ROMANCING SAL GABRINI Page 3

“That’s nice of you to offer, Sal, but I can’t,” she said.

  “You can’t? Whatta you a prude or something? Whatta you mean you can’t?”

  Gemma knew his prude remark was a direct response to the fact that she didn’t let him have sex with her the last time he was in Vegas. She ignored it. “I have a seminar this morning. In about thirty minutes actually.”

  “So what? You’re already a lawyer. And a damn good one if Reno is to be believed. What more can they teach you?”

  “That’s the problem. I’m teaching them.”

  “Oh,” Sal said, impressed. He knew he had an impressive woman on his hands. She wasn’t just a lawyer, which was nice in his view, but she was a lawyer who taught other lawyers. That was what Sal called classy. “Well, yeah, I guess you’ve got a point. I guess the teacher would need to be there.”

  Gemma smiled. “I would think so.”

  “When is this seminar over with?”

  “My last one ends at two.”

  Sal looked at his watch. He knew his schedule was double full today. But still. “Be packed and ready to go by three.”

  Gemma didn’t say if she would be ready to go or not, because she hadn’t decided yet herself. He was coming on like gangbusters, but that didn’t mean she was going to allow herself to come on that way too.

  Then they were interrupted, by a smiling young man. “I’m really enjoying your seminar, Miss Jones,” he said as he was walking past them.

  “Oh, thank-you very much,” Gemma replied. Sal looked her body over completely as she held a brief conversation with her young admirer. She had it going on in every sense of the word, it seemed to Sal. Her breasts were big the way he liked them, and her hips were small. Her arms were toned and her ass was tight. And where she was small and slender, he was big and muscular, able to hold her in a crushing hold, able to protect her in ways he was willing to bet she’d never experienced before. And for some odd reason, he couldn’t wait to get started.

  She was only twenty-nine, which meant he had a few years on her, but she had that kind of serious, sophisticated face that made her look, not older, but certainly more mature than most females her age. And speaking of that face, he thought. She had massive, bright brown eyes underneath her long, natural eyelashes, and she had short, silky hair that framed her face in a way that made her look exquisite. And that smile. Lord help him, that smile. Perfect white teeth beneath full, kissable, African lips. If Sal wasn’t careful, and sometimes he wasn’t, this girl was going to rock his world.

  “Sorry about that,” she said when the young man finally left. “It’s so rare to talk with somebody who actually get what all of my seminars are trying to convey. When it happens I tend to soak it in and enjoy every minute of it.”

  “Nothing wrong with that, sister. Even nerds like yourself need a little encouragement.”

  “Nerds?” Gemma asked. She’d never been called a nerd before.

  Sal laughed. “Just kidding around. You know me.”

  Actually she didn’t know him, not like that, but for somehow she felt as if that was about to change.

  “So who was Blondie?” he asked her.

  She frowned. The young man who had just been conversing with her was a black man, and was hardly blond. “Excuse me?”

  Sal hated that he was even asking her this, but for some reason he needed to know. Mainly to let her know that he didn’t play that; that if the guy had any intentions in her direction, she had better disabuse him of those intentions while it was still left up to her. “Who was the blond guy you were chewing the fat with when you stepped off of that elevator?”

  “Oh,” she said. “Just this guy. A fellow teacher.”

  “What’s his name?”

  Gemma had to think about it. “Richards. Craig or Greg I think.”

  “What’s this Craig or Greg to you?”

  Gemma found his play at jealousy odd, but she found it oddly cute too. “He’s nothing to me. Just another teacher, like I said.”

  Sal nodded. “See that we keep it that way,” he replied.

  This man was so contradictory that she didn’t even know how to respond to that. The way he was going on she would have thought they were going steady since forever and he was the most attentive of boyfriends when, in truth, he hadn’t so much as sneezed her way in weeks.

  “Anyway,” she said, “I’d better get to my class.”

  “Yeah, you get to your class,” he said, glancing down at her as she was about to turn to leave. He felt compelled to take her hand. So he did. “But be in this lobby ready to go at three.”

