Quantum Boxed Set: The Complete Series

by Force, Marie

  “Should we be doing this?” Hayden asks.

  “I assume the pilots will tell us if we need to divert or turn back.”

  Imagine the headlines if the five Quantum principals go down in a plane together. Jesus. That’s a cheery thought. I hold on tight to Natalie’s hand and offer a few prayers of my own as we bump and roll through the clouds for more than an hour before we hear from the pilot again.

  “Sorry for the rough ride, folks. We’re not finding any smooth air up here, and we’re hearing it’s going to get worse the closer we get to Aspen.”

  I can’t imagine it getting any worse than it is right now.

  “We’re going to land and figure out a plan. Sorry about the inconvenience.”

  At this point, inconvenience is the least of my concerns. We begin to descend, and the turbulence gets even worse. It’s so bad, I wonder how the plane doesn’t disintegrate. Behind me, Aileen and the kids are crying. Kristian tries to comfort them, but I can hear panic in his voice that fuels my own.

  This fucking sucks.

  Every minute feels like an hour as we move through dark, stormy clouds. Just when I think I can’t take it for another second, we break through the clouds and the ground appears, shrouded in fog and mist. I have no idea where we are, but I’ve never been so happy to see the ground. Five minutes later, the pilots execute a flawless landing.

  As relief floods my system, the others cheer.

  “Thank God,” Natalie whispers.

  Couldn’t have said it better myself. I may never fly again after that.

  The PA system crackles to life. “Welcome to Saint George, Utah, where the local time is four oh two p.m.”

  I look across the aisle. “Addison.”

  Addie leans forward so she can see around Hayden.

  “What do we know about Saint George, Utah?”

  “Nothing yet, but I’ll get right on it.”

  She whips out her iPhone and starts clicking away.

  I turn my attention to Natalie. “Sorry about this, sweetheart. It’s not exactly what I had planned.”

  “It’s an adventure, and what does it matter where we are? We’re all together, and we’re alive. There’s a lot to be said for that.”

  “Indeed, there is.” I decide right then and there to let go of my plans and preconceived notions about the perfect Christmas and let it unfold in whatever way it’s meant to. I’m with Natalie, my sister and my closest friends, and we’re safe after a harrowing flight. I couldn’t care less what happens next.

  After the pilots inform us that we’re done flying for the day—and possibly tomorrow, too—Addie works her magic and finds the one motel in town that can accommodate all of us. When the owners hear who their guests are, they send people from town to pick us up and deliver us to the Castaway Inn—a fitting name in light of our predicament.

  Addie had arranged to bring days’ worth of food and booze with us on the plane so we wouldn’t need to worry about grocery shopping when we got to Aspen. We bring everything with us to the motel.

  The place is clean but basic, one of those roadside places in which the doors open into the parking lot and the rooms are adjoining. Not exactly the accommodations we’ve become accustomed to, but the certainty we were going to die on that plane has put us all in a festive mood. Fluff sniffs every square inch of the place and apparently finds it to her liking. She curls up in a ball on our bed and is snoring within minutes.

  We throw open the connecting doors inside the rooms, and before long, we’ve got a full-on party going. It’s a good thing we’re the only guests, because we’d probably get kicked out if there were others.

  By six o’clock, it’s snowing hard and accumulating rapidly.

  Over the next two days, the weather only gets worse, and we begin to accept that Christmas in Aspen isn’t going to happen. Nat’s sisters and the rest of my family are grounded, too, and we’ve been in touch with them to commiserate about best-laid plans.

  We’re passing the time eating, sleeping and playing the board games we found in a closet in the main part of the motel, which also has a kitchen the starstruck owners made available to us. Even Rafe has been more enjoyable than usual, which is a relief as we’re stuck in close quarters. Despite the close quarters, I’m still getting plenty of time alone with Natalie, which is the best part of being stranded.

