Page 30 of The Bonus

Unable to stop himself, he keeps going and going.

Taking it all.

Sleep robs me of my time with him, and I’m not sure if I’m dreaming or if this is truly happening.

But whatever it is, don’t wake me up. This is the best night of my life.

I’m in heaven.

5

Grace

I wake with a start.

The room is dark, but I can tell that it’s morning. I sit up and look around. Gabriel is nowhere to be seen.

I drag my hands down my face as I go over the night we had.

Wow.

Incredible doesn’t come close for words to describe it.

I go to the bathroom and stare at my reflection. I look a right wreck, raccoon eyes and all. I tame down my hair and wash my face and throw on his robe that was hanging on the back of the door.

He must be making breakfast. A thrill of excitement runs through me, and I go in search of my man.

I walk up the hallway and out into the kitchen, no sign of him. I can smell freshly brewed coffee, he’s been up.

I walk through the living room and the television is on CNN news. “Gabriel,” I call.

“In here,” he calls back.

I smile and make my way up another corridor; this apartment is so huge. I find him sitting behind a desk in his office, he’s fully dressed in a suit and on his computer, typing away.

Oh…

I linger at the door and finally he looks up. “Good morning.”

“You’re working?” I frown.

“I am.”

I know for a fact that he finished for the year yesterday. “I thought you finished?”

“You thought wrong.” He smiles, but it doesn’t touch his eyes, and I instantly know that the sweet man who made love to me all night is gone.

Gabriel Ferrara is here in his place.

Maybe I’m imagining it. I walk over, sit in his lap and he kisses me quickly. “Give me a minute to finish up here, Grace, and I’ll take you home.” He taps my behind to get me off his lap. “Go get dressed.”

What?

I walk to the door, feeling awkward, not quite the greeting I expected. I make my way up to the kitchen and pour myself a cup of freshly brewed coffee.

What the hell was that?

With my heart in my throat, I drink my coffee. I’m not getting dressed. We need to talk.

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