The Bet (3 page)

Puzzled,
Gabby sat on their bed, now dressed in a large, pink terry bathrobe.

“Chris,
it’s late. Is everything all right?”

“I’ll
be right back. I forgot something in the lobby. It’ll take a minute.”

“Okay,
hon,” Gabrielle said smiling.

Minutes
later, Chris opened the door with the young woman who days earlier had taken
their picture. Gabrielle couldn’t believe that Chris would bring a stranger to
their suite so late.

“Gabby,
do you remember Nina? She’s the one that took our pics the other night at the
show. Sam brought her backstage tonight. She has our photos all printed out.”

Still
surprised that he brought her to the hotel suite, she noticed that she did have
the photos. She looked up at her and smiled.

“Hi
Nina, how are you? May I see them? ”

Still
silent, Nina’s soft hands overlapped with Gabrielle’s as she gave her the
photos. Gabrielle leafed through them and smiled. They were quite good. She
didn’t know why Chris brought the young woman up to the room, but she was happy
that both the pics Chris took and the pics that Nina took of them came out so
well.

“Turned
out great, Nina.”

Nina
beamed with joy. “Thanks Gabrielle. Glad you like them.”

Gabby
touched Nina’s arm lightly as she looked up at the young woman.

“Oh
hon, call me Gabby, honestly when people call me Gabrielle, I feel like I’m
about to be scolded by my late mother.”

Nina
chuckled. “Glad you like the photographs, Gabby.”

“I’ll
put them in my scrapbook as soon as I get home. These are better than anything
I would take.”

“Wait
a minute. What about the photos I took, Gabby?” Chris asked.

“They’re
okay,” Gabrielle teased dryly.

Chris
rolled his eyes at his girlfriend “Hey Nina, would you like to stay for a drink
before you head out?”

Nina’s
eyes widened. “Sure!”

“Great,
I’ll be right back. I’m going to get another glass,” Chris said leaving the two
women alone.

“Nina,
are you old enough to drink?” Gabrielle asked.

Nina
nodded. “Oh yeah, I’m 22. It’s all good.” She smiled.

Gabrielle
nodded. “Oh, okay. Call it the mother in me, I guess. You look young. Can’t be
too careful nowadays.”

Nina
chuckled as she got even closer to Gabrielle. She held her hand. “Oh I know.
People tell me that all the time. I understand.”

Gabrielle
looked at Nina holding her hand and released it nervously. “Do they? You are
very pretty.”

“Thank
you. So are you.”

Gabrielle
smiled nervously as she went back to the bed and sat down. Leafing through the
photographs that were still on the bed, she replied, “Thanks. So Nina, what do
you for a living?”

Nina
went to the bed and sat down. “Right now I’m a student. I’m studying
photography.”

“Are
you? You’ll have no problem finding a job with pictures like the ones you took.
Have you thought about freelance? The magazine I work for is always looking for
great concert pictures.”

Nina
grinned. “You work at Rockline, right? You write the Up and Out column now?”

Gabrielle
nodded. “Yes I do. But before, I travelled with bands and did tour diary
features. You should definitely send a portfolio to my boss. Vegas has a lot of
cool clubs with some rising stars. You could do pretty well if you set your
mind to it.”

“Thank
you so much Gabby! I’ll definitely do it,” Nina said giving her a bear hug. She
continued. “You really think I could make a living at this?”

Gabrielle
pulled away from Nina gently. She nodded. “One day? Absolutely. Freelance
first. Get your feet wet.”

Gabrielle
saw some stray hairs around the young woman’s face. Acting motherly, she used both
of her hands and smoothed them back, then held Nina’s face in her hands. Nina
suddenly planted a kiss on Gabrielle’s lips.

Kissing
for several seconds, Gabrielle came to her senses and pulled back, leaping off
the bed.

“Um…oh
my God! I don’t know what got into me,” Gabrielle said.

Nina
followed her as Gabrielle began to pace through the room. “Gabrielle, it’s all
right. It’s okay.”

“No.
It’s not. I apologize. I just…I don’t know what I thought. My mind is
spinning.”

Stopping
her dead in her tracks, Nina caught up to Gabrielle and twirled her around. She
held her hand. “It’s okay. I knew it. I knew it from when you kissed me a few
nights ago.”

