"I should have never sent a child to do a woman's job," Victoria's voice echoed through the office as she raised her hand and followed it with the loud smack across Gabriella's face. "I gave you one job, one golden opportunity for your freedom and you repay me by blowing it."
Gabriella hand rested on her throbbing cheek as she held back tears, "I already told you he called it off." Gabriella removed her hand. "He doesn't want me,"
"And where is the pay for the last two days?" Victoria placed a hand on her hip. "My time is not to be wasted."
"I get it," Gabriella said sitting forward in her chair, "I just need a few days but I can get it for you,"
"Really and how do you suppose you do that?" Victoria crossed her arms as she glared down at Gabriella.
"I'll get a part time job, schools out for the semester and I can work, there are plenty of holiday positions open." Gabriella put her hands together. "I'll give you every drop I earn. I swear."
Victoria rolled her eyes. "You think it is that easy." Victoria picked up a paper weight from her desk, "that you can come in here, after blowing 15 thousand dollars and just get a job as a waitress to pay it back."
"I'll work without pay here." Gabriella stood up. "That's double the cash flow, plus whatever escorting. I can do it."
Victoria let out a small laugh and then with no warning slammed the paperweight into Gabriella head. "You will not be escorting for a while." Victoria looked down at Gabriella as she sat on the ground holding her head and looking up at her. "What is the point of doing business if there is no supply for demand, you will pay it back but you will leave when I say you've made up for your foolishness."
Victoria kicked Gabriella in side before walking over her and to the door. "Clean up this place. I have enough headaches with the health inspector as it is. " She said as she shut the door behind her.
Troy was seated in the booth across from Taylor. "Why would she do something like that?"
"Sharpay is insecure; you should be asking yourself why you trusted her?" Taylor said lifting her coffee cup.
"I have no idea where she is, and they won't let me into the club." Troy looked down at his cup into the brown he missed so much. Nothing could ever come close to her eyes but he found himself staring into his coffee and seeing her eyes looking back at him.
"So you paid her four grand for the weekend?"
"Yes, but something is wrong, she needed more money and the entire disappearing act." Troy ran his hand through his hair. "I just feel it."
"It's alright." Taylor jotted down the money in her notebook. "It's my job to find her." Taylor was a worked a social worker for a forester home in Chicago. Troy had entrusted her before to find information about Gabriella and now here he was telling Taylor why he had requested such information. His head was throbbing, why had he made up a lie? Everyone knew and no everyone was disappointed.
"I feel like an idiot."
"Troy when you came to me the first time you were curious about who she was, it's natural, now that I know the entire story I can find a lot more." Taylor gave a half smile. Taylor looked down and let out a breath. "Well, she goes by the name Georgia, and her employer is Victoria."
"Have you ever heard of her at all?"
Taylor shrugged. "I'll have to go back and look again, I mean, this girl was in the system since she was six and she been moved a lot and then left there. Chances are she knows her ways around by now."
"She might seem tough but that's an act." Troy said lifting his spoon and putting it into the coffee. "I mean she's different, I've never met someone like her."
Taylor smiled. "You must really like her." Taylor lifted her cup and offered him a small smile. "I haven't heard you talk about anyone like that before."
Troy let out a huff. "What do I know, I bombed it with Sharpay," he said looking back into his coffee. "Wouldn't surprise me if I was wrong on this one either,"
"Yeah you loved Sharpay, but you were never in love with her." Taylor shrugged her shoulders. "You guys became comfortable. The two of you have been together or destined by your parents since 1st grade, anyone with that kind of build up would think they were in love."
Troy looked up at the clock he still had some time before he had to go back to the office. "Sharpay and I look out for each other, I guess when she did this she was trying to see my best interest."
"The road to hell is paved with good intentions." Taylor leaned back in the booth. "She feels awful about it, I mean in retrospect the situation looks horrible. Some wanna be singer just stubbles into your house takes your money and pretends to be some she not to get the attention from the people around you."
"Gabriella is the most genuine person I've ever met." Troy let out a sigh and his shoulder fell. "I think I would have missed her even if I never knew her at all."
"I'll find her Troy." Taylor reached out her hand to place on top of his, "I promise."
Troy came into the office and closed his office door behind him he didn't want any interruptions, his mother had been calling him for the last three days nonstop about what happened at the dinner. Luckily his parents were not clued in on the actual events. In their eyes Sharpay and Gabriella didn't get along and he had chosen Sharpay's side over hers. Troy let out a breath as he opened a file.
There was a knock on his office door and Troy looked up at the door in silence unsure of what to say.
