Closer_To_You (13 page)

“Don’t worry about it, Penelope. Just come on back tomorrow and this will be a non-issue.”

“Well, if you need anything, just call. The final Terms and Conditions that David was expecting is saved on the shared drive and ready for signature.” Standing up, she noticed the stress lines around her boss’ mouth and eyes. Everyone had been working long hours trying to get this merger completed and the toll it had taken was noticeable all around the office. Maybe the afternoon off would be good for her.

Exiting Gene’s office, Penelope stormed over to her cubicle and began gathering her belongings. She should be more pissed off, but she couldn’t be. Her face was flushed a deep mahogany with embarrassment at her behavior. Biting her bottom lip, she could only grimace at the scene Gabriel and David had walked into. She knew better than to engage in idle chitchat. It always got her into trouble and she would inevitably have to backpedal her way out of it. There was too much experience under her belt for her to fall into such a display of childish behavior. Now, she was being sent home and would have the rest of the afternoon to stress about how to do damage control with Gabriel. If he even called.

Maybe it was time for her to really think about where this relationship with Gabriel was going. The things they had done together under the cover of night would make even the most sexually experienced person blush. And while her body craved him, she was more concerned about her heart. She could feel herself falling for him more and more each day. Those three little words were on the tip of her tongue, but she refused to let them out. To tell Gabriel that she loved him would make her too vulnerable and she would not allow herself to be placed in that situation.

“Hey, Penelope.” Hunched over, eyes cast down, and looking quite sheepish herself, Bettye slid into Penelope’s cubicle.

“Hey, girl.” Looking up at her friend, she gave her a slight smile as she continued gathering up her items.

“Damn, they are serious about this shit, aren’t they?” Bettye’s voice had lost all of its bravado.

Turning off her computer and locking her drawer, she turned towards her partner-in-crime. “They’re not sending you home?”

Sighing, her friend fiddled with the hem of her shirt, “No, but I got a talking to and ‘as a member of management’ I should know better. So, I know I’m going to be on the radar for a while.”

“Well, don’t worry about it. As Gene said, this will blow over soon. Everyone is just on edge with this activity going on and David was probably just embarrassed. Not that what we did was okay, but I’m not going to stress out about it. I can’t.”

They both began walking down the hallway and toward the elevator and were almost there before Bettye spoke again, “So, what was that look GT Banks gave you?”

“What do you mean?” Intentionally keeping her response flat, Penelope prayed Bettye let this go. There was no way in hell she was going to react and give anything away to the office gossip. That was the last thing she needed right now.

“Not sure. It was just an odd look that I saw on his face when he was listening to what you were saying. As if his feelings were hurt.” Giving her a side glance, Bettye seemed to be walking down a path that Penelope was trying to avoid at all costs.

“I’m sure it was nothing. Why would he be hurt by anything I said? He doesn’t even know me.”

Still looking doubtful, Bettye stood with her as they waited for the elevator. “Yeah, I’m sure you’re right. Oh well, at least you have the rest of the day off.”

“Yup, I need to catch up on a book I was reading a few weekends ago. Talk to you tomorrow.”

The heavy steel doors of the elevator opened and she quickly stepped inside, trying to escape the scrutiny of her colleague’s questioning gaze. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” she yelled out cheerfully as the door was closing.

Penelope exhaled deeply and began to tremble slightly. Thank goodness she was alone. “Damn! This is not good. I’ve really stepped into it this time.” Just the thought of anyone picking up on what was happening between her and Gabriel was enough to make her a bundle of nerves. Finally reaching the main lobby, she walked out of the elevator quickly and was making her way to the parking garage to go home when she heard her name.

“Penelope.”

She would know that voice anywhere. It lulled her to sleep almost every night and was the first voice she heard in the morning when she awoke. Turning around, she noticed him leaning up against one of the walls as if he did not have a care in the world. “Gabriel. What are you doing down here?”

“I was waiting for you.” Adjusting his powerful body, she watched as he began walking towards her and instantly she began to react to his presence.

Trying to hold on to her anger, she forced aside her desire for the man standing in front of her. “Why? You already got me sent home for the day. Honestly, Gabriel. This is bad. We shouldn’t even be together in the same room after what happened.”

Stopping just mere inches from her, she saw his hand lift slightly before he dropped it down by his side again. “Come with me. I want to show you something.”

Those words, ‘come with me’, almost made her lose her shit right then and there. How many times had he said those exact words to her in the throes of passion while tangled in sheets on one of their beds, standing up against a wall or in the shower with water raining down their bodies? By the look on his face, he knew exactly what he had done.

“Why? Hasn’t enough damage been done today?” Looking away briefly, she considered her situation. “Maybe this has gone too far. Maybe we need to slow down and take a break.”

“No.”

“What do you mean, no? Gabriel, I just got sent home from work. I need this job. This could have been much worse.”

“No, you don’t actually need this job. You just want it.” This time, when his hand raised, he did not drop it. His fingertips grazed her cheek and trailed a path down her chin and to her collarbone. “I had nothing to do with David’s decision to send you home. Come with me, Penelope.”

“Why? What do you mean I don’t need this job?”

“I want to show you my world. I want to show you what you mean to me. I heard what you said today and I want you to know how I feel.”

“You know I didn’t mean the things I said back there. I was just making small talk. She kept asking me about who I was dating and then your name came up.” Looking over at him, she tried to gauge his response to her words. “Just tell me, Gabriel. Of course I’ll go with you, but then again, you already know that. Don’t you?” It felt like they were on the verge of something big, but she was afraid to feel hope. To even dream that what she had hoped for would actually happen.

