“I took an Uber. Can I catch a ride, Iz?” I didn’t ask Ace because I was fairly certain Nick was going to break every traffic law in the book to get Avery home and naked. I didn’t want to ruin their romance by making them take a detour to take me home.
“Of course, Q. We parked ov-”
“I’ll take her home.” I felt Chase come stand behind me as he made that announcement.
I wish I could say the next words out of my mouth were because I was pissed over what that fake bitch said to Avery. I wish I could say it was because I was pissed that my night was ruined. But I didn’t make a habit of lying to myself. I knew some of my anger was over hearing Chase say he didn’t have a girlfriend. I was feeling jealous when I had absolutely no right to be.
Chase was single.
I was single.
But that still didn’t stop the venom. “I can catch a ride home with Iz and Julian. No need to ruin your night, Chase. Unlike Nick and Julian, you don’t have a girlfriend you’re responsible for.”
I did my best not to wince when I felt his hand wrapped around my arm like a steel band, and yank me back until my back was flushed with his hard, ripped chest. I felt his breath in my ear as he leaned down and hissed, “And whose fucking fault is it that I don’t have a girlfriend, huh?”
I did my best to free myself from his grip, but the man was strength and steel. “How many times tonight am I going to have to tell you to let me fucking go, Chase? I have a ride home. No need for you to go out of your way.”
I heard him growl and my mind wandered at the sound. Chase was the easy going one out of the three. He was personable, fun and a good time. I wondered what his limit was. What pushed him to the point where he was no longer fun, likable Chase?
Don’t get me wrong. I wasn’t trying to find out. His growl just had me wondering how serious a serious Chase could be. This game between us was getting complicated and muddying up the waters. and I just needed to clear them up again.
I tugged at my arm again and this time he let me go. As I whirled around to face Chase, I noticed Ace, Nick, Izzy and Julian had stepped a distance away, giving us some privacy. Looking into his perfect face, his words kept bouncing around in my skull and I felt like an idiot for letting them affect me this way; but that didn’t stop me. “You’re not responsible for me, Chase. You’re my boss and it just so happens that our friends are dating. We aren’t obligated to one another.”
Chase’s face looked thunderous. His blue eyes lit like flames as he peered down at me. “Want to repeat that, Quinn?”
I lifted a brow as if this topic held no significant. “Just quoting what you told Blondie, Chase.” I knew my next words were going to be telling, but I didn’t care. I was still a ball of unhealthy emotions because of them bitches. “As matter of fact, now that the party’s been broken up, I’m sure your blonde won’t mind you going back in there alone.”
I must have said that last part louder than I intended, because next thing I knew Izzy was standing next to me, grabbing my arm. “Come on, Q. Let’s get you home.” She looked up at Chase. “We got her, Chase. It’s okay. We’ll get her home.”
Chase looked like he wanted to say something to her, but thought better of it. Instead he turned his attention back to me. “You’re right, Quinn. I’m not responsible for you and I do have a blonde waiting back inside for me.”
He looked up over my head at Nick, Avery and Julian and waved. “See you guys later.” Then he leaned down, kissed Iz on the cheek, and not sparing me one glance whatsoever, headed back into the bar and I couldn’t even be mad at him for it.
This was all me.
Chapter 4
Gluttony: Because, one bottle of wine or ten, what’s the difference?
Quinn~
I woke up with not a hint of a hangover this morning, which told me that all that shit truly did kill my buzz dead last night.
After Izzy and Julian dropped me off at home, I curled up on my couch tempted to polish off a bottle of wine, but I changed my mind once I realized that kind of drinking came with future friends and family interventions. So, instead, I had put on a random horror movie and watched blindly until I passed out on the couch.
When I awoke, I threw my hand out, patting around until it landed on my phone.
Ten AM. Ugh.
I dialed my sister. “What’s up?”
“I’m going to have to cancel lunch tomorrow, Aud.”
“Why?”
