Releasing Me (23 page)

*

The next few hours played out like a game of cat and mouse. Quinn navigated the crowd with a close following of women on the prowl while I became more acquainted with his friends and business colleagues. Every time I scanned the crowd to find him, his eyes were constantly on me. If I was engaging in conversation with women, his look was playful and sexy, but when I found myself surrounded by a group of men, his look was filled with warning. He’d go from smiles and smirks to scowls and squints. It was only a matter of seconds before he inevitably found his way to my side with his arm around my waist, pulling me in possessively. He was, without question, the most handsome man at the party. Why he felt the need to claim me in front of every other guy was beyond my comprehension.

As the late night hours fell into early morning, the party was still going strong. However, the atmosphere and overall demeanor of the crowd transitioned from friendly formal to loudly inebriated. I hadn’t had a drink since returning to New York to pull Quinn out of his spiraling demise. If he could live without drinking, so could I. The downside to being sober in the early morning hours was the hyperawareness of the handsy men who’d been served an excess of liquid courage. When it came to groping me, it was more like liquid stupidity. Quinn was oblivious to the women grabbing his backside or tugging seductively on his tie because he was busy keeping frisky hands off me. His patience was wearing thin, especially when I agreed to dance with Chad, the young attorney he’d hired only a few months earlier to take over his real estate transactions. He was good-looking in a Harvard-preppy boy sort of way. Without a doubt he was smart and probably graduated at the top of his class, but his choice in women, namely me, for the night was not his wisest decision. In the poor guy’s defense, my dress made it impossible to dance with me without touching my bare skin.

I didn’t need eyes in the back of my head to see Quinn coming. The look on Chad’s face was all I needed.

“
Mr. Cohen is closing in on us, isn’t he?
”
I asked with a devious smirk.

“
Uh … yes,
”
he nervously replied.

“
Chad.
”
Quinn’s stern voice sounded behind me.

Chad’s hands quickly fell from my bare back as he stumbled to distance himself from me.
“
Mr. Cohen, sir, uh––we were just––
”

“
Leaving, Chad,
you
were just leaving, right?
”
Quinn warned as he snaked his arms under mine and pulled my back against his chest with his hands firmly pressed to my abdomen.

Chad watched Quinn lay claim to me, and he nearly wet his pants.
“
I––uh––didn’t realize she––Addy––uh Miss––
”

Chad’s confidence went from off the charts when he first asked me to dance, not realizing who I was, to negative fifty as party pooper Quinn put him in his place.

“
Goodnight, Chad,
”
Quinn quickly dismissed him.

Turning around in his arms, I started swaying my hips to the rhythm of the slow music. He obliged by moving his body in time with mine as his dark eyes seared into mine, melting everything south of my border.

“
If you wanted to dance with anyone else but me, then you wore the wrong fucking dress.
”
He looked like a caged animal teetering on the edge of control with his jaw firmly set and his eyes tightly fixed to mine.

“
Chad? He’s harmless. You hired him so you must trust him. I figured I could too. He came across as real … what’s the word I’m looking for?
”
I pursed my lips and rolled my eyes to the side.
“
Eager, yes that’s it! I
felt
his young eagerness to
please
.
”

He released a feral growl as he pulled me so close I could distinctly feel his hard erection against my abdomen.
“
Are you trying to get Chad fired or just seriously injured?
”

Sliding my hands up the back of his jacket, I dragged my nails down over his shirt.
“
Will that really get you what you want?
”
I leaned up and whispered into his ear, still digging my nails into his back.

“
What is it you think I want?
”
he asked, trying to stay in control.

I reached behind me and grabbed his hand, then taking a quick glance around us first, I slid it between us through the slit in my dress until his fingers grazed over my wet sex.

“
Two words, babe: no underwear,
”
I purred before removing his hand and walking away with a confident gait.

Torturing myself nearly as much as Quinn, I headed for the ladies room to freshen up. Two drunk women stumbled out the door just as I was getting ready to enter. The ladies’ lounge was like a fancy waiting room at a spa. Two modern charcoal grey sectionals occupied the center with multi-shaded grey decor pillows. White vanities and backlit mirrors lined the walls with grey velvet vanity chairs and complimentary makeup and hair care essentials. A single door in the corner led to the toilet stalls, and a row of sinks with modern brushed steel fixtures and rectangular steel baskets filled with neatly rolled hand towels.

