The Bonus

He smiles, and his lips dust mine.

Bang. The door opens and we jump back from each other.

“Why are you sleeping together?” Dominic demands.

Gabriel rolls onto his back and hides his face from him with the pillow. “Mom needed help with her wrist.”

“Oh.” He sits on the side of the bed and leans down and hugs me for an extended time.

Gabriel widens his eyes in a get-rid-of-him symbol.

“Come on.” I get out of bed and take Dominic’s hand. “Let’s go make breakfast.”

I put my weight onto my foot and wince. “I keep forgetting about this stupid ankle.” I hop into the bathroom. “Go start getting ready, Dom, I’ll be down in a moment.”

“Okay.” He disappears, and Gabriel almost flies into the bathroom and takes me into his arms as he pins me against the sink. He kisses me softly; his lips linger over mine as we share a moment.

“Today is starting out very, very well,” he whispers as he kisses me again.

“No sex,” I breathe.

“Relax, it’s just a kiss.” His lips dust mine.

Jeez…

“Dad,” Lucia yells from her bedroom.

His tongue swipes through my lips as he lingers. “Later…” He turns and walks out of the bathroom as if unfazed.

Oh…

My heart pounds hard in my chest as I stare after him.

Just a kiss…it wasn’t just a kiss; my whole body is thumping.

Half an hour later, we sit in the kitchen and the morning rush is well underway.

Gabriel is making sandwiches and rushing around in his suit while I sit on the couch. We’ve had some progress today, my brace finally fits on my foot, so I can get around on my own now.

“Lucia,” he calls. “Are you dressed?”

No answer…

He keeps making the sandwiches, and Dominic comes around the corner. “Eww…”

“What’s eww?” Gabriel frowns.

“We don’t eat lettuce.”

“Why not?” he mutters dryly. “Lucia, are you ready?” he calls again. “We’re going to be late.

“My teacher wasn’t happy that we were late yesterday.”

“Yeah, well, tell your teacher to call me if she has a problem,” Gabriel fires back.

I smirk into my coffee as I listen to the theatrics.

“Are you taking the lettuce off the sandwich?” Dominic asks.

“Not a chance.”

“If we don’t like it, we don’t like it.”

“Sometimes you have to do things that you don’t like; exhibit A…do you think I like being heckled while I make your lunch? The answer is no. I do not.”

“Lucia,” he bellows through the house and I turn my head away so that he can’t see me laugh.

“For god’s sake, go and check on your sister, what is she doing up there?”

Dominic skips up the stairs while I continue to sit on the couch like a queen.

“Having a nice relaxing morning out there, are you?” Gabriel grumbles.

“I am, actually.”

Dom calls from upstairs. “We’ve got a real problem up here.”

“What now?” Gabriel calls back. “I don’t have time for this shit,” he mutters under his breath.

Lucia walks down the stairs and my eyes widen. Her hair is one big knot, and a round hairbrush is sticking out of it.

I drop my head to hide my giggles.

She walks into the kitchen and Gabriel frowns and goes to pull the hairbrush out. His eyes widen as he realizes it’s tangled in her hair. “What’s going on here?” he snaps.

“The brush is stuck in her hair,” Dominic replies.

“I can see that. I mean, how the hell did it get there?” He tugs on it and she wails in pain.

“She was brushing her hair, how do you think?” Dominic replies sarcastically.

Gabriel closes his eyes as he tries to control himself. “Dominic, now is not the time for your smart-ass cracks. Go sit on the couch with your mother.”

Dominic skips past me and disappears out the front door.

“Ahhh,” cries Lucia. “You’re pulling it.”

“How else am I getting this out,” Gabriel grumbles. “Hold still.” He struggles and struggles while she wails and yells.

I’m in full giggles on the couch.

“What the hell do you do in your sleep?” He gets the big scissors out of the drawer.

“What are you doing?” she yells.

“There’s no saving this situation, I have to cut the bristles off the brush, what does it look like.” Tongue out, he concentrates. “If this doesn’t work, next I’m cutting your hair off.”

