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Antonio and Gabi stood only a few feet apart in the darkness on the patio, the sound of the waves crashing against the beach behind them. Antonio looked handsome in a pair of navy blue pleated pants and a white oxford shirt. The scent of his cologne wafted through the air sending Gabi into an intoxicating memory of the night only a few months before when the delicious smell of him covered her own body.
"Gabi?" Antonio’s voice broke her from her pleasant memory. "Are you coming back inside?" "I was just getting some fresh air," she replied rather shortly. "It was a little stuffy in there." Her dark eyes shone with emotion as she gazed up at him, her arms held tightly across her body. "I’m sorry, Gabi," Antonio smiled softly at her. "I really didn’t want her to come with me." "You didn’t?" Gabi replied through her now tear-filled eyes. "Of course not." Antonio stepped closer to Gabi sending a chill through her body at the anticipation of his touch. "I just have to keep up the façade…for Ricardo." Gabi glanced around Antonio to see Ricardo engaged in conversation with Ashley and Carmen. Antonio put his hands on Gabi’s shoulders and pulled her against his hard chest. "Don’t you know you’re the only one for me?" Gabi raised her large onyx eyes to see Antonio gazing into her soul. "I love you," he whispered as he took her face in his hands and lowered his lips to hers with a deep, passionate kiss. Gabi closed her eyes and melted into his warm, soft embrace. "Gabi?" Antonio queried with a chuckle as Gabi stared off into space. "Will you come in? There’s someone I want you to meet." "Huh," she said snapping out of her dream. "Oh, I…uh…huh?" "Are you alright, Gabi?" Antonio touched her arm lightly. "You look a little pale?" "Yes," she said with a snap. "I’m okay. What did you say?" "I want you to come inside and meet someone," he said slowly to make sure she was following him. "You mean…Ashley?" she asked sarcastically. "Yes," he said with a smile and a nod. "Ashley." There was a long silence as Gabi’s eyes searched Antonio’s trying to find answers to her questions about this woman. Antonio could see she was apprehensive about meeting Ashley and he found it somewhat amusing. "I want you to meet her, Gabi," he repeated without breaking her gaze. Antonio wrapped his fingers over her arm and pulled her gently into the house. As they descended the few steps to the living room, Gabi released her arm from his clutch and nervously tucked her hair behind her ear and tugged on her short skirt. They approached Maria, Ricardo and Ashley huddled together in the middle of the crowd. Gabi felt a pang of envy with the way Antonio placed his hand on the small of Ashley’s back to get her attention. Ashley turned around with a warm smile and looked down at Gabi. She’s even taller up close, Gabi thought as she managed to put on a half-hearted smile. "Ashley, this is Gabi Martinez," Antonio said as he turned his head to Gabi. "Gabi, this is Ashley Johnson." Having been introduced to many people through her business dealings, Ashley was well accustomed to meeting new people. She was an amazing judge of character and could always sense when the other person was less than thrilled to be meeting her; usually because she was taking the upper hand in a deal. She received a strange vibe from Gabi that could best be described as cautious. Ashley had no idea what Gabi could have against her; she didn’t even know her. "It’s very nice to meet you, Gabi," Ashley said politely as she extended her hand. When Gabi hesitated to meet the shake, Antonio nudged her discreetly with his elbow sending her hand quickly into the greeting. "Ashley. It’s nice to meet you." Gabi shook Ashley’s hand. "Antonio’s never mentioned you," Gabi said smugly. "Have you known each other long?" "Yes, actually," Ashley replied with a small smile directed to Antonio. "We’ve known each other since high school." Antonio dropped his eyes with a shy smile, which Gabi found irritatingly adorable. Ricardo approached Gabi from behind. "Hey, beautiful," Ricardo hummed as he slid his arms around Gabi’s waist. "You look so hot in that dress." As Ricardo squeezed Gabi, one of the spaghetti straps of her violet micro-mini dress slipped off her shoulder. She wiggled from his arms and slid it back up her shoulder with visible embarrassment. "Ricardo," she whined as she turned over her shoulder giving him an evil eye. "Don’t worry about it, Gab," he said with his usual lack of discretion. "It’s just Ashley." He slid his arm around Gabi’s shoulder and looked at Ashley. "I see you’ve met my fiancée." "Fiancée?" she replied. "Congratulations…I didn’t know." Ashley stepped forward and hugged Ricardo, much to Gabi’s chagrin. "Someone finally caught the snake, huh?" she said with a gentle laugh, shared by Antonio and Maria. "The snake?" Gabi said with irritation. "It’s an old joke, Gab," Ricardo smiled as he moved away from Ashley and took Gabi into his arms. "Ashley knew me way back when. She’s just kidding." "Of course I am," Ashley offered sincerely. "Congratulations, Gabi. Ricardo’s a great guy. So, when’s the big day?" "May," Gabi replied rather shortly, earning a look of disapproval from Antonio. "So, how