“Gabriela”

I look up from icing the birthday cake as I hear Jasmine calling from the front. Jasmine had been coming into the bakery for a few months, just after my father passed away and I had to take over the running of it. Also, since I had baked a birthday cake for one of the guys in the Elementals Motorcycle Club, which Wulf is Vice-President of, we had become fast friends as she’s six months pregnant and couldn’t stay away from my Brownies.

She always came in with the hottest guys. I’m sure it must be a requirement in their club to be drop-dead alpha males before they accept them. They were all dangerous looking and I would not want to cross any of them, but one thing I had noticed was the way they all hovered over her as if they were protecting her. Wulf, her man was a real dream to look at, but should any other man even try to look at her, I swear we would feel the danger flowing off him. To be honest I was a bit jealous of her. I had always wanted someone to look at me like he looked at her. But she deserved it, she was a warm and caring person that had given me her friendship without any qualms, even after she must have noticed how odd I can be, never hugging her or having any other physical contact.

There was one man though, that came in with Jasmine sometimes; I had heard her call him Bjarni. Strange name, I looked it up and found out that the name means bear in Icelandic. And boy is he as big as a bear! But he has the softest hazel eyes I have ever seen. He reminds me of a big teddy bear, not that he looks anything like a teddy bear. The man is raw muscle with short black hair, beautiful olive skin that makes his eyes stand out and a dimple that shows on his right cheek when he smiles at Jasmine. 

I have also noticed that he loves my black velvet cupcakes, so I make sure to have those when I know Jasmine is coming in to get brownies, just in case he comes in with her. I know there is a connection between us; every time he comes in he can’t take his eyes off me, but maybe that’s just because I keep staring at him. We haven’t spoken to each other as he always stands back. Actually I haven’t spoken to any of the men before except for Jasmine.

Jenny pops her head round the door, “Jasmine is here, can you come out?” she asks with a mischievous smile on her face. Jenny is my manager, making sure that everything runs as we expect, as well as the staff and clients’ satisfaction. I feel awkward with a lot of people around, so I prefer to be at the back baking and getting the orders out with the help of Lucy. I also tend to speak without thinking and that trait has gotten me into trouble quite a few times, therefore I tend to keep away from people in case they start noticing what a freak I can be. Not just because of my big mouth, but also because of not allowing anyone to touch me. If Jenny is giving me that mischievous look it means he’s here. Jenny and Lucy have been teasing me about my obsession with Bjarni.

“Sure, I will be right out. Lucy will you please finish here, the customer should be coming in the next hour.” Lucy is my assistant; when she came asking for a Job about two months ago I was worried about employing her, as it was clear that she was going through a rough patch, but she has turned out to be the best assistant I could get. Cleaning my hands, I start making my way to the front of the bakery. I can feel my stomach flipping with anticipation just thinking that maybe Bjarni is accompanying Jasmine today.

As I walk out, the first person I see is Jasmine standing by the counter with a brownie in her hand. It’s so funny how she is addicted to my brownies and can’t go a day without them. She is such a gentle and caring friend, I am so happy to have met her. She looks around and smiles at me as she hears me come in. I look around but don’t see any of the guys with her today.

“Gabriela, how are you?” she asks as I approach.

“Fine sugar, you are looking radiant today?” I tease smiling at her. Jasmine has the sexiest six-month little bump. I don’t know where she hides all the brownies because she sure doesn’t look like she has been eating them. She told me once that it irritates her when people say she looks radiant when she feels all bloated. So now I tease her whenever I see her.

“So, is there no sexy hotness escorting you today?” I tease looking around as if I’m looking for one of the guys hiding somewhere.

She grins at me winking, “I knew that’s why you’re my friend, and you just want eye candy all the time.  Yip, I can see you drooling every time I leave,” she teases.

“Come on, give a girl a break. You see them every day, you are used to all the panty melting hotness around you. We poor girls can only look, we can’t even touch. Let us at least dream.” I tease making her laugh.

“I have three escorts today instead of just two but I left them outside disagreeing with each other on which one would come in. You see that’s what your baking does, it drives my guys to fight each other just to come in and taste your baked goods.” I laugh at her playfulness, wondering why she would have an extra escort today. Usually one comes in with her and another stands outside. Just then we hear the bell over the door as we both look towards the door we see Bjarni walk in with a frown on his face.

“Why am I not surprised you won?” Jasmine teases him as he draws closer to us. I have never spoken to him as I have always felt too tongue-tied. I’m also worried that if I say something, the wrong thing might come out. I tend to talk without thinking, but it will be rude to not say anything to him.

“Hi,” I say looking into his eyes, I can feel his penetrating stare touch my soul. He growls just like an animal. “Wow, you should have left him in the cage today. It doesn’t seem like he’s been domesticated yet.” As the words come out my mouth, my hand goes up to cover it. Damn, I knew it, I can’t keep a lid on it. I see the surprise on his face, and then I hear Jasmine giggle and his mouth kicks up on one corner making his dimple appear.

“She’s got you there,” Jasmine teases him. I can see the softness come into his eyes as he looks at her with affection.