"It's Chad, I got some information on the club."
"Come in." Troy stood up and Chad came in with folders in his hand. "Georgia has a new contract, it's signed but not by her I can assure you that."
"What makes you think so?"
"The contract is voiding all previous agreement and payments in return that Georgia works indefinitely for Victoria."
"She wouldn't sign that," Troy said reaching for the papers.
"That's what I thought." Chad opened the other folder. "The club is also having a problem with a health inspector, he says the place could use a new kitchen apparently a lot of their stuff is outdated and a hazardous."
"So the bank has a shot if they close down for health reasons."
"No money income, no payment to the bank, however the escorting services are legit, I can find a loop hole. There considered escorts because there advertised not for sex but for company, the girls are tested weekly, they sign contracts, they also sing and dance for their actual pay."
"You and I both know this is human trafficking. She takes girls off the street who have nowhere to go and she makes them sign this crap and sells them to the highest bidder."
"You and I both know that, how do we prove that in court?" Chad put the folders down. "Another thing is that the building is in need of some real restoration and Victoria doesn't have the money for that?"
"What happened to their last lawyer it seems like this place is a regular shit hole." Troy opened the other folder to skim over the documents.
"I've tried to contact him but he's nowhere to be found," Chad took a deep breath. "I think this is a lot more than I asked for."
"I told you this was a bad idea," Troy closed the folders.
"What are we going to do now?"
"Well we can't prove our claims, however if we get the girls to testify, maybe tell their story…"
"That's a lot of negative attention Troy, I mean what kind of life will they have after this is all done?" Chad placed his hands on his hips. "It's Gabriella to the tenth power."
"I told you the Gabriella thing was a mistake."
"I know," Chad said walking over to a chair and falling into it. "But it's true, Sharpay won't hire her and we all know how Sharpay is."
"I know." Troy felt the guilt on his shoulders. "In all fairness she was just trying to protect me."
"Or seen you too making goo, goo eyes and decided, she didn't want you to be that happy." Chad crossed his arms. "That woman has issues."
"She's was just being a friend."
"Troy she's a bitch." Chad stood up. "Listen to me, she left you on your wedding day, she left you on year ago and got married last week." Chad let out a laugh, "Do you really thinks she gives a shit about you?"
Troy was silent.
"She cares about her theater, which you own, and she rents." Chad picked up Georgia folder. "One look at her and she was worried about herself not about you."
Troy rubbed the back of his neck. "What is the next step?"
"Victoria made the first down payment of four grand, she needs 6 more to break even."
"Well now I know where my four grand went." Troy placed a hand on his cheek.
Gabriella was mopping the floor of the club. Her hair up in a ponytail and her waitress outfit on. "What's up Baby," a hand came across her ass and Gabriella froze as the men continued to walk by. With a deep breath she closed her eyes and went back to the job at hand. She had a nasty bruise on her head from the paperweight and she had blisters on her hands from all the work she was putting in. Her body was tired, her heart was heavy.
If she was actually Cinderella this would be about the time prince charming showed up with the glass slipper. Only Gabriella was sure there was no such thing as a glass slipper or the idea that someone would come for her.
"Hey Georgia, how was it living with that rich dude?" Coco and Bella stopped to look her way as they snickered and laughed. "Looks like he gave you a real beating."
"Serves her right for always thinking she better than us with that stupid degree and all."
"Well I have to go get ready, my new ride is coming to get me, and he likes it when I'm pretty."
Bella kicked the water pail and the floor was downed in dirty water. "Oops, Sorry Georgia."
Gabriella picked up the pail and began mopping up the mess.
"Hey don't worry about them Georgia." One of the bartenders came over with an extra squeeze mop. "You've got something to fall back on and they don't."
Gabriella stood quiet. In reality she didn't even have that anymore.
"You want a ride home tonight?" he asked soaking up some water and squeezing it back into the pail.
"No, I'm going to stay back a little bit, maybe try to practice some stuff."
"That's the spirit." He said with a small smile.
The club was closed for the night and Gabriella came out of her hiding spot. She had no choice, Troy had all her clothes and things and she had nowhere to stay. Gabriella flipped on the lights and got up on stage. She stood in center stage her closing her eyes looking for that string of music only she could hear. Nothing slows down time like love, her feet slid across the stage floor, effortlessly her scars open for all to see. Arms extended she moved air like barriers in her path. Her body was her art the only tool keeping her alive since birth.