“No.” Lucia half laughs.

The front door opens. “I stepped in dog poo,” Dominic calls.

“Fuck me dead,” Gabriel mutters. “We don’t even have a dog.”

I burst out laughing.

“Glad you find this so amusing, Grace,” he whispers angrily.

“Hilarious, actually.”

“Throw the shoes in the bin,” Gabriel calls. “Go get another pair from upstairs.”

“What?” Dominic calls.

“Do it,” he bellows through the house.

Dominic disappears outside.

“This morning routine is not working,” Gabriel yells. “We need to streamline our behaviors.”

“It runs smooth for me.” I sip my coffee. Gabriel comes barreling out of the kitchen and takes my coffee from me. “No more talking. You’re officially in time-out for being a know-it-all.”

I burst out laughing.

“Don’t, this morning is catastrophic.”

I laugh harder and eventually he breaks into a smile too.

“Dad,” Lucia calls from the kitchen. “Are you fixing my hair or what?”

He pinches the bridge of his nose and closes his eyes and it’s the funniest thing I’ve ever seen in my life.

“Coming.”

We pull into his driveway just after nine, and he helps me out of the car. I hobble inside as he holds my hand. Mark is watering the garden as we walk past.

“Good morning,” he calls.

“Not really,” Gabriel mutters as we walk past.

“School morning not running so smoothly, big daddy?” Mark’s eyes dance with mischief.

“Fuck off,” Gabriel replies.

Oh…Mark’s a smart-ass.

I’ve never seen this dynamic between them before.

I like it.

“I’m in meetings all day,” Gabriel tells him. “Can you help Grace again today, please.”

“For sure.”

“And . . .”

“I know, no touching her.” Mark cuts him off.

Gabriel curls his lip and I laugh. Mark winks cheekily at me.

I hobble inside and Gabriel sets me up on the couch and gives me the remote. “Text me if you need anything.” He kisses me softly, his lips lingering over mine.

“Okay,” I breathe up against him.

Without another word, he strides down the hall and his office door closes. I smile at the television.

Who is he kidding, this morning was kind of perfect.

1:30 p.m. and boredom has set in.

I’ve watched television, I’ve scrolled on my phone, I’ve even played solitaire.

Mark is out in the back garden doing something. I’m going to go for a walk. I hobble down the hall and slowly open Gabriel’s office door. He’s on a Zoom. “Yes, that’s right,” he says as his eyes rise up to me. He flicks his camera off and pats his knee.

I don’t know who he’s in a meeting with, but there are a few different voices. I frown in question and he pats his knee again.

“I like that strategy,” he says. “Let’s go with that.”

I quietly hobble over and sit on his knee; his lips immediately find mine as his hand runs up my thigh under my dress.

He kisses me, his tongue slowly sliding between my lips as my eyes close.

The voices keep on talking in the background, but all I can focus on is him…and his hand as it slides down my panties.

His eyes flutter as he feels how wet I am, the urgency in his kiss strengthens.

“I do wonder what the percentage of loss would be if we went down that route,” someone says.

He pushes his thick finger inside of me and I clench around him. He gives me a slow sexy smile and adds another finger and begins to fuck me with them.

Slow and measured pumps as my body sucks him in.

Our kiss becomes desperate.

His hard cock underneath me begs for attention.

“Gabriel,” a voice says, snapping us back to the present. “What are your thoughts on this?”

He turns his head away from me. “It all depends on the network,” he replies without hesitation.

Wait…he’s been listening to what they’re saying?

I stand. He needs to work.

His dark eyes hold mine, and he puts his two fingers in his mouth and sucks them.

Oh…

He licks his lips in appreciation and then rearranges his cock in his suit pants.

“Later,” he mouths.

I nod and, drunk on arousal, I hobble back to the couch.

Meow… I need a cold shower.

“Not again,” Gabriel’s voice screams through the house. “This cannot be happening.”

I jump awake from my place on the couch.

