Song for the chapter: When We're High ~ LP

A/N: Chapter contains very explicit mature content...

GABRIEL

Life is funny. It's full of storms and calm.

The last few weeks have been nothing short of amazing being with Vanessa.

Aside from the night we came back from the Poconos, when I cooked her my gram's well-loved homemade mac n cheese and braised ribs, she doesn't seem to mind going out and trying all my favorite places. But mostly we enjoy being in each other's company even if we are working from home, or just lounging.

She teases me about some of my "old man habits" like reading the newspaper on Sunday mornings in bed, but I know she likes it when I read anything out loud that I think she'll find interesting.

We spent this last weekend celebrating Gramps' birthday. Despite the last drama-filled encounter we had with them, my family went out of a way to not make Vanessa feel awkward or bring up what happened during Grams' wake.

Well, except Isaac.

He made it a point to announce if he wasn't in a relationship he'd have made a move to win Vanessa. Both Gramps and I smacked the back of his head, followed by a third smack from his new girlfriend, Tasha.

Ironically, now that things between Vanessa and I are better than ever, things at work for her seem to be one shit storm after another. By the end of each work day it's evident her nerves are hanging by a thread, wondering and anticipating the next sign of trouble.

Ever since the debacle with the failed lawsuit—which, don't get me wrong, I'm happy nothing came of it—it seems like new situations arise trying to prove how things can really be worse than the current situation you find yourself in.

In a matter of a few weeks she's encountered: three apartment fires—a resident fell asleep with a cigarette in their hand—this of course after arguing and claiming they don't smoke when they were issued a notice for odor coming from their unit. The other two were due to bad wiring attributed to a shoddy vendor the construction company contracted. Then there was a domestic dispute that involved the cops having to break down a door to get to the victim, next a tenant's assistance animal bit another tenant and finally a lost rent check.

Vanessa said Lily was adamant when she emptied out the rent drop box, the particular tenant's rent check was not in the batch. She was a crying mess when the irate resident came in charging at her desk, crumbling the legal notice to pay or vacate after rent is deemed late and chucked it at her face.

On top of everything else their occupancy hasn't recovered from the slump they hit a while back. They are now offering a move in special of $99 deposit on approved credit with a $900 concession and waiving all application fees. It helped generate traction at least, but now they're running into having to sift through unqualified traffic and prospects; several applications have been denied due to negative rental history, bad credit or background checks and then those who overqualified for the reduced rent program don't have the option of taking a regular market unit since they have more availability with the affordable housing units right now.

I've mostly felt helpless listening to her vent about everything, but offer my two cents whenever she asks for advice. Mostly, I think she likes being able to talk to me about the daily struggles knowing I understand the ins and outs of her work. And I also know she's doing her best to keep things moving forward with the lease-up.

I lean back into my chair, taking a break after looking over my upcoming schedule; smiling as I open the message thread between Vanessa and I. I keep my messages short, and hope they give her some relief during her usual workload stress.

Me: Hey Toots, thinking about you. *heart eye emoji* Hope today is going better than yesterday.

Vanessa: I was just thinking about you, too *smirk emoji* It's going okay. I hate everyone. But not you. So there's that.

Me: LMFAO I doubt you hate your team, baby. But I don't mind if I'm the only one you want to be around. My plan to seduce you is finally paying off. (I'm laughing maniacally)

Vanessa: *Rofl emoji* That's probably the worst plan of seduction EVER.

Me: Pfft. I'm all about the long game, sugar.

Vanessa: Speaking of long...

I chuckle out loud at her quick way of turning things around and how she always manages to surprise me.

Me: Whoa, I like the sudden turn of events *flushed emoji*

Me: Keep going

The dots appear that she's responding and I sit up eagerly. We haven't engaged in anything other than flirty text messages with the sexual innuendos implied, but I'm excited if this is going somewhere different. But my overzealous excitement is quickly deflated when her message comes through.

Vanessa: Corporate is calling, gotta go.

I sigh, with a chuckle.