“Are you offering to try and domesticate me Baby Girl?” At his words I can feel the hotness of the blush on my cheeks, but I also feel the tingles on my skin at his gravelly voice. He has the sexiest, most manly voice I have ever heard. Just his voice can make me wet with that gravelly tone.

I can see in his eyes that he knows how he’s affecting me. His eyes run down my neck to my breasts. I’m sure he’s a boob’s kind of guy all the other times he has come in I have caught him ogling my breasts. Yes, I don’t exactly have small ones and I did put on a low-cut blue T-shirt today thinking that maybe I would see him. The desire I see in his eyes makes me think that I made the right decision.  

“Who said I don’t like a beast?”

“Careful Baby Girl, beasts tend to devour their prey,” he says running his eyes again over my body in such a sensual way I’m sure I’m about to combust.

Jasmine slaps him on his arm. “Behave Bjarni. You are embarrassing her,” she teases playfully. If she only knew, that the blush on my face is because of the reaction this man has on me and not from embarrassment. 

“There is another reason why I am here besides my weekly fix of your brownies,” she states looking at me again. “I would like to invite you to come to dinner with all of us at the club tomorrow night.” At my reluctant look, she continues. “I can get one of the guys to pick you up, besides tomorrow is Saturday and Sunday your bakery is closed, you can even sleep over with us. I would really like you to come for dinner.”

I see Bjarni’s frown as he looks at Jasmine. “Does Wulf know about this?” he asks. By he’s tone it doesn’t seem like he’s very happy about Jasmine’s invitation. 

“Wulf is fine with it and so is Draco, besides Gabriela is harmless. All you guys are mad about her baked goods, maybe she can bring us a treat?” she states looking at me questioningly.

I did not have many friends as people usually found me quirky and clumsy and I really liked having Jasmine as a friend. I’m sure it wouldn’t hurt and it couldn’t do that much damage going for dinner at the club for one night. Could it? I know that people around town talk about how wild and dangerous the Elementals are, but Jasmine is a good person and I’m sure she wouldn’t ask me if there was danger.

“Sure, I would love to and I will make sure to bake you guys something special.”

“We need to go,” Bjarni states suddenly taking out a wad of money from his leather jacket and passing it on to Jenny who is standing at the till. Looking at all the boxes on the counter next to Jasmine I could see that she has been buying goodies for all the guys at the compound again. Apparently from what she has said all of them love my baking so she tries to get what they all like when she comes here.

“Someone will pick you up at three, is that okay?” Jasmine asks.

“Three is perfect, thanks.”

“I’m so excited, I will see you tomorrow then.” I see Bjarni take hold of all the boxes with one arm, as I look at him he winks at me and then proceeds to guide Jasmine with the other arm out of the bakery.

A few minutes later I hear the roar of motorbikes as they leave. “Girl if you don’t tap that I will!” Jenny teases from right beside me. I laugh at her playfulness but if she only knew. I am so clumsy when around a guy I like, and I don’t know what it is besides the total hotness of course but I like this one.

“His not really interested,” I state starting to turn around so I can go finish my work at the back.

“Not interested? Are you blind, girl? The man was basically eating you with his eyes. I don’t even think he noticed me until he had to pay.” Her words make my heart flutter. I have noticed that he looks at me with desire, but once he gets to know me he will lose interest. All the guys do as soon as they see how clumsy I am and that I don’t allow people to touch me. How can I even be thinking about anything with him? The few times that I had allowed a guy to touch me it became even worse as I have the unfortunate ability to see into a person’s life by touch. I wasn’t always like this, but when I turned sixteen my life changed. One day at a supermarket a guy grabbed my arm to keep me from tripping, at his touch I stopped seeing everything around me and saw him at a graveyard with his arm around a woman looking despondently at an open casket of a boy.

I did not know what had happened to me until two weeks later when I saw an article in the newspaper about a boy that had been run over by a drunken driver and the pictures in the paper was of the man who had touched me. From then on it started to happen to me more and more often. Now if I touch anyone I see into their future. Sometimes it’s quick and the person doesn’t even notice that anything is wrong, but sometimes the vision takes longer or it’s painful and drains my energy. The worst is seeing the look on the person’s face afterwards, some look at me with horror and others look at me as if I’m crazy. 

I usually wear long sleeves so there isn’t much of a chance of being touched, but every so often it still happens. Since I took over the bakery I haven’t been wearing long sleeves as the temperature in the kitchen is too hot for comfort. Jenny and Lucy know that I don’t like being touched so it hasn’t been an issue so far. I miss a human touch, I miss kissing, I miss hugs but I have adjusted. It’s only when I see Bjarni that I want more, so much more. 

“Do you think so?” I know I’m sounding insecure, but guys like Bjarni don’t usually look at girls like me.

“Girl, I nearly melted on the spot from the looks that man was giving you. Trust me, he has a sweet tooth and it’s not for your baking,” she teases making me blush. 

Just then a customer walks in, giving me an opportunity to move into the kitchen and to check on my cake. I also need to plan what treats I can make for tomorrow to take with me.