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CHAPTER 6
Gabi woke up with the ultimate knowledge she would be going out tonight with Leona and getting absolutely drunk. She smiled and jumped from bed, hurrying through her morning ritual and heading downstairs to the lobby in a grey pinafore knitted dress layered with a black long sleeve top, tights and knee high boots.
She breezed through the lobby, head high and then frowned as she felt her ankle go and she collapsed on the lobby floor, her satchel strap breaking and emptying the entire contents of her bag onto the marble foyer.
Great! She sighed; it was going to be one of THOSE days was it?
She was soon assisted by Harry who came running over to help her up and then a third pair of hands scooped up her paperwork and she looked up to Troy's face, seeing his godamn perfect hair and clean-shaven jaw and wondering how in the hell he had managed to drop his ego long enough to parody her father.
He was wearing his trademark jeans around his hips and a t-shirt/suit jacket combination and her eyes were drawn to his hands as he collected up her paraphernalia. They seemed so gentle and strong and his fingers were so careful in his work, she had a sudden image of his fingers stroking her body in a moment of passion and she was so shocked by it, she stood open mouthed until he finally clocked her.
Troy stared at Gabi's perfect mouth and wished she wouldn't stand there with her lips parted like that because he felt a strange tug in his groin and he didn't like it one bit. He reminded himself she was a brat and how it didn't matter how luscious her curves looked in that frankly ball-busting outfit; she had a tongue like a razor blade and he didn't like girls who didn't come to him willingly.
Or did he? That's what his press image would have you believe but the real Troy Bolton? What did he like in a girl? He smiled as he thought about that and let his eyes travel up from Gabi's kinky boots to fix on her thighs, such amazingly shapely thighs, before flickering up the rest of the way to appreciate her tiny waist and her surprisingly generous breasts.
The blush stained on her cheeks not only told him she had noticed his frank appraisal, but that she had enjoyed it as well. Well, well, she wasn't immune to the Bolton charm after all.
"Are you okay Miss Montez?" Harry asked and she nodded, tearing her gaze from Troy's as Harry let her go and she stood on her own, then toppled as her ankle gave way again only this time she fell toward Troy and he dropped the papers quickly to catch her, raining them back onto the shiny floor.
Harry laughed as Troy caught her by the arms and Gabi wrestled with him.
"Thank you Bolton, I can manage" she fumed, angry and more than that, turned on by his hot looks. How dare he do that to her at this hour of the day? She wasn't some kind of dolly bird he could eye up to fulfil his sick kinks.
But she reminded herself this was all part of the plan. Troy Bolton would fancy her alright and she was going to have fun driving him crazy on set with her outfits, knowing now that he couldn't keep his eyes off her. But she had one advantage. She was immune to his charm. Well almost. Enough to teach him a lesson and bring him down a peg or two.
"Okay" he sighed and let go only for her to wobble precariously, forcing him to loop an arm around her waist to steady her once more.
She glared him in the face making in perfectly well known she didn't like being this close to him.
"You might want to take those boots off, girly" he suggested and she frowned at his nickname.
Harry watched on as the pair fought the sexual tension between them like cat and dog and smiled knowingly "I'll take your paperwork to the car, Miss Montez" he suggested lightly, feeling like he was interrupting something between them and he disappeared.
Gabi finally got a grip and leaned down to unzip her boot, unknowing to Troy's plan to scoop her into his arms and over his shoulder like a fireman. She squeaked in protest at his action.
"Now, now, let's just get you back to your room so you can change your shoes without breaking a bone" he muttered, enjoying his hands on her ass WAY too much he mused.
"Get your hands off my ass, Bolton" she hissed as he took her into the lift and he easily shifted her like she was light as a feather so that he caught her under the knees instead and she lay across his chest, having no choice but to wrap her arms around his neck as he twisted her so that she didn't fly onto the floor.
"There, see, not so bad is it?" he chuckled, the sound reverberating deep in his chest which vibrated against her and sent her skin zinging.
She could feel his soft hair at the ends of her fingertips and she breathed deeply to stop herself flicking her fingers against it in her need to feel it.
"Not feeling faint are you?" he quipped "Its quite common when girls get this close to me that they feel faint" he continued self-assuredly and Gabi rolled her eyes.
"It's called feeling SICK, Ego Trip. Gag reflex" she added.
"Oh, just checking" he said with such a smug smile she wanted to wipe it right off his face right now. But she had this urge to kiss it from him and that would just further exacerbate his belief he was irresistible.
He shifted her gently in his arms as he carried her out of the lift, getting some strange looks from and elderly couple who were waiting there. Gabi didn't miss the bulge of his arms underneath her or the strange hot flash through her as she felt some kind of carnal attraction at being carried like this.
What was wrong with her?!
"Newlyweds" he grinned at the couple in explanation and Gabi screamed.
"Urgh!" she beat a pathetic fist against him "You are infuriating!" she screeched.
"Almost there sweetheart" he murmured in a treacled voice "She can't get enough of me" he joked and the couple looked even more shocked as Troy continued down the corridor to her room.
"Put. Me. The. Fuck. down" she demanded and he let them into her room, moving across the room and throwing her unceremoniously on the bed where she bounced before sitting up and glaring at him some more "Where do you get off telling people that? Are you that sick you have to convince other people that girls are falling at your feet?" she demanded rashly as she unzipped her boots and threw them at him, one hitting him in the shin heel first and smarting and he bent to rub at the bruised skin.
Troy was a little taken aback at her accurate summary. He did have to convince people that girls were falling at his feet. Because he was such a loathsome person that no-one could possibly love him, only use him for his fame or his body.
Gabi noticed the look that hit his eyes at her barb and she softened a little, but only a little. He had actually looked a little forlorn then. Like he was so lonely and he didn't have company other than the babes that worshipped him.
