Fireline

by Annabel Allan

  ‘I threatened to leave him if he didn’t go to rehab,’ I said, finally.

  ‘Threats, what a perfect way to instil trust in a relationship,’ Anita said, sipping her wine.

  My brow furrowed. ‘What does that even mean?’

  ‘You obviously didn’t trust Robert to deal with it on his own,’ she said.

  ‘Yeah, and hiding booze was definitely the perfect way for him to deal with it,’ I snapped.

  ‘Again, young lady,’ Jack said, picking up his scotch, which was already half drunk. ‘He wouldn’t need to do such things if it hadn’t been for you.’

  My face felt hot; red with rage and embarrassment. Tears filled my eyes as I tried to think of something clever to say but drew a blank. I was intimidated by Jack Quinlan, which really gave him the advantage.

  ‘Don’t talk to her like that,’ Quinn said seriously.

  ‘Robert –’ Anita began.

  ‘Don’t call me that,’ Quinn said angrily. ‘You wanted me to say where I was; I was in rehab. I had a slip. I was drinking. I corrected it. Stephanie was there at my darkest hour and I won’t let you belittle and berate her, accusing her of being the reason for that slip. The only person who needs to take responsibility for it is me, and I’m doing that.’

  Jack put down his empty glass. ‘Where’s that damn waiter?’

  Talk about needing rehab...

  ‘And I suppose that you didn’t think about how this affects others?’ Anita asked. ‘Your going to rehab upset our plans for the ball.’

  My brow furrowed. ‘Your nephew has an alcohol problem and you’re worried about a stupid ball?’

  ‘It is not stupid! It’s tradition,’ she said.

  ‘And his health means nothing? All for the sake of tradition?’ I asked, confused and appalled.

  ‘Can we talk about something else?’ Quinn asked, giving my hand a squeeze. ‘I’m really not in the mood for this.’

  ‘When did you go back to work?’ Anita asked.

  ‘Monday. I was home on Friday,’ Quinn replied.

  ‘You were home all weekend and we only see you tonight?’ she asked.

  ‘I wanted to spend time with Stephanie,’ he said. ‘I hadn’t seen her in a month.’

  ‘Thirty-two days,’ I mumbled.

  ‘And what did you do in those thirty-two days?’ Anita asked.

  ‘Well... I, um, I was waiting for notes from my agent,’ I said, my face flushing again as I realized I didn’t do much of anything except go to the gym and sulk.

  ‘And sponging off of Robert,’ she shot back. ‘Laying around, not doing anything with your life.’

  ‘Hey, I am doing something with my life, more than you can say for yours,’ I spat. ‘She who was born with a silver spoon and never had to work a day in her life. I’m not going to apologize for working for my dream... even if it’s stalled until I receive word from my agent. And I will be receiving word.’

  ‘And then what happens?’ she asked sarcastically.

  I sat up straight. ‘Then I make the corrections and send it out to publishers.’

  ‘More waiting; more of you laying around lazily,’ she said.

  ‘Where is that damn waiter?’ Jack asked angrily.

  ‘It’s not laying around lazily; I do stuff,’ I said.

  ‘Like what?’ she asked.

  ‘Like writing. While Quinn was away I was able to get a good portion of my next book done,’ I said. ‘Not that I would expect you to appreciate the writing process, since you’ve probably never picked up a book in your life.’

  ‘How dare you!’ she called.

  ‘Enough,’ Quinn said. ‘You’re getting loud.’

  ‘You expect me to let her speak to me like that?’ Anita asked, lowering her voice only a little. People could probably still hear her.

  Quinn shrugged. ‘You speak to her with little respect, why should she show you any?’

  ‘Because we are your elders,’ Jack said.

  ‘Respect is earned, not given,’ I said. ‘Since day one I haven’t had a reason to respect you, despite the fact I’ve tried my hardest to have you like me.’

  ‘Yes, the first time we met,’ Anita said, ‘when you were half naked in Robert’s apartment.’

  ‘I was not half naked!’

  ‘No, worse, you were wearing Robert’s clothes. Might as well have been naked, we knew what you were doing,’ she said, disgusted.

  I scoffed. ‘Because couples aren’t expected to have sex any more, are they?’

  Anita put her hand to her chest dramatically. ‘Excuse me!’

