"Don't even think about speaking to me, Bolton." Gabi spat under her breath as she jammed her thumb into the 'black coffee' button on the automated drinks machine in front of her.
She didn't even need to turn round to know he was there. She could sense him without even seeing him. Mostly from his intoxicating aftershave that preceded him by about five paces and she cursed her insides as she dampened between her thighs as the smell accosted her.
"Who said I want to?" Troy returned with a warm voice, his lips curling upward but Gabi didn't see the tiny movement.
"You're so fucking glib! Can't you even pretend to care?" She wondered, finally turning toward her object of hate, squinting at him so that her chocolate eyes were guarded by her lush, black, sweeping lashes.
Troy cocked his head and considered the sexy Filipino in his immediate vision. Her long, curly, dark hair was pressed into an arrangement on top of her head but still fought loose, allowing him to trace the loose tendrils carefully with his sharp blue gaze. Her glasses sat perched on her nose, framing her incredible eyes that swirled several colours depending how mad she was and her small, lush lips were pursed, waiting for an answer to her unanswerable question.
He almost reached out and brushed his knuckles against her high cheekbone, the smooth skin there begging for his touch, but he reminded himself that his days of tender caresses with Gabriella Montez were well and truly over.
He only had himself to blame. He had managed to betray her whilst in the early stages of an office romance, so early that he hadn't even slept with her before he went and ruined everything.
The biggest promotion of the year had been offered to them all and he was not-so-subtly told by their immediate boss, Amy Diamond, that if he spent the night with her, the promotion was his. And who was he to resist such an offer?
But it had been at a price. A price he wasn't entirely sure he should have paid, but at the time, he hadn't thought twice about.
Gabi's hurt and increasing hatred of him was beginning to convince him otherwise.
"Move." Her cold voice cut the air and brought him out of his reverie and he didn't realize he had sidled over to the coffee machine, trapping her somewhat with his arm raised above his head, supporting his weight, but leaving her no space to turn with her hot drinks.
"Come on, Montez, you can't still be pissed about the job?" He goaded, secretly kicking himself for making the situation worse, but also so scared because he didn't know what else to do to get those brown eyes to look into his, other than by winding her up.
Gabi smiled sweetly, staring into the hypnotizing pools of Troy's stunning-blue eyes, flicking her gaze from his neat, gelled- into- place brown hair, down his forehead where his big, manly brows sat, down his freckled nose and landing right on his kissable lips just as he licked them nervously.
Annoyed at herself for looking, she dipped her gaze to his dimpled chin, seeing the shadow of his beard even though it was barely lunchtime.
"You can move or you can get third degree burns," she offered sweetly and he chewed on his tongue, screwing up his lips and his eyes as he felt the impact of her hurt.
He stared at her for another moment, willing the words off his tongue, knowing that sorry wouldn't cover what he had done to her, but hoping it would go some way to at least stop her hurting like she did.
It didn't fill him with pleasure to know she was cut up over his betrayal, it only made him loathe himself more and he sighed as he stepped back, dropping his arm, two or three seconds passing where he felt like his whole soul was on show but not actually vocalizing it.
"Dinner tonight?" He attempted instead, knowing he was galling her by saying it and the look on her face only made him swallow painfully and his tummy drop further into his feet.
"I'd rather choke on my own vomit." She stated, swaying her hips as she walked away, her tight skirt brushing her hips as she walked and his eyes went all the way up from her sexy red heels, up her muscled but curvy legs- bare he noted- lingering on that perfect backside of hers. He finished his perusal, her tiny waist making him lick his lips once more and he travelled his gaze up her back to her hair. His hands itched to bring down that tumble of curls as he imagined it fanning out behind her as they made love.
It was just about his favourite fantasy of her, enjoying that curly mane of hair, one he had planned to carry out if he hadn't thought with his dick instead of his brain.
Their dating had only got them as far as dinner and a few, well maybe a lot, of hot, passionate kisses.
He could still feel her lips on his if he closed his eyes. But that usually meant allowing his imagination to run, remembering the feel of that tiny waist, those delicious hips, that god damn perfect ass of hers. What he would do to get his hands on her ass again. His body stiffened instinctively with the direction his thoughts were taking, making him wince and shift uncomfortably.
He was rubbing his lower lip unconsciously with his forefinger as someone approached for the machine, forcing him out of his useless daydream, and prompting him away from the break area, having no choice but to head back into his office.
