First Night: (A Mad for You Short) Read online

  First Night – A Mad for You Short

  Anna Antonia

  Published by DelSin Publishing, LLC 2014

  Copyright © 2014 by Anna Antonia

  All rights reserved. No part of this book shall be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission from DelSin Publishing, LLC. DelSin Publishing, LLC and the author assume no liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Published by:

  DelSin Publishing, LLC

  www.delsinpublishing.com

  Cover Credit: Andrey Kiselev

  Cover Design: CGM Web Designs

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  FIRST NIGHT

  Long before he became a billionaire and she an ambitious analyst, he was a beautiful boy in love with her--a girl from the wrong side of the tracks...

  Gabriel Gordon, playboy extraordinaire, has been fixated on winning Emma Adams's affections for over a month. She's resisted his charming advances, even going so far as turning down Gabriel's request to be his date for Senior Prom.

  Now it's the night and Emma can't help but be aware of Gabriel's smoldering stares. Sparks fly when she turns him down again, refusing to dance with him despite her desire to give in, causing Emma to flee from him and her feelings. When Gabriel catches her outside, Emma is finally powerless to resist giving this broken angel her first kiss and her heart...

  NOTE: Approximately 10,800 words or 80 pages. “First Night” is a “Mad for You” short. It isn't necessary to have read "Mad for You" prior, but it is helpful.

  Table of Contents

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  More Emma & Gabriel

  About Anna

  Man's love is of man's life a part; it is a woman's whole existence. In her first passion, a woman loves her lover, in all the others all she loves is love.

  – Lord Byron

  ONE

  An attendant in a scarlet vest stood by, waiting for us to exit.

  “Shall we, my dear?”

  “Can I just leave my stuff here?”

  “Of course.”

  “It won’t get stolen?”

  “No one steals from me, Emma.” Gabriel’s gaze glittered with dark amusement. A dangerous demon looked at me for a moment before the smiling angel returned.

  I’d swear it was my imagination if I hadn’t made the demon’s acquaintance seven years before.

  “I’m ready to go, Sir.”

  Gabriel’s slow smile did delightful things to my body. “I’m glad I ran into you today, Emma. Fate is wonderful, isn’t she?”

  I ducked my head, feeling incredibly shy all of a sudden. He laughed and slid out, all long-legged grace, before holding out his hand for me. I took it and squeezed.

  I’d forgotten how wonderful it was to be with you.

  Gabriel tucked my arm through his. He kept his pace slow to match my mincing steps. “Are there going to be cameras?”

  “Perhaps a few.”

  “Oh.”

  “Don’t worry, Emma. Just smile at me as if you can’t live without me and you’ll take a perfect picture.”

  “Ha! You wish.”

  “I do.”

  A rush of conversation hit my ears as soon as we entered the atrium. It was a soaring affair, the kind covered in marble and glass. Lovely, sterile, and packed with people strolling about with vacant smiles.

  Check-in was a breeze. We were greeted with effusive cries of “It’s so nice to see you here tonight, Mr. Gordon!”

  Gabriel clasped several pairs of hands as he went down the line. His smile never dimmed. He was gregarious and beautiful in slow motion. I wondered how sore his jaw was bound to be after tonight’s pleasantries. Mine already ached. Maybe I didn’t smile enough.

  “A picture, Mr. Gordon.”

  He maneuvered us into place. Gabriel’s arm looped around my waist. The large camera staring at us made it felt like Picture Day in school—which I never liked. My lips curled into a stretched smile.

  Gabriel called out “A moment please.” He leaned down and whispered, “That will never do, my dear.”

  “What?”

  “I know that fake smile and I refuse to have it in our first official picture.”

  “I can’t help how I smile, Gabriel. Take it or leave it.”

  “I’m sure I can change that.” He signaled to the photographer. “We’re ready.” To me he said, “Look forward, Emma, and say ‘cheese’.”

  I turned my head back to the photographer. Staring at the camera lens, my body tensed as the imaginary countdown began. Just as the shot went off, Gabriel tickled my side. I burst out into laughter.

  “Done! Thank you, Mr. Gordon.”

  I spun around in his hold. “That was a dirty trick, Gabriel!”

  “And an effective one,” he added, smug over getting his way. “I’m going to get a copy and put it on my desk. Every time I think of you in your cubicle-cage, I’ll be able to look up and see your smile.”

  “You’re a bad man,” I accused heatedly but with a playful smile.

  “Yes, I am, but I try to be sweeter just for you. How’s it working so far?”

  I slid him a look from beneath my thick, artificial lashes. “Pretty well I guess.”

  “Good enough for me.” Gabriel threaded our fingers together. “Don’t let go, Emma, or you’re liable to get stepped on.”

  As we approached the waiting throng, I thanked Fate and second chances. Long before Gabriel was a billionaire and I was a girl from the wrong side of the tracks, he was simply the most beautiful, complicated boy I’d ever seen.

  One I’d never been able to forget.

