Forever & an Engine (41 page)

‘Mia I want
you all the time. The degrees of want vary along a scale from need to
desperation.’ His low firm tone made my toes curl. He moved his hand slightly
so it ran up the inside of my thigh. I leaned my head back against the high
back of the padded bench and sighed contentedly until I heard the curtain
moving.

‘Mr Austin,
your champagne and the menus.’ Red had returned and had placed an ice bucket
next to Gabe. She placed two champagne flutes on the table and carefully poured
handing the first to him.

‘Please
come in five minutes for our order and I’d prefer to serve the champagne from
now on thanks.’ She nodded at him and left and I jumped as he pulled and
released my garter. It snapped, the sound of it hitting my skin seemed so loud.
‘I love how soft your skin is,’ he sighed as he handed me a flute and raised
his glass to me. ‘To my beautiful girlfriend and hoping she’s on the road to a
full recovery.’

‘To my
gorgeous boyfriend, thank you for taking such good care of me and for my amazing
gifts and this romantic meal. Here’s also to hoping he’ll fuck me senseless at
some stage in the evening. Orgasm endorphins have to be better than actual
painkillers.’ I raised mine and smiled as he laughed. We both took a sip, it
was perfectly chilled with just the right amount of bubbles. He handed me a
menu.

‘Here, she’ll
be back in a while. No complaining about prices and have as many courses as you
want.’ I scanned the menu and my eyebrows raised, I was glad he was paying. I
could feel his fingers stroking the inside of my thigh, just below the garter.
It was very distracting and I shuffled in my seat. He gave me a couple of
minutes before squeezing my leg.

‘What are
you having?’ I asked.

‘Whatever you
are,’ he replied and I looked at him.

‘You’ve
done that every time we’ve eaten out. Why?’

‘So when
you kiss me after dinner you’re not thinking about the other flavours in my
mouth, you’re just thinking about my kiss,’ he smiled.

‘Trust me Gabe,
I’m always thinking about your kiss. What would you like?’

‘I want you
to choose.’

‘I can only
manage a couple of courses. You choose one and I’ll choose the other.’

‘Fine, I’d
like the scallops in lemon butter.’

‘I’ve never
had scallops before. Are they nice?’

‘They’re
delicate yet firm and sweet, just like you.’ He kissed my forehead. ‘So what am
I having as my main?’

‘A
porterhouse steak with peppercorn sauce, creamed spinach and sauté mushrooms
and pommes dauphinoise if that’s ok?’

‘Sounds
delicious.’

‘Like you,’
I smiled. He leaned in towards me, finally he was going to kiss me. The curtain
rustled and Red reappeared making him pull back.

‘Excuse me
Mr Austin, are you ready to place your order?’

He repeated
it perfectly without even querying it again with me and she smiled and left. I
knocked back my glass of champagne and saw him raise an eyebrow.

‘It’s really
good,’ I shrugged. He reached over and took the bottle and poured me another
glass. ‘Thank you,’ I smiled. ‘Now will you just kiss me or do I have to
straddle you and force you?’

‘I’m trying
to draw out the experience Mia.’

‘I thought
you wanted to make sure I was really turned on?’

‘And by prolonging
it, you will be.’ He moved his left hand up over my garter and continued to
stroke me, dangerously close to my knickers. I uncrossed and parted my legs,
hoping he’d move higher, but he simply continued to tease me. I saw him adjust
his erection before picking up his champagne, watching me with an amused look.

‘Gabe you’re
maddening,’ I scowled frustratedly. ‘Where are the toilets?’

‘I’ll take
you.’

‘Unless you’re
planning a repeat of the last set we were in together I’ll be fine on my own
thanks.’ I could hear the annoyance in my voice and he chuckled

‘Back to
the elevators and on your left behind the bar.’

‘Thanks.’

‘Be quick.’

