“I’ll pretend that I believe you,” Alyssa said. “Let me call my dad to see what he wants to eat for lunch so we can stop by.”
We sat down at one of the benches along the second floor the mall. A stream of people walked by us while Alyssa dialed her father’s office number. I took in the holiday music and Christmas decorations with a smile while I scrolled through my own phone to check emails and texts. That sense of contentment was immediately dashed when I found six missed phone calls from my mom. No voicemails. No text messages.
I swallowed the bulge in my throat as I erased the phone calls. Don’t fall for it, Penny. Don’t give her the satisfaction of answering.
“My dad’s pulling up to the mall right now,” Alyssa announced suddenly. She grabbed her bags from the floor. “Come on. We’re going down to the food court to meet my dad for lunch.”
We took the escalator down to the main level of the mall. I followed Alyssa nervously through the Christmas shopping crowds in the direction of the food court. My stomach churned as I spotted Gabriel sitting at a small table, scrolling absentmindedly through something on his phone. He looked even more handsome today, from his charcoal gray pants and the white button-up shirt he wore, to the scarf dangling loosely around his neck.
“Afternoon, ladies,” he said smoothly when we reached the table. “I trust my credit card is going to get a lot of traveling points after today?”
“Of course, it is!” Alyssa beamed at him as she swept down to kiss him on the cheek before dumping the bags in the chair next to him. “Thank you, Dad. I really appreciate it. Don’t go peeking through some of the bags, though. Your Christmas present is in there.”
Gabriel smiled up at his daughter while he pocketed his phone. “I have to go through the bags now.” He paused to scan my bags at my side, stopping on the Victoria Secret bag. “Why don’t you get us a pizza, Alyssa? I want to have a word with Penny alone.”
“About what?” she asked.
My heart thumped erratically in my chest. I slowly deposited the bags in the chair to take a seat across from Gabriel. I had no idea what it was that he would want to talk to me alone about, but my mouth was suddenly dry and my panties suddenly wet.
“It doesn’t involve you,” Gabriel said, rolling his eyes. “Just go grab a pizza, Alyssa. Give us a few minutes.”
He waited until Alyssa slowly left our table, reluctant to go. I folded my hands nervously in my lap to hide the fact that they were trembling. Gabriel gazed at me hard before letting out a pent-up breath. He leaned forward to prop his elbows on the table and threaded his fingers together in front of him.
“Your mother called me the other morning,” he said. “She has been calling for the past two days, actually.”
I stiffened in surprise to hear that. Panic clawed at my throat when Gabriel looked at me with an indescribable expression on his face.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “Did she leave a message?”
“These past couple of times, no. I did, however, talk to her on the phone Monday morning. She’s a bit upset about you not being home for Christmas.”
“I know that.”
“And I also promised to try and convince you to go home because Christmas is about family, but I want you to know that I’m not going to push you out the door.” He reached across the table to grasp my forearm. Sparks of electricity went up my arms at the feel of his strong fingers against my skin. “You’re always welcome here. I can see that there’s something keeping you back from wanting to go home. I’m giving you the chance to talk about it now. If you want to.”
I glanced down at the circle of Gabriel’s fingers on my forearm. The touch felt different. It felt nice, reassuring. It also made my blood surge through my veins. I shook that away, though, as I looked up at Gabriel with a small smile.
“Thanks,” I said. “I’d like to stay here for Christmas, if that is okay with you.”
Alyssa returned to the table with a large pepperoni pizza. She swept Gabriel up into conversation immediately, and he looked reluctant to let the topic change. I was grateful, though. I took a slice of pizza, despite the nausea climbing in the back of my throat. The last thing I wanted to do was talk about what was going on in New York City, with Gabriel of all people.
CHAPTER FIVE - GABRIEL
The nightclub was in the middle of downtown Chicago. For a Wednesday night, I was impressed by the line of people stretching around the corner of the building. The people were all huddled together in thick coats while my driver pulled up to the VIP entrance. I spotted Neil standing inside the doorway, talking with security. I hopped out of the SUV after leaving orders for my driver to pick me up in a few hours, unless I texted him before.
Cold air bore down on me as I strode down the pathway to where Neil pushed the door open for me. Music and bass thumped hard against the walls as I shook Neil’s hand with a grin.
“Nice place,” I commented, eyeing the luxuriously furnished lounge and bar inside. “I still have a feeling that you are trying to booze me up for a good reason.”
Neil laughed. “Maybe. Come inside, and let’s have a couple of drinks.”
“So, you are trying to get me drunk,” I replied as I followed him to a small booth that sat back a little way from the crowd. Chatter filled the entire lounge as we weaved our way through other tables. “If you are planning on trying to take advantage of me, I have to tell you you’re not really my type,” I said with a grin.
Neil’s face had suddenly gone serious. “There are just some things going on that I think you need to know about.”
I waited for the waiter to bring us a bottle of whiskey before pouring myself a hearty glass to sip at. The fire of alcohol sent a pleasurable shudder through me. The stress from the past couple of days lifted from my shoulders. I needed a break away from the office, but I also needed to distance myself from the temptations waiting for me at home.
“So what’s going on?” I asked him, though the look on