“Because I was supposed to get drunk and karaoke with Iz and Ace last night, but that didn’t pan out quite like we’d hope. I plan on guilt tripping them into coming over tonight and getting drunk with me to make up for last night. I’ll be too hung over to be a proper lunch date to you and you don’t deserve that, Aud. You deserve a wonderful lunch date who isn’t selfishly praying for death while you tell them all about your latest life decisions,” I reasoned with her.
“Do you guys do anything else besides drink and karaoke?”
I huffed, unjustifiably affronted. “Of course we do!”
“Name me two things and I’ll never mention it again,” she challenged.
“We work. Sometimes fifty hours a week, mostly forty, but sometimes fifty.”
“Okay. What else?”
If she wasn’t the only family I had left, I’d disown her right now. “We’re planning a wedding,” I offered.
“Pfft…puhlease.”
“I’m hanging up now. I love you.” I hung up on her. I knew she wasn’t judging me, but I honestly couldn’t come up with a second thing we did that didn’t involve alcohol and singing off key. I needed to Google some hobbies.
I dragged my ass to the shower and after washing myself head to toe and brushing the shit out of my teeth, I barefooted it to the kitchen for some breakfast.
My apartment wasn’t much, but I didn’t need much. SMA paid me well, and in light of my new promotion, they paid me really, really well. But my place was conveniently located close to SMA and Avery. Why in the hell would I move?
I lived in a modest two bedroom, one bath apartment. The kitchen and living room was every day standard and the bedrooms were small, but since I lived alone, I used one room for my bedroom and the other form my boudoir. The only thing my apartment boasted of was a beautiful view of San Jose from my living room. All wonderful city life during the day and all magical city lights during the night. I lucked out with this find.
I dialed Izzy first with my plan. She picked up on the second ring. “Yes?”
“Tell Julian I’m on my period and I need to drink away my emotions tonight and I need you to do that with me,” I said in lieu of hello.
I could tell she leaned away from the phone as her voice sounded faint. “Quinn’s on her period and-”
I let out a laugh when I heard Julian’s voice cut her off with a ‘no more, just do what you have to do’.
Her laughing voice came back strong over the phone “What time?”
“Six?”
“Okay. See you then, Q.”
I dialed Ace next. She picked up on the fourth ring. “It’s like six in the morning!”
Nick must have kept his word and let her take out her aggressions on him all night last night. I snickered, “It’s already past eleven, Ace.”
That seemed to wake her up. “It is?”
“Yes, ma’am, it is.”
I could actually hear her plop back down on whatever she was laying on. “How may I help you this fine morning, Q?”
“Tell Nick I’m on my period and I need you to come over tonight because I’m emotional.”
She let out a happy laugh. “You know I can just tell him that we’re getting drunk at your place tonight and he’ll be fine with it, right?”
“Ugh, I know. It just sounds better if we have a legitimate reason for the wine.”
“I’d say that scene between you and Chase last night is a legitimate reason for wine.”
“Is Nick right there next to you?”
“Yeah, wh
ere else would he be?” she reasoned.
“Tell him if he tells Chase I’m drinking because of him, I will make sure he can never father your future children the next time I see him.”
“You’re going to deny me children just because you and Chase can’t figure your shit out?”
“Nope. I’m going to deny you children if your fiancé can’t keep his mouth shut.”
I could hear her instructing Nick. “I’m going over to Q’s tonight to get drunk because she’s confused about what to do about Chase. And if you tell him she’s drinking because of him, the next time she sees you, she’s going to damage your nut sack beyond all capabilities of fathering children.”
I could hear a faint. ‘you’re just going to let her threaten my soldiers’, to which she replied, “It’s only a threat if you break confidence, Nick. Don’t break her confidence and your soldiers will be okay.”
She returned to our conversation. “What time do you need me there?”
“Izzy’s showing up around six.”
“Okay, see you then, weirdo.” She hung up before I could profess my undying love for her.
