Intimate Persuasions (4 page)

“Derek’s in the back, if that’s who you’re looking for.”

“Good, then I can do this.” Quinn pulled off his hat and set it on the podium as he leaned over to kiss her. He couldn’t seem to get enough of her. After he left her last night, he found himself lying in bed with a hard on. He didn’t even know why he left. Being a macho guy, he thought he would look stupid if he asked to stay. Guys weren’t supposed to want to stay and cuddle, which surprisingly was what he wanted to do. Besides, he knew he had to go. He had been so caught up in the act with her last night that he almost let some of his secrets spill. She had been talking to him about her fantasy, the one about the cowboy who rescues her on the side of the road, when he almost let one of his come out. He knew then he had to high tail it out of there. It was bad enough he was too big to be comfortable for most women. But now that he finally had one that he really liked, and they had great sex together, he wasn’t about to jeopardize it just because he had a few fetishes.

“Wow,” Ann said when she pulled away. “You are really good at that.”

In his best Elvis accent he said, “Thank you, thank you very much.”

“Oh Jesus, you doing Elvis again?” Derek asked from across the restaurant.

Quinn turned to his brother. “Yep, I sound just like him, huh?”

“Hardly. Listen, this program keeps giving me an error every time I get it about 50% loaded. It do that to you at the Roadhouse?” Derek asked.

Quinn shook his head. “No, did you look at the manual that came with it?”

Derek tilted his head in mock amusement, “No asshole, I just figured it would magically work. Don’t little fairies come and install everything while we sleep? Yes, I read the damn manual.”

“All right, fine.” He turned to Ann. “I’ll be back. I need to go help him with this. He gets kind of high strung sometimes.”

“Sure, of course.”

Quinn walked away, but not before giving her a quick wink.

Ann didn’t see Quinn come out of the office. She assumed she had missed him though because his hat was gone and they had gotten very busy with a lunch rush. Which she admitted to herself was actually kind of fun. She enjoyed all the people that came in. They all seemed to be regulars that knew each other well. When they asked who she was, they welcomed her warmly with kind words of encouragement for her new job. She smiled to herself as she thought she was really going to like it. Lord knew she already had a soft spot for her boss, well at least one of them anyway.

Ann sat down in a chair after the last of the lunch customers had left. They were so busy that she took to bussing tables to help the wait-staff keep up with the steady flow of patrons. She closed her eyes for only a moment when she opened them to the smell of something wonderful. She looked up and saw Derek.

“You were running pretty hectic there for a while. I thought you’d be hungry.”

She looked at the small pie in front of her. “What is it?”

“My specialty. You’ve heard of beef pot pie. Well this is like that, only with tender marinated sirloin and my own spices.” He motioned with his hands. “Go ahead, try it. It’s good, I promise.”

Ann reached for a fork and smiled. “It smells heavenly.”

Derek watched her as she took a bite and moaned. “Good?”

“Mmm hmm. This is fabulous,” she told him honestly.

“I’m glad you like it.” He got up from the table and started to turn away, but stopped himself, “You know Ann, I love my brother.”

Ann placed the fork down, suddenly feeling like she was under a microscope. “Obviously. Why wouldn’t you?”

“I guess what I’m trying to say is…well, he hasn’t had the best of luck with women. I don’t want to see him hurt. He seems to like you.”

“Really?” God, she sounded like a school girl.
Really? Do you really think he likes me? Geez.

“Yeah, I think he does. So, just be good to him, huh? He’s a good guy.” Derek looked clearly uncomfortable saying it. His need to protect his brother was apparent.
 
“Quinn hasn’t had it easy over the years.
 
It’s left him…bitter I guess you could say.
 
I just don’t want him to be hurt again.
 
Treat him right okay?”
 
Ann nodded, knowing that while he was being nice, there was also a warning somewhere in his request. “I will, Derek,” she said as he started to turn away, “I like him, too. More than I think is normal after knowing him for only a day.” She smiled, hoping he knew she was telling the truth.