Me: *unamused emoji* Fine, but just know you're going to get it for leaving me with a raging boner. See you later, beautiful *wink emoji*

Vanessa: Can't wait *kissing emoji*

The rest of the afternoon passes by as I bury myself with going over Gramps financials and making sure everything is in order. Then I schedule his annual check up with his doctor. I also scan over the development areas I'm looking at acquiring to possibly open up my own consulting firm.

I haven't mentioned it to Vanessa yet, but I'm excited at the possibility of having a more permanent work base in New York and what that could mean for us.

I rub my eyes checking the time and realize it's near closing time for Vanessa and head out to pick her up.

____________

Pulling the main door open to the apartment building I greet a few residents who are leaving and then step into the leasing office.

"Good evening, ladies!" I greet Jenny and Lily who are at their desks. They return a greeting in return, but I notice they both look a bit overwhelmed. Their desks are covered in papers and files.

"I'm here to steal your fearless leader away, keep her from staying late again."

"I'm sure she appreciates your timing considering we're all pooped from the long day it's been." Lily exhales loudly and leans back into her chair, but she still has a smile on her otherwise stressed face.

"That's good though. Busier days make the days go by quicker."

"True, but then it's easy to get behind when you're constantly on the go." Jenny points out and takes a long drink from a water bottle.

"It's the nature of the beast," I say. "So, is my gorgeous girl in her office or is she out on the property?"

"I'm here." Vanessa calls out from her office. "Just finishing up the daily report." She meets me at her doorway, giving me a chaste kiss. She smiles but I can see the stress in her eyes and her smile waivers before addressing Jenny and Lily, "Ladies, you can head out and lock up. Thanks for your hard work today as always."

They start to clean up their desks and gather their things.

"Sorry, we couldn't talk about the phone call from corporate," Jenny says, swinging her purse on her shoulder. "Call me later, if you want to talk."

Lily watches with curiosity in her eyes. "Corporate called? Is everything okay?"

Vanessa smiles but again, I can see it's forced. "They like to check in periodically."

I notice Jenny purses her lips observing Vanessa, but doesn't follow up with anything. Maybe she's being considerate towards Lily's emotional state since she's still dealing with the aftermath with the tenant whose rent check was lost.

"See you in the morning." Vanessa walks back to her office and I follow. I reach for her hand, turning her to me, and envelop her in my arms. I don't say anything; I just hold her. She tightens her arms around him and breathes in deeply. This time the smile on her face when she pulls away is sincere and warm.

"You weren't being honest with Lily and Jenny."

Sighing, she turns away and sits down at her desk. "Jenny sort of knows but I was vague with her too. I'm supposed to meet with Jacqueline, Savannah and one of the investors. They're not happy with how things are going."

"I'm sure it's just to go over all options of outreach marketing, advertising, promotions." I try to placate her worry, but she shakes her head.

"No, I don't think so." She nibbles on her lower lip, glancing away, and she wrings her hands. My poor girl is on the verge of snapping.

She takes a deep breath and exhales shakily.

I walk around her desk and pull her up, wrapping my arms around her again. "I know it's easier said than done, but try not to think the worst." She nods and rests her head on my chest, but there's a small scoff from her.

"Easy for you to say, you're literally a professional when it comes to lease ups, Gabriel."

"That doesn't mean I don't run into the same bumps and stall points you are currently going through. Sometimes, it just comes down to weathering the storm and waiting it out."

"I don't think I have that luxury," she mumbles into my chest.

I stroke my hands up and down her back hoping to soothe her. She shifts her head and leans up to kiss me. I cradle her head tenderly as I deepen the kiss.

"Oh, shit. Sorry, boss. Thought everyone was gone by now." Gary, her maintenance supervisor is at the leasing entry with his key stuck in the door. The maintenance tech is standing behind him, too, observing us. Vanessa and I pull away from each other.

"We were leaving, I just need to send off a report," Vanessa tells them, walking around her desk and begins entering information on a spreadsheet. "You guys finished in unit 2103 then?"

Gary sighs, "Yeah, that disposal was a bitch to fix, but it's running smoothly now, right?" He looks at the tech for confirmation.

"Yup," he says, opening the unit key box and hooks on the key ring in the appropriate slot.

