Gable Read online

  Subject: Delusional

  Date: October 11, 12:47 p.m.

  To: 9543254

  Tell you what. I’ll leave my tray on the table. There are two burritos untouched. Well, the first one’s a little mutilated because I kinda hacked it open trying to find what the surprise was. Anyway, I’m leaving, so it’s all yours. They’ll be on one of the tables closest to the windows

  ______________________________________

  From: 9543254

  Subject: Lucid as hell

  Date: October 11, 12:48 p.m.

  To: 9565876

  Sweet. I’ll be there in 5

  Shit! I hoped he was kidding.

  ______________________________________

  From: 9543254

  Subject: Lucid as hell

  Date: October 11, 12:48 p.m.

  To: 9565876

  Kidding. Headed home for lunch with my bros

  Thank God!

  ______________________________________

  From: 9543254

  Subject: Lucid as hell

  Date: October 11, 12:48 p.m.

  To: 9565876

  But I AM tempted to go to the SC to see who you are… ;)

  ______________________________________

  From: 9565876

  Subject: Sea of women

  Date: October 11, 12:49 p.m.

  To: 9543254

  Jsyk there are tons of girls here enjoying this fine entrée. It’d be kinda tough to know which one’s me

  ______________________________________

  From: 9543254

  Subject: Six radar

  Date: October 11, 12:50 p.m.

  To: 9565876

  Oh, I think I could pick you out

  ______________________________________

  From: 9565876

  Subject: Six radar

  Date: October 11, 12:50 p.m.

  To: 9543254

  How?!

  ______________________________________

  From: 9543254

  Subject: Obvious

  Date: October 11, 12:51 p.m.

  To: 9565876

  You’d be the one emailing with the goofy grin on your face and guarding a full tray of deliciousness

  ______________________________________

  From: 9565876

  Subject: I’d rather eat my shoe

  Date: October 11, 12:51 p.m.

  To: 9543254

  Ha deliciousness my ass

  ______________________________________

  From: 9543254

  Subject: Beautiful backside

  Date: October 11, 12:51 p.m.

  To: 9565876

  I’ll just bet your ass is delicious

  ______________________________________

  From: 9565876

  Subject: Beautiful backside

  Date: October 11, 12:53 p.m.

  To: 9543254

  ---

  ______________________________________

  From: 9543254

  Subject: Hot

  Date: October 11, 12:53 p.m.

  To: 9565876

  C’mon, Six. I know you’ve gotta have a rockin’ body

  ______________________________________

  From: 9565876

  Subject: Hot

  Date: October 11, 12:53 p.m.

  To: 9543254

  How am I supposed to answer that?

  ______________________________________

  From: 9543254

  Subject: Hot

  Date: October 11, 12:53 p.m.

  To: 9565876

  By telling me what you’re wearing

  I surveyed the student center, a bit paranoid. What if he was in here watching me because he’d figured it out? After scouring the place and not seeing him, I decided to give him a bit of his own flirty medicine.

  ______________________________________

  From: 9565876

  Subject: You asked

  Date: October 11, 12:55 p.m.

  To: 9543254

  A black bustier, thong and garter belt with black stockings under a black pencil skirt, white button down shirt tucked in and my black stilettos

  ______________________________________

  From: 9543254

  Subject: Fuck… me

  Date: October 11, 12:55 p.m.

  To: 9565876

  Fuck… me

  Uh, yes, please.

  ______________________________________

  From: 9565876

  Subject: Too much?

  Date: October 11, 12:55 p.m.

  To: 9543254

  You like?

  ______________________________________

  From: 9543254

  Subject: Perfect

  Date: October 11, 12:56 p.m.

  To: 9565876

  Hell yeah. Tell me you’re not really wearing that… if you are, I’m turning around and coming back to find you in the SC

  ______________________________________

  From: 9565876

  Subject: Kidding

  Date: October 11, 12:56 p.m.

  To: 9543254

  lol Just messing with you

  ______________________________________

  From: 9543254

  Subject: Damn

  Date: October 11, 12:56 p.m.

  To: 9565876

  That was one helluva visual

  ______________________________________

  From: 9565876

  Subject: Wait

  Date: October 11, 12:56 p.m.

  To: 9543254

  Wait. You’re not emailing and driving are you???

  ______________________________________

  From: 9543254

  Subject: Guilty

  Date: October 11, 12:57 p.m.

  To: 9565876

  …

  ______________________________________

  From: 9565876

  Subject: Law breaker

  Date: October 11, 12:45 p.m.

  To: 9543254

  STOP right NOW!