  She smiled. She found the warmth of his hand entangled with hers comforting. And she made up her mind. At least somewhat. “I’ll be ready,” she said.

  It was music to Sal’s ears. He couldn’t help but smile that rascal smile of his that melted Gemma’s heart. He was really a very good looking man.

  “Come here you,” he said as he pulled her by the hand toward his rock hard body. He could see in her eyes than she was attracted to him too. He put his arms around her small waist.

  “Sal,” she said with a smile, “my students might see.”

  Sal laughed. “What students? You’re just a kid yourself.” Then his smile turned serious, and so did hers. And he was certain now. She was, hands down, the most stunning woman he’d ever seen.

  And he couldn’t resist a second longer. He kissed her on her full, kissable lips. It was meant to be a chaste kiss because they were, after all, in the lobby of a busy hotel. But when she returned his affection, it became so much more. Even her kiss was first-rate. Even her kiss had his dick throbbing.

  He opened back up his eyes. Hers were already open. “You know what I really want to do?” he asked her.

  She smiled. He was so heavy-lidded that it didn’t take an expert to figure out what he had in mind. His penis expanding against her was another indication. “I’m sure I’d figure it out if I had to,” she said.

  “I really want, at this very second, to fondle that fine, tight ass of yours and then send you lovingly on your way.” Gemma smiled. “But I don’t think your so-called students would appreciate the gesture.”

  “They might love it actually,” she said. “But I won’t. Not here. Not now.”

  Sal stared into those golden brown eyes of hers, and he understood exactly what she meant. No fondling now, but plenty of fondles in their future. At least that was what he wanted to believe she was implying.

  He wanted to kiss her again, but she pulled away from him.

  “Three it is,” she said, easing out of his embrace and then making her way, with her briefcase and whiteboards in tow, toward the hotel’s conference rooms.

  Sal watched her as she made her way. He watched that stunning lady with that stunning figure make her away across that busy lobby as if she was the only human being in the room. Other men were taking peeps at her too, some more brazenly than others if you asked Sal, but it only made him more confident. Because he had this. It was no contest. He had that woman right there in the bag. And all of her caution, and all of her fears about being hurt again or used and abused again by some other fools who laughingly called themselves men, or whatever was causing her hesitancy, would be a non-factor soon enough. He was certain of that. And this morning in this lobby would mark the last time she would ever pull away from him again. On that he was certain too.

  That was why he left her to her work, and headed for his own, with an undeniable pep in his already uncommonly arrogant step.

  And less than thirty minutes later he entered the revolving doors of the mammoth Gabrini Corporate Headquarters building with that same self-possession. He was greeted with warm Good morning, Mr. Gabrinis by the army of managers and assistants, front line workers and senior staff, that populated the place. By the time he made his way to the executive elevators on the side of the reception desk, his assistant, Shannon Dorn, had made her way by his side.

  “Good morning, Mr. Gabrini,” she said with a smile.
She was an attractive brunette, small and frail the way Sal generally liked his women. He fucked her a few times and liked it so much that he hired her, to keep her around. Tommy warned him then how sleeping with his subordinates was bad and dangerous business that could make him an easy prey for a sexual harassment charge. Tommy also made clear that he wasn’t going to tolerate it in a business venture where, although he and his brother were partners, Tommy was the majority stakeholder.

  But Sal wasn’t tolerating Tommy’s intolerance, either. He lashed back. Since when, he had to remind his big brother, did Sal Luca Gabrini ever do anything good and safe? Of course it was bad and dangerous! In fact, after Sal hired her he had every intention of continuing their bad and dangerous relationship, despite Tommy’s warnings. But he didn’t. He wasn’t as pure as Tommy when it came to not mixing business with pleasure, but he was no fool. None of his sexual conquests had ever worked for him, not even on his personal staff. Shannon was the first.

