on what accounts you have, but it’ll give you a place to start.”
Gabe glanced out the window, over at the hotel across the street where I had a room. “You’ve got it on your computer?”
“Mm-hmm.” Not trusting myself to speak again, I took another drink instead.
“I wouldn’t mind talking it through with you,” he admitted. “Would you have time to look through it tonight?”
That sounded an awful lot like he’d just invited himself to my hotel room, and butterflies launched in my stomach at the idea, even though there couldn’t be any way his thoughts were heading in the same direction mine were.
“I don’t have any plans tonight. The only reason I’m staying over is that I couldn’t get a cheap flight home until the morning. If you want to come over to my room, we can look at it together. That’s fine with me.”
I took another sip of my drink, trying to ignore the way my heart had begun to pound. Gabe and I had been alone together in a hotel room a couple of times before and I’d never felt so wound up. But then, he’d still been hanging onto his marriage at the time and I knew deep down that nothing would happen.
His new separation made him a lot more dangerous, but neither of us seemed to want to resist that danger, as he made clear when he accepted my invitation.
“I would appreciate that. Are you ready to go now?”
Downing the remainder of my coffee, I licked a few stray drops off my lips. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”
~Gabriel~
The logical part of my brain screamed at me as Jen and I walked across the street, through the lobby of the hotel and into the elevator that would take us to her room.
This woman lied to you. She pretends to be attracted to men for a living. Nothing about this is real. Walk away before it’s too late.
Unfortunately for my self-control, other thoughts and instincts drowned out those perfectly reasonable objections. The thoughts brought on by watching her tongue run across her lips back at the café, for example, or the way our bodies seemed to drift together as we walked down the hall towards her room.
“I didn’t expect company,” she explained apologetically, waving a hand towards the room as we walked in. She had nothing to apologize for, though. Aside from her small carry-on bag by the door and a laptop which sat on the dark brown desk next to a notepad, the room seemed pretty neat. From her pocket, Jen pulled out her phone and placed it down next to the computer. Its screen lit up as she did so, a new message popping onto the screen.
“Do you need to answer that?”
I took off my coat and hung it on the hook by the door while Jen slipped her shoes off. The hotel room had none of the individuality and charm of the room at the Four Winds, but it sufficed for a night’s stay. Two queen-sized beds with slate-grey comforters faced the wall-mounted TV, a night stand between them, and heavy curtains covered half of the windows that faced the bay. Alcatraz Island could be seen in the glistening water in the distance.
“No, it’s just something for work. It can wait.” Dropping her purse on the desk, Jen picked up the laptop and took it to one of the beds. “Let me pull up that spreadsheet for you.”
I sat on the other bed, keeping my distance, but my eyes returned to the phone that she’d left behind, which lit up again. “Are you sure you don’t need to deal with that? I don’t mind waiting. ”
“I have no idea how long it would take,” she said, her shoulders raising in a sheepish shrug as she navigated around the computer screen. “It’ll be one of the men I’m engaging with right now, and it could go several different ways.”
The idea of another man hitting on her didn’t thrill me, but logically, I understood it was her job, and knowing that she’d chosen to spend her time that evening with me instead, curiosity won out over jealousy. “What exactly do you say to them?”
Her hazel eyes met mine hesitantly, but when she saw I meant the question genuinely and not with any kind of accusation, the tightness in her expression eased. “Do you want me to show you?”
Surprisingly, I did. After everything with Celine, I didn’t want there to be any secrets or hiding, and I appreciated her willingness to be open about it. “I’m interested to see how it works on someone that isn’t me.”
“Okay.” Springing back to her feet, she grabbed the phone off the desk and returned to the bed, with the laptop open in front of her and the phone next to it. With an inviting smile, she patted the bed next to her. “Come here, I’ll walk you through it.”
I shuffled over and sat down next to her, keeping my feet on the ground, my body turned towards the screen.
“Obviously, this is all confidential,” she began as she pulled up a document with screenshots of an Instagram chat. “Ignore any names you see, or any other identifying information.”
“Got it,” I promised. “This is the initial email you received?”
“From my client, yes. She told me that she’s been seeing this guy for a year, she just found out she’s pregnant, and the same day, she found out that he hooked up with her cousin over the weekend.”
“Ouch.” I winced as I read through the woman’s hurt-filled message. “And she has doubts about whether she should leave?”
Jen shrugged again. “Everyone’s situation is different. I never judge what they decide to do, I just help them gather the information they need. In this case, she wants to know if it’s likely to happen again. That’s where I come in. ”
She switched programs, bringing up a Facebook profile instead.
“He works as a DJ, so his profile is public. Do you notice anything about it?”
I leaned forward as Jen scrolled down the man’s page. “Lots of pictures of him with women at his gigs, but none with the woman he’s dating.”
“Exactly. That’s the most common red flag I see: no public acknowledgement of the relationship. Yours is one of the exceptions.”
The reminder that she’d analyzed me the same way she did this man helped to cool off some of the heat caused by our close proximity on the bed. “What else do you look for?”
“Shirtless pictures, workout pics, anything suggesting they’re open and looking. And from a practical standpoint, I look for information on where they’ve been recently so I can come up with a reason to contact them.”
