He pressed every button. The emergency bell rang, but after thirty seconds, Quinn
turned it off.
“Relax. I told you this happens sometimes. It’ll fix itself in a few minutes.” She
moved away from the doors and leaned against the back wall.
He turned and joined her. “Finish telling me about the photographer.”
“Xander? He’s hot. Like Abercrombie-and-Fitch-model hot.”
Great.
“Okay. I know that’s not what you were asking. But it’s what I noticed first. I assumed
he was a model and the woman I’d spoken to on the phone was the photographer. It turns
out she’s the young, enthusiastic assistant and he’s the photographer.” She took a
moment to kick off her sandals. Purple toenails today.
“Did you check his references?”
“Not yet. He gave me the name of another photographer, a woman, since I was uncomfortable
with getting naked in front of him. But he’s good.”
Ryan clenched his jaw and forced it to relax. “What’s the problem?”
“I’m a chicken.”
Ryan moved over to stand next to her. “I have a camera. In fact, my phone can take
pictures.”
“Thanks, but no thanks. You should’ve asked while I was really drunk.”
“I had to offer. So what are you going to do?”
She shrugged. The movement of her slouched shoulders widened the deep V-neck of her
dress. The tops of her breasts were visible from his position.
He took a deep breath and stepped back.
She didn’t notice.
“This isn’t right. The elevator’s never been stuck for this long.” She went back to
pressing buttons. No response.
Ryan pulled out his phone to check for a signal. None.
“Shit. I can’t believe how wrong this night went.” She ran her fingers through her
hair.
“That was your own fault.”
“What?” She spun to face him but held the side rail for balance.
“You let Indy take the spotlight. You had to know she’s a great singer, but you let
her steal your night of adventure.”
“It wasn’t like that.”
Ryan crossed his arms on his chest. “Really?”
“Yes. There was some woman who sang Stevie Nicks. She was good. I’m an okay singer,
but I didn’t want to follow her. Indy was in a mood. So she sang.”
“You chickened out.”
“I planned to sing.”
“Then you should’ve been on the stage instead of Indy.”
“You can’t stop Indy. When she’s down, she doesn’t stay that way for long. She does
something to feel better. Tonight, singing was it.” As she spoke, she moved closer
to Ryan. Her perfume, the sultry one, grabbed him again.
“She didn’t look too happy at the end of the song.”
“But she was the star. The center of attention. Everyone in the room, even you, looked
at her and said, ‘Wow.’ ” Her eyes flashed in anger.
She’s upset Indy got my attention again.
Ryan wrapped an arm around Quinn’s waist and pulled her body to his. “I said ‘Wow’
when I saw you in this dress.”
He lowered his mouth and covered hers. The kiss was slow and deep. She needed no coaxing
to participate. As soon as his tongue sought entrance, her lips parted.
She took a half step closer and slid her leg in between his. Ryan’s hand cradled her
ass and pressed her into him. He wanted her to know how much he wanted this.
The leg that slid in between his inched up and down, her bare foot caressing his calf.
Ryan felt the hem of the short dress hike up. His mouth left hers. He trailed kisses
down to the pulse at her neck while her perfume enveloped his senses.
His hand moved from her ass to her thigh and under her dress. He was dying to touch
her. His mouth returned to hers as his hand brushed the small triangle of panties.
Moist heat radiated through the scrap of lace.
Her low, deep moan vibrated against his lips. He swallowed it. The throbbing in his
pants drove him crazy. He pressed his pelvis against her, his erection bumping her.
The barrier of clothing was too much.
He reached and tugged at the panties.
“Wait,” she said, breathless. “What’s the date?”
“Huh?” He tugged some more and nibbled her ear.
“The date.”
From his foggy brain, he offered, “The twentieth.”
“God. I’m ovulating. Please tell me you have a condom.”
Ryan pulled his body inches from her and braced an elbow near her head. “No, I don’t.