  If I’m being honest, this is the most relaxed I’ve been in longer than I can remember. There’s absolutely nothing to do but be together, which is perfect in its own way. Aileen, who had a mini freak-out when she realized we’d be stuck here for Christmas, told the kids that Santa will find them, but it may not be right on Christmas Day since we aren’t where we’re supposed to be.

  Thankfully, they seem to have accepted that explanation as they decorated the “Charlie Brown” tree me and the guys found in a deserted tree lot down the street from the motel. The kids spent the day making paper snowflakes and other improvised decorations. The gifts the rest of us brought on the plane for the kids are underneath the tree for Christmas morning. As Aileen said, Logan and Maddie are far more accustomed to “sparse” Christmases than they are with a windfall, so they’re perfectly content with what they have.

  Late on the afternoon of Christmas Eve, I find Natalie in our room, standing at the window, watching the snow that shows no sign of slowing down. I slip an arm around her from behind, resting my chin on top of her head. “How do you feel about Christmas in Saint George, Utah?”

  “As long as you’re in Saint George, it’s fine by me.”

  “This wasn’t exactly what I had in mind when I said I wanted to give you a magical Christmas.”

  “Maybe not, but it’s still magical. I don’t need a big fancy house in Aspen to be happy when I have you and Fluff and my best friends. I wish my sisters were here, but we’ll see them in a day or two when the weather clears.”

  I think about the women I knew before her, including the one I was married to. None of them would’ve found magic at the Castaway Inn in Saint George, Utah, especially when they’d been promised a movie star’s home in Aspen. That Natalie can find the magic no matter where we are or what we’re doing is one of many things that make her the love of my life.

  “In case I’ve failed to mention it today, I love you, Mrs. Godfrey.”

  “Love you, too, Mr. Godfrey.” She looks back at me over her shoulder. “Can we come back here for Christmas every year?”

  Smiling, I flatten my hand over the baby bump. “If that’s what you want, then that’s what we’ll do.”

  “How fun would it be to come back here year after year and recreate this first Christmas together?”

  “It would be fun.”

  “How long do you think it’ll take before we need all the rooms?”

  We’ve rented ten of the Castaway’s seventeen rooms. “A year? Maybe two?”

  She laughs. “If it takes that long.”

  Last Christmas, I thought the biggest thing that might happen in the new year was my first acting Oscar. Funny how that turned out to be the least of what happened. With my arms around my wife and my hands curled around our unborn child, I’m content in a way I’ve never been before—and it’s all because of Natalie. She’s the key to everything.

  Best. Christmas. Ever.

  * * *

  Keep reading for Famous, Marlowe’s story!

  Chapter 1

  I’ve planned this night for weeks, down to the last detail. I want it to be perfect. Bringing someone new into my private life is not something I do lightly, having learned the hard way over the years that celebrity has a dark downside that I go out of my way to avoid whenever possible. But Rafe is different. We’ve been together for months, and I feel ready to take this next step with him. In the dungeon that’s accessible only to Quantum partners and our guests, I take a careful look at the items I’ve set out—a blindfold, a flogger, the smallest plug, a bottle of lubricant and a cock ring. I’m starting him off easy until I can get a sense of
whether he shares my appreciation for the lifestyle.

  While I’m mostly satisfied by the sex I have with Rafe, there’s still something missing, and thus the reason I’m trying to add a little spice to our relationship.

  Before I met Rafe, I confessed to my closest friends and business partners that I was feeling out of sorts and off-kilter. Spending time at the clubs we own here in LA and in New York City had become boring, especially since my buddies found love and more or less gave up the clubs. Getting naked in public lost its luster for each of them after they found “the one.” In our world, we’re always one tabloid photo away from disaster, so I get that they feel the need to protect their significant others from that kind of exposure.

  We go to enormous lengths to protect the members of our clubs, including the requirement of a one-million-dollar entrance fee for new members and airtight nondisclosure agreements. But that didn’t stop someone in Devon Black’s equally exclusive club from taking photos of our partner Jasper Autry that were later used to blackmail him. We’re all a little gun-shy after that episode.

