A crooked, unreadable smirk curled up on his lips as his dark green eyes traveled slowly from my Jimmy Choo’s all the way up to my eyes. His gaze had a kind of intensity I never witnessed before. It was almost as if his eyes could touch me and I felt that touch everywhere. I felt it on my arms, legs, my neck, and especially, on my nipples and in between my thighs.
For the first time in my life in a public setting, I felt moisture gather at my center and soak the thin fabric of my panties. Sure, I had been with boys in the past, but none of them had ever made me feel as hot and bothered as Gabriel that very moment.
What the hell was my issue? Only a few minutes in and Gabriel already had the strongest effect on me. My cheeks warmed and flushed a bright red as I pressed my thighs together to find some relief. He offered to take us to lunch and let us walk around downtown, before telling Alyssa to show me to my room.
Gabriel caught my eyes in a lingering glance before he turned to go back in the living room. I felt myself let out a pent-up breath. My heart was racing, too. I didn’t know what it was about him that unhinged me, but it had happened. I pushed away those thoughts for the meantime. I didn’t want to linger on any awkwardness since I planned on staying an entire two weeks.
“This way,” Alyssa said, grabbing her duffle bag from the floor. “Let’s get unpacked so we can have some fun. No finals. No homework assignments.”
“Speak for yourself,” I said, and followed her down another hallway in the direction of the guestroom. “I have my senior portfolio to hand in the day after we get back from break. My advisor doesn’t believe in vacation. He told me it’s good practice for the real world.”
“Your advisor is a dick. Everyone around campus knows it, too.”
I bit back a laugh because it was true. Mr. George, Mr. Grumpy as we all called him, had a notorious habit of making everyone’s lives a living hell. He was good at everything he did, though. He had known my father from years ago, so it had been a natural choice to pick him at the time to guide me through my last year of college.
Alyssa pushed the guestroom door open with her booted foot. I stepped past her to take in the modest bedroom with large windows overlooking the entire city. Setting my duffle bag on the floor next to the queen-sized bed, I took in the fancy furniture and private bathroom with a smile.
“Will this do your majesty?” Alyssa asked sweetly. “I know it’s been a long time since you’ve enjoyed some time in luxury.”
I rolled my eyes, and she burst out into laughter. We walked together back down the hallway in the direction of Alyssa’s room. Gone were the obvious things that I remembered from my childhood—bright pink walls, Barbie dolls scattered everywhere, and a ridiculous amount of toys. Alyssa’s room was a simple room now, from her canopy bed, candles that covered her dresser, and a bookshelf filled with books.
She tossed her bags down to the floor with a relieved groan. “I’m so ready for this break. Maybe my dad would cover the bill for a day at the spa? What do you think?”
“Your dad’s famous for his algos predicting consumer behavior,” I said. “I’m sure you could retire from life right now and be just fine. Including your trips to the spa.”
“Your mom works with models,” Alyssa said. “Not to nag on my dad, but that’s a lot cooler than his job. She makes a lot of money. You get clothes before they are even released, along with all the new makeup lines.”
“It’s a dream come true,” I said sarcastically.
I glanced down at my iPhone. A stab of guilt went through me at two missed calls from my mom already. I knew what a phone call would turn into, so I erased the missed calls with a sigh. The tru
th was, I wanted to be home for Christmas. It felt strange being around Alyssa and to be so close to my childhood, as well. I just couldn’t go home right now, not with the way things were between my mom and I. Not while he was in the picture.
I sent her a quick text instead. We landed in Chicago. At Alyssa’s dad’s condo. Love you. I’m fine.
Alyssa unzipped her suitcase to dump out a pile of dirty clothes. “Is your mom trying to get ahold of you?” Alyssa asked curiously.
“Yes,” I said, and took a seat on the edge of Alyssa’s bed. “She’s upset that I decided to come to Chicago instead of home.”
Alyssa frowned at me. “She still doesn’t want to believe that you’re uncomfortable with her boyfriend?”
“No, I guess not. She has this incredible talent for thinking she can polish a turd and turn it into something sparkly and pretty. She hasn’t figured out yet that a turd is a turd no matter how much effort you put into it. Whatever, he probably won’t last long anyway. None of them ever do,” I said.
“You think this one will be gone within a few months?”
I shrugged my shoulders, even though a part of me desperately hoped so. After years of dating sleaze bags, I couldn’t wait for my mom to either just give up hope of finding love again, or find someone worth her time. Many men, younger men in particular, were attracted to my mother because of her fat wallet. They all thought that they could get something from her, or that she could make them a star. It was pathetic really.
“Probably,” I said. “I think men are into dating older women like my mom because of her status and wealth. She’s become quite the socialite.”
“So she’s just a means to an end for them?”
“Unfortunately,” I replied, grimacing at the thought. “I mean, who knows? I guess they could be into her. Some women are into older men, too. I mean, you know how many of our classmates have imagined having sex with one of the older professors at school?”
“That’s because they are desperate for good grades,” Alyssa replied, rolling her eyes. “It’s gross, Penny. Don’t even think about things like that.”
“I’m not thinking about it. I’m just saying that not everybody likes dating the douchebag frat boys at our college, is all.”
Alyssa opened the door mid-reply and jumped in surprise to see her father standing there. “Shit, Dad. I didn’t know you were standing right here.”