Taken by the Boss (3 page)

Which was why she'd lied and claimed to be taking a three-week cruise through the Mediterranean.

Sarah held the envelope to her lips and closed her eyes.
Please let this work. Please let this work.

“Madame X, here I come. I really hope you live up to the hype.”

* * * * *

Later that afternoon Sarah shut down her computer and locked her office desk drawer. She'd never taken a vacation quite this long before. It was exhilarating but a little scary too. Especially since she had no clue whether this whole thing would end up being a mistake.

"I can’t believe you're leaving me for three whole weeks." Kristen, Quinn's secretary, perched on the edge of Sarah's desk. "He's always a bear when you're not here. You're the only one who can deal with him."

Sarah looked behind them at Quinn's closed door. He'd been in a strange mood ever since she returned from lunch. They were working on an estate plan for one of their oldest and richest clients. Normally, he'd double-check every page of research she prepared and ask a barrage of questions about possibilities she hadn't considered yet.

Today, he'd just said thank you. She'd been so shocked she almost left his office while still holding the file.

"Is it just me or has he been weird today?"

Kristen shrugged. "I don't know but I hope you don't enjoy the Mediterranean too much. If you run off with a cabana boy named Alejandro and leave me here alone, I will come hunt you down."

"Who's Alejandro?"

Both women jumped at the growled question. Sarah turned in her chair to see Quinn standing directly behind them. His dark hair had once again grown out long enough for him to pull it back into a short ponytail. She loved how it curled over his collar when it got too long. Along with his expressive dark eyes, he looked more suited to a motorcycle than a business suit.

Although he looked damn fine in a suit too.

Kristen hopped down and laughed nervously. "Mr. Sanders! Hello. Um…we were just talking about vacations. See you later Sarah." Kristen walked away so fast it was a wonder she didn’t start a brush fire between her thighs.

"I looked over your research on Mrs. DeLanier's estate. Excellent work."

Sarah was sure her mouth must be hanging open. She blinked several times. Had Quinn Sanders come out of his office just to tell her she'd done a good job? Not that he didn't recognize her efforts. He did. It was just usually more along the lines of a nod, a quick email or a big pile of new work in her Inbox.

Nothing says
thank you
like a crap ton of new assignments.

"Thank you, sir. I tried to finish up as much as I could before leaving." She sneaked a glance at him from the corner of her eye.

"So, the Mediterranean, huh? Is your fiancé treating you to an early honeymoon?" He stood next to her desk and watched as she arranged all the items on the top in a neat line.

People passing by stared openly, not used to seeing the boss out of his office unless he was handing out more work or looking for someone's ass to ream out.

"We're not together anymore. We haven’t been together in months." At his sudden stare, she sank back into her chair. "Not sure why I just blurted that out. It's so much easier not to talk about it." She twisted the ring on her left hand nervously.

"I'm glad you did. We’ve worked together for quite some time now. I'd like to think we're friends." He opened his mouth as if to say something else, then shook his head suddenly. He ran a hand over his face before his golden brown eyes settled on her face again. He was looking at her with an expression she'd never seen before. Like he was seeing her for the first time.

"Of course we're friends." She almost stumbled over the words, the idea was so ridiculous. Friendship didn't even begin to describe the way she felt about him. A friend wouldn't make her heart race with just a look and she was pretty sure friends didn’t imagine each other naked either.

Now, I'm imagining my boss naked in the middle of the office. This vacation couldn't come at a better time.

"Well, I think the time off will do me a world of good. In more ways than one," she muttered. She stood and lifted her handbag over her arm.

"Well, I hope you have an unforgettable experience Ms. Caldwell." He shoved his hands in his pockets and walked back to his office.

"I hope so too," she whispered. "And I really hope I figure out how to get over you."

* * * * *

Quinn Sanders hated to rush. He'd built his law career on attention to detail and a slow, methodical approach to research. Yet here he was throwing clothes into a suitcase as if his house was on fire. One phone call from an old friend and he'd abandoned his business and his social life. One phone call had spun his entire world on a different axis.

Sarah Caldwell was going to see Madame X.

The phone clipped to his belt vibrated. He yanked it from its holster and held it to his ear. His room looked like a mini-tornado had ripped through it but he didn't even care. He'd been lucky to book a flight at such a late date and if he didn't hurry, he'd miss the plane. He'd have to drive like a bat out of hell to get to the airport on time as it was.

"Yes?"

"I assume you've already booked your flight?" Madame X had a way of getting right to the heart of a matter. How she did this without ever being rude was something Quinn had yet to figure out.

"I had to pay an astronomical fare but I got a flight. I'll be there in the early morning. Thank you for giving me the heads up. This should be an interesting three weeks."

She made a non-committal sound on the other end of the line. Quinn braced himself for whatever it was she would say next. He'd known her long enough to know that the soft sound usually preceded bad news.

"I'm glad I was able to help you out but I must caution you. Ms. Caldwell is a guest of the Madame X School. If she doesn’t wish to work with you for any reason, then you must respect that. I've already stretched the limits of confidentiality. My first obligation has to be to my clients. Even if you are one of my oldest friends."