The intensity of his gaze could not be ignored. “Aw, baby, don’t be like that. I have the car out front waiting for us.” He tilted his head toward the front of the building. “Come on. I want to show you something special.”

Sighing, she gave in to his demands. She could say that it was simply because she was tired and ready to leave, but the truth was, this man could ask her for almost anything and she would give it to him. But she wondered, why now?

“Fine, Gabriel. Although, I don’t know what you mean when you say you’re going to show me your world. Why now? You’ve never wanted to show me before.” Petty words, yes, but it was true. Maybe there was a small part of her that believed some of the things she had said about him to Bettye.

“Because I heard what you said to Bettye. I didn’t like it.”

“Gabriel, you know I was just trying to deflect her. I told you how she is. You know that woman will gnaw on something until she gets the answers she wants. It doesn’t matter what the truth is.”

“I didn’t like it.” Turning away from her, he looked deep in thought for a few seconds, “Is that what you really think of me? Have I been a selfish lover?”

“No! Furthest from that. You are always so giving when we’re alone.”

“Ah, keyword. Alone. That’s what I thought. Let’s head out to the car. It’s out front. Let’s go.” Grabbing her hand, he began walking through the lobby, seemingly without a care in the world, and exited the building.

Penelope had no idea what the man had planned, but she decided right then and there that she was up for anything. She may be a little annoyed with him, but she had finally come to the realization that she loved him.

With that realization, it was like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. At this point, she might as well go out with a bang and go for broke. Walking over to the sleek black car, she climbed into the waiting vehicle and got settled. Finally situated on her side, she watched as Gabriel climbed in after giving the driver instructions.

“Where are we going, Gabriel?”

“I haven’t been fair to you. And I need to change that. I’ve been busy with a special project the last few weeks. It’s not quite ready yet, but after the events of today, I think it’s time for me to show you.”

Giving him a look of confusion, she wondered why the hell Gabriel was talking in circles. “What’s going on with you today? You’re acting odd and I’m not sure I like it.” When Gabriel reached over for her hand, she allowed him to intertwine their fingers. The contrast of their skin tones were so alluring and quite sexy. “Are you upset with me, Gabriel?”

After a pause, he raised their joined hands to his lips and kissed her fingers. “No, sweetheart, I’m not mad at you. This time with you has meant everything to me, but things are changing for us. You shouldn’t have to lie to your colleagues or boss about us and I intend to change that.”

 

Gabriel knew that he had thrown Penelope off with his behavior, but he knew something had to change between them. They had been seeing each other for almost two months now and while things had been good, he wanted more. Much more than he ever would have thought.

The fact that he was head of the company trying to take over hers was always a bone of contention between them. There were times he wanted to share things with Penelope and couldn’t. That bothered him to no end. When the negotiations were going particularly bad, he would want to talk with her and just discuss some of the thoughts running through his head, but couldn’t. As soon as he would bring up the topic, she would cut him off and remind him that they agreed that their day jobs were off-limits. It was a smart rule and he knew why they had instituted it, but in all honesty, he was tired of it. This woman had him tied in knots and he wanted more from her than she knew. It was time for him to lay his cards on the table.

“Do you even know how I feel about you, Penelope?”

The shocked look on her face told him all he needed to know.

“What do you mean?” Her eyes were downcast as if she did not want to face the conversation they were about to have. Too bad he wasn’t going to let her off so easily.

Reaching over to her, he grasped her chin in his hand and lifted her face so that she had no choice but to look in his eyes. After spending so much time with her during the past two months, he knew exactly what that look meant. Hope and disbelief.

“Answer a question first.” He was treading in dangerous waters, but he needed to gauge her response.

“Okay. Ask me anything.” She bit her lip, nervousness coming through in that one motion. Yes, he knew this woman better than she thought he did.

“If I wasn’t GT Banks, if I wasn’t the owner of GTB Technologies, would you still want to hide our relationship?” Watching her closely, he saw the fire blaze in her eyes at his question.

“I’ve never wanted to hide our relationship. That has always been you. I agreed, Gabriel, but only because of how it would impact this deal.” Clenching her hands in her lap, she continued, “I thought you were ashamed of being with me. I’m just regular, normal Penelope Lucas and you’re...well, you’re who you are.”

“Baby, look at me. You have never been just regular or normal to me. You are unique. Since I’ve met you, my days and nights have revolved around you. Around us.”

Grabbing her hands, he loosened her fists and rubbed the crescent moon marks that her nails had made on her palms. “Gabriel. What are we doing?”

Looking at her chocolate gaze, “Whatever the hell we want, baby.”

Leaning in toward her, he capture her lips with his. Placing his hands on her hips, he pulled her toward him and lifted her slightly, “Come over here. I need you.”

“We’re in a car, Gabriel,” she said in between kisses. By the laughter in her voice, he knew she wasn’t upset with him, just a bit shocked. “I know exactly where we are.” Grabbing her close to him, he caught her gaze. “See, baby, here’s the thing. I listen to you. Even when you don’t think I am. I want to fulfill every fantasy you have.” One night when they had finished making love, she had told him that one of her naughty fantasies was to have sex in the backseat of a car. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to not only distract his woman, but to also check this fantasy off of her bucket list.

Gabriel was a smart man, but he knew that he was also a cynical bastard. Giving his all to a woman was never something that interested him before he met Penelope. Being with her made him want more. Actually, it made him want everything. He would be damned if he wasn’t going to try everything in his power to get it. Hearing her talk about him so casually with her friend had made him really think about what they were doing with each other.