Chapter 11
Gabriella anxiously scraped the hangers over the bar in her closet, searching for the perfect outfit. Pants? Skirt? Dress? She couldn't decide. This was a big night for her. A chance for her father to see her as he never had before. He had always made her feel accomplished but since she completed her degree, for the past year she truly had only been living the life of a rich heiress; completely self indulgent, without a care in the world. She was now a professional business woman. Thank God that Troy had been running the bar so successfully or else she would have been in a bit over her head.
Troy. That was her other big concern. Gabriella had a bad case of lust for her sexy bartender and didn't know what she was going to do about it. The only option seemed to be "nothing." Certainly her time in the shower this morning had helped but that wasn't exactly going to be the most convenient solution every time she felt like ripping his clothes off and fucking him senseless. The employees would wonder why she was always disappearing to the back of the bar. God, she was thinking like a guy; sex on her mind all the time.
Gabriella finally decided on a simple shimmery silver shift dress with the yoke cut in a V front and deeper V in the back. She clipped the sides of her hair into loose French rolls and let the rest of her wavy locks hang down. She layered some silver bangles, stacking them up her forearm. She slipped on some rhinestone studded strappy heels and faced the mirror, letting out a laborious sigh. "Good enough," she thought.
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Gabriella arrived at the bar just before her dad and his associate did. She had called ahead and reminded the hostess not to allow anyone in the VIP room. It wasn't so much a separate room but an elevated booth with sliding dividers so that you could control how much you were part of the rest of the bar. The Oasis wasn't really big enough to accommodate an entire separate room.
Gabriella caught sight of Troy behind the bar, working his magic with the customers, and her breath caught in her throat. He had such a naturally sexy air about him and even though he was brutally cocky, she couldn't help but be attracted to his confidence. And even wearing something as simple as a black t-shirt and dark jeans, highlighting his muscular lanky frame, he sent Gabriella's nerves tingling. "I am so fucked," thought Gabriella. Then her mind flashed back to more pressing matters." Stay focused girl. Your father is arriving any minute."
At just that moment, she looked to the front door and noticed her father's entrance. Javier Montez strained his neck around trying to spot Gabriella but she quickly came into view as she strode in his direction to greet him. "Daddy," she excitedly said, "I'm so glad you're here. I've got our table ready. Let's just go and sit down; we can do introductions better when we're seated."
Gabriella led her party to the VIP table and shut 2 of the partitions, leaving them open to the bar and part of the dance floor. She wanted to be able to signal to Troy to come and introduce himself and take their drink orders directly. He was definitely the one staff member whom she wanted to father to meet because she knew he'd be impressed by him. Despite Troy's flirtatious manner with the women, he also was extremely well liked by the more prestigious male clients of the bar. He never gave the impression that he was trying too hard so he didn't come off as falling over himself or ambitious or phony. He was smart and could carry on intelligent conversations covering just about any topic. He had his own opinions but when he got into debates, he did so with respect for the other person.
Before she could hail Troy over, the necessary introductions to her father's guests would have to come first. "Gabriella, I'd like you to meet Joseph Lang and his son, Alex, who has just started working in his business." Gabriella smiled gracefully and gave both of them strong, confident handshakes. "I'm pleased to meet you and I am happy to have you as guests here tonight," she exclaimed. Gabriella could feel Alex's eyes lustfully move over her body and it bothered her a little but she knew she would have to play along for her father's sake. She didn't have to screw the guy, but she knew she would have to at least show him a good time this evening. "I'm sure you gentlemen would like to start off with some drinks, so I'll have our bartender serve us personally." She looked towards the bar, caught Troy's eye and signaled with her own that it was time for him to make his presence known. Troy nodded back that he understood.
Troy arrived at the table and Gabriella smiled at him pleasantly. "Troy, I'd like you to meet my father, Javier Montez."
"Mr. Montez, I'm glad to meet you and pleasured to personally welcome you to The Oasis. You've made a wise choice putting Gabriella in charge of this bar. She definitely has natural talent with managerial skills," Troy stated without hesitation and gave Gabriella a quick glance. "She's initiated some key changes already."
"I understand you've been running things single handedly until I took over ownership, and doing a damn fine job, Gabriella reports," replied Javier, looking Troy in the eye and with a small smile on his lips. "I'm glad you've agreed to help Gabriella get up to speed. I always knew she had a head for business but her studies led her elsewhere so she's got some basics to catch up on."