  ‘You said you knew what we were doing, so I ask you, are couples not expected to have sex any more? Just because you don’t get any doesn’t mean I shouldn’t,’ I said, instantly regretting it.

  Quinn let out a laugh, shaking his head.

  ‘I don’t see how that’s funny, Robert!’ Anita screeched.

  ‘Because it’s probably true,’ he said, trying to hide a smile. ‘Anyway, are we going to continue to argue? It’s getting tiring.’

  ‘I agree,’ Jack said.

  Anita shifted in her seat. ‘Hmph.’

  Silence filled the air, our food arriving a few minutes later, the silence continuing as we ate.

  Jack had another three scotches, this time no ice, downing them in two gulps. I wondered if he had a problem with Quinn going to rehab because Jack needed it so badly. Did he resent his nephew’s strength in being able to admit he had a problem and needed to seek out help for it?

  I looked to Quinn, smiling to him, reassuring him that everything was OK. I felt he needed the reassurance. What I really wanted to do was reach over and run my fingers through his hair. I wanted to show Anita and Jack that they hadn’t shaken me. All the mean, nasty things they could say wouldn’t scare me off. Of course, it’d be rude to make out with your boyfriend at dinner.

  The silence was getting awkward, even as the waiter came by and picked up our empty plates; at least, mine was empty. Despite the tension I was hungry, and I liked the food at Joseph’s.

  Anita wiped her mouth delicately with a napkin. ‘So, Robert, are we going to see you at the club this month?’

  ‘Probably not,’ he said. ‘I have a lot I need to do, catch up on, so to speak. I also have other engagements.’

  ‘Engagements,’ she repeated, glancing to me. ‘What kind of an engagement?’

  ‘The kind where you go to other events,’ Quinn said, missing her meaning. I knew she was wondering if Quinn was serious enough to ask me to marry him. How long was I going to be in their lives?

  ‘And your friend here is going to go with you?’ she asked.

  ‘My girlfriend, yes,’ Quinn said. ‘And she has a name.’

  ‘Yes,’ Anita said in a disgusted manner, looking away.

  I rolled my eyes, frowning. I knew it was a lost cause to try and please the woman.

  What if I do marry Quinn? Is this what life is going to be like?

  Quinn was going to settle the bill, but Jack beat him to it. I hated the thought of them paying for our meal, like I owed them something now.

  Quinn took my hand as we stood, looking to Jack. ‘Well, thank you for the meal. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you again.’

  ‘Hopefully at the club.’

  ‘Hopefully,’ Quinn said, Jack’s hand extending and shaking Quinn’s. It was like he had given Jack what he wanted, going to the club, even though there was no real promise. ‘It was a pleasure seeing you.’

  It sounded so formal, so stale. Anita wasn’t too pleased with it, glaring at me. I tried to smile a little, not giving her the pleasure of knowing she got to me. Of course she did, but I wasn’t going to let her know.

  Quinn tugged on my hand, leading me away from the table. I sighed, shaking my head.

  ‘That went well,’ I said.

  ‘At least there wasn’t any yelling,’ he said, holding out my coat for me as I twisted into it.

  ‘What did that dinner accomplish? They basically blamed me
for every problem in your life,’ I said, securing the belt on my coat.

  ‘It assured them that I’m alive and well,’ he said, taking my hand. ‘I asked you not to worry about them and I mean it. I’m not too worried about them and their opinions.’

  We walked out of the restaurant, making it back to the car. It was actually quite a mild night, felt more like a June than early May, a little bit of heat on the air. I could have gone without the coat.

  ‘You don’t think their opinion of me matters?’ I asked, as he put the key in the ignition.

  ‘I don’t,’ he said. ‘They aren’t the one dating you. They aren’t in this relationship. It’s me and you, not me, you, and the world.’

  I bit my lip a little. ‘You don’t blame me for your drinking, do you?’

  He shook his head. ‘No. The only one that can be blamed is me. I’ve taken responsibility for it. Nothing that Anita or Jack say can change my outlook on the situation.’

  ‘I just don’t know your breaking point with those two,’ I said.

  He backed out of the space, his hand on the back of my seat as he twisted to see out the back window. ‘I don’t really have one. I don’t listen to them. They aren’t my parents; their opinions mean very little to me.’