Gabrielle
arched her eyebrow. “Knew what?”

“That
you were into me. Chris thought so too.”

Nina’s
blue eyes flared as she played with the tie on Gabrielle’s bathrobe.

“I
don’t understand. What are you talking about?”

Nina
untied the robe and opened it. She smiled as she admired Gabrielle’s naked
frame.

”You’re
so beautiful. He thought it’d be great if we were to spend some time together. He
liked how you kissed me the other night at the show. He said it turned him on.
He thought it’d be great if we -”

Gabrielle
interrupted. “If we what?”

“Okay,
I’m back! God, I’m sorry. I went to the other room to grab some glasses and
realized that I needed to call Sam and go over a few things before our last
show tomorrow. Miss me much?” He asked as he waltzed into the room as if
nothing happened.

Gabrielle
was furious as she closed her bathrobe.

“Chris,
may I have a word with you?”

Chris
nodded. “Yeah sure babe. Nina, here is a glass for you. Why don’t you start
without us? We’ll be back in a minute.”

Nina
took the glass from him as he and Gabrielle headed into the bathroom and shut
the door.

“What’s
up?” he asked

“What
do you mean what’s up? Why is she here?” she asked

“I
told you, she’s brought us the photos. You haven’t been at the shows in a few
days so I told her it was okay to come and talk to you.”

“Did
you really have to bring her back to the hotel room? I could have met her
backstage. Couldn’t Sam have called me? Or even taken the photos from her?”
Gabrielle asked

“I
told him not to. That was my fault. She seems like a nice girl. I thought the
photos were a nice Valentine’s gift.”

“Nice
girl? The girl planted a kiss on me and told me that you loved how she and I
kissed the other night!”

“I
did. I thought it was hot. I figured that since you wouldn’t sleep with me.
Then maybe you would-”

Gabrielle
placed her hands on her hips as she interrupted. “Would what?”

Hesitantly,
Chris replied, “Sleep with her and if you wanted…me too.”

“I
knew it! No!” she shrieked as she hit him on the arm. She continued to yell.
“Holy shit Chris! She’s a child!”

“She’s
not a child, she’s 22,” he retorted.

Tears
began to well up in Gabrielle’s eyes.

“And
that makes it so much better? How could you! How could you want me to sleep
with her? How could you want to sleep with her? Aren’t I enough for you? ”

“Of
course you are. I just know how passionate and physical you are and since we’re
doing this bet, I know it’s been hard for you. With the way you kissed her, I
thought that it’d be okay for you to satisfy your needs in a way we both could
enjoy together.”

“You
thought wrong! I only want to be with you!” Gabrielle cried.

“Some
of the guys hung out with her after the show a few nights ago. They said Nina’s
a lot of fun. She only wanted you and me to share this experience together. ”

“Like
I said, I love
you
! I only want you Chris. I only want to make love to
you. Some Valentine’s Day this has turned out to be. I was all ready to give up
this bet a little a while ago.”

“I’m
so sorry. I love you. I should have known,” he told her.

“Damn
straight! You should have!”

Wiping
her eyes, she understood why he proposed the idea, but couldn’t believe that
he’d take this bet as far as he had.

Walking
toward the door, she turned to him. “I’m going to show Nina out and then I’m
going to bed. I don’t want to EVER hear about this again after tonight.”

“I’m
sorry Gab-”

“Goodnight
Chris!” Gabrielle said slamming the door behind her.

With
a fake smile, she walked toward Nina, and politely walked her out. She asked
Nina not to speak of what Chris had proposed to anyone. Nina reluctantly agreed
and left.

Gabrielle
stayed in the other bedroom that night, she cried herself to sleep. This bet
had gone too far for her.

Chris
and Gabrielle arrived back in Los Angeles a few days later. The driver had
taken their things into their sprawling beachside home. Waiting to greet them
with open arms was the family’s executive housekeeper, Adele.

Outstretching
her arms, Adele greeted with joyful glee, “Welcome home Gabrielle.” Adele had
known Chris his entire life. She was a short but stocky woman in her early
sixties with jet-black hair and brown eyes. Best friends with Chris’ late
mother Sandy, Adele had literally become his second mother, raising him and his
younger brother Ryan along with her own kids.

