by Jewel E. Ann
“Addy,” his deep voice vibrated.
My eyes shifted to a long, straight haired brunette with hazel eyes. Her silver sleeveless dress with a square neck line and form-fitted bodice complemented her model thin body. She was sitting very close to Quinn and when my eyes dropped down, I noticed her hand resting high on the inside of his leg.
“Quinn,” my voice broke just above a whisper.
“What are you doing here?” he asked.
Dragging my eyes from her hand on his leg to meet his eyes, I offered a simple reply. “Eating.” That time my voice was more confident maybe even a little cold.
His grip on my wrist tightened. “What are you doing in New York?” Each word was slow and controlled, but his tone was more demanding.
I twisted my arm forcing him to release me. Miss Hazel Eyes moved her hand to the top of Quinn’s on the table, interlacing her fingers with his as if it was important to let me know he belonged to her.
“I’m mentoring a class of culinary students for a few days.”
“Did you come alone?”
I glanced again at their interlaced fingers on display, but Quinn made no attempt to move his. “Enjoy your dinner.” I faked a smile and hurried back to my table wishing the god of mercy would plant a handsome man in the seat opposite of mine so I wouldn’t have to look like such a loner.
My waiter showed up with my main course as soon as I sat back down. When he left the table, I risked a glance up and to my horror I had an unobstructed view of Quinn and his date. His eyes immediately locked on mine. I jerked my eyes back down to my plate as soon as his date leaned into him and slid her hand into his shirt, where the top buttons were undone. Her pouty, red lips grazed his ear as she whispered something to him.
Fortunately for me the portions were small because I had lost my appetite, except for the wine. My one glass had turned into three by the time dessert arrived, raw chocolate molten lava cake with chopped macadamia nuts. The wine had relaxed me so I was able to enjoy my chocolate binge until I glanced up again to see Quinn and his date eating the same dessert. He took a bite and she touched her finger to a drip of chocolate at the corner of his mouth. Then she slid her finger into her mouth while directing her gaze over to me.
Check please!
My tolerance level had just maxed out. I threw a wad of cash on the table and wrapped my scarf around my neck before donning my long grey coat. Then I virtually sprinted for the door.
The cool December air filled my lungs, but the wine kept my body warm and tingly. I eased my way to the curb; high heels and a dusting of snow on the sidewalk was not a good combination. Anxiety raced through my veins as I prayed a cabbie would have mercy on me soon. A black Bentley was parked a few yards farther down the street with a driver standing by it, but it wasn’t Eddie. Why would he be in New York anyway?
“Addy, wait,” I heard Quinn call.
Looking behind me I saw him signaling to the driver of the Bentley. He leaned down and whispered something in Miss Hazel Eye’s ear. Then he lightly pecked her cheek with his lips before she was ushered in the back of the Bentley by the driver. I turned back toward the street, stretching my arm out for a cab. Just as I was contemplating unbuttoning my coat to entice one of the cabbies with my exposed legs, I felt Quinn’s body right behind mine. The white condensation of his warm breath meeting the cold air seeped into my peripheral vision. Startling me, he snaked his hands under my arms at my waist pulling me back until I was pressed against his chest.
I shook my head. “Don’t, please.”
“I miss you.”
“Looks like it.” My words were sharp.
He let out an exaggerated breath. “I don’t know what you want me to do.”
“Just go.” I tried again to catch a passing cab.
“Let me take you. Where are you staying?”
What?!
I whipped around, breathing out of my nose like a bull.
“What a great idea! Now tell me precisely how this will work … Wait, let me guess. You’ll sit in the middle with a beautiful woman on each side of you, which you enjoy. I’ll occupy your mouth while she sucks you off, since I’m quite sure after her little display in the restaurant that’s exactly what’s on your mind!”
His look was pure rage, but I wasn’t finished.
“But I’m guessing for you that scenario might be a complete waste of having two beautiful women at once. Maybe Hazel Eyes and I will undress each other and put on a little show for you before you take your turn having each of us in whatever sick way you want!”
