Chapter 13

He'd brought her coffee.

Quinn stared at the Starbucks cup on her table as she walked in. It couldn't have been anyone else. A smile stretched her lips at his thoughtfulness and her heart warmed at the gesture. He didn't have to, but he did and to Quinn, it was the little things that mattered. At least now she didn't have to go down to third floor and risk bumping into June again or Mrs. Davis.

She wondered if she should go say thank you. She stared at the door to his office, trying to decide if she was ready to talk to him yet. Last night, her bank had informed her that there had been a deposit of five thousand dollars.

She hadn't even started the job and he'd already paid her. She didn't know how to feel about that.

Was he still pissed about Friday? He hadn't called or emailed her through the weekend, so she didn't know what to think.

Trish and Cassie's voices echoed in her head. Don't run from this. They didn't seem to understand that she had a lot to lose by giving in completely to him. She had her heart to lose.

Deciding against it, she settled in her chair and booted the system. There was a lot to do, especially since she didn't finish last week's work given the rollercoaster that had occurred.

By mid afternoon, the waiting room was filled to the brim. It was going to be a very busy week.

Just then, a man in his late twenties walked up to her.

"Hello, good morning. How may I help you?"

He was handsome, was the first thing Quinn noticed. He had sandy blonde hair and deep green eyes and a pointed jaw that looked like it could break through walls. His upper lip was fuller than his lower lip and his nose was long and pointed.

Trish would've gone crazy for him.

"Hello." His deep baritone carried the sound. "I'm here to see Mr. Rhett." There was a slight spark to his eyes, like he knew something she didn't.

She gave him a small smile, wondering how a person could be so beautiful. "Do you have an appointment?"

"No but I'm sure he won't mind. You see, I'm his boyfriend."

Quinn's eyes widened and almost popped. Say what now?

"Excuse me?" She said before realizing how that sounded. She arranged her features as best as she could before giving him that smile again. "I'm sorry. Please have a seat in the waiting room. He's occupied right now but I'll let him know."

The man flashed her a wide smile, displaying white teeth bright enough to blind a person. "I'd appreciate that."

As he walked away, Quinn blinked furiously. For some reason, she couldn't hear herself think. Her heart was beating as loud as a drum, and she could hear it through her ears.

Boyfriend?

What in the world?

He was gay? Michael was gay? How many secrets was the man keeping? Oh, Lord.

She pressed a hand to her heart as if to steady it. That means he was bisexual. Someone that handsome had to be swinging for both teams. How could she not have noticed? Once again, he'd played her.

But there was nothing feminine about him. Hell, there was nothing feminine about either of them. Their masculinity screamed and she would know because she'd been under one of them. Quinn didn't know how gay men fucked but she was pretty sure the hands that touched and fingered her wasn't into men.

But were they?

Color her petty, but Quinn wasn't about to let him in. In fact, she'd conveniently forgot to tell Michael that his boyfriend was waiting for him. When Michael's meeting ended, she called the next person to enter. Her eyes had met with his at some point and he'd thrown her a cheeky smile and a wave.

Quinn was seething. By the end of the day, he was the only one left. He sat with his leg crossed one over the other, heavily engaged in his phone.

She still couldn't believe Michael was his boyfriend. Hell, she couldn't believe Michael had a boyfriend. She'd thought about marching into his office and demanding answers, but it was a Monday and there were a lot of people waiting on him. But goddammit, after he was done, he'd hear from her.

Turns out she didn't have to wait long. A few minutes after the last person walked out of his office, Michael followed.

Their eyes met and he headed straight to her. They hadn't had the chance to talk since last Friday when she'd walked out of his office. She'd been willing to give it another shot until his boyfriend showed up. Now she was just pissed.

"Hey daddy."

Michael stopped in his tracks, turning towards the voice. His eyes widened in recognition. "What the fuck, Stephan? I didn't know you were back in town."

Oh, so they did know each other. How lovely.

"Yesterday. I thought I'd drop by and say hello." The man, Stephan, said, getting up and hugging Michael.

"Have you been waiting long?"

Stephan looked at her. She turned away. "About four hours."

"Jesus. You could have just called me." Michael said, returning the hug.