I went over to my alcohol cupboard to see how much I had on hand to sustain us. And like the professional I was, I had plenty.
I spent most of the afternoon working on budgets. I didn’t have to, but Ollie’s comment yesterday morning about how I didn’t need to carry my weight because of Ace and Nick, bothered me more than it should have. It’s not that I gave a shit what she thought. I just didn’t want the guys to think I felt like that. They were great bosses before, and now that they were more, my hard work was just that much more paramount.
I was just putting shit away when I heard my front door open. We girls each had a key to one another’s apartment. We were tight like that. I think that’s why Julian and Nick never minded our girls’ nights. They knew what it was like to be close like that.
I turned around to see Izzy walking through my front door. “Hey, Hooker.”
Iz held up a bottle of wine. “I brought reinforcements, because…let’s face it, if we’re drinking over a man, we’ll need as much alcohol as we can get.”
Who was I to argue?
“We’re not really drinking over a guy…”
Isabella kicked off her shoes and was already in the kitchen pulling out glasses when she called me on my bullshit. “Puhlease, Q. I already heard all about the imminent threat to Avery’s future children. Why else would you endanger Nick’s balls, if not over Chase?” Iz was pouring the second glass when she continued calling me a liar. “Besides, I was there. I saw the look on your face when Chase told that blonde bimbo that he didn’t have a girlfriend.”
She had me there.
“Ugh, fine,” I conceded. “I’m confused and I need you, Ace and wine to lead me out of the darkness that has my mind riddled with insecurities.”
The front door opened again before Iz could comment. “Hey, Hoe-bags.”
I nodded towards Ace. “You might as well make yourself comfortable. Iz has already pulled out the big guns.”
Avery plopped herself on the couch while Iz and I carried the glasses and bottle of wine into the living room. Izzy dropped on one of the armchairs and curled her legs underneath her ass. Ace and I did the same on the couch.
Avery took a sip of wine before she dug in. “Okay, spill.”
I set my glass of wine on the coffee table untouched. I didn’t lie to myself and I sure as hell didn’t lie to these ladies, so I spilled. “I got jealous when I saw those girls hitting on the guys, but I felt sick when I heard Chase telling that stupid whore that he didn’t have a girlfriend. And then I felt foolish and pissed at myself because I had no right to feel anything.”
Isabella was ever the comforter. “Well, he’s been after you for a month, it’s reasonable that you’d feel upset at seeing him making himself available to another girl.” She lifted a dainty shoulder.
“Yeah, Iz, but I’m the one putting him off. He has every right to date around if he wants. Hell, all he said was that he didn’t have a girlfriend, and that’s true.”
Ace joined in. “Why are you putting him off, Q? I thought you said you were down with jumping his bones the night of the company party?”
“I was. I am. I did.” Ugh! I didn’t want to put this on them, but I couldn’t help the way I felt. “Here’s the thing. Chase isn’t some random one night stand with no consequences. He’s my boss. And even if he wasn’t, you’re engaged to one of his best friends and,” I looked over at Isabella, “you…you’re Julian’s life. If this thing between Chase and I goes sour, we can’t just all go back to the way things are now. Sex with Chase is not worth the risk to our circle of friendship with each other or with them.”
Avery’s eyes widened to match the size of the wine glass bottom she was holding. “You like Chase! Like…like, like him!”
“What?”
“She’s right, Q,” Iz jumped in. “The only way things would get complicated is if you had feelings for him. You’ve never been shy about one night stands and you’ve walked away amicably from lots of guys you dated because you don’t get emotionally attached. For you to even consider that shit might get complicated with Chase, means you like him.”
“Someone’s caught feeling,” Ace sing-songed, and I wanted to smother her with one of the throw pillows.
Isabella held her glass up in toasting fashion towards Ace. “Someone’s finally met her match.”
“Fuck the both of you,” I quipped.
