Page 21 of Forbidden Sins

“Oh really?”

“Yeah, she was a serious D-lister. She was in a few horror movies, and her star was set to rise—until she met Charles and had me after what I’ve learned was a very brief affair. So instead of being a success—which she’s sure she would have been—her star burned out. And she’s never let me forget that it was my fault.”

Gabe dropped his hand on her thigh. She could feel the heat from his touch reignite the flames of want that licked at her from the inside. “You know that’s not true,” he told her.

“I know that—now. I was raised in Hollywood, with all of those child stars. But much to my mom’s disappointment, I was never talented or charismatic enough to be an actor or singer—where my talents lay was in having a good time. I was underage, but people still kept letting me into clubs. Partying basically became my job.” He started to rub her thigh, making small circles with his fingertips. His touch did something to her. She tried to breathe through the sensation so she could keep talking, instead of moaning.

“When we met on Friday, I was just stoked that you didn’t recognize me. But I was right up there with the likes of the Hiltons. People knew me, and it wasn’t good.”

“I never really followed any celebrity news,” he told her. “Although I would have definitely remembered you. So you liked to party. That isn’t so bad. What kid doesn’t?”

“Partyingdoesn’t really cut it. There was the wild partying, the paparazzi obsession, the upskirt photos, more partying, the drunk driving arrest—which was the stupidest thing I’ve ever done—rehab, repentance, boredom. More partying, the shoplifting charge, another arrest, mugshot, more partying and rehab again.” She regarded the champagne flute in her hand. “I guess it didn’t really stick. Meanwhile, dear old Mom stuck by me—in nightclubs and courtroom appearances, posing for photographers, thrilled that her pictures were finally front page–center again. There’s no such thing as bad publicity, right?”

His hand stilled, but he didn’t remove it from her thigh. She wondered if she had driven him away. Turned him off by telling him how messed up she actually was. “That’s quite a résumé. What happened then?”

“My dad bailed me out.” She shrugged. “He used to send checks every month, and presents for my birthday and Christmas, but that’s all I ever heard from him. I hadn’t seen him in years. But he convinced me to smarten up, and he gave me the chance to turn my life around. He offered to pay for my college and law school, if I got in, as long as I kept my grades up. I knew it was my only chance to get away from Hollywood’s—and my mother’s—influence. And I did well, so he offered me a position at the firm. It gave me the opportunity to be close tooneof my parents, at least. Maybe I can prove to him that I’m not the same teenage screwup I always was.”

“I think he knows that, otherwise he wouldn’t have hired you.”

Ellie wasn’t so sure, but she knew that she didn’t want to talk about her father anymore. “So, what about you?”

“What about me?”

“Any stories of embarrassing teenage indiscretions you want to share?”

He laughed. “No.”

“Come on, your stories can’t be any worse than mine.”

“That’s just the thing—I don’t have any. I was telling you the truth when I told you that on Friday.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I’m pretty boring. I’ve always just studied, worked, followed the rules, kept to myself. My parents were strict. Like your father, very conservative, formal, cold. That’s how I grew up. I didn’t have a lot of leeway for wild times.”

Ellie watched Gabe for a moment. “I find that hard to believe. You might look reserved, but there’s some real passion bubbling beneath your surface.” She leaned in, pressing her breasts against him. His eyes drifted downward, and she shifted in her seat a little to alleviate the pressure of need, but it just made her nipples bead as they brushed against the inside of her bra as she moved. “I know,” she whispered. “because I’ve seen it. You can let loose when you want to.”

“I do know how to cut loose. But with the exception of last weekend, I do so in a controlled environment.”

“You like control.”

He nodded.

“And we aren’t just talking about sex, are we?”

“No,” he said, with a brief shake of his head.

A silence fell over them and Ellie looked around the club. She could see the things going on around them. Among the other patrons, inhibitions were low, and the soft, golden lighting, the music, the champagne all had an effect on Ellie. She didn’t care that sex with Gabe was inappropriate because of their working relationship. “Interesting place you asked me to meet.”

“You’ve never been here before?”

“No. What is this place? It’s not a normal club.”

“No, it isn’t.”

She crossed her legs, and the tight fabric of her dress rode up and revealed some of her thigh. She caught the downward shift of his eyes, checking out her legs. When he looked up, he saw that she was watching him, but he wasn’t embarrassed at being caught. He smiled. It seemed to encourage him.

“You know,” he started. “If I was a smart man, I would stand up, call you a car, say good-night, and go home and jerk off in my shower.” He paused. “This isn’t a good idea for a lot of reasons. Because of work, because of who your father is, because of what he means to my career.” He pushed his fingertips through her hair, brushing it behind her shoulder. He smoothed two of his fingertips down the line of her jaw and down her throat.

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