by Ava Walsh
Dear God! She thought to herself as he smiled back in her direction.
Quinn had seen and known many a handsome man before, but this guy had it all! Dark hair swept back over a sturdy brow, a smile whiter than freshly fallen snow, and piercing grey eyes that buried themselves deep within the spirit of anyone who dared to look at them.
“I’m Derek,” he said with a sideways glance.
“Quinn,” she replied and held out a hand to shake.
He took it.
“Are you here for the crazy ex-boyfriend case?” He raised a perfectly shaped brow.
“Mhm, that’s the one, pretty silly huh?” She responded with a little bit of shame.
He looked at her for a moment, concerned he might have offended the pretty girl in the elevator. Quinn, that was her name, so pretty.
“Actually, Quinn, to be perfectly honest with you, I think you are justified in taking him to court and that you have a very strong case against him. I am confident you will do well,” he said finally. What was he thinking? He shouldn’t ever discuss cases like this.
“Thanks,” Quinn replied maybe a bit too quickly, wondering how he knew about her case. “Well, this is my stop, have a good day!” She called as she bolted for the exit.
When she turned to look back at the apparently empty doorway to the elevator, she almost ran headfirst into the hypnotizing man she had just stumbled upon. What is he doing? Following me?
“I’m sitting in on your case Miss...” his voice trailed. He didn’t know her full name.
“Astley, Quinn Astley,” she smiled, saving his need to ask.
“Miss Astley,” he whispered, and shook her hand once again before turning into the courtroom and leaving her alone in the hallway.
Chapter 2
A few moments later Derek found himself turning around and around waiting for the beautiful blonde he had just set eyes on. But he couldn’t see her anywhere in the room.
She had better get a move on, it would be a shame if she were late, he thought mildly concerned. Derek knew that in any perfect courtroom scenario, it was more than simply a matter of being polite to arrive on time or even a little early. It could make or break a case depending on the mood of the judge, and the allegations being made.
Derek’s golden rule to court dates was: twenty minutes early, thirty minutes late. It was something he picked up from when he watched his parents run the law firm and got to see the odd court case. If you arrive twenty minutes early you have time to prepare, to assess your surroundings and to piss. Nothing could be worse than sitting through anything, let alone a legal hearing, being able to focus on nothing but how bad you have to go to the bathroom. The thirty minutes late referred to leaving thirty minutes after the hearing ends. In this time, if your case is won, you may ask questions if you have any. You can take the time to find your lawyer and thank them, hug your family and friends. And if your case loses, console your loved ones, ask more questions, and find out your next steps.
For Derek, success always came at a price. Sure he was now one of the richest men in Toronto and had one of the most powerful law firms out there. But the price of this success? His parents.
When Derek was young he would love to follow his father to court cases that were gentle enough for his innocence. When he got a little older he started to take courses in law in high school graduating with straight A’s. By the time college rolled around Derek was more than willing to join in on the family business and head to law school after four long years doing an undergrad in English Literature and Business.
Upon completion of law school, Derek's parents made him heir to their firm in the case of their death and began showing him the ropes of more intricate matters of law. By the time he was twenty-six years old Derek was on first name basis with the majority of his father's clients and was continuously assisting his mother in the paperwork for those cases.
That was the year he became a billionaire. At twenty-six years old, already vastly more accomplished than many of his peers from the University of Toronto School of Business, and steadily rising, Derek came face to face with his first major heartbreak.
A car crash caused by a drunk driver at the corner of Queen and Spadina took the lives of both his parents and the future of the law firm fell on his shoulders. The driver was charged and arrested on scene and the trial was held at the courthouse just a few blocks away from the Rachel and Jerry Harting Law Firm. It was the first trial Derek had sat in on since his parents had passed and it quickly became a ritual for him to attend the hearings and trials of those he was responsible for at the firm.
That’s what brought him to the courthouse on Tuesday.
Although it was a smaller case and one he had not been personally involved in himself, the subject of possessive ex-boyfriends always made him nervous. When he heard one of his employees talking about an upcoming case involving a psychotic ex-boyfriend who trashed a woman’s car, he had to know more. He had to make sure he was served his justice if there was any way he could help.
Derek had the past. Hell, who doesn't? Quinn had the past and so did he, he thought as he finally saw her come through the door. Her matching red heels and tank top seemed to glow in the midst of the black pantsuit she had on. It caressed her curves in the most attractive way and for a moment he caught himself staring.
He couldn’t go there. Stopping his thoughts before they got ahead of him, he distracted himself from her by watching the door to the judge’s office until he came out from behind it.
The trial was short and as Derek predicted, Quinn won her case and came out being just shy of twenty grand richer. He could hardly recall any of the proceedings as he had spent the majority of the duration admiring the shiny blonde curls that hung just a few rows in front of him.
She rose and hugged a friend nearby but hung around a few moments longer until the courtroom had all but cleared. So he stayed, intrigued, pretending to be busy on his cell phone. He watched as she approached the front of the courtroom, waiting patiently for the judge to re-emerge from his office. When he finally did, Quinn stepped towards him with a smile that could melt a man to liquid in seconds. With admiration for her professionalism, he remained in the back of the room as she shook hands with the judge and asked some further questions about the case. With a reassuring hand on her shoulder, the judge assured her that she would not have to deal with Michael Biers anymore.
