by Lisa Evans
She means the world to me already, and not just because she’s so kind and sweet, but because meeting her has turned everything around. I don’t really need an assistant any longer, because I’ve already solved the problems I had with the novel, and everything is slowly coming together. With the rate I’m going right now, I’ll be able to finish the novel by the end of the month. Grace sure will be pleased. But I wonder if she’ll be as pleased to hear that I’ve gone ahead and seduced the assistant she hired for me? She’ll probably scold me for it.
I deserve it.
I’m a very bad boy.
Indeed.
Just before we get dessert, a woman comes up to us. She looks about my age, her hair a rich peroxide blonde, and there’s a big smile on her lips. Looking at me wide-eyed, I figure this is going to be one of those times. They don’t happen too often, but they do occur.
“Excuse me?” the lady says, and Nina looks at her with surprise. “Are you Quinn Michaels?”
“Last time I checked.”
“Oh my god, wow,” she blurts out, and laughs. Touching my arm, she says, “I just wanted to tell you that I read Winter’s Bridge and I loved it. Absolutely loved it. And Shaky Waters was even better.”
“Well, I’m glad you liked it. Both of them.”
“Yeah, I can’t wait for the next one. When’s it coming out?”
“Well,” I say, shifting my weight. “I’m still working on it actually. It’s in progress. But maybe next year.”
“Next year?”
“Yeah. Something like that.”
“I’ll be looking forward to it. It was very nice meeting you,” she says, shaking my hand. “Can you believe that,” she says, pointing her thumb over her shoulder at me while she walks away from us. “It’s Quinn Michaels, he’s a writer, you’ve gotta read his books…”
“Wow,” Nina says, gawking at me.
“Wow, yeah.”
“Does that happen a lot?”
“Rarely.”
“Do you like it?”
“It doesn’t hurt. As long as they don’t complain about the ending, I’m glad.”
“The ending?”
“Yeah, well my first novel Winter’s Bridge has a bit of a controversial ending. You see, the main character –”
“Don’t tell me the ending,” she says, and hold up her hands to cover her ears.
“Why not?”
“Because…” she says, her eyes wandering away from my face again. “Because I’m kind of reading it right now.”
“Really?” I ask, startled. Although I guess I shouldn’t be shocked, considering that she was hired to be my assistant.
“You don’t mind, do you?”
“No, not at all,” I say, though I’m a bit self-conscious. My writing is the only thing I’m self-conscious about, and I’d really hate it if Nina doesn’t like it. Clearing my throat, I pour us some more wine from the bottle. At the same time, the waitress arrives with our dessert plates. “Once you’re done, do tell me what you think about it.”
“I will,” she says, blushing. Damn she’s cute. I can’t keep my eyes off her. That pretty little mouth of hers… It makes my cock twinge just looking at it. I want her. I want her so much. “I do like it so far, so I have a hard time seeing that I wouldn’t like it once I’ve finished it.”
“You do, do you?”
“Yes.”
Sitting here, I watch Nina scoop some chocolate mousse into her mouth. And it’s the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.
I love watching Nina eat.
It’s one of my favorite things in the world.
When dinner is over, I take Nina back to my place. Watching her scoop that chocolate mousse into her little red mouth was almost too much for me to handle, and by the time we make it inside my house, I’m more than ready for her.
Hard and hungry for her, I kiss her even before I unlock the door. Pushing her up against the stucco wall, I caress her hips while pressing my body against hers. She moans into my mouth as I do, and when I let my hand slip down to her butt and squeeze it, she moans even more.
“I want you sweetie,” I mumble between our kisses, and attempt to find my keys in the pocket. “I want you so much.”
“I want you too Quinn…” she whispers, running her fingers through my hair. God I love it when she does that. It makes me shiver, and it sends jolts of arousal through my entire body.
Once I’ve finally managed to open the door, I pull her with me inside the house. Continuing to kiss her fervently, I make her sit down on the couch before me. Biting her lip, she looks wantonly at me, and I can tell she’s every bit as horny as I am.
