Song for the chapter: Urs ~ NIKI

VANESSA

I never gave it much thought to feeling drunk after a toe curling orgasm. Dragging air in and out of my lungs, my rising chest or back rather, moves Gabriel who's sprawled on top of me over my desk. It's a strange yet calming sensation being able to feel his heart thump against my back. His warm breath sends a chill down my spine and my skin erupts in goosebumps.

Sensing as he lifts his head from my shoulder he touches his lips to my neck and back. "Good?"

I smile at the fact that he's not able to form a complete sentence. I'm better than good. I'm fantastic.

"Yes. You?"

He nuzzles my neck groaning. "Mmm. Fucking fantastic."

My body vibrates with laughter and he winces. "Shit, baby. You're squeezing me."

"Hmm, I like the idea of holding mini Gabe hostage." I squeeze him again, just for the hell of it.

"Mini?" He repeats, sounding offended and then thrust into me with his more than average sized semi-hard on.

I open my mouth to rebuttal, but my head snaps toward the loud tapping on my office window. "Hello? Vanessa?"

"Who the fuck is that?" Gabriel asks, withdrawing from me as I scramble to get dressed and clear the sex-induced fog from my mind.

"It's Rose," the tenant answers on cue and I cover my chuckle with my hand. "I see your light is on. I need to talk to you, it's an emergency."

"Don't you have an after-hours emergency number?" Gabriel pulls up his pants and begins working on his dress shirt buttons.

"We do. But news flash: most residents never know how to use it! Where the hell did you throw my bra?" I question in a low whisper. He tosses it to me after picking it off the corner of my cabinet.

"Do you want me to stall her?"

"With what? Your dick? She's almost seventy." I reach with my toes to bring one of my pumps out from under my desk.

"Please. You seem to forget how charming I am. Old ladies love me." He tucks his shirt in his pants, buttoning them and finishing off with his belt.

"I've got this." I run my hands through my hair. "How do I look?"

"Perfectly fucked."

My eyes narrow. "I don't think that's how you're supposed to use that."

He grins as he pulls me closer, pecking my lips. "It's exactly how it should be used."

I pull away, giving him a stern look. "Stay here." He salutes in response.

Rushing out of the office, I adjust my shirt and pull down my skirt before I reach the main office door to unlock it. Rose is already standing there.

"Burning the midnight oil, dear?" She inquires.

I smile, gesturing to her for the leasing office.

"Hardly, just trying to get ahead, since we'll be doing inspections next week. That usually takes me out of the office a good chunk of each day," I say.

"What the hell do these two do then?" Rose waves her hand at Lily's and Jenny's desk after we walk in and she plops herself into one of the chairs.

"I couldn't do my job without them, Rose. So, what's going on, what's your emergency?" Trying to keep my smile cordial even though her assumption of what we do or don't do, annoys the hell out of me.

"My damn smoke alarm keeps beeping."

My eye twitches as I keep the smile plastered on my face, waiting in vain for her to elaborate on her emergency and when she doesn't, I take a deep breath reminding myself to be calm, professional and friendly.

"Unfortunately Rose, a smoke detector beeping due to needing a battery replacement isn't considered an emergency. I can see if I can track one down for you even though the lease says residents are responsible for replacing them."

Rose scoffs, shaking her head. "What if there's a gas leak or something else setting it off? Imagine showing up on Monday finding me dead because my smoke detector was faulty or warning me of a gas leak or some shit."

"All of the units have CO detectors which are separate from the smoke detectors."

"Well, I ain't gonna get much sleep with that constant damn chirping. How the hell am I supposed to reach it anyway?" She throws her hands out wide, raising her eyebrows high.

"I'd be happy to take care of that for you." Gabriel walks out of my office with a damn smile on his face, playing the role of hero perfectly.

"Who the hell are you?" Rose asks then glances at me. "Who the hell is he?"

"I'm Gabriel Tate." He offers Rose his hand. She eyes it before taking it to shake. "I work across the street and I noticed Vanessa was still here so I came over to pick her brain on an issue we're dealing with."

"What issue?" Rose narrows her eyes with suspicion. But I should have known Gabriel could lie out of his ass.

"We're struggling to get a unit leased. Every application we process for it, seems to get denied for one reason or another or they cancel before moving in." Gabriel leans his hip against the desk Rose is sitting at.

"What's Vanessa supposed to do about it?" Rose quips and I hide my smile.

"She has one of the best leasing resumes in the industry. If anyone can think outside the box, it's her." Gabriel gives me a small wink. I sigh, shaking my head. "Anyway, she was giving me ideas before we heard you knocking."

"Well, I'm sorry for interrupting."

Gabriel shakes his head, giving her a charming smile. "No need to apologize, Rose. We were finished." I catch the tone in his voice when he says finished. He's impossible. "If it's okay with you, I can replace your battery that way you don't have to wait until Monday."

Rose shrugs. "Sure, why not." She looks at me. "Did you get my check?"

I nod. "Yes, and I didn't get a chance to process rents so it'll be done first thing on Monday just as you'd preferred."

After retrieving a battery from the maintenance shop, I accompany Gabriel to Rose's apartment. Despite the fact that she drives me insane, I'm pleased to find how clean, and organized her apartment is.

Gabriel replaces the battery and even listens to her complain about her leaky faucet and how she fixed it since our maintenance team is incompetent.

