Start Me Up

by Victoria Dahl

  “Quinn?” she breathed into the phone.

  “Yes, I still think it’s a good idea.”

  Her relieved sigh made him smile.

  “So,” he ventured, “should I just stop by tonight to service you?”

  A wheeze burst over the phone line, followed quickly by the clang of something heavy and metallic. Quinn grinned at the Mexican Food sign on the building in front of him.

  “Oh,” Lori squeaked just before she coughed. “Oh, I guess. That would, um…Tonight?”

  “I’m teasing you, Lori.”

  “Oh, thank God. Jesus, Quinn. That was cruel.”

  “Sorry.” Not that he was sorry at all. “I was actually thinking maybe we should go to dinner. Unless you’d prefer I just come over and drop my pants. I’ve got an hour free before lunch.”

  “Quinn.” Lori’s voice had dropped to a tone he suspected she used with her employees.

  “All right. Dinner first. Unfortunately, I’ve got a previous obligation tonight. What do you think? Tomorrow?”

  “That soon?”

  “Yes.” He left it at that. No point letting her mull over her decision any longer. And, frankly, he couldn’t wait.

  “Okay.” The little squeak was back in her voice, making him smile. It thrilled him that she was nervous, that he wasn’t just some old friend who’d climb into her bed and make her feel comfortable and safe. He wanted her tense and excited. “What time?” she asked.

  Quinn didn’t bother trying to think of his schedule. It had never once cemented itself into his head and never would. “Six-thirty.”

  “Okay, I’ll meet you at your office.”

  “No, why don’t I—”

  “Listen, Quinn. I’m not interested in sitting here in my living room in a dress and heels for hours, waiting for you to remember our plans. I will meet you at your office.”

  “Oh. I see. All right.”

  She hung up with no added pleasantries, leaving Quinn staring at the restaurant sign for a few stunned seconds. “No chance am I forgetting this date,” he said to no one at all. “I’ll be there with bells on.”

  He was still wondering what the heck that phrase meant when he pulled up to his office two minutes later. One more date with Tessa, and then he’d be Lori Love’s meaningless fling, hopefully for a good long while.

  LORI ROLLED OUT from under the car, wiping her hands on a rag. “Joe,” she called as she stood and stretched. “Will you be okay on your own for a few minutes? I’ve got a quick errand to run.”

  After Joe gave her a thumb’s-up, she walked out and headed for the office of her Realtor. As she strolled along the cracked sidewalk, she realized how good this felt, confronting something. She’d been passive for so long, swept along by her life. Now she was taking control of a few small things. Finally. Maybe this would snowball into a real life.

  “Fat chance,” Lori muttered, but she was smiling when she opened the door of the tiny Main Street office. “Hi, Helen!” she called to the tall blonde at the back of the room.

  Helen Stowe looked up from pouring coffee, her big hair bouncing with the movement. “Hey, Lori! What can I do for you this morning?”

  “Oh, I just had a couple of questions. How are you doing? I thought you were going to meet me and Molly at The Bar last week.”

  Helen shrugged as she took a seat at her desk and waved Lori over to the chair that faced it. “You know. I just got busy.”

  “We’re dropping by on Friday. Why don’t you come along?”

  “Oh.” Helen’s heavily mascara’d lashes fluttered. “I don’t…I would, but…If…”

  “Helen.” Lori sighed. “Did you break it off with Juan?” Juan was the manager and bartender of The Bar. He was also ten years younger than the newly divorced Helen.

  “No,” she whispered, the quiet word trembling in the air. “He…” One fat tear escaped her lashes and tracked an ashy line down her cheek.

  “Oh, Helen.”

  “He said he was tired of hiding our relationship!” Helen gasped. “He said I was ashamed of him, but I’m not! It’s just…” That one tear was just the first of many, and Lori’s stomach sank.

  “I’m so sorry, Helen.”

  “It’s my own fault,” she said, as she yanked open a desk drawer and pulled out a box of Kleenex. “I never should have started dating him. He just doesn’t understand what it’s like to be a fortysomething woman dating a younger man.” She leaned forward, eyes a bit wild. “Do you know they have a word for it now? They call women like me ‘cougars’!”