I’m clean, Quinn. I wouldn’t lie to you.”
He leaned in and kissed her neck.
“I know you wouldn’t, but I’m ovulating. Chances are good I’d get pregnant. We have
to stop.”
He licked her pulse. “I’m willing to take my chances.” He nipped her earlobe.
Her hands pressed against his chest. “I’m not.”
Ryan stepped away from her. They were both panting. She tugged the hem of her dress
back in place, but not before he caught a glimpse of the black lace. He shifted and
adjusted in hope of finding comfort for his hard dick. The only relief he wanted was
inside Quinn.
Before they could say anything else, the elevator dinged.
CHAPTER 10
T
he following morning, Quinn awoke with a pounding headache. Her eyes were barely slits
as she sat up. Cottony didn’t begin to describe the horrendous condition of her mouth—a
sweaty gym sock would smell better than her breath. She staggered to the bathroom,
splashed water on her face, and brushed her teeth twice.
She felt chilled and realized she was naked. She wrapped a robe around herself and
closed her eyes, but she couldn’t remember how she got to bed. So much of the evening
blurred incoherently.
How did anyone find this enjoyable? Her father had spent years waking up like this.
How could he function? She couldn’t imagine waking up in this condition next to a
man. A hangover looked good on no one.
She stumbled downstairs and made a pot of coffee. While it brewed, she checked her
messages.
“Hey, babe. I wanted to see if you were free tonight. Give me a call if you want to
get together.”
Nick must be broke and looking to drink for free.
“Hey, it’s me.”
Indy.
“Sorry about last night. I had a fight with Richard, but I didn’t want to ruin your
night.”
Yeah, that worked real well.
“Call me later.”
“Hi, Quinn. It’s Kate. Just checking on you. Give me a call.”
Kate certainly sounded perky.
Quinn decided she’d have to call Kate if she wanted to find out what happened last
night. She poured a cup of coffee and inhaled the scent before drinking. She swallowed
two ibuprofen with the next drink. Sitting at her counter, she tried to piece together
her evening.
The damn blue drink. Indy singing onstage was clear in her mind. Griffin sitting next
to her. She had the sudden recollection she’d wanted to kiss him. She’d been mad at
Ryan and Griffin was there.
Ryan.
Hearing his name ring clearly in her mind caused a flood of images. They’d kissed
and then some. In the elevator? Yeah, they got stuck and he kissed her. She’d wanted
so much more, but they stopped.
She couldn’t remember going to bed. Her face flushed at the thought of Ryan’s lips
on her. The warmth spread through her body.
Had they continued in the loft? Was that why she was naked?
Oh, God.
She picked up the phone to call Ryan and ask, but she didn’t know how. What an idiot.
Hi, Ryan, I know I should remember, but did we have sex?
No, this was not a conversation to have over the phone. She’d have to go see him.
The embarrassment of the situation made her shiver.
The clock on her stove said eleven o’clock. O’Leary’s would be open for lunch. Hopefully
she’d catch Ryan there, since she realized she didn’t know where he lived.
She poured more coffee into her mug and carried it back upstairs to the bathroom.
The hot shower relaxed her muscles and eased the headache. She felt a little more
human, at least until she looked in the mirror. Her eyes were still bleary and shadows
ringed them.
Oh well. No beauty contests today.
Adding makeup helped, as did putting on fresh clothes. The denim shorts and black
tank top wouldn’t win any fashion contests either, but at least she was comfortable.
The sunglasses perched on her nose didn’t cut down the glare from the sun nearly enough,
and the pulse behind her eyes let her know her hangover was far from over. She drove
to the bar, practicing what to say. She’d never had this kind of conversation. Everything
she thought of sounded lame. Ryan would probably find this humorous. He enjoyed seeing
her ruffled.
She parked in the bar’s lot and noted there were only a handful of cars. She spotted
Ryan’s SUV in the back. Running her fingers through her still-damp hair, she inhaled
deeply.
