Tainted Love: Anything For You Series 2 (4 page)

“Whoa! I didn't realize it was already time to go home. Unfortunately, I don't think I will be able to go home now. I still have a lot to do. I have a deadline for these articles too.”
Her voice suddenly sounded sad.

“What's the matter?”
Lisa asked.

“Michael is still in the hospital, and I was supposed to visit him tonight but since I'm swamped with work, I guess I’ll have to wait till tomorrow morning to see him.”
She let out a resigned sigh.

“There, there. I'm sure he'll be fine. The nurses will take care of him. No need to worry about that,”
Lisa said as if trying to cheer her up. If only she knew why she was feeling anxious. If only she knew about Joana. She decided not to tell her yet. It was too early to confirm anything yet.

“You're probably right,”
she finally said. She did not want to feed her doubts, as they would only distract her from accomplishing what she needed to get done tonight.

“Well, if you're staying, stay safe and don't push yourself too hard, okay? See you tomorrow,”
Lisa said as she gave her a light pat on her back before turning her back on her.

When she looked around her, she saw a lot of people starting to pack up as they got ready to leave, while the others remained in their seats. Like her, they were busy typing whatever they needed to get done. But as every hour passed, she noticed that there were fewer and fewer of them still working hard on their stations. Juliana felt her stomach growling. When she looked at her watch, she saw that it was already 10 PM and she still had some things to do. She frowned upon realizing that she was alone. She would have to find something to eat in the pantry by herself. She pushed herself away from her table and stood up. She needed some coffee and something to eat. As her heels clicked on the tiled floor, she felt like someone else was there with her. She stopped and looked around but found no one. She dismissed the thought and just hurried to the pantry. All this was just because of her hunger. There was no room for her to fear anything right now.

Gabriel was surprised to see a woman headed to the pantry at this hour. He had been busy working on so many things that he decided he should just stay late at work. It did not matter, as he did not have any other plans anyway. He was lucky to have a bathroom complete with shower inside his office. It was a secret from his employees. A secret he did not want them to think ill of. He did not want them to doubt him especially when female employees came to see him in his office. He might have been a womanizing bastard in the past but that was all forgotten now.

He was no longer into casual hooking up as he had a name and a company with employees to protect. He still did not know who the woman was and he certainly did not want to scare her by sneaking up on her. He decided he should let her go to the pantry alone and then just follow her once she was already inside. He had already removed his coat, had loosened his tie and even unbuttoned the first two buttons of his shirt. He already felt stressed out, but he felt like there wouldn’t be any sense in going home now. The office had become his second home without his employees noticing it.

Juliana sat in one of the chairs in the pantry. She looked around and saw no one. She sighed as she taught about Michael. She shook her head as she decided that she needed some coffee to keep her awake and concentrated on the task at hand. She stood up and took some coffee from the vending machine. She smiled as she saw the vending machine for snacks. She was glad that she worked in a company with free food and refreshments. She chose some crackers, which would go well with her coffee. As she sat in the same chair to eat and relax a bit, she pulled her phone from her pocket and started sending a text message. She wanted to know if Michael was okay. Her back was turned to the door, yet Gabriel knew it was her. Could he be dreaming? He did not know. He smirked as he entered silently into the pantry. She froze as soon as his scent invaded her nostrils. She looked behind her and saw Gabriel who was looking at her intently. She blushed, as she had not realized that she was not alone in the office after all.

“Good evening, Sir,”
she said quickly. She blushed as she looked at him shyly. She did not want to be rude to him even if she was not comfortable with him yet.

“Good evening, Ms. Austin. Working late?”
he asked.

“Y-yes. I am still not yet done with what you asked me to do, that's why I'm still here,”
she looked away as she answered him.

“You don't have to be so hard on yourself. You can still give them to me tomorrow morning.”
He smiled as if to encourage her to go home and just continue working tomorrow.

“I know that, but I would like to finish it today. I still have to go to the hospital early tomorrow morning,”
she told him. He wondered what she would be doing in the hospital. He knew he had to ask.

“The hospital? Are you sick?”
he asked with a worried tone as he slowly moved in front of her. He was still towering over her as he stood before her. She craned her head up to respond to him.

“Actually, no. I have to go there tomorrow because my boyfriend got seriously hurt and needed stitches. I just need to see if he's okay.”
Her voice laced with concern.

