by Lana Dash
"There you are, man," he breathes, stepping in front of Evan.
I’m able to keep walking, unable to hide the smile on my face. I have only a moment to decide if I want to glance over my shoulder and see if he’s watching me. If he is, then maybe I'm not as much of a spaz as I imagined being. I take a breath and straighten my face just before turning the corner and glance back. Evan’s dark eyes are on me. His expression is a mix of curiosity and something else I can’t read.
Thank you, Gabriella.
3
EVAN
What the hell was that? Did I just dream Quinn flirting with me?
“E, come on,” Tyler steps into my line of vision just as Quinn rounds the corner out of sight. “I kind of need you to focus on me right now. You can drool over your lady crush later.”
My gaze swings back to Tyler, and I glare at him. "Do you mind? I don't think the entire floor heard you."
Tyler shrugs. “She’s not listening. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her without her earbuds unless we’re in a meeting.”
“She didn’t have them in just now,”
Tyler pulls a face. “Is she still behind me?”
I roll my eyes. “If she was, do you think I’d still be talking to you?”
“Good point.”
I start walking towards our team’s set of cubicles near the back wall. “What was so important that you had to interrupt?”
"Please tell me you have a copy of the slide show for the meeting today."
I close my eyes in exasperation. Tyler would lose his head if it weren't attached to his body. It seems like nearly every other day. I'm bailing him out of something. I've lost count of the amount of IOUs he owes me.
“Yes, I saved a copy on my computer,” I sigh. “I’ll email it to you before the meeting.”
He holds his fists up in triumph. “I knew I could count on you.”
I get to my desk, but I notice that Quinn’s desk on the other side of the half-wall partition is empty. She’s probably already in the conference room. If I’m quick, I might just get a chance to sit next to her. I power up my computer and send Tyler the slide show presentation.
Most of the seats are taken by the time I get in there. The best I can do is take one of the empty seats across from her.
“This seat is open,” Claudia pats the empty seat next to her. “I saved it just for you.”
I catch Quinn glance over at Claudia and then to me. But when she sees me looking at her, she looks away quickly. I’m starting to think what I thought was indifference might be shyness. So often, Quinn keeps to herself, and I keep looking for an opening with her. A moment for her to let her guard down, and I can get closer to her.
I reluctantly sit down in the empty seat next to Claudia. I don't miss how she scoots her chair closer to mine, but I ignore her. She's made it clear that she would be very open to the idea if I were interested in pursuing something with her.
The meeting begins, and I have a hard time focusing on what anyone is saying because my full attention is on Quinn—it usually is when I’m around her. I watch the way she gets a tiny crease between her brows when she hears something she doesn't like. My dick twitches when she bites down on the cap of her pen, and her tongue pushes out slightly to wet the tip. I pull my chair closer to the table to hide my body’s reaction to her. The soft curves of her breast pressed together when she leans forward on the table.
“Any suggestions on how we can run the conversion without disrupting the system’s data?” Mason, our boss, asks.
“I think we could—" Quinn starts to say, but Claudia cuts her off.
"If we are to run the conversion after the backup, we wouldn't have to worry about losing anything in the process."
Mason points to Claudia. “Good thinking. Can you take point working with Declan from IT to make that happen?”
“Sure,” Claudia smiles smugly at Quinn. “Maybe Evan can work with me.” Her hand reaches under the table on my leg and move so quickly out of her reach that I run into Tyler on my other side.
QUINN
It's bad enough that Claudia likes to talk over me at every opportunity in meetings like this, but now she is trying to flaunt her attention on Evan. I swear she’s only interested in him because she heard me talking to Jess on the phone about my feelings for him. In an office setting like this, I hate how so often women like Claudia work harder to tear down the other women on the team. It's like she thinks that there can only be one successful woman on a team. It's moments like this that make me believe that corporate work isn't for me, but I'm not sure what I'd do if I didn't have this job.
I try to think about what Gabriella would do in this situation? Even just thinking out her sparks excitement in getting back to my desk and putting in my earbuds to keep listening to the audiobook. She and Sebastian are about to take out his yacht, and if Courtney's comments last night about this scene are correct, I'm going to be able to push Claudia out of my mind until five o'clock.
I sit down at my desk and grab my earbuds from my bag and slip them in. The seductively husky sound of the narrator begins.
“When Sebastian spoke of his yacht, he called it his “weekend toy.” I couldn’t have imagined ever meeting anyone that called a hundred-and-thirty-five-foot sport yacht a toy.”
The narrator continued describing the elegance of the yacht and open ocean when they set out as I worked on running my weekly reports.
I lost myself in the story as I listened to Sebastian and Gabriella have some alone time in the rear of the yacht under the stars.
“Sebastian’s hand glided down my neck over my breast, squeezing the soft flesh beneath the thin fabric of my halter dress. My nipples pebble from his touch, and I arch my back, needing some relief. It's like a fire is consuming me from the inside out, and only he can ease the burn.”