  Rafe understands the celebrity culture because he works in our industry. As an executive for Cirque, the company that distributes Quantum films—and many others—in France, he travels frequently between Paris and Los Angeles, hobnobbing with celebrities and working deep inside the business. From the beginning, I’ve felt comfortable being myself around him, because he understands the pressures I face. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this way about a guy, and even though I can tell my friends don’t love him, I do, and that’s all that matters.

  Or so I tell myself.

  Truth is, their opinions matter to me, even if I wish they didn’t.

  Especially Flynn and Hayden, who have been my closest friends for years. It’s so rare for me to be out of sync with either of them, let alone both, but from the outset, they’ve been rather obvious in their dislike of Rafe. I wish I knew why, but they won’t even give him a chance. Flynn’s wife, Natalie, and I talked about it over the holidays when we were all together for four memorable days in St. George, Utah, of all places.

  As I light the candles in the dungeon, I think about that conversation, as I have so many times since then.

  “It’s not that he doesn’t like Rafe,” Natalie said. “It’s more that he doesn’t like him for you.”

  “Why?” I asked and immediately hated myself for the question as well as the desperate-sounding tone in which it was asked. I’m Marlowe Sloane. What do I care if Flynn Godfrey or anyone else doesn’t like my boyfriend? Except… I care, and I hate that I care.

  I could tell Nat chose her words carefully. “It’s just that he thinks you can do… better.” She cringed as she said that last word, and I realized I’d put her in a terrible position by bringing it up at all. The guys had gone off to find a Christmas tree for Aileen’s kids and had grudgingly invited Rafe to join them. That’s what had led me to ask her what the fuck Flynn’s problem was with him.

  Be careful what you wish for. Flynn thinks he’s not good enough for me, which means Hayden, Jasper, Kristian, Emmett and Sebastian probably agree with him.

  “Does everyone feel that way?” I asked Nat.

  “I’m not sure.” She rolled her bottom lip between her teeth, which is a “tell” for her. She knows but doesn’t want to say. Fair enough. None of them like him.

  “Does it matter to anyone that I like him?”

  “Yes! Of course it does. That’s all that matters. If he makes you happy, we’re happy. You know that.”

  I eyed her skeptically. “I’m happy with him.”

  “Okay, then.”

  “Okay.”

  We changed the subject, but the uncomfortable conversation has stayed with me ever since. Natalie tried to be diplomatic, walking a fine line between keeping Flynn’s confidences and trying not to hurt my feelings. She failed in the latter account. My feelings were hurt, and they still are. It’s been five freaking years since I dated anyone seriously, so I sort of feel like the guys could at least try to give me a break with Rafe.

  I glance at the ornate clock on the wall. He’s going to be here in fifteen minutes. Time to get changed and stop thinking about why my friends don’t like him. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, even if they’re wrong.

  I remind myself again that they’re not in this relationship. Only Rafe and I are, and we’re the only two who matter. I’m the only one who needs to like him and trust him and love him. It’s my life, and no one else is going to live it for me, no matter how much I love my friends. I’m going to prove how wrong they are by making this relationship work.

  I’ve decided it’s time to bring Rafe into my lifestyle because I know we can’t succeed long term unless I let him all the way in. Each of the guys has had to do the same with their significant others and did so with stunning success if their happy, dopey grins are any indication.

  That’s what tonight is all about for Rafe and me. Taking that next step. Depending on how this goes, I might be ready for what comes next, whatever that may be, for a couple juggling a transatlantic relationship.

  I’m nervous about tonight because I’m not entirely sure how he’ll react to my desire to dominate him. But I won’t know until I broach the topic with him. He already knows I’m adventuresome in bed, but he has no idea just how adventuresome I can be. Tonight, he’s going to find out, so I’m excited and nervous.

