“Just you… I’ve never met another man like you. You have so many different sides to you, but I can understand all of them now. Like when I first met you, I was so turned off by your huge ego. Then I got to see a different kind of Gabriel. And, I…. well that’s what got me interested. Every day I see more to you, and I admire you so much. I was one of those stupid people who made a lot of assumptions about you in the beginning. But now I can see that you aren’t anything like the person I thought you were. I guess I was kind of a bitch to begin with.”
Gabriel laughs. “Kind of a bitch huh? Well, you must have been doing something right because it made me want you even more.”
I lean up and kiss him softly. “I wanted you too… all along.”
“Well, you’re right about the presumptions, everybody makes them. I’ve always resented the fact that people looked at me like I was just some spoiled rich kid who never had to work for anything. After Parker died it became public knowledge that I would inherit the Maddox Hotel Chain. My mother is insistent that I take it, even though it’s causing issues between the family. But I don’t want it, I never did. That’s why I’ve been working quietly on building my own business. I refuse to be defined by the Maddox name.”
“Really?” I ask, stunned. “What kind of business are you building?”
“It’s a software company. I’ve done all of it myself, with bank loans and my savings. Despite what everyone thinks, I don’t live off my parents. I haven’t since I was seventeen. I get paid for my work at Maddox Corp, and I do actually work, but it’s just temporary. I’ve got everything ready to launch my business, I just need to finish lining up investors and I will no longer be associated with the corporation.”
“Wow, Gabriel, that’s really amazing,” I say. He seems so passionate about this of course I want to support him.
“Really?” he pulls away to study my expression intently. “Do you really think that?”
“Of course I do.” I smile. “I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t. I’m sure that no matter what you choose to do in your life, you will succeed. But, the most important thing is that you’re happy.”
He relaxes back and pulls me against his chest. “I’m happy right now,” he whispers.
My heart nearly melts.
“Me too.”
Chapter Six
Gabriel
Feeling completely useless, I watch the people milling around the city below me while I allow my mind to wander. I should be catching up on work, but I can’t stop thinking about last night.
I’ve never told anyone the truth about my brother. It’s a huge risk. If this gets out to the media, it will destroy my mother. As much as I’ve imagined that scenario a thousand times with pleasure-the world seeing my mother for what she truly is-I could never really want that.
Somewhere deep down, I do love her, and I don’t want to see her hurt. I took a gamble last night trusting Victoria with this information. I put myself out there, wanting to believe she’d never betray me. But I’ve believed that about a lot of people in the past and have been proven wrong time and again. It isn’t as if I’m a cold, unfeeling monster. Yes, I love to dominate women, having that kind of control over someone… that kind of trust, it turns me on. But more than anything, I want someone to want to please me.
When I was younger and much more na?ve, I developed feelings for some of the women I dated. But it didn’t take long to realize what women saw me as. And when I told them I had no plans on taking over Maddox Corp, they always got off the train. One by one, I would watch them go. It became my way of ending relationships when I was no longer interested or felt myself developing emotions towards one of them. I knew I could always count on that tried and true method. But last night, when I used it as another test with Victoria, she didn’t blink twice.
In only a matter of a few weeks, the dynamic between us has changed considerably. With my guidance, I’ve watched her submissive desires bloom before me. She doesn’t just enjoy it, she loves every minute of it. And I’m truly taken with her. What she did for me last night was beyond words.
I had every intention of fucking her when I showed up there unannounced. I just wanted to take my mind off of everything. But when she knelt in front of me, fulfilling my desires without even asking, I was enrapt. She made me laugh all night during the movie and fed me the most unhealthy concoction I’ve ever eaten. Then she listened patiently as I poured my heart out.
I know what I’ve told her is risky, but it’s the only way I can know her true intentions for sure. And only time will tell.
***
Victoria
I’ve just finished up my morning deliveries when I get the text.
My office.
Noon.
Wear whatever you’d like. And don’t be late.
Gabriel