  “Yeah, I’ve heard that.”

  “It’s mortifying!”

  “Well, it’s kind of trendy, actually.”

  “Trendy?” Helen screeched. “Do you know what Juan’s mama would say if she found out? She’s been after him to start making babies for years! If he brought home some dried-up old floozy like me, she’d probably call the priest over to perform an exorcism!”

  “Helen,” Lori said softly.

  Helen blew her nose and hiccupped.

  “Do you like Juan?”

  Her face crumpled again, and Lori had her answer.

  “If you really like him, don’t you think you should give it a chance? Give him a chance?”

  Though her tears continued to flow, Helen shook her head. “My husband left me, Lori. He left me after twenty years of marriage. I can’t go through that again, and you can damn well bet your ass that Juan would leave in a few years. Hell, I’m about to enter menopause. He probably doesn’t even know what that word means.”

  Lori sighed. “He’s a nice guy.”

  Helen straightened her spine and took a deep breath, setting her impressive cleavage quivering. “Yes, he is. That’s why I’m not going to tie him down to an old biddy like me.”

  Though she didn’t usually think of old biddies as buxom women who wore stiletto heels and shirts cut down to there, Lori gave in and nodded. Juan’s mother probably wouldn’t approve of the heels and cleavage, either. Having grown up in Mexico, she likely had some pretty conservative ideas about women, at least with regards to her youngest son.

  “Now, I’m going to go freshen up,” Helen announced, “and when I come back, we will discuss your real estate needs.”

  Wow, that sounded official. Lori looked obligingly over the photos of available properties until Helen returned, pink nose powdered and eyelashes freshly coated in mascara. “Now, what can I do for you, Lori Love?”

  “I’m afraid I’m not looking to buy anything, but I did have a question about my dad’s property.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Chris Tipton’s been in touch a few times about buying the land and some guy I’d never heard of called on Monday. Has anyone else contacted you?”

  “Oh, sure. I’m sorry, you said you weren’t interested in talking about it, so I didn’t call you.”

  “It’s okay, honestly. I’m not interested, but I am wondering what all the fuss is about. Who else has asked about it?”

  “Hold on.” Helen spun her chair to a tall filing cabinet and riffled through until she found a thin file and pulled it out. “Here we go. Someone from a company called Anton/Bliss Developers called last month, and there was a call from The Valiant Group in the spring. Other than that…I see I noted somebody called to ask about the land last week, but didn’t leave any information. The other two left numbers and asked me to contact them if you ever showed any interest in selling. Should I call them?”

  “No,” Lori said quickly. “But will you give me their names and numbers?”

  “You’re not going to try to do this on your own, are you? Because, honestly, these are some big companies, and whether you use my agency or not, I’d recommend consulting an attorney and—”

  “I’m honestly not looking to sell right now. But I’m beginning to wonder if I’m sitting on oil or something. Have you heard anything?”

  Helen shrugged. “Not a thing. I’ll keep my ears open, but it’s a beautiful spot and there’s a lot of rich
folks around here.”

  “Yeah.” Still…her dad had bought the land for less than seventy thousand dollars. It had been just as beautiful then, and there had been just as many Aspen people around.

  Helen offered her a paper with the information.

  “Thanks. If I ever do decide to sell, I need to know just how much it’s worth to these people.”

  “Why don’t you sell it, Lori? Your dad’s gone now and, correct me if I’m wrong, but you were never interested in running the garage, were you?”

  “I just…” Not wanting to think about her dreams and her fears and her money problems, Lori shook her head. “It’s complicated.”

  “All right.” Helen patted her hand, her smile conveying sympathy and maybe a little pity, too. Great. “I’ll call you if anything else comes up. Let me know what you find out.”

  “Deal. And think some more about Juan, will you?”

  Helen just glared, but Lori didn’t let that get her down as she left and hurried back toward the garage. She had something now, a clue. Maybe it had nothing to do with ten years ago, but it was still a mystery that needed to be solved.