  ‘What would your parents think about me? The same as Anita and Jack?’

  ‘Not too sure,’ he said, straightening out the car and putting it in drive. ‘I think my mother would have liked you, but my father would have been concerned about gold digging, but that wouldn’t be because it’s you, it would be any woman I wanted to be with that didn’t have money.’

  ‘In a way, I wish they were here so I could deal with them instead of Anita and Jack,’ I said. ‘It’d be different if it were your parents.’

  ‘It would be, but these are the cards we’ve been dealt. Anita and Jack aren’t going anywhere. I think it’s best to ignore them and not worry about it,’ he said, keeping his eyes on the road.

  ‘Yeah,’ I said, taking a deep breath as I looked down to my lap, suddenly feeling panic within me.

  Ugh, when is this going to go away?

  I tried my best not to think about it, licking my lips as I pulled out my cell phone, playing around on it.

  ‘Anxiety?’ he asked.

  I nodded, keeping my eyes on the phone. ‘Yeah. I’m fine.’

  ‘We’re almost home,’ he said.

  I nodded again, my eyes never leaving the phone. It wasn’t long until we pulled into the garage. I sighed with relief, putting my phone in my clutch.

  ‘Better?’ he asked.

  ‘Yeah,’ I said, the relief audible in my voice. ‘Home, sweet home.’

  Chapter Seven

  ‘Where are you going?’

  I grabbed our jackets from the closet, turning to Quinn at the bar. ‘We are going to go out.’

  ‘OK... going where?’ he asked, taking his jacket from me.

  ‘It’s a surprise,’ I said with a smile. ‘I have you for the whole day.’

  ‘OK, how are we getting there?’ he asked, putting on his jacket. ‘I need to drive.’

  ‘I’ll direct you,’ I said.

  ‘You?’ he asked, unsure. ‘You get lost on the way to the Trask Building.’

  I smirked. ‘I Googled it.’

  ‘All right,’ he said, walking to the table by the door and grabbing his phone and keys. ‘Lead the way.’

  I smiled triumphantly, getting a little excited as I took his hand. We headed down to the garage, getting in the car and starting off. I directed him until we came to our destination, parking in front of a local sex shop, the very same I went to with Dani.

  His eyes were wide with surprise as he looked to the sign. ‘Here? We’re going here?’

  ‘Surprise!’ I said, holding up my hands. ‘We’re going to buy some new toys.’

  He smiled to himself, nodding. ‘I think this puts you on the best girlfriend list.’

  ‘Oh, I know,’ I said with a laugh. ‘Come on, let’s check it out. I told you we would go to one. Didn’t you take me seriously?’

  ‘I did,’ he said, ‘I just didn’t –’

  ‘Take me seriously,’ I said, nodding. ‘All right, well, here we are. So, come on!’

  I undid my seatbelt, getting out quickly. He followed, taking my hand. We walked into the store, which was clean and spacious, an entire section filled with racks of lingerie, which made Quinn’s eyes light up. It filled nearly half the store, everything lacy and silky.

  A counter sat in the middle of the room, where a woman with black hair in a pixie cut stood.

  ‘Hi,’ she said, ‘Anything I can help you with?’

  I shook my head. ‘No, we’re just looking.’

  ‘OK,’ she said, still smiling. ‘You need anything, just ask.’

  I scanned around, looking for anything that struck my fancy. I noticed a bondage section, pointing to it.

  ‘Ooh, let’s check that out.’

  ‘Bondage?’ he asked, letting me lead him over. ‘Really?’

  ‘Why not?’ I asked. ‘You don’t like the thought of tying me up and blindfolding me, doing what you want?’

  His eyes lit up with the thought.

  ‘I see I got your attention,’ I said, hiding a laugh. I looked over the display. ‘Ooh, they have kits.’ I grabbed one, reading the back. ‘It comes with ankle straps, wrist restraints, a leather whip, satin mask, and four bedpost extensions.’

  Quinn took the box from me, seeing the couple on the front, the woman tied up. ‘This looks interesting.’

  ‘Well, there are a few here, but do you like that one?’ I asked.

  He nodded. ‘We can try it, come back if we don’t.’

  ‘Good,’ I said, taking the box. ‘Should we look at more toys?’