Unfortunately for him, Gabi was situated right outside, having been allocated as his assistant-come secretary since his promotion.
She was busy pouting that mouth of hers; the mouth that held soft, tender lips that he could only imagine wrapped around his hard, aching body part. He sighed as he paused next to her desk, feeling her tense more than seeing it.
"I'd like those notes from the meeting by the end of the day." He said gruffly, covering his sudden- and increasingly frequent- attack of conscience.
She turned sharply toward Troy, frowning at his profile. "But Mr. Bolton, that meeting was only this morning and the notes are several pages long…it's not possible to get it done by five!" She objected, keeping her professionalism intact as much as she possibly could, secretly wanting to strangle him and slap him in the head simultaneously.
"I'm working late too; I need them before I can go home." He stated flatly, walking into his office and throwing the door shut behind him, earning him a glare from Gabi as she let out a frustrated groan.
--
"Come on, girl!" Taylor called as she passed Gabi's desk, seeing her friend busy typing still, her perfect features marred by a concentrated frown.
"Oh, Tay, I'm so sorry, I have to stay and finish these notes…" Her frown increased with worry, eyeing her friend hopefully. "I can come and meet you later?" She suggested.
"Gabi Montez, he has no right to keep you behind. I want to drink Cosmopolitan's with my best girl friend." Taylor pouted.
"You know what? As much as I would love to walk out right now, it could make things really difficult. And I have plenty enough of difficult to deal with." She sighed softly.
Troy listened to the girls outside his office, surprised by Gabi's words despite his awareness of the atmosphere that clung thick and tense between them. He could still remember their last date, ending with Gabi exiting his car with swollen lips, hair torn from its usually business-like hold, tumbling over her small shoulders.
He could remember the dress she wore, a sexy-come-smart grey pinafore, with the most amazing black heels that accentuated the feminine curves of her legs, her calves which were muscled but rounded and haunted his dreams.
She had turned as she had shut his car door, smiling felinely at him and at the time, he wished he had walked her to her door because watching her sexy derriere swish up her path made him ache with regret at staying in the car.
He turned back to his desk, knowing he wasn't getting out of there any time soon and knowing his thoughts were leading him down a pointless path.
Taylor smiled at her friend in sympathy. "I hope he appreciates you, Gabi. Because not many beautiful girls would stay late on a Friday for their prick of a boss." She quipped and Gabi felt herself smile back.
"You know what, hopefully not for much longer." She pursed her lips secretively.
Taylor having left, Gabi began typing furiously again, her vision blurring a little as she tried to focus between the pages of her hand-written notes and the screen in front of her.
She took off her glasses for a second, squeezing the bridge of her nose gently as she closed her eyes against the slow throbbing that was beginning behind them.
"Beautiful eyes." Came a warm voice and Gabi popped them open with shock, seeing Greg leaning his hip on the edge of her desk beside her, a little too close for her comfort.
"Oh, Greg, you surprised me," she said distractedly, frowning as she placed her glasses back on her nose and concentrating intensely on the screen in front of her once more.
"So…how about dinner? Tonight." He suggested and Gabi blinked.
That had to be at least the third time he had asked her out. And this was going to be the third time she had let him down.
"I'm sorry, I have plans." She explained briefly, not looking up.
"Then cancel them. I'd love to get to know you better." He smoothed confidently.
"Greg, I have to work." She said firmly.
His hand snaked out and brushed her upper arm. "Out of the office, out of work clothes…" He continued, eyeing her salaciously.
"I'm not interested." She said, finally meeting his gaze to prove her point, shifting from his touch.
"But, baby…" He frowned with a smile, like he didn't believe she were turning him down again.
"Can I help you, Greg?" Troy's strong voice came from behind them both and Gabi span in her chair quickly to face him, eyeing him with both disdain and shock at his intervention.
"Nope, just asking your beautiful secretary to dinner." He shrugged casually.
"We both have a lot of work to do and she doesn't need interruptions." Troy added in an authoritative voice that Gabi squinted at.
She didn't think she'd appreciate being rescued, but when it came to Greg, she was grateful for any help spurring his advances and she was surprised at Troy's possessive tone. He might have actually earned it if he hadn't shagged his way up the promotional ladder.
It didn't help that when he leaned on his office doorjamb like that, it only reminded her of every time he did that.