Just the mention of her boyfriend made his blood boil. He still had not met him and his curiosity hadn't died down yet. He decided this would be a perfect opportunity to meet him finally. To know if he was truly worthy of Juliana or not.

“I'm sorry to hear that. How about I take you to the hospital tomorrow then? I've always wanted to meet this Michael,”
he suggested. He wondered if she would accept his offer, but he was hopeful that she would.

“Are you sure about that, Sir?”
she asked uncertainly.

“Of course. I am concerned about what happens to my employees after all.”
Especially to her, he forgot to mention.

“Alright. I'll just have to finish everything tonight, Sir.”
She did not know how to refuse him after all.

“Great! I hope you won't mind me taking a break with you here before I get back to my office,”
he announced as he turned his back to her to grab a cup of coffee. Juliana knew this would be a long night.

“I rarely stay in the pantry to take a break. It is hard to be the boss sometimes.”

He smiled as he pulled the chair in front of Juliana to sit on it. She was speechless. She did not know how to have a normal conversation with him anymore. He knew that she was uncomfortable, but he planned on changing that. He remembered that she mentioned about Michael needing stitches, which was why he was still in the hospital. He wondered what happened to him. Why did he need stitches, and was she with him when it happened?

“Sorry for asking, Ms. Austin, but what really happened to Michael?”
He did not want to pry. He was not used to it but he knew he had to, as Michael was the only subject they could talk about with her speaking to him with ease.

“W-well, he had fight with a man this afternoon, which is why he needed to get stitches.”
She was speaking a half-truth, but he did not need to know that.

“Sounds serious. I hope he'll be okay soon. Were you with him when it happened?”
he inquired as he took a sip of his hot drink.

“Yes. We had lunch together and before going back to work, it happened. It happened so fast,”
she admitted.

“Did the man who fought him get caught?”

“No. He was able to escape. I took Michael to the nearest hospital as soon as I could. Luckily, his wounds were not as serious as I thought,”
she said with a relieved tone.

“Do you know why he attacked Michael?”
Gabriel asked curiously.

“N-no. He looked drunk and homeless. He kept on blabbering about his girlfriend. I wasn't able to understand much of what he claimed.”
She looked away as she explained, which only meant she was lying, and he knew it, but he did not reveal it.

“Well, I hope he gets caught soon. He sounds like a dangerous man. Anyway, I better get back to work. I still have some paperwork to do. See you in a few hours, Ms. Austin.”

He left without even glancing at her again, leaving her to drink her coffee and nibble on her crackers in silence. Although he would have wanted to stay, he knew he would have to wait.

CHAPTER 4

As soon as she finished taking a break, she was back to work. Hours passed and Gabriel felt it hard to concentrate knowing that she was just outside. He wanted to stay near her, but he knew he shouldn't. He was relieved that she allowed him to take her to the hospital at least. It was 5 A.M. and Joana massaged her neck as she yawned. She had been sleeping in a chair next to Michael's bed since last night and although she hated to admit it, she knew deep inside that she was already investing a lot of her time and attention in him. She felt relieved that Juliana was not able to come back to him last night, which gave her more time to be with him. His face was still swollen, some parts covered with bruises and others with stitches. His busted bottom lip might look rough, but somehow she felt it would taste nice against her soft, supple lips. His bruised knuckles and his calloused fingers would probably feel rough against her creamy skin yet, she felt herself craving for it. The damage done to him might have marred his features temporarily but to her, it only made him look dangerous, a bad boy, and she loved it. She smiled as she continued to look at him lovingly. It was then that Michael opened his eyes, only to see a person he did not expect to see. His throat and mouth were dry, his voice hoarse.

“Water. Some water please,”
he pleaded.

Joana reached for the water bottle on his bedside table and poured some in a clean glass before placing it in his hands. He slowly sat up and drank until the last drop. He was parched. As soon as he had finished drinking, he handed the glass to Joana and gazed at her with a puzzled look in his eyes.

“Joana? What are you doing here? Where's Jules?”
He looked around him. She was nowhere to be found.

“She's at work. I've been here since last night. You were probably too drugged to wake up,”
she said to him. She sounded hurt that he was looking for someone else when it was her in front of him.

“I see...Thanks for staying with me. You're a real friend, Jo,”
he smiled at her.

