Chapter 2
Gabriel arrived at the back of the building just as the driver was climbing into the truck, preparing to pull off. Not missing the large crate sitting at the end of the loading dock, Gabriel shouted for the young man’s attention. Watching the kid’s head bob up and down to the music screaming from the truck’s interior, Gabriel knew that he couldn’t hear a thing. He shook his head as the young man pulled off, his tires screeching.
Walking a wide circle around the large box, he noted his company’s name and address stenciled along the structure’s side. Not one shred of paperwork was affixed to the container to indicate where it had come from or who it was being delivered to. Gabriel was perturbed by the display of incompetence, making a mental note to reprimand whoever had arranged for the delivery on his end.
Reaching for the iPhone in the breast pocket of his jacket, he thought briefly about calling his executive assistant to come handle the problem. Noting the time, he dismissed the idea, not wanting to pull her from her family. He didn’t believe that whatever was inside was of any great importance, since it had been left so casually. He figured that no harm could come for allowing it to sit until the day after Christmas when one of his employees could see to it.
Making the decision, he was just about to do an about-face and leave when he heard a faint cry and knocking coming from the structure’s interior.
From inside, Malisa was screaming at the top of her lungs, kicking and banging against the walls. Her voice was just about hoarse from her shrieking and yelling. That last jostle had slammed her hard inside the confines of the container, and now she was beyond the point of being mad. She was furious, and she pitied the soul who’d dumped her wherever she now rested. She knocked harshly, and when a faint voice suddenly responded, her eyes widened with relief.
“Hello? Is someone there? Please, help! I’m trapped inside. Somebody, please!”
Gabriel was momentarily stunned. “What the hell?” Certain that something inside was crying for assistance, Gabriel knocked on the exterior wall, and that something knocked back. His first instinct was to call the police. He was just a fingertip away from dialing 911 when a side panel on the structure suddenly gave way and a high-heeled, black suede boot attached to an obviously feminine leg pushed its way free.
“Hello?”
“What are you doing?” Malisa shouted. “Help me out of this thing!”
“Who are you?” Gabriel asked, his curiosity further piqued.
“Who are you?” Malisa responded, suddenly nervous, not recognizing the voice on the other side of the wall.
“I asked first.”
“So!” Her tone was indignant.
“So, I’m not the one looking for help to get out,” Gabriel said, amusement tinting his words.
There was a pregnant pause as Malisa reflected on his comment. “Can you at least tell me where I am, please?” she finally asked.
Gabriel nodded into the cold evening air. “You’re at the loading area of Whitman Investment Corporation.”
Stunned, Malisa rolled her eyes skyward as she clutched the front of her blouse. Her cousin Darryl was definitely going to be one dead relative when she got her hands on him. She inhaled deeply and held it, fighting to calm her nerves.
“My name is Malisa Ivey,” she finally said, her seductive tone causing a quiver of curious heat to ripple across Gabriel’s spirit.
He raised an eyebrow at the familiar name. “Any relation to Judge Gattis Ivey?” the man questioned.
Malisa paused, heat flooding her cheeks. Her head waving from side to side with embarrassment, she answered, “He’s my father.”
Gabriel chuckled warmly. He had only recently made Gattis Ivey’s acquaintance, the two men sitting on one of Asheville’s public safety committees together. The patriarch’s stellar reputation had preceded him, and Gabriel had much respect for the district court judge. He could just imagine the father’s reaction to his daughter’s predicament.
“So explain to me how you managed to get trapped in a container on Christmas Eve?” he asked.
“It’s a long story,” she said, “but would you please just help me get out?”
“I should probably call the police,” Gabriel offered, a smug smile pulling at his lips.
“No!” Malisa shouted, her eyes bulging at the thought of any further embarrassment. “Please, just see if you can get the top to open. There’s a handle on the side. I can’t budge the latch from the inside. It’s stuck. Please!” she pleaded.
Gabriel laughed again as he quickly searched the container for the handle she’d described. With a quick pull, the top of the box suddenly swung open. With a little wrangling, Malisa managed to pull herself upright so that she could stand on her feet, and then just like that, she was free.
As she popped anxiously out of the container, Gabriel’s smile widened. The seductive voice belonged to an even more seductive body, the attractive woman inside teasing his sensibilities.
Malisa Ivey was a stunning caramel beauty with wide doe eyes that gave her a look of innocent wonder and belied the full pouty lips that begged to be kissed. Over black patterned tights she wore a form-fitting black cashmere sweater dress that just covered her assets, meeting those black suede boots thigh-high. She was lusciously curvy, and her sex appeal was heightened by her obvious spirit.
“Surprise?” Malisa said, amusement painting her expression as she glanced around her. Her sultry gaze fell on the handsome man who stood staring at her curiously.
The dark stranger was simply gorgeous. He was exceptionally tall, his height imposing. He was also nicely built, clearly hard-bodied. He was fastidiously dressed, a leather jacket complementing wide shoulders and a broad chest. His closely cropped haircut was freshly edged, and the meticulous line of his blueblack beard and mustache nicely highlighted his chiseled features, dark complexion, and light-colored eyes. A sumptuous shiver vibrated down the length of her spine.
Gabriel extended his hand to help her step out of the container, and when his hand touched hers, the contact took her breath away. Malisa felt herself gasp for air as he laughed warmly.
“So, now are you going to tell me why you’re locked in this box?”
“Are you going to tell me who you are first?” she queried.
“Do you always answer a question with a question?”
“Your name?”
