He had to focus, dammit.
The priority was the game. The money.
Never a woman.
“I understand your concerns,” he told the men, focusing on Jerry. He went on to outline why their thinking was wrong, and why his deal was the greatest thing invented since internet porn. It only took a few seconds before both men were nodding along, big smiles on their faces.
Not because he was so damned good, either. Nope, the guys’ attention was still split, half of it on the Gabriel’s pitch, the rest on the blonde over his shoulder.
Hell, he thought as he pushed the contract toward Jerry to read and sign. She was making this way too easy for him. He was starting to feel like he should offer her up a pretty sparkle or two as a thank-you for doing half his work for him.
Offering Jerry his pen and a charming smile, Gabriel could almost feel the million dollars sliding into his pocket.
Then there was a loud crash of glass hitting the floor, a muffled cry of pain and a growl and the sound of flesh hitting flesh. The room went silent for a heartbeat before the air was filled with gasps and protests.
Fury propelled Gabriel to his feet. Before he could take a step, though, the blonde gave a quick, worried shake of her head. Her face, one cheek glowing red from that asshole’s hand, looked terrified.
Stay out of it, her big blue eyes begged.
A man who strongly believed in people’s right to screw themselves up, Gabriel forced himself to sit back down.
He watched a busboy rush over to clean up the broken glass. Two waiters scurried, one for the table, the other probably for the manager.
Let it go, Black.
It was being taken care of. No reason for him to interfere. Or worse, to blow this deal.
He watched the blonde assure the concerned waiter that she was okay. Her date, the prick, just glared at the guy, his hand fisted around her slender arm.
Nope. He wasn’t going to be able to ignore it.
Gabriel grimaced. Then, unable to help himself, he held up one finger to stop the accountant’s pitch.
“Hang on,” he murmured. He rose, his eyes locked on the guy bullying the pretty blonde. He stepped toward the booth, a charming warning teetering on the tip of his tongue.
The guy’s beady rat eyes met Gabriel’s for a brief second before he grabbed a handful of the blonde’s curls and yanked again. “I’m paying you for a good time, I want a good time. You do me, girly. Here. Now,” he growled.
Her quiet cry of pain was eclipsed by the red flush of humiliation warming those alabaster cheeks. She didn’t look toward Gabriel any longer. Instead she whispered something, tried to pull away.
“No party, no pay,” the guy responded, not whispering.
She was a rental fantasy?
Didn’t matter.
Fury propelled him forward. Before she could cry out again, Gabriel had his hand around the guy’s neck.
“Oh, no,” the blonde moaned, her fingers reaching and missing as Gabriel yanked the guy to his feet. “Please.”
His fist cocked back, Gabriel made the mistake of looking at her. Those big blue eyes, so sexy and afraid, pleaded. “Please. Let him go.”
His fingers itched. His arm vibrated with the force of his fury. He wanted to plow into the man’s face. To make him pay for hurting her. For humiliating her.
It was that last part, the humiliation, that made Gabriel swallow the edgy violence pounding through his system. He glared into the asshole’s beady eyes and gave him a good shake before letting go.
“Out.”
The jerk looked like he was going to say something. He shot the blonde a glare, then opened his mouth. Gabriel flexed his fingers. The guy ran.
“I have to.” Her face on fire as she looked around at all the staring faces, the blonde pressed one hand against those ripe, glossy lips as if holding back a sob, then got to her feet and ran from the room, too.
Torn between ambition and a desperate need to protect, Gabriel wanted to howl with fury. But, really, there was no choice. Barely sparing a glance for his mark and the million he was kissing off, Gabriel followed.
He caught her just outside the hotel, near the garden entrance.
“Hold up,” he demanded, lengthening his stride to catch her before she rounded the corner. How the hell did she move so fast on those heels? Almost running now, Gabriel snagged her arm.
Her gasp was a watery protest. She yanked away, but faced him. “Don’t,” she said, tears pouring from those sultry blue eyes. One of those girl things or the miracle of the paint manufactures, her makeup didn’t budge under all that wet. So instead of looking bruised and messy, she glowed.
Gabriel cursed under his breath. There shouldn’t be anything appealing about a bawling woman.
“You shouldn’t have followed me,” she murmured, brushing the tips of her fingers over her face as if that’d hide her tears. She looked like she wanted to jump out of her own skin, her eyes skipping to the left, then right, before meeting his briefly then dropping somewhere in the vicinity of his shoulder.
She was even sexier close-up. Her hair glinted gold and bright in the reflection of the streetlight. Despite her sexy outfit and wild look, she seemed delicate, almost fragile outside.
And still so freaking sexy his mouth watered for just one taste. Of those lips, glistening and full. That skin, so silky and tempting. But most of all, those curves, barely hidden by the barely-there black fabric.
“I don’t rescue damsels then let them run off still distressed,” Gabriel told her with a charming, patient sort of smile.
“Why?” She backed up a step, holding her hands over her breasts as if protecting her modesty. Or herself. “What do you want?”
“I’m not asking for anything,” he assured her.
Skepticism etched on her face, she gave him a long, searching look.
Gabriel tried to look as innocent and harmless as possible. Not an easy task since he’d never been either.
Then she threw herself into his arms.
“Aww, sweetheart, don’t cry,” Gabriel murmured. He wrapped his arm around her slender shoulder and hugged her to him.
Her body fit against his perfectly. For all her delicate looks, she was tall enough to curve her cheek into his throat, her body shaking with sobs as she burrowed closer.
Damsel in distress, he reminded himself as his blood heated. He’d been called a lot of things in his life, but the kind of guy who took advantage of abused, vulnerable women didn’t make the list.
Then she slid a foot along his calf. A foot that was wrapped in those sexy ribbons she probably called shoes.
Gabriel swore he felt his brain stutter. His body, already on high alert, funneled all his blood straight down to his dick. A dick that was only too happy to have her press even closer, so her leather-clad hips made it clear where the party was.
“I needed that money,” she sniffed, looking up at him with the biggest, bluest eyes he’d ever seen. Swimming in tears, the lushly lashed gaze was hypnotic, tugging at his soul. “I can’t make rent without it. I’m already two weeks overdue and going to be kicked out in the morning.”
All she needed was to throw in a sick grandma and an ailing cat. But still, what’s a guy to do?
“Here,” he said, reaching into his pocket, then peeling four hundreds out of his wallet. “This will cover your loss. Now let’s go in and dry your tears. I’ll buy you