Several minutes later, I'm dragging him out of her apartment.

"And I thought I had a problem getting chatty with residents." I tease, riding the elevator down to the lobby.

"Your problem is letting residents talk down to you. We may be in the service and hospitality industry but it doesn't make you their servant, babydoll." He cages me in with his arms. "I haven't known you long, but something tells me you don't tell people no very often, but you sure as hell like telling me no all the time." His nose grazes mine.

"Gabriel, we have cameras in the elevators." I whisper in a sigh when he dips his head down my neck and his lips graze my skin in a feather touch.

"We're just talking." He smiles, licking his lips and leans away when the elevator doors open.

I smile and greet a few residents who look between me and Gabriel, waiting to get in as we walk out. Unlocking the office, I start gathering my things. Gabriel is waiting outside when I lock up again.

"Come home with me."

"No."

He laughs. "See that was easy, why can't you say that to anyone else but me?"

I smile in return. "Because you make it so easy. And Preston isn't even here." I point out.

"I took an Uber. At least come have a drink with me."

"At your girlfriend's bar?" I mentally berate myself for being petty. We've never brought the topic up, but it's too late now; I might as well commit to it. "You know, Eli's sister, Teresa."

Gabriel sighs next to me as we walk into the parking garage. "Right. I guess it was pretty obvious there's some history there. We hooked up three years ago. It was before she worked at that bar believe it or not. People don't realize New York really isn't that big." He moves to stand in my way. "It was only once."

"Yeah, I figured you were the one and done type. So what makes me the exception?" I hit the button on my keyless fob to unlock my car.

"You're not the exception. You're my exception."

A fluttering in my stomach makes it hard to breathe, not to mention the sudden weakness in my knees causes me to stumble. Gabriel holds me around my waist, keeping me steady and flashes me a smile.

"We don't have to go there. Just one drink."

Resigning, I rest my head on his chest. "You're wrong, you know. I can't seem to say no to you either."

He grins and I place my keys in his hand.

___________________

A low constant beeping infiltrates my deep sleep. Cracking an eye open, I look around staring at the sunrise through floor to ceiling windows. Confusion sets in, realizing I'm not at home. Something heavy is laying across my chest and when I glance down the intricate details of the clock tattoo on the massive shoulder stares back at me.

Great.

"Gabriel," I rasp out before I heave his solid arm off of me. The beeping continues as I sit up on my elbows, pulling the sheet to cover myself. I look for what I assume is my phone or maybe it's his.

I tap his arm, jostling him awake.

"What?" He grumbles, lifting his head, hair a mess, eyes still closed.

"I think my phone is ringing or maybe it's your phone."

He drops his head back on his pillow and his hand starts roaming around, under the sheets in search of his phone until his hand lands on my stomach, breasts and then on my thigh, inching closer in between my legs.

"Gabriel, your phone is not in there."

He raises his head, a lazy smile curving his lips. I hate how adorable he looks right now. "I have to check to be sure." He ducks under the sheets and his mouth meets my stomach then my hip, moving lower. I squeal in laughter, squirming to move away, but he has a firm grip on me. The chaos of our movements shifts the covers and then I see his phone flashing.

"There's a G-Sly calling you."

Gabriel sits up instantly and I hand him his phone. "Hello?" He runs his hands through his messy hair and then pulls the phone away to check the time. "No, yeah. I didn't forget, I promise. I slept in, but I'll be there."

He tosses his phone on the other end of the bed and focuses on me. "What do you have going on today?"

Alarm bells sound off in my head. This wasn't part of the agreement and I already crossed the line by spending the night. Tugging the sheet further up as I adjust myself up against the headboard.

"Gabriel." I shake my head, rubbing my face. "This is...we weren't...I shouldn't have stayed last night."

He climbs over me, straddling me, taking my hands in his. "I've been wanting to sleep with you ever since that morning I woke up alone."

"We've slept together plenty of times."

Gabriel shakes his head, his dark brown hair falls across his forehead. "Sex yes, but not sleep."

My eyebrows scrunch in confusion. "Why?" But I hold a hand up, stopping him from answering. "Nevermind, don't answer that. I need to get home; Sergio's probably worried sick."

Gabriels snorts. "I seriously doubt he's noticed. Now, if you had a dog, sure. But cat's could give a shit."

I pick up his pillow and throw it at his head. "Sergio would give a shit." He chucks the pillow back at my face and a colossal pillow fight ensues and I somehow end up pinned on the floor with a grinning Gabriel on top of me.

"Spend the day with me." He leans down, but I move my face before his lips meet mine. He pulls back with a questioning look on his face.

"Morning breath," I state like it's obvious.

"Yours or mine?"

"Both."

"Maybe I should care, but I don't," he says before capturing my lips in a slow, tender kiss. It's different than any other time he's kissed me, but the underlying heat running like a current between us still pools desire deep in my lower belly.

He pulls my arms up above my head and skims my neck and face with his nose, lips and stubble. "How about this, we go back to your place, get you a change of clothes, make sure your home pet shop is still up and running and everyone is alive. I wouldn't put it past Sergio not to take advantage of his recent freedom."

I roll my eyes laughing.

"I promise to get you home in plenty of time to get ready for the awards dinner tonight."

Groaning, I nod. "Fine."

"Great. Let's shower first." I don't get a chance to argue as he moves fast, and heaves my naked self over his shoulder rushing to his bathroom.

***