Start Me Up

by Victoria Dahl

  Worried she’d fall asleep again, Lori forced herself up and floated to the bathroom. Of course, the bathroom made her think of Quinn, too, and she smiled at the pink tiles while she waited for the water to heat. Maybe he’d do her in here. Or maybe he’d be distracted by the wallpaper. Okay, no bathroom sex.

  Still smiling, she caught sight of herself in the mirror and let out a horrified scream. Sure, her curls were usually messy in the morning, but this was a new level of chaos. The last image Quinn had from their night together was a crazed, naked bushwoman waving goodbye. Yikes.

  She jumped in the shower and tamed the curls with hot water. Hopefully he’d been in too much of a hurry to notice.

  By the time she’d dressed and had breakfast, Lori’s feet were firmly on the ground, but she still felt strong and invincible as she stepped down to the garage and hit the button to open the bay doors. As the metal doors rumbled up, Lori put her shoulders back. She wasn’t going to run from her problems today. Today, she’d take control.

  Like clockwork, Joe strolled in at exactly 8:00 a.m.

  “Can I talk to you for a second?” she asked.

  “Sure. What’s up?”

  “What is it about my dad’s land that’s so great?”

  Joe frowned and leaned against the counter, his graying eyebrows meeting in a V behind smudged glasses. “Well, it’s perfect for fishing, the way the river widens out there and slows down a bit. It’s quiet. There’s only that one house that borders the land. There’s a great flat area for building. Why? Are you worried I won’t offer you a fair price?”

  “No, but…why do you think I wouldn’t want to keep it for myself? Build a cabin. Settle in.”

  “Lori,” Joe scolded, crossing his arms. “You can’t do that.”

  “Why?”

  “You’ve got to get out of here, girl. Go back to college.”

  “There are bills and—”

  Joe cut his hand through the air. “You know your dad didn’t want this for you. Yes, you’ve got bills and this place here isn’t worth much with all the cleanup that needs to be done out back. That river land is all you’ve got. Sell it now and pay off the bills and move on, Lori. For your father.”

  Anger overrode the tears that were burning in her throat. Everything Joe said was true. She knew that. But the truth of them didn’t make the math work.

  “Unless that land is worth a hell of a lot more than you can afford, then I can’t get out, damn it. Do you know how much his hospital stays and rehabilitation cost? Do you know what ten years’ worth of day nursing adds up to? The hospital bed? The medical supplies? The prescriptions? The ambulance trips when he got infections? The physical therapy? Medicare doesn’t cover the best care, Joe, it only covers the bare minimum. I couldn’t give my dad the minimum, and I have to pay for the rest myself.”

  Joe rubbed a hand over his face, the calluses rasping over his stubbled chin. She thought she saw the glint of tears in his eyes. “I know. I’m so sorry. But if you sell out now, it’ll be a start. You don’t belong here, Lori.”

  Fear shivered through her. Fear and hurt and anger. Where the hell did everyone think she belonged then? Not here, but where? Shit, all her happy confidence was gone. Poking at old wounds would do that to you, even after the best sex of your life. But she took a deep breath and waded back into dark water.

  “I want to sell to you, honestly. But I can’t sell this land until I know what it’s really worth.”

  He shook his head. “What do you mean? Haven’t you had it appraised? I’ll give you fair value for it.”

  “I know you will. But there’s something else going on.”

  Joe’s eyes grew round behind his glasses. “Does this have something to do with the chief calling here yesterday?”

  “No, it’s just—”

  “Lori, if there’s something going on, you need to tell me about it. Your dad’s not around to protect you, and you’re like a daughter to me.”

  She bit back her guilt. “There’s nothing you need to worry about. I’m just confused because I’ve gotten calls from a few developers who want to talk about that land, too.”

  He pushed away from the counter and stood straight. “Are you kidding me?”

  “No, but I’m not interested in selling you out for an extra ten thousand dollars, Joe. We might not be related, but you’re all the family I have left. I just need to find out why these Aspen developers are so interested in the land. It’s got to mean something.”

  “It means their land has gotten too expensive over there and they’re looking to fleece us of ours.”

