by Jewel E. Ann
“Um, sure but it will have to be a late lunch, maybe around two? That way it will tide us over in case we end up tear gassed and thrown in the slammer.” We both broke into a giggle fit.
“Sounds good. Be prepared to share the ‘long story.’”
“Bye, Mac.”
“I’m serious, Addy, don’t you think you’re going to dodge me on this one.”
“Two o’clock.”
I pressed End right as two hands snaked around my waist from behind.
“Mmm, hope you’re hungry. A massive buffet of food is on it’s way up.”
He untied my robe and slid his hands up to cup my breasts. “I’m hungry, baby, but not for food.” One hand slipped down over my belly, but I grabbed it before it went any lower.
“Food first. Besides, you’re out of condoms.”
“We don’t need condoms for what I have in mind.” He turned me around and backed me into one of the dining chairs. “Sit.”
“Quinn, they’re going to be at the door any minute.” I tried to object but failed to sound convincing.
“Then you’d better cooperate. Sit.”
I sat leaning against the back and gripping the wood arms with my hands. He knelt in front of me and pushed the sides of my robe open. Grabbing my ankles, he put my feet on his shoulders.
“Dr. Cohen, are you doing a pelvic exam on me?”
“Yes, and I plan on being very thorough.” He slid a finger in me and I tilted my head back.
“Ooohh.”
He buried his face between my legs and made haste with his “oral exam.”
“God, Quinn, that … uh … that feels … so … good.”
The pressure was building and he started to slow down. “Don’t stop, please!”
There was a knock at the door and he started to pull away but I grabbed his head and shamelessly pushed him back between my legs until he resumed.
“Don’t … just finish.” I tilted my chin down and gave him a serious look.
Quinn’s expert tongue worked it’s magic in record time.
There was another knock at the door.
“Oh God! I’m coming!”
I’m sure room service must have thought I was starving, given my enthusiasm.
Quinn eased my legs down and pulled my robe closed. Leaving me limp in the chair. He smiled then answered the door, no doubt quite proud of himself.
I never asked or wanted to know about Mac and Evan’s sex life, but I had to wonder if oral sex in a dining room chair while waiting for room service was normal.
Was anything about Quinn normal?
*
“What’s on the agenda today?” Quinn asked between bites.
“Well, my agenda includes a day on the town with Mac.”
“I see, well I have a meeting this afternoon then I’m heading back to New York, but I’m glad you’ll have plenty of reminders of me when you walk around this big suite tonight all alone.”
I raised an eyebrow at him. “If you think I’m staying in this room another night, then you have completely fallen off your rocker, Mr. Cohen.”
“Addy, I told you the money doesn’t matter.”
I hated when people who had money said that. It was a slap in the face to the vast majority of people who lived paycheck to paycheck or without a job at all.
“If the money doesn’t matter, then you shouldn’t have a problem with me staying someplace cheaper and writing me a check for the six grand instead.”
His eyebrows furrowed in worry. “Jesus, Addy, if you needed money all you had to do was ask.”
I shook my head but didn’t go into my financial status. “I’m not staying in this room another night, but I would like to show you something if you have your checkbook.”
“Nobody uses checks anymore. Will cash work?”
“Yes.”
“Fine,” he grumbled, “go get ready to go. I’ll be back in an hour. Is six grand enough?”
“Yes, that’s good for today,” I said over my shoulder on my way to the bathroom. By the time I showered, dressed, and packed up, Quinn was already waiting for me. He stood by the window in his tailor-made suit with his hands casually shoved in his pockets. Once again he caught me ogling him.
He pulled one hand from his pocket and scratched his stubbled chin. “See something you like?”
My eyes jerked up to his. “Uh … we’d better get going so you don’t miss your meeting.” I smiled and headed to the door.
He grabbed my bags and smirked. “God, I love how insatiable you are.”
When we reached the front of the hotel, as I expected, Eddie was waiting at the curb.
“Mr. Cohen, Miss Brecken.”
“Eddie,” Quinn acknowledged as I smiled and gave a polite nod while sliding into the back seat.
When Eddie got in the front I gave the address to him.
“So are you going to tell me where we’re going?” Quinn looked like his patience was wearing thin.
“A local food co-op.” I smiled without elaborating.
“Grocery shopping?”
“Wait for the enlightenment, Mr. Cohen.”
Quinn’s hand landed on my leg, working its way up my skirt. “I don’t like waiting, in case you haven’t noticed by now.” His voice was raw and laced with desire.
I grabbed his hand and pushed it back down then interlaced our fingers. “Nice try, but I know it’s not the wait, it’s the control. Or right now, it’s the lack of it.”
Quinn growled and squeezed my hand a bit harder than necessary then glanced at his watch. “Enjoy your control while it lasts because in about fifteen minutes this vehicle will be heading to my meeting whether your show and tell is over or not.”
“Show and tell, Mr. Cohen? Sounds kind of kinky,” I mused. As we pulled to the co-op entrance, Quinn shot me a warning look while I bit my lip to prevent the grin tugging at the corners of my mouth. “Keep your wig on. This won’t take but a few minutes.” Quinn followed me into the co-op and up to the service counter.