We both want this.
Getting down on my knees before her, Nina looks at me with curiosity in her eyes. But when I place my hands between her thighs and gently push them apart, she realizes where I’m headed. “Don’t worry, sweetie,” I say, and slide my hands up her thighs. “I’ll be gentle with you…” I add, and bow down to kiss her nude thigh. Damn, her skin is so smooth. Just running my fingers across it turns me on so much I feel like I could explode.
My erection is growing harder and harder in my pants with each breath I take, and when my fingers nudge against her panties, I feel myself throbbing for her.
Slowly pulling down her white panties to her ankles, I expose her wonderful sex to me. It is glorious. Absolutely perfect. Glistening and waiting for me, it’s just delectable.
“Quinn,” she whispers as I’m about to dive in. “I’ve never… I mean, nobody’s ever…”
“Don’t worry about it beautiful,” I whisper, and kiss her on the mouth. Caressing her hair with one hand, I slip my other hand down between her legs. Dipping my fingertips into her warm, velvety wetness, I growl with hunger to be inside of her. “You feel so good, baby,” I tell her, and remove my lips from her mouth.
Trembling, she looks at me like a deer caught in headlights.
“Don’t worry,” I tell her again, and then bow my head down between her thighs. “Lie down and relax,” I say, and she follows my lead. Then, I take one more look at her perfect sex, before I open my mouth to kiss her there.
She tastes absolutely amazing.
Rolling my tongue along her folds, I lap her like my life depends on it. Holding on to her hips while I do it, I follow her every reaction carefully. And whenever I flick her most precious nub with my tongue, I can tell she likes it, because she flinches.
“Oh God, Quinn,” she mumbles, and grabs hold of my hair. “Yes… Yes…” she says over and over again, and when I look up at her face I see that her eyes are closed and her forehead is creased. Breathing heavily, her belly is moving up and down, and when I reach my hand up to squeeze her breasts, she loses it completely. “Quinn,” she whimpers, and pushes her thighs against my cheeks. In my mouth, I feel her pulsating. “Aww,” she hollers, and lets go of my hair.
Kissing her once more, I pull away from her and wipe the corner of my mouth, while I watch her writhing on my couch. Just what I wanted. To have her come on my face. My dream has finally come true.
“Oh Quinn,” she murmurs, and turns over on her side. Looking at me through the corners of her eyes, she smiles. “I’ve never… I didn’t know that it could be so… Good.”
“The pleasure’s all mine, darling,” I say and join her on the couch. Turning her over on her belly, I pull up the hem of her dress. Then I unbutton my pants, and take out my erection. I’m hard and I’m throbbing for her.
Pushing into her from behind, I kiss her neck while I fuck her. She is so tight and wet for me that I almost come right away. Thrusting in and out of her, I hear her moaning each time. Moving together, she clutches my hand, entwining our fingers while we reach climax together.
“Oh baby,” I say, upping the speed of my thrusts some more. “You feel so good… You feel so fucking good Nina…”
“Aahh, Quinn… Quinn… Quinn…” she whimpers, and I feel her tensing up around me. When she does, I push deep into her again, and stop. W
e both shout each other’s names out loud, and we come together. Our fingers still entwined, we kiss each other as our joined orgasm ruptures through each of our bodies.
Carrying Nina into my bedroom, I am wide awake, but she is sound asleep.
Tucking her in, I leave her there to go take a shower and brush my teeth before I join her in my bed.
The man I see in the reflection of the mirror looks pretty good, but I think I need to start lifting some weights again. All this sitting around by the computer writing has really taken time from my workouts. And it’s showing already.
As the water splashes down on my naked body, I feel so glad that Nina has come into my life. I am eternally grateful for her, because everything has sort of fallen into place since she entered it. I no longer need her help, although her assistance was much appreciated during the first couple of weeks. She’s really good at pulling research for me, but I don’t have the heart to tell her that I don’t really need it anymore.