Derek planned to leave the room before she noticed his lingering presence but failed as she turned around quicker than expected and froze at the sight of him.
Chapter 3
“Hello again,” she greeted him with a wide grin spreading across her face.
“Case well won, Miss Astley. My congratulations to you,” he quipped.
Her heart skipped a beat when he flashed a dazzling smile at her. Derek gestured to lead her from the room and into the hall which was basically empty except for the two of them.
“Thank you again for reassuring me before heading in there, I think I needed a boost,” she replied, continuing to smile.
With fresh nerve running through her, Quinn turned to head for the doors of the courthouse, she had a nice bottle of wine waiting for her at home regardless of today’s outcome. The moment she reached the door a hand grabbed the handle before she could even raise her own. She looked up into the shining grey eyes that were starting to become familiar, and let him open the door for her. They exited together and she thanked him again, speeding up towards her car.
“Wait, Miss Astley!” He called without thinking.
She turned on her heel, “yes Mr...” she trailed, she didn’t know his full name this time.
“Harting,” he replied sweetly.
“Mr. Harting.”
“I just wondered if I could maybe take you to dinner tonight, you know, to celebrate your success”, he rambled. Well, that wasn’t very smooth, he thought silently.
“Um...” she started.
“We don’t have to if you’d rather not�
��, he interjected through fear of being rejected.
“No, that would be... lovely, thank you”, she stuttered a little at the thought of going out with the handsome stranger.
“I’ll pick you up at seven, where do you live?” He quizzed.
She shuffled through her purse for a moment and retrieved a little purple pen. Then she took his hand and wrote her address on his palm, smiled, and got in her car.
Wow, how does she do that? He contemplated as his hand seared with heat where she had touched him.
Chapter 4
Derek hadn’t been this distracted by a woman since Isabel and that was over five years ago. Isabel was one of Derek’s more serious relationships and one of the most complex. They met in law school and had been close for years before they started seeing each other romantically. Isabel was always out with her girlfriends and enjoying her younger years in a more carefree way than what Derek was used to himself. She was a socialite and loved to party which often brought her in situations that made Derek jealous. Her social circle had no boundaries and was ever expanding which seemed to leave Derek on the outside a lot of the time, but he loved her.
When his parents died she was there for him when he needed her most and she was patient with him. But something inside Derek changed when he lost the most influential people he had ever known. It started with the desire to be left alone at night and progressed all the way to struggling to refrain from hitting her whenever they argued. He knew something wasn’t right and that he had to figure it out before something bad happened.
One night he took Isabel to the park for a walk in the cool summer grass. It seemed to be exactly what he needed, he felt comfortable and at ease and became even more so as the night went on. The moon rose slowly and lit up the sparkling green trees and Isabel looked so wonderful in the moonlight. And then he felt it; a tingling in his toes and fingertips that reminded him of being drunk. Then it spread through his arms and legs, up through his torso until it reached his muscular chest and poised head where it exploded into searing, burning pain. He screamed in agony as Isabel rushed to his side. The next thing he was aware of was Isabel’s high-pitched shriek and her brown hair flowing behind her as she ran in the opposite direction. Still blinded with pain, Derek looked down at his trembling hands and saw that they were now covered in hair and his fingernails were growing longer and sharper by the second.
What the hell was going on? He panicked and he felt his spine crack as he hit the ground in misery. The scorching pain thriving in his body lasted only a few minutes but it felt like hours. Feeling it ease, Derek attempted to stand but was unable to find balance and fell back onto all fours. He realized then that something horrible had happened. His eyes refocused and he had never seen this clear in his life. The trees glistened with dew in the light of the full moon and Derek very quickly became aware of how heightened his other senses now were. He could hear the whistle of wind through blades of grass crunching beneath his feet. He could smell the gamey odor of the animals in the distance and most intensely he could taste the hunger for meat burn in the back of his throat.
How the hell had this happened? Derek asked himself once he had regained a human disposition. It’s not like he had contemplated becoming an animal, he didn’t want this. What happened? He continued to wonder.
He headed home, sick with guilt and concern for Isabel. Once safely back in his condo Derek sat down to a cup of coffee and his laptop. He opened it up and with doubt he’d learn anything, dove deep into the realm of superstition which no longer seemed so ludicrous to him.
Apparently there were plenty of ideas about why these changes occur in different people. Certain changes were triggered by puberty. That definitely wasn’t the case with Derek. Other triggers were things like a near death experience or simple evolution. None of those seemed to make sense either. And then he found it. Trauma. He thought back to when he started having strange feelings in his gut and when his attitude began to change. It happened just after his parents’ deaths. Of course. He thought solemnly, remembering his parents' faces in his mind. Now what?
