Quinn was curled into a small ball when the door flew open, without looking up she knew it was Maxwell. No one else she knew made such dramatic entrances.
He stood at the foot of her bed with his hands thrust deep into his trouser pockets and glared at her for a full minute before speaking, ‘What the hell were you thinking of?’ he demanded, then started pacing back and forth across the small white room.
‘I’m sorry,’ she whispered, wishing he would stop pacing the floor; the constant back and forth motion was making her feel ill.
‘You didn’t have to run away for God’s sake a simple no would have been quite sufficient,’ he gave her a long hard glare. ‘I’m not so strapped for female company I have to use force!’ he snapped.
‘I know you’re not,’ she threw back at him remembering the beautiful Azzurra De Santos, ‘and stop shouting at me,’ she shouted back at him.
He glared at her for a moment before carrying on, ‘Shout, you’re damn lucky I don’t strangle you, I’ve just had to leave a very important meeting,’ he raked his hand roughly though his hair.
‘I’m sorry…’
‘Stop saying you’re sorry,’ he snapped throwing himself down in to the chair by the side of her bed. He concentrated on the floor between his feet before speaking, ‘I’ve had enough of you answering back every bloody thing I tell you, this is the last straw…’ he ranted on and on until she wasn’t listening to him anymore. ‘I have never had anyone work for me who argued with me as much as you do. I must be loosing my touch, I’ve never had anyone who dared argue with me,’ he threw at her.
‘Well I’m not sitting back while you treat me like a door mat!’ she snapped at him eventually.
He kicked out at the leg of the bed, ‘For God’s sake be quiet,’ he warned, ‘you just can’t keep those soft lips together for a moment can you? You always have to have the last word,’ he shouted ignoring her pale face, so pale it made her eyes look like huge pots of molten gold. ‘Why the hell were you running away anyway?’ he demanded, ‘one minute you’re all over me the next…’
Quinn made an angry gasping sound, ‘I was not all over you… I think if you look back it was you that couldn’t keep his hands off me!’ she threw at him angrily.
Maxwell stood by the side of the bed towering over her, ‘Why?’ he demanded ignoring her comments.
For a split second she was uncertain if she would explain her actions to him, ‘Azzurra de Santos,’ spilt from her lips.
The other woman’s name hung in the air and for a moment they glared angrily into each other’s eyes. Eventually it was Maxwell cursing which broke the hostile silence.
‘She had nothing to do…’ he started only to be interrupted.
‘Coming out of your room before eight in the morning I think has everything to do with it!’ Quinn informed him angrily, resisting the urge to scream at him.
They were still arguing heatedly when the doctor came in to check on Quinn and to give her the results of her tests. The doctor unfortunately didn’t speak English so Maxwell spoke to him in French, after telling him she was fit enough to leave he gave him another piece of information that made his face pale.
‘What?’ Maxwell demanded lapsing back into English.
‘Enceinte,’ the doctor repeated.
Quinn watched with growing alarm as the doctor looked from her to Maxwell, while Maxwell went even paler still.
‘Vous êtes sûr?'
‘Oui,’ confirmed the doctor, ‘Oui je suis sûr.’
‘Oh my God!’ he gasped slumping into the chair.
‘Maxwell what’s wrong with me?’ she asked in a small shaky voice. ‘Please tell me,’ she begged, at the same time terrified at just what he would tell her. Whatever it was, it was serious. Very serious he looked ready to collapse.
Without thinking he passed on the news from the doctor, ‘You’re pregnant!’
Quinn laughed loudly, she hadn’t expected to laugh today but here she was having a really good chuckle. ‘I don’t think so,’ she giggled, ‘in fact it would be a miracle,’ she was still laughing when she asked, ‘can I go home now?’ totally unconcerned by the information he passed on to her.
Maxwell looked at her as though she had grown another head, ‘What? Yes, yes of course you can.’ He had not moved from the seat, too stunned to move he sat in a state of shock. What the hell had he done? He covered his face with his two hands, had unprotected sex with a woman and left her pregnant. The worse part was she didn’t remember because she had been asleep and still thought she was a virgin!