“How may I … um uh help you?” The twenty-something girl behind the counter stuttered, obviously flustered by the Latin god standing in front of her.
Quinn, being a friendly guy, removed his grumpy frown and replaced it with the “I’m sexy and I know it” smile that rendered women speechless and possibly, on a good day for him, pantiless.
“Yes, I was wondering if you still had a donation fund to feed the homeless through your co-op?”
It took a minute for the flustered mess of a girl to register what I was asking, but she eventually peeled her eyes from Quinn to answer me.
“Uh, yes, three nights a week we fill the parking lot with tables and chairs to feed those in need. Most of the funding comes from our co-op members, but all donations are appreciated. Three dollars feeds one person, all the food is organic and most is locally grown. Are you interested in making a donation?”
It was obvious Quinn was not following the purpose of this stop because as soon as she started talking to me he zoned us both out to mess with his phone.
“We would love to make a donation and please let your management know how appreciative we are that this co-op gives back in such a social and environmentally responsible way.” Nudging Quinn in the arm to get his attention back, I motioned with my head toward the girl. “Give her the money.”
“What?” He looked lost.
“The money, Quinn, hand it over.” I smiled and motioned with my head again.
“You want to just randomly give six thousand dollars to this place to feed some homeless people?”
He was listening, he just chose to ignore. I suppressed the long speech that was dancing on the tip of my tongue and decided to keep it simple. “Yes.”
Lifting his wrist to take another look at the time, he let out a heavy sigh and removed the cash from the inside pocket of his suit jacket. After tossing it on the counter, he turned and headed back to the car. “Let’s go, Addy, you’re wasting my time.”
I smiled at the girl, who was still staring at the pile of hundreds on the counter, and pivoted on my foot to leave. The shock must have subsided just enough for her to yell out, “Hey, was that Enrique Iglesias?”
Not even glancing back I shook my head and raised my hand in a polite wave of goodbye. Laughing to myself, I hadn’t thought of the comparison, Enrique and Quinn shared similar facial features, hair, eyes, and skin tone, but Quinn’s body made Enrique look like a little teenager.
Eddie was waiting with the back door to the Bentley already open with an amused smile on his face. There was little doubt in my mind that Mr. Huffy Pants must have stomped out of the store a few minutes earlier having his time-wasting tantrum.
Quinn didn’t look at me or say anything the entire way. Instead, he kept his nose buried in his phone. When we arrived at his meeting location he looked at me but still didn’t say anything.
“You said you were good with numbers, so I shouldn’t have to tell you that you just fed two thousand people.”
He still didn’t say anything, however, I could tell his brain was in overdrive but not about the numbers. Eddie opened Quinn’s door and as he started to scoot out, I placed my hand over his and he stopped. I shifted my body over and leaned in so my mouth was at his ear. “You could have fucked me in the back of a station wagon and it would have been just as memorable as in that outrageously expensive suite,” I whispered.
He pulled his hand out from under mine and grabbed my neck pulling me into him, soundly pressing my lips to his. Our tongues slid together and I let out a soft moan. He took everything he could in that moment and left me breathless. Then in one fluid motion, he stood from the car, straightened his jacket and tie, and walked away.
*
Eddie drove me back to meet Mac for lunch. When I climbed out he handed me a black business card with Quinn’s name and a phone number but nothing else such as a business name or title on it. I stuck it in my handbag.
“Thanks for the ride, Eddie.”
“My pleasure, Miss Brecken. Would you like me to wait and take you back to your hotel?”
“That won’t be necessary.”
Mac had already found a table and was studying the menu when I walked into the restaurant.
“Pretty fancy taxi that just dropped you off,” she mumbled, not taking her eyes off the menu.
“I know, I think the driver thought I was some celebrity, and who am I to pass up a free ride. I guess they’ll be pretty pissed when he’s not waiting by the curb for them, huh?”
“Cut the crap, Addy, you can’t lie for shit.” She tried to keep a serious face but her mouth deceived her. “Spill. You’ve been riding that Arabian horse again, haven’t you?”
I laughed. “Not the Black Stallion?”
After sharing the events of the past two days, Mac was speechless, which was a first for her—ever.
“Mac?” She nodded, still at a loss for words.
“Come on, say something!”
“Wow!”
“Quinn and I have been screwing like bunnies for the past twenty-four hours, and we’ve agreed to have a non-monogamous, sex only relationship and all you can say is ‘wow?’”
“Addy, I don’t know what to say, I mean, it takes a special person to stay emotionally detached to someone they’re having regular sex with and …”
“And what? You don’t think I’m special?” I batted my eyes and plastered on my beauty queen smile.
“That’s not what I’m saying! You should be flattered that I don’t think you’re some slut who just uses men for their own satisfaction, or worse … for money, then just drops them.”
I grimaced a bit. “But, Mac, that’s kind of what I am doing, minus the money part. I’m using him for my own selfish pleasure. I mean it’s mutual, but you know what I’m suggesting, right?”
