Chapter 14
When Marcus pulled up to the valet stand, he looked over at Flynn. “He can let you out, but that’s my one exception. Otherwise, I get your door.”
He kept wondering if he was going to get the snarky attitude back that he’d gotten from her over the years, but all she did was smile and say, “Okay.”
The valet opened the door and ducked down. “Good evening. Will you be joining us at Upper Ten?”
“Yes, Mr. Freeman put in a reservation for Quinterro.”
“Mr. Quinterro, it’s a pleasure to see you again.”
“Thank you. I’ll be around to get the lady.”
“Yes, sir.”
He came to open Marcus’s door. As Marcus stepped onto the street, he slipped the valet a tip and buttoned his jacket.
“Don’t worry, sir. We have excellent parking for this beauty.”
“Not worried in the least.”
Marcus was much more interested in helping Flynn out of the car. He strode around to her open door and held out a hand. “My lady.”
“You are quite the gentleman,” she said as he helped her rise.
“Ma would slap me upside the head if I wasn’t. Ladies are ladies. They deserve to be treated like it.”
“I can’t say I mind at all.”
With a nod to the valet, he said, “Thank you. We’ll be a few hours.”
“Yes, sir. Take your time.”
As he led Flynn toward the long awning covering the dark green rug that ran up the stairs, she asked, “Do I have to smoke a cigar to get in here? It’s not really my thing.”
Q glanced down at her. God, she is beautiful. It didn’t matter what she wore or whether she had makeup on or not; she was stunning.
“No, and you won’t smell like one either. They must’ve spent a million bucks on the air filtration system because you’d never know this was a cigar lounge except for the giant humidor room.”
“That’s good to know. It’s the first time I’ve ever actually worn this dress.”
“Saving it for a special occasion?”
“I guess so.”
“You make it look incredible.”
She smiled. “Thank you. You know, you’re really good at compliments.”
He matched her expression. “You make that easy.”
The doorman opened the door with a flourish. “Enjoying Upper Ten this evening, sir, madam?”
“Yes, Quinterro. A guest of Mr. Freeman.”
“Right this way.”
He led them to a gold elevator bank and pressed the call button. The doors opened instantly. He reached inside, swiped a card, and pressed the penthouse button.
“The host will meet you upstairs, Mr. Quinterro, madam.”
Inside the elevator, Flynn appeared suitably impressed. He was glad he’d thought of it, and—bonus—it would keep them out of his place and hers.
When they arrived on the penthouse floor, a host was waiting in the lobby, wearing a burgundy velvet smoking jacket with black lapels.
“Mr. Quinterro. What a pleasure to see you. Mr. Freeman let me know to expect you and Ms. Elliott.” He held out a hand. “I’m not sure if you remember me. Horatio.”
Marcus took his proffered hand. “Of course. You and Cannon keep trying to hire my sister. I promise, she’s as loyal as they come.”
Horatio gave a small shrug. “It was worth a try. Plus, she’s a stunner herself. I hear she’s still single.”
It was another shock of the day. “You asking?”
“I am a man of refined taste. I’d be a fool not to.”
Flynn squeezed his hand as he started to realize Freeman and Horatio had an ulterior motive for trying to hire her.
“Yeah, Zoe’s single, but she’s married to the club.”
“I understand that life.”
“I’ll tell her you asked.”
“Thank you, Mr. Quinterro.”
“It’s Q or Marcus.”
“All right, Q.” He held out an arm and gestured toward the giant wooden doors ahead. “Ms. Elliott, may I show you to the blue room?”
“Thank you, Horatio.”
As they walked through the doors, he motioned to the glass wall and the thousands of cigars on display behind it. “Mr. Freeman said your sticks are on the house. Just let me know what you’d like.”
“None for me,” Flynn said.
Q shook his head. “We’re good. Still water works for me.” He looked at Flynn. “You want a drink?”
She shook her head. “Still is perfect.”
“Of course.” Horatio opened the second set of wooden doors that led into the club proper. It had the look and feel of a Gilded Age library that Q loved.
Horatio led them through the large, open lounge area, where men in suits and women in dresses were drinking and laughing, to a solid wooden door.