Derek knew he couldn't let this secret out, not to anyone. Needless to say, Isabel never called him back and he couldn't find the sense in himself to blame her. He was a monster that easily could have killed her that night. Instead, he had managed to kill some raccoons and a few squirrels which seemed to do the trick. And soon enough he learned that that was how he could control it. Keeping out of the way of humans on a full moon to protect them was the only thing he could do.
Chapter 5
It was only five o’clock by the time Quinn arrived home from her small errand runs for the day, but she was in a hurry to jump in the shower and clean up for her date. This would be her first date in months and he was extremely attractive to boot!
Tearing off her pantsuit and whipping a brush through her tangle of curls, Quinn scampered into the bathroom and turned on the shower. She liked the water almost hot enough to burn and she was always red from head to toe when she emerged. Hastily scrubbing her luscious locks and rinsing off the day's sweat and fatigue, Quinn hopped out of the shower, securing a towel around her, and made for the kitchen. Tea was what she needed, it helped to calm her and she was far from calm. What am I going to wear? How should I do my makeup? And what if he wants me to come back to his place? The thoughts scrambled through her mind as the water boiled. Deciding that she would just have to wait and see, led her back to her room with her cup of freshly boiled confidence.
An hour and a half later, Quinn hung up her towel and slipped into a green, velvet dress that stretched just above her knees. Smudging the last shade of grey eye shadow over her smoking eyes, Quinn stepped back from the mirror to make her assessment. The dress was cinched at the waist and formed a V-shape starting mid-thigh. It was truly flattering and it brought out the highlights in her hair and eyes. Unprepared for the immediacy of the situation, the doorbell rang, making Quinn jump.
She ran to the door, gave her hair a quick shake while looking in the sun shaped mirror in the entranceway, took a deep breath and opened it.
Standing in her doorway was a man even more handsome than the one she had met that afternoon. He was now dressed in a full-blown suit with his hair gelled in place and a scent of clean and not too overpowering cologne.
“Hi”, she stammered. “You’re early”.
“I can go back to my car and wait if you need more time to get ready,” he replied politely.
“Oh no! It’s fine, I’m just not used to people being on time these days,” she recovered.
“Ah, I see. Well, it’s kind of a self-imposed rule I have to always be early. At least twenty minutes,” he remarked, smirking at her obviously impressed gaze. “Shall we?” And he offered her his hand.
She took it and they walked down the steps to his car. It was a Porsche 9 11 in Sunflower Yellow. This is literally my dream car, Quinn thought, not realizing she said it out loud.
“It was mine too, and now it’s my reality,” chirped Derek.
He assisted her into the passenger seat and shut the door behind her. Quinn held her breath for a moment, making sure she wasn’t dreaming and then let it out as they sped down the driveway.
Chapter 6
For the first time in a long time for both of them, Quinn and Derek had an outstanding first date. They told each other about their families, asked questions and enjoyed a delicious meal in a candlelit restaurant.
The pair shared intimate details with one another as if they had known each other their entire lives. Quinn's liveliness and eccentric attitude were a refreshing breath to Derek who spent most of his time around office folk who were desperately bored with their lives. But Quinn was genuinely passionate about real estate and he could see her eyes light up as she talked about it. And for Quinn, Derek's gentlemanly demeanor and sincere interest in her life were reviving. Before Mike, the last guy she dated had an overwhelming desire for sex and sex alone and it got really stale really fast. The date wa
s a welcome change for both of them and the time seemed to float away.
Derek watched entranced as Quinn sipped her wine from across the table. Her lips puckered as the elixir dripped into her mouth and he had to stifle a slight giggle. She was so intriguing he thought, as a desire to taste the wine from her sweet lips grabbed him below the belt.
She caught him staring out the corner of her eye through her wine glass and her breath caught in her throat. Those eyes could burn a hole in my soul she thought, finding herself staring back at the rich, brooding, sexy man that sat across from her. She felt her insides liquefy when he met her gaze. Her body was electrified by the connection and she wanted him, more than she had wanted anyone in a very long time.
It was some moments before she finished her wine and Derek had called for the cheque. By this point, the level of concealment of their desire for one another had become so clear that the older couple across the room had begun to stare, unsettled by the obvious attraction between the two.
“Dinner was wonderful, thank you,” Quinn cooed with a pleasantly full stomach. “Let’s go walk it off down the waterfront trail!” She proposed excitedly.
Not remembering what day it was or the time of that day, Derek smiled in agreement and took her hand as they walked towards the water. He couldn’t help but let her walk a pace ahead of him so that he could keep an eye on her tantalizing rear end. Quinn popped out of her strappy sandals and carried them as they walked along the shore of the Scarborough Bluffs. It was the perfect night.
Their chatter continued into probing questions about past relationships and what they wanted out of life. Quinn was enjoying herself immensely and Derek was pleasantly enthralled with watching her prance along the water’s edge as they spoke. He took her hand and looked into her globe-like eyes sparkling like emeralds when he caught sight of it. Just there dancing above and dipping behind her pupils, two of them, two full moons. He froze. How could he forget? Tonight was the full moon. Worse still, a quick glance at his watch told him that it was only one minute before midnight.