“Addy, I love you and you know my past leaves no room for judgment. I’m just worried that you think you’re incapable of having those feelings again … but I’m not so sure. Can you honestly say the thought of him in bed with someone else right now doesn’t bother you at all?”
I answered her without delay because if I would have hesitated for even a second, she would have seen right through me. “No, it’s just sex. It’s like … golf, just an activity.”
“Golf?” she spit out in laughter right as our waitress brought the check. “You’re equating sex to golf?”
“Clubs and balls.” I giggled, falling into my own fit of laughter.
She shook her head trying to hide her own amusement. “Time to change the subject. I was thinking about checking out the peaceful PETA protest at a nearby research lab. Turns out some pretty horrific things are being done to animals in the name of research.”
“I think our peaceful demonstration days are over. Besides, we aren’t PETA members.”
“Who cares? The experiments are government funded, our tax dollars.” She gave me a pleading look.
“Ugh, I don’t have a good feeling about this. Your parents are going to have a fit if they get called to bail us out of jail. Richard’s firm doesn’t like that type of publicity.”
“We’re not going to end up in jail. It’s not like we’re rebel teenagers anymore. Did you hear me say it’s a peaceful protest?”
“Mmm hmm, I heard you, but I do believe ‘we’re not going to end up in jail’ have been your famous last words before.”
“We don’t have to go. We could always go … shopping.”
I rolled my eyes. “Jail versus shopping, great choice. Fine … where’s the demonstration?”
“That’s my girl!” she cheered.
*
If my parents would have been alive to bail us out of jail after the police broke up our “peaceful protest,” I would have been given the speech about Mac being such a negative influence. I’d heard it countless times during college.
“Forgot how much I enjoyed being in the slammer,” I mocked as we sat with some other protestors in a holding cell.
“Addy, you know the arrest was bogus. We were in the process of leaving when they arrived. We should have never been arrested.”
“Is that what you’re going to tell Richard when he comes to get us?”
“No way, I’m not calling him. Evan will come get us and he will not, I repeat, will not be telling my dad.”
We waited for over an hour before we were able to make a call. Mac tried Evan but he didn’t answer.
“Did you leave a message?” I asked.
“No, jeez what would I say?”
I laughed. “Uh, we’re in jail. Come get us the hell out of here, pretty please.”
“Well, I didn’t say that or anything so what’s plan B?”
“Plan B? Who said we had a plan B?”
“You still have your one call so call Quinn. He probably has influence here in Chicago.”
“I am not calling Quinn. Our sex only relationship doesn’t include a get-out-of-jail-free card.”
“Addy, we don’t have a choice. Besides, after what you said happened last night I’m pretty sure he’ll come get us.”
“Yeah, well, that was before I conned him into making a charitable contribution this morning. My guess is his patience and contributions are tapped out for today.”
Moments later we both wrinkled our noses at a nasty smell that filled the air around us. My claustrophobia was surfacing and with the odor my lunch was not far behind.
“Addy!” Mac pleaded.
“Fine! I’ll call him. But he may have already left for New York.” I requested my phone call, but part of me was hoping he didn’t answer. There was a good chance he wouldn’t recognize the number and therefore choose not to answer.
“Quinten Cohen,” he formally answered.
“Hey,” was all I got out.
“Addy? Where are you calling from?” His voice was neutral.
Thankfully he didn’t sound angry, but I couldn’t detect any pleasure in his voice either.
“Um, well, actuall
y … funny thing happened this afternoon. Mac and I sort of got … arrested.”
There was silence on the other end.
“Hello?” I thought maybe we’d been disconnected.
“I’m still here. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“Where are—” I started to ask him where he was. I didn’t want him flying back to Chicago if he was already back in New York, but ended our call before I had a chance to finish. Then I was escorted back to my cell.
“So, what’d he say?”
“He’s on his way.”
“When will he be here?”
I shrugged. “Twenty minutes, an hour, two days … He didn’t say before he hung up on me.”
An hour later we were released and told all charges had been dropped. Quinn was waiting for us in front of the police station. I gave him a sheepish smile. “Hi.”
“Hi.” He shook his head in disbelief.
Mac reached Evan and was talking on her cell phone.
“So how was your afternoon?” I went with small talk because I honestly didn’t know what to say.
He squinted his eyes at me. “Busy, yours?”
“Oh, same old, same old. Fed some homeless people, had lunch with my friend, attended a peaceful demonstration, got thrown in jail, nothing too exciting.”
He nodded in thought. “So this is pretty much a normal day for you?”
I hitched my purse back over my shoulder then shoved my hands down into my front pockets while I looked down at my feet. “We don’t always go out to lunch, but other than that, it’s pretty typical.” I could no longer hold in my amusement at our improv. With my head still down, I peeked my eyes up at him and smiled a goofy grin and he reluctantly returned a pursed-lip smile.
“Let’s go. I’ll drop you off at your hotel before I head back toward the airport.” He grabbed my hand and led me toward the door. I looked back at Mac. She was still talking to Evan but waved me off.
Eddie was parked out front waiting with the back door open.
“Miss Brecken.” He smiled.
“Eddie.” I grinned.