The Key West Anthology (4 page)

Chapter Five

Quinn

“You look like shit,” Avery stated as she rushed past me into the house. “Like total shit if I’m being truly honest.” She dropped her bag on the floor and flopped down on the couch.

Exhausted and cranky, I stood in the doorway, still holding open the front door. “That would be because I had to spend four and a half hours in the ER last night. No wait, it was more like this morning.” I closed the door and walked toward the living room.

“Um, why?” she asked, now looking a little concerned.

The guilt of the entire thing still laid heavily on me. I took a seat in the old worn recliner across from her, propping my feet up on the coffee table. “Mom,” I stated. “I found her passed out on the front porch when I got home. She tripped going up the steps and hit her head on the railing.” I leaned back, closing my eyes tightly. “She had to have stitches.”

“She was home earlier than normal. You left the party before eleven.” Avery thought I’d come straight home. My eyes inched open slowly, and I bit my lip. I knew she would see right through me. I am a terrible liar. I can’t do it. Ninety percent of the time I tell on myself with just my eyes.

“Quinn?” She arched an eyebrow in a questioning manner.

“I did leave, you’re right.” I took a deep breath, staring back at her, memories of last night coming back to me. The tingles on my skin as he touched me. The burn of my lips from his stubble—a welcome burn. I could still feel him. I could still smell him. “I just didn’t come straight home.”

She waited in silence. I knew she would push until she got the answers she craved. Avery was the only person I had to confide in. She was the only person I shared everything with. She was
my person
, that one person who would never judge me, no matter what.

“I went home with someone.”

Her eyes grew wide at my confession. She slid forward on the couch and knelt on the floor in front of it, resting her elbows on the coffee table.

“Who?” she asked, a smile taking over her lips. She also knew how rare this was for me. I don’t do hookups. I hadn’t been with a man in well over a year, and we’d only been together for three months. Relationships were just too much work, and I barely had time to myself. Most guys didn’t consider babysitting a drunken older woman a perfect date night.

Remembering her question, I felt my cheeks heat as I answered with a matching smile. “The guy that was sitting on the cooler, the sandy-blond one.” I looked down at my hands, twisting them in my lap.

“The sexy-as-sin guy with the killer smile?” she asked. All I could do was nod, still looking down at my lap. “Holy shit,” she whispered.

“Yeah, I know, that’s more your kind of move,” I stated jokingly. I looked back up at Avery.

She narrowed her eyes at me, fighting against the smile pulling at her lips. I was doing everything possible to detour the conversation. The problem was my best friend wasn’t going to fall for it.

“So give me the details, they’re needed. What happened?” she asked.

I couldn’t control the giddiness that spread throughout me, thinking of him. I was still trying to accept that I had actually gone through with a one-night stand. I didn’t regret it, but I would never admit that. I didn’t want to come across as some girl who didn’t value herself, some girl who settled for random hookups. That just wasn’t me.

“I think you know what happened.”

“Um, yeah, I do. That doesn’t mean I don’t want the details. It’s been a
long
time for you. Details are definitely needed.” She wasn’t lying. It had been a long time. I barely had a second to breathe, let alone have sex.

“It was pretty amazing, actually.” I grinned, remembering him holding me as he fell asleep. “Even afterward when I was in his arms, it was pretty close to perfect.”

I had lost my virginity in the backseat of a Corolla in my own driveway. The same night I had to pick my mother up from the local jail for her first offense. It was cheap and over in less than fifteen minutes. It was nothing to write home about or even waste time remembering.

I’d dated a guy during the first semester of college and we slept together a couple times, but once again the world hadn’t moved beneath me, so to speak. It was okay, but after I refused most of his offers to go out or even stay over at his place, our relationship ended.

The man from last night, James or something, he was pretty close to what I would consider perfect. In the bedroom department, I had no complaints. He was gentle and appreciative of what I offered. He made me feel treasured and fulfilled. Then the memory of my mom on the porch with blood trailing down her face hit me once again. “But that was all it’ll be. It was just a one-time thing.”

“Did he say that?’ she asked, her eyes flaring with anger.

“No, but that’s exactly what it was, okay? I don’t have time for anything more than that. Just leave it alone, please.” I got up from the chair and walked toward the kitchen, where I filled a coffee cup. I couldn’t allow myself to imagine it could be anything more.

***

Working at Spencer’s on Saturday nights was eventful, to say the least. A gentlemen’s club wasn’t what I’d had in mind when I thought of my future, but it paid well. I refused to dance, but a hostess at a place like that was pretty close to the same thing.