“Enough!” Quinn growled so loudly I physically jumped back.
He grabbed my arm pulling me toward him at the same moment a cab screeched to a halt inches from hitting me.
“What the fuck lady?” The cabbie rolled down his window and yelled at me.
Jerking away from Quinn, I jumped in the back of the cab. I gave the driver a quick apology and spewed off the name of my hotel.
Quinn banged on my window. “Addy!”
The driver glanced at me through his rearview mirror.
“Just go,” I insisted.
*
When I reached my hotel room, I threw off my heels and unzipped my dress letting it fall to the floor. I dug out an oversized long-sleeved T-shirt and slipped it on. Numb was all I felt because Quinn and wine were a toxic mix. My body went into auto pilot, washing my face then brushing and flossing my teeth before crawling into bed. It was only nine o’clock but I needed that day to pass as quickly as possible. I allowed a single tear to roll down my cheek before my body gave in to sleep.
My head was very angry with me Wednesday morning. I showered and threw on a sweatshirt and yoga pants then headed out in search of a juice bar for a good detoxing tonic. After flooding my body with coconut water and lots of fresh juice, I found a Bikram yoga class at a studio I’d spotted the day I arrived. By evening, the Addy who had spent three months in the land of the Dalai Lama was back. And I had no intentions of letting that imposter personality, that took over my body the evening before, emerge again.
Deep breath … I am peaceful, I am strong.
Houdini was a great show that night. I felt a little sexy in my new dress and heels, capturing the attention of more than a couple of men, some married and showing no shame with their wives on their arms. It helped boost my confidence that had been compromised by not having a date to the show.
Thursday morning I checked out some museums before heading to the culinary institute. I was just as excited to see the students as they were to see me. Once again, the afternoon flew by and I decided to have a low key evening. I grabbed some dinner at a nearby café before heading back to my hotel to get out of the cold. In the elevator on the way up to my room, my phone chimed with a text from Quinn.
Still in NYC?
I chose not to respond right away. I required time to consider what good would come from it. Coming up empty, I decided to ignore his text. An hour later my phone rang. I didn’t recognize the number, however, the area code was local to New York so I answered it thinking it could be someone from the culinary institute.
“Hello?”
“Why are you ignoring my text?”
Shit, he wasn’t calling me from his cell phone. Sneaky.
“Guess I couldn’t see the relevance in the question, so I didn’t waste my time responding.” There was silence on the line. I wasn’t even sure he heard me or if we were even still connected.
“Where are you?” he asked.
“What does it matter?”
“Jesus, Addy, just answer me!” His voice was strained with exasperation.
“I’m at my hotel, yes in New York City, what does it matter?”
“I have to see you.” He sounded calmer, even hesitant, as if he didn’t want those words to come out, but they did anyway.
“I’m busy tomorrow and I’m doing some Christmas shopping Saturday then leaving Sunday. So if you have something to say, just say it.”
�
��Have dinner with me tomorrow night.”
“Can’t, I have plans.”
“Saturday then.”
I sighed, trying to stay calm since he simply wouldn’t take no for an answer. “Lunch Saturday, nothing fancy. I’ll call you that morning.” I ended the call, not waiting for his response, or more likely, his rebuttal.
*
Friday morning at the culinary institute was the best part of the week. The students had worked hard creating their own masterpieces. The instructors were expecting me to be more critical of them, but in all honesty, they all did a great job. I made a few suggestions, some were a bit salty, others were over mixed in the food processor not leaving enough texture, and a few lacked good visual presentation but still tasted amazing.