He wanted
to tease me? Well I could play that game. I stood up, sideways to him and
smoothed the dress down, put my right foot on the bench and let the dress part
so I could straighten my garter and adjust the crystals around my calf and I
heard him hiss in through his teeth then emit a low whistle. I lowered my foot
to the floor again, then slid my fingers into the cups of my bra to adjust
myself and stole a glance at his face of frustration, smiled sweetly and walked
out.

I held my
head up as I passed the bar with all of the guys watching and I noticed the
same one smile at me again, so I smiled back politely. I knew his face and it
was bugging me where from. I went to the loo and pulled my pants down and laughed
when I realised given they were crotchless I could probably have left them on. I
wiped myself and wasn’t surprised to find I was already slick and swollen, he
was driving me insane. I washed my hands and checked myself in the mirror
ruffling up my loose hair and walked out of the door to find the smiling guy
leaning on the wall at the back of the bar.

‘Mia. How
are you?’ he asked with an all too familiar grin.

‘I’m sorry
have we met?’

‘Yes, it’s
Adam.’

‘Sorry, I can’t
place you,’ I replied shaking my head.

‘We met at Peppers.
I sat next to you and asked for your number.’

‘O right yes.
Sorry, I get asked out a lot.’
That
was where I knew him from.

‘I’m not
surprised,’ he stated as he cast an appreciative eye over my body, which felt seriously
creepy coming from him. ‘So can I have your number?’

‘Adam? As I
told you before I’m already seeing someone and it appears you’re still married
as you haven’t even bothered to take your ring off this time. Now if you’ll
excuse me please, I’d like to get back to my him and my dinner.’ I smiled
politely and went to walk away and he moved and blocked my path.

‘Come on,
you obviously find me attractive, please give me your number,’ he moved closer
to me, too close, I was getting a seriously bad vibe off this guy tonight so I
took a quick step back.

‘Adam I already
told you I’m not interested. I’d like to leave now please.’ He stayed where he
was, blocking my exit and I glowered at him.

‘Christ you’re
so damn sexy, do you have any idea what a turn on it is you playing hard to get?’

‘I’m
not
playing hard to get. I’m really not interested,’ I said angrily.

‘Mia please.
You’re so desperate for me I can see it all over your face, your nipples are
even hard.’ I stood open mouthed, stunned. That was because of Gabe and he
thought it was for
him
?

‘Get out of
my way please.’ I tried to push past him but he grabbed my wrist circling it
with his fingers and spun me back against the wall and leaned in trapping me. Ok
now I was pissed off. ‘Let. me. go. or so help me god I’ll kick you in the
balls so hard you’ll run home screaming to your mother like a fucking two year
old,’ I hissed.

‘O baby now
you’re really turning me on,’ he groaned as he ran his finger down my cheek.

Baby? He
dared to call me baby? Gabe’s name for me? That was the last straw, I smiled
sweetly at him as I put my hand up behind his neck. As he moved in to kiss me I
kneed him straight in the balls and as he staggered back a few paces and doubled
up, I pushed his head down and yanked my knee up into his face.

‘You fucking
bitch,’ he spat, as he looked up at me, one hand on his crotch and the other
covering his nose, from which I could see blood oozing.

‘I’m
not
your baby. I’m
not
interested in you and if you ever come near me again,
or even so much as look in my direction, I’ll come at you so hard you’ll look
back fondly at tonight as being merely foreplay,’ I hissed angrily. I swung
around, straight into someone and stepped back to apologise and gasped as I
realised it was Gabe.

‘Are you ok
baby?’ His tone was dangerously low and harsh, his eyes were smoking and I
could see he had his angry face on. In fact it was worse than any of the angry
faces I’d seen on him, he was livid.

‘Yes, I’m
not sure about him though,’ I nodded in Adam’s direction. He’d sunk to the
floor still cupping his balls and nose.

‘Did he
hurt you Mia?’ Gabe snapped.

‘No,’ I
replied, subconsciously rubbing my wrist. Gabe went to move towards him and I quickly
moved in front of him and placed a gentle restraining hand on his tensed up bicep,
noticing he’d clenched his fists. ‘Gabe, I’m fine. He’s already down, he just made
an inappropriate move, let’s leave it. I’d really like to get back to our date
and to eat please.’