“Good.” Changing the serious mood he said, “Now hurry up, we’re not paying you to sit on your tush and eat my wonderful food.” And he walked back into his office.

Ann ate her sirloin pot pie and smiled. She was definitely going to like it here. The only question was, Larry who? She giggled.

Hours later, Derek was arguing with Ann in the back office. “I’m the boss. So, I can make you.”

Ann laughed, “Come on Derek, that’s stupid. Look how busy we are.”

Derek rolled his eyes. “There are labor laws, you know.”

“In Oakdale. Really? Come on. I’m not tired, and I’m having fun. The people here are great. Let me stay? Please.” Ann asked him with complete sincerity. It was stupid, but she had such a good time today and she wasn’t really that tired. What else was she going to do? Go sit in her hotel room and watch reruns of Will & Grace? It’s not like she could entertain herself with more mind blowing orgasms with Quinn. He would be at the Roadhouse until late tonight.

Derek sighed. “Fine, but you’re coming in late tomorrow.”

“Deal,” she said as she shook his hand and ran back out to her little podium.

She smiled when she got back up to the front of the small restaurant. “Mr. and Mrs. Tollson, weren’t you just here five hours ago?”

Mrs. Tollson gave her husband the evil eye and said, “I ain’t cooking for someone that doesn’t appreciate me.”

Mr. Tollson looked to the heavens above, for either encouragement or to be struck dead. “For the last time, Martha, I told you I didn’t mean it the way it sounded. You take everything so dang personal. I’d ask if it was your time of month but I know you’re past that point in your life so—”

Ann listened in horror. He had not just said that to his wife in front of all of these people. People they knew. “Ah, Mrs. Tollson, where did you get those earrings? My God, they’re gorgeous!”

Mrs. Tollson tore her death stare away from her husband and looked at Ann. “You really like them? I bought them at Betty’s Boutique just around the corner.”

“I hope they have more. They look great.” Ann reached over and touched the small silver dangles.

“Thank you dear. Do we have long to wait?”

Ann checked her list. “No, I’d say about ten or fifteen minutes tops.”

“That’ll be fine.” Mr. Tollson said. “You know honey, those are beautiful earrings. They do a great job hiding how big your ears really are.” He told her with a smile, proud of himself for being so smooth with the compliment. His smile quickly turned to a frown when both his wife and all of the surrounding couples gasped in horror.

“Oh Jesus, now what? What’d I say?” He asked them all.

“Mr. Tollson,” Ann gently took his arm, guiding him away from the onlookers. “Perhaps it’s not really a compliment if you mention a flaw. You know what I mean?”

Mr. Tollson bunched his brows together as he pondered her advice. “So, say something nice and leave it at that?”

Ann laughed. “Exactly.”

“Well, hell. Why didn’t somebody tell me this sooner? Twenty three years of marriage, she never said anything. How am I supposed to know?”

Ann patted his arm. “Well, now you do. So, just remember to, I don’t know, think before you speak. Okay?”

Mr. Tollson nodded at her. “Thanks. I like you, you’re nice.”

Surprised, Ann blushed. “Thank you, Mr. Tollson.”

“You’re seeing one of the Travis boys, aren’t you?” He asked her.

“Yes, Quinn, but it’s still fairly new so I don’t really want word getting around that—” She was startled by the three couples laughing at her.

“Honey,” Mrs. Tollson told her, “You should have thought of that before you let Quinn into your hotel room at three o’clock in the morning. That Sandi who works the front desk can’t talk without spreading rumors.”

Ann was embarrassed. “So, who knows then?”

One of the other men waiting, Mr. Rollins piped in, “Well, let’s see. There’s me, you, them,” he said pointing around at the other people in the restaurant. “Then, there are the people that came in contact with Sandi, then the people that came in contact with those people, and the people that came in contact with those people, and so on and so on. So I guess I’d say probably the whole town.”

Ann’s face turned red with embarrassment. “Great.”