Like their very first date when he had called for her and she had opened her door to find him leaning exactly like that. Only he wasn't wearing one of his dark, harsh power suits that night. He'd been extremely irresistible in fitted jeans with converse shoes and a plaid shirt that was in multi-toned blues, matching his eyes and bringing their blueness out to a distracting level.
But it was his hair that captivated her, over and over. At work it was always neat, slicked back, off his forehead and the office girls swooned over him. Gabi had been secretly excited at having dates with him because he never dated work colleagues, that was common knowledge. And he was making an exception for her.
But that night, his hair was soft and touchable and it flopped across his forehead in a messy fashion that just beguiled her and made her ache to run her fingers into it. And she had run her fingers into it, a few dates down the line. The mere touch of the soft strands had evoked a moan from her mouth that had them both yearning for more but Gabi hadn't trusted him enough to take that step. Rightly so it would seem in hind sight.
Troy Bolton was known to be cocky and confident. But he had shown her another side of his character on those few dates they had shared and she found herself falling for him a little harder when he placed a single white rose on her desk.
He knew she hated red roses and it meant the world to her for him to make that gesture.
But within a few days of their last date, she had found out about his duplicity and her feelings had been crushed. The last two weeks working as Troy's secretary had been about the most difficult of her life on every level.
And so she sat, fighting her physical attraction to him as he stared at Greg and ultimately kept her captive.
"Well, I should go then…" Greg said eventually and Gabi sighed, swinging back round to her monitor.
She didn't feel Troy approaching like she normally would and his smell clung in the air around them permanently so she didn't have that as a warning sign either as he placed his large, warm hand lightly on her shoulder.
"Aieek!" She squealed, jumping in her seat, placing her hand against her rapidly beating heart.
"Sorry…" he apologized quickly, his roughened voice causing her to take a breath against the tingling between her thighs.
"You scared me." She accused.
"I was just gonna ask if he's bothering you…" Troy asked with a little concerned frown, not liking how he had come from his office after hearing voices and found Greg perched on Gabi's desk, touching her.
He didn't like the thought of anyone else touching her, despite his unjustified reasons.
Gabi actually smiled. Albeit a 'are you kidding me?' lifted brow type of smile, he still enjoyed it.
"Like you care." She arced back at him.
"Hey, I don't want you to feel like I can't help out with some guy whose being a dick." He answered defensively, knowing he had no right to take that place in her life, but wanting to so badly.
"What about you, Troy? Did you ever consider you ARE the guy being the dick?" She questioned coldly and it hit him right in his solar plexus, making him breathless.
He pressed his lips together, knowing she was totally, brutally right. He was a dick. And he died a little inside at the thought he'd never get Gabi back.
"You better get on with those notes." He said brusquely, heading back into his office as he dropped his hand from her small shoulder, his fingers feeling burned at the contact.
Gabi closed her eyes and willed away her tears as she felt him retreat, knowing her words had been harsh, but she had so much anger stored up and her hurt brushed her every time she looked into his eyes.
If he didn't like the thought of another guy being with her, how did he think she felt when she found out about him spending the night with Amy?
She typed quickly, ignoring her headache, determined to finish this task as quickly as possible and actually get to start enjoying her weekend.
Within and hour, she had the notes typed and spell-checked and stood at her printer as she collected the pages and then bound them smartly, knocking on Troy's office door as she waited for him to call her in.
"You don't have to knock, you know." He said as he called her in and she strode across to his desk, avoiding eye contact.
"Oh, I wouldn't like to burst in on anything I shouldn't," she quipped nicely, placing the binder on the edge of his desk.
"Gabi, wait…" He said as she turned to go and she stopped, sighing as she tried once again to rein her emotions in and act professionally.
She felt him approach her back but didn't expect the soft, warm fingers that pressed into the base of her neck, his other hand joining the massage when she didn't move.
Her initial flinch kicked him deep inside, but Troy kneaded his thumbs into the skin between her shoulders, dexterously moving them to relieve the pressure he felt there.
"Troy…" She cast out on a soft, breathy voice that took his breath from his lungs and made him instantly hard.
She'd meant it as a protestation but it came out sounding so wanton…Gabi couldn't fathom anything as his hands gently worked on her stiff neck and shoulders.
"I can see you have one of your headaches…" He said gently. "Don't think I don't know that look on your face, because I do, Gabi," he breathed.
Gabi couldn't seem to find the right words to expel his touch. She couldn't seem to find any words at all so she merely rolled her head back a little, inadvertently granting him access to her neck.