Quinn nodded even though she couldn't see him. "I would never do anything to make her uncomfortable. I promise you I'll leave if she doesn't want to work with me. Besides, I used to be your employee. Let's just call this a consulting gig."

Sarah would have the option to decline him as her handler but he doubted she would. Plenty of the instructors and a few of the students at the Madame X School wore masks so she wouldn't recognize him. He was glad now that he wasn't prone to long conversation in general. It would make it harder for her to recognize his voice. Even if something about him seemed familiar, he doubted she'd make the connection or question him.

No one
questioned Master Q.

"I'm sure Ms. Caldwell will get along with my alter ego just fine. You have no cause for worry."

Silence hummed over the line for a long moment before she spoke again. "You've been out of the game for a while, Master Q. I know you had your reasons for that and I won't pry. I just hope you know what you're doing and are doing it for the right reasons."

Quinn couldn't stop the grin taking over his face. "I know what I'm doing. Sarah Caldwell will get exactly what she needs over the next three weeks."

Madame X chuckled. "I'm sure she will. Hopefully, you will too."

* * * * *

"I still can't believe you're doing this." Pamela shook her head, her long braids tumbling, as she watched Sarah throw clothes into an oversized Luis Vuitton suitcase. She couldn't care less what kind of bag she stuffed her belongings into but Pam had insisted she borrow the designer case. According to her friend, she needed to look "fly" while flying.

"Why are you so surprised? You're the one who told me how to find Madame X in the first place. Seriously, I'll be thirty next year. If I'm ever going to do something crazy, now's the time." Sarah pulled a pair of black three-inch heels from her closet and tossed them on top of the heap of clothes.

Pam heaved a dramatic sigh and snatched the shoes back out of the mess.

"I told you about the Madame X School but I didn't think you'd actually apply to go there. The only reason I know about it is because my crazy cousin went there last year. I never thought Miss Prim and Perfect would sign up for a sex retreat!"

Sarah scowled. "I'm not as boring as everyone seems to think. That's why you’re the only person who knows about this. Candace would turn me over to the guys with the white coats if she found out."

"I know she would. It's going to be hard for me to keep this from her. You better hope she's too busy with finals to question your sudden desire to take a cruise." Pam put the black shoes back into the closet and came out with a pair of red high-heeled pumps that Sarah had bought on a whim a few months ago.

Bought but never worn.

"If you're going to do this, you might as well go all out. Be someone different for the next three weeks. Find out who you really are. You might surprise yourself."

Sarah swallowed over the lump in her throat and took the shoes Pam held out like an offering. "I hope so. Because who I am right now isn't working so well."

"Hey, hey none of that." Pam elbowed her and fixed her with a stern look. "You're amazing. Everyone can see that except for you and your asshole of an ex-boyfriend."

Sarah blinked rapidly, suddenly overcome with emotion. "You're a good friend Pam. Thanks for understanding. And for not making fun of this crazy plan."

And for not asking what happened with Ian.

After the breakup Candace had hounded her for weeks. Pam had finally been the one to tell her to knock it off. Either her friend was a psychic or she must have looked pretty wounded back then. Either way, Pam had never asked about her last fight with Ian. Hearing her boyfriend sneer at her inability to satisfy him sexually, after she'd discovered his infidelity, wasn't something Sarah ever wanted to relive. She'd erase the whole incident from her brain if it was possible.

Pam shrugged. "You've been pretending to be fine for a while now but I know Ian screwed with your head somehow. I just want you to be happy and confident. If this sex place can do that for you, then I'm all for the idea. Just don't forget our plan."

Sarah rolled her eyes. "I know, I know. Call or send you a message everyday so you know I haven’t been abducted."

Pam huffed and plopped down on the side of the bed. "You better or I'll call your hunk of a boss and ask him to work his lawyer magic and get the place closed down."

Sarah flinched. "Don't you dare! I'd never be able to look him in the face again." She didn't want to imagine Quinn's reaction if he ever found out about this. She'd die instantly from the embarrassment.

"Whatever. That man has a thing for you no matter what you say. I only met him once and even I could tell he couldn't keep his eyes off you."

"Well maybe the Madame X School will give me the courage to ask him out. Maybe I'll come back in three weeks as a whole new woman." Sarah forced a smile she didn't quite feel. "I am determined to think positively."

Pam crossed her arms skeptically. "Just as long as you come back in one piece. Or I’ll be forced to resort to desperate measures."

Sarah picked up the packet of information she'd received in the mail a week ago. The envelope was as thick as a phone book with information, disclosures and frequently asked question sheets. She glanced through it briefly before deciding to read the rest on the plane. She'd already had her doctor's office send her latest medical records and she'd read the school's safe-sex policy multiple times. Everything else could wait. Otherwise she would talk herself out of going.

And she was going.

Do you like contemporary erotic romance with sassy heroines? Keep reading for a special extended excerpt of Minx Malone's Kindle bestselling novella
Teasing Trent
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Excerpt from Teasing Trent