That afternoon I indulged in four hours at the spa. I even had one of the employees take a picture of me in the mud bath, and I sent it to Mac. She replied with a smiley face and a long line of exclamation points. After the mud bath, hot stone massage, manicure, pedicure, and hair styling at the salon, I caught a cab back to my hotel and slipped into my second new dress and heels. It was a metallic holiday red with a trendy single long sleeve and asymmetrical neckline. The snug, layered, sheer fabric was covered with diamond shaped glitter patterns in a darker contrasting red. It hit above my knees as a form fitting mini dress. For some reason it felt shorter than I’d remembered at the store. I made a mental note to keep my legs closed tight while sitting. My long hair was swept to the side with curls cascading down my sleeved shoulder, leaving my neck completely exposed on the sleeveless side. My black crisscross Stella McCartney platform shoes had five inch fabric covered heels, and when I stood in them even I had to admit they made my legs look amazing. They were what Mac called “fuck me heels,” which made me wonder how many inappropriate “fuck me” looks I would get that night.
The Friday night show was sold out. The reason I got a ticket was because I required a single seat. To my surprise, the seat was in the front just to the right of the stage orchestra. To my right was an older gentleman and his wife and to my left were two college-age girls.
Assuming the ladies’ room would be a nightmare during intermission, I planned ahead by tapering off all liquids at 2:00 p.m. Not the healthiest move, but a necessary evil if I didn’t want to miss out on any of the performance. I did, however, take the opportunity to stretch my legs during intermission. The self-consciousness I had when I left the hotel quickly dissolved when I noticed a plethora of women in “fuck me heels” and dresses every bit as short as mine, if not shorter.
“Adler?” A familiar man’s voice echoed behind me.
I turned to see the familiar face that matched the voice. “Brent! Oh my gosh, good to see you.”
He wrapped his big arms around me lifting me off the ground. I gasped as my dress started to ride up into indecent territory. As soon has he set me down I made a quick move to adjust it back down.
“You live in New York?” he asked, flashing me his perfect, straight white teeth.
“Nope, just visiting, how about you?”
“Yeah, I moved here two years ago after completing my PhD and receiving a job offer at Columbia.”
“That’s great. I always imagined you teaching.”
Before we could say much more, the lights dimmed on and off signaling the end of intermission.
“How long are you in town?”
“She’s leaving Sunday, but busy until then.” At the same time I heard Quinn answering for me, I felt his hand rest on the small of my back in a very possessive gesture.
“Quinn?” I blurted out in shock. I looked up at him standing right next to me, but his eyes were rigidly fixed on Brent.
Oblivious to the tension between me and Quinn, Brent offered his hand. “Hi there, I’m Brent.”
Quinn accepted his hand giving him a very firm shake. “Quinten Cohen. How do you know Addy?”
“We went to college together,” Brent responded, unaware that he was in the middle of an interrogation.
“I see and where was that?”
“University of Chicago.” Brent looked confused. I’m sure he was wondering why some guy who seemed close to me didn’t know something as basic as where I went to college. As I was getting ready to suggest we all take our seats, Brent decided to elaborate.
“Adler graduated top of the class, Summa Cum Laude. Which was no surprise since she had her pick of colleges. She received acceptance letters from every college she applied, UCLA, Stanford, Dartmouth, Harvard—”
I jumped in to interrupt Brent before it got any worse. “I’m sure Quinn doesn’t need to hear a complete list, not sure how you even knew —”
“Mackenzie, she told everyone.”
Of course she did.
“Well, at any rate, I should be getting back to my seat, so nice to see you Brent.”
“You too, look me up when you’re in New York next time.”
“I’ll do that.” I plastered on my fake smile knowing that would never happen.
As I started to walk back to my seat, Quinn hurried to move in front of me forcing me to stop. “What?”
I looked up at him but his dark, hooded eyes were all over my body sending a heat rush straight to my sex. But before he could answer, Miss Hazel Eyes appeared. She took his arm and reached up to kiss the side of his mouth before looking at me with a catty grin. It was decidedly time to turn the table on Quinn, so I offered my hand to her.
“Hi, I’m Adler. I don’t believe Quinn introduced us the other night.”
She stared at my hand like I had cooties then eventually gave it a weak shake with just her fingers. “Olivia.”
I could see from his twitching muscles, Quinn’s jaw was working over time. Just when I was going to let him off the hook and take my seat, Olivia threw out the bait and I couldn’t refuse it.
