Exposed (8 page)

O
f fucking
course Gabriel was the darling of the fashion world right now. He was young, sweet-looking, and hard-edged with a streak of
can’t touch this
that made everyone want to.

Briar wasn’t jealous, exactly. He’d known exactly the attention Gabriel would attract. That was why he’d picked him as a stand-in—a shoo-in, too.

But he
was
intrigued by the way Gabriel invited attention, flirted with it, and then slipped away from it. He leaned on the bar, glancing across it and half the room.

For the third time in ten minutes, someone approached Gabriel on the dance floor while he swayed left to right as if entranced by the lights. He looked worn down, but Briar only noticed this because he had watched him whenever possible for these few weeks.

He’d been watching after shows and in crowds, where Gabriel had every inch the aloof attitude and ego of his peers, if not more. For a moment, Briar wondered if he’d made a mistake getting him into this industry. But no, it
was
his natural talent. He was getting a shitload of attention because he’d stolen the goddamn closing show.

Right now, to anyone foolish enough to take Gabe at face value as even Briar first had, he just looked casually flirtatious. To those hopeful, he seemed to be awaiting approach by the right man.

And who could blame him for being exhausted? Briar had only been through the wringer of a few years’ worth of fashion weeks as a model before making the jump to the business side. He’d never slept better than when he didn’t have worry about breaking out before he was in the makeup chair the next morning.

Gabriel smiled and batted his lashes again, sidling on one foot as he had done for every other guy approaching him tonight. He pretended not to be interested, but this wasn’t even a pretense: this was genuine.

Still, even if he clearly didn’t want this guy, Gabe was
reveling
in being wanted. It was easy to tell from the little glow around him despite his tiredness. Briar knew that exact feeling—just wanting to be wanted, even if he wasn’t particularly interested in who exactly took an interest.

Briar bit back a laugh when the other guy turned to scout out the best spot on the floor to dance, then looked back to find Gabriel gone.

Instead, Gabriel was weaving his way through the crowd in the private club toward him.

Briar pushed himself away from the bar and straightened out his suit jacket with a tug, then fastened the button one-handed.

“Don’t bother,” Gabriel murmured as he came to lean his elbows on the bar, then glanced sideways at Briar.

Briar’s cheeks heated up for a moment. Gabriel was direct about his interest now that he seemed to sense he had permission to be. Briar liked that straightforwardness.

“Have to keep up appearances.”

“Mm.” Gabriel eyed him. “Will anyone stop you? Will anyone even care? You can probably sleep with me all week long.”

“They wouldn’t care for my sake, but yours.”

“Oh,” Gabriel winked, turning sideways to lean his hip against the counter. His chest was just a few inches away from Briar’s shoulder now. It was easy for Briar to smell that fresh, faintly fruity scent—what was it? Conditioner? Shampoo? God, he liked it.

Gabriel leaned in to whisper, “Looking out for my reputation? How sweet.” He scanned the dance floor and seating areas, then shook his head when the bartender looked at him.

Briar glanced up and down Gabriel, taking in his loose print t-shirt and ripped jeans. He loved the extra peeks at his skin, and he itched to slip his finger into one of those holes.

So to speak.

“Had enough to drink?” Briar teased.

“One glass of champagne, when Kingston wouldn’t leave me alone. I’d rather save my calories for a proper meal tomorrow.”

Briar laughed quietly. “I can order supper into my room.”

“Now
there’s
a man who knows how to win me over.” Gabe tugged on his t-shirt, then fidgeted with the loose threads. “I’d better say goodbye to a few important people.” He didn’t sound very motivated, though.

Briar winked. “At your leisure. Top floor, door on the end.”

“I’ll see how I feel,” Gabriel smirked. “If anyone makes me a better offer.”

“Salad
with
steak?”

This time, Gabriel laughed. He was too taken aback to hide his amusement, which was greatly pleasing. “And ranch dressing.”

Briar smirked right back, then turned on his heel to head for the exit.

The hallway outside was cooler, and Briar strode through the foyer without a glance for those milling about outside. As he took the marble stairs up, he slipped his phone out of his pocket to check for important messages.

Nothing more important than Gabe.

