She waved at their burnt breakfast, in disgust with herself. "I can't even do the job properly." She fought back tears threatening to well up in her eyes.
"I don't give a shit about breakfast Beth, so don't change the subject. You want to discuss this, well then, let's discuss this," his voice had risen, not a lot, but considering he was always so calm and collected the slight shift in tone and volume was slightly unsettling.
Her own temper ignited as they glared at each other. Fine! He wants honesty, he'll get it! "I am not going to be a fling. And I'm not going to be used," she growled, planting her fists on her hips and daring him to say the wrong thing.
Gabriel closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. Taking a deep breath in, he held it for a few moments before releasing it in a loud huff. He shook his head as he opened his dark eyes back up, the anger rapidly leaving them. "When did I ever say you were? And why would you ever think..."
She chewed at her lower lip as she considered it. Sure, he hadn't actually said she was, but what else could she be? His girlfriend? She scoffed at the idea, it could never work.
"Damn woman. Why would you think I considered you that? Have I given you any reason to feel that way?" His jaw clenched and he was visibly fighting to remain in control.
Beth shook her head. A stray strand of hair fell over her eye and before she could brush it back, Gabriel reached up and did it for her.
"I need to share something with you," he stated taking her hand in his, "Come with me."
Beth was tempted to refuse, but her reserve was already faltering. Maybe I'm just overreacting? The least I could do is give him a chance to explain. "So what happened with Chyna last night?" she asked as he led her up the staircase. "And where are you taking me?"
"I restated to her that I had no interest in her romantically and that it would be appreciated if she no longer stopped by for anything other than business reasons."
"And how did she respond?" A rush of happiness flowed through Beth hearing him say that, but she quickly pushed the emotion down. She couldn't allow herself to be excited over this, because that would mean she wanted him. And she couldn't want him because she'd only get hurt in the process. She'd taken chances on men before and it turned out horribly bad.
They reached the second floor and he gave her hand a tug leading her towards his bedroom. "She called me a number of unsavoury names and left. Which reminds me. Please do not buzz anyone that you are unfamiliar with past the main gate without my permission."
"I didn't, I just opened the door when she knocked. She knew the code."
Gabriel stopped in mid-stride and frowned. "Shit, I must have forgotten to change the passcode once we broke up. I could have sworn I had changed it though." With a shrug, he gave her hand a squeeze and tug as they continued on their way.
"So what is it you need to show me Gabriel? And why is it in your bedroom?" she asked as she found herself facing his bedroom door.
"I need to show you a part of who I am. It's part of the problem I have with women. I don't share this part of me with many women, so just keep an open mind," he turned to face her, his eyes pleading, "please."
She gulped. She was beginning to fear what he had to show her. However, a smile and his light chuckle helped relieve some of the uncertainty.
"I don't think it's as bad as what you may be thinking by the look of your face."
Beth blushed as he ushered her into the bedroom. "Well. No. I just. I'm not sure what I think, but you don't make it sound like I'm going to be pleased."
He grinned down at her, his dark eyes blazing and sending a shiver through her. "You never know. You may find what I have to show you very pleasing." Walking over to what she had assumed was a second closet, he opened up the door and ushered her into the dark, windowless room. Following behind her, he flipped on the light switch and a faint glow illuminated the room from scones along the walls.
Beth's eyes widened as she surveyed the contents of the small room. Against the back wall was a large metal X with restraints attached to it, she knew the name for it, it was on the tip of her tongue, but it refused to come to her mind at that moment. Four chains dangled down from the ceiling with leather cuffs dangling from them. A spanking bench was to her right, a swing to her left and a couple of machines that she was unfamiliar with towards the back. It was the ultimate collection of BDSM equipment as far as she could tell.
She could feel his eyes on her as she entered the room, and just the feel of his eyes sent a shiver of anticipation through her and her breath hitched. She walked slowly through the room, examining everything. She fingered one of the leather cuffs suspended from the ceiling and wondered how many women he'd had suspended in them. The thought of another woman in here sparked another shot of jealousy. She swallowed and pushed it down.
"You haven't got a look of horror on your face so I will take that as a good sign."
She whipped her head around to look at him, her hair fanning out around her head. Her breath caught in her throat as her eyes caught his. He was leaning against the wall, arms crossed over his chest, and his dark eyes had turned predatory. Dangerous. The look in his eyes caused a stirring between her legs. There was no question in her mind what exactly he was. Gabriel Reynolds - the Dom. The thought excited her more than she would have imagined.
Beth had been fascinated with the world of BDSM for years, but never had the nerve to step out of her comfort zone and either seek out a partner or suggest to someone she was sexual with to experiment with it. His question of whether she liked to 'play' or not, when he'd found her looking through his toys made perfect sense now.
"How many women have you had in here?" she couldn't keep herself from asking. She knew it was none of her business, but at the same time he had said there were issues between him and previous relationships because of his sexual appetite and preferences. She assumed this would be the reason.
"Not many. Most of the women I date are very," he took a deep breath in and sighed loudly as if considering his words, "controlling. Even the illusion of giving up control for them is unthinkable." He rolled his eyes at the word unthinkable and Beth couldn't help but laugh. Yes, she could imagine. She'd done the research on the women he tended towards and had felt she had a pretty solid grasp on the type of people they were. Her grin faded as he pushed himself from the wall and stalked over to her. She gulped and took an instinctual step back.
"I see," she whispered as he finished closing the distance between them. His body, hard and enticing was mere inches from hers as he slipped a hand to the back of her head and fisted her hair and lowered his lips to hers. All thoughts of insecurity and indecision towards him and their arrangement washed away and she fell into his arms, slipping her arms around his neck and surrendering to his probing tongue. His tongue invaded her mouth, demanding her surrender.