They looked cozy. It was true then. Fuck. Quinn hoped the ground would open up and swallow her. She'd slept with a man's boyfriend.

"I know. But where's the fun in that? Your secretary made me wait. I was beginning to think she had a personal vendetta against me." Quinn could hear the teasing tone in his voice.

"In my defense, Sir," She spoke up. "The young man said he was your boyfriend, and I didn't think letting him go in was wise seeing as you had other business to attend to. It might have distracted you."

It was the first thing that came to mind; it was also the dumbest.

Michael looked from her to Stephan. "Boyfriend?"

"Yeah," Stephan smirked. "I mean, aren't you in love with me? Everyone else is."

Michael rolled his eyes. "Don't be stupid." He turned to Quinn. "This is—"

"Stephan Belmont." Stephan quickly cut in.

"—my best friend." Michael finished.

Oh. Quinn swallowed. That made sense. She'd never felt so stupid in her entire life.

"Introducing me to your secretary. How peculiar." Stephan hummed.

Peculiar indeed. She couldn't believe she'd fell for that prank, and she'd fallen hard. She couldn't meet his eyes, suddenly recognizing the emotion she'd felt to be jealousy. In those few hours, she'd hated him, hated them both.

"Shut up." Michael said. "Dinner? We need to catch up."

"Sure. It's not like I have anything better to do than spend my evening with a man." Stephan commented dryly.

Quinn took it as a signal to pack her things. It was a little after six and she was off work already. She wanted to go home and curl in bed with a big bowl of ice cream so she could think about how stupid she was and how gradually she was falling for her boss.

"I'll call you." Michael had come close to her to whisper the words in her ear.

She nodded, avoiding his eyes.

"It was nice meeting you, Miss...."

"Faye. Quinn Faye." She said, finally meeting Stephan's gaze. In those green orbs, she couldn't mistake the teasing even if she tried. He knew something was going on with them.

"It was nice meeting you, Miss Faye." He repeated, this time with a smile.

"You too."

———

"So Quinn Faye, huh? Sweet young lady." Stephan said after a while.

Michael had been waiting for it. Stephan was the most impulsive person he knew. If he had wanted to see Michael, he wouldn't have gone to Quinn. He would've just walked into the office amidst her protests.

"Yeah." He said, wanting to know how far he would push.

Stephan was not just his best friend; he was also his brother-in-law. It had taken him a while to come to terms with the fact that his best friend and his older sister were a thing. He'd met Stephan in college. They'd been roommates. When they'd told him they were in love, he'd been angry. His sister, Gemma, was four years older than him and he was the same age as Stephan.

But in the end, common sense had prevailed. They gotten married four years ago and soon after, Esme was born.

"Third week, huh? She must've made quite an impression for you to have let her stay this long." Stephan's lips curled upward though he tried to hide it behind the wine glass he was holding.

"Uh uh," Michael shook his head. "I know what you're doing, and I know she sent you. I'm not telling you shit. You're going to revert back to her and she's going to revert back to my mom and then they're gonna have something to tease me with and I don't like to be teased."

Stephan was holding back a smile. "Not by your family, of course. What about Quinn?"

"Stephan." He warned, giving him a stern look.

"Alright. Alright." Stephan held his hands up, finally letting out the laugh. "I'll admit that Gemma did tell me to ask you what was happening but I'm here as a friend first."

"Doesn't matter. Married man are gossips." Michael chewed on his steak, enjoying the juicy flavor as it rolled over his tongue.

"Against our wish, you mean. When you get married, you'll understand."

"Uh uh, don't do that."

"Do what?"

"Try to sell the whole marriage idea by making it seem horrible and then have that stupid nostalgic smile on your face, so I'd want to try it too."

Stephan laughed. "I did no such thing."

"You better not. I'm not getting married ever. I have enough women in my life already. I don't need to tie myself down to one permanently."

Stephan was suddenly serious. "You were engaged once. What changed?"

Michael stopped cutting at his steak, letting the fork and knife in his hands fall on his plate. He gazed up at Stephan, wondering if this was just another one of his sister's tactics to get him talking.

"Is this from Gemma?"

