The Law of Attraction (12 page)

“You must be Gabrielle,” she said in a soft voice. “Oh my! You're gorgeous.” She gave me a warm smile. “I'm Claire and we're so happy you're here.” She came over and pulled me into a friendly hug. These were very huggy people.

“I guess you figured out that that's my mom and that's my dad. This is my brother, Drew and my sister, Beth.” Beth looked like a younger version of Claire and Drew looked like a younger version of Braden, who looked like a younger version of his dad.

“Wow,” Drew said. “She's hot.” Braden turned and glared at him. “What? Mom said she was gorgeous!”

“It's great to meet you,” Beth broke in, and came over to hug me too.

“We're very pleased to have you, Gabrielle,” Braden's dad said, hugging me of course. “I'm Tyler.” Wow. I got to call Senator Pierce Tyler.

“Thanks for inviting me. It was very thoughtful of you.”

“They were thrilled to hear you were coming!” Drew offered. “They’re hoping Braden will finally settle down.”

“Drew,” Tyler said in a warning tone.

“What did I say now?” Drew asked, sounding exasperated. He started walking toward me when Braden stopped him.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“Everybody else got to hug her.”

“You already said hello.”

“Actually, if you’ll recall, I said that she was hot and you got all huffy.”

“Drew, please help me with their bags,” Tyler said, intervening. “Braden, why don't you help us while Mom and Beth make Gabrielle comfortable and get to know her better?”

“You need both of us for that? Maybe I want to get to know her better too.” His father and Braden both gave him a stern look. I was definitely starting to understand what Braden had said about Drew.

I followed Claire and Beth into the marble-floored entry and off to one of the dark paneled doors down a hallway to the side of a large staircase. It turned out to be a parlor with wide windows overlooking the rear lawn. The room was done in a combination of burgundy and cream, and although it was very tasteful, it also looked warm and inviting. There was a fireplace and above it hung a picture of a blonde man dressed in colonial garb. Yep, the Pierces had been here for a while.

“Please sit down and make yourself comfortable,” Claire said with a smile.

I sat down on a love-seat while Claire and Beth took the one across from me. We chatted for a bit and I filled them in on more details about my family and my life. I learned that Beth was twenty-five and working in the education department of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and that Drew was a law student at Georgetown, just like Braden had been. Being in the middle, Beth was close to both of her brothers. She assured me that even though Braden and Drew bickered, they were close despite the four year age difference. Claire shared that she spent most of her time involved in charity work, and in running their family foundation. I had a feeling that being a senator’s wife also came with its share of responsibilities.

“So did you and Braden meet in court?” Claire asked.

“Yes, he and I have been assigned cases in front of the same judge frequently.”

“Is he a good lawyer?” Beth asked.

“Yes, he's a very good lawyer.” Beth and Claire smiled at each other and I realized that they were proud, which I found very cute.

“Is he as good a boyfriend as he is a lawyer?” Beth asked.

“We just started dating but so far he’s been really thoughtful and easy-going. He’s said some really sweet things too.”

“Braden?!” Beth laughed and glanced at her mom who was smiling happily.

Just then we heard the men returning from upstairs and Claire let everyone know that it was time to head in for dinner. We entered a formal dining room with a table beautifully prepared. We had all settled in and a housekeeper had come out with a soup course when Drew spoke up.

“So you two are sleeping together?” Beth dropped her spoon and Claire nearly choked on the water she was sipping.

“Drew!” All of the Pierces said in unison.

“What? I just meant are they sharing a room. Is it a secret or something?”

“What it is, is none of your business,” Braden said testily.

“I was just asking!” He ate a spoonful of his soup. “I was wondering…”

“The answer is no,” Tyler added.

“Why not?”

“Because your brother is twenty-seven and an attorney and you're twenty-three and a law student,” his father replied.

“And what? I have to make you worry that I'll never get married before you'll let me bring a girl home with me?”

“You can bring a girl home,” Braden answered. “You just can't sleep with her.”

“Okay Braden!” Tyler warned. “Please remember that you
are
twenty-seven.”