  ______________________________________

  From: 9543254

  Subject: Dominatrix

  Date: October 11, 12:57 p.m.

  To: 9565876

  I love it when you’re bossy. That shit’s hot…

  ______________________________________

  From: 9565876

  Subject: Not funny

  Date: October 11, 12:57 p.m.

  To: 9543254

  I’m not answering you back until I know you’re not driving. It’s illegal to be on your phone anyway. You’ll get pulled over

>   ______________________________________

  From: 9543254

  Subject: I got this

  Date: October 11, 12:58 p.m.

  To: 9565876

  Not me. I’m kind of a cool character, Six. Haven’t you figured that out yet?

  I didn’t answer and I wouldn’t until I knew he wasn’t driving. And, yes, I knew he was a cool character. He’d proven it time and again.

  ~*~*~*~

  Gable was back to his old self at work that night. And I kind of liked that he was. It was better than being ignored by him.

  Damn. I was sick in the head.

  “We’re mortal enemies, Priss,” he said with a sly smile when I set my tray on the bar.

  I frowned not knowing what he was talking about. He nodded at our jerseys.

  “You’re wearing the Giants. I’m wearing the Patriots. Just won’t work.”

  “Well, darn, since we were such great friends before this, that just breaks my heart,” I replied with a roll of my eyes. “Maybe I should change into a different jersey so we’ll be friends again.” If he could be a cool character, I could as well, so I’d just continue being my smartassed self when it came to him.

  “Technically, everyone’s a rival of the Patriots so it wouldn’t matter what you changed into.” He chuckled.

  I had no idea about pro football so I shook my head and watched as he filled my order. I might’ve watched his butt a little too, but I couldn’t help myself.

  After setting the beers on my tray, he leaned over the counter and said low, “Your ass looks particularly delicious tonight, Priss.”

  My eyes got huge as I stared at him. He’d said pretty much the same in his email. He had to know! He gave me an impish grin then turned away, going to wait on a customer leaving me standing there with my mouth hanging open.

  A little unsettled, I picked up my tray and walked away to deliver the drinks to my customers. Okay, so the jig was up. No big deal. We were both now culpable for keeping it secret. But because I was as stubborn as I was, I was going to leave it to him to ‘fess up first.

  Oh, and maybe because I was a huge coward.

  ~*~*~*~

  I took a break at ten going out back to get some air when the door opened a few minutes later. Gable.

  “You stalking me?” I asked giving him a sneer from where I stood leaning against the wall and drinking a bottle of water.

  “Maybe,” he answered, the half grin making an appearance as he walked toward me, his beautiful brown eyes on mine.

  “Wh-what are you doing?” I stammered when he stopped right in front of me. I set my water bottle on a milk crate next to me and wondered what he was up to as I looked up at him, half panicking.

  He looked down at me, his eyes dancing with mirth at seeing how uncomfortable I’d grown. “You feel it as much as I do, Priss. The sexual tension between us could be cut with a fucking knife.” His lips curled up as he watched the alarm flash across my face.

  Oh, my God. Was he playing with me? If so, I’d kill him.

  He pressed me back against the wall and the next thing I knew his hands came up to hold my face. “Why don’t we just give in?” Before I knew what was happening his mouth was on mine.

  Holy shit!

  And, wow, his lips were as soft as I knew they’d be. And he tasted wonderful, all minty and fresh. And his body. Dear baby Jesus. It was as hard as I thought it’d be… and he was hard everywhere. Wow. When he thrust his tongue inside my mouth to tangle with mine, I found myself gripping his shoulders, pulling him closer as I emitted a huge whore moan. It’d been a while since I’d been kissed, and right now I was kissing Gable Powers and just couldn’t help myself.

  His hands moved down my neck and over my shoulders then slid around to my back then lower where he grabbed my butt pulling me flush against him as our smoking hot kiss continued. Oh, God, I was so wet for him, feeling him so hard against my bare stomach and I knew I was losing myself in him when my leg came up and curled around the back of his as I ground myself against his thigh wanting more. More. More! Oh, my God, I’d never wanted anyone as much as I wanted him.

  His lips moved over my jaw to a spot below my ear that he sucked lightly, making me shiver in his arms. One of his hands slid around to my belly, the backs of his fingers smoothing sensually across my exposed skin then he turned his hand to where his palm was flat against me and I felt it glide down where the tips of his fingers slipped just inside my jeans. Oh, God, yes!

  “Mmm, you taste good,” he muttered against my neck and I froze.

  Wait. What?

