AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Iclosed the door behind him and slipped back into the driver's seat. I took the liberty of lowering the privacy screen so we could talk while I drove. If he didn't like it, he'd say so. He wasn't the sort of man to hold back in telling people what to do. Except maybe his mother. I got the distinct impression she didn't take orders from anyone.
"So, your brother's band," I started. "You must be very proud of him."
"Must I?" Gabriel's reflection in the rearview mirror raised his eyebrows at me. "I suppose I am."
"You're not?" I asked. "The Zen Dung Beetles are smashing it on every streaming platform on the planet. The only people who haven't heard ‘Love Me till It Hurts’ must live under a rock."
"It's a very comfortable rock," Gabriel said flatly.
"Really?" I stopped at a red light and swivelled around to look at him in surprise. "You've never heard it?"
"It's not my kind of music," he said.
"Let me guess," I said. "You prefer classical music. Something that blends into the background and doesn't bother you too much." Like staff and drivers.
"Actually, I prefer the kind of music you can jump up and down and scream to," Gabriel said.
I couldn't tell if he was joking or not. "You like metal?"
He shrugged. "Why not? Is there some law that says I can't?"
"Not at all," I said quickly. "You just seem too…"
"Uptight?" he suggested. "Boring as fuck? Wound up tighter than a fly's ass?"
"I was going to say busy," I said. "Jumping up and down and screaming takes time and effort."
"You're an expert in screaming?"
Did I imagine a drop in his voice at the word 'screaming?' I didn't think I had. Was he the kind of man who could make a woman scream? Of course, now I was imagining myself lying on my bed, his head between my legs until I shouted his name.
Get a grip, I told myself. You're the hired help, nothing more. This arrangement is a business deal for both of us, that's all. Including Saturday night's non-date. Particularly that, given how important his contract was.
He swallowed audibly. "Green." His voice was tight.
"Everyone has to start somewhere," I said.
"No, I mean the light is green." He nodded forward just as the driver of the car behind us hit the horn.
I swivelled back around. "Oops." I resisted the urge to flip off the other driver who honked again, and drove through the lights and back into the flow of traffic.
"So what do I wear to a record label party?" I asked. "Full rock chick attire? I think I have a pair of ripped jeans around somewhere."
"It's more dressy than that," Gabriel said. "Not quite black tie, but not torn jeans either. Pull up at the building just ahead."
"It's your money," I said. Now I'd locked him into an extension of his contract, I was happy to oblige. Honestly, I didn't mind spending more time with him anyway. I had a feeling there was more to Gabriel Ellison than he let on.
I drew the car to a stop outside the building he indicated.
He undid his seatbelt and let it slide back into place. "Come on."
"I beg your pardon?" I turned around again.
"I said, come on," he said. "I'm going to buy you something to wear on Saturday."
"I don't need you to—" I started.
"I'm sure you don't, but I need you to convince my mother," he said. "She thinks I need a wife. If we can make her believe we're seeing each other, she might leave me alone for a while."