"Well, I always give everything 100 percent Mr. Montez, never less. Now, enough business talk. You gentlemen are here to enjoy yourselves so I'll get you started with your drinks. Name your poisons," Troy stated and looked around the table. He noticed Alex Lang's eyes transfixed on Gabriella's cleavage as she was slightly leaned over the table. He had to admit, her perfect breasts were a sight to behold and the fact that she wasn't wearing a bra only added to their allure. But catching Alex eye her up gave Troy a slightly sick feeing in the pit of his stomach. "Who does this guy think he is?" Troy wondered. "Furthermore, why am I bothered by him?"
Troy took their orders, served them and carried on with serving the rest of the customers who were seated at the bar. His eyes regularly wandered back to Gabriella's table. He watched her playfully engage with Alex, but in a slightly aloof manner. Aloofness aside, he couldn't help but feel a slight twang of envy at the attention she bestowed on her table mate. He watched as her eyes would sparkle as she laughed at whatever Alex was saying, clearly doing her best to stroke his ego. Occasionally, Alex would place his hands on Gabriella's arm or hand. She didn't remove them immediately but eventually would discretely slip them out from under his grasp so it wouldn't be obvious to him what she was doing. Troy smirked as he watched her. She was damn good at this role playing shit.
Luckily for Troy, Gabriella was completely oblivious to his observing eyes.
One person who wasn't oblivious was a particular female who was desperately vying for Troy's attention at the bar. A barely legal brunette wearing too short a skirt and a next to nothing halter top sat perched in front of him on the barstool and cleared her throat. "Ahem, bartender. I'm thirsty, and not just for something in a glass," she said, with a slight huskiness in her voice.
Troy averted his eyes from Gabriella and leaned over the bar and came almost face to face with the brunette's burgeoning cleavage which was clearly fake but not hard on the eyes either. "What can I get for you, darling?" he queried flirtatiously. No reason why he couldn't have some fun.
"Well, I like to suck long and slow and hard, so I'd like a slushy drink with a straw and then once I'm warmed up, maybe I could suck on something else?" she said, as her eyes wandered down his chest but was forced to stop, not able to reach his groin which was hidden from her view. A rather greedy grin crept across her peachy glossed lips.
"Message received loud and clear," Troy thought. He was somewhat amazed by the forwardness of someone so young. He was used to those kinds of come-ons by confident older women who flirted with him but still found himself taken aback when the younger ones were so aggressive and brassy." I can definitely fulfill your drink request and we'll have to see about your other wish," Troy answered with cool amusement, one eyebrow cocked.
"I won't let you forget you said that, bartender, and you won't be sorry if you take me up on my offer," she laughed, gushing. "I always get every last drop."
"I read you, honey. Don't worry. Let's just see how the night goes, shall we?" Troy said, not wanting to close the deal too soon but keeping the option open. He knew he had her in his palm but the evening might hold other possibilities, other offers or maybe another encounter with Gabriella if he could catch her alone.This girl was maybe a little too eager for his liking. He wasn't so desperate that he couldn't hold out.
Meanwhile, Gabriella was getting warmed up on the dance floor and it wasn't long before Troy's eyes made his way back to her perfect figure which was dancing dangerously close with Alex. His hands were running up and down her sides and as he pulled her closer, they made their way over her lower back, his fingers lightly grazing her backside. Gabriella didn't care. They had good rhythm together and for her, dancing was always a passionate act, even when she danced solo. If she had a good partner, all the better. She just let herself be in the moment. She wasn't sure how far things would go with Alex tonight but she could handle the aftermath if she decided it was a no go. He wasn't exactly her type; not that she could say she had much of a "type" this past year. Basically, she was just filling sexual need so if she thought the guy could give her what she wanted, he was her type. She felt a little differently now. Alex was very good looking, well groomed and well dressed but she was craving something with more edge.
Her fingers were tangled up in her ebony locks, lifting her curls from her shoulders as her hips swayed to the heavy bass beat. She tilted her head back and it took everything in Alex's power not to want to bury his face in her neck, but with her father nearby, he knew better than to test Javier's tolerance. She was so damn sexy, though. Gabriella could feel Alex's attraction to her against her thigh. "Nothing new," she thought wistfully.
Of course, this idea was shared by most of the men in the room who were nearly hypnotized by Gabriella's sultry moves on the dance floor. It was difficult for any guy not to find himself drawn to her, sneaking glances in her direction so as to not offend their female counterparts.
Troy, of course, was not immune to her lure. He definitely had a longing to feel her body move against him like that. Then Troy had a brainwave. Surely, she wouldn't deny his request for a dance? "All she can say is no if she thinks the situation doesn't work."
