Page 6 of Forbidden Desires

My uncle follows my line of sight, and I realize my eyes have unconsciously returned to the captivating woman in the sparkly dress. He gives me a knowing smirk, able to read my mind. My uncle bats for the other team and has been in a long-term relationship with his boyfriend since before I moved here, but he knows me better than anyone else.

“It’s the sparkly dress, it’s hard to miss,” I grumble, although deep down, I know it’s so much more than that. This girl isn’t like any of the girls from back home; she’s magnetic. And since this is my last night here, why shouldn’t I indulge?

“You know who she is, don’t you?” he asks me.

“No idea.” I shrug, trying to work out if I have seen her before.

“Gigi Kelley. The daughter of Susan and Lawrence Kelley. She’s a massive name on Broadway. I saw herperform the lead in Moulin Rouge last week, she was incredible.”

I glance at her again. She’s pretty as a peach. Light brown hair cascades in waves down her back, sun-kissed at the ends. Long legs in a tight short skirt that lead to curvy hips and full tits I just want to get my hands on. Perfect pouty lips as she takes a sip of her champagne. Her eyes rise to meet mine as she places her flute back on the bar. I don’t look away. Tonight, away from the mounting problems, I could use a distraction. And she looks like just the woman to help me forget.

My uncle slaps me on the back. “Good luck, son. This one might just be out of your league.”

“I always did like a challenge. You know that, Uncle.” I smirk, unable to take my eyes off her. She doesn’t know it yet but she’s leaving here with me. This city’s parting gift.

Chapter 4

Gisele

Brandon has arrived to pick up Cassie, so I'm waiting at the bar to get us all one final drink before we go home. I'm torn between choosing a margarita or a Canadian Club. But whenI see Dallas approach me, my body stiffens, with nowhere to escape. I’m trapped between the bar and a wall. I had hoped I would be able to get through tonight without an awkward interaction with him. It was bad enough I was forced to be a professional and continue performing with him for the last week. Every time I had to kiss him it would make me feel physically ill, but I did it because I’m a professional.

He places a hand on my hip like it’s supposed to be there and drops his head close to mine, causing me to flinch and try to move away. “We did well tonight, Gigi baby, you should come home with me to celebrate.”

The stench of stale beer on his breath makes my skin crawl. “Nope,” I mutter, shoving his arm off me, hopefully showing him how uninterested I am in discussing this or anything else with a fuckwit like him.

He doesn’t take my not-so-subtle hint; instead, he moves so he’s in between me and the bar where I’m waiting patiently to get the bartender’s attention. “You know I didn’t mean to hurt you last week. It’s just I’m not up for anything serious, and you were obviously way too invested in me. It was the best way to let you down easily.” He picks up a lock of my hair, twirling it through his fingers. “We can still have a little fun, though,” he says, like he was trying to do me a favor and now I’m being ungrateful.

I can’t help the bitter laugh that escapes me. “You think getting some girl to suck your dick, knowing I was about to walk in on you, was a good way to tell me it was over between us? Wow. You are more delusional than I thought.”

“Come on, Gigi baby, it doesn’t have to be like that between us. I want you by my side for the next show,” he whines, moving all over the place as he does. He’s clearly intoxicated.

My heart thumps loudly in my chest as I stare back at him in disbelief. I don’t want to cause a scene here in front of everyoneI worked with for the last year, but who on earth does he think he is? “Good luck with your next show, Dallas,” I tell him in a clipped tone. It’s the best I can do not to really let him have it and tell him exactly how I feel.

Turning away from the bar I go to walk away from the asshole. I don’t need a drink that badly. The night has taken a bad turn now anyway, so maybe it’s best we go home.

He pushes past me, taking one of my shoulders so I can’t get away from him. “Don’t walk away from me, baby. I was talking to you,” he demands. The way he’s looking at me makes me uncomfortable. I’ve seen his temper flare when things didn’t go his way. It was never directed at me, but I guess I was a pretty easygoing girlfriend and didn’t give him any reason to lose his shit.

“What do you want?” I sigh, feeling frustrated.

His grip on me softens, and he brushes his hand over my shoulder, stroking me like I’m a silly kitten. “Maybe I made a mistake last week.”

I stare back at him, looking over his pretty-boy features for why on earth he thinks I’m the kind of girl who would be that vapid. I might not like to cause a fuss and erupt into a furious rage like I probably should, but I know my worth, and I have boundaries. I would never consider going back to someone who had treated me so badly. “You did, and now you will have to live with it.”

“Don’t be stupid, Gigi, you need me. You’re not so special. You’re just a spoiled brat. You got it all handed to you because of who your parents are.”

His words are an assault on my soul. He of all people knows how I feel about being called privileged because of them. I don’t even think, something inside me just snaps, and I slap him across his pretty face as hard as I can. My palm stings like a bitch, and I try to shake off the pain. But when I look back athis surprised face with a red welt showing up already, the pain is worth it. “Fuck off,” I tell him, so done with this conversation and being nice.

His grip on my arm tightens, and he glares back at me with an anger I haven’t seen before. I try to pull away from him as panic settles in. Before I can think of how to escape him, I feel a body brush up against my side.

“She told you to back off,” a voice says from next to me. It has a Southern edge to it, and I glance over to see the handsome stranger I noticed looking my way earlier. He came to my rescue.

Dallas drops his grip on me, moving toward the man. “Who the fuck are you?” he snarls, sizing him up. He’s braver than he should be against a guy standing a good couple of inches taller than him.

“The guy I’m seeing,” I blurt out without even thinking. I smile toward the guy who came to my rescue, hoping he won’t freak out. But instead, the stranger gives me a little smirk like he’s happy to play along. Thank God. It could have been all kinds of humiliating if he wasn’t.

Dallas looks him over, and I can see him work out that this guy is massive and rugged-looking. Compared to his slight athletic build, he could knock him flat in a heartbeat. “Bullshit, there is no way you moved on from me that quickly,” he mutters, like he’s surprised I could get anyone else.

The stranger wraps a protective arm around my waist and pulls me into his body. He’s warm and smells clean and fresh with a hint of expensive aftershave. I can’t help the flutter it ignites in me. I don’t know whether it’s the gallantry or just the fact I find him so damn attractive, but it’s something. I rest my head against his chest, playing my part. “She did. And now you need to run along, little boy. Before I make you,” he growls like he really means it.

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