Adele
was ecstatic to see both of them. Gabrielle ran to her and hugged the
housekeeper as tight as she could. Adele let go of the young reporter and gave
her a kiss on the cheek while Chris stood silently behind Gabrielle. His lips
curved into a weak smile. The housekeeper knew immediately from his expression
that something wasn’t right. She slowly walked over to him, wrapping her long
arms around his chiseled torso.

Lifting
herself to his ear, she asked with a whisper, “What’s wrong, baby?” Chris
nodded and mouthed the words, “Tell you later.”

Adele
nodded and winked at him. She watched him with sadness.

The
middle-aged woman walked them both inside their home. She put her arms around
Gabrielle telling her about all the stuff she did while the two of them were
gone.

“The
gardener wrecked the rose bushes I planted, Chris.” Adele explained. Chris
looked shocked.

“All
of them?” he asked.

“Every
last one of them. I thought I was going to commit murder on that man, thank God
for Gabby’s brother, Tyler. He found out that the man apparently fed them too
much.”

Chris
shrugged his shoulders.

“I
have no idea Adele. If you say so. I let you and Gabrielle deal with those
bushes. You’ve put a lot of work into them, if I touch them, I’m afraid I’d
kill them too.”

“Well,
Adele, if I have my way, maybe Chris will be home a lot more to learn about the
rose bushes,” Gabrielle said.

Chris
shook his head. “I don’t think so. You want the remainder of these bushes and
flowers to live? Don’t have me near them,” He quipped.

“Ain’t
that the truth! The man can play music, but he’s sure as hell no green thumb,”
Adele said as she followed them into the kitchen. Chris smiled at Adele.
“See…she knows. Don’t ya Del?

“I
think I know you better than you know yourself sometimes,” She joked.

“You
sure do,” he said.

“I
had the driver take your things directly to the laundry. Got a great meal
planned for the two of you. All your favorites! Meat loaf, mashed potatoes,
corn, apple pie,” Adele explained as she glanced over at Chris. “How long are
you on break?”

“A
couple of weeks, maybe longer. Why?”

“You
many want to work out while you’re on break. Made cookies, candy. You name it,”
she told him.

“I
love you Del,” he said smiling from ear to ear.

Gabrielle
turned to Adele. “Anyone call?” she asked.

“Just
your brother, honey. He said he’d stop by tomorrow with Sam.”

“Wow,
we have the house to ourselves? Better enjoy this while I can,” Gabrielle
quipped. Chris laughed.

“Oh
Gabby, I forgot, your editor called. He wanted to run some ideas by you for the
next edition of Rockline.”

Checking
her watch, she began to walk out of the kitchen. “Oh okay, better call him now.
It’s nearly five on the east coast. I’ll call dad too while I’m at it. “

With
the two of them alone, Chris propped himself up on the barstool that was next
to the counter. Adele pulled up a seat across from him. Looking tired, he
placed his hand underneath his chin.

Trying
to read him, Adele had never seen the expression that was on Chris’s face
before.

“Okay
spill,” she said.

“What
did I do?” Chris asked.

“Do
what baby?” Adele said smoothing back his hair.

“I
think I made a horrible mistake,” he admitted

“With
what?” Adele asked.

His
eyes looked solemn as he explained. “Gabby. I can’t give her what she needs.”

“Oh
stop, she is perfect for you.” Adele said.

“You
think so?”

“I
know so. Chris, where is all this coming from?”

“A
bet. A fucking bet,” he told her.

“Huh?”
Adele asked. “Okay. Now, I’m totally clueless.”

“A
couple of weeks ago, Gabrielle had come to see the show after she finished one
of her stories. I’m onstage doing my thing with a couple of female fans and all
of sudden she mad at me for flirting along the center stage ramp. We argued for
a while after I got offstage.

“Did
you reassure her that it’s your job to entertain those fans?” Adele asked

“Yeah.
I did of course I did. But it’s not like she’s never been around this before.
She’s a rock writer. She knows how we are. We flirt, we hug, and we kiss our
fans. She’s one of the best journalists in the country. I don’t get why she
acted like that.”

“How
bad was your flirting that night? It’s been a couple of years since I’ve seen
you onstage. I have to admit that I even blushed the night I saw you in Philly
that one time.” Adele smiled.