"Well, thank you both. You two have been rockstars, handling the influx of maintenance requests. I appreciate all the hard work you put in each day."

"It's what we get paid to do." The tech shrugs.

"Yes, Jake, I know. But you both do a great job of figuring out the root cause of issues instead of taking shortcuts and in the long run that's better for the residents and us as a team," Vanessa responds.

"Thanks, Boss. See you in the morning." Gary smiles and nods at me.

"See ya, Nessa." Jake adds and follows Gary out. I watch Vanessa looking after them, noticing concern in her eyes, but the distress leaves her face when I speak up.

"Your team respects you Vanessa, that's something you should be proud of, baby."

I smile amused at the fact she's rolling her eyes in response. "If that were true, one of them wouldn't be spying on me."

My smile drops and my eyebrows scrunch together. I lean forward and she begins to tell me about a call with Jaqueline in detail, where corporate feels Vanessa's personal life—mainly me, is affecting her work performance and goes into more depth about the owners expectation on the lease-up. She finishes sending off the email while also sharing about the call and then starts gathering her belongings.

I slide her large handbag off her shoulder and carry it after she locks up and hold her hand.

She gives me a wide smile. "You're incredibly sweet, you know that?"

I don't get a chance to respond because she stops us after we walk into the parking garage and gives me a passionate kiss.

"I'm sorry, if my greeting was a bit cold earlier." She says and pecks my lips, and she skims her nose against my jaw and then down my throat.

"Cold?" I chuckle. "I didn't think anything was wrong with it, had you kissed me like this in front of your staff then I would have worried." I caress her face with my thumb.

Vanessa laughs before pressing her lips against my neck and then sighs, leaning into me. "I admit I let it get to me, that someone on my staff thinks I'm unprofessional when it comes to when you visit. I'm worried I'm going to be second guessing myself on everything now."

"Are you going to address it head on with your team?"

"I want to wait until I have my meeting with corporate then go from there."

A part of me wants to tell her it's best to nip something like this in the bud, but I nod instead and wrap my arm around her shoulders.

"Well, all things considered, I will hold off on punishing you tonight and save that for another day." I tell her, opening the car door for her.

She pulls me toward her by the lapel of my suit jacket, her lips brushing against mine as she says, "Gabriel, I thought you'd know me by now. I need to be punished." The tip of her tongue traces my bottom lip and I have to hold on to the door as all the blood rushes down.

"Baby, you have cameras in your garage, the last thing we want to do is give Corporate evidence."

"Right now, I don't care." She responds boldly and sucks on my neck and then licks the spot easing some of the sting.

"Goddam," I mutter. "You're making me want to do indecent things to you in public, Vanessa."

"Well, hurry it up."

I laugh and ease myself away with great effort but still kiss her. "Not here." She drops down into the passenger seat dramatically before I close the door, chuckling and make my way to the driver's side.

I end up driving us to Domino Park, thankfully it isn't busy like it can be, but I still find a more secluded area. The views are some of the best in the city and seeing her eyes light up I know I picked the right spot. After I park her car and take my seatbelt off, I lean across and begin kissing her neck, immensely grateful not only for the darkness of the night but also for her tinted windows at the moment.

"Gabriel, how can you take your eyes off this amazing view!" She protests.

My fingers work quickly on the buttons of her blouse. "Nothing beats the view of you, baby." I splay her shirt open revealing her white, nearly-see through lace bra.

She laughs, "Always so cheesy." And lightly smacks my hand that was working one of her breasts out of its cup. "Now that we're here, I just want to enjoy the view after the day I had."

I lean away, realizing she's serious. "Okay, yeah. We can do that."

Vanessa bursts out laughing. "I'm totally joking, Gabe." She grabs me by my neck and pulls me in for a kiss. She loses her heels and hikes up her skirt to climb over me and I gasp when she releases the lever of seat for us to fall back. I'm enjoying how assertive she's being. My hands glide up her thighs and my fingers flex on her ass. Meanwhile she's pulling me out of my pants.

She bites and pulls on my bottom lip while easing herself over my stiff cock, releasing my lip as she moans guiding me all inside.