"Want me to help get those tights off?" he asked then and Gabi blew a frustrated breath out. There was his chance. There was his chance to show her that he wasn't what she had presumed him to be, to open that little window that he'd flashed her, and he'd ruined it all.
"Just go" she said tiredly.
"I gotta get the same car remember" he tutted.
"Just go without me. I'll get a cab." she said.
"Nuh-uh" he shook his head.
Gabi smiled primly "Fine" she said and proceeded to run her hands up her thigh and pull down her tights right in front of him, much to his shock as he stood with a happy grin at having her shapely legs bared to him.
"Got a bandage we can wrap it with?" he asked and moved through to the en-suite where he pulled down the first aid kit and took out a bandage returning to Gabi sat on the bed, rubbing her forehead where a tense frown lay.
"Hey, chill, princess, we're a bit late, so what?" he asked gently as he knelt and unwrapped the bandage from the wrapper.
"Don't think I'm letting you touch my feet" she said quickly as she watched him kneel.
"Why, do they smell?" he shot back with one of those crinkle-eyed smiles.
She rolled her tongue over her teeth to stop herself smiling back.
"Seriously, can you have coffee before you get the ride to the set? I think it would help our working relationship" he suggested.
She merely shrugged, knowing she was a monster in the morning and wondering how he thought they had any kind of relationship, let alone one that worked.
His gentle hands took her small ankle into his lap and he perused the damage, his face wincing as he took in the swelling on the outer side.
"I think you twisted it, princess" he said gravely.
"Oh great!" she sighed dramatically. Now what was she going to do tonight? Dance on one leg?
"Shh, relax" he soothed in a husky voice and Gabi's tummy turned with desire as his hands worked firmly yet gently to bind her sore ankle and her eyes flicked to his, confused, touched, shocked.
He looked back at her, cradling her injured foot for a moment longer than he needed to and he let those brown eyes draw him in.
Gabi didn't know why those blue depths were so hypnotic and calming, but they were.
His cell buzzed from his pocket and he stood up to answer it.
"Bolton" he answered succinctly "Yeah, I'm on my way. Look there was an accident at the hotel, I got caught up. I'll be twenty minutes" he said.
Gabi pressed her lips together "You're getting in trouble" she said gently.
He liked it when she spoke to him in that soft voice he thought as he eyed her.
"Ready to try standing on it?" he asked and held out a hand "Now you should elevate it and rest but I'm not going to try telling you that because you'll just ignore me, but at least be gentle on it" he said and she took his hand, her small fingers dwarfed by his larger ones as she leaned on his arms for support and scooted off the bed.
She tested it, wincing with pain as it throbbed on contact with the floor and her weight. "Okay let me get my…oh god, what in the hell shoes am I gonna wear?" she panicked
"What about those flat boots you had on when you broke into my room?" he asked
She gave him a muted stare but decided to bypass his dig "My Uggs? They don't really go with this dress and it's ruined without the tights" she murmured.
"You'd look beautiful in a bin liner and you know it, let's hurry it up eh, princess?" he said and Gabi flicked her gaze up at him, not sure if he'd meant what he said.
"I'm not wearing a bin liner to work" she said in response, getting up and putting on some leggings under her dress and her black uggs and looking down in horror "But this will have to do"
"Okay, finally, come on" he said and held out his hand to her which she ignored and limped along as he tried to help by bracing his arm around her back.
---
Half an hour later, after being stripped down by the director, Troy began his read through for the next scene. Shooting was scheduled to carry on through to the night and he had to concentrate, wiping all thoughts of Gabi from his mind as they worked.
His assistant, Paty still hadn't made it on set and he had no other 'entourage' to speak of so he found himself at a loose end during his filming breaks, wandering back to his trailer where he texted or called his friends and family or read more lines.
Gabi was eating lunch at the catering van as usual and Gabriel, as usual, holed up in his trailer.
"Where's the almighty Montez?" he asked as he sat opposite her, taking in her dark curls.
"Eating inside" she said.
"How come he doesn't eat out here, with you?" he wondered.
Gabi shrugged, becoming tense "I don't know" she answered honestly.
"You don't seem at all like him" he continued and she looked at him with that same look. Like he was an annoying little brother. Damn, but he was two years older than her and he didn't feel very brotherly as he took in her lips.
"You seem exactly like I expected" she said and he had to hide his smile by pursing his lips.
"Why thank you" he answered smoothly "I do try to live up to my name" he boasted.
Gabi could sense the fear there. The fear that without his reputation, what was really Troy Bolton fell short.
She didn't know why she felt like she wanted to convince him to let the real Troy out. God knows she despised him. But he might do himself some favours if he dropped his act.
"Thank you for helping me today" she said and it bowled him for six.
"What was that?" he asked, pretending he hadn't heard and she smiled just a little
"I said thank you. For helping me" she repeated, blushing.
"Gabi" Gabriel said as he came out from his trailer and toward the pair "I thought I told you not to get taken in by this idiot" her dad said.
Gabi frowned at him, flicking a look to Troy, who, just on the verge of opening up, had cast his eyes down sadly.
"We're just talking, dad" she said.
"I'm going to need some orange juice from the juice bar in town for this afternoon and can you get me something for later seeing as your swanning off again?" he asked, irritated.
"Sure" she said, thinking I wish he would say please at least once.
Troy pressed his lips together as Gabi got up and he got up too. "See you later, Miss Montez" he said and Gabi realised how silly it sounded that he still called her that, despite it being at her request.
She grabbed her things, her bag, which was now broken, and headed out with Harry on the snack run, enjoying his company as they sang along to songs in the car and she collected the items for her father, placing them in his trailer and leaving the set to get ready for her night out.
At last, some freedom, she mused.