This is no big deal. Ryan’s a friend. You can handle this.
What a load of shit for a pep talk. She should’ve called Indy for advice.
She strode into the bar and peered around. The dark, quiet interior was a blessing
after the blazing sun. She removed her sunglasses and looked for Ryan. A small blonde
whisked through the bar, attending to customers as she went.
Quinn approached her. “Excuse me. Sorry to interrupt, but can you tell me if Ryan
is here?”
“Yeah, he’s in the basement doing inventory.”
Quinn waited a painful moment.
“I’ll call down and ask him to come up. What’s your name?”
“Quinn.” She breathed a sigh of relief.
“Quinn, I’m Mary, bar manager.”
“Ryan’s told me a lot about how good you are.” She followed Mary to the bar.
“Can I ask you a personal question?”
Quinn shrugged.
“Are you single?”
“Yep.”
“Oh. In that case, we’re having a speed dating night here next Tuesday.” Mary whipped
out a flyer with attached registration form. “You’d be doing me a great favor if you’d
sign up. I’m already full of guys. I need to add to my roster of women.”
“Ryan mentioned this. I’ve never done speed dating.”
“I have to make this a success. I told Ryan it would be.”
Quinn read the flyer. How bad could it be? “Okay.”
While she filled out the registration, Mary used the phone. Quinn couldn’t hear the
conversation, but Mary didn’t look happy.
She turned to Quinn, still holding the phone. “He says now is not a good time. He’s
busy with inventory.”
“Please. This is important.”
Mary spoke the message into the phone. She hung up and told Quinn, “He said you can
come down if you want to talk.”
“Thanks. I appreciate it. Here.” She thrust the completed form and twenty dollars
back at Mary.
Mary paused, tilting her head in appraisal of Quinn. “There’s something familiar about
you.”
“I come here with the other teachers from Jones High School on Friday afternoons.”
“That’s probably it. Thanks for signing up. We’ll be sending out e-mail reminders
the day before.” She walked Quinn down the hall past Ryan’s office and the bathrooms
to a door adjacent to the rear exit. “Right down those stairs. You can’t miss him.
He’s the moody guy counting bottles.”
“Thanks again.” Quinn opened the door and took a brief moment to relax her fluttering
stomach. She descended the stairs and faced rows of boxes. Ryan stood with a clipboard
in hand.
“Hi.”
He barely looked up from the paper. “What do you want, Quinn? I’m busy.”
Okay, so he was pissed. “First, I wanted to thank you for bringing me home last night.”
“I told you it wasn’t a big deal.”
“The thing is . . . I don’t remember everything.”
“Tends to happen when you get drunk.”
“I know. I didn’t plan on getting drunk, but I did.” She huffed out a breath. “Look,
I need to know if we slept together last night.”
He placed his clipboard on top of the nearest box. “You don’t remember?”
She stared at her feet and shook her head.
“We almost did in the elevator, but you called it off.”
She raised her head to find him standing with his arms crossed. Is that why he was
mad? “I remember that part, but I woke up naked and I don’t remember how I got to
bed.”
He stepped closer and lowered his voice. “So you think after you told me to stop,
I forced myself on you? I told you a long time ago, I don’t go where I’m not invited.”
Her hand flew to her heart. “No. God no. I never thought that for even a second. I
thought maybe we continued what we started in the elevator.”
“We didn’t. You said no. I respected you.”
“I wanted to, it was just . . .”
“I know. You didn’t want to risk getting pregnant by me.”
“Why are you so angry?”
His eyes shone with anger and the muscle in his jaw twitched. “Because you’d rather
have some tool knock you up than take your chances with me.”
She pointed between the two of them. “This is exactly why I didn’t want to take my
chances. I value your friendship.” Her voice grew louder as she spoke, but she couldn’t
prevent it. The volume increased the throbbing of her brain.