“Oh
that thing with the bras? Hell that was nothing,” he told her.

Adele’s
eyes perked up. She laughed as she began to remind him.

“You
wrapped a bra around your eyes and went into the fan pit where it was nearly a
miracle that you didn’t get molested by a dozen of those crazy fans of yours.”

Chris
laughed. “That was fun.”

“Does
Gabrielle know that all of it is in fun? You know as well as I do that she had
an abusive ex-boyfriend.”

“We’ve
been together for over a year, and before that, friends. How many times has she
seen me onstage? I don’t think my flirting was the problem,” he told her.

“Than
what is?” asked Adele.

“I
think she wants a traditional boyfriend. One that can leave at eight in the
morning and come home by 5 pm.”

“Considering
that she had that with the ex and it failed rather miserably, I sincerely doubt
it. Give it some time; the two of you will work this out. I know when you and
the guys first left on tour, she was up crying for half of the night.”

Chris’
eyes softened with sadness. He had no clue about this until now.

“Then
we made that freakin ass bet. I shouldn’t have done it. I just had to one-up
her. Then, to make matters worse, there was this girl in Vegas who took some
hot photos of us. So what I did do? I proposed Gabby and the girl to have a
threesome with me so that I could be with Gabby and watch Gabby with this woman.”

“What
the hell did you go and do that for?” Adele yelled

“I
know I’m such an asshole! I wanted to win the bet. And, to try something
different,” he said putting his head down.

“A
bet? What bet did you two make?” Adele asked.

“I
bet her that I could seduce her in the same way I flirted with fans onstage.
She bet that she could hold me off for as long as possible. If I win, she would
have to go to every Giants home game. If she won, then she got me home after
this tour-
which is now
. For awhile.”

Adele
laughed. “She’s winning! Now you’re scared. That is what’s wrong with you. She
is beating you. Wow! Chris, that last move was desperate!” his surrogate mother
said as she continued to let out a huge belly laugh.

“She’s
pissed and barely talking to me. What am I going to do? You know that band and
I just are getting our feet wet. Writing-wise, Tate and I couldn’t be tighter.”
Chris told her

“She
let all of you go through your stuff with your ex manager. And write and work
for all those months until the wee hours of the morning and never said a word.”

“Do
you think she should have?” he asked.

“Considering
what an emotional whirlwind she’s been through? I sure as hell would have. But
then again, because I know how hard you all work to allow us all to have what
we have. I would have probably let you gone on, too. The music is a part of you.
She wouldn’t have wanted to take that away”

“But
Del, I still don’t get why she was so angry to begin with. She’s been around
this before. She knows there is only her. I love her. What do I have to do to
prove it? Tattoo it on my forehead? Smoke letters. I have told her until I’ve
been blue in the face.”

“Maybe
it’s not about the girls. What can you do besides music Chris? What have you
done besides music in the last 11 or 12 years? You were in such a bad place
before you met her. You’re a different Chris than what we were all are familiar
with. I know as your friend, I am selfish, but I wouldn’t mind if you hung out
and learned a new thing from Gabby’s brother or even hung out with her dad from
time to time. You smile a lot more now than you did back then. It’s time to
enjoy your success,” Adele told him

“What
about the music? The songs are just flowing. The CD is doing well. This tour is
sold out. I think we should do more dates.”

“Keep
writing and do a couple of shows here and there. Create new material and
experience life. The music will be there when you come back. It’s not
everything. Gabrielle won’t tell you. Sam and Tate won’t, either. But I will.
It’s time for Christian Knight to come out. Chris Knight, the rock star can
watch on the sidelines and maybe learn a thing from us normal people. But Chris,
you would not be grappling with all of this unless there was a part of you that
wanted to stay home and learn about who you are and what you want your life
with Gabrielle to be.”

Chris
looked up at her and smiled. He kissed her on the forehead.

As
the two of them continued talking, neither one realized that Gabrielle had been
listening the whole time. She tried to fight back the sobs as she leaned
against the wall. Her mind filled with regret. She didn’t realize how much he
was struggling with this bet. She couldn’t have him give his career up
temporarily. Besides her, it was the one thing that mattered most to him.