Leaning into a vanity to check my hair and makeup in the mirror, I heard the echo of music fill the room as the door opened behind me.

Quinn.

Without a word he quickly surveyed the room including the stalls. Once he discovered we were alone, he locked the door. Still watching his reflection in the mirror, I continued to mess with my lip gloss.

“
Unless you closed the open bar, it’s not a good idea to lock people out of the restroom.
”

“
There’s another one on the opposite end,
”
he deadpanned with a low, steady voice.

My whole body stilled as I noticed him shrugging off his jacket and loosening his tie. His gaze was alert and firmly fixed on me, and he proceeded to unbutton and remove his shirt with slow, calculated moves. My jaw fell lax as I drank in the sight of his chiseled torso. Taking an exaggerated swallow but refusing to turn around, I met his eyes in the mirror.

“
We’re not having sex in the bathroom. Not even if you beg me.
”
My soft voice lacked the confidence I tried so desperately to exude.

He didn’t respond. Instead, he continued to move toward me as he unfastened his pants; exposing his black boxer briefs stretched over his large bulge.

I could hear my own pulse as my breath quickened.
“
Quinn, no. I’m serious.
”
I finally turned to face him as he got closer.

My close proximity to his bare chest was killing me. He had me cornered with nowhere to go.

“
Baby, if you were
serious
then you wouldn’t have worn this dress tonight.
”
He ran his finger down the side of my face then pushed my hair back over my shoulder before continuing to trace his finger down my neck, across my chest, and down the exposed area of skin between my breasts to just above my navel.
“
Besides, I think you’ve made your point. Do I like a good challenge? Yes. Have you been driving me crazy over the past few days? Yes. Do you want me to beg you? Fine. I’m
begging
you. Am I done watching you parade around my party in this fucking excuse for a dress? Yes.
”

Before I had a chance to formulate an answer, he fisted the material of my dress on both sides just below my breasts. Then he effortlessly ripped the sixteen or so inches of material holding my dress together in the front completely apart, exposing my naked body.

“
Quinn! What the fuck!
”
I shrieked.

As his greedy eyes consumed my naked body, a bemused smile played across his face for an instant before his mouth attacked mine. My intentions of throwing a tantrum over my dress and his dominating aggression vanished when his bare chest pressed against mine. The stimulation of his skin bruising my nipples sent jolts of sensation to my hypersensitive sex.

I moaned into his mouth as his tongue reached past mine consuming me. Every time with Quinn felt like the first night we were together. My body craved his, as if he hadn’t touched me in every way so many times before.

Bracing my elbows on his shoulders, I weaved my fingers through his hair and pulled it hard until he released a raw animalistic growl. He wedged his leg between my legs parting them just enough to slip two fingers through my slit and up into my drenched channel. Tearing my mouth from his, I let my head fall back as I sucked in a breath and released another deep moan.

“
Quinn …
”
I whimpered as he eased his fingers in and out of me slowly at first. As tiny whimpers escaped my parted lips, he increased the pace.

“
Look at me,
”
he demanded.

Pulling my head back up, I forced my eyes to his. The harder and faster he pushed his fingers into me, the more intense with hunger his face became. My pulse continued to race as my orgasm approached. With his fingers fully plunged into me, he stopped moving them as he circled my clitoris with the pad of his thumb.

“
Oh God!
”
I moaned as I closed my eyes, no longer able to keep them focused on him as my trembling body shattered from his expert touch. He was so damn confident with manipulating my body to bring me unfathomable pleasure. As my breath came back, I opened my eyes to his cocky smirk.

“
I fucking love watching you fall apart.
”

If I hadn’t been so sated, his comment would have made me blush, but at that point I didn’t give a damn. Any guy who could do that to a woman earned the right to say whatever he pleased.

He removed his fingers, pausing just long enough to spread my wetness around.

“
I’m not done with you yet,
”
he whispered in my ear as he hitched my legs up to his waist and carried me to the longer part of the sectional. After he set me down, I started to lean back as he removed his pants and briefs.