  A mystery and a fling. She almost had a real life for the moment.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Jamal’s blue skin deepened as she watched. Amy felt her breath quicken and clutched the towel tighter to her body. She’d only just become used to the beautiful sapphire-blue tint of his flesh, and now it was darkening, flushing to a tone closer to twilight.

  “Are you okay?” she asked.

  His gaze swept down her body. She was still wet from the bath and the tiny scrap of towel fell only to the very tops of her thighs. “I’m aroused,” he answered in his usual forthright tone.

  “Ah, I see. Hard to hide on your planet, I guess.” She laughed nervously, then gestured back toward the bathing room of his ship. “I’m done.”

  “My turn?” His gaze rose, and when it met with hers, she gasped. His pupils had tightened to a narrow feline shape. He reached for the button of his trousers.

  She couldn’t help but watch, and when he pushed down the tight black fabric, Amy’s heart pounded in shock. Yes, he was aroused. He was also very big. And blue. And textured with little ridges that skipped down the entire length of his shaft. Ribbed, they called it back on earth. For added pleasure.

  The towel slipped from Amy’s grasp and Jamal began to purr.

  LORI SNAPPED THE BOOK shut on her favorite story and fanned herself with it. It might be awkward to start her date with Quinn already melting with arousal. Or maybe not.

  She glanced at the cherrywood clock on the mantel of his office fireplace. He was already twenty minutes late, but Lori had assumed he wouldn’t be here until close to seven, and so had his secretary. The woman—Jane, she’d said—had waited until Lori arrived before leaving.

  “I left a message on his cell phone,” she’d explained. “He’ll probably be here by seven. If you make plans with Mr. Jennings again, you may want to fudge the time by thirty minutes.”

  “I already did,” Lori had said, and the woman’s cool expression had immediately warmed.

  “A smart move. There are magazines on the—”

  “I brought a book to read.”

  Jane’s eyebrows had risen. “Very smart, indeed. Your reservations are for seven-fifteen. Have an enjoyable evening.”

  Another tick of the minute hand sounded from the clock before Lori heard the distinctive thud of a car door closing outside. She tucked the book into her purse and stood, smoothing out her skirt as she rose. The dark gray linen dress would probably be hopelessly wrinkled before the night was out, but she loved it and it had been on sale. And it went with the red shoes. Lori simply couldn’t afford to buy another pair for this date, and she didn’t think Quinn had seen them the first time anyway. She was just tugging the plunging neckline of the dress up when the door flew open.

  Her neckline fell right back to its original position as Quinn burst into the room, cell phone to his ear. Her phone started to ring, then cut off when he snapped his phone shut. “Lori!”

  “Hey, Quinn.”

  “I’m sorry, I lost track of time.”

  “I know.” Even if she had been irritated with him, her annoyance would have disappeared in the next moment. Quinn’s eyes lost the glint of panic and focused on her chest. Then his gaze dipped lower, sliding over her hips and legs and down to her shoes.

  “Wow.”

  She smiled.

  His eyes rose, moving even slower this time, until he finally met her gaze. “My God, Lori.”

  “What?” she asked coyly, trying not to let the smile turn to a maniacal grin. “Is something wrong?”

  “I’m just glad I’m not eating any jicama right now, that’s all.”

  Laughing, Lori didn’t notice that he’d moved closer until he took one of her hands in his. Her eyes popped wide-open just as he leaned close to kiss her cheek.

  “Oh,” she blurted out as too many things hit her at once. His heat, the scent of his shampoo, the bare rasp of his cheek against her skin. And his lips. On her. And then he stepped away before she could jump his bones.

  “You look unbelievably beautiful,” he said easily, as if that weren’t the first time a man had said that to her. “Are you ready to go?”

  “Yeah, I’ve been ready.” More than ready. Ready to skip dinner altogether. That book had been good, but Quinn was something better. His gray suit pants fit perfectly, framing slim hips, and the French-blue dress shirt stretched across those wide shoulders.