“Mark,” he bellows. “What the hell is going on here?”

Mark walks up to the office and opens the door. “What seems to be the problem?”

“This internet keeps dropping out, this is the third time this meeting.”

“And?”

“Do something about it,” he bellows. “I’m closing a major fucking deal here.”

“Okay.” Mark ambles back up the hall and into the kitchen. He casually gets himself a glass of water.

“What are you going to do?” I ask Mark.

Mark rolls his eyes and shrugs. “Pretend to do something about it.” He holds his hands up. “Even if I owned the telecommunications company, I still wouldn’t be able to do something about it.”

I giggle as a full picture of Mark and Gabriel’s relationship becomes crystal clear.

“That’s a very good point.”

“Knock, knock.” I hear Deb’s voice call from the front. “Anybody home?”

Mark frowns. “You expecting someone?”

“That’s my bestie.” I smile excitedly. “Come in, Deb,” I call.

Debbie walks through the house. “Where’s my…” Her voice trails off as she sets eyes on Mark.

From across the room, he stares at her too…

I look between the two of them as they stare at each other.

Wait…what?

“Do you two know each other?” I ask.

“No,” Deb replies, all breathy.

Mark rushes forward and picks up her hand. “I’m Mark.”

“Goodness.” Deb lets out a flustered giggle. “Hello, Mark. I’m Deb.”

“Hello, Deb.” He smiles all sexy like, her hand still in his.

What the…?

“Ahem….” I clear my throat. “Don’t want to interrupt your little moment here.”

They step back from each other guiltily.

“Apologies,” Mark stammers. “I have to get back to work.” He goes to walk out the front door and then stops halfway there and turns and walks out the back door.

Debbie stares after him as if she’s just seen a ghost.

“What in the world?” I whisper.

“That was bizarre.” She looks at me. “Right?”

“Did you forget that you’re married?”

“Fuck, for a second there, I did.” She holds her temples. “Good god, he’s ridiculously hot.” She shakes her head as she tries to reclaim her focus. “I’ve never had a physical reaction to anyone like that before.”

I widen my eyes. “Married,” I mouth.

“I know, I know.” She hugs me. “How are you, anyway?”

“I have so much to tell you,” I whisper, excited.

“Great.” She puts her arm around me and we walk toward the kitchen. “Let’s put some coffee on.”

“You are fucking kidding me!” Gabriel’s voice bellows through the house.

“What’s going on?” Deb panics.

“Internet keeps dropping out.” I roll my eyes as I get the cups out. “Ignore him. We certainly do.”

“And then Colin said that she told on him but she didn’t tell on him,” Lucia says as she sits on the kitchen counter.

“Right,” Gabriel replies. “Then what did you do?” This is multitasking at its best, he’s taking a YouTube cooking lesson on his iPad, talking to Lucia and cooking dinner at the same time.

“So I told him to go away.”

“Uh-huh.” He pretends to listen as he focuses on his cooking lesson and chops the chicken.

I smile as I watch the two of them.

“Anyway, so Colin was so cross that he pushed Benjamin over.”

“What happened then?” Gabriel picks up the iPad to watch closer, I’m sure he has no idea what Lucia is even saying.

“Well, we didn’t play with him.”

“I see. Listen, I’ve been thinking about your morning hair situation.”

Lucia rolls her eyes.

“I’m going to braid your hair tonight so we don’t have knots tomorrow morning.”

“Why?”

“Because I googled it and that’s what you do.”

“Do you know how to braid?” she asks.

“No, but how hard can it be?”

Okay, what the hell?

Who is this man, and what has he done with Gabriel Ferrara?

“No way he’s going to be able to braid hair,” Dominic mutters under his breath as he plays his game.

“No,” I agree. “But it’s going to be fun to watch him try.”

It’s nine thirty before everyone is asleep.

I sit on my bed and pretend to scroll through my phone as I wait for Gabriel to come upstairs. He’s already wrapped my plaster in plastic and gone down to check the doors are locked. For someone who put no sex on the table, I’m overly excited about showering and going to bed tonight. Every time I close my eyes, I see Gabriel sucking his fingers in his office today and I nearly orgasm on the spot.