“
Uh-uh …
”
he smiled deviously as he circled his finger for me to turn over.

I willingly turned over and leaned forward on my knees. There was never a need to spice up our sex life. Anytime, anywhere, anyway was our unspoken motto. We made passionate slow love in bed. We had sensual intercourse in the tub and shower. We had playful sex on the couch or floor. Then there was the raw, primal fucking against a door or wall, in the kitchen, elevator, on the stairs, atop his desk, and of course … in public restrooms. As much as I loved the beautiful way he made love to me, worshipping every inch of my body, sometimes I desired the carnal pleasure of sex that was desperate, possessive, and sometimes even a little rough. Quinn had a bad-boy side to him that he hid under a three-piece suit all day. There was something erotic about him letting go of that control with me. I loved when he pushed me to my own limits of pleasure. Being sexually uninhibited with him was easy.

He kneeled behind me and tightly gripped my hip with his left hand as he guided his erection into me with his right. I moaned at the fullness that always felt more intense from that angle. Without hesitation, he found a fast, hard rhythm, relentlessly surging into me until he reached his climax. Breathless, he leaned over my back, supporting his weight on one arm as he slid his other hand to my sex. Quinn never kept score when it came to orgasms; he usually gave me the first and let me have the last.

We left Quinn’s holiday party in true style. He at least had on his shirt and pants; I wore heels and his suit coat that covered all necessary parts. We received a few interesting looks as we navigated our way from the ladies’ lounge to the elevator. I kept my head down so my hair curtained my face while he warned off anyone who tried to approach us on our way out.
Note to self: remember to carry an extra set of clothes if Quinn feels sex-deprived.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

As promised, Quinn
escorted me to see all the best shows during December. He shared his favorite musicals and concerts from when he was a child growing up in New York. I had seen some of the same ones in Chicago as a young girl. We also went ice skating at Rockefeller Center, snowboarding, Christmas shopping, and volunteered at various churches and shelters, who opened their doors to the homeless. The Quinn I originally knew would have preferred to write a check instead of giving his time, but that Quinn was gone. He was a more giving person in a personal way that mattered, and he showed a genuine compassion for others. It was simply a bonus that with our time we also donated an insane amount of money. We arranged to have fresh produce delivered to the various locations all month long. Hunger wasn’t the only issue. A lot of the homeless people had health problems, such as diabetes and heart disease. So many of the non-perishable food items filled a caloric need but often exacerbated other health issues.

We decided to stay in New York for Christmas. After all the planned events, I was excited to throw on some comfy clothes and stay locked in our condo for several days. Quinn snuck in a quick workout the morning of Christmas Eve. I did my yoga, showered, and went to work filling the place with the aroma of cookies and other baked goods. Holiday music filled every room, which was why I didn’t hear Quinn come in as I rolled out cookie dough.

“
How’s Santa’s naughty little helper?
”
he whispered in my ear.

With a startled jump, I turned around.
“
Shit! You scared me.
”

He pulled me into him.
“
Sorry, baby,
”
he said with a sexy smile.

Dressed in black sweat pants, a grey fitted Icebreaker thermal long-sleeved shirt, and a black beanie, I had to control my instincts to attack him. He looked young, playful, sexy, and hot as Hell.

Pushing up on my tiptoes, I pressed my mouth to his and slipped my tongue between his lips. Grabbing my ass he pulled me in even closer as he released a deep sexy hum from his throat.
“
Come shower with me.
”

“
Can’t. I have cookies in the oven.
”

He ducked his head down to brush his lips down my neck as he gently tugged my pigtails.
“
Shut off the oven,
”
he murmured against my skin.

“
It’s not like a casserole. I can’t just shut off the oven––they’ll be ruined. When I’m done baking, you can do whatever you want with ‘Santa’s naughty little helper.’
”

He stood up straight with raised eyebrows.
“
Whatever
I want?
”

Hiding my excitement, I bit the corner of my lower lip to control my smile as I nodded. From the look on his face, it seemed as if Santa came early that year.

“
Finish up then, and don’t wipe off any of that flour that’s all over your face … I’ll take care of that.
”
He smirked.

As soon as he turned to leave the kitchen, I stopped him.