Now here she stood her body heavy her heart off beat every step a moment too late. Gabriella did a quick step to get back in beat. She'd been careless with her heart; she'd forgotten her own reasons to stay guarded. With a groan she came to a complete stop and returned to center stage.
Back in place her body moved at cue but it told nothing but the story of the impossible, the incapableness that she'd been avoiding. Her feet came to a stop shattered trust falling around her as her toes hung off the edge of the stage. Her breathing was fast and hard as she looked into the dark audience before her.
Back in place Gabriella begun again with the determination that she could break way from the heart break. Fighting with her own body that refused to show nothing but the pain inside, pictures of him in her mind as she slowed her pace bring her hands in front of her heart. It had been an allusion, a mistake, on a simple spin her body fell to the ground. Invisible chains reaching up and holding her in place as a sob escaped from her lips. Pulling her knees against her chest she wrapped her arms around herself.
The next evening Troy shut the door to his empty house, nothing but silence and darkness. His shoulders slumped and he began to remove his coat and scarf. Placing his keys in the dish by the door he made his way into the kitchen. He flipped on a light and let out a sigh as he walked over to the cabinet removing a bottle of brandy and then a glass. He watched the liquor as it poured into his glass.
He didn't know her well enough to say he loved her, but somehow Troy felt a disappointment settle in his heart. She made him laugh; she made me smile, most of all she made his cock as hard as a concrete floor. Troy took a sip of brandy and placed the glass down on the counter top. Kissing her was the most passionate thing he ever done in his life. Images passed through his mind watching her prance around in t-shirts or dresses, her smile and long ravenous hair. After another gulp he poured some more into the glass and looked at the kitchen table. Watching her eat was amazing, looking around he smiled at the holly hanging from the cabinet, and everything reminded him of her.
He had to think of something he had to find her, Christmas was coming and didn't want to spend it with anyone but her. He wanted to wake up and find her in his arms laying in bed next him, hear her giggles as she ran down the stairs in a race for the tree. What it would be like to see her smile again, he could almost see the phantom of his imagination standing in the doorway.
Slowly he lifted his glass to his lips when a noise from upstairs distracted him. Looking up he listened for a moment. Someone was in his house; slowly he reached for a knife and began to make his way upstairs. The noise of glass breaking made his heart race as he wrapped his hands around the handle. It was coming from the guest bedroom, when he came to the door he pushed it open slowly to find a figure in the room moving things around. Flipping the light on he raised the knife and there was a loud scream.
"Oh my god, what are you crazy!" Gabriella screamed as she dropped her bag.
"Gabriella?" he stopped, the knife fell to his side and he took a deep breath. She was wearing a pair of sweats and a junk t-shirt there was a bruise on her forehead. "What happened? What are you doing?"
"You have my stuff, it's all I have I wasn't about to just leave it." She picked up her bag. "I already have enough problems." Plus on a side note she was hoping to see him, not that it mattered, or that she'd admit it out loud.
"How did you get in here?"
"You have no security whatsoever, is it really a mystery how I got in here?" Gabriella got her other bag and made her way towards him. "I left all your shit alone, I'm not a thief."
Troy blocked the door. "No,"
"You smell like alcohol," Gabriella pushed him and made her way into the hall. "Maybe you should look into joining a group or something!" she said as she made her way down the hall. This wasn't what she expected, not at all what she wanted to say.
After putting the knife down Troy ran after her this time catching up to her before she hit the bottom stair. Troy pulled her to him the bags falling and her body against his. "You're not leaving."
"Please don't do this,"
Troy pushed her against the wall, "Where are you going to stay?"
"Not with you," she yelled at him and pushed him away.
Both of them stood there staring at each other.
"I want to help you." Troy said in low voice he took a deep breath and he looked at her, "Please tell me how I can fix it."
"You can't fix it." Gabriella walked over to her fallen bags and picked up her clothes.
"What if I can," Troy said as he came down to the floor. "I already called the bank, I made a deal with them."
"What kind of deal." Gabriella said tying her trash bag shut.
"Victoria has a week to come up with the money; if she can't then I will buy her out."
"How can you do that?"
"I'm lawyer, with the stick pile of information I can come up with against her, health inspectors, building construction, warrants and permits." Troy shrugged his shoulders. "I can have the entire place shut down by tomorrow if I really wanted too."
"And who said money doesn't make the world go round." Gabriella said as she lifted her bags. "Good luck."
"I love you," Troy said placing his hands in his pockets. "The first time I met you, I felt different."
"Of course you did I was on a stage with my ass and boobs hanging out, if that's not love, I don't know what is?" Gabriella rolled her eyes as grabbed the doorknob.