Troy didn't think twice about dipping his fingers under her shirt collar, brushing her skin gently, tickling her and watching her answering smile. He began his gentle kneading again as she swayed a little and he couldn't resist leaning back on his desk, subtly persuading her to relax against his open thighs.
Gabi rested back against Troy's body, her senses overcome momentarily by his hands that relieved the tight pain in her temples.
"I don't want you to know that." She managed, half heartedly, dropping her chin to her chest and moaning as he found a tight knot and rubbed it away, the resulting tingle washing down her whole body and landing in a satisfying clench inside her.
Troy swallowed his own moan as the noise she made hit him deep inside, his already hard groin stiffening in protest against her desire-filled sound. He mentally told his body to calm down, hoping he could make this moment last without ruining it.
"Well I do…" He argued on a whisper, his breath touching her ear. "I know that you only bite your lip like that when you're turned on, too," he said as he watched her catch her lower lip between her teeth.
Gabi took a sharp breath in, opening her eyes with a sudden pop as she felt her entire insides twist at his breathy words. She was damp against her panties and she hated him for that.
Standing rigidly away from him and turning to him with contemptuous eyes, Gabi frowned and panted in frustration- both from him trying it on and from her awakened sexual desire that wouldn't be satisfied.
He merely flicked a one-sided smile at her as he stood slowly, advancing toward her where she sharply dived to be opposite him again.
"Don't come near me." She warned, her eyes still showing her mixed emotions in a way he didn't know could have him so desperate to kiss her.
He could see the desk behind her and he stepped toward her again, knowing he had her trapped.
The backs of her thighs touched the desk and stopped her with a jolt as she looked behind her, placing her hands there to steady her balance. She flicked her eyes up to his as he reached her and cupped her face meaningfully into his palms as his darkened blue eyes ran slowly over her face.
God but why couldn't she rip her gaze from those soft, parted lips of his? Why didn't his smug, arrogant face just make her want to gag? Why was he just staring at her and not kissing her to end this painful tension that danced around them in an electrifying storm?
Troy couldn't have stopped himself from kissing her, even if someone had burst into the room and told him there was a fire outside. He would have still leaned down to her and connected his lips with her oh-so-tempting ones and relished the soft sigh she breathed into his mouth.
She remained tensed against his desk, her hands behind her as he teased her mouth into a devastating kiss that had every inch of his body aching and longing to be naked against hers. He felt her body go limp when he slowly swiped his tongue over her lower lip, daring to part them and enter the heat of her mouth, brushing his thumbs against her cheeks in cherishing her and the sweet taste of their kiss.
"Oh…" Gabi let out a surprised moan as he stepped ever closer, his hard body now pressed into hers, his stark arousal unavoidable as her thighs seemed to part of their own accord to allow his closeness.
As her hands itched to touch him, somewhere in the back of her mind she knew there was a reason she shouldn't be doing this. Something kept jabbing at her until she began frowning into the heavenly, addictive kiss that Troy afforded her.
"No!" She said sharply, placing her hands firmly on his chest and driving him away from her body, her brown eyes widened in horror as she quickly hopped from his desk and headed for his door, but backing up for it, still facing him and trying to make sense of what had just happened.
Troy's eyes were so dark now; she could see his desire stamped so clearly in their depths. His eyes flicked over her swollen lips and her ever-loosening hair, bunching his hands reflexively as he ached to drop that hair down.
"Do you know how badly I want you right now?" He asked, knowing it came out crudely, but it was the exact thought in his mind.
Gabi closed her gaping mouth, crashing back to earth at his words. Words that had her instinctively aching deep inside, aching to have his hands upon her and his body filling hers, but all the same, galling her.
"Well you can't have me, Troy Bolton. It just goes to show, you don't always get what you want." She added tartly, leaving his office with a flourish and grabbing her purse.
"Wait, I'm coming with you…" He started as he followed her quickly.
"No, thank you." She said over her shoulder, the smell of his aftershave clinging to her clothes and annoying her as it continued to heighten her senses.
"I'm not letting you walk to your car in the dark." He said firmly, watching her jab the elevator button with sharp anger.
"You're not my man, Troy. It's not up to you to save me." She said pointedly and he cursed himself once more.
"I don't want to…I just want to make sure you get home safely." He added softly.
Gabi didn't know where his soft words came from. She didn't like that her heart beat excitedly at his concern and she definitely didn't like that he was stood right behind her, the very heat of his body emanating so that she could feel his warmth against her back.
