Gabriel parks the bike near a small restaurant with a view of the river.
Somewhere in the middle of our meal, I glance at Gabriel and open my heart to him.
“I was a bargaining chip to my father. Well, me and my sister.” He glances at me over his drink. “Mario’s father is one of the five influential families my father had support from. With a rise in the newer generation who wanted changes, he needed to secure his power and position.” I take a sip of my drink before I continue. I lower my eyes to my plate and play with my food. “So, my father agreed to sell me to the highest bidder. The irony is that my father knew very well what kind of man Mario is, and he still agreed.”
Gabriel’s low and sharp voice cuts the silence as I search for the words to continue the story. “What has he done?”
I raise my eyes to meet his. “Mario is a sadist.” I inhale sharply. “On the day of our engagement, he made sure I played by his rules, or he would hurt Chiara. So, I played by the rules.” My gaze slips back to my plate. The only thing saving me was that he didn’t have time for me other than when we needed to be seen together.” I look to my side where the sun is setting. “There isnothing worse than being slapped and almost choked to death on your engagement night, other than knowing your future father-in-law is a creep who touched you when you were twelve and was going to share you with his son as if you were a piece of meat.”
A low, lethal growl rumbles out of Gabriel. “That son of the bitch.” I turn toward him; the way his jaw clenches could break bone. “I swear, if I could drag him back from the grave, I’d kill him again… slower. I’d make him choke on every second he ever made you suffer.”
Heat curls through me at the violence in his voice. “I was plotting against them for a long time,” I admit, a dark smile slipping onto my lips. “I played the long game. A year of pretending. A year of collecting proof piece by piece.” My eyes lock onto his, matching his fury with my own. “When I leaked everything to the media, it was over. Cops were useless; they owned half of them. But the press?” I smirk. “Uncontrollable. Corrupt men like him can’t survive daylight.”
Gabriel’s chest rises, slow and dangerous. “And you did all of that alone.”
“I did what I had to do,” I say, lifting my glass, my pulse steady. “Running wasn’t an option. Revenge is slow and precise, and I made sure they felt every second of it. Now, they’re locked away, and they’re not stepping foot outside those bars again.”
His brows draw together, fury simmering under the surface. “Now I know what they’ve done, I wish I could punish them myself. Prison is a luxury for scum like them.” Something in his expression shifts, rage sharpening into something deeper, darker. His eyes hold mine. “So, it all started with you?”
I shrug like it’s nothing, even though my blood hums at the pride in his voice. “Who else was going to end them? Certainly not the men too scared to touch them.”
His eyes blaze. Controlled. Dominant. Possessive. “You’re extraordinary,” he says, low and certain. “And now I know what they did to you…” He leans in, his warmth eclipsing everything else. “I can’t erase those memories, but I sure as hell can burn new ones over them. Ones filled with power, loyalty… love. You and me building something no one can ever touch.” His voice drops even lower, tipping into a threat. “And one thing I swear on my blood: your father and that bastard will regret every breath they wasted hurting you. I’ll make sure of that.”
The promise in his tone is deadly.
And everything inside me answers it like a spark hitting gasoline.
“This is the second time tonight that you’ve avoided high places.” I turn toward Gabriel, who is referring to his failed attempt to get me to walk the walkway over the Hudson. “Is this why I never see you near a window? Why do you always avoid coming near them?”
“Well, I don’t have anything against high places per se. I just don’t like looking down and not seeing the ground.”
“It's the same thing.”
I purse my lips. I want to argue, but he has a point. “I’m going to change,” I say and escape.
I don’t want to think about other fears. I want to stay in Gabríel’s bubble, where everything is perfect. Where he understands me and assures me that I did the right thing.
I change into a sleep shirt before returning to the living room. I look around, but Gabriel is nowhere to be found.
I edge toward the end of the sofa, as I usually do. I watch the light illuminating the sky, where I can see only the top of each skyscraper. I’ve gotten used to the view, and as long as I don’t look down, I’m good. I close my eyes and inhale and exhale whenGabriel sneaks up behind me and places a silk cover over my eyes.
“Shhh. Don’t,” he whispers in my ear as I reach for his hand. “I’m going to cover your eyes. I want you to feel something other than fear.”
I nod and bite my lip as he binds the silk over my eyes. He takes my hand and leads me forward, into the unknown. My bare feet tap on the floor, giving me security that there is ground under my feet. When we stop, his arms embrace me.
“How about we finish what we started? I didn’t have my dessert.” He kisses my neck, and his hand pulls off my shirt. With my shirt off, his hands wander over my body. My head falls onto his chest, and I surrender to his touch, to lust and want.
He turns me around, and his lips take mine in a deep kiss. I grab his neck and pull him toward me, molding my body to his. I let out a sound of disapproval as he pulls away, I fell him sinking onto his knees, and pulls down my panties before his tongue dives into my pussy.
My hands search for something to hold, and I grasp Gabriel’s head for support. He takes my leg and puts it over his shoulder as his tongue explores my pussy.
He licks and sucks, driving me to the edge, and my head falls back. My muscles press together, pending a release, a release that never comes because he pulls away. I exhale a huff just as he pushes two fingers inside me and slowly pulls them out, and I moan.
“Perfect,” he says. “Fucking delicious.” I hear the smacking of his lips as he pulls his fingers out of his mouth. “Your cunt tastes better than any dessert, and you didn’t even come for me.” Once again, he pushes his fingers inside me. I moan as he fucks me with his fingers, enjoying the torment.
“Do you want to come?”
“Yes,” I moan.