He chuckled heartily, “Gabriel Whitman.”
“Whitman?”
He nodded. “Yes, ma’am. And it’s a pleasure to meet you, Malisa Ivey.”
Malisa could only imagine how red her face was, heat raging through her cheeks. Of all people to know of her predicament, why did it have to be the owner of the business she had hoped to impress.
“It’s nice to meet you, too, Mr. Whitman.”
“Please, call me Gabriel. I think under the circumstances we should be on a first-name basis. So now are you going to tell me how you came to be delivered to my door on Christmas Eve in a box?”
Malisa sighed. She wrapped her arms around her torso, the gesture drawing attention to the fullness of her bustline. “I will, but it’s cold out here and my mother is probably having a fit about where I am. Do you think I can use your telephone to call myself a ride? I don’t have my purse or my cell phone on me.”
“I’ll do you better than that,” Gabriel answered. “Come on. I’ll give you a ride home.”
He gestured with his head for her to follow him. As he turned around and headed back inside the building, Malisa eyed him from head to toe and back again. She couldn’t help but notice the fit of his denim jeans around an extraordinarily high behind that bubbled firm and hard and had her thinking about squeezing each cheek in the palms of her very small hands to see how they fit.
Her breath caught in her chest as she found herself imagining such a thing about a perfect stranger, and when Gabriel tossed her a look over his shoulder, she hoped her decadent thoughts weren’t showing on her face.
She followed him back inside the building, watched as he secured the doors, then walked with him to the only car in the employee garage, a Range Rover.
Moving to the passenger side door, Gabriel opened it widely to allow her inside. As she settled her petite frame down against the leather seat, her gaze met his and held it. There was something in the look that he gave her that sent an obvious shiver down the length of her spine. Goose bumps rose like a raging rash on her arms, and she was grateful for the length of sleeve that hid her limbs from view.
Gabriel found himself strangely in awe of the young woman who had toned down her hostile banter. She had reined in her spirited personality, and nervous tension had risen like morning mist between them. He still had more questions than she was willing to give him answers for, but he was pleasantly intrigued by her mysterious air.
As he pulled on his seat belt and started the ignition, she reached to turn off his radio. He was amused by her boldness and said so. “Don’t you know you’re not supposed to mess with a man’s radio?”
She laughed heartily. “Had a man not been blasting his radio, I wouldn’t be here right now. Let’s just say I am not in the mood for music.”
He nodded. “So are you going to tell me what happened?”
Malisa shook her head, the annoyance of her experience returning to her face. She blew a deep sigh. “I own the restaurant and bakery Sweet Tea and Grits. Your company hired me to do the cake for your New Year’s Eve party. That box was the base that you are supposed to pop out of. I was testing it to make sure it worked and somehow got locked inside and delivered.”
Gabriel cut his eye at her. “You’re telling me I’m supposed to fit inside that thing?”
“It’s actually quite roomy for a very brief period of time, but definitely not roomy enough for someone to travel inside of, obviously. And of course the latch jammed.”
“I’m glad it jammed on you and not me.”
“Me, too, but I wish you hadn’t found out about it.”
Gabriel laughed. “I can keep a secret if you can!” He smiled sweetly, meeting her stare a second time.
Malisa smiled back. “I appreciate that.”
“So, are you better at making cakes than you are boxes?”
She nodded, her smile widening. “My cakes are on point,” she said. “They’re the best you will ever taste.”
“I’m going to hold you to that,” he said.
“What’s your favorite flavor?” she questioned.
Gabriel thought for a quick moment. “I have a weakness for coconut and pineapple, if that helps.”
“I would have thought you’d be a chocolate or a caramel man,” Malisa teased.
He laughed. “Only my women need to be chocolate or caramel,” he said smugly.
Fighting back the temptation to ask about the women in his life, she found herself giggling as she gestured with her index finger for him to make the turn onto Elk Mountain Scenic Highway. “It’s the house at the top of the incline,” she said, still pointing.
Pulling into the driveway, Gabriel came to a stop behind a long line of vehicles. The stone-and-woodsided structure was well lit, and it was obvious family and friends had already begun to celebrate the holiday.
“Well, this has been an interesting evening. I look forward to seeing what your final cake looks like,” Gabriel said, turning in his seat to face her.
“Please, come inside,” Malisa said. “I really appreciate your kindness, and there’s a ton of food. I at least owe you dinner for rescuing me.”
He looked at his watch. He knew that it would be mere minutes before his ex-wife would be calling to ask where he was and why he wasn’t home. But he wasn’t ready to bid the beautiful woman good-bye.
“I don’t want to intrude,” he said, the look on his face expressing what he really wanted to do with her.
Malisa was taken aback by the intense stare he was giving her. She found her breathing coming heavily, a knot tightening in her abdomen. She stammered, “It . . . no . . . it’s . . . you . . . you wouldn’t be intruding. My parents host an open house every year for their friends and family. People from the community come and go all evening long. Plus,” she said, daring to lift her eyes to his, “I owe you.”
The car’s interior was suddenly heated. It was on the tip of Gabriel’s tongue to tell her how he would have liked to be repaid, suddenly wanting to taste her, to kiss her mouth and discover how she felt in his arms.
Malisa felt moisture beginning to puddle in places it had no business being. She desperately needed to put some distance between her and that man, so she pushed her door open anxiously. “Come on in,” she said hurriedly, rushing out of the vehicle. Turning only briefly to ensure he was following, Malisa headed for the home’s front door, Gabriel following not far behind her.