  “Maybe. You’re sure you haven’t heard anything about it?”

  “Not a word. But…Listen, Lori. If selling to one of those developers will get you closer to college, you do it, you hear me? Don’t worry about me. You deserve more than this and I’ll do anything I can to help.”

  “Joe…” She didn’t know what to say. “Thank you. I’ll let you know what I find out.”

  “I want what’s best for you, whatever that is.”

  “I know.” She was about to ask him more about the land when her cell phone buzzed against her hip. “Yikes!” she yelped and hurried to tug it from her pocket. Things were a little sensitive in that area.

  She gave Joe a wave and walked outside to answer it. “Hello?”

  “Good morning, Lori Love,” Quinn’s voice purred.

  Her tension vanished, and a goofy smile stretched so far across her face that her cheeks ached. “Good morning.”

  “I made it to my meeting with a few minutes to spare, so I thought I’d call to see if you’d meet me for dinner tonight.”

  “Hmm.” Lori twirled a curl around her fingers and smiled down at the sidewalk. “Didn’t I just see you last night, Mr. Jennings?”

  “What can I say? It’s a torrid affair. Night after night of…seeing each other.”

  Lori laughed, but her laughter turned into a sigh. “I’m sorry, Quinn, I can’t. I already told Molly I’d meet her at The Bar tonight.”

  “Cancel. My sister will understand.”

  “No, she won’t. I can’t tell her why, and she’ll be suspicious.”

  “Mmm. Let her be suspicious. I want to take you someplace special. It’s okay. I’m her brother. I absolve you of any responsibility to her.”

  Grinning, she shook her head. “I don’t think you can do that.”

  “Not true,” he countered. “My parents live out of state now. I’m the head of the Colorado branch of the family. She’s totally under my control.”

  “Quinn.” She laughed, then quieted down when she heard another voice in the background.

  “Oops, I’ve got to get in there.” His voice lowered to a whisper. “Meet me tonight? I have to see you again. Please. I can’t wait.”

  Okay, he was just playing into her fantasies now. A red-hot affair. A man desperate to have her. And Lori didn’t mind one bit. “All right,” she whispered back. “But not too late. I’m on call at ten.”

  “Six-thirty at my office?”

  A shiver raced through her. “Yes,” she answered quickly and hung up.

  It was irresponsible to call off her evening with Molly, but irresponsibility felt really good all of a sudden. Naughty and wild. But the call to Molly would have to wait. First, she had to get in touch with some developers who were clearly trying to take advantage of a nice girl. Too bad she wasn’t a nice girl anymore.

  “SHOOT, SHOOT, SHOOT,” Lori cursed as she roared down the highway. She was late. She hated being late. But she hadn’t realized until about five o’clock that she had absolutely nothing to wear, so she’d had to race through her shower and run out the door to shop.

  Still, the sprint to her favorite store had paid off. There’d been three dresses on the clearance rack in her size, and she’d ended up with a cute little black jersey number that clung in all the right places. Luckily it went with the strappy black heels she’d found at the cheap shoe store next door. Perfect. If only she was
n’t ten minutes late. And grumpy.

  The phone calls this morning had revealed nothing but the developers’ hope that she’d sell. These people were professionals. They’d used phrases like investment criteria and best use, and claimed that sheer beauty made the land valuable. But not that valuable, mind you.

  Scowling, she pulled her purple truck into the parking lot of Quinn’s office building and screeched to a halt. Quinn’s car wasn’t there, of course. Lori breathed a sigh of relief and hurried in.

  “Oh, hi, Jane.”

  Quinn’s assistant looked up from her computer. “Ms. Love! How are you?”

  “Oh, call me Lori, please. I’m fine. I take it Quinn’s not here yet?”

  “No, but he called just two minutes ago to see if you’d arrived yet. He’s right around the corner. Very impressive.”

  “Huh?”

  “I haven’t seen him this close to being on time in years.”

  “Oh, well. Thank you.” Lori felt flattered by this strange compliment.

  “Please have a seat. Can I get you something to drink? Water or coffee?”