long will you be in town?" Gabi was hoping she’d be leaving on the next plane. "I’m not sure, really. I have to check in with my office on Monday and see what they want me to do." Ashley glanced to Antonio with a smile. "I think I may be staying in Sunset Beach for awhile." "What do you do?" Gabi interjected, ending the intimate exchange quickly. "I’m an international buyer for Chanel. I’m based in Paris, but we have offices all over the world." Gabi had to admit she was impressed. She silently prayed Ashley wouldn’t inquire as to what she did for a living. How would her measly job compare? "What do you do, Gabi?" Damn, she thought. "I work at the police station," she replied softly. "Would you excuse me, please?" Gabi walked away from the conversation and into the kitchen, which, fortunately, was empty. She cursed herself for being so intimidated by Ashley. It was obvious that she and Antonio were merely old acquaintances from high school and she knew his family well - big deal. They probably met up while she was in town and Antonio invited her to the party so she could see Ricardo and Maria again. No one had mentioned anything more of their relationship; Gabi concluded she was making way too much of it. Feeling calmed a bit, she grabbed a drink of water and headed back into the living room. The evening was one of the longest Gabi could remember. She watched with discontent as Ashley laughed and talked casually and at length with Carmen and Maria. Gabi had never been one of Carmen’s favorite people, but she had never received even a fraction of the conversation from her that she was witnessing. Antonio and Ashley spent quite some time talking together as well; Gabi couldn’t help but give them her attention as she studied both of their faces closely. Antonio was smiling at Ashley the way Gabi had only ever seen him smile at her before; it unnerved her completely. She made a futile attempt to remind herself that Antonio was free to pursue whomever he chose; nevertheless, she was uncomfortable with the idea of him with Ashley. This woman wasn’t the type Gabi pictured with Antonio; the only woman she could ever imagine him with was her. Ricardo sensed Gabi’s brooding demeanor and approached his fiancée with a smile. "Is everything okay, Gabi? You’re awfully quiet tonight." "I’m okay, Ricardo," she smiled as she touched his cheek. Ricardo leaned in with a tender kiss. "I guess I’m just a little tired." "We can go whenever you want." He leaned over and put his lips to her ear. "I can’t wait to get you home and out of that sexy dress. It’s all I’ve been thinking about all night." Ricardo nuzzled her ear as Gabi rolled her eyes; was that all he ever thought about, she wondered. "Ricardo," she snarled impatiently until her eyes caught Antonio looking in their direction. With a wicked smile, Gabi wrapped her arms around Ricardo’s neck and pulled him closer to her. She ran her fingers through his hair as he took the hint and kissed her neck passionately. Ashley noticed Antonio had zoned out of their conversation and was watching Ricardo and Gabi across the room. "They seem happy," she offered softly. Antonio was embarrassed that she caught him staring and turned to her with an apologetic glance. "Yeah, they are." Ashley couldn’t help but hear a tinge of sadness in his voice; she wondered if there was something wrong. Before she had a chance to ask, Antonio spoke. "Are you ready to go?" "Sure, whenever you are." Antonio glanced back at Gabi and Ricardo one more time as he and Ashley stood up and made their way to the door to say their good-byes. Gabi pulled herself away from Ricardo’s kiss to see Antonio directing Ashley out the door. "I think we should go home now," Ricardo said seductively as his hands roamed over Gabi’s petite body. "And I do mean NOW." "Ricardo, come on," she snapped impatiently. Ricardo stepped back with a look of confusion. "Would you just knock it off?" "What’s the matter Gabi?" Ricardo’s serious look demanded an answer. "I…I just wish you wouldn’t paw me like that," she said quietly. "I don’t like it when you do that in front of everyone." "Whose everyone, Gabi?" Ricardo questioned her. "My family and friends?" He stared at her silently for a few seconds before she turned in a huff to walk away. "Gabi?" Ricardo reached out to grab her arm. "Come on, what’s wrong? I was just fooling around." "Can we just go now?" Gabi was already walking toward the door as Ricardo trailed along behind her. Antonio and Ashley were saying goodbye to Maria when the sound of a pager filled the room. "Uh oh," Ashley chimed as she pulled the pager from her purse and checked the number. "Maria, would you mind if I used your phone? It’s a local call." "Sure, I’ll show you to Ben’s office," Maria smiled. "I’ll be right back," she said to Antonio as she and Maria headed down the hall. Antonio watched them walk away then turned to find Ricardo and Gabi headed in his direction. "Hey, T." Ricardo called out with a broad smile. "I can’t believe you’re with Ashley. What’s going on man?" Ricardo slapped Antonio on the back and nudged him with his shoulder. As Antonio dipped his head with a smile, Gabi knew that there was more to Ashley than she had allowed herself to believe. "I don’t