  Seeing all the women in their jeweled-colored dresses and their glamorous, tuxedo-clad companions reminded me of a similar night. One that had brought me the best and worst romance had to offer in less than twelve hours.

  Senior Prom.

  My mind was drawn back to that first night, the one that forever changed everything between me and Gabriel…

  TWO

  Prom Night

  Seven Years Earlier

  “He’s looking at you again.”

  “Who?” I asked, knowing perfectly well the answer.

  “Gabriel Gordon.”

  I managed a shrug while still keeping my hands loped around my partner’s neck. “I doubt it. He’s probably ogling some cheerleader behind us.”

  “Hmm, I don’t think so.” Bryan, a very nice boy who was often my science lab partner, turned us a bit so I could see for myself. “No cheerleaders or skanky chicks behind us. He’s definitely looking at you, girl.”

  “Doubt it. I don’t know what he’s looking at. Anyways, it doesn’t matter.” My heartbeat skittered. Gabriel was looking at me?

  Did he really want to be here with me? Why when he’s had his pick of anyone?

  “I think his eyes are getting meaner the longer I dance with you. You’re not going to get me killed, are you? I mean, you’re really cool but while you’ve already turned eighteen—I haven’t. I’d like to live a bit longer.”

  “Sorry, Bryan. I’ll totally protect you from his evil stares.”

  “I’m not worried about the stares. Just the fists. You know his reputation f
or blowing his lid…”

  Although I hated having to say it, especially because of how Gabriel was behaving, I offered, “You don’t have to dance with me anymore. I mean, Jessa was so sweet to lend you to me for a couple of songs. We can just sit down, you know?”

  Bryan’s shook his head, sending long hanks of coal black hair to swish across his chocolate-brown eyes. “No way. I’ll take my beating if I have to because you’re my friend.”

  Giggling despite my best intentions to appear cool and collected, I waited until he spun once before saying, “Thanks.”

  It was hard but I forced myself to ignore the glowering angel staring daggers at Bryan. The music changed, bass thumping and demanding we all move faster. We clasped hands and swayed our hips in time to the fast beat. “So tell me, are you going to State or Tech next year?”

  “What?”

  I leaned closer, getting on my tip-toes while Bryan bent his head from a considerable height. “Are you going to State or Tech next year?”

  “Tech!” he yelled, trying to be heard over the music. “What about you?”

  “I’m going with whoever gives me a full ride!”

  “I hear that!”

  Before I could say anything else, I felt a large hand clamp down on my shoulder. A warm rush of air teased the back of my neck. I knew who it was, my body painfully aware of anything concerning Gabriel Gordon.

  “Can I have this dance, Emma?” he whispered gently in my ear.

  My eyes fluttered shut for an aching moment. Dimly, I felt Bryan drop my hands. I reached out, but he gave me a goodbye wave and melted into the crowd, leaving me alone with my exquisite tormentor.

  I guess he’d rather live to see eighteen than take a chance with me. Can’t say I blame him. Still, what does it say about me that I’m glad Bryan left?

  Tethered only to the beautiful boy behind me, awareness skated up and down my spine. I wanted to touch Gabriel, to lean back against his strong body and give into temptation.

  I should’ve said yes when Gabriel asked me to be his prom date. What would it have been like to be by his side all night? To take pictures together, to eat together? To have the right to be with him…

  Temptation to say “yes” pressed hard on me. What would it hurt? Gabriel had been waiting for me in the student parking lot and eating lunch with me nearly every day for a month. It probably wouldn’t attract too much attention.

  One dance. You know you want to.

  I happened to catch sight of Amy Crent glaring daggers at me. Any burgeoning softness disintegrated as memory resurfaced. Gabriel had dated Amy late last year for a few weeks. Rumor had it that she’d been circling around him, angling for an invitation to be his date at the same time he was circling me.

  It would always be this way. There would always be a girl waiting in the wings, doing her best to lure Gabriel out of his lunacy and back to her posh orbit.

  What chance did I have and why would I want the aggravation of being compared and seen as less-than?

  These were the type of females whose nails were always perfect and not chipped because they washed dishes at their part-time job. Assured of their place in the world, they didn’t work like a dog to get a chance to climb the bottom rung of society’s ladder. They wore what they pleased, never having to rely on dark colors because they needed to make three outfits do the work of seven.

  I wasn’t like them and they weren’t like me.

  So why has Gabriel been after me for a month? Is he bored and needing a new conquest?

  I wasn’t a part of Gabriel’s social circle and I never would be. My mom was a maid and Gabriel’s glittering, fast set were the families that hired her. A fact they never, ever let me forget.

  Do I look stupid enough to fall for him? What is it that he really wants and why won’t he stop?

  Anger burned bright. Pulling away, I turned around and faced him fully. I steeled myself against staring too deeply into Gabriel’s exquisite crystalline gaze or noting how handsome he looked with his golden hair tumbling over his smooth brow.

  “No, you can’t have this dance.”

  Gabriel didn’t have to come closer to hear me. My terse expression confirmed my answer. Undaunted he asked, “How about the next one?”

  I shook my head.