“Don’t worry, dear. Quinn’s a good boy. He comes from good stock.” Mrs. Tollson told her. “He’ll treat you right. His mama raised him good.”

They all had a good laugh at Ann’s expense. While she wasn’t angry with them, she just felt somewhat uneasy that so many people knew that she had slept with Quinn, especially since she only got to town yesterday morning. That would do wonders for her reputation in a town this size. And to think she chose a small town because she thought she wanted to get away from all the bull that went along with living in the city. Unfortunately, she didn’t realize that the country had bull too, just a different kind.

Hours later, Derek lifted the last chair to rest on top of the table. “That’s it, we’re all done.”

“Whew. I
am
tired
now
. I can’t believe how busy you guys get.”

Derek sighed as he sat down. “Yeah, it was a good idea to open this place. It’s the only place in town that serves a decent steak and potatoes meal. Everything else is just diners and sandwich shops.”

Ann sat down across from Derek and rested her chin on her palm. “How long have you and Quinn been in business together?”

Derek squinted his eyes, thinking. “We just have the restaurant together. We have different mothers. Our dad had some issues with fidelity. Wasn’t the best role model for me and Quinn. He loved both of our mothers in his own way. But he just had some major difficulties with the whole faithfulness thing. I’m only a few years older than Quinn. Shortly after I was born my parents got a divorce. My Dad’s jealousy ruined things. Which is ironic, seeing as how monogamy wasn’t one of his personality traits. Anyway, then he got together with Quinn’s mom. They fell in love and got married. Problem is he never stopped loving my mom. It was hard. He was a tough old bastard. He broke both of their hearts on a daily basis. Always promising to leave one for the other and vice versa. It made the holidays really uncomfortable.”

Ann’s eyes widened at that. “Holidays? My God, you guys spent the holidays together?”

Derek laughed, realizing his mistake. “Oops. Yeah, probably should have told you that part. Our moms were sisters.”

Ann’s mouth dropped open. “No way!”

He laughed some more. “Way. Anyhow, the Roadhouse was the business my Aunt Connie and dad had started, so it went to Quinn. He never did much with my mom. So when I got out of the military because of…well, it doesn’t matter. But when I got out, we decided to start this little venture. Going on five years now.”

“Five years. How old are you?” Ann instantly knew what she’d said. “And that was incredibly rude. Sorry.”

“No. It’s fine. I’m thirty. Quinn’s twenty-seven.”

She nodded, hating that she had had sex with Quinn four times in the past twenty four hours and had no idea how old he was.

“Listen, why don’t you get out of here? I just need to lock up and I’ll be leaving, too. Oh shoot, now that
was
rude. I’m sorry. Wait here. Let me get the keys and I’ll walk you out.”

“Thanks,” she said and meant it. She couldn’t remember the last time she was around a man that actually put her safety ahead of whatever was going on with him at the time.

Derek came back with the keys and he set the alarm before they exited the restaurant. They said their good nights and she headed for her hotel. She wanted to take a hot bath and relax her aching feet. And maybe, she hoped, if she was a good little girl, Quinn would come and surprise her later. She hadn’t talked to him since earlier that day so they hadn’t made any plans. But a girl could hope, couldn’t she?

Chapter Four

Ann woke up and stretched like a contented cat. She was a little sore, but she didn’t really care though. It had been worth it. Quinn brought melted chocolate, strawberries and whipped cream for them to share in bed. “It’s our one week anniversary,” he told her. She couldn’t help but giggle, they had only met one week ago and they were pretty much inseparable. She rolled over and gently played with Quinn’s chest hair. Resisting the urge to nibble on him, she gave him a small kiss instead.

Quinn stirred, squinting against the light. “Oh,” he groaned. “Is it morning already?”

“Yep. Are you gonna sleep all day?”

“Just fifteen more minutes.” He rolled over.

She couldn’t resist the urge to toy with him. “All right, it’s just that I was thinking, you, me, the shower. Whatever though, it’s no biggie.”