His smile might look like he was still concealing his pain, but he looked so damn handsome. Joana smiled back and leaned closer to him. Their faces were so close to each other, her breasts pressing softly on his body. He swallowed hard as he looked into her deep blue eyes. Her disheveled blonde hair looked good on her, and he just couldn't look away. He felt compelled to keep on staring at her.

“We could be more than friends, Mike. If you want us to...”
she breathed. Before he knew it, she had already pressed her lips onto his. 

Juliana was relieved to have done everything before anyone arrived at work. It was only 5 A.M. She double-checked everything and after proofreading her work, she emailed it to Gabriel. His computer alerted him that he had received a new email. He had fallen asleep on his couch at 1 A.M. and was now finished showering and getting dressed. He pitied Juliana, but he figured he could not let her use his personal facility. After 15 minutes, he was already dressed and putting on his shoes when he heard someone knocking on the door. He already knew it was her. He hurried to open the door but there was no point in welcoming her inside. They were leaving this instant after all.

“Should we go?”
he asked with a smile.

“Y-yes, please,”
she responded as she turned her back to him to lead the way.

There was no traffic anywhere as Gabriel drove them to the hospital. It was a quiet drive and after parking his car, she immediately got out and let him follow her. She had no intention of telling him to leave. She had no right to. Besides, she knew he was stubborn and it would probably be a waste of her time if she told him to leave. She smiled at the nurse and asked where Michael's room was. She directed her to the private room but did not proceed inside. She excused herself as they were in the doorway. As they entered, they saw that the other two beds were empty, which only meant that he was occupying the last bed with the curtains acting as its division. She stopped short when she raised a part of the curtain only to reveal Joana kissing Michael. Gabriel was behind her and as she gasped and looked away, he was able to see why. He felt his hands clenching as he saw a bruised Michael lying on the bed with a petite blonde almost straddling him, her breasts pressed eagerly on his body and her lips pressed against his. The kiss did not look chaste; there was definitely malice involved. Joana felt someone watching and when she opened her closed eyes, she caught a glimpse of Juliana looking away. 

She closed her eyes again and continued to press her lips and her breast against Michael's body. Although Michael wanted to push her away, he did not know how. He had always been courteous to women, and he knew that if he pushed her away that would be rude. But as soon as he felt her tongue darting out to lick his lips and then his teeth as if probing his mouth and willing him to open it to invite her in, he raised his hands and gripped both of her shoulders to give her a slight nudge which Joana wanted to ignore but couldn't. As soon as she re-opened her eyes, Juliana was gone. A smirk formed from her mouth as she pulled away, leaving Michael silent but her wanting more.

“I'm sorry, Michael. I don't know what came over me.”
Her words were half meant but Michael was too blind to see that.

“Please, Jo. I have a girlfriend. You know that. I don't think Jules will appreciate it that we've been kissing. I don't want her to think that we've been cheating on her,”
he said sincerely.

Juliana ran as fast as she could. The tears in her eyes were starting to form, and they were blinding. As soon as she found a silent corner, a place where she could stay still for a while inside the hospital, she found herself stopping and slumping on the floor, crying that she had to see that. Gabriel rushed to be with her. He looked for her, uncaring if he looked like a mad man in the hospital's hallway. He panted and felt like giving up when he suddenly saw her in one corner, sobbing. He slowly approached her and sat on the floor in front of her. He did not know what to say, but he knew he had to make her feel better somehow.

“Ms. Austin, Are you alright?”
Although he knew she wasn't, he did not know how to start a conversation with her right now.

“I-I'll be fine, Sir. Thank you for bringing me here.”
That was all she could say.

“Would you like me to bring you home?”
he offered her.

She nodded as she let him assist her to stand. He held her steady as they walked with his arms around her. There were many curious stares around them when they went out of the hospital and to the car park. He no longer cared. What mattered now was seeing her alright. Gabriel was now prepared. He knew where she lived. As soon as she sat beside him, all she could do was stare into nothingness. Juliana was now holding her tears. Crying in front of her boss was just lame. Deja vu. She was experiencing it now. As she found herself preoccupied with her thoughts, he continued to concentrate on the road. It wasn't long before they reached her home.

He stopped the car and hurried to her side, opening the door for her to let her out. Juliana was surprised to see that they were already in front of her home and he was already holding the door for her. She held on to the door to help balance herself. With a weak smile, she thanked him, but she knew it would be rude to let him go just like that. She would have to invite him in even if it would just be for a couple of minutes.