  Frustration tugged at the corner of his kissable mouth. Gabriel ran an unsteady hand through his hair. “Why not?”

  “Because I said no.”

  He took one step towards me. “Why, Emma?”

  I didn’t have to answer him. In fact, it was better if I didn’t. So why were the words rolling off my tongue?

  “Because it’s not worth the trouble.”

  Pain flashed across his expressive face. I instantly felt guilty before I buried my feelings. Gabriel didn’t really like me, not like he said he did. Why would he?

  Everyone knew what he was after. All he wanted was to add another notch on his belt. Apparently, he’d run through all the available debutantes and at least one barely-bachelor-degree-holding teacher. Gabriel was obviously going slumming like a few of his friends had done off and on throughout the years.

  I wasn’t going to be just another conquest, mocked and ridiculed for believing pretty words like “You’re different from anyone I’ve ever known,” or “I don’t care about the money. I just care about you.”

  Screw that.

  Even so, I wanted to believe this strange, one-sided courtship really was different. That he was different. Why did Gabriel have such a strong hold on me? Would I ever be able to break it?

  Gabriel looked past me and apparently locked stares with Amy. He narrowed his eyes and sneered. The utter coldness of his expression made me shiver. I never wanted Gabriel to look at me like that, as if I were a bug crawling across his polished shoe.

  I feared it. I constantly pushed him away so I’d never see it.

  “What are you looking at, Amy? Mind your business!”

  Although the music still throbbed loudly, I didn’t doubt the recipient received her message. Especially when she rudely bumped against me as she pulled her date towards another part of the dance floor.

  He took a step towards Amy and then shook his head, as if to dismiss her. Gabriel settled his focus back on me. His fierce expression instantly softened as he took in mine. Gabriel reached out and touched my flushed cheek with the back of his fingers.

  He came close and spoke urgently in my ear. “People like Amy don’t matter, Emma.”

  The familiar scent of his spicy cologne pleased my senses, drawing forth how used I’d become to Gabriel being by my side nearly everyday for the last month. How much I’d come to depend on his presence.

  On his scent.

  My fingers twitched as I wanted to pull him closer to me just so I could bury my nose by his neck. I hated his effect on me.

  “Easy for you to say.”

  “You’re right, but it’s still true. You’re…” Gabriel’s voice trailed off.

  Standing still in the middle of the crowded floor, feeling the stares crawl over us like insects, I felt a burst of bitterness. “What? I’m what, Gabriel? Different? Special? Don’t make me laugh.”

  He pulled far away enough for me to see his frown. I lifted my chin and dared him to try to convince me otherwise.

  “Stop doing that.”

  “Stop doing what?”

  “Stop trying to push me away. You don’t want that.”

  I blanched. Vulnerability made me a witch. “You don’t know anything about me, Gabriel, so don’t pretend that you do.” I turned away, ignoring his yell and the assessing gazes following my rapid departure.

  I rushed into the near-empty bathroom and threw myself into a stall. My heartbeat was up and my breath was coming out too quickly. I felt like kicking the door with my heel, so great was my anger and frustration.

  I didn’t like showing much emotion, learning very early on in school that it would always be used against me. But having Gabriel verbalize my secret truth that I did want
him with me, that I didn’t want to push him away…it was too much.

  I had flipped out on him and I wished I could take it back.

  The sounds of girlish chatter, water, and swishing fabric faded the longer I stood there. Gabriel Gordon tempted me to forget where he came from and who I was. I knew his reputation and knew that tangling my life with his was courting disaster.

  So why did I want to go back to the main hall and apologize? Why did I wish I was there with Gabriel instead of hiding in the bathroom?

  Crazy. That’s what I am. I always want what I shouldn’t have. It’s my greatest flaw until it’s not.

  Taking a deep breath, I exited the stall and approached the line of sinks. Perfunctorily, I washed my hands and checked my face. My cheeks were much too red and my eyes were far too bright.

  The night is done. I need to say my goodbyes and go home.

  Although I wasn’t due home for a bit, I saw no more reason to stay. Making my way to one of the tables dotting the room, I said my goodbyes to Jessa, Bryan, and the few other people seated about.

  Jessa protested, trying to convince me to stay longer. I smiled at the sweet blond and said, “You know I’m only here to have the experience. I’ve had it and now I’m ready to go home.”

  “Are you going to call your mom to pick you up?” Bryan asked.

  I’d come to prom with the group, sharing the limo along with ten other people. I wished I hadn’t done that so I could simply drive home. “Yeah, I’ll give her a call.”

  Jessa tried one more time. “Are you sure you don’t want to stay with us, Emma? We’re planning on going over to Avery’s afterwards. You should come with us.”

  “I’m too tired,” I lied convincingly. “Thanks anyways. I’ll see you guys Monday.”

  With a last wave, I left my friends behind and walked out. I wasn’t going to call my mom. She and a few of her co-workers were having a “Second Prom” party at a club one town over. My mom already had to miss her first prom because of being pregnant with me. I wasn’t going to be responsible for interrupting her second.