‘Mia if he
fucking touched you …’ Gabe growled.

‘He tried
and I dealt with it. I dealt with plenty of guys like him long before I had you
to protect me so it’s all good ok? Don’t get yourself into trouble over this,’
I dug my heels in and pushed back on his chest as he tried to make a move
towards Adam again. I quickly reached up and ran my fingers through Gabe’s hair
and kissed him. ‘Gabe, please for me, come back with me now,’ I asked as I
looked into his eyes. I was even more turned on to see how angry he was, what he
was prepared to do to protect me, but I wasn’t going to let him cross that line
if I could help it. He scanned my eyes and I could see he was still undecided,
so I grabbed his clenched fist and leaned closer to him and whispered in his
ear in my best sultry tone. ‘I’m wearing those sexy black crotchless knickers
you wanted. Please come back to the table and demonstrate the benefits of them
to me. I’ve been very,
very
patient all night and I’m so wet for you
right now.’

His pupils dilated
and I saw him flick a glance over at Adam before looking back at me and his
fist relaxed enough that I managed to interlock my fingers with his and went to
tug him away. He turned to give a cold penetrating look at Adam who was wiping
the blood off his nose, still hunched up on the floor watching us carefully.

‘I’m giving
you a free pass on account of the fact that my girlfriend’s already left you in
no doubt of her distaste for you, but if you ever come near her again, it won’t
just be your nose that’s broken. Are we clear?’ He said it so factually,
without raising his voice that I looked at him in awe at his control. How could
he be so calm over this yet lose his temper when it was something I’d done to
make him angry? He must be bottling it up, I was either going to get it both
barrels when we got back to the table, or when we got home.

Adam just
looked up at us both, raised both hands in surrender and muttered, ‘Ok, ok I’ve
taken the hint, she’s off limits, my bad.’

Gabe led me
away, clenching my hand tightly in his, past a number of the bar staff who’d
gathered behind us to see what was going on and one of them gave me the thumbs
up smiling and I gave an embarrassed smile back and we made our way back to the
table.

‘Are you
really mad?’ I whispered as he sat next to me, dreading a confrontation. He
shook his and started laughing. ‘What’s so funny?’ I asked totally taken aback
at his reaction.

‘You. Here’s
me worrying about self-defence classes and you turned into Nikita.’

‘I did didn’t
I?’ I laughed as I took a sip of champagne.

‘Did you
hurt yourself kneeing him?’

‘No I’m
fine thanks, my stomach’s ok.’

‘Why was
this arsehole all over you baby?’ he sighed.

‘I remember
some guy chatting me up at Peppers and asking for my number and I said no and
he left me alone, apparently it was him. He thought I looked turned on for him,
but it was for you Gabe, you’ve been teasing me all night and I was so
frustrated and horny and came out of the toilet all excited to come back and
see
you
,’ I said as I put my hand on his thigh and gently rubbed it.

‘You do
look turned on, I’m turned on. When you kneed him it was so hot to watch even
though I was fucking furious.’

‘You saw
that?’

‘Yes. I came
to find you, turned the corner in time to hear him call you baby and then see you
assaulting him.’

‘No one
calls me baby but you Gabe, he was out of order.’

‘I’m very
glad to hear it.’ He pushed my loose hair back off my shoulder and leaned in
and kissed my neck making me shiver. ‘Now distract me again, before I go and
finish what you started with him. What were you saying about crotchless
knickers?’ I felt his right hand move to my knee and slowly move up just as the
curtain moved and Red delivered our starters.

‘God damn
it,’ I muttered as he removed his hand and sat back running it through his
hair.

‘Thank you.
Please don’t collect the plates until you bring the main course,’ he snapped,
obviously frustrated himself.

‘Of course
Mr Austin.’

I sighed as
I looked at the scallops, then over at Gabe who had one on his fork already.