“Just press the call button on the table if there’s anything else we can bring you at any moment. I’ll have a large bottle of still water sent right in.” He turned the burnished brass handle and let them inside.
“Gorgeous,” Flynn said, her voice a whisper.
There was a tufted royal-blue leather sofa and two matching chairs, seated around a brass coffee table.
“Enjoy,” Horatio said before closing the door behind them.
Flynn did a slow turn around the room, taking in the wall of old leather-bound books on one end and two giant windows overlooking Manhattan.
“I think this is the fanciest club I’ve ever been to,” she said, turning to meet Marcus’s gaze.
“It seemed like a good choice.”
“Great choice. I had no idea what to expect. You are full of surprises too,” she said as she took two steps toward him.
“How so?”
She let out a short laugh. “For starters, last night. Even coming down to the club. Then asking me what I wanted out of life. Not to mention family dinner at your parents’ … the car. And now this? Yeah, full of surprises.”
Marcus lowered a hand to rest on her hip. “I’m not the only one. Wanted in Pennsylvania and thinking having my baby sounds like a good idea.”
Red flared on Flynn’s cheeks as she broke their stare.
“Embarrassed? About which one?” Marcus wanted to know.
“I can’t believe I told you that.”
He drew her closer to him. “Which part?”
“Either.”
Marcus couldn’t help but think about what his sister had said. Knocking her up might work to settle her down. It sounded like a damn good idea to him right about now.
A rap came at the door, just in time to stop him from kissing her. This was really why he had brought her here—to keep himself in check.
He stepped away from her curvy figure, wrapped like a gift in emerald green. “Enter.”
“Your still water, Mr. Quinterro, Ms. Elliott.” The server bent to set a brass tray with a glass bottle and two goblets on the table. When she stood, she asked, “Is there anything else I can get you right now?”
Marcus palmed some cash from his pocket and slipped her a bill. “Thank you.” He glanced at Flynn. “Anything else for you?”
She shook her head. “I’m all set. Thank you so much.”
“I’ll leave you alone then,” the server said with a polite smile. “Just press the call button if you need me. Enjoy your evening.”
“Thanks. Appreciate you.”
She ducked out the door, and it closed with a quiet click.
He reached for the bottle of water. “You want ice?”
“Just plain water works for me. I’m not very exciting in the beverage department these days.”
He spun open the lid and poured her a glass before filling one for himself. “I noticed you’d quit drinking at the club right after you were finally old enough to get in.”
She met his gaze as he handed the goblet to her. “What else did you notice?”
“Plenty.”
Flynn looked from the chairs to the chesterfield and picked the sofa to settle on. Marcus took the seat next to her.
With her knees turned toward him, she said, “I realized drinking sucked because I’d made some bad decisions.”
“That so?”
“Yeah. Thankfully, that ended quickly.”
“So, you really just come to dance for cardio?”
She took a sip of her water. “And to try to get your attention.”
“Oh, you got it. Too much, I told myself all the time.”
“I might not be thirty, but I did grow up quick. I didn’t really have a choice. I’ve been financially responsible for myself one hundred percent since I turned eighteen.”
“Seriously? And you live on Fifth Avenue?”
“It seemed like the safest choice. And the park is right there. Plus, they have good parking. And my view has to be one of the best in the city.”
“No doubt.”
“But don’t get me wrong. I’d move. I just didn’t feel comfortable living somewhere like Brooklyn by myself. Where do you live?”
“At the scrapyard. Grandpop’s old house. He built it for my folks when they first got married, and then when they had a boatload of kids, he traded them for the big house. Not quite a view of the park.”
“But you’re close to your family and you have secure indoor parking, don’t you?” she asked with excitement in her tone.
“Yeah, plenty of secure indoor parking,” he replied with a laugh, amazed at what made her green eyes sparkle.
“That sounds pretty sweet to me.”
The things that mattered to her were not at all what he would’ve guessed.
“As long as you don’t want to sleep in on the days Dad crushes cars.”
Her whole body cringed. “He doesn’t,” she whispered. “Oh, that sounds terrible. My heart.”
She pressed a hand to the front of her green dress at the thought, and Marcus couldn’t believe this was the conversation they were having, but he loved it.
