Doomed By Mr. Billionaire's Betrayal

Gabriel had finished work that day and headed straight for the arena, with only one thought in mind -- to submerge himself totally into the world of rhythmic fighting as his emotions got lost in the wordless melody of the South American musicians.

Work that day had been typical, so typical he had started to wonder at the pointlessness of his world. The editor of the Daily times had called to ask for his permission to publish some article about how the Di Marco family had been immigrants. Gabriel hadn't given his permission but the fact that the editor had had to ask for his permission before he okayed an article in his own paper was ...... why couldn't people just stand up for what they believed in, didn't all the journalist have some code of honor or something. All it had taken to buy the editor had been a mere hundred thousand dollars. And then there had been Sam. He had remembered her name because he had been fond of her, he had imagined what it would be like to have sex with her, had in a way looked forward to it, then she had appeared in his office, horny, dressed like a hooker and not wearing any underwear. It had been the easiest sex he had ever had and something about it left him feeling hollow even though they had had a so called happy ending.

He had drove over to the arena in his silver mustang, exceeding the speed limit, feeling the need for a bit of danger something a bit on the edge of the unknown but breaking the speed limits in New York was already old territory to him.

He had parked his car at his usual parking spot and jogged up into the arena when he spotted the scrawny masked kid talking with Bryan. Something about the kid irritated him but he couldn't quite put his finger on it, probably had to do with the cowardly way the kid continued to wear his mask each day to the arena. He had already told the boy that he couldn't join his crew and he knew the kid would not be accepted elsewhere yet the boy had continued to show up doggedly, he was even taking lessons from Bryan, and each time he came in his oversized shirts and his mask.

Gabriel had been walking over to them with one goal in mind, to put an end to the boys hopefulness and finally send him away then to face his crew and grill them in a way he had never done before when he noticed the boy crying. Disgusted he had wondered what would make a man who claimed to be over eighteen cry -- in public when the boy had tugged at his mask and pulled it off and in one breathtaking moment, he had watched as the rich curls of the woman he had once fantasized about tumbled out of their confines in the most beautiful and dramatic way he had ever witnessed. For the first time in his life, he had been speechless. The woman dug her hand underneath her shirt and pulled off a tape and Gabriel watched as the gentle swell of her breasts pushed out against her oversized shirt. He felt heat rush to his groin and a strange feeling of anger at the effect of the woman on him even though he knew she wasn't even trying to impress.

Ignoring feelings he couldn't understand and focusing on one emotion that characterized him -- anger, Gabriel walked over. "Well at least we've started getting real around here." Both Bryan and the woman turned at the sound of his voice. "Follow me Buck, we have a lot to talk about." He did not bother to mask the sarcasm in his voice but turned and matched over to the room he kept organized for the sake of minor paper work.

Letting her in, he turned and shut the door and then on an impulse, he locked the door and put the key in his pocket.

"You better start talking."

He watched arousal and something else briefly pass over her face then she squared her shoulders. "You can't make me."

"Really?" He asked quietly, so quietly it would have been easy to miss the steel in his voice but she didn't. He walked closer, slowly yet precisely. He was taking his time to get to her and for some reason, Maya imagined what the last thoughts of a deer was before it was taken by a wild cat.

Standing so close to her so he could feel the slight tremors that came from her and she could feel the heat of his body, he raised a strand of her hair, marveling at how soft it was. "Are you really going to wait till I make you, because --" his voice dropped a notch lower. "I'm ready to do just that." He nibbled at her ear and felt her tremble. "So what's it going to be, Buck?"

Maya drew in a breath and tried to steady her heartbeat, while her body was racked by different emotions she had never felt before. She felt threatened by the man standing in front of her and yet she wanted to bury herself in his arms, like that was the only place she could even feel safe. "You can't m-- make me." But even to her own ears, it came out weak, with a hint of questioning not as a bold statement.

Gabriel laughed mirthlessly. "Do you -- really want to fight me Buck? Have you not yet realized that I never loose?"

Confusion added to Maya's jumbled up emotions. "What do you mean by fighting you Gabriel?

I don't understand."

He traced the bottom of her lower lip and felt her tremble again, stirring something primal in him. "You don't want to do this -- pretend I can't make you do whatever I want. That I can't make you singing your entire history to me including why you want to fight and in the next moment have your beautiful thighs spread over this desk, naked and screaming my name."

Maya tried not to picture herself the way he had just said but failed. Somehow even though she still stood in front of him fully clothed, she felt like she was naked with her legs spread open for him just like he had said. He had that effect over her. "I would fight you Gabriel if you fight fair."

Gabriel drew in a ragged breath. "I never fight fair." But even though he felt aroused and angry at the same time, there was something so fragile about her and for the first time, he felt the need to protect, he wanted to protect. There was something so doe- caught -- in - the -- headlights about her that was endearing and strangely provocative. He stepped back a bit. "Okay Buck, what are the rules."

Maya drew in a breath, surprised at her victory. She relaxed a bit as her cheeks dimpled in a reluctant smile. "First of all Gabriel, my name is Maya and -- it's simple, give me a month and if I can beat you, I'm in the team, just like I said earlier but there's a clause."

"What's the clause Maya?" Gabriel asked, surprised at how he could go from suppressed frustration to easy going banter with just a flash of her smile.

"You're going to have to teach me."