Chapter 13 #3
I blinked up at him; my heart and my mind were competing in an uphill footrace, but I managed a small “hi” in return.
“I changed my mind about kissing you.”
“Well,” I said, “You did warn me.” A warm humming sensation was reverberating in my chest.
I didn’t have much to say in the car but found myself frequently tugging at my bottom lip. Quinn was driving; it was another black Mercedes, and I wondered if it were a company car. The thought that he would be using company property for our date troubled me.
Or maybe it’s ok because it’s our non-date…our Wendell-slampcapade. Whatever.
I allowed myself to worry about the use of the car as it gave me something on which to focus. He didn’t force any attempt at conversation and seemed content to drive in silence. As confusing as it was, the silence wasn’t awkward or uncomfortable. It just was.
When we made it to the vicinity of the park, he surprised me by parking in one of the sky-rise private lots. We pulled into a numbered space in the basement. I shifted in my seat and glanced at him from the corner of my eye as he cut off the engine.
“Are we at your…do you live here?”
He quickly exited the car and rounded it to my side.
Before I could pull the latch, Quinn opened my door in an unexpected, but not surprising, display of good manners.
He reached out his hand to help me from the vehicle then didn’t return it.
Rather, he laced his fingers through mine and tugged me toward the elevator.
At this point I realized that I’d become rather accustomed to the feel of his hand holding mine.
“Before we have our picnic, I want to show you something.”
With no further explanation, we waited for the elevator. Once inside, we stood next to each other holding hands as the elevator ascended. Everything about the moment struck me as odd, surreal even, and I wondered how I’d arrived at this moment.
I rewound my thoughts and reviewed how I got here: It all really started that night, weeks ago, at the bar and the Saturday morning after.
Fast-forward to last Wednesday when he bumped into me at Smith’s.
Then Thursday followed and the cell phone incident.
Friday was good, normal, but then it wasn’t normal, but it was still good, and he kissed me, three times.
Saturday was both clarifying and confusing, which brought me to Sunday and another kiss, and this moment: holding hands in the elevator.
Despite my best efforts, I was now adrift in an unlabeled ocean of unknowns and trying to find my sea legs with no map, diagram, or figure with footnotes. I felt distinctly terrified and excited…but mostly terrified.
Despite all my brain rewinding, the elevator trip was actually very short.
The doors slid open to a long, plain white hallway with four doors.
Plastic sheeting covered the marbled floor, and it smelled heavily of paint.
Quinn placed his hand on the base of my spine and ushered me to the end of the hall.
He withdrew a set of keys and unlocked the door, and giving me a small but expectant smile, he motioned me in.
I crossed the threshold with hesitation and stepped onto an ash-colored hardwood floor.
I glanced around at what I now recognized as a very, very nice apartment.
It was unfurnished, so the wood panels fanned out uninterrupted and crisscrossed with the horizontal spears of light emanating from three large floor-to-ceiling windows off the living room, which overlooked Millennium Park.
I walked slowly into the large living space, toward the windows, and noted the height of the cathedral ceiling as I turned to take it all in.
My footfalls were loud and reverberating.
The walls were painted a plain white, as were the crown molding and baseboards.
“The kitchen is over here.” Quinn’s voice echoed from my side; I followed where he led to a spacious, blue-gray marbled kitchen.
All the appliances were stainless steel—double oven, gas range, dishwasher, giant fridge—except the sink, which was white porcelain and huge. This kitchen was meant for cooking.
The kitchen looked a little sad without small appliances, cookbooks, and food littering the countertops, like a kid waiting to be chosen for a dodge ball team.
After giving me a minute to survey the space, he placed his palm on my back and gently led me to a hallway with two bedrooms beyond.
They were very similar in size, and both had en suite bathrooms. The main difference was that the slightly larger of the two also had a view of the park, and the bathroom contained a cistern-sized Jacuzzi bathtub.
My eyes widened when I saw the tub. It was an impressive tub. I don’t think I’ll ever quite get over the sight of that tub and the images it conjured of taking a bath with seventeen of my closest friends. I literally could have held knit-night in the tub.
Quinn seemed to sense I needed some time to absorb the enormity of the tub, so he waited for me in the master bedroom. When I emerged, I gave the tub one last longing look then turned my attention to Quinn.