I’m aching like never before.

Gabriel walks in and past me into the bathroom. The shower turns on and my breath catches. Moments later, Gabriel comes into view completely naked.

My eyes roam down his body, his hard thick cock stands erect between his legs.

He’s aching too.

“Shower time, my Gracie,” he mouths.

Goose bumps scatter up my spine as we stare at each other. His dark hair hangs in curls and his ripped olive skin glows as the steam swirls in the air.

He lifts my dress over my head, and in one quick movement has my bra and panties off too. We stare at each other, our naked bodies betraying what we need from each other.

He holds my face in his hands as he kisses me deeply, pulling me under the water as his tongue works its magic. His strong body pins me to the wall as his lips drop to my neck. Unable to stop myself, I reach down and wrap my fingers around his girthy length and stroke it.

“Hmm,” he moans into my mouth. “We are so fucking good together.” His fingers knead my breasts, his teeth graze my jawline, and I have an out-of-body experience, looking down at us from way above.

Naked and writhing, kissing like our lives depend on it.

He slides his finger deep into my sex, and I tip my head back in ecstasy as he begins to fuck me with his hand. Deep and hard. I grip his forearm and feel the muscles in it flex as he moves. He adds another finger and another, and my grip on his cock tightens. I work him at a piston pace, and this is it.

The epitome of primal instinct.

No longer in control of ourselves…but being controlled by it.

A force way bigger than either of us.

I stroke him and he tips his head back and cries out as he comes in a rush. “Fuck it,” he pants, annoyed at himself for blowing so fast.

He lifts my leg as he works me, knowing exactly where to touch me, how to touch me.

I see stars.

The orgasm is so strong that I lose my breath. I nearly pass out with the pleasure.

I shudder into his mouth as he kisses me. He’s as lost to this as I am.

No matter what mistakes we’ve made in the past, no matter how much we’ve hurt.

The physical part of us…is and always has been.

Perfect.

Thursday morning.

Gabriel kisses me softly. “Text me if you need anything.” He disappears up the hall and into his office. I lie back on the couch of his living room and smile up at the ceiling.

It’s been the most incredible week; every day things get a little more real.

This is actually happening; we are actually happening.

I scroll through my phone as I drink my coffee.

“That is it!” he yells. “This is the final fucking straw.” I hear his office door bang open and he strides out. “We’re leaving,” he announces.

“Do you want to go to my house?”

“No. We’re going to New York.”

My face falls. “What?”

“The children are on school holidays as of tomorrow, and I have too much on next week. Until this internet is sorted, I can’t work from here. I’ll get a technician out next week.”

“Me and the kids will just wait here until you get back.”

“I’m not going without you!” he bellows at the top of his voice.

“But…”

“But nothing,” he snaps. “I cannot do what I have to do without the appropriate equipment…and you are going to support me.”

Mark walks through the back door. “Hey.” He sees Gabriel’s furious face. “What’s up?”

“We leave for New York in the morning.”

The kids stare out of the back windows in awe as the car pulls onto the tarmac.

Gabriel is dressed in his navy blue suit, a crisp white shirt and tie. Looking every bit as New York CEO as they come.

Mark is in the front seat, and there’s another car of men behind us.

Nerves dance deep in the pit of my stomach.

I’m excited to go to New York, but deep down, I have a bad feeling about this.

It’s just two weeks, what could possibly go wrong in two weeks?

The car comes to a halt. Gabriel gets out and opens the door for us. The kids and I climb out and are suddenly stunned to silence.

A sleek jet sits on the tarmac, it has gold detailing around the windows and on the nose. It’s so exotic and luxurious looking that I’ve never seen one like it before.

Not even in magazines…

The scared kids shuffle to stand behind my and Gabriel’s legs.

Gabriel kisses the back of my hand and gives me a slow, sexy smile. “Home time, my love.”