Gabriella had taken her seat with Alex and was taking a big sip of water. Her chest was aglow with small beads of moisture. She looked up and smiled a bit when she saw Troy approaching their table. "I came to see how everyone was doing here and if anyone is looking for a refill," Troy said, his eyes locked on Gabriella's.
"Troy, this place has exceeded my expectations. I am so impressed with what I have seen so far in this business venture. I think I'm in the mood for champagne. How does that sound to everyone?" Javier pronounced. Everyone's heads nodded in agreement. Who was going to argue?
"Sir, I will see to it that your server will get that to you immediately." His eyes moved to the beautiful woman at the table who had shifted her chair slightly further from Alex's. "Gabriella, I wonder if you'd join me for a dance. You seem to be enjoying yourself out there tonight and I couldn't shake this yearning to cut loose myself tonight. Of course, if that's ok with you, Alex." Troy asked, his desiring eyes burning a hole right into her and not even bothering to glance in Alex's direction to get his response. This decision was really Gabriella's to make.
Gabriella was surprised by this offer. It was a bit unlike Troy and it unnerved her a bit, with her father being present and considering the sexually charged interactions that had transpired between them. She wasn't sure what to expect. But she didn't want to give her father any reason to suspect there were any issues between them either, which he might if she said no. She non-verbally agreed by standing up and taking his hand. Besides, her curiosity was piqued about what kind of a dancer he might be.
She allowed him to lead her to the floor by the hand. But then, all contact ceased other than his eyes being fixed on hers. "I wasn't sure if you even liked dancing," she stated, her eyes darting over his face and down his body as they both started moving to the pulsing beat.
"Well, to be honest. I don't get out here much but tonight the mood just struck me," he answered, his face not giving anything away about how he was feeling inside. "You look exceptionally beautiful tonight, Gabriella." Hearing those words made Gabriella's insides turn over several times and she smiled at him. The tension between them was already thick and electric. In the moody lights of the bar, his eyes were a deep, almost violet blue and Gabriella was riveted to them.
They instantly fell into a great rhythm with each other. Troy reached out a single finger but instead of touching Gabriella, he kept it about one inch away from her skin as he moved it over her shoulder and across her chest to her other shoulder and down her arm. Gabriella's pulse quickened with this extremely sensual gesture. "Fuck, he's not even touching me and I am getting wet," thought Gabriella, her senses reeling.
Troy's finger glanced over the area of her cleavage, again not touching but so close that Gabriella swore she felt a tingle. Then instead of a single finger, both his hands continued the same non-touching actions over her swaying hips, remaining there for awhile, and then up the front of her thighs. Gabriella bit her lip and closed her eyes momentarily, suppressing a whimper. She was desperate for him to touch her but she feared that very desperation so much. Her eyes bore into him with an intense emotion that Troy could only read as lust. Her lashes were heavy over her eyes. Troy smirked inwardly but was careful not to let on to Gabriella that he could read her. He was getting so turned on by not touching her and her response to him and he didn't want to spoil anything by making her feel self conscious. They continued this way with concentrated stares on each other, lost in the pools of each others' eyes, neither really sure what was occurring between them.
The song came to an end and even though Gabriella had not danced with nearly as much physical intensity as she had with Alex, she was more spent from this single dance with Troy. She fought to control her ragged breathing, as did her partner. "You are one sexy woman, Gabriella," breathed Troy, almost shocked that he said that out loud even though he fully intended to. It sounded different when it was actually hanging in the air. "Let's go check on how your father is enjoying his champagne, shall we? Plus, we don't want to keep your date waiting."
Their moment was over, whatever it was. "He's not my date, Troy," responded Gabriella with slight exasperation and rolling her eyes. "He's the son of my father's business associate. You know that."
"So, what is it then? You're falling all over him just for your father's sake?" said Troy teasingly. Of course, he completely understood that what she was doing that evening was nothing of the sort, but Troy's envy over her going back to sit with him caused him to say this hurtful thing. He slightly regretted it but was a little curious to see what she would say.
"You're assuming I'm gonna fuck the guy aren't you?" exclaimed Gabriella incredulously, her hand coiling into a fist and resting on her hip.
Oh well, better just run with it now. "Relax, Gabriella. Business is business. I understand," responded Troy smugly, feeling his heart race at the sound of her saying the word "fuck."
"Jesus, Troy. You know what? I kind of thought we were starting to break some new ground today but clearly that's not the case. You don't know me and you don't know my father so don't you dare make me into some stupid bimbo that my father uses to advance his own business." Gabriella was fuming mad and had definitely not read Troy's words as him merely teasing her or that his comment was fueled by envy over Alex. She was completely insulted and offended.