  He therefore told her, in no uncertain terms, that she could either continue to have a sexual relationship with him, or she could work for him. But she couldn’t do both. She opted to work for him. She was tired of being one of many females in his arsenal anyway, she proclaimed. And although she never, not once, complained about their new, business-only relationship, that didn’t mean she liked it.

  “Where did you come from?” Sal asked as the elevator doors opened and they stepped inside.

  “Wouldn’t you love to know?” she said coyly. In truth, he had phoned his secretary to tell her he was on his way, and the secretary had informed her, prompting her to wait downstairs for his arrival.

  But Sal didn’t like her coyness. “Sometimes I think you people have GPS on my ass,” he complained.

  Shannon laughed. “It’s not that serious at all,” she said as the doors closed shut.

  “So what’s up for today?” Sal asked her.

  “You’re already very close to running late for your ten o’ clock.”

  “Scrap it.”

  “I already did.”

  Sal frowned. “Then what the fuck you mentioning it for?” he asked her. That was the one thing he couldn’t stand about her. That need of hers to seem impressive, ahead of her boss, all the time.

  She was so accustomed to his smack-downs that she no longer responded to them. “At eleven, you have a meeting with Congressman Berry about throwing your weight behind his security regulations amendment.”

  “You mean his security non-regulation amendment.”

  “Right.”

  Sal shook his head. “Those Republicans never met a regulation they liked. I’m not getting involved with that.”

  “But he’s still your congressman and he still has requested this meeting.”

  “Go on,” Sal said as the elevator doors opened on the top floor, and he and Shannon stepped off.

  “You have a twelve o’ clock---”

  “Good morning, Mr. Gabrini,” the receptionist said as she handed Sal a stack of messages.

  “Good morning, Madge,” he said, accepting the messages. “Go on,” he said to Shannon as he read the messages and made his way to his suite of offices.

  “You have a noon appointment with Bryner and Sons. They need upscale security systems for all of their fifty stores across the country, and want to partner with us.”

  “Sounds good,” Sal said, still flipping through his messages as he entered his suite of offices. His contingent of assistants wanted to speak to him, but he didn’t look their way.

  “And after lunch you have what I coin a marathon,” Shannon said as they walked into Sal’s office. “Four straight meetings with investors.”

  “Oh, give me a break! Four?” He asked this angrily as he stood behind his desk.

  “Couldn’t be helped.”

  “Like hell it couldn’t. What’s Tommy up to?”

  “He has a board meeting over at his fiancée’s company that, as chairman of the board over there, he couldn’t miss even if he wanted to. This company, on the other hand, is a partnership of two men. You and Mr. Gabrini. Since he’s over there, that only leaves you.”

  “Times?” he asked.

  “One o’ clock, two o’ clock, three o’ clock, and four o’ clock.”

  “Damn,” Sal said as he grabbed a stack of papers that were on his desk and tossed them aside.

  “The top document needs your signature now,” Shannon reminded him.

  He sat down. “That board meeting over at Trammel shouldn’t take all afternoon. Contact my brother. See if he can take care of the three and four o’ clocks.”

  “He can’t. He has a meeting with the Governor’s chief of staff this afternoon. They’re considering hiring Gabrini, Inc. to handle their security needs going forward. They want to contract out. Now if you want to switch with him---”

  “Very cute,” Sal said. “Me and politicians are like nuns and whores. We ain’t matching.” Then he exhaled and leaned forward, grabbing the top document off of the stack and putting it back in front of him. He squinted his eyes as he attempted to read it. “What’s this?”

  “The advertisement for a new sous-chef at Diamante’s.”

  “We need a new one?”

  “Yep,” Shannon said.

  Sal looked at her. “But we just hired a new one three weeks ago. Gotdamn that Fredrick, what’s his problem now?”

  “He’s temperamental, but he’s an extremely talented chef and knows it. He feels he’s entitled to treat his staff like crap.”

  “He’s entitled all right. He’s entitled to get his ass kicked out of my restaurant,” Sal said as he perused through the language of the advertisement, and then signed off on it. “I’m going to have a talk with that idiot. I’ve fired chefs before. Let him keep that shit up.”