"Fuck, Gabriel." Vanessa begins rocking herself. I hide my smile when she removes her bra and leans forward, making it obvious she wants me to tease her pebbled nipples. But I restrain myself from doing so and lean back enjoying the way she moves her hips on me. I reach under her skirt finding her swollen clit and begin stroking, circling and lightly pinching.

Her breathing picks up and as I increase the speed of my finger and as soon as I feel her thighs and walls squeezing me, I withdraw my finger. I smile hearing the exasperated whine from her and her eyes snap open; she's panting watching me as I lick and suck on my finger.

"Mm, so good."

Her eyebrows pinch together. "Gabriel, I was close."

"I know, baby." I lean up and make my cock twitch inside of her and her eyes flutter close for a second. "Remember what I said about punishing you?"

"I didn't think you'd do it here." She blows out air and runs her hands through her wild hair and fuck if it doesn't make me want to see her holding her hair up while she bounces on top of me.

"Why not?" I pinch one of her nipples and her eyes watch my fingers roll it around. My hand then moves under her breast, and then over the top of it kneading its fullness.

Vanessa's eyes close and she begins moving forward and back then side to side, but I hold on to her hips, stopping her. She looks back at me and I skim her bottom lip that's formed into an adorable pout.

"I said you make me want to do indecent things to you, do you remember?"

Her hazy gaze falls to my lips and she nods slowly.

"Crawl toward the backseat." I instruct her and then kiss her lips and then her neck.

She blinks back at me.

"Do it, now, baby."

Vanessa lifts up, removing herself from me. I pull my legs out of my pants as she climbs through the opening in between the seats. I shift to the passenger seat and hold on to her hips to keep her from going all the way to the back seat and tell her to lean on top of the driver seat that's still in the prone position.

In hindsight, I didn't think about all the cramped space. I adjust the passenger seat back to give me more leg room as I kneel, I pull her gorgeous ass to me and give her one slow lick from hole to hole.

"Holy Fuck!" Vanessa exclaims, panting heavily as she looks back at me over her shoulder.

I give her a devilish grin. "Do you like that?"

She tries to hide her face before she nods. I spank her ass and she inhales sharply. "Don't be shy with me, sweetcheeks. I want to hear you say it."

"I liked it. I like it a lot."

"Do you want me to do it again?" I ask, leisurely stroking her silky, wet folds with my fingers.

She moans and rubs herself against my hand. "Yes, please."

I take a quick glance around the windows to make sure we're still alone and then dip my head to give my girl what she wants and needs. I use my fingers on her clit as I eat her out and just before she comes, I stop.

Vanessa groans. "Gabriel."

"What?" I ask as innocently as I can manage even though withholding her pleasure now seems more like a punishment for me just as much as it is for her.

She turns and grabs me by my shirt, pulling me forward to give me a savage kiss. "You're driving me fucking crazy."

I chuckle and kiss her deeply. "Good." I maneuver myself up on the seat and pull her on top of me and guide my tip to her entrance and she slides down. This time, I don't hold back from teasing and caressing her full breasts that are in my face and Vanessa's movements over me become less fluid and more turbulent as she chases after the euphoric high we both want. Her pants and moans grow just as erratic.

She moans my name next to my ear when she comes and I hold onto her as I continue lifting my hips into her and come quickly after.

"Mm, that was worth the punishment, Gabe." Vanessa nibbles on my ear and then kisses me on my neck then on my cheek and finally on my lips. "God, you really do drive me crazy in the best possible way."

"The feeling's mutual, baby."

"Being with you and not just like this...you help me forget about whatever is bothering me or at least give me a chance to forget it even if it's just for a while. Thank you." She gives me a slow kiss.

I hold her face as I stare back at her and wonder if this is a good time to tell her, to say what I've been wanting to say for a long time now. But as I stare into her eyes and see the relaxed, happy expression I decide to wait. I don't want my first time telling her to be confused with the natural high sex can give, so I kiss her and then we start to adjust our clothing.

We end up bringing take out back to her place, curling up on the couch, watching trashy TV together; ending the night taking a bath together while massaging her feet.

For now, I hope my actions are speaking enough about what she means to me.

She's everything.

***