‘Do you mind?’ she asked pointing to the door, ‘I want to get dressed,’ when he still didn’t move she snapped at him, ‘Mr Cordell please get out of my room!’
Obediently he leapt to his feet and dashed out in to the corridor; Quinn shook her head, what a day she thought as she dragged on her clothes again. Well if she never laughed again she had today. Pregnant!
When Quinn eventually left her room she found Maxwell sitting outside with his head in his hands. He looked up and gave a small grim smile, ‘We need to talk,’ was all he said wrapping his hand round her arm and leading the way out from the hospital.
CHAPTER NINE
Maxwell hardly spoke for the short journey back to the hotel, for some reason that escaped her understanding he looked pale and shocked and was unusually quiet as their taxi crawled through the Brussels traffic. Stealing a quick glance at him she shrugged her shoulders and wondered he couldn’t really think she was pregnant, could he, and even if she was why it should trouble him?
‘We need to have a serious talk,’ he repeated to her as they sat in a traffic jam.
‘Yes of course, I understand,’ she said in a quiet voice. Deep inside she knew he was going to fire her; she had finally taken one step too many and she had the feeling mentioning Azzurra de Santos was possibly the one step, a bit like the straw that broke the camels back.
‘No you don’t Quinn,’ he said gruffly, ‘no you bloody don’t,’ he repeated grimly. When they arrived at the hotel he took her straight to his room, ‘Sit down,’ he ordered as they walked through the door.
Quinn was in no mood for more of his ranting and instead of sitting down waited until he walked further into the room, she was no fool if he became too argument she would walk out. ‘Mr Cordell I’m tired, I think they gave me some kind of sedative at the hospital, can’t this wait?’ she sighed, what did if matter when they had their ‘talk’ he was only going to fire her anyway that much she was resigned to.
‘No it can’t wait, and stop calling me Mister,’ he shrugged off his jacket and picked up the phone, ‘have you had anything to eat?’ he asked,
She shook her head, ‘I couldn’t eat a thing,’ she informed him quite sure she would choke if she tried.
But he ignored her and ordered sandwiches from room service for them both anyway.
Maxwell looked across the room to where she stood hovering by the door, he slid his hand into his trouser pockets and held up a key, ‘You may as well sit down, you can’t get out.’ He watched her focus on the key following its progress back into his pocket.
Quinn pressed her lips together and said nothing; instead she walked further in to the room and sat in the armchair furthest away from him.
Max moved quickly toward her taking hold of one hand he gently pulled her from her seat and led her toward the sofa. ‘Sit with me.’ He waited until she was sitting before he joined her on the wide padded cushions. He reached out and took hold of both of her hands, ‘There is no easy way to tell you this,’
She waited for him to tell her she was dismissed; it was no less than she expected. But why was he holding her hands to tell her? But what he said was totally different to what she had expected to hear.
‘Quinn, there is no mistake, what the Doctor told you at the hospital....you are pregnant.’
He watched her lovely face break into a smile, ‘I am not, believe me...’
‘No you believe me, you are,’ he
insisted holding tightly onto her hands when she tried to pull away.
Still smiling she shook her head, ‘I can’t be pregnant I’ve never… you know... I’m still a virgin,’ she said quietly as her face went a delicate shade of pink.
He shook his head ‘No you’re not…’ His guilt multiplied as the colour in her cheeks deepened.
‘I am….’ she insisted while wishing he would not harp on, this was personal and really nothing to do with him.
‘Shut up Quinn,’ he said softly, ‘you’re pregnant and the baby is mine...’
He watched as the colour drained from her face and for one awful moment he thought she was going to pass out. She blinked quickly as her soft golden eyes filled with tears.
‘It can’t be…tell me you’re joking…’ she stammered there were so many thoughts hurtling through her mind at the same time she could hardly think at all. ‘Why would you say that …why would you…’ deep inside Quinn knew he was telling her the truth she just refused to accept it. ‘No…you’re lying…’
He shook his head not realising his own face was as pale as hers.