They laughed and it only took three seconds for me to join in. “How can I not catch feelings? That man is the sexiest thing I’ve ever laid my eyes on. I bet he can fuck like nobody’s business.” I let out a deep sigh. “Oh, and speaking of fucking, I think your brother is doing the dirty deed with my sister.”
Avery spit out her wine. The first bottle was a white, so it was okay. “Wh...what? What the hell?”
I nodded. “Yep. I was going to pay her a surprise visit last week, and as I was driving around the corner onto her street, I saw Michael walking out her front door.” I finally picked up my glass of wine and took a sip. “It was eight in the morning, Ace. And she’s been dodgy every time we volley back and forth over our sex lives.”
“Holy shit!”
Izzy waved her hand about. “Okay, then all that means is that Q’s the only one out of all of us who isn’t getting laid. I say you let me worry about Julian and Ace worry about Nick and jump Chase the next time you see him. Hell, Q, even if you do fall for him and it doesn’t work out, you’re the strongest female I know. It’s not like we’d need to put you on suicide watch over it.”
She had a point. I’d never let a man ruin me.
But then, I’ve never had Chase.
Chase~
I spent all morning working out. I took my usual two hour workout and stretched it into a four hour routine of torture. Once SMA was cemented as a success, I had moved into an upscale condominium complex. There were three condos to each section, but I had purchased all three and remodeled them into one three story condo.
The first story was an entire gym, complete with kitchen, bathroom, steam room and boxing ring. The second floor was my home office/entertainment area. It was my most favorite of the three floors. There were pictures of my mom and brother everywhere with random pictures of Julian, Nick and me scattered about. The top floor was actually my home. It’s where I ate, bathed and slept. It was also the front door to my house, so you had to walk up the two flights of stairs to gain entrance.
I had woken up at eight and immediately dress for a work out. The two hours ran into four because I was still pissed over Quinn and all that bullshit last night.
I’ve always known that I had a casual playboy reputation because I didn’t balk at one night stands, but I’ve never led a woman on, and I’ve never played anyone. I’ve been direct and upfront with Quinn since the night I met her at Xavier’s and she acted like she caught me cheating on her.
When she ha
d encouraged me to go back into the bar, red had colored my vision. Not only had she insinuated that I’d fuck another female hours after I kissed her, she suggested that I’d fuck someone who was so obviously cruel to Avery.
And that’s fucked up.
That’s what had me going back into the bar-not to find that blonde-but to get away from Q before I said or did something unforgivable.
I loved Avery like the extension of Nick that she was, and for Q to suggest I could callously overlook someone mistreating her, had me realizing that Quinn must have a very low, low opinion of me that went beyond the fact that I had no problem with casual hook-ups.
And that stung.
That fucking stung like a motherfucker.
The work out this morning didn’t do anything to squelch the irritation though. I must be a glutton for punishment because, as much as I had woken up this morning determined to give up the chase for Quinn, I became more irritated at the thought of not ever having her.
After my punishing work out, I had driven out to see my mom. She fixed me lunch, and for once, we had a nice lighthearted meal. My father still called her after all these years and it brought out the demons in both Kane and me when we’d catch her talking to him. We never understood why she’d even give him the time of day after the way he treated her, and whenever we asked her, all she’d say was that no matter what he’s done, she’ll always owe him for giving her us.
She didn’t owe him shit.
We had eventually reached a point where we all agreed to disagree about my father’s phone calls, but every now and again, depending on how close to the surface our demons were swimming, catching her talking to our father would set us off.
I loved my mother. She’s been the center of my life for as long as I could remember and she didn’t need to give any more pieces of herself to that sonofabitch. My mom never changed her name from Teresa Alexander, but that didn’t mean she still belonged to Jonathan Alexander.
Fuck that asshole.
After lunch, I had actually went into the office and worked on some shit just to get my mind off of Quinn. She was commanding more of my attention than any other woman before her. I think it was safe to say I was fucked.
Chasing Quinn Page 5