“Seriously, guys, this is not even close to polite conversation,” Beth chimed in. I actually found the conversation rather amusing, truthfully. Drew kind of cracked me up. Talk turned to the fundraiser, though, and we continued with that as the soup was cleared and dinner was served.

The conversation then turned to what everyone's plans were for the evening. Drew and Beth had planned to go out to a club with a group of mutual friends and Tyler and Claire were planning to go out and catch a movie. Braden and I were invited along with both groups but he politely declined on our behalf, citing a stressful week and our desire to rest up before the fundraiser the next day. Drew snorted derisively and Beth kicked him under the table none too subtly.

By dessert I was starting to nervously anticipate the evening ahead. The fact that Braden had been running his fingers along my inner thigh for several minutes didn't exactly help me to calm down. It was already past seven-thirty. It couldn't be long before the others left. When we were finished with our dessert and coffee Drew and Beth went off to get ready and Claire and Tyler retired to the family room, where Braden and I joined them. I was being quieter than usual, but so far during this visit, I hadn't done anything awkward and the Pierces were so nice that I had started to relax with them.

“You know, Braden, there will likely be a lot of familiar faces there tomorrow and I'm not sure you'll be thrilled to see all of them,” Claire said. “Marla might possibly be there for example.”

“Oh great!” He cringed and turned to me. “Marla's a shallow, narcissistic harpy who I used to date years ago. She still can’t believe that I broke up with her.”

“Can’t believe it as in ‘how could he have done that?’ or can’t believe it as in she thinks you’re still her boyfriend?” I asked a little nervously.

“She doesn’t think I’m still her boyfriend, but she refuses to believe that anybody wouldn’t
want
to be her boyfriend, including me.” I could tell that I was just going to love Marla.

“Cameron will be there for sure,” Tyler added.

“Terrific.” He turned to me again. “Cameron’s my cousin. Marla cheated on me with him. I should probably be thankful since I wanted an excuse to break up with her anyway, but I wasn’t in on the plan, you know?”

“It was so long ago, Braden. I wish that the two of you would just put it behind you,” Claire said.

“Yeah, we’ll see. I do think that maybe I’ll have a little chat with him. There’s something I’d like to ask him about.”

“The Masons will likely be there with Felicity,” she went on.

“The Masons want to marry their daughter off to me.” Braden explained. “The mother, Mrs. Mason, is a snob with the warmth of a glacier and her daughter, Felicity, reminds me of Wednesday Addams but more Goth. I think the father might be a hologram.”

“And will you be marrying the lovely Felicity?”

“I would be more likely to marry Cameron.”

“Cole Stephenson will be there of course,” Tyler noted, looking uncomfortable.

“We need to steer clear of him for sure,” Braden said, giving me a disgusted look. “He's a state representative and a complete political animal. He would sell his soul to get elected to a federal congressional seat. He’s also a social climber and a lecher. His eyes won't leave your cleavage.”

“This sounds like a fun party.”

“Most of the folks who'll be there will be quite nice,” Claire said in an apologetic tone.

“I'll just smile and nod a lot,” I replied

“Braden should do that more often. We're hoping you'll be a good influence,” Claire said to me.

“Maybe I'll be a bad influence,” Braden said, smiling at me in a way that made me glance at my watch. It was almost eight-thirty already. Claire noticed my gesture and quickly checked her own watch.

“We'd better get going, Tyler. I don't want to miss the beginning of the movie.”

Claire and Tyler wished us a good night and excused themselves. As soon as they were gone Braden turned to me with a naughty smile. Without a word he pulled me onto his lap and began nuzzling my neck. I nuzzled him back and we worked our way to each other's mouths and started kissing. Just as our tongues were becoming deliciously entwined I heard Drew.

“Christ, Braden, can't you even wait until we leave the house?”

“Braden's head fell back onto the top of the sofa in exasperation. I slid off of his lap and felt myself blushing as I tactfully retreated to my own seat and straightened out the skirt of my short summer dress.

“How many rooms are in this fucking house, Drew, and you have to be in this one right now?”

“Just be thankful that we're all going out so you can “rest” in privacy.” He made the little air quotes to make it clear that he didn’t think we would be resting.