I shift in my desk chair, trying not to get worked up by the words being whispered in my ears. I pick up the notepad I was taking notes on and fan myself a few times.
“‘Tell me what you want,’ Sebastian purrs, his lips scorching a fiery trail between my breasts. His fingers tug on the fabric, baring me to the heavens above us. I cry out when his mouth latches onto the pebbled peak of my bare breast, licking and nipping.” The narrator continues, but her voice wavers a bit.
I look down at my phone and see the red outline of an empty battery icon. I remember all at once that I forgot to charge my earbuds when I got in this morning because of the early meeting.
I don't have time to react before the voice in my ears disappear, and I can only hear it faintly.
“I know what Sebastian is looking for. He wants words as much as he wants my body. I’m more than willing to give him both.”
I scramble to grab my phone, realizing all at once that when the battery in my earbuds gave out, the phone didn’t stop playing the story. The narrator’s voice continues to read out loud so all the cubicles surrounding me can hear.
“I want your hot, throbbing cock inside me. Claim me as your own, Sebastian.”
I fumble with the buttons on the side of my phone but end up turning up the volume a bit more.
“I want to feel every inch of your thick cock as it plunges in and out of me.”
The thought of slamming my phone down on the desk to break it so it will stop playing crosses my mind, but finally, my fingers find the other volume button, and I'm able to lower it until it's muted.
I look up in horror to find Evan’s wide eyes on me. My cheeks get hot, and I can only imagine they are as cherry red as a tomato. I’m frozen in my spot. I can’t believe that just happened. A part of me hopes that this was all a dream and I'm going to wake up any second. When escape from this waking nightmare doesn't come, my feet move on their own, and I'm sprinting towards the exit.
4
EVAN
I stare after Quinn for the second time today—seeing her in a completely different light than I ever have before. Did I just hear what I thought I heard coming from her
side of the cubicle wall?
For a stunned few seconds, no one says anything. And I’m not sure that I didn’t just make that up in my head. I look over at Tyler, and he seems to be the only one not staring at the exit door that leads towards the elevators. His large headphones are perched over his ears, and he’s bobbing his head to his music.
Suddenly Claudia bursts out laughing, drawing Tyler’s attention. He looks around and sees everyone’s stunned expressions. He pulls off his headphones.
“What?” He looks around. “What did I miss?”
I don’t bother to stick around and wait to hear how Claudia exaggerates what happened. Everyone else returns to their work as if nothing happened. But I can't help but want to see how Quinn is doing.
I stand up and grab Quinn's coat and purse off the hook on the wall, and head for the elevators, ignoring both Claudia and Tyler calling after me.
I'm not sure if I'm going to find her, but I can't imagine she will get very far without these items. I push out the office building doors and look around. There isn't a lot of foot traffic, making it easier to find Quinn, sitting on the retaining wall, looking out at the street.
“I wasn’t sure if you might need these,” I say as I sit down next to her.
She turns her head away, so I can't see her face. I set her coat and purse down between us.
“Thank you,” she says softly.
“Are you okay?”
She doesn’t answer for a moment. The sound of a siren ringing out in the distance nearly fades away before she speaks.
"Do you ever have that dream where you show up at school, and everyone is looking at you weird, and when you look down, you realize you're naked? That's what I feel like right now."
“I know exactly what you’re talking about,” I say, looking out to the street. “But in my dream, the words ‘hot, throbbing cock’ are hardly ever mentioned.”
A bubble of laughter bursts out of her, and I can't help but smile too. She turns back to me. Her eyes are a bit red, probably from tears that she's already wiped away. The urge to pull her into my arms to try and take away the pain is strong.
“It wasn’t as bad as you think,” I assure her.
Her smile is weak but still there. “I know you're lying, but I appreciate the effort."
“I wouldn’t lie to you.” I point up at the building. “Tyler didn’t even hear it.”
She chuckles humorously. “Yeah, but Claudia would have told him all about it by now.”
She's right, but I don't think now is a good time to tell her this.
“If it makes you feel better, I’m very curious to find out what happens between Sebastian and—” I pause for her to answer.
“Gabriella.”
“Sebastian and Gabriella,” I muse, looking out into the steady flowing traffic in front of us. “So, can you tell me a little bit more about these two?”
“I’d rather not.”
"Come on. You've already shared so much.” I chuckle.
She tilts her head at me like she’s not amused.
“Too soon to joke?”
Her usual smile, which makes my lungs in my chest tighten, returns. “A little bit.”
“Fair enough.”
A quietness settles between us, well as quiet as it can get with all the city noise around us. I put my hand down between us, the tips of my fingers brushing against hers. It’s a good sign when she doesn’t move her hand away.
“He’s a billionaire.”
I nod. “As most of us guys are.”
She chuckles but elbows me gently in the arm. “And she’s beautiful and quiet.”
I turn to look at Quinn. “All the best ones are.”
Her eyebrow lifts slightly in surprise, and I’m glad to see that she understands what I’m trying to say to her in so many words.