As soon as Briar unlocked his hotel room door, he tossed his key on the side table and kicked his shoes off, then hung up his suit jacket. After unbuttoning his shirt sleeves and the top few buttons of his shirt, he loosened his tie.

Good and comfortable now, he picked up the hotel phone to order room service.

“Yes, one steak salad with ranch dressing.”

“Right away, sir. Anything else?”

Briar didn’t know what Gabriel liked to drink. “Still and sparkling water. That’s it. Thanks.”

Briar hung up and ran a hand down his face. As gently amused as he was at Gabe’s tiredness, he was exhausted, too. He’d sleep solidly tonight.

He hoped Gabe showed. Surely to God he would, but out of the blue, Austin’s words from earlier that week rattled around his head.

He’ll be mine.

A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts. “Room service.”

The hotel guy dropped off the meal with a neat little tray and utensils and the whole nine yards, and Briar nodded, slipping him a tip.

It wasn’t more than thirty seconds before there was another, softer, knock.

Briar opened the door instantly, smiling as Gabriel slipped into the room.

“Oh my God, you weren’t kidding.”

Gabriel couldn’t tear his eyes off the room-service tray.

Briar laughed under his breath. “I started off where you are, Gabe. I remember those weeks.”

The look Gabriel shot him was genuine appreciation. He was too caught off-guard to give him the attitude.

Briar just smiled back, glancing away after a moment and nodding toward the tray.

Gabriel collapsed into the armchair and pulled the tray over to him to dig in without another word.

Briar sat on the end of the bed, hitching one foot under himself and pressing his hands into the bed behind him. “Tonight’s show was the best of them all, I think. All of you got a
lot
of attention.”

“Mmm,” Gabriel agreed.

Briar spared him having to answer, letting him keep eating by talking instead. “I was talking to a few old friends and they want to see more of you all—you specifically.”

Gabriel didn’t look surprised, but his chest did push out with pride. “Awesome.”

“Mm,” Briar nodded. “And I have a few leads on jobs back in the city. You won’t have trouble finding work. The runway is yours.”

Gabriel nodded once. “It’s a lot easier than I thought.”

“I told you you had the natural talent for it,” Briar smiled. Gabe’s salad was half-gone already, and he was picking out all the steak strips to eat first.

Gabriel shot him another glance and nodded his agreement. A little egotistic already, then. Oh, well. He’d had a week having his ego stroked by everyone around him, so it was to be expected. At least Gabe knew how good he was.

Then, Gabriel choked with laughter for a moment, covering his mouth before taking a deep drink of the sparkling water.

He shoved it away from himself and coughed harder, then grabbed the still water glass.

“A little Perrier not to your taste?” Briar teased.

Gabriel coughed. “I’ve never had…” he cleared his throat and coughed again. Holy shit, seriously? Briar’s shock must have shown on his face, because Gabriel rolled his eyes. “I never knew people really drank it before I started… schmoozing with this lot.”

Was sparkling water a rich-person thing? Briar assumed so. Interesting. Gabe probably didn’t come from money, then. “You prefer your sparkles in your alcohol?”

“And all over my body, if need be. Anywhere but my water.”

“What was so funny?” Briar added once Gabriel finished his salad and set the tray aside.

Gabriel actually blushed, his eyes flickering across the room before he looked back at Briar. “It’s March fourteenth.”

Briar slowly narrowed his eyes in thought as he stood up to approach and grab the sparkling water glass. He drank deeply, then set the glass down, leaning on the table next to Gabriel. “Pi Day?”

“Steak and blowjob day…”

Briar hitched his eyebrow up, then smirked. Oh, he wanted to blow Gabriel’s mind, and he was never going to get a better segue than this.

He braced his hand on Gabriel’s armrest, then sank to his knees.

Gabriel’s jaw dropped, his mouth
wide
open for a second before he tried to collect himself and look cooler. “I didn’t— okay.”

Gabriel definitely hadn’t meant for Briar to suck
him
off, but this option amused Briar more. Apparently, Gabe realized he was about to talk Briar out of it and shut up before he could.

Briar smirked. “I’ll take care of your demands directly.” He pressed his lips against the hole in Gabriel’s jeans just above his knee. The smooth skin was warm, the denim brushing his chin and edge of his lips.

Gabriel twitched, curling his hands around both armrests and leaning back in his chair. He took a deep breath.