The elevator doors swished open and she stomped in, where Troy followed closely, brushing a hand through his hair and loosening it from the grip of his gel.
Gabi felt her breaths coming out deep and harsh, it's all she could hear along with the steady heavy thumping of her heart. If she didn't keep her arms stiffly by her sides, with her hands balled in fists, she might actually take a swipe at Troy and that could cost her her job.
Troy was leaning against the rail around the elevator cab, fingers stretched around the cool metal, watching the angry Latino tensed in the corner. He had been so close to having her supple body arch into his hard, aching one before his words had driven her back into her anger.
"You can't hate me forever…" He began gently.
"Wanna bet?" She asked back quickly, sending him a glare.
There was a weird noise, like the lift engine slowing followed by a couple of clanks and finally, the lights flickered out, causing Gabi to scream fearfully as the elevator rolled to a stop.
"Hey, it's okay…" Troy said as he stepped toward Gabi on hearing her scream, already realizing the lift was breaking down as they travelled within it.
Just as the lights blacked out, another light pinged on, a soft glow. The emergency lighting, Gabi realized quickly.
"What happened?" She asked with a tight voice, shrinking away from him as he reached out to touch her.
"The elevator stopped." He supplied.
"You don't say," she replied sarcastically, flicking her brown eyes up to his, which looked grey in the dim light.
"Black out?" He guessed, knowing the office had endured a few of those over the summer months as storms destroyed the area's power supply.
Gabi closed her eyes as this thought sunk into her mind. What had she done to deserve this punishment? As if working with Troy and being trapped in the same building with him eight hours a day wasn't enough, now she was confined to twenty feet and low lighting with him.
She took some breaths through her mouth, knowing the sweat beading on her upper lip was just pre-empting the inevitable panic attack she was about to have.
"Gabi?" Troy questioned as her face paled and her breathing shallowed.
She didn't answer so he cast off his suit jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders, knowing something was wrong when she didn't push him away. Her small hands were tightly bound to the metal railing as she continued to breathe in and out at regular intervals.
"Are you claustrophobic? Can I help?" He asked, worriedly. He'd never seen her so out of control. The prim, proper Gabi at the office was way too confident to let an elevator break down get the better of her.
"It's not the small space, moron. It's you." She accused, opening her eyes and he lifted his brows, startled at her venom.
"Why me?" He asked, confused, dropping his arm from around her shoulders as she continued to glare.
"Because when I can escape you, I can cope. I can almost pretend that you didn't betray me and I can just about live my life normally. But stuck in a small space with you? As mad as I am right now? It's not a good scenario." She warned.
"Then let's get it over with." He said with bravado, beckoning to her. "Shout at me, hit me, do whatever it is you need to do to get it out of your system." He encouraged, knowing he was inviting a near-death experience whilst doing so.
"Oh right, sure." She laughed without humour.
"I mean it." He said seriously, stepping in front of her where she curled into his jacket defensively. "Give it to me. Tell me what a shit I am."
He lifted his chin, as though about to take a punch and Gabi squinted.
"You want to know what a shit you are? You want to know how it feels to be cheated on? How badly that hurts?" She asked, almost to herself. She didn't want to share with him how strong her feelings were because it just made her more vulnerable.
"You think I don't know? I know how it hurts Gabi, because I see it on your face every day. And every day I kick myself for ever hurting you like that…" He implored, his hands stretched before him as he animated his own feelings.
"But you did, Troy. You're the one who chose to sleep with someone else. We might have only had a few dates but you KNEW how I felt. You knew, and I thought you felt the same. I really did. I guess I got it totally wrong. Again. As usual. Stupid Gabriella, falls for the office charmer, didn't expect to get my heart broken and whoops, there it goes, broken into a million…" She stopped, realising what she was saying, clamping a hand over her mouth as she swallowed with sudden pained clarity at her admission.
"Gabi…" Troy said, his body perfectly still, his intense eyes not leaving hers as his face reddened in forcing utter control over his body. He closed his eyes, his face twisting even as he did so and the words he wanted to say hurt him before he even spoke them.
"I didn't sleep with Amy, okay." He said very slowly, very quietly and she thought she might laugh at his audacity but something in his face told her he wasn't lying.
"What?" She asked, confused, watching as his still body began to shake, his hands running back through his once-tidy hair. "Of course you did- everybody knows…" She frowned.
"You don't know how badly I have wanted to tell you this…to tell you how I feel…" He begged softly.