  I dart into the women’s changing room, take a quick shower and dress in one of my favorite outfits—a red leather bustier with a matching thong and sexy stockings with a flower pattern running through them. I’ve cut myself short on time, so I put my hair up in a bun and go with a smoky cat eye and basic lip gloss for makeup. By the time my phone buzzes with the text I’m expecting from him, I’m ready.

  After donning a red silk robe and black stiletto Louboutins with the fabulous red soles, I give myself a quick once-over in the full-length mirror and take a deep breath, letting it out slowly. Here goes nothing…

  In the lobby, I press the button for the elevator and take it up one floor to the main entrance to the Quantum office building. Most of the people who work here have no idea what’s in the basement. When the doors open, Rafe is facing away from me, looking out at the parking lot.

  “Hey.”

  “Why’d you want to meet here?” He turns to face me, his eyes widening when he sees me in the silky robe and heels. “Is this some sort of office fantasy or something?”

  “Not quite.” I extend my hand to him. “Will you come with me and keep an open mind?” He’s absolutely beautiful, with thick wavy dark hair and brilliant blue eyes that crinkle at the corners when he smiles, which is often when we’re together.

  He seems hesitant, but he takes my hand, links our fingers and kisses the back of my hand. “I shall happily follow wherever you lead, love.”

  Now imagine that said in a sexy French accent. I’m not one to swoon, but that accent does it for me.

  He watches as I place my palm on the scanner that opens the elevator to the basement. “This all very cloak-and-dagger,” he says as we descend.

  “Not really.”

  We step out of the elevator, and the first thing we encounter is a reception desk. “This is where I have to ask you to sign a nondisclosure agreement that says you won’t discuss anything you see here.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Very seriously. If you need a minute to review it, I’m happy to wait.”

  Giving me an odd look, he takes the pen I hand him, scans the NDA that spells out the lengths the Quantum partners will go to in order to defend the privacy of everyone who steps foot in our clubs and then scrawls his signature on the line provided. “What’s this all about, Marlowe?”

  “Come with me, and I’ll show you.”

  Taking him by the hand, I lead him through the double doors with our distinctive Q logo etched into the glass. To the casual observer, the big room we enter might be mistaken for a nightclub, especially now, whe
n there’s no one else here. On a regular night, the place would be pulsing with people, energy and sexual tension. Scenes would be unfolding on the three stages, and potential partners would be negotiating hard and soft limits in the various seating areas and at the bar.

  “What is this place?”

  “Club Quantum.”

  “How have I never heard of it?” Before we met, he was active in the LA club scene when he was in town.

  “Because it’s private.”

  “Still, with you and your illustrious partners involved, how does it stay a secret?”

  “You read the NDA. That’s how.”

  The face he makes indicates his skepticism that even an airtight NDA can keep the lid on anything in this day and age, and perhaps he’s right. Didn’t we learn that when Jasper was blackmailed?

  On the far side of the big room, I place my hand on another scanner that opens the door to the dungeon. As we descend the stairs, I begin to feel seriously anxious. Am I doing the right thing? Will he understand? What if he doesn’t? Can I stay with him if he doesn’t get this or doesn’t even try to get it?

  Don’t jump ahead of yourself. One step at a time. You’ve done this before, and it’s been fine.

  Rafe stops short at the entrance to the dungeon. “Holy shit. Are you fucking kidding me?”

  “You promised to keep an open mind.” A trickle of unease travels down my backbone as I begin to wonder if I’ve seriously miscalculated.

  He strides over to the table where I set out the implements of my craft and picks up the flogger, turning to me, his brow lifted and his mouth set in a hard expression I’ve seen only once before. “What the hell is this, Marlowe?”

  I normally love the melodic way he says my name, but there’s no melody to it now. His harsh tone frightens me as I realize no one else knows where I am or what I had planned for tonight. Not even my assistant, Leah, who always knows where I am. As he stalks toward me, his blue eyes blazing with anger, I take a step back, furious with myself for being so stupid. I’m thirty-five years old. I should know better by now than to ever put myself at the mercy of a man.