The outfits we were forced to wear were like three straps of material held together by dental floss. All your goods were up front and fully on display. The tips were good, though, and those tips were keeping a roof over my head, for now.

I had a few interviews lined up for Monday, along with about ten other places I had applied for that had yet to call me back. If something didn’t give soon, I might be forced to sell the house. It was getting harder to make ends meet. The money I was making tended to go faster than I could make it.

I was just finishing up my shift for the night, and my feet were killing me. These heels were not my friend. I’d bent down and pulled off my left shoe when a stinging smack made contact with my left ass cheek. I jerked upright and spun around, only to come face-to-face with Ryker.

“Damn, Quinn, you’re looking good,” he slurred. He was sloppy drunk, I could smell it on his breath. I was surprised he remembered me. We’d never met before his party.

His eyes were red and unfocused as he perused my body. The guy standing next to him looked familiar, yet I couldn’t remember where I knew him from.

“Ryk, leave the pretty lady alone, man. She doesn’t need your drunk ass palming her,” the decent-looking guy to his left said. He looked up at me and winked. That wink reminded me of one I had witnessed before. Then it suddenly hit me. He was the guy from the party, the guy sitting next to my one-night-stand man. My guy whose hands on me I still couldn’t seem to forget.

Mr. Flirtatious Winker pulled Ryker away from me and slowly led him toward the door. Ryker continued to holler out vulgarities over his shoulder. Something about peeling me out of my skimpy panties and licking my body.

I could only shake my head and continue with my night. He was loaded and lost. Things were winding down and I was more than ready to go home, take a long, hot shower, and crawl in bed.

Chapter Six

Jett

My mood was shit. It had been since I woke up to find my bed empty and Quinn’s car gone. It was a surprise. I never thought she would sneak out in the middle of the night. Normally only guys pulled that shit. So imagine my surprise when I realized I’d been pumped and dumped.

Monday came entirely too quickly, and I wasn’t looking forward to dealing with the next round of flaky candidates for the waitressing job. Callie had set up three more interviews for the day. I swore if one of them was chewing gum, I was going to lose my shit.

I got to the restaurant early and took the time to catch up on a few emails and voicemails that were waiting for me. I had just hung up my phone when there was a knock on my office door.

Slowly it crept open and Callie poked her head inside. “Hey, boss man, you ready for the interviews?”

“Not really, but I don’t have a choice. Unless you want to go back to working the floor daily.” I cocked an eyebrow at her, and she rolled her eyes.

“Sure, but then who will keep you straight? You won’t have anyone to stop you from missing appointments and organize your schedule.” She shrugged and widened her eyes. She knew I wouldn’t give her up as my assistant. Truly, the girl kept my ass in line.

“Let’s get this shit over with.” I grabbed the folder holding today’s possibilities and ignored her laughter as she shut the door behind her.

A few minutes later, she knocked once before leading in a girl with short auburn hair. “Mr. Jameson, this is Taryn. She’s your first interview for the day.” Callie flashed her “have fun with this one” grin and turned to leave. The little shit knew this interview would for sure be a waste of time before she even brought her to my office. I immediately began planning my vengeful payback.

“Have a seat, Miss Harris,” I said while looking over her résumé. “So you worked in retail.”

“Yes, I have for about two years. I was going to school during the day, so my hours were mainly in the evening. I’ve actually decided to take this next semester off, for financial reasons. I’m just looking for limited hours a week.”

“So you’re only looking for a temporary position?” I asked. She nodded, remaining quiet. “I see,” I said, looking back at her résumé once again. “Do you have any waitressing experience, Miss Harris?”

“No,” she replied in barely a whisper.

I placed the paper on my desk and leaned back in my chair, crossing my arms over my chest. “I need to fill this position with someone who plans to stick around. I know nothing is guaranteed, but knowing that you only want short-term work makes this an easy decision. I really appreciate you taking the time to come in and for your interest in Jett’s. But I believe this position isn’t really suitable for your needs, not at this time.”

I stood and she followed suit. I walked around the side of the desk and led her to the door. “Thank you again, Miss Harris. I wish you the best of luck.”

My eyes met Callie’s and she held an evil twinkle in her eye as she attempted to hide her grin. She wasn’t considering I would be paying her back. I think I’d heard something about a dishwasher not showing up for his shift today. I felt satisfied knowing I’d be able to fire her up later when I handed her a hair net.

I made my way back to my desk and opened the file, then quickly scanned the next résumé. She had experience, at least three years of it. She had references and the right qualifications for the job.

As I roamed over the paper, my mouth instantly went dry. The name
Quinn Tucker
was in bold letters at the top. What were the chances of her being the same Quinn? My heart rate picked up at the thought of seeing her again. Then a tinge of irritation followed when I remembered how she ditched my ass before morning.

