Page 21 of His Fantasy Bride (Things To Do Before You Die)

And why the hell did I agree to that?

Because it clouded the issue. How could he get to know the real Gabby if he was constantly focused on getting inside her pants? God, they hadn’t even had intercourse that morning, yet it was the best sex he had ever had—the feel of her lips around his cock, the sweet taste of her pussy…

Don’t think about it.

In the end, he hadn’t gone back to the hotel. Somehow he’d found himself drifting down to the back of the theater, knocking on the door to the backstage area, and handing over a fifty-pound note to the man who wouldn’t let him through. She was a bad influence—bribery, now. What next?

So here he was, pretty much as he had been yesterday, gaze fixed on the dressing room door.

This time though when the door opened, she was the first to appear, wearing black sweats and a loose white T-shirt. Her hair was scraped back in a ponytail and she’d removed her stage makeup so her pale skin was clear and flawless, her lips pink.

She was reading messages on her phone and walked right passed him. Then she stopped, backtracked, and turned to look at him, one eyebrow raised. “Vito. What are you doing here?”

He shrugged. “I came to see the show.”

“Really? I wouldn’t have thought it was your sort of thing.”

He stepped forward. “You were good. Very good. You deserve better than the chorus.”

For a second a smile flashed on her face, then it was gone. “I’m not sufficiently focused. And I don’t work hard enough. I guess I’ve never really thought I was good enough to make it big, so I never really tried.”

“Why?”

She shrugged then looked around. “Come on, let’s get out of here.” Hooking her arm though his, she gave him a little tug, pulling him down the corridor and to the street door. The same young man who he’d bribed earlier opened it for them and grinned.

“Night, Gabby.”

“Night, Dave.”

As the door shut behind them, she looked at him. “So, how much did you have to pay him to get through?

“Fifty quid.”

She snorted. “Next time, tell him I’ll punch him in the nose if he takes any more of your money.”

The door opened into an alley that ran alongside the theater. The early evening was warm, the air heavy with fumes. Up ahead he could hear the drone of traffic on the main road, and a double-decker bus passed the entrance. Gabby tucked her phone in her bag and studied him for a moment. “You look very smart and all ready for our dinner date, which isn’t actually for”—she glanced at her watch—“an hour and a half yet. While I look like a complete mess.”

“You look gorgeous.”

“And you’re a gentleman. I always knew it. But I’m going to have to go home and get changed. I’ll meet you at the restaurant as arranged.”

“Why don’t I take you back to your flat, wait while you get changed, and we can go to the restaurant together?”

She frowned. “I don’t remember you being this pushy.”

He shrugged. “It makes sense.”

She thought for a moment, tapping a fingernail against her thigh. Finally, she nodded. “Okay.”

He called his driver, told him to meet them at the entrance to the alley, then took her arm again and led the way. She was silent, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. The car pulled up just as they got there, and he held the back door for her while she climbed in. “So will the car and driver go when the company closes?” she asked.

“Yes. I don’t really have the need in my…other life. But Jack already has another position to go to.”

It was one of the things he’d ensured with the dissolution of his grandfather’s company—that no one went without a job. It was what had taken the most time.

The drive to her flat didn’t take long. He followed her up two flights of stairs then stood to the side as she unlocked the front door and waved him through.

He was curious to see where she lived. The place wasn’t big, but it looked comfortable—and even small, it must be expensive in this area.

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