Closer_To_You (7 page)

Penelope opened her eyes and looked around the room, only to close them again quickly. She then pinched herself—hard—to make sure she wasn’t still in an alcohol induced dream. The pain from her fingers grabbing her skin and twisting hurt too much for this to be a dream. Did she really have sex all night long with a man she had just met less than twenty-four hours ago? She could not have been that stupid.

Although, if she
were
going to have a mind-blowing night of amazing sex with a man she had just met, she had chosen the right one. Gabriel did things to her body that were probably outlawed in more than a few countries. Trying to be as still as she possibly could, she turned her head to look at the man who had awakened something inside of her. Never before had she been so open to new sexual experiences.

She could have sworn that at one point during their marathon sex session that she had passed out. How embarrassing! While she was riding the wave of an extremely intense orgasm, things had suddenly went dark. Or so it had seemed. When she came to, she had still been sitting on his lap, her long legs wrapped around his waist, his hands gripping her ass as his head was buried in her neck. His breath hot on her neck as he licked and kissed and nipped her sweat-laced skin. God, this man was so damn good for a woman’s ego. It was as if he could not get enough of her, and she wholeheartedly returned the feeling.

His breathing was deep and he was lying on his stomach, his face turned away from her. Taking a few deep breaths, she knew it was time to get out of here. She would never be one of those women who tried to hold on to something, or someone, longer than needed. Their night had been amazing and she would treasure it for a very long time, but now it was time to go. Sighing deeply, she began to inch her way toward the side of the bed so that she could get dressed and get the hell out of here.

Finally making it out of the bed, she looked back at him, but it didn’t seem as if he had moved at all. Tiptoeing around the suite, she grabbed her wrinkled clothing from last night and turned up her nose. The dreaded walk of shame would not be fun, nor pleasant. Just wait until she told Crystal about this. Considering her friend’s own adventures at Mardi Gras, there would be no judgment. But still, this was so unlike Penelope. She had no idea what had come over her last night. Plus, she really was too old for this kind of thing.

Gathering the last of her belongings, she slipped on her clothes and ran her fingers through her shoulder length hair. Digging in her small purse, she pulled out a scrunchie and pulled her hair into a loose ponytail. Looking over at the bed one more time, she was tempted to wake him and see what would happen. Would he beg her to stay for one more round, or would he question why she was still there?

One option made her desire for him spike to an almost painful feeling of need and she was on the verge of throwing caution to the wind, willing to take the chance. One more for the road had never been so tempting. On the other hand, she did not know him and maybe, just maybe, this is what he did on a regular basis. Rode into town, fed women some line about how much he desired them. Once the light of day came and his evening desire had abated, he would inevitably send them on their way.

The thought of his eyes looking at her with boredom and a hint of pity girded her into making a decision. She would leave. The memory of their one night together would have to be enough. And fuck it, men did this shit all the time. Standing there for a few more seconds, she still felt torn. Her body was still tingling from the way he made her feel and the words he whispered into her ear as he took her to heaven and back several times.

She was jarred from her indecision by her phone buzzing in her purse. Jumping at the intrusion, she quickly turned toward the door and walked out of the room, away from the possibility of rejection. She would be okay. It was no big deal. If she kept telling herself that, eventually she would be make herself believe it. Her night with Gabriel had been amazingly fun and erotic, but she could chalk it up as an experience and cross it off of her bucket list. Brave words for a woman who had only slept with less than a handful of men in her life. As she made her way down the hall to the elevator, she wondered why her heart felt as if it were being squeezed in a vice.

Pulling out her phone, she saw that it was Crystal who had texted her. Instead of typing out a short, impersonal message, she decided to call instead. Entering the elevator, she heard the phone ring twice on the other side before her friend answered.

“Spill it, chick. I want all of the steamy details. It’s almost ten o’clock and I know you were bumping uglies all night.”

Laughing slightly, she was glad her friend could be counted on to lift her spirits. Even more importantly, she was glad that she was the only person in the elegant steel cage this morning. “Oh, honey, have I got a story for you.”

Monday dawned bright and early for Penelope. It had taken every ounce of energy she could muster to climb out of bed this morning and she was damn tired. After arriving home early Sunday, Crystal and Rosalind had quickly shown up at her front door within a few hours of her arrival. Luckily for them, they had the foresight to pick up breakfast on their way over to her house. Based on the volume of food they had purchased, not only were they hungry for food, but they planned to get quite comfortable as they waited for Penelope to spill her guts. While she would never be one to kiss and tell, she could not help but share just a small bit of her adventure.

Rosalind was stuffing her face full of cheese danish, but was the first to speak up, “Come on, Penelope, you have to tell us more. That man looked as if he could do some magic in the bedroom.”

Crystal sat next to her on the loveseat, curling her feet up under her while nibbling on some Andouille breakfast sausage, “Was he as good as we think he was?”

Laughing out loud at their antics, Penelope almost spit out her coffee. “How old are you two? Wow! No, I am not going to tell you how good he was in the bedroom.” At her words, both of them began pouting as if they were little kids who had their ice cream taken away. “Okay, how about I tell you just a little. Let me just say, every fantasy I thought I had…yeah, he fulfilled every single one of them. And then some.”

Looks of awe came over her friends’ faces. “You mean, even the one you told us about in Mexico, where the man would put his tongue…?” Crystal asked the question while Rosalind sat there with mouth agape and eyes wide open.

