Dirty Addiction (Dirty 2)

“Oh, yeah, you have to get back to the dangerous world of building video games.” She snickers. Another fact that I’m sure she learned when she Googled me.

“As opposed to the dangerous world of whatever Gabe does.”

She grins. “Security. He risks his life every day to make sure that the richest people in the world stay alive.”

“He does not. He hires men to protect his clients.”

She shrugs. “Usually, but he also likes the rush of the job, so he often does security protections himself. And him working in this business puts our lives at constant risk.”

I’m beginning to see what she might see in him. Because, if I know one thing about Skye, she is a risk-taker. She likes to live life on the edge a little differently than everyone else. Evidently, that’s what Gabe can provide her.

Our appetizer arrives and we gobble it down while discussing all the basics that we never got around to discussing in the Bahamas. Our jobs. Why she became a veterinarian. We talk about families, about how neither of us has siblings and therefore adopted our friends as family. We talk about our favorite music. Hers is surprisingly jazz while mine is rap and hip-hop. We talk about our favorite places in the world. Hers is a small town in Italy while mine, outside of the Bahamas, is France.

We talk for over an hour as we drink our wine and order more appetizers. We talk about everything that you should talk about on a first date. We laugh, we joke, and we tease each other. And I quickly forget that Gabe might be coming. I forget that he even exists. I haven’t been on a date with a woman in a long time. At least not one that wasn’t just about sex.

“Sorry, I’m late.” Gabe’s voice rings out behind me, crushing the fantasy that we have created between us.

Skye glares at him as he leans down and kisses her quickly on the cheek before taking his seat next to her.

“Meeting run long again?” Skye asks, cocking her head to one side and giving him a look that means business.

“Yes. Had a meeting with a new client who is interested in my services. Took longer than usual to close the deal, but I did. I always do.”

The waiter brings over a third glass and pours Gabe a glass.

“I’m sure the two of you had plenty to talk about while I was gone,” Gabe says, looking from Skye to me.

I ignore Gabe studying Skye instead. Her reaction screams pissed. I don’t know a lot about love, having never been in love myself, but I suppose you can be pissed off at the person you’re desperately in love—but not for too long, or the love begins to fade. It doesn’t seem like Gabe is that concerned about Skye’s love for him disappearing while her anger is on full display.

He holds up his glass of wine. “I’d like to make a toast to old flings.” Gabe drinks from his wine, but neither Skye nor I clink glasses with him or drink our glasses. Gabe smirks as he looks at me. “You didn’t like my toast?”

“No, I didn’t find it in good taste.”

Gabe laughs. “I thought it might break the tension between all of us. You see, I already know about you and Skye in the Bahamas. She told me all about it the night I proposed to her. She didn’t want any secrets between us,” Gabe says, squeezing Skye into his body.

She pulls away, not happy to have his arms around her.

“Is that why you invited me to dinner then? You wanted to pick a fight with me for fucking your woman when she wasn’t even yours.”

“No, I wanted Skye to be happy. And I thought we might all be able to be friends now that everything is out in the open.”

The waiter returns, breaking through the tension, and we all order our food.

“Excuse me, I need to use the restroom,” Skye says, getting up from the table.

I don’t know if she really has to go or if she’s just trying to get away from having to deal with us.

I lean back in my chair, and Gabe does the same, each of us sizing the other one up.

“For a man who says he doesn’t want to pick a fight, it sure seems like you’re trying to start one.”

“Let me make my intentions clear. I didn’t bring you here so that you and I could become friends. I brought you here because I have a proposition for you.”

I frown, not liking the sound of that one bit. “What sort of arrangement?”

“I know that you enjoyed fucking my girl in the Bahamas, and I know that you came here in hopes that you’d be able to continue fucking her. But then I threw a wrench in your plan. But I think you can help me with the problem I have. See, I want to marry Skye. I love everything about that woman, but I have needs beyond Skye. I want to have my cake and eat it, too, or so the saying goes.”

“I don’t understand.”