"That wasn't the first time we met," he said coming up behind her and taking her hand.
"What are you talking about?" Gabriella stopped and turned to face him her bags coming down to her sides.
"I met you on the subway four weeks ago," Troy smiled. "My car was in the shop and I had to take the train. It was packed and people were going back and forth, you fell right into my lap."
Gabriella was quiet.
"You were wearing, a green sweater and yellow scarf." Troy smiled a bit, "I got a coconut scented candle because I couldn't get you out of my mind."
Gabriella breath hitched as she tightened her grip on the bags.
"I didn't drive my car to work for a week because I wanted to watch you on the train, I loved the way you dance down the street and sing." Troy walked forward. "You look so free and you don't care what people think."
Gabriella let a tear fall from her eye.
Troy brought up his hand and used the pad of his thumb to wipe away the tear. "I love you because you make me smile, you make me laugh, and most of all because you're not like any girl I've ever met."
"I can't be with you," she said on a choked out sob.
"Why not," he said pushing her hair to the side and looking at the bruise on her head. "Talk to me."
"I'm not the kind of girl you want to be with," Gabriella closed her eyes and looked down at his chest. "Sharpay was right; I was using you for money, to get what I wanted and it made me feel horrible." Gabriella let another tear fall. "I can't keep taking money from you."
"I don't want to pay you anymore." Troy said lifting her chin. "I know who you are, I know you work hard, I know you fight more than anyone I know to stay alive." Troy looked into her brown eyes. "I want you to get what you deserve because if I can give you the world I'll would."
"People are going to talk about you,"
"People are always going to talk, it doesn't change how I feel about you or how you feel about me." Troy eyes glanced down at her lips. "Gabriella if I have the power to make your dreams come true, then I'm going to do everything I can because as far as I'm concerned nothing is more important to me than you."
"What about Sharpay?"
"What about her I'm arranging to sell the theater, if she can come up with the money it's hers but that's not my problem." Troy smiled. "She's nothing but a past and I'm more interested in our future." Troy reached for the bags in her hand and tossed them aside closing the gap between them he lifted her and pressed her body against the door.
"What are you doing?" she said wrapping her legs around him.
"Making love to you," He said as he lips came down on her neck.
Gabriella fought a little bit as she arched her body into him, but instead of getting away she surrendered herself as he kissed her neck. Troy lifted her body making his way towards the office. Placing her down on the desk he slid things out the way making room and then lifting her shirt over her head and exposing her to him. His lips took her nipple in his mouth and she moaned as he let his free hand wonder down between her legs.
"Oh my god," Gabriella breath began to quicken.
Troy pulled off her shoes and then her pants she was sitting on his desk in nothing but white lace panties and Troy smiled he placed his thumb over her and began to move it against her. His lips came down on hers kissing her fully on the mouth, her skin was against his clothes and Gabriella's fingers worked hard at the buttons of his shirt. Before either of them knew it he was on his knees between her legs. Gabriella let out a moan as the pressure built inside her, arching her back and running her fingers through his hair. "Make me cum," she said in a low voice as he inserted his finger inside her. Troy shirt hung open his pants unbuttoned and stood up her body was shaking her lips open as her brown eyes watched him with lust in her eyes.
Gabriella felt herself squirming around without his touch, his blue eyes watching her she looked down at his bare chest, then at his pants. "Troy," she said in a husky breath her hand reached out his shirt and he smiled as he came between her legs. His body fitting perfectly as her legs wrapped around him. Troy reached down and positioned himself at her entrance. In one swift moment he was inside her and they both gasp in release as they became one. The tension between them pulled at their bodies both making them pull at each other in rhythm. Troy began to thrust in and out of her and Gabriella moaned with each push as she opened her legs wider and reached for his shoulders. "Troy,"
"Gabriella," his voice was shortened of breath as he said her name and nothing turned her on more. He wasn't just fucking some fantasy Georgia he was paying he was making love to Gabriella. His arms wrapped around her holding her close as he pushed into her, her moans in his ear as he pulled in an out building on the pleasure coursing through her body. This wasn't sex, Gabriella held on to him their skin rubbing against skin. She wanted more, she wanted to cling to him, and she wanted him to hold her tighter. She never wanted to let go and he held her so firmly she believed he never would let go.
"Oh my god." Her voice was louder and Troy moved faster both of them breathing heavy and with one last thrust the world collided, the pleasure was overwhelming and their lips met exploring each other's mouths and souls as they climaxed together as one.