Stepping out of the shower, I wrap a towel around my waist. Wondering how I’m going to be able to keep her along without letting it show that I don’t really need her services, I crawl into bed with her. I know how much she appreciates this job opportunity, and I can’t really tell her that I won’t be needing her anymore.
Unless…
I don’t know.
Maybe it’s too rash of a decision.
I guess I’ll have to sleep on it.
Wrapping my arms around Nina’s warm, smooth body, I hold her tightly. I breathe in the bewitching scent of her beautiful auburn hair, and as I do I fall asleep almost instantly, thinking mine… She’s mine… All mine…
Chapter 5
NINA
Meeting with Grace the following week, I’m nervous. I don’t know what Quinn has told her about me, or us even, and I’m not sure exactly how to act. Yes, Quinn and I said we would keep things under Grace’s radar for the time being, but the trouble is I’ve got Quinn on my mind all the time, and I’m afraid I’ll let something slip if I’m not careful.
Entering the elevator, I’m also scared I’ll bump into someone I don’t want to. Like my dad for instance. Neither he nor mom have still talked to me in several weeks, and I’m not about to be the one to call them up either. If they’re so upset about me doing my own thing, living my life as I please, then so be it. It’s their loss, not mine.
When the elevator passes the floor where I used to step out every single day up until last month, I exhale a sigh of relief. And when the elevator dings and the doors open, I hold my head up high and step out.
The skirt I’m wearing is a little snug, but it’s still professional enough to wear to a meeting. I’ve matched it with a powder pink blouse and a cute little jacket, which totally makes me feel like the business woman I’ve always aspired to become. Part of the reason I wanted to go FIDM wasn’t just to get a degree in fashion, but also because I know they’ve got the best program for people wanting to get into PR, which is always useful when you’re selling a product.
Holding my notebook under my arm in one hand, I breathe in deeply. Then I step into Myers Books, and brace myself.
The coffee here still tastes really good, and when Grace sits down to talk to me, I smile at her, hoping I’ll be able to keep Quinn’s and my relationship secret.
“Well, Nina,” Grace says, running her hand through her hair. “It sure sounds like you’ve had quite the effect on Quinn.”
“Really? You think so?”
“Yes. He tells me he’s been even more productive than when he first started writing, and he’s all in all very pleased with you.”
“Good,” I say, blushing. “Because I really love this job.”
“It shows, you definitely look much happier than last time we met. Are you sure Quinn’s treating you alright though? I know he can be a bit of a brute sometimes, even to me, but I just treat him the same and tell him to do his job even if it upsets him.”
I could never imagine Quinn behaving like a brute. I have no idea what she’s talking about.
“No, or… I mean yes. He’s treating me just fine.” More than that actually, I think to myself and clear my throat while pushing away all of the dirty thoughts which keep creeping into my mind whenever I think about him. “He’s a real sweetheart really.”
“Sweetheart?” Grace stares at me, dumbfounded. “I would never have taken him for a sweetheart – are you sure we’re talking about the same guy here? Quinn Michaels – lonewolf author who shuts himself into his house just to write for several days in a row?”
“Yes,” I say, unable to keep myself from laughing. It really feels like Grace doesn’t know Quinn. At least not the way I do. He’s kind, and talkative, and always does anything he can to please me. A sweetheart. That’s what he is.
Scanning me through narrow eyes, Grace grabs her pen. “Well,” she says, and finally pulls her eyes off me to glance at some papers on the table. Between us is a large flower pot with succulent flowers in them, in all colors of the rainbow. There never were any flowers at all in the office downstairs, and I can definitely tell it does a major difference. It makes you feel comfortable, and everyone needs and deserves to be surrounded by beautiful things.
“Okay, then,” Grace says, and looks up at my face again. “Since things are going so well, I was wondering if you would be interesting in continuing to work for us? Not only on Quinn’s next project, which he mentioned he’d be starting as soon as the current project is finished, but I’ve also got a couple of other authors who could use a personal assistant.”