Flashes of her erotic dream played before her eyes. ‘No…I can’t be …it was just a dream....’ she whispered, pulling her slender hands from his grip she quickly lifted them to cover her pale face.
‘No dream… I’m so sorry...’ he watched while she blinked rapidly to stop the tears falling from her eyes.
‘You’re sorry…. Oh my God what have you done?’ Quinn pressed her fingers over her eyes wiping away tears. ‘When…when did you...’ she gave a sob that shook her body and tore at his heart.
Max curled his hands into balls aware the last thing she wanted was for him to touch her. ‘London… after Giles attacked you…. I didn’t know then you walked in your sleep…’
‘I was asleep… don’t you know when a person is asleep?’ she moved her hands from her face and looked into his eyes, ‘or don’t you care?’
‘I didn’t realise at the time…you appeared to be awake...’ he said quietly.
‘Where you ever going to tell me?’ she demanded angrily. ‘You despicable man you weren’t going to… if I hadn’t been pregnant you wouldn’t have told me would you?’ she sobbed.
‘I tried to tell you, every time I brought the subject up of London; you told me you didn’t want to talk about it.’
‘I thought you meant about me being attacked,’ she yelled at him. ‘I want to go home,’ suddenly she started to cry; unable to stem the flow of tears she brushed the palms of her hands across her eyes. Quinn lifted her face to look into his once again, ‘This is why you were so concerned when I was sick… why you kept asking how I felt…’
‘Yes... I wanted to tell you then that you could have been... I just couldn’t find the right words,’ his words faded as he looked into her ashen face, quickly pushing his hands into his pockets to stop from reaching for her when she started to cry again. ‘I’m so sorry, please don’t cry...’
‘Don’t cry!’ She shouted at him, ‘I…have every right to cry,’ she sobbed and turned away, ‘oh what am I going to do?’ Suddenly she realised why she had been so tired, her periods had always been erratic to say the least so a missed one here and there meant nothing to her at all.
‘It happened before I knew about you sleep walking, if I had realised,’ he sighed, ‘I would never take advantage of you Quinn, I think too much of you.’
She gave him a look of total disbelief. ‘I thought it was a dream,’ she said softly between sobs, but this time more to herself than to him.
Max rested his hand against her shoulder and turned her back to face him, ‘You dream about making love with me?’ he said quietly. Quinn said nothing but shrugged his hand away from her. ‘If I tell you what happened…damn it Quinn I didn’t realise you were asleep or that you were a virgin I wouldn’t have...’ he stopped and looked into her pale face. ‘I don’t mean to be insensitive but you were very encouraging. And just so you know you enjoyed it...very much,’ he lifted his hand and caught her chin while he looked into her eyes, ‘I made sure you did… I’m not selfish in bed….’
‘Oh shut up,’ she snapped angrily, now her face burnt red with embarrassment.
They both turned toward the door when room service arrived with their refreshments. While Maxwell let the waiter into the room Quinn stood up and walked into the bathroom to splash cold water on her face; numb with shock she sat on the side of the bath and stared unseeingly at the floor. She was still there when the waiter left.
Max gave her a few minutes on her own before pushing the bathroom door open. Quinn was sat on the side of the bath staring down at the floor, he gave a small grimace even the top of her head looked angry, and who could blame her.
‘Come and get something to eat,’ he crossed the room in two easy strides and took hold of her hands and pulled her up leading her out and toward the sofa.
Quinn could never recall being so out of kilter, her emotions ranged from anger to disbelief. How could he do that to her while she slept? She looked up quickly while he fixed their drinks, never mind drinking the coffee she would like to pour it over his head.
Max poured them both coffee but as he went to offer her the cup he hesitated, ‘Should you drink coffee?’ he asked looking from her to the black liquid.
‘Just give me the bloody stuff!’ she snapped angrily at him.
‘Don’t swear, its most un-lady like,’ he told her placing the cup in her outstretched hand.