Tub plus Quinn equaled Quinntub or Tubinn. I decided Tubinn sounded more alluring; I let that thought wash over me: Tubinn with Quinn.
I didn’t even try to fight the blush that followed.
“Hey.” He was sitting on an inset window seat; I noted it could be used for storage.
“Hey,” I responded, letting out a slow breath, trying to find a subject other than Tubinn to discuss.
“What do you think?” he prompted, motioning with a tilt of his head for me to join him on the wooden seat.
“It’s really nice…” I walked to him slowly, still surveying the room. “Are you thinking of renting it?”
“No, not me; I was thinking it might be nice for you and Elizabeth.”
I came to a full stop about four feet from where he sat. “What?”
“You mentioned the two of you were looking for a larger place—you and Elizabeth.”
“Yeah, something larger, not…” I lifted my arms around me in a movement I suspected looked like slow motion flapping. “…not Richie Rich McMansion huge.”
His grin was immediate. “It’s not that big.”
I tilted my head at him in the way I often saw him employ, hands moving to my hips. “I am fairly certain it is well outside of our price range.”
He also tilted his head. “See, that’s the thing, this floor and the four beneath it belong to Cypher Systems. They were specifically purchased for employees.”
“You mean… you mean the company owns these apartments?”
He nodded.
“But why would the boss want to buy apartments for his staff?”
He shrugged. “It was actually Betty’s idea. She and her husband are downsizing; they want to move out of their house now that all their kids are gone, and she talked to me about helping her find a place near work so she wouldn’t have to commute.”
“Oh.” I thought about that. “And the boss just decided to purchase five floors in a skyscraper overlooking Millennium Park?”
“If you think about it, it makes sense.” He stood up, took a step, grabbed my hands in his, and brought us both back to the window seat.
“It’s a nice perk for employees. This is a nice place to live, near the Loop and the rest of downtown, and the park.
Cypher’s main business is security. Having employees spread out all over Chicago makes it difficult to ensure everyone’s safety.
If everyone were to live here, then it’s close to work, and it’s easier to keep tabs on people. ”
“You think the boss wants to keep tabs on people?”
“Yes and no; not in the way you mean.”
“In what way, then?” I was frowning.
He sighed, ran a hand through his hair, and studied the floor for a tense moment before speaking. “You don’t work much with the private accounts.”
I blinked at this assertion, wondering where he was going with this seemingly random statement. “Yeah…so?”
“I can’t explain what I mean in much detail.”
I searched this statement and came to a speedy conclusion. “Does this have something to do with the non-disclosure agreements?”
“Something like that.”
“Are they…the private clients…are they bad guys?”
He gave me an assessing sideways glance as a whisper of a smile brightened his features. “No, not exactly bad guys; just powerful.”
“Hm.” I began tugging at my bottom lip again as my eyes wandered over the apartment without seeing. Without meaning to speak the words aloud, I said, “Are you moving into one of the new apartments?”
He hesitated then said, “No, not one of the new apartments.”
“Oh.” I looked at the door leading to the bathroom. “Do you know how much the rent would be?”
“Yeah, I have an idea. It would be more than what you two are paying now; probably a little less than double.”
“Oh. Well, that makes sense. It isn’t a lot actually.” I crossed my legs, and my foot started tapping the floor. “It would be strange to live and work around the same people. What if I quit my job? Would we have to leave?”
“Are you planning to quit your job?” His voice was monotone, but held just a slight edge.
“Well, no. Not right now. Not anytime soon, actually.”
“Do you like it there? Do you still like the work?”
I nodded. “Yeah, I do. It’s strange, but I never much enjoyed account management at my old job. All I could think about was applying for one of the architect positions. Now, I actually really enjoy it. It’s different.”
“What’s different about it?”
I glanced at him; he appeared as interested as he sounded, so I drew my leg up to the wooden seat and faced him, the view of the park distracting me for a moment.
“It’s—well—it’s just better. I’m learning about a new business, which is interesting.
And Carlos and Steven are really open to my ideas for improvements to billing structure and operations, whereas, at my old place, they weren’t interested in any new ideas. I also like the people.”
Quinn’s eyebrows lifted and he gave me a broad grin. “Oh, you do? Which people?”