  ‘Yeah,’ he said, pointing to a display with a bunch of pink vibrators. ‘What about these?’

  We walked over, looking them over, a set of three in different sizes, smooth and velvety-looking. It was phallic, but not anatomically correct like my Rabbit at home. I looked to another beside it, intrigued. I grabbed it, turning it on, feeling the even smoother vibration, which was whisper quiet.

  ‘I like this one,’ I said, looking over the loose S shape of it.

  He grabbed a box, looking it over. ‘G-Spot Wand.’

  ‘Ooh, I really like this one!’ I said.

  ‘Would you ever wear vibrating panties?’ he asked me.

  ‘Like, the ones with a remote?’ I asked.

  He nodded. ‘Yeah.’

  I thought about it. ‘In public?’

  His eyes lit up again. ‘Yeah.’

  I laughed a little. ‘Maybe.’

  ‘Where would they put them?’ he asked, scanning around.

  ‘Let’s look,’ I said, taking his free hand as we walked around. I stopped after five minutes of finding nothing. ‘I don’t see it.’

  Quinn looked around, finding the girl at the counter. ‘Excuse me, where are the vibrating panties?’

  She walked around the counter, taking us to the very corner of the store. ‘Here you are.’

  ‘We passed these like a hundred times,’ I said. ‘Which do you recommend?’

  ‘Well, this one here,’ she said, grabbing the one on the top shelf, ‘is powerful, but you might as well have a lawn mower following you around, it’s that loud.’

  She picked up a box, handing it to Quinn. ‘This is our best one. But you know what I suggest?’ she asked, lowering her voice. ‘You should get one of the wireless bullets with a remote. You know that little pocket in your panties? You stick it in there. There you go, vibrating panties.’

  ‘That’s actually really clever.’

  ‘Can I make another suggestion? If you’re looking for a fun couples’ toy, I suggest the We-Vibe 4,’ she said, walking us to another counter. She unlocked it, picking up one of the C-shaped toys. ‘This smaller arm is inserted into the vagina, while the wider end is for clitoral stimulation. The flat shape is perfect for hitting
the G-spot and for penetration, the penis being stimulated as well. It’s gotten five-star reviews from just about everyone.’

  I looked over it, turning it on and feeling the vibration, which was whisper quiet.

  ‘It also comes with a remote and an app,’ she said with a smile. ‘Are you interested?’

  Quinn nodded eagerly. ‘Yeah.’

  ‘Pink or purple?’ she asked.

  ‘Pink,’ I said.

  She took the toy from Quinn, putting it back and locking the display again. She then unlocked a cabinet underneath and pulled out a box. ‘Anything else?’

  ‘Lingerie,’ Quinn said, looking towards the large section.

  She looked to our hands. ‘I can take these to the front while you scope out the lingerie.’

  ‘Thank you,’ I said with a little giggle.

  We, of course, raided the lingerie section, a light yellow lacy bodysuit catching my eye. Quinn went nuts, picking out bustiers, bras, and, as always, garters.

  We rung up, our total coming to well over $500. Quinn didn’t seem to care, pulling out his credit card like it was nothing. We headed home with our bags, getting in to Ulalume sleeping on the bed.

  ‘Aww,’ I said, placing the bags down on the floor. ‘I hate moving her when she’s curled up in a little furry ball.’

  ‘Well, I don’t mind,’ he said, grabbing the cat gently and putting her on the leather chaise longue in the corner. He turned back to me, looking to the bags. ‘What do you want to play with first?’

  I pulled out the bondage set. ‘I think I want to tie you up.’

  ‘Tie me up?’ he asked. ‘I thought we were tying you up?’

  ‘We can’t do both?’ I asked. ‘Take turns?’

  ‘But you want to tie me up first,’ he said.

  I nodded eagerly, looking over the box. ‘Yup. I want you naked and vulnerable, blindfolded and bound. So, get naked.’

  ‘Just like that?’ he asked.

  ‘I could do it for you, but that defeats the purpose of this being a little sex game,’ I said. ‘Strip.’

  He nodded, taking off his black T-shirt, throwing it on the dresser. He pulled off his jeans, kicking them away. He turned to me, just in his black briefs.

  ‘I think you should take it from here,’ he said.

  ‘Ooh,’ I said, widening my eyes. ‘OK then.’