“Yup, even that one. And let me just say...amazing.” A Cheshire grin came over her face as she thought about all the things Gabriel did to her. “He was everything I would have wanted. Last night gave me a bucket full of memories to relive later. That man gave me a workout like no other and my sore muscles are feeling it today.” Stretching her arms above her head, she laughed a slightly as she stretched her limbs.

“Okay, so now what?” Leave it to Rosalind to bring up the million dollar question. “Are you going to see him again?”

“I’m not sure. No, I don’t think so. It was a one-time thing. From what he told me about himself, he’s some big corporate guy who’s only in town for a short period of time. Last night was probably it for us.”

Crystal’s head was tilted and she had a faraway look in her eyes as she gazed at Penelope. “Honey, you never know what will happen. If I had one more chance to spend another night with the guy I met at Mardi Gras, I would take it in a heartbeat.” She looked down at her cup of coffee. When she looked up, her eyes were hooded and somewhat sad, “If he wants to see you again, he will find you. A man who can love you all night like that and give you pleasure that no one else could, without you needing to ask and guide him, is someone you may want to know a little better.” A slight smile graced her face as she continued, “If you ever get the chance to be with him again, take the gift, honey. I know I would.”

All three ladies were silent after Crystal stopped talking, thinking about the regrets they had, and the adventures they all had experienced in their own lives. Rosalind’s voice broke the silence, “Yeah, that’s because that man blew your back out in New Orleans and you’re fiending for more.” Leave it to Rosalind to say what they had all been thinking.

Coming back to the present, Penelope smiled at the conversation and some of the things they talked about. The three of them laughed for fifteen minutes after that comment by Rosalind, trading barbs and comments about how freaky each of them had gotten in the past with some of the men in their lives. Damn, she loved those women. They kept her sane, but also made sure she laughed and had fun as much as possible. Taking things too seriously had always been her downfall, at least until these two had come along. They were as different as the seasons of year, but they meshed well and that was all that mattered.

Sighing, she became a bit melancholy thinking about Gabriel. Having a brave front with her friends was one thing, but deep inside, she had hoped he would call or text. Something. Crystal was right, with all the resources at his disposal, if he really wanted her, he would have found her. Oh well, life goes on, right? She had set the terms and she was the one who had left him lying in bed Sunday morning.

Her computer dinged as an instant message came up on her screen from Barbara, the chief financial officer. “Penelope, can you come to the main conference room with Gene and me? GT Banks, the GTB Technologies CEO, is here and we need some assistance.”

Quickly typing a response, she let Barbara know that she was on her way. Gene Smith was the general counsel, so if she was being called into a meeting with him, the CFO and the CEO of GTB Technologies, things were about to become very interesting. Gathering her tablet so that she could take electronic notes, she made her way down the hallway toward the executive offices. Once she made it to the conference room, she was so focused on what tasks would be assigned to her that she did not initially notice who was in the room until someone spoke.

“Penelope?”

Her gaze shot up as she immediately recognized that voice. After all, he had whispered, yelled and moaned her name for hours upon hours during the course of their marathon sex session just two nights ago. Gabriel Turner.

“Shit! Damn. I mean, yes,” the words tumbled out of her mouth and there was nothing she could do to stop them. Her eyes immediately turned to look at Gene and Barbara. Oh gawd, this could not be happening to her. Not right now. Their eyes were asking questions that she could not answer. Not because she did not want to, but because her brain was trying to process what her eyes were seeing. She was confused as hell and this was not making sense.

What the hell was Gabriel doing in her office when they were supposed to be meeting with the CEO of GTB Technologies? It took her brain only seconds to catch up with that thought and she felt her knees buckle underneath her. Oh, fuck! She realized Gabriel Turner was GT Banks. She had slept with the enemy, and enjoyed every moment of it. Oh, hell. She was screwed.

 

After the initial shock of seeing the woman who had been haunting his waking hours for the past day, Gabriel could not believe she was standing in front of him. She was more beautiful than he remembered and he couldn’t take his eyes off of her. On the other hand, she stood there staring at him with unspoken questions and accusations in her eyes. If she had bothered to leave her damn number with him before running away, he could have called her and this would be a non-issue. So, if this is where they had to do this, then so be it. Ignoring the other people standing in the room gawking at them, he began to walk toward the only woman that had ever made him want more.

Every step closer to her brought back memories of their night together. Not just the sex—the mind-blowing and amazing sex—but the conversation, the laughter and the ability to just be himself. Once he was within feet of her, he stopped. Did he notice her hyperventilating? Yes. But there was nothing to be done about it now.

“Penelope. It’s good to see you again.” She looked beautiful. Her skin glowed, her business clothes hugged her body and his mouth watered at the memory of what it meant to kiss and nibble every inch of her lusciousness. Literally, every inch. If these other people were not in the room, he knew exactly what he would be doing right now and it would involve their clothes being removed and testing the sturdiness of the cherry wood, glass-covered conference room table.

“Gabriel? What are you doing here?” Ahhh, she had finally found her voice.

“I could ask you the same thing.” Taking his eyes off of her for a few seconds he looked at the two people sitting at the table staring at them in shock and confusion. “Why is Ms. Lucas here?”

He watched the two of them look at each other and then the woman spoke up, “Ms. Lucas is our paralegal assisting us with the acquisition process and document management. We did inform you that we would be calling our paralegal into the room, did we not?” She began looking uncomfortable as she swallowed and continued on, “May I ask what is your relationship with our employee. As you know, if the two of you have a personal relationship, it would be highly inappropriate.”