“
Quinn?
”

He turned back around just in time to catch me as I jumped up and wrapped my arms and legs around him. Kissing him with a fierce intensity, I pulled off his beanie and fisted at his hair. Just as quickly, I pulled back and looked into his sparkling eyes.
“
God, you’re sexy,
”
I breathed out with a huge smile.

I’d taken him by surprise. He stared at me without saying anything for a moment. Then the oven timer buzzed.
“
You’d better get your cookies before I decide to lay you across the counter and make you sing my favorite song.
”

I hopped down and grabbed the hot pads.
“
Your favorite song?
”
I questioned as he headed up the stairs.

“
Yeah, it’s a gospel piece called ‘Oh God, Quinn!’
”
He chuckled the rest of the way upstairs.

Smart-ass.

*

By the time all the cookies were out of the oven and neatly placed in rows on the cooling racks, the view outside the large windows had transformed into a winter wonderland. Large snowflakes danced everywhere, the kind that almost looked fake because they were so big and airy. I couldn’t help the smile that captured my lips. At thirty-three I still felt like a kid at Christmas time.
Thank you,
I thought, feeling certain everyone I’d loved and lost before Quinn was calling in a special favor with Mother Nature.

“
Amazing, isn’t it?
”

Turning toward the voice that warmed my heart and healed my soul, I grinned.
“
It’s a gift, that’s for sure.
”

Quinn was showered with his messy hair still wet. Dressed casually in jeans and a white fitted long-sleeved T-shirt, his sexy bare feet padded toward me.

“
May I have this dance?
”
he asked as he offered his hand.

“
Really?
”
I replied with a huge smile and wide eyes.

He didn’t answer. Instead, he grabbed my hand and pulled me into him. With one hand on my back and the other gently holding my hand clasped in his, he gracefully led me around the room effortlessly staying in step to the slow rhythm of Nat King Cole singing
“
The Christmas Song.
”

“
My Latin lover can dance too. I am One. Lucky. Girl.
”

“
The Scottie dog,
”
he casually said.

Tilting my head to the side, I squinted my eyes in complete confusion.

“
When I play Monopoly … I’m not the race car, I’m the Scottie dog.
”

I couldn’t hold back my laugh.
“
Okay, good to know.
”

“
When I was five my parents or ‘Santa’ brought me a Scottie dog for Christmas. I hadn’t thought about him for years until you asked me about Monopoly at my holiday party.
”
He had a soft warm expression on his face.

The thought of Quinn reminiscing about his childhood melted my heart.
“
What did you name him?
”

“
Scott.
”

I giggled, which I usually only did when I’d had too much to drink, but in that moment I was drunk on Quinn.
“
Scott? You named your Scottie dog Scott?
”

Spinning me around then dipping me back with slow control and his face just inches from mine, he whispered,
“
I was
five
.
”

Lifting me back up, he embraced me in his arms and kissed me as the song ended. Ruining the moment, I giggled against his lips.
“
Scott …
”
I laughed some more.

He pinched my sides until I squealed,
“
Stop! That tickles.
”

Then he bear-hugged me and dragged me to the couch where he plopped down with me in his lap.
“
Since you think everything’s so funny, I’m going to at least give you something better to laugh about.
”

“
Stop!
”
I squealed and squirmed some more.
“
I’m sorry, it’s just so …
”

“
So what?
”
he asked, finally giving me a reprieve.

I flipped around and straddled him, cupping his jaw in my hands and running my thumbs over his rough dark stubble.
“
It’s just so endearing. You’re such a sexy, confident, successful, and sometimes intimidating man. The thought of you as a little boy with your Scottie dog named Scott just makes me love you even more.
”

His mood sobered as if he was wanting to say something but didn’t know how. Chewing the inside of his cheek he met my eyes.