Quinn gave a harsh laugh, ‘Yes and it’s un-gentlemanly to have sex with a woman while she’s asleep!’
They both sat in a tense stunned silence, unaware he was watching her she laid her hand across her still flat stomach.
‘I’ll take care of you… both of you,’ he said with a slight catch in his deep voice.
‘I don’t want anything from you and I certainly don’t want you to ‘take care’ of me!’ she threw at him. Then looking into his eyes she took a deep shuddering breath before she spoke. ‘I have strong beliefs about sex before marriage, old fashioned as it may seem in this day. It wouldn’t have mattered if I had been fifty before I met the right man,’ her chin quivered, ‘I would have waited. Now you have taken that… when you had no right,’ she brushed away the tears that ran freely down her cheeks. ‘I was asleep you bastard…’
This time as her tears fell he pulled her into his arms, ignoring her protests and struggles he held her tightly against his chest. ‘You shouldn’t upset yourself, it’s bad for the baby,’ he said soothingly.
She looked up to him with tear filled eyes, ‘I shouldn’t be pregnant, and then it wouldn’t matter how upset I am, you rat…’
He ignored her insults and held onto her gently rubbing her shoulders and back as she sobbed. ‘We’ll work something out, I promise to look after you and the baby...’
‘The only thing I want is to go home… I don’t want anything off you and I certainly don’t want you to ‘work’ anything out. I want to go home and never see you again.’ Quinn’s breath caught, what where her family going to think, what a dreadful mess he had made of her life. ‘You bastard,’ she sobbed softly.
Maxwell sat and watched her fighting to control her emotions, ‘We’ll talk later when you’ve got over the initial shock,’ he informed her, using a tone of voice normally reserved for Boardroom Meetings.
‘I don’t want to talk to you now or later,’ she retorted as she started to stand.
‘Well that’s tough,’ he said pulling her back beside him, ‘because I want to talk to you!’
His angry words upset her and she burst into tears once again, Maxwell did what he had wanted to do since he found her sat in the hospital bed, he pulled her tightly against his chest and buried his face in her soft fragrant hair.
When the phone call had come through to the meeting that his p.a. was in hospital he had raced to her bedside concerned she was ill, at first no one seemed aware of what had happened to her, all he was told was she had been tak
en to hospital. It was only when he arrived that the reception nurse filled him in with the details. Worry turned to relief she was unharmed, relief turned to anger when he realised she had been running away from him, but he was not just angry he was hurt because it had been a long time since he had allowed himself to become emotionally close to a woman.
‘Everything will be all right,’ he promised smoothing down her hair.
‘You don’t even like me,’ she whispered her words muffled against his chest, ‘how could you…’
He stopped stroking her hair and lifted her head from his chest, ‘I like you very much Quinn. I thought I made that quiet clear to you last night, besides I don’t sleep with every woman that offers herself, no matter how much she encourages me,’ he brushed his fingers across her tear flushed cheeks. ‘I have to feel something for her,’ he told her honestly.
She looked up into his eyes for some sign he was lying to her, that was something she had found out about him over the time she had worked for him he always told the truth. No matter how painful, no matter whom it hurt.
Quinn pushed herself out of his arms, ‘I still want to go home,’ she said wrapping her arms around her own body. When he did not answer her she looked to where he sat on the sofa, for a fleeting moment their eyes met. Amazingly it was he who looked away first, ‘I said...’ she started to say.
‘I heard what you said,’ he cut in quickly. ‘You are not going anywhere, I want you to sit down and talk to me, tell me about this dream you mentioned.’
‘No… I won’t,’ she turned away as her face started to burn. She stifled a groan and looked back toward him and her embarrassment grew. She had been naked... he had been naked... They’d probably touched…not probably definitely…
‘Quinn are you all right?’ he asked as he started to stand.
‘Leave me alone, I just want some time to myself,’ she told him waiving her hands at him.
‘I don’t have any plans to go out sorry,’ he said smoothly resting back against the deep cushioned sofa.
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