Oops, she's really pissed. "Gabriella stop. I'm only kidding around with you. Come on. You know I'm not serious," explained Troy, taking her by the hand, trying to calm her down. He knew by her expression that she was not moved. "Look, I'm sorry, ok?"
"Whatever, Troy. If I fuck Alex tonight, it will be because I feel like fucking, nothing more," hissed Gabriella under her breath whipping her hand away from his and quietly storming back to her seat.
"Damn, I may have just pushed her in a direction she was never intending to go," thought Troy, angry at himself for eliciting such a heated response from Gabriella when he was only expecting playful banter. He really hadn't meant to offend her and he certainly wasn't trying to encourage her to go to bed with Alex but she was the type of girl who would now fuck him out of spite. After what Troy had seen in the shower that morning, he was keen to be the next man to feel her passionate fury beneath his body, not some other guy.
The rest of the evening carried on without limited interaction between Gabriella and Troy. She refused to acknowledge him, turning her attentions more purposefully towards Alex. She wasn't necessarily trying to make Troy jealous but if that was an outcome then all the better. She more so needed the distraction her from her own seething anger. Maybe she did need a good fuck tonight after all and she didn't think Alex would need much persuasion.
After enjoying some samplings from the kitchen and a bottle of pinot noir that Gabriella ordered from the waitress, her father started making obvious gestures that his visit to the Oasis was coming to an end. He leaned over and kissed Gabriella on the cheek. "Congratulations darling," he simply stated and smiled lovingly at her. She knew with those two words that he was pleased with how things were running with the bar and that he was proud of her.
Javier stood up, signaling to the other 2 guests that it was time to go. "Well, gentlemen. I'm not as young as I used to be and as much as I would enjoy a snifter of brandy, I think I would be prefer it more from the comfort of my own bed," he chuckled. "Gabriella, could you have someone call for the limo? Alex, if you care to stay longer, I'm sure Gabriella would give you a lift home."
"That's ok Daddy. I'm exhausted too. Why don't we all just call it a night and head out together," responded Gabriella.
She linked her arm with her Alex's purposefully as they all made their way to the entrance. He whispered in her ear something about her being a great dancer and no man in the bar being able to keep their eyes off of her. She laughed flirtatiously and leaned into him giving him a brief kiss on the mouth to say thank-you. She knew Troy was watching and she milked the moment. "I had a nice evening too Alex," she said, slightly gushing.
"The person you really looked like you were having a good time with was your bartender. There is some serious heat between you two," he responded, sounding a bit disappointed.
"Troy is extremely flirtatious, you're right about that. But he treats women like objects so I feel nothing towards him other than tolerance because he is valuable to this bar. Any heat you saw was me enjoying dancing; I won't deny he was a good partner," Gabriella stated, trying to sound convincing. "Regardless, thanks for putting up with me dancing with him."
Alex looked at her face and wasn't quite sure of the truth of her answer. He wasn't exactly pleased to play second fiddle to some other guy. He was fully prepared to ride the limo home with his father. Gabriella was still wrestling with her options for the night. Go home alone or get some payback sex. She didn't doubt that Alex would be decent in bed and he seemed like a worthy enough cause to get something in return for his having to spend his evening with their fathers.
By this time, Gabriella and Alex had walked out the door arm in arm and the limo had pulled up in front, as well as Gabriella's car. Alex leaned in to kiss Gabriella on the cheek to say goodnight. Gabriella surprised herself and Alex with her next choice of words as she whispered, her lips grazing over his earlobe, "Let's not call it a night quite yet. How about I give you a ride?" The double meaning was not lost on him and he looked at her with his eyebrow raised, clearly surprised. He said to her, "You sure about that, Ms. Montez?" She nodded in return and Alex turned to wave goodbye to his father, who was waiting to see which direction his son was going. Second fiddle or not, Alex would be crazy to turn her down.
Not that there was any real belief in his mind that anything was going to happen with himself and Gabriella that night, but by this time Troy had too much raw emotion rampaging through his veins to go home alone. Watching Gabriella flirt and dance with Alex, his own dance with her and then his poorly chosen words that flared her anger had put Troy in a caged animal mood. The final straw was seeing Alex get into Gabriella's car. Troy was frustrated. He decided to salvage the night with the huge breasted, propositioning brunette. He had kept her interest throughout the evening, knowing that he could chose to blow her off if he wasn't in the mood by the end of the night. He wasn't sure if he was necessarily in the mood for her but she was primed and what she was offering was better than his own hand job.
He strolled over to the seat where she had remained all evening and said to her without hesitation, "Baby, you'd better warm up those sucking muscles; you're gonna need them."