“Gabriella is on a new path in her life. One where she doesn’t stand by and let her voice get lost in all the noise around her. There’s something about Sebastian that brings it out of her, in everyday life and—in the bedroom.”
Quinn and I have barely spoken more than a few sentences to each other at one time since she started working here last summer. I could never have imagined that when she finally opened up that this is what we'd be talking about.
“Was that what happened in the elevator this morning?”
I can feel her hand tense beneath mine. “Yes. I’m tired of always letting people talk over me like Claudia did today in the meeting. I want to be that woman who isn’t afraid to say what she wants when she wants it.”
Say you want me.
“Then do it.”
“It’s not that easy.”
“Okay, but it’s not that hard either," I say. "You have a voice. You are using it now. More so than I've ever heard before. People want to hear you. I know I always look forward to hearing what you have to say.”
She studies my face like she's looking for some hint of insincerity. But she won’t find one. I said before that I wanted her to open up to me. And now that she is, I’m not ready to let this new side of her go.
A crazy idea pops into my head.
"Are you coming back up, or are you just going to go home for the day?" I ask.
She looks up at the building and then down at the watch on her wrist. "The day is almost over, and I’m not really ready to face anyone after what happened.”
I nod, understanding the need to let the dust settle a bit. “Tomorrow is Saturday. Do you have any plans?”
She thinks for a moment. “Nothing concrete.”
“Will you meet me tomorrow afternoon?”
“Where?”
“I’ll text you the address and the time. I have an idea on a way to help you find your voice like Gabriella.” I pull my phone from my pocket and hand it over to her. “Put your number in. I’ll text you tomorrow, and you can always say no if you change your mind."
Please don’t change your mind.
She plugs in her number and hands it back to me. “I guess after today, nothing you witness from me will be all that embarrassing.”
5
QUINN
Jess’s uncontrollable laughter is not quite the reaction I was hoping for when I tell her about what happened at work today.
I scowl at my best friend. “I’m so glad my misery amuses you.”
She wipes at the tears in her eyes and starts to settle down. “What part was it?”
I mumble my response into my sangria glass.
“Which part? I couldn’t hear you.”
“The yacht scene,” I practically yell at her.
Her eyes go wide like she suddenly understands the full weight of embarrassment in this situation.
“Oh honey,” she says before choking back some residual laughter that she pretends is a cough.
“I’m sure it wasn’t that bad.”
I think about sitting outside with Evan. How he tried to make me laugh and feel better about everything that happened. He even volunteered to talk to Mason and explain about leaving early. The idea of talking to anyone in the office, even someone who didn’t witness my humiliation, still feels like too much. I'm just glad that it's Friday, and I have a few days before I have to go back in.
“It wasn’t all bad.”
I tell her about talking to Evan, and this perks up her interest. She's heard me talk about him before on several occasions.
“I told you that he’s into you.”
I shake my head. “He’s just trying to be nice.”
Jess laughs. “Guys don’t work that way. Most of the time, the head they are thinking with isn’t the one on their shoulders.”
I think about some of the things he said. He also has a hard time finding the right way to say what he's thinking but knows exactly what he wants.
My phone on the coffee table pings with a text alert.
EVAN: I've managed to find a substitute mode of transportation for tomorrow. Can I pick you up?
ME: Where are we going?
EVAN: I told you, it's a surprise. I had to turn in a few IOUs from Tyler to make this happen.
ME: Okay, now you have to tell me.
EVAN: Sorry, can’t do it.
EVAN: We all aren’t brooding billionaires. A guy like me needs to keep some air of mystery to impress the girl. Pick you up around 6?
I stare down at my phone. He's trying to impress me? I quickly type out the address as a response, trying to keep it cool and not putting what I really want: the dancing lady emoji about sixteen times.
“Is that him?” Jess asks.
I look up, the smile on my face telling her everything she needs to know. She sits back on the sofa and takes a sip of her sangria.
“I told you he was into you.”
The following evening, Evan is parked outside my building waiting for me. I had a hard time falling asleep last night trying to think of all the different places he would be taking me today.
He gets out when he sees me and walks around the car to open the door.
“You look beautiful,” he says, eyeing my dress.
It's form-fitting to my curves without giving away the whole show. Jess and I decided that it’s the perfect mix of friendly outing and possible date dress.
As I pass him to get in, the scent of leather from Evan’s jacket mixed with his aftershave makes my lower belly heat up with excitement.
“You ready?” he asks a bit of mischief in his smile.
“As I’ll ever be.”
We drive across town, making casual conversation. It's surprising how easily I can talk to Evan now. It's starting to feel like one of the most embarrassing moments in my adult life may have just opened the door to lead me to something new.
"Here we are," Evan says, pulling to a stop in front of a nondescript brick building.
“Where?” I look around.
He points to the brick building and notices a small sign on the front near the door—Audi-ohh Studios.
“Tyler’s sister runs this studio. They record audiobooks here for, umm, fiction that is more to your taste.”