GAGE

25| d o g

"I'll meet with you and Rich's goons, but I'm not making any decisions right now." I continue.

"Okay! Fine, but don't be stupid, because you will be sorry. That's not a threat, it's advice." She starts, "Here." She hands me a slip of paper and I put it into my pocket.

"Thank... I guess." I say and she nods.

We walk back to where I left Gage and he's still standing there with his eyes closed and his hood on.

"Why me?" I whisper to her. A new weight has been put on me and I suddenly feel like I'm going to collapse.

"Sshhh!" She viciously shushes me.

"Okay whatever, bye." I push her away and she walks off, giving me a look before going out of sight.

I exhale heavily, "Hey, can we go back? I'm actually not feeling that great." I half lie.

"What the hell did she say to you?" He questions.

"Nothing, she just showed me something. Can we go?" I say annoyed. I wonder how she found me, but I remember she's a spy.

"Don't trust that girl." He murmurs and turns around.

I walk behind him, keeping my distance, "And I should trust you?" I say quietly under my breath.

When we get back to the hotel, I still can't stop thinking about what Abriya was saying.

Once inside the suite, I push past Gage and lock myself in the bedroom. Minutes later, Gage steps inside the room and I notice the key card in his hand that he unlocked the door with.

I roll my eyes and plop onto the bed, burying my head into a pillow.

"I have a headache," I murmur into the pillow, "Could you bring me something?"

"Bring you what?" His footsteps get louder behind me.

"I don't know, you're the drug dealer." I look at him from the corner of my eye.

He gets up and I assume he's doing what I asked. While I wait, I close my eyes.

I hear Gage enter the room an I leave my eyes closed until he leaves. Finding pills next to a bottle of water, I take them and try to sleep the headache off.

• • •

When I wake up, I find that I'm alone. Again.

I need something to get my mind off of this deal.

I rummage through the bags of clothes that I bought yesterday and find the lace underwear sets.

I decide to put on the red one and when I'm done, I find the curler that Bret left in my room.

Gage still isn't back by the time I'm done and my hair falls in large barrel curls down my back.

I look good. Great even. Who am I kidding, I always do.

Feeling spontanious, I open a bottle of wine sitting on the counter with a bottle opener and the stopper flies into the air.

I shriek before drinking straight from the bottle.

It seems like it's been hours when I'm halfway done and the doorknob jingles, before revealing the brooding boy.

I adjust myself on the counter and close my legs, almost dropping the precious wine.

When he approaches me with squinted eyes I slam the bottle in the counter and prance to the bedroom.

"Where are you going?" His voice trails behind me.

"To bed." I huff.

"No you're not," he grabs my arm and spins me around, "Jesus, what the hell is this?" He looks at my attire.

"What? Oh this?" I tug at a bra strap, "Just something I got the other day." Once I'm in the room, I plop myself onto the bed.

Gage follows me inside.

"You can't just treat me like you own me," I remind him, "I may be cute and a bitch, but I am not a dog."

He smirks, "Then stop acting like one. You're so needy," His deep voice enters my ears.

"Am not." I murmer, "I'm drunk okay, leave me alone." I shut my eyes.

"Don't be a baby." Gage teases and the bed dips beside me.

I roll away from him, "If I wanted you to treat me like one, I'd call you daddy." I almost smile at my tempting comment.

"I wouldn't treat you like a baby if you called me that." His tone tells me that he's not kidding.

"Get away from me." I groan into the pillow.

The bed springs back up and his presence is absent.

"Come back!" I whine.

"I'm still here." Gage chuckles.

"But I told you to get away from me." I grunt.

Gage seems to find my struggles amusing.

"You're adorable." He says in my ear.

"I know."

"You're also annoying, through."

"I know," I repeat.

"No, you're really annoying, Jo. It pisses me off," he sighs. He hasn't called me that in a while.

I burst out in soft laughter, "How?"

"Because you always flood my mind."

"That's your issue. It doesn't mean I'm annoying," I smile.

"Yes it does."

"No, you're annoying." I repeal.

"So we're both annoying." His fingers make their way to my hair.

"You're more annoying though."

"I know." He admits, "I don't deserve you."

"I know."

"You're too good." He continues and his hand rubs all around my back, "Too beautiful. You're perfect." He rolls me over with his large hand and presses it against my waist.

"What can I say," I soak up the attention.

"If I'm so perfect, why do always leave me?" I say after a few moments of silence.

"I don't want you to leave me first." He admits.

I'll forget this all when I'm sober so I embrace his words while they last.

"If you knew me, you'd hate me." He repeats for the millionth time since we've known each other.

"I don't have to know you to like you." I reach my hand up to his face to poke his cheek.

"I feel like I know you from as much as you tell me." He runs a hand through his unkept hair.

"It's taking everything in me to keep from ripping those clothes off you." He growls. His mood changes quickly. I was waiting for this.

"You're the only one keeping you from doing it."