"I don't care how you feel." She returned, her words not matching the feeling in her heart. "Just tell me exactly what happened." She bit out, tears beginning at her eyes that she couldn't control as her sobs rang out loudly in the small space.
Troy's face twisted again on seeing her pain and he braced his arms around her gently where she hugged herself.
"I'm sorry I made you cry…" He began, brushing some of her curls from her eyes as they dropped from her now-messy bun.
"I'm so sorry…" He husked again, holding her tightly to him for a few moments as she let him, resting his chin atop her head as he ferociously guarded her in his arms.
"Just tell me!" She demanded then, struggling from him, throwing a pathetic fist against his chest to keep him back.
"That's it, a few more, babe," he soothed as Gabi struck out at him again, none of her punches actually hurting him but he could see effectively, her anger falling away with each attempt she made.
Gabi's arms ached with her attempts at hitting him, finally letting her hands rest, fisted, against his chest as he stood and took her punishment and she felt her body grow weak as her sobs overtook her anger. His embrace was tentative but constant.
Troy felt every one of Gabi's sobs hit him in the gut, a lot sharper than any of her physical punches. He didn't know if he should start explaining now because he wanted her to hear every word of what he had to say and right now, he just wanted to hold her and never let go.
Her small body felt so right in his arms; he wondered how he ever thought anyone else could fit there like she did. It might have only been a few dates but her personality and her vixen-like looks had him hooked. And to hear her admit he had broken her heart just made him feel so worthless. His words may not change anything between them, but he only wanted to make her feel better, to stop her hurt.
Gabi let his muscled arms bind around her tightly as she grasped his shirt and cried out every ounce of hurt that he had inspired within her and slowly, his comforting strokes against her back and soft mutterings into her ear calmed her enough to pull away a little and wipe her eyes.
Troy's finger soon found her chin and brought her destroyed gaze to his where she saw him flinch. The soft pad of his thumb removed the tears that clung below her eyes, his finger softly tracing the path of her tears down to her lips where she licked instinctively and watched his gaze follow the movement.
She wanted his touch there and he followed her thoughts as his thumb brushed over her swollen lower lip, hesitating on his intended kiss as he continued to intensely survey her face.
"I didn't sleep with Amy." He said instead, making her wish he hadn't spoken to break the sensuous spell between them and had instead kissed her like she yearned for him to.
His voice was broken and strained as he began the difficult explanation. His sigh was heavy and Gabi placed her hands more gently against his shirted, firm chest as he juggled her in his arms, leaning back against the elevator wall to cradle her.
"The deal was that I would…She asked me over, I knew what I was going for and I stupidly said yes, thinking that this promotion meant more to me that you…" He sighed again, lifting one hand from her body to rub his eyes in regret.
"God! But I was a fucking idiot! I was already in love with you and I was fighting it…" He frowned, tipping his head to meet her stunned gaze. "I promise you, that is true. I'm in love with you, Gabi," he added, then continued. "I got there and I knew I couldn't go through with it. She started undressing me and I couldn't get turned on by her…by the thought of being with anyone but you." He added sincerely. "I wasn't going to make love with another woman when I hadn't been able to make love with you." He admitted raggedly, knowing his heart were laying on the line just waiting for an express train to come and bludgeon it to death, much like he had done with Gabi's heart himself.
"Then why did..?" She whispered, barely able to believe the words coming from his mouth. If it weren't for the sheer agony on his face, she wouldn't have thought it could be true.
"She wouldn't let me go without making a deal. She wanted me to have the job, but at a price. Everyone had to think we had slept together. I was just a notch on her bedpost, something to brag about…" He sighed again and Gabi could feel his body sag more each time.
Slowly, she lifted a hand from his chest, feeling his hands cupping her hips as she gently ran her fingers into his fringe, bringing the hair down from the hold of his gel and onto his forehead messily as she brushed the backs of her fingers over his ear.
"You're not just a body, Troy." She assured him, knowing that's how 90% of the females in the office saw him, knowing his arrogance and cockiness came from playing up to that image, knowing his insecurity was only being covered by his bravado.
His blue eyes turned hopeful as a tear broke against his skin and made a path down the side of his face.
"I should never have taken the promotion over you, I know that now. But I thought I'd get a chance to explain it all…" He said quickly.
"And you didn't." She finished for him, still playing with his hair.
"And I didn't," he echoed sadly, bracing her face with his hands once more, forcing her gaze onto his.