“I care about you and respect you. Somehow that’s a bad thing.” He was inches from
her and she felt his anger vibrating in the air around him. It spurred her own anger.
The words flew uncensored and her arms circled in gesture as she spoke. “If you were
backed into a corner, it would all change. You’re not the kind of guy who could father
a child and forget it. You can’t even walk away from your family, and they’re grown.
Even if we never saw each other again, you would want to be a part of the child’s
life. You’d feel trapped. So I’d lose a good friend and you’d be saddled with a kid
you didn’t want. Another burden in your life. I’d say I saved us both a bunch of heartache.”
She’d hit the mark. They stared at each other for a minute, breathing heavily. “My
intention is not to go and have sex with a random guy to get pregnant. I know I tend
to attract assholes. I plan to do artificial insemination so I can pick a good genetic
donor. I’m not picking a father. I’m picking sperm.”
“Pretty pessimistic.” His fight left. He reached for her arm.
She pulled farther away. “It’s realistic. I don’t have high hopes for a husband.”
She felt tears welling in her eyes. She turned to head back up the stairs. She’d gotten
the information she wanted and then some. He didn’t try to stop her from leaving.
At the top of the stairs, she gathered herself and blinked a few times to push back
the tears. She opened the door and walked through with her back straight. As she entered
the bar, a few patrons looked at her. She had the sinking feeling they heard her yelling
at Ryan. She continued on, trying not to draw more attention to herself by running
out. Mary looked at her, eyes wide. Quinn simply nodded and pushed the door open to
the heat and glaring summer sun.
On her way to the car, Quinn berated herself for the entire episode. Hadn’t Indy always
told her men and women couldn’t be friends? One or the other always wanted something
more. Such a load of crap. Why couldn’t she find a guy who wanted what she wanted
in life? Was there something wrong with marriage and family?
Or maybe it was her.
She unlocked the car door and sat behind the wheel.
They don’t know what they’re missing. I’m going to finish this damn list, and I’m
going to have a baby
.
Who needed Ryan’s help anyway? On her drive home, she created her plan of attack.
She had use of the dating Web site, so she’d utilize it. She’d start making dates
immediately and see what clicked.
She’d also call Xander Hill and make an appointment. She still had to sing karaoke.
Next time she wouldn’t make the mistake of going with Indy or drinking. She needed
to find a different bar, though.
Her cell phone rang as she entered her building. She eyed the elevator and remembered
making out with Ryan. She opted for the stairs and allowed the phone to go to voice
mail.
The blast of cool air from her loft washed over her. Her anger simmered into determination.
She sat at her laptop and navigated to the dating site. While the site loaded her
profile, she checked her voice mail.
Brian’s voice said, “Don’t answer your house phone. Call me.”
Weird. She dialed his number. “Hey, Brian. What’s up?”
“Before I tell you anything, promise me you won’t answer your phone for school because
you’re on vacation.”
“That doesn’t sound too good.”
“Promise or I won’t tell you.”
“You sound like a kid. Fine.” She leaned back in her chair and waited.
“Ackerman is making noise about quitting summer school.”
“What?” Quinn shot out of her chair. “She can’t do that.”
“She claims she’s never taught such a difficult group of kids. They don’t want to
learn.”
Quinn’s eyes rolled. “Who the hell did she think she was getting? These kids
failed
English during the year. Most of them weren’t interested the first time around and
they’re even less so now. It’s summer, for Pete’s sake. No one wants to be in a hot
building instead of at the lake.”
Brian’s laugh broke her rant.
“What is so funny?”
“Nothing. I’m glad you’re pissed off. Maybe you won’t rush in to rescue her.”
“Rescue her?”
“We both know if she calls you for help, you’ll do it. Before you know it, you’ll
be in the class teaching it for her.”
“I would not.” It was a lie. Brian was nice enough not to call her on it. “Thanks
for the heads-up. I’ll avoid my phone.”
“No problem. Talk to you soon.”