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*
Desiree had been keeping busy. Gabriel called four or five times, but she never answered. She deleted his messages before hearing them, and considered this a step in the right direction. She'd even started talking to Jessica again although neither mentioned the night in Desiree's room.
The end of the month had snuck up on Desiree but she was happy to finally have something to do. The company her brother worked for was hosting an AIDS awareness charity dinner and it was tonight. She told her brother she'd go with him since his ex-broke up with him and he didn't have a date. The tickets were too expensive for him to ask a woman he'd just met, so he had asked his sister.
Desiree spent an entire week looking for the perfect dress and shoes. She wasn't one to dress up often, but when she did, she wanted to look amazing. Tonight she planned on wearing a black slinky form fitting dress. She just hoped it wasn't too revealing. Desiree held the dress up in front of her and watched herself in the mirror. The neckline dipped in a low V that would display a teasing amount of cleavage. The back of the dress dipped dangerously low down the small of her back showing off her smooth tanned skin. She placed the dress back on her bed and sat down. She glanced at the clock noting she only had about 45 more minutes to get ready before her brother was coming to pick her up.
She grabbed a bottle of lotion and began to massage it into her smooth shapely legs. She rubbed lotion into her arms and stood slipping into her black stiletto heels. She walked toward her mirror and surveyed how the heels made her calf muscles flex. Desiree drank in her appearance as she stood in her matching black thong and bra and thought for the first time, she looked sexy. She grabbed her earrings from her dresser and slipped them on.
She began to finger the soft curls she'd put in her long brown hair and she flopped back down on the bed. She was ready to go now but was waiting until the last possible to put on her dress because she didn't want it to get anymore wrinkled than it had to.
Finally Desiree heard her brother's car pull into the driveway and she jumped up to finish getting ready. She really hoped he would like the dress and shoes that he paid for.
~*~
Scott got to his parent's a little earlier than he was expecting to, so when he walked in the front door and caught sight of his little sister coming down the stairs, his jaw nearly hit the floor. He hadn't enough time to mentally prepare himself for the sight that was before him.
His sister was timidly standing at the top of the stairs watching his expressions. When she took another step towards the stairs, and a long shapely leg peaked out from the thigh high slit in her dress, Scott felt a familiar stirring in his groin, and forced himself to sing the Star Spangled Banner in his head.
"Do I look ok?" Desiree asked as she spun in a circle. Scott thought she looked more than okay. The dress was like a second skin, hugging her in all the right places.
"You look amazing, Dessie" he said as he shook his head. He never thought a woman could look so good with her clothes on.
"Are you sure?" she asked glancing down at her chest. "I'm not too...exposed?" Because of the back of the dress, Desiree couldn't wear a bra and she felt self conscious about her breasts being able to sway any which way they wanted.
Scott had noticed she wasn't wearing a bra and was trying with all his might to look her in the face as he shook his head.
She beamed and told him that he looked very handsome. He was wearing a rented tux because he was sure he couldn't afford one after the money Desiree had spent on the dress and shoes. And now seeing her in the outfit he paid for, he would have gladly gone in a potato sack to see his little sister look this good.
"Are you ready?" he asked still trying to focus on her face.
"Yep." Desiree grabbed her beaded bag off the table and led the way out of the house.
The entire car ride, Scott tried to focus on the road and not the sinful amount of skin his sister was showing. On any other woman, it may have seemed trashy, but it was the fact that Desiree wasn't purposely trying to show of her curves, the dress was doing it for her, and she looked fantastic.
They drove in a comfortable silence for most of the ride until Scott decided it was time to tell Desiree there was a chance Gabriel could be there. He wanted to make sure he was far enough away from the house so that she wouldn't curse him and tell him to drive her home.
"Umm, there's a chance that --" he began.
"I know," Desiree said in a quiet voice cutting him off. "He might be there." Scott cringed. She wasn't even calling him by name anymore.
"How did you know?"
"Where ever one of you is, the other isn't far behind."
"And there is also a chance -- "
"That he's gonna be there with his hunnie, right?" she said with distain.
"You know about her?"
Desiree was a little taken aback by her brother's tone. It seemed like he was relieved to hear that she'd heard about his hunnie -- like that should explain something.
"Yea I know about her."
Her brother took an audible breath. "Well I'm glad you two finally talked. Gabe won't say anything to me about what's going on between you two, and I'm kinda glad."
"We didn't talk," she said as the images of Gabriel kissing her in the hallway of her brother's apartment complex came flooding back. There was definitely no talking involved. "I overheard him on the phone with her." Desiree folded her arms.
Her brother smiled and Desiree couldn't help but think that was something she wasn't getting.