"Could you ever…" He closed his eyes as he wasn't sure he could continue, not wanting to hear the answer almost to his own begging question. "Could you ever forgive me?"
Gabi felt his heartfelt plea all the way to her toes. His admission certainly put a whole new light on things but he wasn't blameless in this whole scenario. She squinted, stepping back, realizing neither of them had attempted to escape the confines of the lift since it had broken down. She smiled as she paced the tiny floor space, amused at her own thoughts.
Finally she stopped walking; kicking off her painfully high shoes and flinging his jacket to the floor behind her as she walked back toward Troy where he perched on the bar.
Her fingers drove into his hair as she went on tiptoe to reach his mouth, her lips finding his in an exquisite joining that had them both clutching at each other in a flurry of emotions.
Slowly, his hands worked through her hair to remove the grips she had placed there to carefully keep the curls in place. His eyes flickered down her face as he revealed the beauty of her hair, fingering it gently as he watched his fantasy come true, in a much more meaningful way than he could ever have imagined.
As he reconnected his lips to hers in their kiss, the heat was there, underneath the tenderness that spoke volumes from their embrace. The passion that began all those weeks ago still bubbled behind their tear-stained faces.
"Oh, Gabi…" Troy moaned as he broke their kiss and lifted her against his body where she jumped and wrapped her legs around his middle, her skirt riding all the way up her thighs at the action.
Troy turned to rest her against the lift wall, pressing her into the metal bar where she arched her back against the cold material and drove her hips into his inadvertently, her pantied softness brushing his hard groin in the resulting clash.
His moan was deep and desperate and called to somewhere deep inside her that she knew came alive at his hands and with his touch.
Troy gripped her hips with pressing thumbs, wanting so badly to get closer to her, their mouths furiously kissing in hot, wet kisses that were both messy and so agonizingly beautiful that he didn't want them to stop. He didn't want them to stop, ever. He wanted to be part of Gabi until they both melded into one and forgot which of them was which.
Gabi was the first to instigate the undressing, her fingers popping open his buttons as he supported her weight against his body, his strong arms bulging from the pressure and she took slow delight in appreciating his body as she pushed the shirt from his arms and let her hands roam his torso.
"Can I?" He asked as his fingers brushed up her own body and cupped her breasts through the material.
Clutching at his strong shoulders, Gabi leaned back against the mirror of the elevator as Troy's lips attached to her neck and kissed open mouthed, suckling her skin in the places he knew would make her moan aloud. And loud she did moan because the sensation was so sweet and she had been longing for it; so it felt twice as intense now that he sucked sharply and imprinted her with his mark.
"Troy!" She gasped as she felt the sharp, urgent desire flick through her body, landing in another tug between her thighs that only reminded her how badly she needed him there.
"I know, I want you, oh god I want you…" He whispered huskily and she knew it wasn't just sex for him; she knew his words carried greater meaning.
She knew it because his thumbs pressed so precisely into her hard nipples before his tongue swirled there and she quickly dropped her skirt before jumping back into his arms. He struggled to keep his mouth against her peaked nipple as she jumped back into his arms, but now she was pressed against his tight and needy hardness again, he couldn't keep his control. His breath was sleighing out at a heavy, painful rate and he ground his hips into hers possessively as he pushed her up against the elevator wall and his hand went against the mirror to steady them.
"Now…" She gasped as his lips continued their pleasure all over her upper body and she begged for them on hers, gripping his hair and forcing his hard and bruising mouth down on hers as she lifted her hips to try and force their connection.
"Okay, okay," he panted, quickly flicking his belt undone and dropping his trousers, kicking them away gently, reaching for his boxer band to slip them down his legs.
"Troy, now…I need you…" Gabi begged, placing her own kisses against his neck and sucking his skin in pleasurable return.
He took the gusset of her panties and pulled them aside, dipping a finger into her to feel her intimacy and the hot slickness that greeted him. He closed his eyes, dipping his forehead to her shoulder to stop the pleasure-pain that rolled across his body with a resounding ache.
"Please…" Gabi begged again as her deep, desire darkened eyes met his and spoke to him deep within.
Troy took a gentler grip on her hips as he shifted her in his arms, letting her grip his bulging biceps as he drove into her, watching as she arched back against the railing to take him deep.
He knew as he buried himself into her wet heat that he had never made love like this before. He had never loved someone with his entire soul and driven into their body with the conviction there in his heart.
