Page 105 of The Photograph

“Cal’s in town, stop by the house, we’ll crack a bottle.

****

I close my laptop ready to leave for the day when my cell vibrates.

“Gabriel, how are you, darling? I was wondering if you had time for us to meet again tomorrow since you cancelled our last date.”

It wasn’t a fucking date.“Vanessa—”

She purrs. “Oh, Gabriel, call me Ness like you used to. I loved that little nickname you had for me.”

I swipe my hand over my face. She hated ‘Ness’ because it made her sound common. It was a different story when we were in the bedroom. She loved being dominated and being called by her ‘common’ nickname while I took her hard.

I don’t miss those times. Vanessa was a selfish lover, expecting to be taken care of while giving nothing back, even as a submissive she kept it all to herself.

“Vanessa, I’m busy and it wasn’t a date. What do you want?”

The woman I fell for all those years ago and who betrayed me in more ways I can count makes a whining noise and she drops her accent. “Gabriel, I just wanted to catch up with an old friend—”

“Vanessa—”

She sucks her breath. “Okay, maybe we’re not friends but we’ve been an important part of each other’s lives. A friend told me about Holloway House’s grand opening on Friday, and—"

“I’ll have some tickets sent to you. Where are you staying?”

She squeals. “I’m so happy for you, my darling, and I would love to attend the opening. I’m staying at the Four Seasons.”

“Okay.” I disconnect the call. My cell rings again.

“Gabriel, sorry, darling. Could you send the tickets to the Radisson hotel, there’s been a mix-up during my reservation, nothing I’ll bore you with, but—”

“Okay, I’ll ask my assistant to send them there.”

“Thank you, darling, I’m so looking forward to seeing you again.”

When the phone beeps again, I snatch it from the desk.

“Vanessa, whatever—”

“It’s Aelin. If it’s a bad time, I can call back.”

Her raspy voice goes straight to my cock, and I shift in my chair.

“No, it’s fine. How are you, Aelin?”

She inhales softly. “I’m all right, how are you?”

I fucking miss you.Do you miss me?“Good.”

She clears her throat. “I was wondering if you could meet Joan, Kirk, and I at Holloway tomorrow at 11:00 AM. I asked Erica and she said you were available. It won’t take long, and it makes sense for all of us to be on the premises to have a better idea of what can be done for Friday. What do you think?”

I don’t care.“It’s a good idea, yes I’ll be there.”

“Great, I’ll see you tomorrow then. Bye, Gabe.”

“Bye.”

****

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