“Wow, really?”
“Yes. If you’re interested, naturally. You seem to have a magic touch, and I’d like to see what you can do with some of our other authors.”
Grace’s words make me happy. I really am good at what I do. Maybe this gig wasn’t such a bad idea after all. Too bad I can’t share it with my parents, but at least I’ve got Quinn.
And I just know he’ll be happy for me.
When I exit Myers Books, I feel on top of the world. Not only do I have a great new job going, but I’m about to head home to my new lover. I feel like I’m walking on pink clouds, and when I get back in the elevator I don’t have a single worry on my mind. But the moment the elevator stops on the floor beneath Myers Books, I flinch.
The elevator doors open and the last person I had ever expected to see right now appears before me. Smiling, he looks surprised to see me, although, he technically shouldn’t be.
“Nina,” he says, joining me in the elevator. The doors close behind him, and part of me hopes this elevator ride will be over as quickly as it started.
It’s Justin. What the heck is he doing here?
“Hi,” I say, and clutch my notebook. “What are you doing here?”
“I just saw Ralph actually,” he says, meaning my dad.
“Dad? What were you doing talking to him?”
“He uh, well, to be honest he called me last week offering me position. And I told him I wanted to meet first and go over some of the details with him before I gave him an answer.” The only way to describe the way Justin looks when he says these things to me is that he’s smug. He’s happy and probably very satisfied that my dad decided to bring him onboard mere weeks after I dumped him.
“He did huh?” I say, and check which floor were on. We’re almost on ground level, which makes me happy. Because I have nothing more to say to Justin. Nothing at all.
“Yeah, and you know what? I’ve decided to accept his offer. I think it’ll be great. But I didn’t see your name in there, did I?” he says, although he probably already knows what’s going on. There’s no way my dad was able to keep his mouth shut about that. If I know him right, he’s treating Justin like more of a son than he does me as a daughter.
“No, I decided to quit. There was nothing there for me,” I say, wishing I could vanish off the face of the earth.
“Really? Well, what do you do now?”
“I work for the company just upstai
rs, Myers Books. You might have seen their name down in the lobby?”
“Not really,” he says, while the elevator dings and the doors open again. Finally. I can’t wait to get the hell out of here. “By the way,” he adds, and turns around to face me. “If you talk to your dad, please don’t ruin the surprise for me. I wanna tell him myself that I’ve decided to accept his offer.” Smiling that stupid smile of his, he vanishes out of my sight.
Wondering if he knows what’s going on, about how my dad is not talking to me, I suppress a flood of tears welling up in my eyes. It hurts to know that my own father would rather call up my ex-boyfriend and offer him a job rather than call me and ask me how I’m doing.
The more I think about it, the more upset I get. And by the time I’ve made it to my car, I am not only sad but also very angry.
The moment Quinn opens the door to me, I storm inside. I’ve had all the drive from downtown Los Angeles to work myself up about it, and now I’m livid. I don’t even bother greeting Quinn with a kiss.
“Hey sweetie, what’s wrong?” he asks, following me into his living room.
Sighing, I throw my notebook and my purse on the couch and shake my head.
“Whoa, what’s going on? Did something happen between you and Grace?” he asks, and puts his hands on my shoulders.
Pressing my lips together, I do my best to keep the tears from overflowing in my eyes, but I fail.
“It’s just…” I mumble, and wipe away the tears. “I ran into Justin on my way out of there…”
“Justin,” Quinn says, his face turning dark.
“Yeah, and it turns out that he was there because dad apparently called him up and offered him a job.”
“He did not.”
“Yeah. And there I was. Trying my best not to get upset about it, but it was impossible. I don’t understand…” I whimper, and Quinn wraps his arms around me. His big, strong arms are so comfortable. And to have his warm chest against mine makes me want to cry even more. “I don’t get it… Why would he do this to me, you know?”