“Would you like to come in?”
she asked. The simple question lit him up and made him smile wider.

“I would love to,”
he replied.

They walked the two wooden steps to her outdoor patio. She reached inside her bag for her key as he looked at the other houses near hers. She was shaking but eventually was able to place the key into the hole turning it to open the door. She pushed it open to let him in. This was going to be the first time that she would be opening her house to another man. The only other men to have ever been inside her home were her father and Michael. The thought of Michael made her feel a sharp pang inside of her again. She had to distract herself with something else. She left her boss looking around in the living room as she rushed to the kitchen to see what she could offer him.

Gabriel continued to look around as he slowly appreciated every single detail inside her home. He looked at the neatly framed paintings on her walls, which looked very interesting. He saw framed pictures of people who were probably her friends, her parents and most of all, Michael. He did not want to think of the bastard. He did not need to meet her two-timing boyfriend after all. He lingered in front of the framed paintings and pictures that hung by the walls near the front door. When he turned around, he saw the living room. It was tidy. It had one long couch that could fit about 3 people and one single sofa.

There was a wooden table in the middle and a colorful rug underneath it. She had a flat screen television mounted on one of the walls and a fireplace on one corner of the living room. He noted the bookshelves in the living room, which were filled with so many books. Judging by the book covers, most if not all of them were fiction. Now, he finally knows a little bit more about Juliana. She was a bookworm, which was why she had been a smart employee. He continued to stand in the living room in front of the bookshelves as he read their titles. He pulled on one to leaf through the pages. He stopped himself when he saw the somewhat lewd book cover. It was a half naked man holding a sword. He wanted to laugh when he thought the book was a historical novel about Scottish highlanders. He turned around when he heard Juliana approaching with some things on a tray. He placed the book back where he got it and sat on the long couch as she placed the tray in front of him.

“Some coffee and a slice of chocolate cake.”
He took them from the tray and smiled at her.

“Thank you. This is very nice of you.”
She stood there and continued looking at him.

Upon realizing that she was staring, she sat on the single couch and let her boss drink some coffee and enjoy the cake she served him. She only hoped he liked it. It was a cake she baked a couple of days back when she had been craving for one. He took a forkful inside his mouth and groaned. She looked at him with his eyes closed and as they opened, he smiled wickedly at her.

“This cake is exquisite. Did you perhaps bake this?”
he inquired, his comment making her blush.

“Yes, Sir. I did,”
she said shyly.

“Please stop calling me Sir or Mr. Mitchell. We are outside work so just call me Gabriel or Gabby,”
he suggested.

“Alright, G-Gabriel...”
she forced herself to say.

“Good. Now, May I call you Juliana or would you prefer I call you Jules?”
he asked. The way her name rolled into his tongue sounded so perfect, so beautiful.

“I don't mind both of them.”

“Juliana then...”
he said as he continued devouring the chocolate cake in front of him, making her look away.

The way he was looking at her was scandalous. Gabriel could not help himself. The lewd book in her bookshelf, the chocolate cake, her beautiful face as she looked on at him, the way she called his name. The pent up desire was slowly starting to manifest itself. When she saw that he was done eating the cake, she stood up to get him another slice even if he did not ask for it. The silence between them unnerved her, but what made her nervous even more was the attraction that was slowly returning in between them. She remembered the kiss that happened between them when she was in his home. She remembered how sexy he looked in casual wear. The smell of his clean skin and aftershave still lingered in her mind, making her feel like she wanted him. As she stood up, Gabriel reached out for her, holding one of her wrists in the process. He tugged her, making her fall on him, her face just inches apart from his. His breath smelled like chocolate, coffee and mint.

His cologne smelled like pine and sandalwood. She felt herself swallowing hard as her heart started to race. What was happening to her? His stormy gray eyes looked at her; they were arresting. His arms held her close to his, both of them unmoving, yet she felt her heart beating wildly as if she could hear its deafening sound. One of his hands moved to her face, cupping one of her cheeks. His eyes darted to her lips as he remembered her sweet taste. Her scent had been fruity but never too sweet. He held her still as he pressed his lips to hers. He felt her body tense as he kissed her. He held her tighter, pressing her body closer to his. He moved his other hand from her cheek to her nape, caressing it gently as he wanted her to relax and just let him kiss her.