know, Ricardo," Antonio admitted. "We ran into each other last week at the Java Web. We had coffee and talked for a long time." Antonio’s eyes fell to Gabi as she tried to hide the unsettling emotion that was rising. "We were supposed to have dinner but I had to cancel after mama’s pipes burst, so I invited her to the party tonight." Ricardo rested his arm around Antonio’s shoulder. "She’s amazing T. She’s gorgeous." Gabi cringed hearing Ricardo’s take on Ashley. "She’s as beautiful as she used to be…even more." Antonio blushed with pride at Ricardo’s compliment of Ashley. He always had been jealous of their relationship before; she was the only thing his little brother ever had that he wanted. Gabi fidgeted with her skirt and then began twisting her necklace; she wasn’t happy with either one of them now. "Are you sure about her, T?" Ricardo paused as Antonio looked at his brother. "You know, after what happened…" "Sorry about that," Ashley called out as she approached the brothers. Gabi had been on pins and needles waiting to hear what Ricardo was getting at with Antonio. "I hope I didn’t interrupt anything," she added. "No," Antonio answered still looking at Ricardo. "Everything’s just fine." Ricardo patted his brother on the shoulder as Antonio turned to hand Ashley her purse. "Are you ready?" "Ready," she replied cheerfully then turned to Gabi. "Gabi, it was so nice to meet you. I hope we see each other again real soon." "Mmhmm." Gabi mumbled. "Nice to meet you too." Ashley felt the chill and abruptly turned her attention to Ricardo. "You take care, Ricardo. I’ll see you later." Ashley gave him a wink, which thoroughly annoyed Gabi. "You betcha," Ricardo smiled. "We’ll talk later, T." "Goodnight, Ricardo," Antonio smiled then looked at Gabi. "Goodnight, Gabi." "Goodnight, Antonio," she said flatly as she squared her shoulders and stood tall. There was an awkward moment between them before Antonio broke the stare and ushered Ashley out the door. Gabi dropped her head as Ricardo turned to take her hand. "You ready, babe?" He hunched down in front of her to get her attention. "Gabi?" She brushed past him without answering. Ricardo didn’t know what was bothering Gabi, but he didn’t like her attitude one bit. He decided he wasn’t about to let the issue drop as he endured the ride back to the loft in silence. Gabi marched through the door and tossed her purse on the table. "Alright, what’s going on?" Ricardo asked as he shut the door and walked over to her. "You’ve been in a mood all night." "What do you mean ‘a mood’?" she huffed, answering her own question. "I’m fine." "You’re not fine, Gabi," he shook his head softly. "I know you and you haven’t been yourself all night." Ricardo touched her chin with his finger lifting her eyes to his. "Now what’s wrong?" "Nothing. I don’t want to talk about it," she said with a sigh. "Just nevermind." "I think I know how I can take your mind off what’s bothering you," Ricardo said lowering his eyes with a sexy smile. Gabi swatted his chest. "Is that all you ever think about?" "When you dress like this?" he said as he surveyed her skimpy, low-cut dress. "Yes," he growled. Gabi rolled her eyes. "Would you think that if I dressed like Ashley?" she blurted out without thinking. "Ashley? Is that what this is about?" Ricardo said with amusement. "Are you jealous of Ashley?" "Jealous?" Gabi squeaked. "I never said I was jealous. Who said I was jealous?" "I’m pretty sure you just did," he laughed. Gabi shot daggers at him with her eyes. "Oh, Gabi, you don’t have anything to be jealous of. I’m not interested in Ashley." It’s not you I’m worried about, she thought to herself. "I love you just the way you are." "That’s not what I asked you," she eyed him carefully. "I asked you if you would be attracted to me if I dressed like Ashley." "You would never dress like her, Gabs," Ricardo replied casually. "That’s like comparing apples to oranges." Gabi let out a gasp as Ricardo realized exactly what he had said. "That’s not what I…" "I know exactly what you meant," Gabi said roughly with her hands on her hips. "You’re saying that I’m not as classy or as pretty or sophisticated as her." "Gabi, that’s not what I said," Ricardo pleaded. "I would never…" "It’s not what you said, it’s what you meant," Gabi replied. "You meant Ashley and I aren’t the same class of woman, right?" "No, I…" "Save it, Ricardo," Gabi demanded. "You already said it." Gabi turned and grabbed her purse off the table. "I’m going home," she said with a pout as she headed for the door. "Gabi, wait," Ricardo went after her. "You’re making way too much out of this. Don’t go." "Goodnight, Ricardo," she snapped as she slammed the door behind her and descended the stairs quickly. Gabi had intentionally picked the fight with Ricardo in order to get away from him for the night. She didn’t want to stay at the loft; she wanted to be at Surf Central to see if Antonio brought Ashley home with him. Her curiosity was killing her and she had to know if they were going to spend the night together. Jumping into her car, she made her way to Surf Central in a flash. The thought of what she would do if they were there together never entered her mind.
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