Her curvy, writhing body met his stroke for stroke as his urgency over-rode any other thought in his mind. His lips kissed down her shoulders, across her collarbone and lower to her breast, bringing her hips so tightly against his that he grunted against the pure ecstasy it brought him to be able to go that deep and lose himself in her tight body.
His hands brought her hips into his with agonizing repetition, never able to get enough of her wanton moaning and her bucking response.
"Oh god…" She felt like her whole body was going to curl up and explode like popping corn at the way Troy was claiming her against the side of the lift. Gabi wanted nothing more than to feel him plunging into her like this, over and over, every day of her life until she died. That's if she didn't die right now from the skin-crawling, gut-wrenching, soul-consuming loving his body brought as he insistently thrust into her, filling her so fully she felt like she might cry with the pure pleasure of it.
His groans were sending her crazy, the feel of his hands roaming from her hips up her waist to her breasts, his hair beneath her fingers as she made her own perusal of his body with her hands.
Troy felt it coming; the pressure of his orgasm was building the tighter she gripped him inside her. It was like an avalanche waiting to roll over the edge of the mountain. He slowed his pace, moaning in absolute unbridled bliss as she continued to clench him inside of her, her moans softer, more drawn out, pronounced as he slowed his brutal thrusts.
"No…" She whispered as he felt her body begin to shudder, her orgasm beginning and he gently kissed down her neck toward her nipple as his hands cradled her backside as he let her ride out her rapturous climax against his body.
He took her nipple into his mouth, tenderly sucking as he supported her back with one strong arm and let his other hand play between them and reach her intimate curls. He pressed against her nub to heighten her orgasm and he smiled as he felt her muscles contract beyond her control, feeling her totally give herself up to his touch, his body worshipping hers. Finally he let his own control go, rocking his hips as his seed spurted from his body and into hers where she let out one final, throaty call; one that had him clutching her tightly in his climax at hearing her call his name so wantonly.
Panting, sated, stunned at their joining, Gabi reached forward to wrap her arms around Troy's neck where he tightened his grip around her back protectively, bringing her whole body into his even where they remained joined.
Her tears were soft against his shoulder and he gently uncoupled their bodies and adjusted her in his arms so that he was now scooping her under the knees as she cried.
He placed a soft kiss to her hair, brushing his lips to her ear. "I'm so sorry, did I hurt you?" He wondered, knowing that in the grip of their passionate embrace, he had lost all sight of being a gentleman and driven into her as only his body would let him.
Her eyes were big and soft as she met his concerned blue ones in the dim light. "It was beautiful, Troy." She said simply, reaching to kiss him and only able to reach side of his mouth.
He smiled then, relief flooding him and he cradled her to his body a bit longer as she tightened her grip around his neck.
A loud ringing noise shrilled into the elevator and they both jumped at the sound, looking around for the source.
Troy frowned at the control box on the wall. He opened the casing and saw a phone which he picked up, once Gabi had jumped from his arms to the floor where she huddled into him shyly.
"Erm, hey?" He ventured.
"Hello buddy, black out all across town, we'll have you out in a jiffy." A voice said and Troy couldn't help the grin that curled on his face.
"Uh sure…uh, not too quickly huh?" He asked back and placed the receiver back in the box.
"We're getting rescued." He explained to Gabi who met his eyes and giggled.
"Oops, better get dressed then." She smiled.
"Wait…" He murmured, and then brought her naked body against his once more, softly kissing her already swollen lips. His thumbs brushed her cheeks once again.
"I love you." He said into the semi-darkness surrounding them, his eyes pinned to hers.
"I love you, too Troy." Gabi answered, kissing him back just as softly, feeling his arms around her, holding her steady.
They both stumbled as the lift jerked from its stationary position.
"Oh, shit." Troy cursed, quickly helping Gabi on with her clothes before he jammed his legs into his trousers and buttoned up his shirt hastily, not realizing it wasn't aligned properly.
Gabi slipped his jacket back on for comfort and he slung an arm around her shoulders protectively as the lift doors opened to reveal them to the lobby and the elevator mechanic stood there.
The mechanic eyed them strangely. "Don't tell me, office fling?" He asked with a knowing smile as he took in their bedraggled appearances and their messily dressed states.
Troy smiled widely. "It's love, dude. Just a little bad timing." He added as he dropped a look to Gabi who giggled and curled into his side as they made their way from the elevator and across the lobby floor, smiling into each other's faces as they left their workplace behind.