  Lori shook her head and sat down to catch her breath, but she watched Jane as she turned back to her work. Despite her reserved air, Jane wasn’t as old as Lori had first suspected. In fact, they were probably about the same age.

  The woman wore her hair pulled back in a tight knot and her clothes revealed little about her figure, but if one looked a bit closer…Jane was genuinely attractive. In fact, if this were one of Lori’s books, Jane would fit in perfectly. The meek secretary just waiting for the right man to notice her and give her a night she’d never forget. Hmm.

  “I’m sorry,” Jane said, glancing up. “Did you say something?”

  Shit, had she hummed out loud? “Nothing,” Lori chirped, and vowed to keep her musings to herself.

  While Lori was lost in thought, pondering the likelihood that Jane was actually the secret mistress of a Greek tycoon, the door whooshed open. “Hi, Jane.” Quinn looked quickly around, and when his gaze found Lori in the corner, his eyes lit up. She was sure of it. Her heart beat harder in celebration.

  “Lori.” He gave her a wicked smile. “I’m so glad you were able to clear your schedule. Someday maybe you’ll let me pick you up at your house, so we can have a date that’s less like a doctor’s appointment.”

  “We’ll see,” she answered as she rose. Quinn was playing it cool, but his eyes devoured her as she stood.

  “Jane, do you need anything else from me?” His gaze didn’t leave Lori’s body.

  “No, Mr. Jennings, you’re all clear until the morning, but don’t forget that you have an appointment at 9:00 a.m. As for tonight, the reservation is for seven, but I’ll call ahead and let them know you’ll be early. You two have a lovely evening.”

  “Thank you,” they said in unison, and Quinn reached for her hand and led her out of the building.

  “You look beautiful. Again,” he murmured as the door closed behind them.

  Before Lori could respond, he caught her around the waist and turned her for a kiss. His mouth stayed gentle and sweet, but the taste of him fanned memories of the previous night to fiery life. Lori was panting a little when he finally let her go. Strange to think that just a few days ago she’d thought of Quinn as rather harmless. Maybe even a bit nerdy.

  He took her hand. “We can walk if you’d like. It’s not far. Though I never wear heels, so I may not be the best judge.”

  “I’d like to walk. Where are we going?”

  As they began their stroll, Quinn winked down at her. “It’s a surprise.”

  “Does it have anything to do with turkey basters?”

  “No. No turkey basters. Or bunnies. Then again, there might be rabbit on the menu, but I have nothing to do with that.” He kept stealing glances at her, and Lori flushed, embarrassed by the attention.

  “You almost made me late today,” Quinn said.

  “Should I pretend to be sorry?”

  He chuckled. “No, you should not. I definitely wouldn’t want you to regret it. I haven’t slept that well in years.”

  “Nice. Are you telling me I rocked your world?”

  “No, I’m telling you you’re a lot of hard work, woman. I almost got a cramp.”

  Lori laughed too hard and nearly tripped over a crack in the sidewalk, but Quinn’s big strong arm kept her steady. She held tight to his fingers, and glanced over his tall body. No suit jacket today, just a pale pink shirt, the sleeves rolled up to show his tanned forearms.

  “What are you thinking about, Lori Love?”

  The way he said her name made something deep inside her melt. Loreluv. All run together like one soft, precious word. An endearment instead of a name. Lori shook off her shivers and lied. “I was thinking that Jane is very pretty.”

  “Jane?”

  “Yeah, don’t you think so?”

  “Jane?” he repeated. “I guess.”

  “Um…Haven’t you known her a long time?”

  “Sure. She keeps my world running. I couldn’t live without her.”

  “You couldn’t live without her and you’ve never noticed that she’s pretty?”

  “No. She’s like a sister to me. And, frankly, I’m fairly sure she thinks of me as a hopeless little brother. So, no I’ve never noticed whether or not she’s hot.”

  She smiled at the slight horror in his tone. He really did think of Jane as a sister. “Well, she is hot. She’s so reserved and professional, I didn’t notice it before. The woman is a force to be reckoned with.”