The initial message that Jen sent me commenting on my recent travel pictures flashed across my memory. So far, everything lined up with how she approached me.
“In this guy’s case, he DJ’d at a club last weekend, so I sent him this message.”
She returned to her document of screenshots where it showed her initial communication.
Hey! I know this is random, but I saw you spin a couple of weeks ago and I thought you were super hot. I was too shy to say anything, but one of my friends gave me your name and I looked you up. Hope it’s okay to say hi. ;)
His response came pretty quickly, a mix of flattery and wariness.
You got nothing to be shy about. Damn, girl. You in NY? Your profile says California.
I live in Cali but I go to New York all the time for work. I’ll be there again this weekend. Any chance you’ll be working again?
I might be. What type of music are you into?
They chatted about music for a while before he said he had to go, still without answering her question about whether or not he’d be DJing the next weekend.
“That all looks pretty harmless to me,” I pointed out. Sure, he complimented her appearance, but she was gorgeous. Pointing it out didn’t make a guy a cheater.
“It’s pretty tame,” she agreed. “Except he told me he had to go exactly when his girlfriend came home.”
“Maybe he wanted to give her his full attention,” I suggested, playing devil’s advocate. “Doesn’t mean he hid it from her.”
“Well, according to her schedule, she just went to work her night shift today and now he’s messaging me again. You want to see how this plays out?”
She held up her phone with the new messages on it, and I nodded in agreement. “Sure.”
Pulling up their chat, she held the phone out so we could both see it.
I listened to that track you suggested, think I might include it in my set on Saturday.
You could come and hear it for yourself if you’re still planning to be in town.
Eyebrows raised, Jen looked over at me. “Still thinking it’s all innocent?”
“It’s not looking so good,” I had to admit. “But he hasn’t actually done anything wrong.”
“Not yet, but let’s see.”
Her thumbs flew across the on-screen keyboard as she typed out a reply.
I would love that. What club?
Bump, in the Village.
After each message, she immediately took a screenshot, just in case he deleted it.
I don’t think I know where that is.
West 10th. I can send you a map.
Jen looked over at me with a smirk. “You ready?”
“For what?” I asked, but instead of answering me, she typed out another message.
I’m SO bad with directions. Any chance you could meet up with me before and show me the way? I promise I’ll make it worth your while.
I blew out a long breath. “That’s going in pretty strong.”
“He’s ready for it,” she assured me. “I’ve got a sixth sense with this stuff. Trust me.”
His reply popped up a moment later.
You better send me a picture so I know who to look for.
“He wants to make sure he’s not getting catfished,” Jen explained. “I always do them one better and send a video.”
Smacking her lips together to refresh her lipstick, she pulled her shirt down a little more to show more of her cleavage before starting the video.
“This is me, begging for help to find the club.” She giggled in a way that sounded nothing like her usual laugh. I’d never heard her laugh that way before. “Please?”
After pressing stop, she sent the video, and unsurprisingly, he responded very quickly. His tone also shifted.
I can help you find anything you need. Where you staying in town?
“Almost there,” Jen said as she typed out her response.
I haven’t decided yet, but now that I know the club, I’ll get a hotel nearby. Sometimes, I get too drunk to take the subway.
I groaned as she sent the message. “Really?”
“It works. Sad, but true.”
At first, his reply seemed chivalrous.
I’ll make sure you get back safe.
She pushed a little harder.
Is that all you’ll do? ;)
What would you like me to do?
Yeah, it definitely felt a lot less innocent by that point, and Jen went in for the kill.
I’d like to see if those hands feel as good as they looked on the mixer.
These hands can take good care of you, don’t worry.
Show me.
A pause followed with nothing to indicate typing, but Jen didn’t seem worried. “He’s about to spectacularly fail,” she predicted.
Sure enough, a moment later, a video popped up in the chat, and when she opened it, we were both treated to a view of one of the hands in question as he stroked it along his exposed dick.
“Fuck.” I winced as Jen matter-of-factly downloaded the video and swiped to a different chat, sending the video and a record of the conversation to the guy’s unfortunate girlfriend. It only took a minute to get the expletive-laden reply, and with the woman’s permission, Jen blocked the guy and threw the phone down on the bed .
“That’s the way it usually goes,” she said, turning to face me fully for the first time since I sat down beside her. “You can see why your case took me by surprise.”
I could only shake my head. “How have you not lost faith in the entire male gender?”
She laughed softly, her eyes locked on mine. “It’s touch-and-go sometimes, but I know that there are good ones out there. It makes it even more special when I come across one.”
Her eyes dropped to my lips again, just like they did at the restaurant when we skirted around the memory of our kiss, and this time, nothing stood between us except my uncertainty about whether or not I could trust her.
The interaction I’d just witnessed didn’t feel anything like the woman I spent time with in Napa, or even the woman who video chatted with me about travel when we were first getting to know each other. Maybe it hadn’t been entirely an act after all?
I couldn’t be certain, but at that moment, it seemed like a risk worth taking.
For the second time ever, but the first time as a free man, I leaned over and pressed my lips to hers.