"Why didn't you tell me about her?"
"It wasn't my business. Whatever is going on between you and Gabe is between you and Gabe. I'm not gonna be the middleman between you two. If I start now, it'll never stop."
Desiree turned to look out the window. She was kinda pissed that her brother wouldn't tell her his best friend was juggling more than one woman.
The sky was dark when they arrived at the hotel where the charity dinner was being held. Scott ushered his sister in the door and was happy to note that she was probably the most beautiful woman there. He smiled and told her she looked gorgeous. He was happy she smiled back.
They spent the first hour or so milling about the crowd saying hi and making small talk. Nearly every man there wanted to know whom the beautiful woman attached to his arm was. When he replied it was his sister, many seemed shocked until he explained his breakup situation. Then the men felt better about letting their eyes linger on Desiree's body. Desiree was pleased with the attention, but her emotions were hollow when she realized that none of their gazes made her feel the way Gabriel's had.
Scott was convinced his sister was having a good time until he felt her grip his arm. The tips of her fingers dug through the layers of his clothing and he could feel them pinching his skin. He looked at her face and followed her gaze to where Gabriel was standing. On his arm was a beautiful tall blond woman with bright blue eyes. Scott wrapped an arm around his little sister and told her to relax.
~*~*~
Gabriel had spotted Desiree the second he stepped into the dining hall. For a moment, he was stopped in his tracks as he watched her mill about with her brother. He had been watching her now for almost an hour when she finally spotted him. His heart leapt then sank when from across the room he could feel her gaze turn cold.
Despite the coldness in her eyes, she looked stunning, and if it hadn't been directed at him, he would have said she looked perfect. He almost couldn't believe that she looked as amazing with her clothes on as she did with them off. He also noticed that all the other men at the dinner seemed to find her just as desirable as he did, and it made his blood boil. He didn't want any of those other men drinking in her curves and the softness of her hair and skin. Suddenly he felt the undeniable urge to get closer to her.
Gabriel hadn't spoken to her since that night at her brother's apartment when she stormed off before they got a chance to talk to each other. That was his intention when he went after her that night, but just like always, she caused him to loose control. Instead of talking, he'd pinned her up against a wall and practically mauled her. He tried calling her, knowing that sending a text message wasn't an option, but she never answered the phone. Gabriel hoped she wasn't too disgusted with him to stop talking to him forever, there were still a few things they needed to get straight.
He watched her now and was mesmerized by how her clothes seemed to slide over her body. He watched as she smiled and laughed at the jokes different men were telling her, and how their dates looked on jealously. Desiree had an intoxicating effect on everyone around her, and she didn't even know it.
He was trying to determine how to approach her so as not to cause a scene when he saw her move toward one of the patio doors that lined the dining hall. Gabriel politely excused himself from his date and followed Desiree's steps as quietly as he could. The last thing he wanted her to do was see him and scream.
When she slipped out the doors, he was certain she knew he was following her. He waited for a moment trying to compose his thoughts before he walked outside. The last thing he wanted to do was end up mauling her like he had the last time he planned on just talking to her.
~*~*~
Desiree had slipped outside and waited for Gabriel to follow. She had seen when he excused himself from his beautiful date and followed her. She stood at the edge of the patio watching as the stars blinked in the sky as if trying to send her a message. The stars were like diamonds that had been tossed into the sky.
Desiree closed her eyes as she waited for Gabriel to come, and she couldn't help but picture how beautiful his date was. She was thin, blonde and perfect with big boobs. In some ways she resembled Amanda, a girl that Gabriel was seeing a while ago, and that only served to remind Desiree that she wasn't Gabriel's type.
After what felt like an eternity, she heard the doors to the patio open. Light spilled out into the darkness and a shadow stepped into the night. Desiree didn't bother to turn around, she knew who it was.
Gabriel stepped up behind her not exactly sure how to begin. As if sensing he was about to say something, Desiree said don't.
"Don't what?" he asking confused.
"Don't lie to me, don't tell me a half truth. You said a lot of things to me that you obviously didn't mean, and I don't want to hear it anymore."
Despite himself, his eyes moved down the curve of her bareback and rested on the swell of her ass. His eyes traveled up her shoulders and he smiled as he noticed that even in stiletto heels, she barely reached his nose.
"Desiree," he finally said, "I meant everything I said to you."
"Meant it enough to fuck me, right?"
Gabriel took a step closer resisting the urge to touch her. "No. I meant what I said. And I also meant what I said when I told you I was busy."
Desiree huffed and began to walk away.
"Don't walk away from me," he said angrily as he moved up behind her.