“So how do you know Quinn?” she asked with a great fake smile of her own.
“I don’t per se. We just meet up when our schedules allow for a quick fuck. Enjoy the rest of the show.” I stepped to the side and walked past Quinn, fighting to hold back the huge grin I was dying to give after seeing the shock and look of awe on their faces. It was my own Pretty Woman moment. My ego gave me a high five but my conscience knew it was a childish move. However, at the time it felt like self preservation.
Shortly after the second act started, my phone vibrated in my purse. I wasn’t even supposed to have it turned on but I risked a quick glance anyway.
Well played. FYI, I will be fucking you in nothing but those heels by end of the night.
Ho-ly crap!
The show ended with the audience on their feet in a standing ovation. I slipped into my coat and headed toward the door before the rest of the audience finished their applause. There was no time to look around for Quinn and Olivia. I had to vacate the premises before the predator caught up with its prey. I hailed a cab and called out my hotel before I even had the door shut. The cabbie started to pull away from the curb then suddenly halted. A man was walking to the driver’s side. The cabbie rolled down his window and the man said something to him, but I didn’t hear what it was. Then he handed the driver some money before the cab continued to pull out. During the drive I checked messages on my phone, Mac of course wanted to hear everything about my spa day and the show. I sent her a quick generic text.
Spa was fabulous, show was great!
Talk more Sunday;)
I looked out the window and struggled to recognize any of my surroundings. “Where are we?”
The cabbie pulled to a stop in front of a multi-level Queen Anne style townhouse. “Upper West Side.”
“This isn’t where I told you to take me.”
“I have three hundred dollars cash that says it is.”
“Who lives here?”
“Beats me, but from the looks of things, someone pretty wealthy.”
Logic would have told me Quinn, but the building I was looking at said wealthy family, several kids, maybe a dog. It was de
finitely not a bachelor pad. My curiosity got the best of me, so I opened the door and cautiously stepped out of the cab onto the curb. “Thank you.”
“My pleasure, miss.”
Then the cab disappeared into the exhaust filled air of the cool winter night.
*
Creeping up the stairs, I gripped the rail so my Stella McCartneys wouldn’t send me to the ER with a sprained ankle or worse. My gloved finger pressed the door bell. No answer. I proceeded to use the large metal knocker. No answer.
Crap!
Since someone went to so much work to ensure I got there, I decided to be bold and simply see if the door would open. Bingo! I peeked around the door. “Hello?”
Nothing.
I stepped inside gently shutting the door behind me. The lighting was dim, mostly incandescent picture lights and hanging track lights illuminating the various art pieces adorning the walls. Soft music played in the background, but that was the lone sound I heard until I noticed a shadowy movement in the corner. At first I saw a dark figure outline, but I knew it was Quinn. He stepped into the light. His white dress shirt was partially unbuttoned and untucked from his black dress pants, tie loosened, and sleeves rolled up to his elbows exposing the vein laced muscles of his forearms.
Addy, ten years earlier in that situation, would have been shaking like a leaf and staring at the floor. It no longer took much effort to embrace the confident woman I’d become over the past few months. After setting my purse on the entry table, I untied my coat and eased it off my shoulders letting it fall to my feet. Quinn’s eyes were just as they were at the show, hooded and almost black. Keeping my eyes locked on his, I stepped a few feet closer while inching the zipper of my dress down with one hand. His eyes followed my every move as I pulled my arm out of the sleeved side then used both hands to push my dress over my hips letting it pool at my feet. Quinn’s mouth opened as he ran his tongue over his lower lip while his eyes perused my body. Next, I tucked my thumbs under the waist band of my lace thong and pushed it down to meet my dress before stepping out one foot at a time, and yet another step closer to Quinn. Finally, I removed my hairpins and combed my fingers through the messy waves. My part was done. It might have been a threat or it might have been a promise, but it didn’t matter. He had me just how he wanted me: standing before him in nothing but my fuck me heels.