“Yes.”
“Well, Gabe Moore, why on earth are you having dinner with me?”
“You’re finding this all very entertaining.”
“At least it beats watching some kind of soap opera. This is kind of fun.” She twirled her fork in her spaghetti and ate the smallest portion ever. After this, she was so going to have to go find a burger, or maybe a diner. That would be amusing. She’d enjoy the world’s largest milkshake or something.
“Is it good?”
“Yes, it is.” She wasn’t petty, and she finished her plate a few seconds after him.
“Dessert?”
“No, thank you. I don’t enjoy sweet foods. Tell me why I’m here,” she said. Even though she’d been ordered to this restaurant, forced to eat with him, and realized quite frankly he knew way too much about her life than was comfortable, she wanted it to end now.
She wasn’t happy with constantly being the one playing catch up with him.
Gabe sat back as their plates were taken. He shook his head at the dessert menu.
“Tell me what you want out of life.”
“No,” she said. “I’m happy in my life. Thank you. What do you want?”
He pursed his lips, staring at her.
She had an inkling of what he wanted, but he also didn’t like being pushed at his own game. Gabe wasn’t like any other man she’d ever known. Sitting back in the fancy restaurant, she waited.
“I merely wanted to enjoy a meal with a woman who isn’t afraid of me.”
“Good. You’ve experienced that. Can I go?”
****
Later that night, Gabe cleaned the blood from his knuckles, but he still wasn’t happy. The owner of the restaurant had admitted to firing people who didn’t fit his own desired look to serve the customers.
To think Laura Smith could have been right within his grasp and he’d lost the chance to find her, just because this fucker was intimidated by her body. The same body he couldn’t wait to get his hands on. To own. To possess. One look at her at the bar she’d been working at, and he’d been fucking smitten. The clothes she wore served to enhance her large tits, small waist, flaring hips, rounded ass, and thick, juicy thighs.
He’d enjoyed his fair share of women, but Laura, fuck, his cock ached to be inside her. All he wanted to do was take every single part of her. To have his name spilling from her plump lips, or better yet, wrapped around his cock as he fucked her face.
He left one of his men to clean up the mess. The owner would walk, but he was going to have to take an extended vacation to deal with the messed-up face he’d just earned.
Felipe, one of his most trusted men, stood beside the car, looking a little uneasy.
“What is it?” He didn’t mind bad news.
Running this city, he could handle anything that was thrown at him and often did.
“She handed it back.” He held up the dress he’d sent for Laura to wear, along with the lingerie.
Gritting his teeth, he took them from his man and climbed into the back of the car. “What did she say?”
“‘I won’t be needing these. Take them back to your master.’” Felipe wouldn’t look at him.
“What exactly did she do?” he asked.
“In the doorway, she turned around and stripped, throwing the clothes at me. I didn’t see anything, sir.”
He knew differently. “Take me home.” He pressed the button that would separate him from Felipe and tugged at the tie that suddenly felt a little too restrictive.
Laura was not like anyone he’d ever known.
First, she was happy with her own company. That was unusual.
Women flaunted themselves all over him. They wanted him. Hungered for what he could provide for them. Whenever he’d taken a woman before, the dress and the restaurant had guaranteed him a good night.
Not with Laura.
She’d looked so unimpressed by everything. He wasn’t used to having a woman clearly not care about what he could do for her. It infuriated and delighted him.
She wasn’t like any other woman. Taming and claiming her would be his ultimate reward.
Sitting back, he rested his head on the back of the seat. His cock was still rock-hard from being near her.
One day soon, he’d have her with him, on her knees, taking him into her mouth. Until then, he had to find her weak spot. Have her begging for him.
Felipe parked the car at the private underground parking where he lived. There, Gabe climbed out of the car, excused his man, and made his way toward the penthouse suite.
Upon entering, he walked straight to the floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the city and stared down.
No one could see him, but he saw everyone.
After a few seconds, he turned on his heel and made his way toward the kitchen. He grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge and removed his jacket.
His men had already done their work, and before him lay the file that exposed every single tiny secret Laura possessed. He put his hand on the brown card and then flipped it open. Not a lot of paperwork inside, but he looked at her picture. It was one taken from her social media account. She wore a swimsuit, and her knees were up. She turned toward the camera smiling, and the sun shined through her body, making her look like a sinful angel. He’d spent a lot of time scrolling through her images, trying to understand the woman who’d captured his attention, and yet, he could find nothing.
“Who are you?”
Starting at the top, he discovered she’d been found on the steps of a church and sent to an orphanage. From a baby until five, she stayed at the home, no one even caring to adopt her. Other children had found homes, but the lonely, mousy-haired girl had no one.
He saw a couple of pictures of her standing with a stern-looking woman.
There were a couple of placement foster homes. His men had even included some rumors of said foster homes and what they did to some of their kids.
Rape. Abuse. Torture.
Had Laura experienced that?
More questions flooded his mind.
At the age of sixteen, she ran away. Three months later, she was found working part-time and attending the local high school. Rather than work with Laura to see what she wanted, she went back to her home. She never ran away again but stayed until the day she turned eighteen.
She got a job, part-time, and worked until graduation. Then she left town the moment she did. From there, she traveled around the city, working in places he owned. For the last seven years, she’d been so close to him and yet so fucking far.
His men had also supplied images, including one of her dressed in the restaurant’s attire where he’d taken her tonight. She held a smile, but again, he saw it in her eyes.
Laura had seen a lot in this world.
Why wasn’t she more … damaged?
He ran a hand down his face and closed the report.
She was reserved. She didn’t like being told what to do. Her attitude was refreshing. Especially as the last fifteen years, he’d gotten used to women tripping all over themselves to do whatever the hell he pleased.
How could he claim a woman like Laura?
He finished his bottle of water and tossed the empty container into the recycle bin. Leaving the file, he made his way into his bedroom, going straight to the en-suite. He put his gun on the counter. Spread his hands out and stared at his reflection.