  “Yeah, she could probably execute a bloodless coup of a midsize country without ever leaving the office. She’s priceless. We’re here,” he added, and gestured toward a nondescript door. Above the pale wooden door, a small canopy displayed the word Andalucia.

  “What is this place?”

  Quinn swept open the door and guided her in with a hand on the small of her back. Spice swirled around her. “A little taste of Córdoba,” he whispered against her hair.

  “What?” The alcove swallowed them up in darkness.

  “I can’t take you to Córdoba, but this is pretty close. The owner is from Málaga, another part of Andalucia. The food’s amazing.”

  “Oh.” Lori’s heart squeezed too hard, hurting itself. Just then, a burgundy curtain at the other end of the alcove flipped open and let in the light.

  “Mr. Jennings!” exclaimed a slender man with a thick accent. “It’s been too long!”

  “Stefan!” Quinn answered, then launched into a stream of gorgeous Spanish. Gorgeous. He even slurred his S’s in that sexy Spanish way. The man just got hotter all the time.

  Stefan laughed at whatever Quinn had said and gestured toward Lori.

  “Lori Love,” offered Quinn, “meet Stefan Arroyo.”

  A flurry of Spanish words followed as Stefan ushered them into a large room aglow with evening light. The first thing Lori noticed were the trees. There seemed to be hundreds of potted trees scattered among the small, dark tables. Orange trees and…well, other trees that didn’t have little oranges hanging from them. The illusion of a garden was furthered by the ceiling of skylights that had been opened to the breeze.

  “Wow,” she breathed as they followed Stefan through the nearly deserted room. He led them straight across to a row of French doors, then out onto a large brick patio. Tables ringed a wooden square set into the bricks, and the chairs here were full of customers. Classical guitar music flowed over her on the warm evening air.

  “It’s so beautiful!”

  “Gracias, Señorita Love. Though not nearly as beautiful as you are, mi cara.”

  Quinn’s hand settled on her arm. “Very true, but I’ll thank you not to dwell on it, Stefan.”

  Stefan laughed as he seated them at a small corner table, not leaving until he’d placed a napkin onto Lori’s lap with an elaborate flourish and a wink.

  “This place is amazing,” Lori breathed.

  “Will you trust me to order for us?
”

  “Sure.” She didn’t think tacos and enchiladas were part of the menu in Spain, and her knowledge didn’t extend any further.

  “Any allergies? Anything you can’t stand?”

  “Um…just mushrooms. And raw fish.”

  “All right. No Spanish sushi.” He leaned back and smiled at her. “I’m so glad you decided to ditch my sister.”

  “Shut up. You’re going to make me feel bad.”

  “Poor Lori.” He reached for her hand and drew it to his lips to press a kiss to her fingertips. She stopped breathing for a moment, but when he sucked the tip of her middle finger into his mouth, she couldn’t help her loud gasp. The gasp turned to a yelp when a waiter chose that moment to walk up to the table. Lori jerked her hand back and nearly knocked over her empty wineglass, while Quinn just smiled serenely.

  After the waiter informed them of the specials, Quinn launched into that musical Spanish again. She could pick up only a few words from her semesters of high school Spanish. Vino. Paella. And…baño? No, that meant bathroom. Lori gave up and just enjoyed the show.

  Maybe…maybe if she asked very nicely, he’d speak Spanish to her while they had sex. She could pretend he was a Spanish corsair who’d kidnapped her and forced her to be his personal slave. Alone on his ship with no hope of rescue. The things he’d make her do. Things no innocent lady should know about.

  When she realized that silence had fallen around her, Lori looked up to find both Quinn and the waiter staring at her. Her eyes flew wide. “What?” She hadn’t spoken out loud again, had she?

  “Still or sparkling?” Quinn asked, eyes dancing with amusement.

  “Huh?”

  “Water,” he said carefully, as if he were repeating himself.

  “Oh. Regular water. I mean, still. Thank you. Sorry. I was just…”

  As soon as the waiter turned away, Quinn chuckled. “You’re blushing. What were you thinking about, Lori Love?”

  She shook her head so hard her hair brushed her neck.

  “I didn’t get a chance to do my homework today. Is there something I should know about?”