Page 16 of Forbidden Sins
“Call me Gabe,” he corrected. “I hear we’ll be working closely together.” He was unable to remove any hint of innuendo, directed only at her, from his voice.
Charles explained to her what he’d just told Gabe—that he’d be working with her as her mentor. Her eyes widened again at the news—it was unexpected to her, as well—and even though Gabe knew it would be a bad idea to be her mentor, he was just so goddamn grateful to be in her presence again.
They exchanged pleasantries, but Gabe couldn’t take his eyes off Ellie. He could tell that she was trying to make her escape. Gabe caught how expertly Ellie disengaged from the conversation as she took a step back. “It’s been great meeting you, and I can’t wait to start working under you.” Gabe almost laughed out loud at her words, as unintended as he knew they were. He could sense her discomfort; it matched his own. “I should go. I’ve really got to get back to work, anyway. I’ve got lots to do today.”
Charles beamed at her. “That’s my girl. Nose to the grindstone. Maybe you are like your old man, after all.”
Without responding, she nodded, turned quickly on her heel and all but ran from the room. Gabe watched the door she’d vacated, unable to take his eyes from it.
He put his glass on the table in front of him. “Thanks for the breakfast scotch, Charles. It’s quite a substitute for coffee,” he said. “And thanks for everything, but I should be going. I’ve got a lot of work to catch up on, as well.”
Charles nodded. If he suspected there was anything going on between Gabe and Ellie, he didn’t let on. “I’ll let you know when the partners are planning to vote.”
“Please do,” Gabe said, shaking his boss’s hand, before turning and all but sprinting from the room after Ellie.
For what was probably the tenth time, Ellie pushed the elevator button. “Come on, come on,” she muttered, willing it to come. How was it taking so long? Her heart was still pounding in her chest, and her breath wheezed out of her lungs. She had almost choked on her tongue when she walked into her father’s office and saw Gabe standing there.
She was currently living in her nightmare. Why did she think that having a one-night stand would be a fun little distraction before she could get on with turning her life around? It was one of the stupidest things she’d ever done. But as she considered Gabe, and the time she’d spent with him, nothing about how Gabe had made her feel was stupid.
She thought she’d covered her reaction to Gabe well enough. Her father didn’t seem to have any idea that she’d met Gabe previously.That’s good.Having a relationship with her father was new to both of them. But despite the rough start they’d had, his absence and the trouble she’d caused as a teenager, she knew they could be close, if they both tried. Ellie couldn’t screw it up, though. Even though she was a grown adult—with a job, her own bills—she couldn’t help but crave his approval.
But tell that to the lust that curled up from her core at just being in the same room as Gabe. The passion she’d felt two days before had been reignited. She’d run away from his house on Saturday, not wanting to deal with the reality of wanting him, but little did she know that fate had other plans, and played a cruel hand by putting him in front of her as her father’s associate—her new mentor.
Ellie hit the elevator call button again. “Goddammit, come on.” She needed to get off that floor, and get back to the safe confines of her small office. Away from Gabe, until the time came for them to actually work together.
Someone joined her in waiting. “This one is always slow,” he said, his voice low and so familiar that it was imprinted on her brain. She turned her head and saw that it was Gabe.
He said nothing for a while, but as they watched the light indicating the approaching elevator, he cleared his throat.
“I’m surprised to see you here.”
Her short, curt laugh was humorless. “Likewise.”
“I’m chalking it up to coincidence. Am I correct in doing so?” He still didn’t look at her. “Or did you plan this?” He paused and looked at her, his eyebrows pinched together skeptically. “Or did someone put you up to it?”
She turned her head to look at him, incredulous that he would accuse her of—what, exactly? “What are you talking about? Who could have put me up to it?”
“Never mind. Forget I said anything.”
“What is taking this elevator so long?” she asked, just wanting to hide back in her small office on the bottom floor.
“It’s an older building. And this elevator is slower than the rest.”
The bell chimed, finally announcing the elevator’s arrival. The doors parted and they both stepped inside. She let them close before she turned to face him. “I assure you, Gabe, this is a totally unfortunate coincidence. How could I have ever planned this? Why would I? What would be the benefit?”
He pushed the emergency button, halting the elevator’s course downward. “I don’t know why you might have. Remember, I don’t know you at all. But if you’re playing some kind of game here, or working with someone else, you can forget about it. I’ve worked too goddamn hard to get where I am. I need to know that I can count on your discretion. No one can know what happened between us—that we got married.”
“You don’t have to worry, Gabe. I won’t say anything. This looks just as badly on me.”
“Aw fuck,” he murmured. “I just need to make sure I lock it down, and get the votes before word gets out that we’ll be in court. But listen to me. It won’t get out. I’m used to keeping things under wraps. This is no different.”
Ellie wasn’t sure why, but because of the way he looked at her, spoke to her, she believed him. She nodded.
“Sounds good to me.”
Ellie reached out and pushed the emergency button again, restarting the elevator. It jolted to life, but stuttered to a halt, as the lights dimmed.
Flattening her palms against the wall, she looked to Gabe. “What just happened?”