  “Sorry,” he said again, reaching for a suit jacket that hung on a coatrack. The shirt grew taut, then looser again before it was hidden beneath the coat. He pulled a tie from his pocket, flipped up his collar, and proceeded to dress in front of her. As if they’d just woken up together. As if they’d just finished having sex.

  God, she wanted to do him.

  He glanced at his watch. “We’d better get going.”

  If this were one of her books, she’d put a stop to this dinner business. She’d unzip the back of her dress and strip down to her brand-new underwear and matching bra. Tell him all she wanted to eat was him. Tell him she wanted it hard and fast and now.

  But she was just Lori Love, girl mechanic, and she didn’t have the guts to put what she wanted into words even if it was the whole point of this date. Pitiful.

  Maybe she should call the whole thing off. If—

  His hand left a two-inch trail of white fire down her upper arm when he touched her. “Shall we?”

  Throat frozen with wants and demands and dirty words that she couldn’t force out, Lori couldn’t speak. She couldn’t say what she wanted, but God she wanted. Wanted this just for herself and no one else. So she took the hand Quinn offered and silently led him out the door.

  He didn’t say anything, either, just waved her toward a silver car that was parked at a panicked angle near the entrance. Lori looked over the car and felt her body settle back into her skin. This was something she knew. Her throat opened up.

  “Nice car.”

  He glanced at the Audi A6 as if he’d never seen it before. “I guess. It’s got four-wheel drive.”

  “Ah. Of course.” Nothing about the horsepower or the supercharged V6. The car got him where he wanted to go and that was that. Everything in his life functioned as a simple vehicle for his passion and skill.

  She wondered suddenly if Quinn had sprung fully formed from the head of Zeus, because he was certainly nothing like his parents. Mr. Jennings had run the town feed store, and Mrs. Jennings was a no-nonsense housewife, the daughter of a rancher. He came from people who drove American trucks with big engines and oversize tires. People who never dreamed bigger than wanting to own a few more acres of land than their parents had. People like her.

  Quinn was different…shiny and polished from the constant flow of letting his own dreams wash over him.

  When he settled into the driver’s seat and flashed her a smile, Lori’s throat froze agai
n, so full of need that she wondered if she’d cry. She wanted sex with him, there was no doubt about that. But maybe more than that, she wanted a little of that glow to rub off on her bare skin, wanted to feel what she’d felt as a younger woman.

  Her glow was long gone, now she just wanted a taste of Quinn’s.

  THE WINE ARRIVED like a gift from a sympathetic god. Or as if Quinn had ordered it when she was pretending to look at the menu and wondering if they would have sex that night. The waiter had clearly come and gone without her ever noticing. Which was just fine, because now she had the unexpected relief of a whole bottle of white wine to give her courage.

  This affair had seemed only slightly frightening when Quinn had been his normal nerdy, distracted self, but his distraction had vanished at the most inopportune time. Every time she looked up from the menu his hazel eyes were focused on her, unwavering and not the least bit clouded by distant thought.

  “Why are you looking at me?” she finally demanded.

  “We’re on a date.”

  She watched greedily as he tipped the bottle and poured golden light into her glass. “So you’re always an attentive date?”

  Quinn’s eyes crinkled at the edges when he smiled. “Probably not, no. But I’m trying to figure you out. It’s taking all my powers of concentration.”

  She shifted. “I’m simple enough.”

  “Hardly.” His eyes dipped to the tiny bit of cleavage she’d been trying to cover earlier. “You’re a complicated woman.”

  “Oh, yeah. I’m deep and mysterious, all right. A real enigma.”

  “Mmm.” His eyes narrowed in study. “I can tell you’re trying to be funny—”

  “Trying?”

  “But you really are a mystery.”

  She arched an eyebrow, irritated by the scrutiny. “An exotic taste of the underclass, Quinn?”

  His faint smile faded. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Nothing.” Nothing except there wasn’t anything mysterious about her. Just another girl stuck in her hometown, going nowhere. Maybe she could sell the movie rights.