"We all worry about you but no, this is me talking."

He believed him. Stephan would never lie to him like that, and it was the one thing he appreciated about his best friend.

"Delia is in the past. I've moved on."

"From her or the hurt?" Stephan asked.

Michael didn't like branching this topic. After everything that had happened in the past, he wanted to live it all behind him and act like it didn't exist. But it did. The day everything had fallen apart had been the defining moment in his life. He wasn't angry it had happened; he was more pissed he hadn't seen it coming.

"Both."

"Are you sure Quinn isn't just you going back to it? Maybe like déjà vu or something?"

"I don't think so." Michael said. "I hope not. I like Quinn. She's smart and funny and beautiful and feisty. You know how much I like feisty."

Stephan snorted. "I noticed. She made me wait for four hours because I said I was your boyfriend."

Michael frowned. "That's disgusting, dude."

"But it worked. She likes you."

The words made me smile. He liked her too, way more than he originally thought. He was a different person when he was with her. She made him want to smile more and live more and most importantly, she made him forget. He could get lost in her so easily. It frightened and thrilled him at the same time.

And when he touched her and she made that little sound at the back of her throat, it made him want to lose control. Nobody had ever met him with the energy that she did. It was pure and unadulterated and everything he wanted.

"Why do you have that stupid smile on your face? Are you thinking about her?" Stephan asked, narrowing his eyes.

Michael quickly arranged his face, going back to his meal. "Shut up, man."

"But Delia was all of those things, wasn't she?"

She was. Delia had been eccentric and easy going, charming everyone with just a smile. Quinn was more reserved and simple, choosing to mind her business. Two similar people couldn't have been so different.

"Quinn is different." He said curtly.

"And you know this how?"

"She's independent. I know she's not financially buoyant, yet she doesn't let me do anything for her. Not even pay for her dinner. She has a very strong sense of ownership."

"Hmm," Stephan hummed. "Gemma would love this."

"Stephan." Michael almost yelled. "You promised."

Stephan laughed. "I know, I know. I won't say anything. I'm just kidding."

Michael gave him a blank unconvinced look. "I swear they've turned you into one of them."

"What can I say?" He shrugged. "If I don't participate, I don't get some."

"That's my sister you're talking about, for God's sakes." Michael face palmed.

"I know. She's my wife."

"Piece of shit." He muttered. "So how was the opening in Santa Fe?"

Stephan nodded, plopping a very big chunk of steak into his mouth. "Very well. I didn't expect it to be so full. I swear, I couldn't breathe at some point."

Stephan owned a wine brand. The Belmont breweries was one of the most successful in the world. He'd started it at a very young age as a hobby but gradually, it blossomed into something bigger than anyone expected. Now his was the most sought-after brand in the United States and one of the most popular in the world.

"I regret not being able to attend. Had much to do here."

Stephan wiggled his brows jokingly. "Of course you did. Quinn must be a handful, am I wrong?"

Michael couldn't help the laugh that escaped him. "You're an idiot."

"But one that is right."

She was. Her body was crafted from God's finest stones, he was sure. Oh, he could get lost in those beautiful breasts of hers. He'd dreamt about them every night since the day he'd suckled on them. Her stomach, her hips. They drove him mad with desire. His cock was hard just thinking about it. Her pussy was the pinkest, the prettiest. Her slit was just the right shade of pink and the way her clit throbbed in his mouth was heaven.

Every since that day she'd walked into his office, he'd wanted her. He'd taken one look at her and his loins had exploded. He'd forgotten that it was June who he had been fucking, instead imagining Quinn under him. Her brown eyes had widened innocently, and it had driven him to that edge and over it.

He was going to call her when he got home. He hadn't been lying when he'd said he wanted her. He did. He didn't know to what extent, but it was clear that it wasn't just the sex.

But that had been how Delia wormed her way into his life. How he'd stupidly fallen for her sweet words and her well calculated actions. It had all been a farce. She'd wanted everything from him, and he'd been too blind to see it.

Somehow he knew Quinn was different, but one could never tell. He just knew he wanted her.

The game he'd started was beginning to work against him and he wasn't exactly sure he liked it.