“You didn't have to go out,” I said, feeling embarrassed. Had the Pierces planned their social outings around us having sex?

“Don't listen to him!” Braden said. “They go out all the time on Friday nights when they’re here.”

“I'm sorry, Gabrielle,” Drew laughed. “I'm just giving Braden a hard time.” He sat down in a chair next to us and sipped a Coke.

“He's just jealous.”

“Damn right I'm jealous. You get to sleep with your girlfriend tonight and I'm going out with my sister. There would be something wrong with me if I weren't jealous, dude.”

“Stop thinking about my sex life.”

“Just make sure you don't remind me of it later. Don’t forget that my room is right next to yours and the walls are thin.”

“Didn't you have to be somewhere?”

“In case you're wondering, Theresa left for the night already and Mom and Dad left for the movies. They'll probably be back by midnight. Beth and I are leaving in about five minutes. I’m not sure what time we’ll be home though.”

“Thanks for the update,” Braden said dryly.

“Just trying to be helpful.” Drew grinned.

“Perhaps we'll see you out,” Braden said getting up and walking over to the door. Drew got up and walked out to the entry where Beth was already waiting.

“Have a good night,” Beth said with a smile and a wave.

“Enjoy your rest,” Drew said, mimicking her gesture and singsong voice.

As soon as the door closed I started to walk toward Braden but he held up a hand, signaling me to wait. A minute later Drew came back in.

“What?” He laughed. “I forgot my phone!” He walked over to a writing table where a cell phone was lying next to a large vase of flowers. “Don't worry, Braden. I'm really leaving now. You can rest in every room in the house if you want.” He left again and Braden walked over to the window and watched them pull away. Then he turned toward me with a very happy smile. He walked over and took my hand and led me upstairs.

When we got to the top of the stairs we walked down a long hallway and Braden stopped in front of a door on the left. He opened it and stepped aside for me to enter, coming in behind me. He walked over to turn on a bedside lamp and then turned the overhead light off, making it much more intimate. He went over to his music player, found something on his iPod, and seconds later I heard BB King singing the sexy blues song
Need Your Love So Bad.
He walked slowly toward me, staring into my eyes with a positively sinful look. I swallowed hard and took a deep breath.

“Do you know how much I want you, Gabrielle?” he asked softly when he reached me. My legs felt like they were going to give out and I wasn't sure that I saw consciousness in my immediate future. I was already too aroused to be nervous anymore, so I freed my inner hussy. (Note, I said hussy.)

“Show me,” I whispered.

He put his hands on my hips and pulled me tightly against him. I immediately knew how much. The answer was pressing into my lower abdomen. He leaned down and kissed me almost ravenously, his tongue exploring everywhere and rubbing up against mine sensuously. I felt a little overpowered by it but I liked it too. His lips moved away from my mouth and toward my ear. “Does that give you a better idea?” he whispered seductively.

“It gives me lots of ideas. What are you going to do about it?” My inner hussy had obviously decided that she liked being freed.

“Saucy wench.” He smiled wickedly. “I may have to spank you.” He sank down to kneel at my feet, removing my shoes and tossing them aside. Then he ran his hands up my bare legs and under my skirt, letting his fingers slide into my panties, and pushing them down over my hips. They dropped to the floor and I stepped out of them and kicked them aside. Fixing me with that hot look of his he reached around behind me, unzipped my dress and unhooked my bra. In one easy move they both hit the floor. If there were an Olympic category for undressing women he would be a serious contender for the gold. He had some mad skills. There were a few drunken nights in college when I could have really used his help. I just watched in lust-dazed fascination as he stepped back and starting at my feet let his eyes slowly trail up my bare body.

“You’re beautiful everywhere, Gabrielle,” he said huskily. “Undress me.”

My hands were shaking but I managed to slide them up under his tee-shirt and ease it up. Being taller than me he helped out a little. When it dropped to the floor I nearly joined it.
Good lord!

I had never seen a body like that. All of his muscles were well-defined. He was the first guy I had ever been with who had a six-pack that didn’t say Budweiser on it. I swallowed and let out a slightly ragged breath as I looked up and saw he was smiling at me with amusement.