Chapter 26 #2
I was really and truly enjoying physical contact to the point of craving it, yet I did not allow myself to wonder at this inexplicable transformation. My spoken reply was an automatic, thoughtless, breathy sigh. “I didn’t. Jem took it.”
Quinn immediately stiffened, and his movements stilled. Abruptly his hands moved to my forearms and he pulled away even as he held me in place. “You saw Jem?”
I met his astonished glare, and my mouth struggled to make sound. I squeaked once or twice before I managed to respond, “Yes.”
His eyes seared and scorched, and pinned me with an accusatory stare. “When? Where?”
“I-I-I saw her last night. She was at my…she was waiting for me at my apartment.”
“Damn.” Quinn clenched his teeth, his jaw and temple ticking, and pulled me abruptly against him in a fierce hug. “Damn it, Janie. You should have called me.”
“She didn’t stay long.” I held on to him tightly even though I didn’t precisely understand the ferocity of his reaction.
We held each other for a long moment. My encounter with Jem had been weighing on me like a squatting Sumo wrestler all the previous night and through the morning; but I hadn’t thought about her since Quinn showed up in my office with his greasy lunch offering.
I moved my hand in a slow circle over his bare back, a motion I hoped would sooth the unexpected shift in mood. I kissed his temple and whispered, “I don’t understand why you are so upset.”
“Because Jem is dangerous.” I felt his chest expand; he sucked in a capacious breath as though greedy for air. “I don’t want her anywhere near you.”
I leaned back and forced him to meet my gaze. “She would never hurt me.”
His eyes only narrowed. “You’re wrong. She would.” His voice was like steel. “I really think you should move into this building.”
I pressed my lips together but didn’t respond.
His hands moved to my face, giant palms cupping my cheeks, long fingers pushing into my hair behind my ears and at my temples. “Please. You don’t have to stay here forever. Just please show Elizabeth the apartment and think about it. Think about staying until this Jem business is resolved.”
“Quinn, I…” My hands moved up his biceps and settled lightly on his forearms. “You are my boss. You are also the guy I am dating, and now you want to be my landlord?”
He winced then gritted his teeth. “It’s not like that.”
“Just one of those things—relationships—can complicate, does complicate interactions between two people. You can’t be everything to me. I have to stand on my own.”
He studied me, his stare turning hawkish. “You could move in with me.”
I smiled even though my heart felt heavy. “We’ve been dating less than a month, and besides, I can’t afford even one-tenth of the rent on this penthouse.”
“I own this place. There is no rent.”
“Quinn…”
He cut me off with a kiss and turned us in one fluid movement so that I was lying under him on the bed.
“Just don’t say no.” He kissed me again.
“Not yet.” He kissed my neck, and his words and breath were hot and urgent.
“I’ll give you the key and the code to the building.
Promise me you’ll show Elizabeth the apartment.
” He nibbled on my ear and whispered, “And promise me that you’ll think about moving in with me. ”
I nodded, but not mindlessly. I wanted to pacify him so we could get to the good stuff.
He pulled away and his eyes surveyed me. “Promise me.”
I nodded again and lifted my hand to tousle his hair. “I promise.”
At some point in the last forty-eight hours, Quinn had brought my bag from the Vegas trip to his apartment. Therefore, and thankfully, I was able to dress in fresh clothes, ones with buttons, before heading to work.
I learned a bit more about Quinn as a consequence of spending the night at his place; he doesn’t really sleep, he exercises every morning, he eats pastries for breakfast. Quinn was up by five and back from a long run by six thirty.
After his shower, he woke me up in the most pleasant way imaginable.
Yes. That way.
I was standing at his kitchen counter drinking a really delicious latte from one of those marvels of modern mechanics one-touch espresso makers and eating a cherry and cheese Danish by 7:20 a.m. At 7:40 a.m., we were walking to work, a short six-block stroll, holding hands and talking about the day ahead.
Since I had tutoring on Thursdays, we made arrangements to go out again Friday night. He kissed me goodbye at the entrance to the building, leaving me wobbly headed and kneed, at 7:58 a.m. I was in the elevator at eight o’clock on the dot.
What a difference a day makes.
I was still smiling dazedly as I walked down the hall to my office, not really noticing anyone or anything.
I sat behind my desk and mindlessly shuffled through the folders.
I didn’t yet want to lose myself in spreadsheets, so I opted to read through the pile of memos threatening to spill off my desk.
It would allow me to continue to revel in all the warm and silky feelings from the previous night and morning.
The first ten or so were actually about my new billing software.
The last memo suggested moving the conversation to email.
This was typical. Most conversations were initiated via hard-copy memo.
After they were determined to be benign in nature, they were moved to email.
All memos were to be shredded after they were read.
As he was responsible for the private clients, most of Steven’s internal correspondence was hard copy. Since I was responsible for the corporate clients, most of mine was electronic.
I sifted through the correspondence quickly, but then my attention was abruptly ensnared when I spied both my name and Quinn’s listed together in a printed copy of an email.
I’d never received a printed copy of an email before, and my gaze moved to the email address of the sender.
I recognized it as one of the French Tweedle Dee lawyers I’d met on my second day.
At first, I skimmed the email, but then after the second sentence, I forced myself to start at the beginning and really, truly read it:
Hi Betty,
Per Mr. Sullivan’s request and as discussed during our phone conversation, Jean and I have consulted on the matter of Ms. Morris at length.
It is our opinion that Mr. Sullivan’s best course of action would be to terminate Ms. Morris’s employment as soon as is feasible (without interrupting operations).
In such cases as these, it is not unusual or unwarranted to offer a large severance package and release her from the non-compete agreement she signed on initiation of the position.
The reason for termination should not be stated explicitly to Ms. Morris nor inferred/alluded to in any documentation in order to mitigate risk for future recompense.
Furthermore, we advise that Mr. Sullivan not be charged with conducting the dismissal interview.
I’ve taken the liberty of cc-ing Mr. Davies and his administrator to this email as it is our recommendation that he handle the matter as Mr. Sullivan’s designee.
The other option is for Ms. Morris to resign her position.
In either case, we’ve drafted a release form that Ms. Morris should sign, and which, regardless of future outcomes, should, as much as is feasible or possible and to the extent allowable by law, absolve Cypher Systems from any related future litigation.
I recommend that she sign the release as a condition for receiving the severance.
Please let us know if Mr. Sullivan decides to proceed so that we may move to nullify the non-compete agreement. Likely, Ms. Morris will have great difficulty finding new employment until it is expunged.
Henry LeDuc, JD