“Some are worth more that way, and we only have so much space in the yard. It’s Jersey, not Kansas.”
She let out a sigh and took a sip of her water.
“I get that. You have no idea how many cool cars I’ve sold simply because it didn’t make sense to store them all.
It makes me happy, knowing someone’s out there enjoying them at least. I can only drive one at a time anyway.
Plus, do you know how many tires I’ve bought in my life so far? ”
“How many?”
He was fascinated by her. She was unlike any woman he had ever met.
“It feels like hundreds. I could use a sponsor.” She laughed. “But big brands aren’t into sponsoring street racers. Bad for the brand, if you know what I mean.”
“Why don’t you go legit? Get sponsors? Do it for real?” he asked.
“Like drag race at a drag strip?”
“Yeah.”
She shrugged. “I don’t have a truck and trailer, and just trying to coordinate it all … sounded like a lot to figure out. Plus, I couldn’t do it as the Black Widow. Too risky.”
“What about as Flynn Elliott?”
Her eyes widened. “As myself? That would be so wild.”
“Wilder than illegal street racing in the middle of the night, always on the lookout for cops and knowing you could end up dead or in jail?”
“Okay, when you put it like that … it sounds bad. But it’s been good for me. Honestly. I’ve always been pretty safe. And the money’s great.”
He looked deep into her green eyes. “And you’re done, right?”
She pressed her lips together. “Are you telling me I’m done, or are you asking me?”
Marcus knew he had no right to tell her anything, and he didn’t want to tell her on their first date that it was him or street racing, but there was no part of him that was cool with her continuing to do it.
“I’m asking.”
“I turn twenty-five on Tuesday, and I get full access to my trust. Arguably, I won’t have any financial reason to continue after that.”
“Arguably?” he asked.
She swallowed. “No reason. At all. Except—”
“Except what?”
“I’m really good at it. I haven’t lost in years.”
“And I was really good at chopping cars, and it paid great. But it’s fucking illegal. And one day, shit goes sideways, and you wish you’d stopped sooner. And with what you’re doing, you could easily end up dead, Flynn. That shit is dangerous in more ways than you realize.”
“You chopped cars? And got caught?” She inhaled, eyes as round as saucers.
“Almost went away for grand theft auto. Got fucking lucky. I’m not a wet blanket, Flynn. I don’t want to lose you. I’m not dating someone in prison, and there’s no dating from the grave.”
She looked down at her hands and let out a long breath. “No one’s ever put it like that. I promise I have been so careful.”
“So was I, and chopping cars was a hell of a lot safer.”
She met his gaze once more. “I don’t want to fuck this up, Marcus.”
“Then don’t.”
“I guess I could no-show.”
His head jerked back. “When?”
“Midnight. Tonight.”
“The fuck you’re gonna race tonight.” He couldn’t help it. The words had just come out.
She sat straighter. “Excuse me? I thought you weren’t telling me?”
“Well, apparently, I fucking am. I don’t give a shit. I am not dropping you off, only for you to go drive out of town in the middle of the night by yourself to some back road or side street, where anything could fucking happen to you. No way. Not on my watch.”
Flynn reached for her water glass and didn’t respond immediately. As he waited in the charged silence, he realized that he could’ve just fucked this whole thing up. But he couldn’t not be himself.
“No one’s ever really cared what I did. I mean, Scarlett doesn’t like it. And Gabriel doesn’t really approve, but they’ve never tried to stop me.”
“I’ll keep you with me all fucking night if I have to. It ain’t happening, Flynn. Not with me. Not if we’re doing this. There is no part of me that’s down with that.”
She ran her tongue over her lower lip and lifted her gaze to his. “All night?”
The tension drained out of him at the interest in her expression.
“If that’s what it takes.”
“I thought you had rules about that?”
“I didn’t say I was going to fuck you. Just keep you with me all night.”
She did that thing where she squeezed her legs together, and his dick went instantly hard.
“I heard your sister say you should knock me up to settle me down,” she replied.
“I’m fucking considering it. Believe me.”
Her eyes lit up. “Seriously?”
He shook his head at her as he laughed. “You are something else—you know that?”
“Something good?”
“Something perfect.”