  He handed Shannon the signed ad.

  “Need me for anything else?” she asked.

  He thought about his schedule, and then he thought about Gemma. “Yes, as a matter of fact. Since I’m going to be tied up in gotdamn meetings all afternoon, I’ve got a friend from out of town I need you to meet at the Wingate.”

  Shannon hesitated. “A friend?”

  “Yes. I’m going to have my driver bring her there.”

  “What time?”

  “Around three.”

  “Her name?”

  “Gem . . .” He looked at her. “How did you know it was a she?”

  “Because I know you. Name?”

  “Gemma with a G. Gemma Jones.”

  “That’s easy enough to remember. I’ll be there.”

  “Entertain her until I arrive, same way you do the investors. And treat her like you would an investor: with respect. None of your bullshit, Shan, or your ass is out.”

  “Of course I’ll treat her with respect,” Shannon said, offended. “What do you take me for? I’ll put her in 08B, our best unit, and wait on her hand and foot.”

  “Good,” Sal said, although he knew Shannon was being sarcastic. But then he thought about that too. “No,” he said. “Not 8B. Take her to the penthouse.”

  Shannon nearly dropped the advertisement. “The penthouse?” she asked, astounded.

  “Yes,” he said. “The penthouse.”

  “I’ve never been invited inside your home. But yet you want me to take this Gemma person there?”

  “That’s right. I’ll contact my manager, he’ll let you in.”

  Shannon was floored. “But. . .”

  He looked at her. “But what?”

  “But . . . Nothing. Yes, sir, I’ll be sure to take her there.”

  She and Sal exchanged a glance, and then Sal thought the better of it. It was one thing to have Shannon meet investors at the Wingate and get them settled, or even get her to meet some booty call he had set up. That was something she did for him all the time. But it was another matter altogether now, with Gemma.

  “On second thought,” he said, “you have enough to do. On your way out ask Mel to come in here.”

  Sha
nnon knew why he was making the change, and she didn’t like it. But he would never know it. “Yes, sir,” she said as she headed out of his massive office.

  Once in the outer sanctum of that office, where all of his assistants and secretaries were housed, Shannon made her way to Melody Lambert’s desk. Mel was an assistant also, and of the same rank as Shannon, but because of Shannon’s unique position as the boss’s former girlfriend, she was the power player to all of the under-staff.

  “He wants to see you,” she said.

  Melody quickly grabbed a pad and pen and stood up. “You know what about?”

  “He wants you to meet some female he’s got coming in from out of town.”

  “Oh,” Melody said as she rounded the desk. “But you usually entertain the investors.”

  “She’s no investor,” Shannon quickly pointed out. “She’s one of his quote unquote ‘lady friends.’ He wants you to meet her at the Wingate and take her up to the penthouse.”

  Melody looked at Shannon. “The penthouse? His penthouse? Are you for real?”

  “I can’t believe it either, but that’s where he’s going to tell you to take her. And Mel,” Shannon said in a lowered voice.

  “Yes?”

  “When you meet and greet the heifer, I want you to do me a favor.”

  “What’s that?”

  Shannon lowered her voice even further. “You tell me everything,” she said.

  Melody laughed. “Don’t I always?” she asked and continued to walk away.

  Although Shannon laughed too as Melody made her way into Sal’s office, it was hardly a laughing matter. Shannon just stood there, looking at that now closed door. And wondering. She couldn’t stop wondering. Who in the world, she wondered, was this Gemma Jones?

  CHAPTER THREE

  By the time Gemma made it downstairs from her hotel room, a limo was already waiting in front of the lobby entrance. At first she didn’t think anything of it. Surely he wouldn’t be in a limousine just to come pick her up! But her tune changed quickly when someone cleared his throat behind her, prompting her to turn.

  When she saw that it was, in fact, a man in a chauffeur’s uniform, she smiled. “Yes?”