“
You never told me what you and Senator Carlson were talking about that bothered you.
”

Looking down, I pulled in a deep breath and slowly released it.
“
We were talking about my parents. I told you the case was unsolved and the police called it a home invasion. However, it was more complicated than that. My dad made some enemies over the years during his time as a prosecuting attorney and Supreme Court justice. A few undisclosed sources believed the murders were retaliation for the conviction of a former police officer my dad prosecuted a decade earlier. The conviction was for narcotics, but the undisclosed sources believed the officer was connected to a few thugs who were wanted for some pretty heinous crimes. What I walked in on the day I found my parents was not your average home invasion. It was personal. Someone was sending a message. Concerned for my safety and that of my family, we were advised by some prominent people in law enforcement to let it go. There was an investigation to make everything official, but the case was left unsolved for reasons only a handful of people knew about. Edward, Senator Carlson, was not in the need to know group, which left him in the group of people who were angered by what they called a ‘botched investigation.’
”

“
Are you in danger?
”
he asked with a grave look of concern.

I chuckled.
“
Not likely. As long as I’m not shoving the cold case in some prosecutor’s face demanding they continue to look into it, I’m not a threat to anyone. If they really wanted me, they would have left my body for my parents to find not the other way around. Why? Is my big, strong man going to protect me?
”

“
You have no idea the extremes I would go to for you.
”

I couldn’t hide my complete adoration for him. No man had ever made me feel so protected, so cherished, so loved.

With a big smile, I jumped off his lap.
“
I don’t know what your holiday traditions were, but we opened one gift on Christmas Eve.
”
I grabbed a large rectangular gift I had wrapped and set under the tree earlier that morning.
“
Open it,
”
I said with giddy excitement as I handed it to him.

“
Are you sure?
”
he asked with a goofy kid-like grin,
“
It’s only four o’clock.
”

“
Yes, yes … open it.
”

Quinn was the epitome of the man who had everything. I’d had his gift long before I ever knew for sure if I’d get the chance to give it to him. I thought it would end up being mine as a reminder of a very emotional and heartfelt moment in my life. I spent a lot of money arranging and paying for it, but when I was wrapping it for Quinn I knew it was worth it.

As soon as the paper fell to the floor, he froze holding the sides and resting it on his knee. He took a deep swallow as tears swelled in his eyes.

“
It’s by a Spanish pencil artist. He’s done pieces for celebrities and royalty. After seeing her on the beach the first day we arrived, I knew I wanted to capture her. As you know everyone has a price. Luckily, I’m pretty frugal with my money so I had enough spare change to track him down and bring him to the beach house. I wanted to remember her and our time together forever, but more than that, I wanted to give you a piece of her that you didn’t get to see.
”

In his hands he held a pencil drawing of Elena in a lounge chair on the beach overlooking the Mediterranean. It looked like a professional black and white photo but even more exquisite. The attention to detail was stunning. It was a side view of her with her eyes closed and head tilted back. A light breeze was softly flowing through her hair and a peaceful aura of contentment graced her face. It was sketched exactly one week before she died.

“
Addy, I…
”
he choked on his words.

I kneeled down on the floor in front of him and gently pulled the framed sketch from him and rested it against the coffee table so he could still see it. Not taking his eyes off it, he shook his head and wiped the corners of his eyes with his palms. I didn’t say anymore. I wanted to give him that moment. The sketch was so lifelike. It captured the essence of her soul. Looking at it made her presence felt. I crawled between his knees and hugged his torso. He combed his fingers through my hair and finally looked into my eyes.

“
You’re so fucking amazing. No one has ever done anything like this for me.
”

“
Now we can both enjoy it as long as you don’t try to kick me out again.
”
I laughed, squeezing him tighter to lighten the mood.

“
I will
never
and I mean
never
kick you out again. AND … if you ever try and leave I will make it my life’s goal to track you down.
”

Pulling back, I raised a single brow.

“
A little creepy?
”
he asked.

Not saying anything, I held up my thumb and index finger about a half inch apart.

*

I made soup and seeded artisan bread for dinner while Quinn surprised me with his handyman skills. He brought a hammer, small level, and some picture hooks out from his office. Within minutes he had the framed sketch of Elena mounted to the wall above his fireplace.

He stopped in the kitchen and stood behind me taking in a deep whiff of the soup aroma. I spooned some up with a long bamboo ladle then blew on it before offering him a taste.

Taking a cautious sip of the steamy liquid, he hummed.
“
Mmm, damn woman, you sure can cook.
”

Glancing down at the tools in his hand, I responded,
“
Yeah, but my skills are limited. Not to sound condescending, but I never envisioned you with a toolbox hidden in your office. I underestimated you, babe.
”