  And that became the moment of my getting a fucking clue.

  My hands suddenly moved from his shoulders to his chest and I shoved him away from me hard, and glory be to all things holy, he actually went back on a foot.

  “Are you kidding me!” I spat.

  He jerked his head back in surprise, narrowing his eyes at me.

  “I’m not Alyssa!”

  “Didn’t say you were,” he answered, his brow creased as if he had no clue what I was talking about.

  “I’m not one of your easy lays either!” I turned my head away, pissed that I’d gotten so carried away with that damned kiss.

  He put a hand against the wall to the side of my head and gripped my chin with the fingers of his other turning my head back, making me look at him. “Didn’t say that either.”

  I jerked my chin out of his hand and ducked under his arm, spinning to face him, hands on my hips. “You’re unbelievable! The night you and Alyssa were out here, you said the same thing to her!”

  I saw the shock on his face for a second before it disappeared but he just kept watching me as I glared at him, my lips still tingling from that fabulous freakin’ kiss. Damn him.

  “I know you’re not like them, Priss,” he replied, taking a step toward me.

  I took a step back, holding my palm up in warning for him to stay back. “Yeah? Well, since that seems to be what you’re looking for, you need to stay the fuck away from me,” I hissed then turned and went back inside quickly making my way to the bathroom where I looked at myself in the mirror, wiping away the tears that’d made their way down my cheeks. How could I have been so stupid to think I was something special to him? God!

  The rest of the night was just fabulous as I continued having to get orders filled by him, ignoring him as he tried at first apologizing then getting angrier by the minute when he acted as if nothing had happened between us and he was back in flirty asshole mode.

  “Not gonna lie, Priss,” he said the last time I came to the bar for the night. When I continued giving him the cold-shoulder, he leaned toward me as he set the last pitcher on my tray. “You fucking did taste good.”

  My eyes met his, and hard as I tried to give him my best apathetic look, I knew there was still hurt in them because I saw the concern in his before I spun to deliver my orders hearing him mutter out a “Fuck,” as I walked away.

  When my shift was finally over, I got the hell out of there as fast as I could and drove home, and in the shower, I cried a bit over what had happened, absolutely hurt about it all. When I went to bed, I lay there thinking about what an ass he was and that was when my phone beeped.

  ______________________________________

  From: 9543254

  Subject: True to form

  Date: October 12, 12:26 a.m.

  To: 9565876

  Ever make a complete ass of yourself?

  Yeah, I have. When I let my guard down with you, I thought as one last tear slipped its way out before I fell asleep.

  Week Eight

  ______________________________________

  From: 9543254

  Subject: Quiet

  Date: October 17, 11:16 p.m.

  To: 9565876

  Hey

  ______________
________________________

  From: 9543254

  Subject: Quiet

  Date: October 17, 11:20 p.m.

  To: 9565876

  You around?

  ______________________________________

  From: 9543254

  Subject: Quiet

  Date: October 17, 11:41 p.m.

  To: 9565876

  Guess not

  ______________________________________

  From: 9543254

  Subject: Quiet

  Date: October 17, 11:59 p.m.

  To: 9565876

  Six?

  ______________________________________

  From: 9543254

  Subject: Quiet

  Date: October 18, 12:09 a.m.

  To: 9565876

  You okay?

  ______________________________________

  From: 9543254

  Subject: Quiet

  Date: October 18, 12:15 a.m.

  To: 9565876

  Please answer me when you get this & let me know you’re okay

  ~*~*~*~

  I avoided Gable the entire week, coming in late to psych class Monday, Wednesday and Friday just as Dr. Horner had started her lectures, and sat on the front row then left quickly after class before he could approach me. I didn’t reply to his emails and I even managed to change shifts with Natalie so I didn’t have to work with him.

  Maybe this was stupid because it seemed that he and I did nothing but play hide and seek from each other every other week, but I was so angry and hurt about what had happened between us. And it didn’t help any that I couldn’t stop thinking about that kiss. It’d been so perfect and he’d tasted so good and felt so amazing that I couldn’t help but want more of him. I’d even woken myself up a couple times, hand between my legs and moaning like a porn star since he’d been starring in my dreams all week. But then I’d remember that it meant nothing to him. That I meant nothing to him. I was just the same as all the others before me and that just pissed me off even more.

  So knowing all this, I knew I needed to get a grip, let it go and face the fact that he and I would only be friends because I wasn’t about to become a member of the Revolving Door Brigade, aka the women that lined up to get a piece of the man himself.

  And that made me sadder than sad.

  ~*~*~*~