Briar connected the dots, zigzagging up his model’s thigh—then switching to the other to repeat the process. When his lips found the rip next to the pocket, he darted his tongue out and dragged it along the exposed skin from one side of the rip to the other.

“Oh,
fuck
,” Gabriel hissed. His hips were pressing up from the chair as he desperately arched, trying to get more attention to his cock and less to the sensitive, teased skin.

Briar pulled Gabriel’s t-shirt up, his movements faster and more direct now as he yanked it up and over Gabe’s head until he raised his arms to let Briar get it free.

Then Gabriel grabbed it and tossed it aside before pressing his fingers into the arms of the chair again, hard.

Briar teased one hand free and placed it on his own shoulder, encouraging Gabriel to touch. He slowly drew down the zipper, thankful for the designer’s choice of zipper. It wasn’t the rough, cheap kind that got stuck if you looked at it wrong.

“Hnnh,” Gabriel whispered, his breathy grunt echoing in the silent room. Briar smirked and leaned in to press his lips against Gabriel’s stomach.

Gabriel giggled, then pressed a fist quickly over his mouth and cut off the sound.

The sound made Briar grin. “Ticklish?”

Gabriel’s neutral expression was back, though it was strained. “Maybe.”

Briar kissed a few more times. Gabriel’s stomach, usually hard and flat to show off every possible ab, had a cute little swell. Briar loved how soft it felt when he slouched in the chair.

Gabriel hummed his pleasure with his tongue against the back of his teeth, then twitched when Briar pulled his jeans and underwear down slowly. Briar kissed all the way down his hipbone to the base of his cock.

“Christ.”

Briar yanked Gabriel’s jeans and underwear down to his knees, then wiggled them off his legs until he could kick them free, leaving him naked and sprawling, gasping for breath in his armchair.

Briar slid one arm behind his back and the other under his knees to heft him up and over to the bed.

“Jesus, you can’t just—” But Gabriel was laughing as Briar tossed him flat on his back on the bed.

“Yes, I can,” Briar winked, scooting up the bed and between his legs. “That’s more comfortable. I don’t like to spend too much time on my knees.”

Gabriel moaned when he kissed his way up from his thigh to his cock again. Then, Gabriel looked across the room at his jeans.

“I have one.” Briar slid a condom—unlubed, given the occasion—out of his pocket and ripped it open, wasting no time on this. He pinched the tip and rolled it down in one slow, firm, sensual stroke from head to base.

Gabriel made a sharp hissing sound of pleasure, his toes curling into the bed. God, he was adorable, and Briar wanted to suck him off
almost
as much as he wanted to fuck him again.

With that in mind, Briar wrapped his lips around the swollen head and wrapped his hand around the shaft just under his lips, then smoothly bobbed his head down to suck it into his mouth.

Gabriel’s moan was delicious.

Briar bobbed his head down the hot shaft until the tip hit the back of his palate, then pulled his lips back up the shaft again.

“Oh,
fuck
.” Gabriel was noisy already, squirming against the bed and trying to find a comfortable position to push his hips up. He sharply thrust up into Briar’s mouth, then flopped back on the bed with a grunt.

“Nnh?” Briar moaned, pulling his head up. Before he could pop the shaft free to question him, though, Gabriel was pushing on the back of his head to keep him going down on him.

“I’m fine,” Gabriel whispered. “Just overextended myself.”

No doubt his body was worn out. Runway work was a lot harder on the joints than most people suspected. Briar ran a hand up along Gabriel’s thigh, caressing the indent of his groin and the sharp line of his hipbone, then set to work again.

With each quick bob of his head, he swallowed Gabriel’s shaft to the root, and Gabriel panted, whined, or moaned his pleasure.

By the time Gabriel was whimpering, he pushed lightly on Briar’s shoulders, then smacked his forearm. “No, or I’m gonna come.”

Briar slowly pulled his head up and off the flushed cock, stripping the condom off with one slide of his hand and blowing lightly on the tip of Gabe’s bare cock for good measure.

“
Shit
, you little…” Gabriel trailed off, but he didn’t have more breath to protest with.

Briar winked, then went for lube.

By the time Briar’s fingers were wet, Gabriel had his legs wide open, knees up and feet digging into the bed.