The click of the door grabbed my attention as she walked in to my office. The moment my eyes locked on hers, my stomach tensed. I tried to remain unaffected, but damn if my body wasn’t flying high at the sight of her. Dark hair with caramel highlights flowing over her shoulder. Her perfect, plump lips. I instantly remembered how they felt against mine.

“Miss Tucker.” Callie cleared her throat, pulling me back to the present.

“Thanks, Callie,” I replied without looking away from Quinn. I heard the click of Callie’s heels as she exited my office.

Quinn shifted from side to side, her hands nervously kneading one another before her. I allowed my eyes to roam over her long, beautiful legs leading down to a pair of strappy heels. That same set of gorgeous legs that a little over forty-eight hours ago were securely wrapped around my waist.

“Quinn,” I said, nodding toward the chair across from me. “Take a seat.”

She quietly and cautiously lowered herself onto the chair, her purse strap straining from the tense grip she had on it. There was no hiding the fact that she felt afflicted. I wasn’t sure what to say to her. I was torn between bringing up the other night and just pretending it never happened.

More than anything, I wanted to walk around my desk, pull her from the chair, and kiss her. I wanted her to admit that the night happened and that she shouldn’t have left. I needed to know I was still on her mind, because damn it, she had been lingering in mine.

“Why did you leave?” The question escaped my lips before I could stop it.

Her gaze shot up and met mine. She bit down on her lower lip, staring at me, a worried expression covering her beautiful features. It was as if she was playing out her reply in her head over and over before responding.

“It was a mistake,” she whispered.

I felt my body flinch at her words.
A mistake
.

I had to admit that was not the response I was hoping for. I thought maybe she would shoot back something about me not wanting her there in the morning or a lame excuse like that. Then I could have reassured her, letting her know I woke up disappointed she was gone. Now I was just pissed.

“A mistake,” I repeated as I stared back at her, unable to form another response. Aggravated and so close to saying things I couldn’t take back, I let out a slow, calming breath. I grabbed her résumé and lifted it from the desk, averting my eyes from hers. “Well then, uh.” I cleared my throat, “Let’s get on with this interview. We’ll just pretend your
mistake
never happened. That’s obviously the way you want it, so that’s how we’ll play this out.”

“Maybe I should just go,” she whispered, her voice shaking and unsure.

“You came here for the waitressing position, correct?” She nodded cautiously. “You’re the first one who has applied with some actual experience. So for your benefit and mine, I’ll just pretend I’ve never met you before today. Is that what you want, Quinn?”

Once again she nodded as she swallowed hard, her throat bobbing. The throat I could still picture trailing my tongue along, lightly sucking.

I had a hard time concentrating throughout the entire interview. I couldn’t get the images of her beneath me, naked, out of my mind, her soft moans ringing in my ear as I drove into her.

Fighting off a raging hard-on was almost impossible. My mind was going back and forth between anger and lust. Keeping my head on straight was something I never had a hard time doing until now.

She fit the position perfectly. Seeing the name Spencer’s on her résumé made my throat tighten. Knowing she worked in a gentlemen’s club didn’t sit well with me. The fact she was on display for horny men was disturbing. A strong sense of possessiveness filled me.

“Well, Quinn, the position’s yours if you’re interested.” I zoned in on her lips, which now held a sweet semblance of a smile.

“Yes, I am, thank you,” she whispered.

“I’ll have Callie get your training set up and call you with your schedule,” I assured her as I stood from my desk.

She also stood and reached out to shake my hand. I looked down at it a few seconds before reaching across my desk and shaking gently. “Thank you, Jett. I appreciate the chance to work for you.” I only nodded in response. There was so much more I wanted to say but chose to force a grin instead.

I watched as she walked toward the door and placed her hand over the handle. She paused and looked back over her shoulder. “This is gonna work, right? With us? I mean, we’ll be able to work together without being uncomfortable, won’t we?”

A kick to the gut. “We sure will. Before today, you were just the girl who snuck out of my house without saying good-bye.” Her face fell just enough for me to notice. “Now you’re my new employee, and I don’t date my employees.”

She nodded and immediately turned back to face the door. After a few silent seconds she pulled it open and walked out.

I sank back down, feeling defeated and confused. What the fuck had I done that was so wrong? She’d wanted it to happen just as much as I had. So what if we had only met mere minutes before we went home together? Didn’t all relationships start out with not knowing the other person? Not that I expected a relationship, but hell, I didn’t expect her to blow me off, either.

I sat in silence, playing our night together over and over in my head, trying to figure out where I had gone wrong.